Chapter 52

"Hello, Mr. Xiao, I hope I'm not disturbing you by calling so late."

Xiaobing recognized her voice. On one hand, he was puzzled about how she knew his phone number, and on the other hand, he found it strange that Miss Julia, who didn't seem like a rash person, didn't introduce herself first after the call was connected.

Xiaobing asked in a gentle voice, "Is it Miss Julia? It's fine, I just got back from a friend's house for dinner."

"Oh, then could Mr. Xiao... come to my place for a moment?"

Late at night, a lone man and a lone woman, a warm invitation?

It didn't feel quite right... As Xiaobing was hesitating whether to agree directly or to be a bit reserved before agreeing, Julia seemed to be getting anxious and hurriedly said, "Mr. Xiao, I know it's a bit rash, but this matter is very important. Don't you want the shop in my house? I can transfer it to you now, but I urgently need 100,000 yuan as a down payment for the transfer fee. I hope you can bring it with you when you come over."

The more he listened, the more confused Xiaobing became, especially the way she spoke. It didn't seem like the calm and confident queen he met during the day, but he could tell it was indeed her from her voice. After some thought, since the matter involved expansion, it was better to go and see, so he agreed, "Alright, give me the address, and I'll come right away."

Xiaobing told the driver the specific address and then had him stop at the bank entrance. Xiaobing went to withdraw 100,000 yuan from his card, put it in his pocket, and returned to the car. He then had the driver head to Julia's house.

Julia lived in a two-story house, not too far from the Su family. After getting out of the car, the driver poked his head out of the window and said, "Mr. Xiao, I'll wait for you here."

"No need to wait for me," Xiaobing said, "I live nearby, thank you for the trouble."

"Then I'll head back."

"Take care."

Xiaobing walked to the door and knocked. After waiting patiently for about ten seconds, Julia opened the door. Xiaobing's eyes lit up when he saw Julia. She had just taken a shower, her hair was still wet and hanging down. After the shower, her skin looked even tighter and whiter. She still wore her black-framed glasses, and her long, smooth legs were exposed, with red toenails showing from her slippers.

Xiaobing smiled, "Miss Julia..."

"Come in," Julia looked a bit anxious but was trying to control herself, though the urgency in her eyes was hard to hide. So, Xiaobing changed into slippers and walked in.

After entering the living room, Julia pointed to the sofa and said, "Sit down, would you like something to drink?"

"Whatever."

Even at this moment, Julia remained polite. Xiaobing sat down on the sofa, feeling the warmth beneath him. He suddenly thought he might have accidentally sat in the spot where Julia had just been. He turned his head to look at Julia's back as she was making coffee, noticing her bent waist and the smooth, long legs exposed. Xiaobing clutched his chest, "Oh, my heart is beating so fast~."

After making the coffee, Julia turned around and brought it over, placing it in front of Xiaobing. She then sat down on the sofa opposite him, adjusted her glasses, and smiled, "I don't know if you like a lot of sugar. If there's not enough, you can add more."

Xiaobing smiled, "Miss Julia, you called me over so late, not for the shop, right? The coffee can cool down a bit before drinking. Let's talk about the main issue first."

"Alright." Julia picked up her bag, took out a document, and handed it to Xiaobing, saying, "I printed a simple transfer contract before you came. Take a look and see if it's okay. The specific price isn't written, we can discuss it and then fill it in."

Xiaobing looked at Julia and asked, "You're in trouble, right?"

Julia's eyes flashed with panic, then her face turned slightly cold. She shifted slightly, crossing her left leg over her right, and regained her usual calm. She said in a calm tone, "Mr. Xiao, you're overthinking it. I do need some money temporarily, so I asked you to prepay 100,000 yuan. As for the specific price, we need to discuss it in detail. After all, both parties need to be satisfied. I can't just sell it at a low price because I need money. Do you agree?"

Xiaobing sighed inwardly. She was truly not an ordinary woman. Even in such a hurry, she remained composed. She said she wouldn't sell it at a low price, but Xiaobing could see that if he pressed for a lower price, she would have to agree. Since she could call a stranger to her home late at night to discuss business, it was clear she was in a financial bind.

Xiaobing wasn't the type to take advantage of others. According to his estimation, although the shop wasn't large, it was in a good location near the university, worth 800,000 to 900,000 yuan.

Xiaobing was about to state his expected price when Julia's phone rang. She took out her phone, glanced at the number, and her face turned grim. She hurriedly stood up, walked to the side, and then answered the call. A few seconds later, Julia's voice was filled with anger, "I'm raising the money and will bring it to you soon. I warn you, you thugs, if any of you touch a single hair on my husband, I will call the police and have you arrested."

Xiaobing touched his nose, looking at the agitated Julia. She was already married, no wonder she had a mature, peach-like aura.

After hanging up, Julia's face turned extremely grim. She walked to Xiaobing, not sitting down again. She knew her facade had been shattered, and now the other party clearly knew she urgently needed money, even to the point of being unable to wait. At this moment, trying to haggle was almost impossible. Her face was pale as she looked at Xiaobing and said, "You've seen it. There's indeed a problem at home, and I need this 100,000 yuan tonight. Here's the deal: name your price. I can sell it to you at a low price, even at a loss, because I need this 100,000 yuan now."

Xiaobing looked at her seriously and asked, "What exactly happened?"

"My husband lost money at the casino," Julia sighed, looking pained, "This is the third time this month. A few days ago, I sold our car, and now... I didn't expect this to happen."

Xiaobing felt some sympathy for her. Such an excellent woman had such an unambitious husband. He couldn't understand how she could put up with him.

Julia glanced at the contract on the table and continued, "This time he lost nearly 200,000 yuan. Where do I have that much money? I've invested almost all my funds into this restaurant, but just when my business was at its most critical point, he... did this."

Julia turned her face away, her eyes red, whether from anger or委屈, or both.

Xiaobing sighed, picked up the contract, and folded it neatly. Julia turned her head and saw Xiaobing put the contract away.

Julia asked in surprise, "Mr. Xiao, what are you doing?"

"I don't take advantage of others," Xiaobing smiled, "How about this: you write me a new IOU, stating that I'm lending you 100,000 yuan. When you can repay it, and if you don't repay it on time, you'll transfer the restaurant to me at a price 100,000 yuan below market value."

Julia looked shocked and disbelieving.

"Go write it, your husband is waiting!"

"I'll write it, I'll go write it right away." Julia hurriedly ran upstairs and came back down a short while later. She looked much calmer this time. She handed the IOU to Xiaobing and asked, "Mr. Xiao, why are you doing this... You won't gain anything from it."

Xiaobing glanced at the IOU, which stated a one-year term, and Julia had already signed it. Xiaobing also signed it, making two copies, and they each took one.

Looking at Julia's questioning gaze, Xiaobing smiled, "Just consider me a good person, a kind person."

"Thank you..." Julia showed emotion for the first time in front of Xiaobing. The cold and queen-like woman finally showed some other feelings, her eyes filled with gratitude, "You are a good person, a good man I've never met... I owe you this favor, and if there's a chance, I will repay it."

Xiaobing smiled and shook his head, "No need to repay it. Here, take this money and go save your husband."

Xiaobing took the money out of his pocket and was about to hand it to Julia when he suddenly pulled it back. Julia's face changed slightly, and she frowned, "What are you doing?"

"Relax," Xiaobing stood up, put the money back in his pocket, and tidied his clothes, saying, "I'm worried they won't release him after taking the money. There are too many scoundrels nowadays."

"Then... what should we do?" Although Julia was confident and domineering, she was still a woman and felt helpless against thugs.

Xiaobing looked at Julia, their eyes met, and a confident smile appeared on his lips. He said seriously, "I'll go with you!"

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