“I’ll go back and beat them all away!” Hu Pan’s voice practically exploded from the phone. “I’ll fight them to the death! They really dared to come here!”
“Give the phone to Sanbing, Panpan.” Chen Jian stood at the entrance of the cafe, looking out the window as Lao Wu led Hu Pan’s family toward the backyard. “Give the phone to Sanbing.”
Chen Erhu’s underlings were truly suited for this kind of work. Their vicious demeanor had steeped into their bones; they just needed to act naturally.
“I’ll fight them to the death!” Hu Pan’s voice cracked, bordering on a breakdown.
Sanbing probably snatched the phone away: “Hello, it’s Sanbing.”
“In a bit, pretend she’s trying to run away and you’re dragging her back…” Chen Jian instructed.
Father Hu was peering inside. As his gaze swept across Chen Jian’s face, Chen Jian instantly darkened his expression, narrowing his eyes and staring dead at him. Within two seconds, Father Hu’s eyes darted away in avoidance.
He turned his head and murmured something to Mother Hu.
Following instructions, Lao Wu didn’t say a single unnecessary word, but he served up plenty of death glares and cold faces. Though he hadn’t been asked to act this well, his genuine disgust for Hu Pan’s family probably couldn’t be contained by acting anyway.
“Can we change it so I’m the one running away and she drags me back? Right now she’s dragging me forward and I’m practically surfing behind her…” Sanbing sounded like he was struggling. “Hey, Pan, slow down! Let me hear the plan first!”
“The plan right now is that she owes Shan Yu fifty thousand and is working here to pay off the debt,” Chen Jian said. “Tell her the plan while you surf. We can’t just beat them away; we have to scare them off to permanently eliminate future trouble.”
“Alright, I’ll tell her, I’ll tell her,” Sanbing said.
“If she blows her cover, it’ll just cause more trouble. Control her emotions,” Chen Jian ordered.
“Hear that? Control your emotions,” Sanbing said to her. “You’ll have plenty of chances to beat them up later. Right now we need to cut off their hopes, understand?”
Chen Jian hung up the phone and looked back, noticing Shan Yu had returned to the front desk, where Sun Nana was head-down, writing something.
“You go over first.” Shan Yu pointed toward the conference room.
“Mm.” Chen Jian nodded.
As he walked toward the conference room, he noticed Chen Erhu and Lao Si standing guard on either side of the door. One look at the setup and he knew Shan Yu had arranged it.
They were really committing to the act, deploying the entire pigpen crew.
Chen Jian entered through the conference room’s front door. Almost simultaneously, Lao Wu brought Hu Pan’s family in through the back door.
Both doors slammed shut. Lao Si remained outside, while Chen Erhu guarded the front door from the inside and Lao Wu took the back.
Mother Hu was clearly startled, spinning around in place: “This is…”
“A conference room.” Chen Jian walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
“We’re looking for Hu Pandi,” Father Hu remained somewhat composed. “Why did you bring us here?”
“Please have a seat, Uncle, Auntie,” Chen Jian leaned back in his chair. Not having rehearsed this with Shan Yu, he didn’t know how far to take it and could only improvise. “The inn is crowded today; it’s quieter in here.”
“Is Hu Pandi here or not?” Mother Hu demanded.
Chen Jian didn’t say anything. Hearing those three syllables made him want to frown. Originally, no one knew Hu Pan’s real name; hearing them call it out repeatedly was irritating.
“Is this the guesthouse?” Father Hu asked Brother Hu. “It doesn’t feel right.”
“This is it, Dayin,” the brother pulled out his phone to check. “This is the only Dayin around here.”
The kid was still wearing his city middle school uniform. He was at least a middle schooler, yet instead of stopping his parents from doing this, he had tagged along.
“Where is Hu Pandi?” Father Hu looked at Chen Jian. “I want to see my daughter.”
Your daughter wants to beat you up.
Just as Chen Jian was about to speak, Lao Si opened the door behind him, and Shan Yu walked in.
“Boss Shan,” Chen Jian stood up, offering his chair.
“Boss Shan,” the pigpen crew greeted him in unison.
“Hu Pan… di’s parents, right?” Shan Yu sat down in Chen Jian’s chair, crossing his left leg over his right knee as his gaze swept over the people in the room. “Perfect timing. Saves me the trouble of looking for you.”
Father Hu and Mother Hu quickly exchanged a glance. Mother Hu asked, “What do you mean?”
“Where is she? Did you bring her back?” Shan Yu ignored them, tilting his head to ask Chen Jian.
“On the way, almost here,” Chen Jian said.
“What happened to her?” Mother Hu shrieked. “Where did she go? What did you do to her?”
“What did I do to her?” Shan Yu sneered at her. Two fingers slipped into his inner coat pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper which he handed to Chen Jian. “Take a look at this first.”
As Chen Jian walked over, he quickly unfolded the paper and glanced at it.
It was a photocopy of an IOU.
I, Hu Pandi, hereby borrow the sum of 50,000 RMB from Shan Yu… The handwriting wasn’t Shan Yu’s; it was likely what Sun Nana had just been writing at the front desk.
The repayment date was October 12th of this year, totaling 54,000 RMB in principal and interest. Below that were Hu Pan and Shan Yu’s ID numbers. The lender’s signature was Shan Yu’s, complete with a seal. The borrower’s signature read Hu Pandi—definitely not signed by Hu Pan, but just as ugly as her handwriting, probably Zhao-jie’s… There was even a thumbprint stamped over it, belonging to who knows who.
Quite comprehensive.
The only slight risk was the date of the loan—it was marked June. Back in June, nobody even knew where Hu Pan was.
But it wasn’t a huge problem. Hu Pan had left home years ago; even if she had been home, her family wouldn’t have cared about her financial situation.
Just as Chen Jian walked up to them and was about to hand over the IOU, Father Hu snatched it away.
He took one look and yelled: “What? An IOU?”
“It’s already past the repayment date,” Shan Yu said unhurriedly. “Originally, seeing that she’s just a young girl, I didn’t want to make things difficult for her…”
“This much?” Mother Hu screamed. “Why did she borrow this much money! The interest alone is four thousand!”
“Are you trying to scam people!” The younger brother roared. To build momentum, he grabbed a nearby chair and smashed it onto the floor.
“Watch your fucking step!” Chen Erhu pointed at the three of them. “We’re here to talk business. If you want to get physical, you’d better figure out how much you weigh first!”
“We didn’t know about this!” Mother Hu blocked her son, reading over the IOU again, stomping her feet in panic. “We didn’t know!”
In silence, Father Hu crumpled the IOU, then began tearing it to shreds, scattering the pieces across the floor.
Shan Yu didn’t say a word. He just lightly tapped his uninjured hand against his bandaged one in a slow applause.
“Uncle,” Chen Jian looked at the shredded paper on the floor. “Tearing up a photocopy doesn’t do anything, no matter how many times you rip it.”
“Did you guys trick her?!” Father Hu lunged toward Chen Jian, reaching out to shove him in the chest.
Chen Jian stepped aside and pointed a finger right at his nose. “Lay one finger on me, and you’ll be spending tonight in the police station.”
Father Hu glared at him, air blasting loudly from his nostrils, but he didn’t dare step closer.
Just then, Hu Pan’s shouts echoed from the hallway outside: “Let me go! What are you doing!”
The family of three froze instantly, looking toward the door.
With a dark face, Chen Erhu pulled the door open.
Sanbing dragged Hu Pan inside by her arm.
“Let go of me!” Hu Pan jerked her arm violently.
They definitely hadn’t rehearsed this struggle before coming in. Hu Pan was incredibly strong; Sanbing’s grip on her arm was nearly thrown off. With her combat strength, Hu Pan could have escaped him eight times in an hour.
Luckily, Sanbing reacted fast enough, using her momentum to shove her forward and letting go.
Hu Pan stumbled forward, steadied herself, looked up, and shouted in shock: “Mom?”
Hu Pan hadn’t seen her family in a long time. Chen Jian felt that her calling out “Mom” still carried a trace of genuine emotion.
But a second later, Mother Hu personally shattered that sliver of familial affection.
“What is wrong with you! You really know how to cause trouble!” She pointed at the shredded IOU on the floor, stomping her feet and interrogating her. “Are you crazy, borrowing fifty thousand! Are you trying to die! Are you trying to die!”
“Dad, Mom, I really had no other choice,” Hu Pan walked quickly toward them. “Save me…”
The three of them simultaneously took a slight step backward.
Chen Jian grabbed Hu Pan’s arm and pulled her back two steps.
“What exactly is going on with you?” Father Hu scowled. “Why did you borrow so much money? You haven’t brought a single cent home. What did you do with all that money?”
“I had an emergency,” Hu Pan said. “I’ll be able to pay it back in a while, but right now…”
She glanced at Shan Yu, then back at Father Hu. “Dad, help me out, I…”
“How are we supposed to help! How!” Father Hu roared. “You run off and stop caring about the family! Your mother is sick! Your brother is in school! You ignored all of it, we couldn’t even find you! And now you borrowed money and want us to pay it back? You…”
“Shut up!” Chen Jian couldn’t help but roar back. “Who the fuck do you think you are to scream in here! Try uttering one more word of bullshit, I dare you!”
That shout silenced the entire room. Even Shan Yu tilted his head toward him.
A second later, Mother Hu lowered her head and started crying.
The brother wrapped an arm around his mother’s shoulders, comforting her quietly.
“Originally,” Shan Yu spoke up, “I figured I’d just let her work here to pay off the debt, and she could leave whenever it’s cleared. But since her family is here, as parents…”
“We don’t have money to pay for her!” Father Hu interrupted immediately. “Don’t try to extort us! We don’t even know what she used the money for. It’s been over a year and she hasn’t brought a single cent home. We don’t know anything about this money.”
“I don’t give a damn what you know or don’t know.” Shan Yu shot him a look.
“Girl,” Mother Hu looked up at Hu Pan, crying, “you really… you aren’t a child anymore. You have to take responsibility for your own actions. Hurry up and pay them back.”
“How am I supposed to pay?” Hu Pan looked at her. “How do I pay it? I sent so much money home, where did it all go? I’m not asking you to pay fifty thousand, but can’t you at least help me with thirty thousand?”
“You’re too ungrateful, too ungrateful.” Father Hu shook his head.
The three of them started walking toward the back door, where only Lao Wu was standing guard.
“Leaving?” Shan Yu’s voice went cold.
“We aren’t the ones who borrowed the money,” Mother Hu murmured. “Why can’t we leave?”
“Trying to illegally detain us?” The brother looked at Shan Yu. “We’ll call the cops right now!”
“Call them,” Shan Yu looked at him. “Coming here to pick fights and cause trouble, owing money and refusing to pay. If you don’t call them, I will.”
“Don’t cause trouble, don’t make more of a mess for your sister,” Mother Hu smacked the brother, pushing him toward the door. “Girl, show some sense, quickly pay the man back his money…”
“Mom!” Hu Pan cried out.
As if an accelerator had been flipped, the three of them sped up simultaneously, hurrying out the door.
Lao Wu looked at Shan Yu.
Shan Yu remained seated and simply waved his hand.
So Lao Wu didn’t stop them.
“She left her home address,” Shan Yu added just as they stepped outside. “If she doesn’t pay up, the court summons will be mailed to your house. When you get it, remember to bring it to her.”
Not a single member of the Hu family uttered another word. They disappeared out the door silently and swiftly. They didn’t even go back through the garden they had arrived from, exiting straight out the backyard gate, terrified that staying at this guesthouse a second longer would drag them down with Hu Pan.
The conference room was dead quiet. No one spoke.
After a while, Hu Pan finally said, “Thank you, everyone.”
Shan Yu stood up. “You owe me fifty thousand. I kept the original.”
“Is there interest?” Hu Pan forced a smile, but it hadn’t even lasted two seconds before tears spilled over.
“Don’t cry, Panpan, it’s over now.” Chen Jian quickly patted her arm.
“Boss Shan… ah…” Crying loudly, Hu Pan tilted her head back, walked over to Shan Yu, threw her arms open, and hugged him. “Ah—Boss Shan—”
“Hey,” Shan Yu was instantly at a loss, his raised arms having nowhere to go. “I’ll tear up the original in a bit.”
“I see things clearly now—ah—” Hu Pan sobbed. “I’m an orphan from now on…”
“From now on, I’m your…” Shan Yu clearly had absolutely zero experience comforting girls. Being at a loss was one thing, but he nearly became incoherent.
“Hey?” Chen Jian spoke up. His quick reaction was the only thing stopping Shan Yu from saying ‘From now on, I’m your dad.’
“Those people are gone,” Sun Nana came running down the hallway in her low heels and into the conference room. “They drove here. Car was parked on the side of the road. And here I thought the family was struggling financially… Oh my, baby, why are you crying…”
The arrival of the second woman on the scene made the group of men let out a collective sigh of relief as they all turned to look at Sun Nana.
“Come here, come here,” Sun Nana flipped her hair back, walked over, and pulled Hu Pan away from Shan Yu and into her own embrace. “Let jiejie give you a hug. They’ve rolled away, you’re free now. You’re a true independent girl…”
“Alright,” Shan Yu walked out of the conference room. “Cut. Good job, everyone.”
Chen Jian followed him, asking in a low voice, “What were you going to say just now?”
“Which line?” Shan Yu smiled.
“From now on, you’re her what?” Chen Jian asked.
“Was going to say I’m her brother,” Shan Yu said.
“Fuck,” Chen Jian laughed. “I thought you were going to say from now on you’re her dad.”
“I’m only twenty-six,” Shan Yu said. “I’m nowhere near enlightened enough to be someone’s dad.”
“Very humble,” Chen Jian clicked his tongue.
“Boss Shan,” Sun Nana caught up from behind.
“Hm?” Shan Yu stopped and turned around.
“Panpan is fine now,” Sun Nana leaned one hand against the wall, fanning her face with the other. “I just wanted to confirm with you in advance: will Dayin be open during the New Year?”
“The New Year is still two months away,” Shan Yu said.
“Panpan definitely has nowhere to go, and I probably won’t have anywhere to go either,” Sun Nana said.
“Whether we’re open or not, you guys can stay here,” Shan Yu said. “If you want to stay open, triple pay. If you don’t, we’ll lock the doors and sleep.”
“Great.” Sun Nana snapped her fingers, turned, and walked away.
The New Year was still two months away.
True.
But it had already reached the point where people started saying, “It’s almost New Year’s.”
It was almost time for family reunions, putting up lanterns and decorations, welcoming the spring, wishing for good fortune, and hoping for everything to go smoothly.
Especially after the scene Hu Pan’s family had just caused, Chen Jian suddenly felt an intense sensation regarding home and family—he couldn’t quite tell if it was nostalgia or longing.
He glanced at Shan Yu.
“What do you want to say?” Shan Yu glanced back at him.
“Are you going home for the New Year?” Chen Jian asked.
“…I don’t know. You?” Shan Yu walked over to a nearby window and stopped, looking out at the garden. “How did you spend the New Year in the past?”
“Sometimes I’d go do odd jobs, and my dad too. Places are always short-staffed during the New Year. If we couldn’t find anything suitable, we’d go to the city or the old town,” Chen Jian said. “Wherever my dad was, I’d go stay for a couple of days.”
“I thought you’d be at Xiao Dou’er’s house,” Shan Yu said.
“They always try to keep me for the New Year, but when Xiao Dou’er’s parents come back, there’s not enough room in the house. It’s not appropriate to stay,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu didn’t speak, just raised a hand and gently squeezed Chen Jian’s shoulder twice.
“What about you?” Chen Jian asked again.
“Depends on the situation,” Shan Yu said.
“You haven’t been home in several years, right?” Chen Jian hesitated, but still asked, “Now that you’re out, why aren’t you going back?”
