BDB Chapter 34

Jiang Rao felt that things shouldn’t be settled this way. “Even if you and Miss Jiang are divorced, the debt was incurred while your marriage was still intact…”

As she spoke, she could no longer continue.

The male lead’s expression had already turned completely cold during her speech.

Sure enough, the next moment, he stood up and leaned in close to her. “Joint debts between spouses?” He curled his lips. “Should I contact Bai Yurou to see if she dares to covet my assets so openly?”

Seeing that she remained silent, Li Jueyan casually dialed a number.

The call connected, and the voice on the other end was clearly nervous. “Li… Young Master Li.”

That night two months ago.

In a brightly lit bedroom of the ancient castle halfway up the mountain.

Bai Yurou had not slept all night, crying and begging the ancient castle’s owner to spare her.

But he remained unmoved, even instructing Butler Gu, who had learned to imitate his coldness almost perfectly, to warn her, “Madam Bai, are you thirsty?”

Her response at the time was filled with curses.

Immediately afterward, a voice came from outside the door, “It doesn’t matter if you’re not thirsty. Young Master Li asked me to ask you if you’ve ever heard the term ‘to commit suicide by shooting oneself’?”

She cried hysterically, but only dared to huddle in the corner of the room, trying to make her presence as minimal as possible.

Later, she got lucky, made a contribution, and accidentally learned the whereabouts of Jiang Rao, which allowed her to regain her freedom.

However, the impression from that night was so deep that she felt she would never forget it.

She no longer dared to contact him, but unexpectedly, one day, his call came through.

She couldn’t not answer, and she dared not ignore it.

After a nervous greeting, she heard the voice on the other end say, “Speak. Was I aware of the substitute marriage beforehand or not?”

The tone was sharp, and Bai Yurou immediately stuttered, “N-no… You weren’t, Young Master Li.”

“Did I tell you to find a substitute to take care of Old Man Li on behalf of your daughter who was suffering from depression?”

“Young Master Li… Did- did not…”

“Did you not settle the final payment?”

Bai Yurou increasingly felt that something was wrong.

She knew how good Jiang Rao actually looked and her real condition.

Her delicate and pure appearance was rare to find so perfectly combined in one person, bright like a noble flower in the world and quiet like it was untouched by dust.

Although she, as a woman, didn’t appreciate such a beguiling appearance, she had to admit that very few men could resist it.

She was uncertain how Young Master Li would react if he was continuously misled.

Bai Yurou had to defend herself. “Young Master Li, she didn’t complete the required time, she only worked for a little over six months. But I paid her over two million as an advance and also repaid her mother’s gambling debts of over three hundred thousand. I don’t owe her anything.”

Jiang Rao raised her eyelids. “You are the one who breached the contract. You asked Jiang Tang to come back and replace me. According to the contract, you should have paid the final amount to me. As for my mother… it was you who lured her into gambling. Most of the money you gave me eventually ended up back in your own pocket.”

Bai Yurou said, “What contract? If you don’t believe it, take that contract to a law firm and ask them. Without a third party as a witness, that contract has no credibility! The more than two million I gave you before was out of kindness. Now you slander me, saying that your mother’s gambling problem is all because of me? Do you have any evidence? I didn’t force her to gamble! It’s her own lack of resolve; why blame me?”

Since Jiang Rao had entered the book, she had clearly delineated the relationships between the villainous characters and normal people. She had always been optimistic and open-minded, not letting petty grievances or others’ malice affect her deeply.

However, even the most virtuous person could feel disgusted when faced with the worst of external malice.

Although Jiang Rao had entered this delicate body, she was not a delicate person at all.

She had countless ways to make Madam Bai speechless, but it required careful thought.

Unfortunately, no one gave her time to think things through.

Just as she was about to act on her thoughts, she heard the man across from her say, “Apologize.”

Bai Yurou panicked. “Young Master Li, I didn’t lie or say anything excessive.”

Jiang Rao looked up and saw that—she didn’t know when—the man had lit a cigar.

She also didn’t know when, but the cigar was now halfway burned.

He took a puff of the yellowish smoke and said, “Don’t haggle. Apologize.”

The voice on the other end of the phone took a deep breath. “I… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry to whom?”

“Sorry, Jiang Rao.”

Li Jueyan extinguished the cigar. “How did you grow up without knowing how to apologize? Learn from me.”

He cleared his throat. “I, so-and-so, sincerely apologize to Miss Jiang Rao.”

“I, so-and-so…” Hearing a ‘bang’ on the other end of the phone, as if a hand had slapped the table, Bai Yurou quickly corrected herself. “I, Bai Yurou, sincerely… I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

The call finally ended.

Looking at the man across from her with a self-satisfied smile, Jiang Rao felt for the first time that he didn’t seem as bad as described in the original book, despite the foolishness of what had just happened.

Jiang Rao pressed her lips together. “The main issue hasn’t been resolved. It seems you haven’t verified whether Madam Bai dares to covet your assets.”

Li Jueyan was taken aback for a moment and then gulped down the ice water from the cup on the table.

His neck was long and graceful, and the movement of his Adam’s apple exuded a strong sense of masculinity.

Seeing this, Jiang Rao found an odd contrast in his previous foolishness and his evasive behavior afterward, which gave her a strange sense of charm.

However, this thought only lasted a second in her mind before Jiang Rao quickly turned her head to look outside the café.

The male lead was toxic! Absolutely toxic!

At that moment, when she glanced back, the afternoon sunlight was shining on the young man with disheveled hair.

Although the young man’s arms had been restrained for a long time, he hadn’t made any untidy attempts to free himself.

Thinking about the second male lead’s character.

Jiang Rao couldn’t help but sigh.

He was truly a rare example of gentleness and integrity in this story.

At that moment, a hand suddenly blocked the five millimeters of space in front of her. “What are you looking at? Is he better looking than me?”

To be fair, as a domineering president who followed a tormenting path yet still ended up with a happy ending in the author’s eyes, the male lead’s looks were undoubtedly exceptional.

Without glasses, his clear and striking features made him look like a youthful, exuberant teenager on the basketball court.

When he put on glasses, he appeared much more serious and composed. However, his fondness for gold-rimmed glasses and shiny black hair, combined with a faint, elusive smile, gave him an air of nonchalance. He resembled the type of male lead in Japanese dramas that fans would wildly type “Ahhhh, this elegant rogue is so freaking handsome” in the comment section.

Nevertheless, Jiang Rao couldn’t be bothered to answer his question.

Looking good and holding power might grant one the freedom to do as they pleased.

But if one’s morals were fundamentally corrupt, all they’d get was superficial flattery from others.

“Am I not as handsome as him?”

When the question was repeated in a slightly different order, Jiang Rao remained silent.

“Can I leave now?”

Li Jueyan glanced outside the café nonchalantly, not noticing any possible comparison between himself and the seemingly weak man.

After a moment, he smirked and said, “Sure, but how do you plan to repay me for the two properties worth 2.18 million that you owe?”

“You already know that Madam Bai owes me the remaining payment. You and Jiang Tang’s marital relationship was still in place at that time, and you had already given the money…”

“That contract has no credibility,” Li Jueyan interrupted.

He had thought she didn’t care about anything, but when he saw her frown whenever money was mentioned, he realized he might have found her weak spot.

Jiang Rao took a deep breath. “Fine. But I spent 4.98 million to buy those five properties. The two I sold were the smallest in size, and even if we calculate at the current price of new properties, the two should be worth around 1.8 million. Where did your 2.18 million come from?”

“The property prices went up.”

“When did they go up?”

“Now.”

As he spoke, he picked up his phone and made a call. “Increase the price of properties at Purple Gold Residential Garden in City H by 20% immediately. Adjust the prices and enforce it right away.”

Fire had surged in her chest twice in a single day.

When dealing with Madam Bai, Jiang Rao still had the mental space to think about how to confront her, but when facing a rogue like the male lead, all she wanted was to smash him with her suitcase full of English reference books.

“No money to repay?”

He looked at her with eyes wide open, full of anger.

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s go by the substitute marriage agreement you signed with Bai Yurou. If you stay with me for another six months, I’ll forgive the 2.18 million. How about that?”

——