Chapter 21: ‘Father’s Debt, Daughter Collects’

This farce finally ended with the police taking Ning Hao away.

Before getting into the police car, Wang Xuenian asked Tu Shanju about the payment for the knife debt.

Tu Shanju charged her 2,580 yuan.

Those who had accused her of trying to dine and dash instantly felt ashamed and quietly went back to their meals.

Xie Jingting warned everyone to delete the videos they had recorded, or they’d be receiving a lawyer’s letter soon.

Tu Shanju noticed him fuming under those oversized sunglasses and couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

Xie Jingting, seeing her laughing, turned his gaze away with a light cough and scolded, “Still laughing? You got bullied and didn’t even think to call us? You said you’d protect me, yet I still had to show up for you.”

Tu Shanju unwrapped a lollipop and popped it into her mouth. Then she pulled out another from her pocket and handed it to Xie Jingting. “Alright then, from now on, you protect me. Your sister-in-law’s treating you to a lollipop!”

Cultivators who absorb ghost energy can strengthen their cultivation. Ordinary people who absorb it can prolong their lives.

Aside from being a bit tsundere and proud, her third brother was actually quite decent.

Especially since he stood up for her today—of course she had to reward him with something tasty as his sister-in-law.

This sort of thing was rare; she wouldn’t give it to just anyone.

Xie Jingting’s ears turned a little red. He awkwardly reached out to take the lollipop, muttering, “Tch, are you coaxing me like a kid? Don’t forget, you’re only a year older than me.”

But just as he was about to grab the lollipop, a mocking voice rang out.

“Well, well, never thought Xie San Shao could be bought with just a lollipop. And wasn’t it you who denied having a sister-in-law not too long ago~?”

Chen Younan was leaning against a nearby pillar, phone in hand, clearly recording just now’s sappy scene.

Xie Jingting’s face darkened, but he didn’t pull his hand back. Instead, he boldly took the lollipop from Tu Shanju, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

With a muffled voice, he said, “What, jealous? I misunderstood some things before, but I’ll tell you now—my sister-in-law is awesome. You’d better not mess with her. If she gets mad, you’ll be in real trouble!”

Then, elbowing Tu Shanju beside him, he asked, “Right, sister-in-law?”

Tu Shanju glanced at Xie Jingting, then at Chen Younan.

She understood—this was the time for some tough talk. She couldn’t let her little brother lose face.

So she played along, hands in her pockets, raising her brows at Chen Younan. “Exactly. You’d better not mess with me, or I’ll broadcast your secret skirt collection to the world!”

Chen Younan froze.

Xie Jingting was stunned.

The friend who had come downstairs to look for them almost dropped his jaw.

A moment later, who knows who started it, but the hot pot restaurant burst into laughter.

Chen Younan’s face turned darker than coal. He quickly dragged his people and left.

Tu Shanju held out her hand to Xie Jingting.

The two exchanged a smile.

With a crunch, Xie Jingting bit down on the candy and gave her a high five.

It was Tuesday. Though Xie Jingting was only a freshman in college, he had no classes that afternoon, so the two of them headed back to the Xie family estate together.

As soon as they arrived, they saw Xie Shiyu sitting on the living room sofa, as if waiting for them.

Xie Jingting instinctively stepped slightly behind Tu Shanju.

Tu Shanju, however, didn’t feel anything unusual and walked over casually.

Xie Shiyu’s gaze had been fixed on her since the moment she walked in.

Only after she sat across from him did he speak. “Are you hurt?”

Tu Shanju knew he was referring to the hot pot restaurant incident. She shook her head. “No. I’m pretty strong. That guy was even weaker than Jingting. He couldn’t hurt me.”

Xie Jingting: “……” This friendship must be fake!

Xie Shiyu nodded. “Good. As long as you’re not hurt. I’ll have someone deal with that waiter. You’re my fiancée—no one gets to bully you. And Jingting—”

He glanced at his younger brother, who immediately straightened his back.

“You did well. Thank you for protecting her. Let me know what reward you want—anything.”

Xie Jingting’s eyes lit up. He asked excitedly, “Really, big bro?”

Xie Shiyu replied, “Yes. Really.”

“Then I won’t hold back. I want a Bugatti Centodieci!”

“Alright. I’ll have Secretary Li place the order.”

Xie Jingting jumped up with joy. Then suddenly, he leaned over to Tu Shanju. “Sister-in-law, sister-in-law! I want to make a knife barter with you!”

Tu Shanju smiled. “Sure.”

She pulled out a small, delicate nail clipper from her pocket. “Flat price—1,000 yuan. Orange.”

“Deal! I’m transferring the money now!” Before he even finished his sentence, Xie Jingting whipped out his phone and sent the money.

Xie Shiyu watched this scene, amused by the drastic change in his younger brother’s attitude in just one day.

It seemed his worries were unnecessary. His fiancée really did know how to win people over.

Tu Shanju felt his gaze and looked up. She blinked. “What are you staring at?”

Xie Shiyu: “……”

“Ahem. Nothing. You two have fun. I’m going to the study to take care of something.”

Tu Shanju also stood up. “Third Brother, you enjoy yourself. I’m going to take a nap.”

She had a habit of napping in the afternoon, especially since she often went out at night. A good nap helped conserve energy.

Like tonight—the person she was collecting a debt from was a night owl.

The two of them went upstairs one after the other, leaving Xie Jingting in the living room gossiping with friends about Chen Younan’s secret skirt hobby.

---

Later that night.
In the northern suburbs of Nancheng, at the film and television city, a fully disguised man stepped out of a hotel.

He wore a hat and mask, a black tactical jacket—blending completely into the night.

However, the amber-colored eyes peeking out, especially the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye, stood out sharply.

If this were daytime, that one detail alone would give him away instantly.

He was Bai Yu—top idol of the entertainment world with 120 million fans and a face worth a billion.

At this moment, he had a large black suitcase beside him and was looking around like he was searching for someone.

Suddenly, someone called from behind him, “Bai Bai?”

Bai Yu paused, then turned around quickly. “I told you, I go by Bai Yu now, not Bai Bai!”

Tu Shanju said, “But your parents told me you’re called Bai Bai.”

“Bai Yu, Bai Yu, Bai Yu! My name is Bai Yu!”

“Alright, alright. Call yourself whatever you want. Did you bring the stuff?” Tu Shanju couldn’t be bothered to argue. She was here to collect a debt—the rest didn’t matter.

Bai Yu huffed, shoving the large suitcase toward her with a grunt. “This counts as ‘repaying my father’s debt,’ right?”

Tu Shanju held the suitcase steady. “Yeah, I suppose so. This is ‘father’s debt, daughter collects!’”