Chapter 10 — 58 Lakhs And His True Face

His voice was deliberately low, different from his usual flirtatious tone.

“Hieu Ninh, that 30,000 deposit, he borrowed at high interest rates to turn things around.”

"You have to pay in half a month, the lender is a construction worker, not easy to deal with."

“If this thing falls apart and he has no money to cover it, what do you think he will do?”

Eight seconds ended, my hand still on the screen. Hot loans with high interest rates. People at the construction site. Not easy to deal with. Words I had seen on the news immediately appeared in my mind. Collecting debt, harassing, pressuring, blocking doors. This time, I can't completely ignore it as nothing. Not only because of that 30,000 yuan, but also because the fact that he tricked me into coming to the showroom that day... was already a step beyond the limit. And because I know, with Tan Dieu's little self-esteem, he absolutely will not admit that he cannot manage that amount of money. I can't even proactively bow my head and ask my parents for money. The easiest way for him to think of... was to come back to find me. Find that 580,000 yuan. My palms were wet with a thin layer of sweat. I put my phone aside and walked out to the balcony. The darkness outside has become one layer thicker. The balcony next door still had clothes hanging, each shirt swaying gently in the night breeze. The wind carries moisture, which sticks to the skin. I took my phone and sent my cousin a voice message.

“You, he just said one more thing… about the 30,000 deposit.”

In less than half a minute, he called back.

“You say it.”

I recounted the content of the recording just now. The other side was silent for a while.

“What is the interest rate? Did he say?”

“Don't say.”

“But you don't need to be too stressed.”

His voice is still very steady.

"Ignoring the interest, that 30,000 was borrowed by him, and has absolutely nothing to do with you legally."

“Even if the lender knows about you, at best they will only consider you as a breakthrough.”

“As long as you don't respond, don't participate, and don't admit it, they can't do anything to you.”

“So what if they come to you to cause trouble?”

“Then report it to the police.”

He answered decisively.

“I don't need to say another word to them.”

“If it comes to that, I will prepare you how to deal with it.”

“Right now I only need to do two things.”

“First, absolutely do not meet Tan Dieu alone.”

“Second, all suspicious contacts must be vigilant, do not open doors randomly, and do not reveal personal information.”

“Understood?”

“Understood.”

“Also, that person Tan Dieu…”

He stopped for a moment.

“I'm not sure if I really help you.”

“But it is possible to get some information from their side.”

“You can exploit it, but absolutely don't trust any of his 'plans'.”

“Just as a source.”

Hanging up, I leaned against the balcony railing and took a deep breath of humid air. The feeling of insecurity caused by the words "high profits" and "construction people"... was gradually suppressed by his cousin's clear analysis. No matter how many storms there are outside, I still have my family standing behind me, and someone who understands the law to help me stay steadfast. Most importantly... I am not allowed to be soft-hearted anymore. Even though the person opposite me used to eat at a sidewalk restaurant with me, he used to run to buy medicine for me at midnight. I picked up the phone and went back to WeChat.

“Tan Dieu.”

I texted two words.

“Thank you for reminding me.”

“You don't need to worry about the things after that.”

The other party took a long time to respond.

“Now that you're so cold, I guess it's really over.”

“Okay, I won't say it either many more.”

“Remember what I said, don't give him a chance.”

I will not answer further. Drag the chat down, unpin it. At that moment, I suddenly realized. They and I... stood on two completely different sides. There is no more confusion, ambiguity, and back and forth like before. This is a real boundary. From Monday to Wednesday, everything outwardly remains the same. I still go to work on time, the route is so familiar that I can walk it with my eyes closed. In the morning, I bought a glass of unsweetened soybeans at the company, at noon I crowded with colleagues in the cafeteria, and in the afternoon at the meeting, my boss called me up to present the plan. In everyone's eyes, I am no different from before. Just a little thinner, eye bags a little darker. Only I know, the string in my head has never truly loosened. Every time the phone vibrated, I reflexively tensed up and glanced to see who it was. The first times, most of the time it was just friends sending memes, the project team throwing documents, or my mom reminding me to remember to eat fruit at night. Gradually, that stress made me more sensitive. At noon on Thursday, when a strange number appeared on the screen... I almost immediately knew, this time it was not the shipper. The phone number shows the address right in the city. I put down my chopsticks, smiled at my colleague and asked to go outside to answer the phone, picked up my tray and walked out of the noisy restaurant, to the end of the hallway, and entered the emergency staircase. Close the door, completely separate from outside noise. I looked at the number flashing a few times, then pressed listen.

“Lin Xiaoning?”

On the other end of the line was a man's voice, not too harsh, but with a feeling of being deliberately low-key, cold and heavy. Not heavy with local accent, Mandarin is quite standard. I leaned my back against the cold cement wall, my voice also lowered accordingly.

“Who are you?”

“You don't need to know who I am.”

He laughed, briefly, without any meaning to laugh.

“You just need to know, I have a thirty thousand yuan debt note in my hand, with your ex-boyfriend's name written on it.”

"He promised to pay this Monday, but now he's hiding, not seeing me, not answering his phone calls."

“I didn't have time to play hide and seek with him, so I had to go to his 'official girlfriend' to talk.”

The words "official girlfriend", he deliberately emphasized.