Chapter 23: It's Just Two Billion, After All

After finishing my workout, I returned to the second-floor bathroom to take a shower. I simply closed the door without locking it. Halfway through, the door suddenly opened. Ling Xi, wearing a slightly crooked pink silk nightgown that revealed most of her snow-white shoulder, walked in yawning with half-closed eyes.

It seemed that after a good sleep, this little girl had forgotten there was a man in the house.

I was startled and quickly covered myself, shouting, "Xi Xi, what are you doing?"

The next moment, a scream that could shake heaven and earth echoed throughout the villa.

"You pervert! You big pervert! Taking a shower early in the morning without closing the door!"

"I clearly closed it! You pushed it open, didn’t you?"

I hurriedly dressed and opened the bathroom door.

Just as I stepped out, a shadow suddenly lunged at me from the side. I instinctively grabbed Ling Xi’s small foot as she kicked.

Losing balance, she began to fall, and I quickly caught her with my other hand.

Splash!

At that moment, with her foot up and head down, I wasn’t sure if it was her slippery skin or the silk nightgown, but the gown rolled up from foot to head in an instant.

In that flash, my eyes widened—this little girl wasn’t wearing anything under the nightgown!

"Ah!"

Ling Xi let out a scream that shook the heavens, struggled hard, rolled to the floor, then quickly scrambled up and dashed into her room, slamming the door shut.

I was stunned.

Ling Xuan came running upstairs.

"What happened?"

"Uh, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding," I said awkwardly, quickly escaping to the first floor.

In the dining room, three breakfasts were already prepared—each a bowl of noodles with two fried eggs and a small plate of fruit.

Recalling the earlier scene, I felt both excited and somewhat uneasy.

Halfway through the meal, Ling Xuan entered with a cold expression.

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, just a misunderstanding, a coincidence," I said sheepishly, lowering my head to eat.

Judging by this, Ling Xi hadn’t told Ling Xuan the truth about what had happened.

Ling Xuan sat across from me with a frosty look, staring intently. "She said it’s either you or her. She insisted on kicking you out. I said there was a bad person who might harm me, and only then did she stop."

Well, that was a thorough way to offend the spoiled young lady.

"Maybe we’re just incompatible! Nothing good happens when we meet," I smiled bitterly, then changed the subject. "Your noodles are really good! Didn’t expect the CEO of such a big corporation to be such a good cook."

"Hmph!" Ling Xuan glared at me but had no retort and sat down.

After a few bites, she suddenly said, "I warn you, don’t bully my sister."

I laughed, "How would I dare? I’m afraid she’ll hold a grudge and bully me instead."

Ling Xuan stared at me, "You’re a grown man; why bother with a kid?"

"Alright, alright! I’ll just swallow my pride and let her torment me," I said helplessly.

Ling Xuan was momentarily surprised, then let out a faint laugh before coldly snorting, "She won’t come to bully you; she’d rather stay as far away from you as possible."

"That’s good," I said, looking up to catch a smile, but saw only her stern face.

After breakfast, Ling Xi hadn’t come down yet. Ling Xuan went upstairs to comfort and remind her before grabbing her bag and leaving with me.

Seeing the BMW at the door, I couldn’t help but ask, "Miss, how old is your sister? Does she have an ID and a driver’s license?"

Ling Xuan replied coldly, "She’s still a high school junior, seventeen this year, but she lied about her age by one year. She already has an ID and a driver’s license."

"So soon? Just for driving? Isn’t she a student?"

"She usually rides an electric scooter to school. She only drives on weekends and holidays."

"Sigh, rich kids are just different! Back in the day..."

"Chu Bufan!" Ling Xuan interrupted angrily.

Well, that was a bit sensitive.

It was around eight in the morning, but since it was Sunday, the neighborhood was quiet, with only the occasional auntie carrying groceries passing by.

The community was shaded by green trees, peaceful and fragrant with birdsong and flowers.

Ling Xuan walked straight and gracefully, while I casually put my hands in my pockets, strolling alongside her at an unhurried pace, occasionally turning to admire her profile and curves.

After a few glances, I chuckled, "Miss, why do you still call me Chu Bufan? I’ve changed my name to Chu Fan now."

Could it be that her mind was still stuck in our past? Back then, we were classmates, and I secretly liked her. She occasionally asked me, the top student, for help with problems, but nothing special—just that she admired me a bit, otherwise someone of her status wouldn’t have asked a country bumpkin like me.

Ling Xuan was momentarily stunned but replied coldly after a while, "Out of habit."

We took a taxi to the company. I slipped into boredom mode, sent messages to Qin Ruhua, but she didn’t reply—probably still asleep.

Fortunately, nothing much happened that day. I downloaded a mobile game to play and occasionally chatted with Qin Ruhua and Sister Yuan on WeChat.

In the afternoon, Qin Wei’s payments arrived—astronomical sums. I calculated and found they were even more than mine!

I recalled that this kid occasionally placed bets, so besides appearance fees and prizes, he earned quite a bit from gambling. He had invited me to bet once, but I thought the fees and prizes were enough, so I didn’t join.

And just like that, the day passed.

After dinner, around seven in the evening as night fell, I told Ling Xuan not to work overtime, and we returned to the villa.

At the door, I saw the BMW parked, knowing Ling Xi was home.

Ling Xuan opened the door, and through the light inside, I suddenly noticed several clear scratches on the BMW’s door. It didn’t look like accidental scrapes but deliberate marks made with something sharp.

Inside, Ling Xi was sitting in the living room watching a soap opera.

Ling Xuan said somewhat displeased, "Xi Xi, you played all day yesterday. Why haven’t you done your homework today?"

Ling Xi turned around, first glaring fiercely at me, then pouting angrily, "Sis, when I went out today, I ran into some thugs. They bullied me and scratched your car. I was so angry I couldn’t focus on homework."

Ling Xuan was slightly shocked, sitting on the couch and asking with concern, "How did they bully you? They didn’t hurt you, did they?"

I sat beside them, listening.

Ling Xi said with hatred, "The ringleader was a female thug. She said driving wasn’t a big deal, but I never claimed it was. They just blocked the road, so I honked a few times! There were five or six of them, looking fierce. I was scared to get out, and they scratched the car and warned me not to come back there."

Ling Xuan relaxed, "It’s okay. As long as they didn’t hurt you."

Ling Xi pouted, "I didn’t do anything wrong! They blocked the road; isn’t it normal to honk?"

Ling Xuan comforted her a bit.

It turned out to be a small matter. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Thinking of the morning’s incident, I considered doing something to ease the tension between Ling Xi and me. "Xi Xi, don’t you have me as your bodyguard? Tell me who they are, and I’ll teach them a lesson!"

"Don’t corrupt her," Ling Xuan glared at me.

"Hmph, none of your business, you pervert!" Ling Xi turned her head away.

Alright, no interference then.

Ling Xuan comforted Ling Xi a bit more, and Ling Xi cheered up and went to her room to do homework.

I sat on the sofa watching Ling Xuan comfort Ling Xi, feeling she looked like a parent—gentle and loving, adorable, nothing like her usual aloof demeanor.

This little girl was probably destined to be a virtuous wife and good mother—nice.

After Ling Xi left, Ling Xuan was about to leave too. I smiled, "Miss, after a busy day, let’s relax by checking our phones."

Ling Xuan hesitated, "I have to go to the bank tomorrow to handle a loan and need to prepare the documents."

A loan?

"Miss, your company is so big, and you still need a loan?"

Ling Xuan sneered, "What do you know? Without loans, how can you grow fast?"

Well, I really didn’t understand.

But I had money!

I smiled, "How much do you want to borrow?"

Ling Xuan hesitated, seeming unsure whether to tell me, an outsider, but since I was accompanying her to the bank tomorrow, she didn’t hide it. "I’m heavily investing in real estate. There’s a prime piece of land near the central district estimated at around two billion. I have to acquire it."

"That expensive?" I was slightly surprised.

Ling Xuan glanced at me coldly and stood up to leave.

"Wait!" I called after her, starting to calculate how much money Qin Wei and I had combined.

Ling Xuan turned back, seeing me frowning silently, then frowned and kept walking.

"Wait a moment longer!"

"What do you want?" Ling Xuan snapped.

I smiled, "I just remembered I still have some money in my account. You don’t need to take out a loan; I’ll give it to you!"

"Boring!" Ling Xuan sneered and spun around to leave. "Do you think it’s just a few thousand or ten thousand?"

Smack!

I slammed the coffee table hard.

Ling Xuan was startled and glared at me angrily.

I laughed, "It’s just two billion! I think I really have that much."