“I’ll go back and drive them all away!” Hu Pan’s voice practically exploded from the phone. “I’ll fight them! They actually dare to come!”
“Give the phone to Sanbing, Panpan,” Chen Jian said, standing at the entrance of the coffee shop and looking out the window. Lao Wu was leading Hu Pan’s family towards the backyard. “Give the phone to Sanbing.”
Chen Erhu’s underlings were indeed suitable for this kind of work. Their fierce demeanor was ingrained in them; they just had to act naturally.
“I’ll fight them!” Hu Pan’s voice was on the verge of breaking down.
Sanbing must have snatched the phone. “Hello, this is Sanbing.”
“In a bit, pretend that she’s trying to run away and you drag her back…” Chen Jian said.
Hu’s father was also looking inside. When his gaze swept past Chen Jian’s face, Chen Jian quickly hardened his expression, narrowed his eyes, and stared at him intently. In less than two seconds, Hu’s father averted his gaze with a flicker of avoidance in his eyes.
He even turned his head to whisper something to Mother Hu.
Lao Wu, as instructed, didn’t say any extra words, but his eyes and cold face were more than enough. Although he wasn’t required to act so perfectly, his aversion to Hu Pan’s family was probably too strong for his acting to conceal.
“Can we switch it to me trying to run away and she drags me back? Right now, she’s dragging me back, and I’m holding onto him like I’m surfing…” Sanbing said, struggling to speak. “Hey, Pan, slow down a bit, let me listen to the plan first!”
“The plan now is that she owes Shan Yu fifty thousand yuan and is being held at the shop to work it off,” Chen Jian said. “While you’re surfing, tell her the plan. We can’t beat them away; we have to scare them away to avoid future trouble.”
“Alright, I’ll tell her, I’ll tell her,” Sanbing said.
“If she messes up, there will be more trouble. Control your emotions,” Chen Jian instructed.
“Did you hear that? Control your emotions,” Sanbing said. “There will be plenty of opportunities to beat them up. We’ll do it later. First, cut off their future, you know?”
Chen Jian hung up the phone and looked back. He found that Shan Yu had returned to the front desk, and Sun Nana was writing something with her head down.
“You go over first,” Shan Yu said, pointing to the conference room.
“Okay,” Chen Jian nodded.
As he walked towards the conference room, he found that Chen Erhu and Lao Si were already standing on either side of the conference room door. It was clear from their stance that Shan Yu had arranged it.
This act was well-staged, with the entire Pigpen Gang on board.
Chen Jian walked in through the front door of the conference room. Almost at the same time, Lao Wu brought Hu Pan’s family in through the back door.
Then, the doors on both sides slammed shut. Lao Si remained outside, while inside, Chen Erhu was on one side and Lao Wu was on the other, guarding the doors.
Mother Hu was clearly stunned and turned around on the spot. “This is…”
“A conference room,” Chen Jian said, walking over and pulling out a chair to sit down.
“We’re looking for Hu Pandi,” Hu’s father said, still relatively calm. “Why did you bring us here?”
“Uncle, Auntie, please sit down,” Chen Jian said, leaning back in his chair. He hadn’t rehearsed the script with Shan Yu and didn’t know where the line was, so he had to improvise. “The shop is crowded these two days. It’s quieter here.”
“Is Hu Pandi here or not?” Mother Hu asked.
Chen Jian didn’t speak. He couldn’t help but frown when he heard those three words. No one knew Hu Pan’s real name, and hearing it called out like that was annoying.
“Is this the B&B?” Hu’s father asked Hu’s brother. “Something seems off.”
“This is it, the Great Hermit,” Hu’s brother said, taking out his phone to check. “There’s only one Great Hermit here.”
This kid was still wearing the school uniform of a middle school in the city. He was a middle school student, at least. Not only did he not stop his parents from doing such a thing, but he also came along.
“Where is Hu Pandi?” Hu’s father looked at Chen Jian. “I want to see my daughter.”
Your daughter wants to beat you up.
Just as Chen Jian was about to say something, the door behind him was opened from the outside by Lao Si, and Shan Yu walked in.
“Boss Shan,” Chen Jian stood up and gave him his chair.
“Boss Shan,” the entire Pigpen Gang also called out in unison.
“Hu Pan… di’s parents, right?” Shan Yu sat down in Chen Jian’s chair, crossed his left leg over his right knee, and glanced at the people in the room. “You’ve come at the right time. I don’t have to go looking for you.”
Hu’s father and mother quickly exchanged a look. Mother Hu asked, “What do you mean?”
“Where is she? Did you bring her back?” Shan Yu didn’t answer them, but turned his head to ask Chen Jian.
“She’s on her way, she’ll be here soon,” Chen Jian said.
“What happened to her?” Mother Hu shouted. “Where did she go? What did you do to her?”
“What did I do to her?” Shan Yu looked at her and sneered. He took a folded piece of paper from the inner pocket of his coat with two fingers and handed it to Chen Jian. “You guys take a look at this first.”
Chen Jian took a quick look at the paper as he walked over.
It was a copy of an IOU.
“I, Hu Pandi, have borrowed 50,000 yuan from Shan Yu…” The handwriting wasn’t Shan Yu’s; it must have been what Sun Nana had just written at the front desk.
The repayment date was October 12th of this year, for a total of 54,000 yuan including principal and interest. Below were the ID numbers of Hu Pan and Shan Yu. The lender’s signature was Shan Yu’s, with a seal. The borrower’s position was signed with the name “Hu Pandi.” This name was definitely not signed by Hu Pan, but the handwriting was just as ugly as Hu Pan’s. It was probably Sister Zhao’s… There was also a fingerprint of who-knows-who on it.
It was quite complete.
The only slight risk was the loan date, which was in June. In June, they didn’t even know where Hu Pan was.
But it wasn’t a big problem. Hu Pan had been away from home for several years. Even if she were still at home, her family wouldn’t care about her financial situation.
Chen Jian walked up to them, and just as he was about to hand over the IOU, Hu’s father reached out and snatched it.
He shouted after just one look, “What? An IOU?”
“The repayment date has already passed,” Shan Yu said unhurriedly. “Originally, I saw she was a young girl, so I didn’t make things difficult for her…”
“So much?” Mother Hu also shouted. “How did she borrow so much money! The interest is four thousand!”
“Are you trying to scam people!” Hu’s brother also roared. To make a show of force, he grabbed a chair next to him and smashed it on the ground.
“You’d better watch it!” Chen Erhu pointed at the three of them. “If you want to talk business, then talk business. If you want to fight with us, think carefully about what you’re made of!”
“We don’t know about this!” Mother Hu blocked her son, then took the IOU and looked at it again, stomping her feet in anxiety. “We don’t know!”
Hu’s father silently grabbed the IOU and crumpled it up, then tore it, scattering the pieces all over the floor.
Shan Yu didn’t speak, just gently patted the hand that was still wrapped in bandages, giving him a round of applause.
“Uncle,” Chen Jian looked at the torn pieces of paper on the floor. “It’s useless no matter how many copies you tear up.”
“Did you trick her!” Hu’s father came towards Chen Jian, reaching out to push him in the chest.
Chen Jian moved to the side and pointed at his nose. “If you dare to lay a hand on me, you’ll be spending the night at the police station.”
Hu’s father glared at him, air snorting from his nostrils so loudly you could hear it, but he didn’t dare to come any closer.
At this moment, Hu Pan’s shouts came from the corridor outside. “Let go of me! What are you doing!”
The three members of the Hu family immediately froze and looked at the main door at the same time.
Chen Erhu opened the door with a grim face.
Sanbing walked in, dragging Hu Pan by the arm.
“Let go of me!” Hu Pan shook her arm.
This struggle must not have been rehearsed before entering the door. Hu Pan was quite strong, and Sanbing’s hand, which was holding her arm, was almost shaken off. With this fighting strength, Hu Pan could escape from his grasp eight times in an hour.
Fortunately, Sanbing reacted quickly. He used the momentum to push her forward and let go.
Hu Pan staggered forward, and when she steadied herself and looked up, she shouted in shock, “Mom?”
Hu Pan probably hadn’t seen her family in a long time. This one word, “Mom,” Chen Jian felt, was still filled with some emotion.
But in the next second, Mother Hu personally destroyed this sliver of affection.
“What’s going on with you! You’re really good at causing trouble!” She pointed at the pieces of the IOU on the floor, stomping her feet as she questioned, “Are you crazy, borrowing fifty thousand yuan! Are you trying to die! Are you trying to die!”
“Dad, Mom, I really had no choice,” Hu Pan walked quickly towards them. “Please save me…”
The three of them simultaneously took a slight step back.
Chen Jian grabbed Hu Pan’s arm and pulled her back two steps.
“What’s wrong with you?” Hu’s father frowned. “What did you borrow so much money for? You haven’t brought a single penny home. What did you do with all that money?”
“I needed it urgently,” Hu Pan said. “I’ll be able to pay it back soon, but right now…”
She glanced at Shan Yu, then looked at Hu’s father. “Dad, please help me, I…”
“How can we help! How can we help!” Hu’s father roared. “You ran away and didn’t care about the family! Your mother is sick! Your brother is in school! You didn’t care about anything, we couldn’t even find you! Now you’ve borrowed money and want us to pay it back? You…”
“Shut up!” Chen Jian couldn’t help but roar as well. “What the hell are you to be roaring in here! Try and say another damn word!”
With that roar, the room fell silent. Even Shan Yu turned his head to look over.
A second later, Mother Hu lowered her head and started crying.
Hu’s brother hugged his mother’s shoulders and comforted her in a low voice.
“Originally,” Shan Yu began, “I was just thinking of letting her work here to pay back the money. She can leave whenever she pays it off. Since her family is here, as her parents…”
“We don’t have the money to help her pay it back!” Hu’s father immediately interrupted Shan Yu. “Don’t try to extort us! We don’t know what she used the money for. She hasn’t given the family a single penny in over a year. We don’t know what this money is about.”
“I don’t care if you know or not,” Shan Yu glanced at him.
“Daughter,” Mother Hu looked up at Hu Pan, crying, “You’re really… you’re not a child anymore. You have to be responsible for your own actions. Hurry up and pay back the money.”
“How am I supposed to pay it back?” Hu Pan looked at her. “How am I supposed to pay it back? I brought so much money home. Where did it all go? I’m not asking you to give me fifty thousand. You should at least have thirty thousand to help me pay it back, right?”
“You’re so inconsiderate, so inconsiderate,” Hu’s father said, shaking his head.
The three of them started walking towards the back door, which was only guarded by Lao Wu.
“Trying to leave?” Shan Yu’s voice turned cold.
“We didn’t borrow the money,” Mother Hu said in a low voice. “Why can’t we leave?”
“Are you trying to illegally detain us?” Hu’s brother looked at Shan Yu. “We’ll call the police right now!”
“Go ahead and call,” Shan Yu looked at him. “Coming here to cause trouble, not paying back debts. If you don’t call, I will.”
“Don’t cause trouble, don’t cause any more trouble for your sister,” Mother Hu slapped Hu’s brother and pushed him towards the door. “Daughter, be a little more sensible. Hurry up and pay back the money…”
“Mom!” Hu Pan shouted.
As if an accelerator had been pressed, the few of them simultaneously sped up and walked towards the door.
Lao Wu looked at Shan Yu.
Shan Yu sat still, just waved his hand.
So Lao Wu didn’t stop them.
“She left her home address,” Shan Yu added as they went out the door. “If she still can’t pay it back, the court summons will be sent to her home. Remember to deliver it to her when you receive it.”
Not a single member of the Hu family made another sound. They silently and quickly disappeared through the door, not even going through the garden where they had come, but directly out the backyard door, as if afraid that staying in this B&B for another second would get them entangled with Hu Pan.
It was very quiet in the conference room. No one spoke.
After a while, Hu Pan finally said, “Thank you, everyone.”
Shan Yu stood up. “You owe me fifty thousand. I have the original.”
“Is there interest?” Hu Pan smiled, but before the smile could fully form, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Panpan. It’s okay now,” Chen Jian quickly patted her arm.
“Boss Shan… ah…” Hu Pan cried out loud, walking up to Shan Yu with her head tilted back. She opened her arms and hugged him. “Ah—Boss Shan—”
“Hey,” Shan Yu was suddenly at a loss, not knowing where to put his raised arms. “I’ll tear up the original in a bit.”
“I’ve seen it clearly now—ah—” Hu Pan cried loudly. “I’m an orphan from now on…”
“From now on, I’m your…” Shan Yu clearly had no experience in comforting girls. He was at a loss for what to do, and almost became incoherent.
“Hey?” Chen Jian spoke up. He reacted quickly enough to stop Shan Yu from saying, “From now on, I’m your father.”
“The few of them have left,” Sun Nana came running into the conference room from the corridor in her little high heels. “They came by car, parked on the side of the road. I thought their family was having some kind of difficulty… Aiyo, baby, why are you crying…”
The second female character of the show had appeared, and the group of men immediately breathed a sigh of relief, all looking at Sun Nana.
“Come, come, come,” Sun Nana said, tossing her hair back. She went over and pulled Hu Pan from Shan Yu’s side into her own arms. “Let big sister hold you. They’re all gone. You’re free from now on. You’re a real independent girl…”
“Alright,” Shan Yu walked out of the conference room. “Cut. Everyone did a good job.”
Chen Jian followed him and asked in a low voice, “What were you about to say just now?”
“Which part?” Shan Yu smiled.
“From now on, you’re her what?” Chen Jian asked.
“I was going to say I’m her brother,” Shan Yu said.
“Damn,” Chen Jian laughed. “I thought you were going to say, ‘From now on, I’m your dad.'”
“I’m only twenty-six,” Shan Yu said. “Where would I get such a high level of awareness to be someone’s father?”
“Quite humble,” Chen Jian clicked his tongue.
“Boss Shan,” Sun Nana chased after them from behind.
“Hmm?” Shan Yu stopped and turned his head.
“Panpan is fine now,” Sun Nana said, one hand on the wall, the other fanning her face. “I wanted to confirm with you in advance, is the Great Hermit open during the New Year?”
“The New Year is still two months away,” Shan Yu said.
“Panpan definitely has nowhere to go. I probably won’t have anywhere to go during the New Year either,” Sun Nana said.
“Whether we’re open or not, you can all stay here,” Shan Yu said. “If you want to work, it’s triple pay. If you don’t want to work, we’ll close the doors and sleep.”
“Okay,” Sun Nana snapped her fingers and turned to leave.
The New Year was still two months away.
That’s what they said.
But it was already at the point where you could say the New Year was coming soon.
It was almost time for the happy reunion of families, the festive decorations, and the welcoming of the new spring with wishes for good fortune.
Especially after the fuss caused by Hu Pan’s family, Chen Jian suddenly had a strong, indescribable feeling for home and family, whether it was longing or desire.
He glanced at Shan Yu.
“What do you want to say?” Shan Yu also glanced at him.
“Are you going home for the New Year?” Chen Jian asked.
“…I don’t know. What about you?” Shan Yu walked to the nearby window and stopped, looking at the garden outside. “How do you usually spend the New Year?”
“Sometimes I’ll go to work. My dad too. They’re always short-staffed during the New Year. If I can’t find anything suitable, I’ll go to the city, or the old town,” Chen Jian said. “Wherever my dad is, I’ll go stay there for a couple of days.”
“I thought you’d be at Xiao Dou’er’s house,” Shan Yu said.
“They always ask me to stay for the New Year, but when Xiao Dou’er’s parents come back, the house is a little too small. It’s not appropriate for me to stay there,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu didn’t speak, just raised his hand and gently squeezed his shoulder a couple of times.
“What about you?” Chen Jian asked again.
“It depends on the situation,” Shan Yu said.
“You haven’t been home for several years, have you?” Chen Jian hesitated for a moment but still asked. “Why haven’t you gone back since you came out?”
