Goodbye, Scumbag! The Powerful CEO Is My New Devoted Lover - Chapter 14

The note looked like a corner torn hurriedly from a piece of rice paper. On it was written the PIN for the bank card and a single sentence:

Please do not decline. If you need help, come to the Tang family and find me directly.

The words were written with a brush in a style Su Xiao knew all too well. The elder of the Tang family had once gifted her father a calligraphic couplet; her father treasured it dearly, hanging it right in front of his workbench and looking at it every single day.

Clutching the note, she finally felt a bit more grounded. The Tang family’s willingness to stand by her side was undoubtedly the best news she had received during this period.

Exhaustion surged over her. Su Xiao lay on the sofa and fell into the most restful sleep she’d had in a long time.

The next morning, Su Xiao was woken up by the aroma of food.

Xu An stood behind the sofa with a smiling face, holding a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). “Wakey wakey! Time to eat.”

“An’an?” Su Xiao rubbed her eyes and sat up. “Aren’t you on set? How do you have time to come back today?”

“Tsk, you little ungrateful thing.” Xu An stuffed the roujiamo into her hand. “I was afraid you’d be sad all by yourself, so I flew back overnight. I only landed in the early hours of this morning.”

“An’an, you’re the best.” Su Xiao bit into the sandwich with tearful eyes, finally eating a meal in peace. With her father safely buried, a heavy stone had finally been lifted from her heart.

“Eat up. The divorce settlement has been drafted. When do you plan to tell him?” Xu An ruffled her hair, feeling a pang of heartache. How did this girl end up so haggard?

“Next week.” Next week was Yan Mingshen’s birthday. She was going to give him a grand surprise.

After eating, Su Xiao accompanied Xu An to the airport. Xu An still had filming duties and couldn’t stay long; she had rushed back just to see Su Xiao.

After sending Xu An off, Su Xiao’s phone rang. It was a call from the court. She walked to a corner and answered.

“Miss Su, regarding the collective lawsuit from the collectors: if a settlement cannot be reached within the day, the court will initiate the auction process for the gallery to offset part of the debt.”

“Can’t you give me a few more days of grace?” Su Xiao’s hand tightened around the phone, her recently eased mood sinking again. “Some collectors have already agreed to withdraw their lawsuits. I…”

“I’m sorry, this is the requirement of the plaintiffs.” The voice on the other end paused before continuing, “Miss Su, if you intend to inherit the gallery, please settle the debt as soon as possible.”

The call ended. Su Xiao stood frozen.

The wind swirled fallen leaves around her feet. Though it was summer, she felt as cold as if she were submerged in ice water, the chill spreading from her fingertips to her heart.

The card the Tang family gave her had exactly ten million yuan. Combined with the money from the two villas and the frozen portion of her account, she was still short by more than half. Although most of the valuable works had been rescued, the smaller, scattered losses were too numerous. Xu An’s personal savings couldn’t possibly fill such a hole.

Who else could she turn to? Qin Yu’s studio was just starting out; he wouldn’t have much liquid capital either.

Su Xiao slowly crouched down, leaning against a stone post by the roadside. Right now, the Su family and the Yan family were all chasing her, forcing her, and calculating against her. And all she held in her hand was a grasp of slipping light.

Her finger hovered over the screen before finally calling Yan Mingshen. The phone rang for a full thirty seconds before connecting.

“Xiaoxiao?” Yan Mingshen seemed surprised she was calling, his voice carrying a hint of irritation. “What is it?”

“Are you busy? I want to… borrow some money from you.” It was hard to say, but she truly couldn’t think of anyone else besides Yan Mingshen who could produce that much cash at once. Su Xiao paused, and seeing no reply, she braved herself to add, “If you’re not busy, I can go to the company to find you.”

“Fine.”

“Then, let’s meet at the cafe downstairs from your office in thirty minutes.”

Yan Mingshen hung up.

Su Xiao stood there, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip on the phone. After all her effort, she had ended up begging Yan Mingshen anyway. If she had known, she would have scammed him for more earlier.

With a bitter smile, she hailed a taxi to Yan Mingshen’s company. As they drove toward the city center, Su Xiao watched the glass-walled office buildings streak by, the wind itself carrying the frantic pace of the city.

“Sir, pull over here, please. Thank you.”

Su Xiao got out, pushed open the cafe door, and greeted the owner. She walked to a corner seat out of habit. Whenever she wasn’t busy, she used to come here to wait for him to get off work. This cafe was her most frequent haunt because you could see the window of Yan Mingshen’s office from here.

She leaned against the chair, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone.

“Waiting long?” Yan Mingshen sat opposite her, ordering a double espresso. Consecutive overtime had left his brow etched with irritability.

“No,” Su Xiao shook her head honestly. “I just arrived.”

“How much do you need?” Yan Mingshen leaned back, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table. “I’ll have someone transfer it to your card.”

“Eighty million.” Su Xiao lowered her head to take a sip of water. Even the Tang family knew her cards were frozen, yet her own husband, Yan Mingshen, clearly didn’t. It was enough to make anyone laugh.

“What do you need that much for?” Yan Mingshen frowned, a cigarette held between his fingers, unlit.

“The collectors sued me.” Su Xiao looked down, her fair fingers slowly tracing the rim of the cup. “If I don’t pay it back, the gallery goes to auction tomorrow.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Yan Mingshen lowered his gaze and lit the cigarette, the flame flickering between his fingers. “I can help you pay the debt now, but you have to come home with me. Plus…” He paused, then continued, “If the Su family gallery is rebuilt, I want you to give twenty percent of the equity to Xia Zhi.”

“On what grounds?” Su Xiao snapped reflexively. She looked up at him, suddenly finding him a complete stranger. He knew the gallery was what she valued most, yet he wanted her to hand it over. Or was it that in his eyes, her only value was being a submissive wife?

“Your hand is no longer fit for this work.” Yan Mingshen spoke flatly. “Either listen to me, or…” He didn’t finish, stopping just where he needed to—just like Zhou Manyun.

“Yan Mingshen.” Su Xiao’s fingers gripped the water glass so tightly that the white of her palms reflected in Yan Mingshen’s eyes. Her voice trembled uncontrollably. “Are you even human?”

Yan Mingshen had consumed so many of her father’s connections, and she had been obedient to him for three years. How did it end like this?

“I’ve had the contract rushed. Whether you sign it is up to you.” He sat there with total composure, indifferent to her emotions. He didn’t want her seeking out other men with her injured hand ever again. Besides, what did the Yan family lack? Once things stabilized, he wouldn’t mind building her a new one.

“I’ll sign!”

“Su Xiao.”

A deep voice, laced with a casual mockery, crashed into Su Xiao’s ears.

“If you dare sign that, I’ll cut off Xu An’s fingers one by one to serve with your wine.”

Su Xiao froze, the pen in her hand suspended. Her expression went blank. The newcomer wore a meticulously tailored black shirt, his shoulder lines sharp and clean. Two buttons at his collar were undone, revealing an exquisite collarbone. He walked over soundlessly, his fox-like eyes half-languid, the mole beneath his eye catching the light in a dark, sultry way.