“Hello, Mr. Xiao. I hope I’m not bothering you. I know it’s very late.”

Xiao Bing recognized her voice. He wondered how she got his number and why she didn’t introduce herself, because Zhu Liya did not seem to be a reckless person.

“Is it Zhu Liya? It’s okay. I’m just coming back from my friends’ house.”

“Oh. Can you… come to my place tonight?”

“A single woman inviting me to her home in the middle of the night?”

It did not sound like a good idea to him. While Xiao Bing was deciding whether he should say yes or not, Zhu Liya spoke in a worried voice, “Mr. Xiao, I know that this sounds abrupt. But it’s very important. I heard that you want that shop of mine. I can give it to you now. But I urgently need an advance payment of 100 thousand. I hope you can bring the money when you come.”

Xiao Bing was even more confused, especially by her way of speaking. She did not sound like the taciturn and arrogant queen he met on that day. Xiao Bing contemplated for a while and since it concerned the expansion, he decided to give it a go. “Well, give me your address. I’m coming right away.”

Xiao Bing told the address to the driver and asked him to pull over in front of a bank. Then he made a withdrawal of 100 thousand, put the money in his pocket and got back in the car. Then the car was driven towards Zhu Liya’s home.

It was a two-story house not far from the Su Family’s manor. After Xiao Bing got out the car, the driver craned out of the window and said, “Mr. Xiao, go on with your business. I’ll wait here for you.”

“No need for that,” said Xiao Bing, “I live near here. Thanks for the ride.”

“I’ll leave then.”

“Be careful.”

Xiao Bing walked to the door, knocked it and waited patiently. After a few dozen seconds, Zhu Liya answered the door. His eyes suddenly brightened upon seeing her. It seemed that she had just taken a shower. Her hair was still wet, hanging on her back. Her skin looked even more smooth and fair after the shower. The black large-framed glasses were still on her nose. The robe did not cover her smooth and long legs. Her red toenails sparkled in her slippers.

Xiao Bing put on a smile, “Ms. Zhu…”

“Come in.” Though she seemed to be trying hard to pretend to be composed as per usual, Xiao Bing noticed the anxiety in her eyes. So he instantly put on the slippers and walked in.

After walking into the living room, Zhu Liya pointed at the sofa and said, “Please sit. What do you want to drink?”

“Anything will do.”

Although she was extremely worried at that moment, she still remembered her etiquette. Xiao Bing sat down on the sofa and felt some warmth on it. It suddenly occurred to him that he was sitting where Zhu Liya just sat. He turned around and saw her making coffee. She was arching her back, which enabled Xiao Bing to see more of her round, tight ass and smooth long legs. Xiao Bing covered his chest with his hands because his heart was beating so fast.

After finishing making coffee, Zhu Liya turned around and walked towards Xiao Bing with it. Then she sat opposite him after she put the coffee on the table in front of him. She adjusted her glasses and smiled, “I don’t know if there is enough sugar. I can add some if you want more.”

Xiao Bing laughed, “Ms. Zhu, I know you called me in for the shop. Why don’t we start to talk about the real business and let the coffee cool itself?”

“Okay.” Then she grabbed her purse and took out a stack of paper. After giving it to Xiao Bing, she said, “I roughly printed a transfer contract when you were coming. You can have a quick read through and tell me your opinion. The price is not on it though. But we can work it out and write it in the contract.”

Staring at Zhu Liya, Xiao Bing asked, “You are in trouble, right?”

There was a fluster flashing in her eyes for a moment. But soon she appeared composed again. She adjusted her posture and crossed her legs. Then she spoke in a calm voice, “You’re thinking too much, Mr. Xiao. But I do need a big sum of money at the moment, so I asked you to make an advance payment of 100 thousand. But for the total price, we still need a thorough discussion. After all, a successful deal demands both sides’ satisfaction. Also, I can’t sell it at a low price simply because I need money. Am I right?”

Xiao Bing could not help complimenting her inwardly. Even in an urgent time, she still acted like nothing had happened. What a remarkable woman she was! Even though she said that she would not sell it at a low price, Xiao Bing knew that there was still room to bargain. Since she was brave enough to invite a strange man to her house in the middle of the night, he was 100 percent sure that she was badly in need of money.

But Xiao Bing was not the kind of person who liked to take advantage of others. According to his estimate, though the shop was small, it was worth 800 to 900 thousand. After all, it was near the university town, which was a good place to run a business.

As Xiao Bing intended to say the expected price, the phone in Zhu Liya’s purse suddenly rang. She took the phone out and looked surly when seeing the numbers on the phone. She stood up in a flurry, walked into a corner and answered the phone. A few seconds later, she sounded furious, “I’m working on it and I’ll give the money to you as soon as I have it. But I’m warning you. If you bastards do any harm to my husband, I’ll call the police.”

Then he realized that she was a married woman when he watched her getting angry on the phone. That explained why she was so mature like a ripe honey peach.

Zhu Liya looked even more terrible when she hung up. She walked up to him, but she did not sit down next to him. She knew there was no need to pretend to be calm anymore. It was obvious that she was urgently in need of money and she could barely wait for it. And it was unrealistic for her to be on the dominating side during the bargain now. Looking pale, she said to Xiao Bing, “You’re right. My family has come to a difficult period and I need that 100 thousand tonight. How about this? You name a price you deem appropriate. It can be fairly low or even less than the shop’s true value. I must have that 100 thousand tonight.”

But Xiao Bing just quietly stared at her. “What happened?”

“My husband lost money in a casino,” Zhu Liya sighed with sorrow. “It’s the third time he has lost money this month. I just sold my car a couple of days ago, I would never have expected…”

Xiao Bing felt sorry for her. He wondered why this great woman had such a disappointing husband and how she managed to put up with him.

Zhu Liya glanced at the contract and said, “He lost nearly 200 thousand this time, how am I supposed to give him the money? I invested almost all of my money into the restaurant. I never thought that during the most crucial stage of my career, he actually…”

She turned her head around. Her eyes turned reddish. Maybe it was because she was angry or feeling wronged, or both.

Xiao Bing sighed. He picked up the contract and neatly folded it. Zhu Liya turned around and saw Xiao Bing putting the folded contract on the table.

She was confused, “Mr. Xiao, why did you fold it?”

“I don’t take advantage of others,” answered Xiao Bing, smiling. “How about this: You give me an IOU on which you write ‘I borrowed 100 thousand from Xiao Bing’. When can you return it? If you don’t return it on time, you will have to transfer that restaurant to me at a low price, which should be 100 thousand cheaper than the market price.”

Zhu Liya was surprised. She could barely believe what she had just heard.

“Hurry up, your husband’s waiting for you!”

“I’ll, I’ll write it now.” Then she ran upstairs in a flurry. A moment later, she came back with a slip of paper, looking more composed than before. She handed it to him and asked Xiao Bing while fixing her eyes on him, “Mr. Xiao, why are you doing this for me… You know that you can’t gain anything from it.”

Xiao Bing took a glance at the paper and noticed that the deadline was one year and she had already signed her name on it. Then he picked up a pen and signed it. The IOU was duplicated, so both of them took a copy each.

He met her inquiring eyes and smiled, “You can take me as a kind person.”

“Thank you…” It was the first time she revealed her true feelings in front of Xiao Bing. This haughty queen finally dropped her pretense for a moment. Her eyes were filled with gratitude. “You really are a kind-hearted man. I’ve never seen any man like you… I owe you one this time. Your kindness will be repaid one day.”

Xiao Bing shook his head, “That would be unnecessary. Well, here’s your money. Go and save your husband.”

Xiao Bing took the money out of his pocket. But he suddenly took it back as he was giving it to her. Zhu Liya’s face changed instantly. She frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Just trust me.” Xiao Bing stood up, put the money back into his pocket and straightened his clothes. Then he said, “I’m worried that they still won’t let your husband go even if they have the money. After all, the world is never short of those kinds of rascals.”

“So… so what should we do?” Although she was confident and domineering in character, she was still a woman. She didn’t know how to deal with these rascals.

Xiao Bing looked at Zhu Liya. Their eyes met for a moment. Then he put up a confident smile and said in a serious voice, “I’ll go with you!”