Su Shu halted at the doorway, her shoulders trembling ever so slightly. She took a deep breath, calmly listening to Mr. Zhai's angry outburst behind her.
Her cool composure worried Lin Xiao. Having grown up with Su Shu, she knew full well the sort of privileged environment Su Shu had been raised in. Typically, this wasn't the kind of situation Su Shu could handle on her own.
After half a second of deliberation, Lin Xiao tried to wrench her hand free from Su Shu's grasp, preparing to charge in and confront Mr. Zhai head-on.
"Damn these backstabbing snakes—"
Before she could finish, Su Shu's voice rose beside her. "Uncle Zhai, that's not how it goes."
"Whether we're talking about moral obligations or legal ones, it doesn't change the fact that your son is a scumbag." She cast a glance at Zhai Gang, finding him utterly ordinary—no, downright revolting.
"Secondly, yes, there wasn't a signed loan agreement for that eighty million. But that doesn't mean my dad never kept any backup evidence."
Mr. Zhai's hand tightened reflexively. He truly hadn't considered that. He'd mulled over his son's wish to move on to a new fiancée all last night, figuring that since Su Shu's father was known as a kind and magnanimous man, he wouldn't have left himself any back doors open.
Then again, given that this was about his only daughter's future, there might be recordings or other proof stashed away somewhere—it wouldn't be easy to handle if it came to light. Paying back eighty million could do serious damage to their finances.
But another thought comforted him: apart from this pampered daughter, the Su family had nothing left. What real trouble could she stir up?
As he wavered, Mr. Zhai's tone became noticeably gentler. "Su Su, there's no need for us to turn this into such a big mess."
"There's every need," she retorted with a bitter smile. "Your son wants to break off the engagement. Do you really think I'm just going to lose both the man and the money?"
She forced out a small laugh. If she couldn't keep the man, at least she needed to get her money back. That money could help her figure out a way to pull some strings and, more importantly, get a chance to see her dad.
"Oh, it's only eighty million. I thought we were dealing with something serious."
All eyes turned toward the speaker—Bai Lin. She stood calmly in front of the sofa, speaking as though the sum was barely worth mentioning. Her tone was so matter-of-fact that Mr. Zhai and his son both looked astonished. After all, Bai Lin's own family lived a modest life; they'd had to stretch themselves thin just to send her abroad. Eighty million "barely worth mentioning"?
What she said next made Zhai Gang's face turn an even paler shade.
"The Zhai family is wealthy—why would they balk at paying back eighty million? Even if you asked for a hundred million, Uncle Zhai could easily handle it."
Su Shu felt a laugh rising in her throat. Clearly, Bai Lin had no inkling of the Zhai family's financial reality. On the surface, they led a lavish lifestyle, but behind the scenes there were debts piled high. Otherwise, they wouldn't be scrambling to swap in a new fiancée (and risk a scandal) just to avoid being implicated in the Su family's crisis.
More amusing was that these two people were already discussing marriage, yet Bai Lin still seemed clueless about the family's finances.
"Alright. Since you're so devoted to each other, let's not drag this out. Within a week, pay me my money in full, and I'll cooperate in dissolving the engagement. Otherwise, I'll make sure to attend your shareholders' meeting next week—and, well, if it comes to that, I won't bother holding anything back."
With that, Su Shu dragged Lin Xiao away. A chill autumn wind gusted through the door she left ajar.
Bai Lin, unsettled by the uneasy silence, tugged on Zhai Gang's sleeve. She couldn't grasp why a family supposedly worth tens of billions would fear an eighty-million-yuan debt.
"Why did you let her force you into paying it back?" Zhai Gang murmured helplessly, not daring to raise his voice. "It's not that—just that… oh, never mind."
Seeing him so put out, Bai Lin's own confidence began to waver. She'd taken quite a risk being labeled a homewrecker in order to climb up in the world. She had no intention of marrying a "paper millionaire."
"It's not that we can't come up with the money. It's just… not really worth it. You two go back to your room for now; your mother and I have things to discuss." Mr. Zhai waved them away, wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Zhai Gang hurriedly pulled Bai Lin upstairs.
Bai Lin followed behind him, not speaking but clearly worried. Trying to reassure her, he gently took her hand. "It'll be fine. Dad knows what he's doing. Worst comes to worst, we'll just pay her in installments. Or I can talk to her myself, give her a little 'breakup fee' so she won't be breathing down our necks…"
He went on, painting a rosy future. Nestled in his arms, Bai Lin listened quietly before finally looking up.
"We can't repay that money."
"Wait, what?"