Chapter 503: Chapter 500 Paying Back the Money
Zhang Hao remained skeptical of Liang Xin’s words, "With your earning ability and speed, how long would it take you to make this fifty thousand yuan."
"Even if you really scrape by on chaff and swallow vegetables, saving up this fifty thousand yuan from the gaps in your teeth, would you even be alive to pay it back by then?’
"I advise you to let your younger brother discuss with his girlfriend’s parents about getting married with less than fifty thousand yuan for the betrothal gift."
"Nowadays, there are plenty of girls who don’t require a betrothal gift."
Liang Xin quickly gestured with her hands, "No, no, no, don’t worry, I can definitely pay back the money I borrowed."
"As long as my brother gets married, I won’t be under such great pressure."
Listening to this, Zhang Hao wanted to laugh, "What does your pressure have to do with me? Right now, all I’m thinking about is this fifty thousand yuan, where will you get it from?"
"According to Xiaohui, ever since you fell ill and went back to your hometown, you’ve been doing a very ordinary job."
"Such an ordinary job probably doesn’t pay well, I guess the round trip from your home to here would spend all of your monthly salary."
"Are you really planning to scrape by on chaff and save up this money over two years?"
Liang Xin looked at Zhang Hao with a puzzled face, "Don’t you believe I can save this money?"
Zhang Hao said, "It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I’m just afraid that in the end, it will be a case of ’the chicken is gone and the eggs are broken’, with the money not returned and the person gone."
Liang Xin didn’t speak, as her health had indeed not been very good recently.
As for what she told He Qianhui about getting married soon, the truth was that not even the preliminary arrangements had been made.
She did have a boyfriend, but his situation was similar to hers, and his family also had a younger brother.
His brother was also about to get married, and their family simply couldn’t afford the betrothal gifts for both brothers.
To put it plainly, when it really came time to get married, it was feared they would be utterly broke, with nothing at all.
Zhang Hao looked at Liang Xin and did not speak for a long time, then said with a smile, "You and Xiaohui are classmates, but I don’t know you."
"The fifty thousand yuan she took out, half of it is our joint marital property."
"If you don’t find a way to return this fifty thousand yuan to me today, don’t blame me for being impolite."
Liang Xin bowed her head, and where Zhang Hao couldn’t see, a scheme began to form in her mind.
"Then I’ll call my brother and discuss it with him."
Liang Xin took out her phone and dialed her brother’s number; a few minutes later, she asked Zhang Hao to follow her to where she was staying.
Since He Qianhui had given the cash, they hadn’t had time to deposit it into the bank, so it could be returned exactly as it was.
When they arrived at the hotel where Liang Xin was staying, Zhang Hao suddenly felt uneasy, standing in front of the reception desk, refusing to go any further.
"What’s wrong? Aren’t you supposed to come up with me to get the money?" Liang Xin asked.
"I’d rather not go up. After all, men and women should be kept apart. It’s improper for a single man and woman to share a room, it could negatively impact you. I’ll just wait here."
After saying this, Zhang Hao turned to ask the receptionist in the counter, "You don’t have a back door here, do you?"
The receptionist shook her head, "Rest assured, sir, we don’t have a back door," making Liang Xin feel awkward.
Zhang Hao was clearly suspecting that she might try to slip away through the back door.
"You should come with me, after all, carrying so much cash isn’t safe in my hands."
"This lodge is filled with all sorts of people, what if we run into someone with ill intentions?"
Liang Xin was still coming up with various reasons, trying to get Zhang Hao to go up with her.
The more she did this, the clearer it became to Zhang Hao that not going up with her was the right choice.
Realizing that Zhang Hao had refused her invitation several times, Liang Xin reluctantly turned and entered the elevator.
Zhang Hao watched as the elevator ascended to the third floor and finally stopped, guessing Liang Xin probably lived on the third floor.
Before long, a man came down, bearing a slight resemblance to Liang Xin.
Zhang Hao thought this must be her brother, a good-for-nothing brother.
Following that man, out came Liang Xin.
Liang Xin, with a tense face, caught up to him, "Brother, brother, don’t be rash!"
It seemed that having his sister block him made the young man charge straight towards Zhang Hao.
He went for a greeting punch, but Zhang Hao was already prepared. As Liang Xin’s brother’s fist swung over, his body shifted to the side.
Letting him swing at air, Liang Xin’s brother’s face was written with surprise after missing his punch.
"You actually dodged, you actually dodged me."
Zhang Hao stepped back twice, keeping a safe distance from him to avoid getting hurt.
"I’m a person, not a machine. Getting hit hurts a lot, and I sure don’t want to be beaten for no reason. Your sister’s good to you; you should listen to her."
Liang Xin’s brother turned back to look at his sister, only to see her face filled with tension and worry.
"What does she know, just a woman. It was you who answered the call last night, right? I wanted to meet your girlfriend, and you were unhappy about it."
"You two aren’t even married, are you? Without marriage, where’s the so-called joint property?"
"The money your girlfriend lent to my sister is hers. She has the right to manage it, and you have no say in it."
Zhang Hao was somewhat taken aback; this worthless brother actually knew quite a bit.
"Even if I have no right to meddle with whom she wishes to lend money to, I don’t want to lend it anymore. Is there a problem with that?"
"Or was it you who called us out of the blue last night? That’s solid evidence; you’re just too impatient."
"If you hadn’t made that call, I might not have thought about it so much, but now the problem is quite obvious."
"I don’t want the money I’ve worked hard for to end up benefiting someone else, and I don’t want to keep wasting words with you here. Let’s have the police come and deal with this."
With that, Zhang Hao took out his phone, just after entering a number, Liang Xin quickly rushed over.
She pressed down on Zhang Hao’s hand, "Don’t call the police. I’ll repay the money. Brother, please give him the money now. I’ll figure out a way for the remaining fifty thousand yuan."
Liang Xin’s brother was still stubborn, "Why should I? I’ve already deposited the money. I sent it to Xiao Wei this morning."
Upon hearing this, Liang Xin nearly fainted, "Wasn’t it agreed that you’d give her the money after we went back? How could you do this?"
"I was afraid they’d change their minds. Giving the money earlier sets the wedding date. Don’t our parents look forward to my marriage, to having a chubby grandson?" the brother said.
Liang Xin looked helplessly at Zhang Hao, her expression filled with despair and helplessness.
"It seems I won’t get the money back today, so I’ll just have to call the police."
Zhang Hao lifted his hand and pushed Liang Xin away. He didn’t use much force, but Liang Xin still fell to the ground.
The brother, seeing this, became inexplicably enraged, "How dare you push my sister? If anything happens to her, I won’t let you get away with it."
Liang Xin sat on the ground without saying a word as big tears dropped down her face.
And her brother didn’t even make the move to get a tissue for her.
Zhang Hao couldn’t help but feel heartache for Liang Xin at this sight.
Yet, this was a situation of her own making. She clearly had the ability to stay away from this family, to disregard them.
But she had deceived He Qianhui for her brother’s marriage affair, which is unforgivable.
