The day after, there was no contact from Delun at all.
So much so, BingLan thought she was entirely free.
She went to her work, she had a snack outside, and she returned home. It is no different from the days she used to spend.
BingLan made rice and a vegetable stir fry.
That's enough dinner for herself and her mother.
Her brother was not home for the past two days, so this could very well be one of those run away episodes.
He is hell bent on becoming a gamer.
Only, the gaming industry is similar to the entertainment industry these days.
Waters may not run deep, but they are quite polluted.
On top of that, he has a strange fate of attracting bad guys.
Perhaps both of them are born with a standing bad luck index.
She randomly picked a soft pillow for little benefits, and she got kidnapped.
His brother, on the other hand, is a sensitive soul. He is the strange combination of macho poet, but the world of honor has long since passed.
Her brother never got out of those eighth-class 'hero' values, even if he got out of his comic mad phase.
Thus, he fell in with a bad crowd easily, and then tried to stand on moral high ground.
As one would expect, he got beaten.
It would be alright if it stopped there.
The trouble often became big enough to take it to the police station, and whenever that happened, her mother had to spend all the money on her.
Thankfully, she herself had scholarships most of the time, otherwise, they wouldn't even have this little apartment, they would be squatting in one of those slum style match boxes.
The tuition for her last year is spent by her mother, that is the reason she had to take off a year from college and work overtime.
Her mother wanted to be a good person everywhere.
BingLan has no objection to such, if only it doesn't come at the expense of herself and her brother.
Thus, she was the one who managed their home since she was fifteen and was admitted into university.
Thankfully, she was around, otherwise, her mother would have spoiled her brother rotten.
It is at this time the phone rang.
BingLan felt a premonition.
She picked up the phone.
"Hello! Is this the residence of Xue Baihua ? " An unfamiliar voice asked her busily.
The sirens of police cars are audible in the background.
BingLan knew at that moment her brother was in trouble once more.
She answered the phone dutifully.
She went to the police station.
Her brother is in detention.
This time, the charge is higher, it's a robbery .
Her brother was a lookout, and they were middle school kids trying to rob a computer store.
BingLan's became chilled.
Were they wrong in their education? Had she and her mother let her brother go way too much? He is sensitive and intelligent.
Even if he did nothing but study, his future will be bright. Why in the world is he going around with this bad crowd?
Only, the computer store belonged to one of the children's parents.
The parent of that child removed the CC camera, and is hell bent on pushing all the blame to her brother.
If proven right, her brother could face up to two years in prison.
Her brother already had misdemeanor tickets, so he is kept in detention.
The bail post out is hundred thousand, far greater than their current savings.
Even if they bail him out, they won't have enough money to hire a criminal lawyer and get him out.
BingLan collapsed when she reached home.
She did not talk to her brother. She is far too angry at him. Even if she looked at the situation from the outside, the situation is clear.
Both the shop owner and the shop owner's kid tricked her brother. His only fault has been that he has been too trusting.
He is fifteen, and in the first place, had a very low EQ. she could not blame him for being tricked.
This time, she could see he even followed all the maxims set for making friends verbatim.
The other friend had grades above average, leaning towards top rather than bottom, has a meticulous record of following school rules, and had no bad habits of any kind.
He only had a rotten father and rotten heart.
How is her little brother to know this?
Where could she go for help?
She cut off Bai Ming, so he is out of the question. Even if she hadn't cut him off, after looking at his behavior in the hospital, she would be crazy to go to him.
Then there's her husband!
She really did not want her husband to look down upon her, but he is the only chance she has to get out of this predicament.
She called him.
This time around, she couldn't bring herself to call him husband.
"Fan Delun! Could we meet? " she asked.
He gave out a cafe address, she went there in half an hour.
Delun was wearing a turtleneck and a corduroy.
He looked every bit like a master school grass brother.
Though he had no expression on his face, he radiated a subtle kind of happiness, making him look all the more enticing.
BingLan's heart squeezed in anger at herself and embarrassment.
Fan Delun probably came here thinking this is a date, while she herself is about to ask him for money.
For a moment, BingLan wondered if she should just let her brother go to the prison as a lesson.
However, the next moment, she woke up from that fantasy.
He is barely fifteen, and far too susceptible to suggestion.
It's just one more little sacrifice. After all, to Delun, she is nothing but one more gold digger, so embarrassing herself to save her brother is an okay deal.
'Yes, it's alright BingLan. He has already seen the worst of you. ' She told herself.
However, her heart still squeezed painfully.
If she does this, the reconciliation between them becomes even more harder than it already is. The little seeds of flirtation sown yesterday night will die right away without ever blooming in to flowers of love.
'Is it too much to ask to keep her first love pure and intact?' the little white angel asked from the right side.
'No! Poor do not have the luxury of love. ' the devil answered from her left side.
'Or, you want to send our little brother to prison?' The devil asked the angel.
The angel vanished right away.
'Yes, that's right. She must save Xue Ying first.' Bing lan thought.
Delun leisurely walked in front of her and sat down.
Just sitting in that chair, he raised the average value of this coffee shop by a star.
"What do you want to drink? " he asked, as the overeager waitress approached them.
"Ice coffee." BingLan answered.
"Two iced coffees." Delun answered.
The waitress left unwillingly.
BingLan could not relax her straightened up spine.
How does one ask for money that has not been promised?
The coffee came out pretty quickly.
Delun seemed to be in no hurry to speak.
She stayed silent, hoping to gain at least a small advantage in this negotiation.
After five minutes of silence, it suddenly occurred to her - perhaps she had chosen the wrong stance.
Sure, being a gangster only needs strength, but being a successful gangster needs far more.
Delun by every appearance has a higher emotional quotient than her.
She will not win in a negotiation.
She just needs to bulldoze through to get that money.
"Boss! When does that payment of one million come through?" she blurted out.
'Damn! I am setting myself up for failure.' she thought just as the words came out of her mouth.
Delun's face showed no change, yet, the feeling he radiated changed from relaxation to subtle anger.
"When you go through with the wedding night. "
"Then let us go through a wedding night." BingLan said, provoked by the anger in Delun's tone.
If anything, those words only increased Delun's anger.
"So, that's your price, is it? One million could get you in the bed of any man?" Delun said mockingly.
BingLan has really become angry from the bottom of her heart.
What the hell does he mean by that?
He has her on twenty four hour surveillance.
Is he mocking her for coveting money?
Is his big house any better than her? He himself is doing shady work, how dare he look down on her just because she asked for the share of cash which she was originally supposed to get?
Did he think just because he saved her, all his previous transgressions are forgiven?
Had she not died to the wind, she would have lived her entire life convincing herself again and again she is walking the right path .
"I am settling compensation with the perpetrator of a traumatic kidnap and preempted assault. I am sleeping with my husband." BingLan got up from her chair, and enunciated each word clearly, so Delun would not hear it wrong.
"Call me when the money is ready. Good night, Young master Fan." She said,
Then she whirled around and walked away.