louisehourcade Chapter 135 More Gambling Debts
Chapter 135 More Gambling Debts
The night, like a thick piece of black velvet, gently enveloped the hustle and bustle and extravagance of Zhonghai City.
In this bustling corner, in the Happiness Lane residential area, the name itself carries a warm irony. The streetlights cast a gentle glow, yet it cannot illuminate Rong Qing'e's cold heart at this moment.
She dragged her leaden legs out of the crowded, nearly collapsing last bus.
The professional facade I maintained during the day shattered the moment I stepped out of the office building.
The shock of the new boss, the shock of Li Yujie being fired on the spot, and the images of those beautiful women with inexplicable relationships with the boss all swirled in her mind, making her temples throb.
Physical exhaustion and mental tension intertwined to form an impenetrable net, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
As soon as she stepped into the dim streetlight in the residential area, several dark figures emerged from the shadows of the flower bed, blocking her path.
Rong Qing'e's heart sank, and she gripped her handbag tightly.
The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a black jacket, with a buzz cut. His face wasn't particularly fierce, but his eyes were sharp, carrying the shrewdness and scrutiny honed from years of dealing with all sorts of people.
He didn't speak, but just watched her quietly. The two young men with dyed yellow hair beside him were casually shaking their legs, their eyes roaming brazenly over her business suit.
"Are you Miss Rong?"
The man in the jacket finally spoke, his voice hoarse but surprisingly calm. He said indifferently, "My surname is Chang, and my name is Chang Chengbiao. My friends in the underworld call me Brother Biao out of respect. We're not here to cause you any trouble. We just want to talk to your husband, Ju Wenming, about his 150,000 yuan debt."
Brother Biao's tone was very polite.
But the number "150,000" was like a sharp, icy knife that pierced Rong Qing'e's heart with pinpoint accuracy.
Her face was pale, and her lips were moving, but no sound came out.
It's gambling debts again.
When will this man, this bottomless pit, ever end?
"Ju Wenming... he... he went back to his hometown to see his parents, he's not in Zhonghai." Rong Qing'e's voice was barely audible, and even she herself felt that this excuse was weak and feeble.
A blond-haired kid behind Brother Biao sneered, "Visiting his parents? Sister Rong, are you kidding me? Didn't his parents move to Zhonghai and live with you guys for half a year last year, only to go back because they thought it was too expensive? It's only been a few months, and he's already gone back to visit them? He's such a filial son."
Another blond-haired guy chimed in, "That's right, are you hiding from us? Paying back debts is a matter of course. Our Brother Biao is kind and generous; he didn't cause trouble at your company, giving you plenty of face. Don't be ungrateful."
Rong Qing'e's cheeks burned, and shame and anger made her tremble all over.
She knew that since these people had been able to find this place, they must have thoroughly investigated her and Ju Wenming's background.
"I..." Her throat was dry, and she couldn't get the rest of the words out.
Brother Biao raised his hand to stop his two underlings from making a fuss. He took half a step forward, his gaze falling on Rong Qing'e's face, which was filled with exhaustion and helplessness, and sighed.
"Miss Rong, we've met a lot of people in this line of work. You're a respectable person, and we don't want to make things too ugly."
He pulled a crumpled pack of Double Happiness cigarettes from his pocket, lit one for himself but didn't light it. "You know better than we do what kind of person Ju Wenming is. We brothers are just doing this for money, and our bosses are pushing us hard. 150,000 isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either. We know you're the general manager of Zhengyang Media, with a high annual salary, so this amount is something you can always squeeze out."
His words sounded like advice, yet also like pressure; every word precisely struck Rong Qing'e's sore spots.
Yes, the annual salary isn't low. But what about all that money?
All the money she painstakingly earned, with smiles on her face and all-nighters, turned into wisps of smoke on Ju Wenming's gambling table.
"I...I have no money."
Rong Qing'e's voice was choked with sobs, filled with heartfelt despair, "He took all the money from the house... all of it."
Brother Biao looked at her silently, the scrutiny in his eyes slowly turning into a complex emotion, perhaps sympathy, perhaps pity.
"How about this?"
He took the cigarette out of his mouth, rubbed it between his fingers, and said calmly with a serious expression that exuded authority, "We are not unreasonable people either."
"Three days, I'll give you three days."
Chang Chengbiao held up three fingers.
"Three days from now, at the same time and place, I'll come to collect the money. 150,000, not a penny less. If we still haven't seen the money by then, or if Ju Wenming still hasn't shown up, then we'll have no choice but to go to your company, find your boss, and have a good chat about how his general manager keeps his family's accounts."
"don't want!"
Rong Qing'e screamed; this threat was something she could not bear under any circumstances.
The new boss just took office today. He's decisive and ruthless. If he finds out that her husband is a gambling addict with a mountain of debt, she doesn't even want to think about what will happen to her job...
"Please, please don't go to the company..." She clasped her hands together, her posture so humble it was almost groveling. "I'll give it to you, I promise! Three days, I'll definitely give you the money in three days!"
Seeing her pitiful appearance, the sharpness in Brother Biao's eyes was completely replaced by helplessness.
He waved his hand, signaling his two henchmen to step back.
"Miss Rong, there's something I'm not sure if I should say." He looked at her, his tone more serious than ever before, "A person like Ju Wenming is a bottomless pit; you can never fill it."
"You filled it out this time, but there will be a next time, and the time after that."
"You're a good woman, why waste your whole life on this? Leave him as soon as possible, it's better for both of you."
Having said that, he said no more, and turned to disappear into the night with his two henchmen.
Rong Qing'e stood alone in the same spot, the evening breeze bringing a chill, but she felt nothing.
Brother Biao's earnest words echoed in her ears like a spell.
Leaving? She had certainly considered it.
Four years of university classmates, four years of marriage, and eight years of youth given to him—how can it be severed so easily?
With trembling hands, she pulled her phone from her bag and dialed the number she knew by heart.
……
Meanwhile, in a hotel in a county town a thousand miles away, the sounds of shuffling playing cards mingled with the vulgar shouts of men in a smoke-filled room.
Ju Wenming, shirtless and with bloodshot eyes, stared intently at the cards in his hand.
He had very few chips left in front of him.
"Wenming, you're no good! I heard your wife is now the general manager of Zhonghai Company. Your luck doesn't match her status!" A fat man with a shaved head and a fake gold chain around his neck said sarcastically.
"That's right, Wenming, stop dawdling and hurry up! Are you out of money? If you're broke, just tell me, I'll lend you some!" A skinny man next to him chimed in, exchanging a knowing glance with the bald fat man.