"Twenty-five, thirty…" An Ziqi frowned as she counted the remaining cash in the box.
With a loud bang, the rickety door was suddenly pushed inwards. Men clad in black clothes barged in, carrying buckets of paint. Without a word, they began splashing the paint everywhere, breaking anything in the room that got in their way.
"Stop it! Stop this now!" An Ziqi rushed frantically at them, desperately trying to stop them.
Ye Minzhi heard the commotion and ran out of her room quickly. When she saw what was happening, she also tried to stop them.
"Get lost, darn woman!" a man exclaimed as he kicked Ye Minzhi, causing her to fall on the floor.
"Ma."
An Ziqi screamed in panic. She bit down hard on the arm that was restraining her and, seizing the opportunity as he retracted his arm, ran over to help Ye Minzhi up, shielding her protectively behind her back.
Having had their fill of breaking everything in the house, the men walked away casually but not before they shouted their warning, "Tell An Guobang that if he drags his feet on the payment, we will chop off one of his legs when we next see him."
An Ziqi sighed. Ever since the family business went bankrupt, her father had become addicted to gambling and had not only squandered what was left of the family savings, but also borrowed from many loan sharks.
Burdened with such an irresponsible father, An Ziqi could do nothing but accept reality.
Having calmed Ye Minzhi down, she tidied up the mess in the house, washed away the paint on her body, and left her home, dragging her feet with a heavy heart.
Having wandered around the streets for a very long time without finding any suitable part-time jobs, An Ziqi sat on a bench by the roadside, feeling depressed.
Could it be that she was to end up like the female leads in the novels, destined to sell herself as a kept woman of a wealthy tycoon?
An Ziqi laughed cynically. Even if that were her intention, the heavens would not simply drop her a wealthy tycoon.
As she wallowed in her hopelessness, the sound of car brakes suddenly rang in her ears.
Raising her head quickly, An Ziqi noticed a black Porsche stopping alongside her.
The door opened slowly and a little boy of about four or five years old stepped out.
A little boy with exquisite features, as cute as a doll, clad in an elegant little suit, walked gracefully towards her.
He looked at her with a serious face and said formally, "An Ziqi, we need to talk."
An Ziqi asked in disbelief, "Kiddo, are you sure you found the right person?"
The little boy raised his eyebrows and continued, "An Ziqi, aged 23, height 168 centimeters, weight 48 kilograms, mother Ye Minzhi, sister An Siqing, studying at…"
"Kiddo, who are you really?" An Ziqi was stunned as she asked, wide-eyed.
"I am Xiao Yining. An Ziqi, let's find a place where we could talk."
...
Thirty minutes later, An Ziqi appeared at the revolving restaurant located at the top level of Jindi Plaza.
She was also unsure why she had agreed to meet Xiao Yining here to discuss something.
Xiao Yining seemed to have a special draw about him that she could not help but want to get closer to him.
Looking down through the window at the people and traffic hurrying about like ants many levels below, she mused that even a glass of water at this top restaurant in S City would cost as much as an entire month's expenses for her family.
Suddenly, An Ziqi was thirsty and, picking up her glass of water, took a sip and said, "So, my little friend Xiao Yining, now, can you tell me what it is that you wish to talk to me about?"
Xiao Yining looked at her with a serious face.
"An Ziqi, I want you to be my kept woman."