Chapter 41

Yu Xiangnian jumped at the sudden shout and turned to see Bai Mei glaring at her fiercely.

“Yu Xiangnian, since we’ve settled the compensation you owe me, you should return what you owe me too!” Bai Mei said menacingly.

The crowd, already interested in the drama, became even more curious when they heard that Yu Xiangnian owed Bai Mei something. No one left; they all waited to see what would happen next.

Yu Xiangnian was also puzzled. “What do I owe you?”

“The money you borrowed from me!” Bai Mei said.

Yu Xiangnian laughed when she heard this. “I borrowed money from you?”

What money could Bai Mei possibly lend her?

Bai Mei only had three yuan of pocket money a month. How could she have lent her any money?!

“You’re not trying to default on your debt, are you?” Bai Mei turned to Ding Yunfei. “Company Commander Ding can testify that you borrowed money from me!”

Ding Yunfei had originally just come in to mediate but now found himself unexpectedly called out. He regretted getting involved.

Bai Mei had put him in a difficult position. If he testified for Bai Mei, he would offend Yu Xiangnian; if he didn’t, he would offend Bai Mei.

He didn’t want to offend either, so he tried to pretend he hadn’t heard, hoping to slip away.

But the crowd stopped him. “Company Commander Ding, Comrade Bai Mei wants you to testify.”

“I…” Ding Yunfei awkwardly scratched his head.

The sentence “I don’t know about their affair” got swallowed when he met Bai Mei’s gaze.

Bai Mei’s look was cold and warning.

Ding Yunfei understood that Bai Mei wanted to go all out. If he didn’t testify today, Bai Mei would definitely reveal his affair with both women.

His reputation would be ruined, and he might face allegations of disrupting military marriages, jeopardizing his future!

If he had to choose whom to offend, he preferred to offend Yu Xiangnian.

At least Yu Xiangnian wouldn’t reveal their affair on the spot, which would damage her own reputation too.

He could apologize and placate her later.

Ding Yunfei avoided looking at Yu Xiangnian and Bai Mei, and hesitantly said, “I remember Yu Xiangnian did borrow money from Bai Mei.”

At this, both Bai Mei and Yu Xiangnian laughed.

One was smug, the other sarcastic.

Bai Mei, satisfied, said, “Yu Xiangnian, did you hear that?”

Yu Xiangnian smiled calmly, “I heard. How much did I borrow from you?”

Bai Mei hesitated a bit. “You… borrowed it in many installments!”

“I’m asking you, how much did I borrow from you?” Yu Xiangnian repeated.

Bai Mei gritted her teeth and said, “Two hundred yuan!” This was the most she could think of.

The crowd gasped when they heard the amount.

Two hundred yuan was more than Bai Mei’s salary for over a year. Yu Xiangnian and Bai Mei had only known each other for six months. Even if she didn’t eat or drink, it would be impossible to borrow that much.

Seeing everyone’s reaction, Bai Mei added, “Company Commander Ding can testify that some of the money was borrowed from others and then lent to Yu Xiangnian!”

Everyone looked at Ding Yunfei again. Ding Yunfei took a deep breath and, bracing himself, said, “I’m not sure of the exact amount, but I do know that Bai Mei borrowed money from others and then lent it to Yu Xiangnian.”

At this moment, Ding Yunfei had never felt such disgust for Bai Mei.

He had never realized she was so scheming and greedy before. She was talking about such a large sum of money!

With Ding Yunfei’s testimony, Bai Mei was even more confident. “It was two hundred yuan. I keep track of every single penny.”

With Bai Mei’s witness, Yu Xiangnian had no evidence to refute.

Today, the charge of borrowing money from Bai Mei was confirmed!

Two hundred yuan is manageable!

It’s better to have this conflict out in the open. She wouldn’t have to fake politeness with them anymore!

“Two hundred yuan, right?” Yu Xiangnian stared coldly at Bai Mei.

Bai Mei nodded heavily. “Yes! Two hundred yuan!”

“Alright! I’ll return you the two hundred yuan!” Yu Xiangnian said. “This Saturday, you’ll compensate me for the bicycle and the watch, and I’ll give you the money right here, with everyone as witnesses. From today on, let’s consider each other strangers.”

“Oh, and my watch is a Shanghai brand and my bicycle is a Forever brand. I want exact replacements!” She added, then turned and walked out first.

The onlookers also started leaving. Ding Yunfei shot a disgusted glance at Bai Mei before leaving as well.

Yu Xiangnian was increasingly furious in the office!

She would get back her bicycle and watch, but she still had to pay two hundred yuan!

She currently only had fifty yuan, which Zhao Ruozhu had given her last time. Where was she supposed to find that much money?

While she was fuming, Ding Yunfei sneaked in with a flattering expression. “Nian Nian…”

“Get out!” Yu Xiangnian glared at him coldly.

She was too tired to pretend now; she should have treated him this way long ago.

Ding Yunfei took Yu Xiangnian’s anger as being related to the recent events. “Nian Nian, about what happened earlier…”

“I’ll say it one last time, get out!” Yu Xiangnian’s tone was icy.

She didn’t want to hear any excuses; she knew exactly what kind of people they were.

Ding Yunfei stood still.

Yu Xiangnian had never been this cold toward him before, and it seemed she was really upset.

He decided to wait until she cooled down and try to placate her tomorrow.

“Nian Nian, I’m leaving. Don’t stay angry; it’s not worth damaging your health over,” Ding Yunfei said as he retreated.

Yu Xiangnian was even more agitated by his presence!

Thinking about having to face them in the future made Yu Xiangnian wish she could quit!

Once the thought crossed her mind, it wouldn’t go away.

Warehouse management—wasn’t that a job for old men?

Eighteen yuan a month wasn’t even enough for a meal in modern times!

And the colleagues she had to deal with—what kind of people were they?

Yu Xiangnian had knowledge, culture, and a good background, and she was also beautiful.

Why should she be stuck managing a warehouse?

After considering for a bit, she went to find Yin Yuankai and handed in her resignation.

Yin Yuankai didn’t really care whether Yu Xiangnian stayed or left; it was a trivial position, so it didn’t matter if there was one more or one less person.

But he was worried about offending the General Commander and tried to persuade Yu Xiangnian not to be impulsive and not to let today’s events get to her.

Yu Xiangnian understood his concern and reassured him not to worry. Her resignation was a personal decision and had nothing to do with anyone else.

She packed up her things and left decisively.

When she got home, she was alone.

She wracked her brains, trying to figure out how to make two hundred yuan in four days.

Finally, she thought of her older brother, Yu Xiangguo, who was the manager of the Nancheng Daily Chemical Factory. She could secretly get some goods from him and do some business on the side.

She decided to act on it immediately.

As she left, she happened to run into Xiao Jie, who was coming back from school, and took him along.

The Yu family’s residence was in the city, about ten kilometers away.

Yu Xiangnian first went to find Yu Xiangyang to borrow a bicycle.

Just then, Cheng Jingmo and his team were training, and Cheng Jingmo, seeing her, walked over with a look of curiosity.

He thought Yu Xiangnian was looking for him.

“Cheng Jingmo, I resigned today.” She said, looking at him eagerly.