CHAPTER 320: CHAPTER 320: THE FIRST UNDERSTANDING OF 2_1

The office door was shut. Xu Xiaoya sat, and he stood. This Ph.D.’s gaze swept around the exquisitely decorated office—the newly replaced high-end office desk and chairs, the leather couch, the spacious floor-to-ceiling windows, and the understated yet luxurious patterns on the interior walls. More importantly, there was the woman in front of him, dressed in high-end professional attire. She wore the special uniform for store managers, the latest professional wear from this luxury brand: elegant, dignified, and luxurious.

He had known Xu Xiaoya for seven or eight years. In his mind, Xu Xiaoya had always been a flighty, disreputable woman. He’d never dreamed she could achieve what she had today.

To think that he, a dignified Ph.D. holder, had ended up so unsuccessful, now having to shamelessly grovel before her.

Xu Xiaoya stared intently at him, noting his receding hairline, puffy eyelids, dirty coat, and jaundiced eyes—he looked utterly repulsive. She herself found it strange: why on earth had she once tried to commit suicide over such a man?

She had been toying with a pen, but when her gaze inadvertently fell upon the scar on her wrist, she immediately pulled her hand back. Zhong Minghui also saw the scar and quickly said, "Xiaoya, I’m sorry..."

She asked coolly, "What do you want to see me about?"

"The $300,000 we used to buy the house back then..."

"Are you here to return that $300,000 to me?"

Zhong Minghui flushed. "Well... Xiaoya, I’m really in a bind. I’ve been unemployed for over four months. I can barely make the monthly mortgage payments, and now my mother is sick and hospitalized. It’s just making a terrible situation even worse..."

"So, what do you want from me now?"

"Xiaoya, I want to borrow some money from you... Just help me one last time. I’m truly desperate. That woman left me long ago. She was only with me for my money from the start. I was so blind... Xiaoya, I wronged you. I’ve regretted it ever since. I’ve wanted to make it up to you, to make amends..."

Xu Xiaoya actually smiled. "How much do you want?"

"$50,000... No, $100,000... Xiaoya, lend me $100,000. I’ll definitely pay you back... This time, I’m really asking you to save me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to cover my mother’s medical expenses..."

Xu Xiaoya laughed.

Loyalty often comes from humble folk, while betrayal often comes from the learned. Yan Xixi used to say that all the time, but she never paid it any mind. Only now did she understand: when the educated are shameless, they are truly unmatched in their depravity.

"Xiaoya, give me a chance. Since we broke up, I’ve thought about you every single day. In this whole world, I can’t find another woman who treated me better than you did. Xiaoya, I want to get back together with you..."

"You do have a chance!"

Zhong Minghui’s eyes lit up. "Xiaoya, you’re willing to forgive me?"

"Sell the house and give me back my $300,000 first."

"But... that house represents all my hard work... My mother won’t let me sell it either. Xiaoya, in my current situation, if I lose the house too..."

Xu Xiaoya walked to the door and opened it herself.

Zhong Minghui said awkwardly, "Xiaoya..."

"Leave! And don’t ever show your face to me again."

As he reached the doorway, still unwilling to give up, he turned back. "Xiaoya..."

Xu Xiaoya said gently, "Remember to pay me back my $300,000. Not a penny less."

Zhong Minghui left, looking utterly dejected.

Xu Xiaoya slammed the door shut. Leaning her back against it, she couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face. The best years of her life, wasted on such a man.