Chapter 82.1: Give Me Money Instead (1)

Ji Fanyin didn’t think that Li Xiaoxing would react in such a way.

Well, the thought did briefly cross my mind, but… how should I put it?

It’s just too ludicrous, too absurd and too shameless.

Ji Fanyin was aware that Li Xiaoxing was a pathological perfectionist.

Back when he thought that he was unable to control Ji Xinxin, he chose to see her other fishes as nothing more than toys in her box. He would rather support her in her endeavors instead of confessing his love for her. He knew that he couldn’t afford to reveal his hand to her.

It was only with Ji Fanyin’s step-by-step instructions that he was able to slowly reel Ji Xinxin toward him. 

In other words, Li Xiaoxing had become conceited. He thought that he could use what he had learned from Ji Fanyin to control her. 

In this world, where the average EQ appeared to be lower, Ji Fanyin couldn’t help but wonder: Do these people ever think of doing anything good with their newfound skills? Are bad things all they can think of?

“The two of you are truly compatible,” remarked Ji Fanyin. “It might just be an engagement at the moment, but I hope that the two of you will tie the knot soon. Your marriage will last for a long time.”

Li Xiaoxing would never let Ji Xinxin go until he lost all interest in her. Similarly, Ji Xinxin would never let Li Xiaoxing go until she found herself another way out.

Ji Fanyin leaned in to admire Li Xiaoxing’s flawless facial features. After a brief exchange of gazes, her eyes shifted toward his legs. “Is your disability the root of your obsessive personality and low self-esteem?”

Scorned and humiliated by that remark, anger flared in Li Xiaoxing’s eyes. “Fully-abled people like you will never understand.”

“Perhaps.” Ji Fanyin placed a finger on his pants, using a force so light that it hardly registered as a touch. “You remember it, right? The younger ‘me’ might have been a little eccentric, but she was a very, very bright child.” 

“What are you trying to say?”

“If it wasn’t for Ji Xinxin, I might have already become a researcher, wearing a huge lab coat in some kind of advanced laboratory.” Ji Fanyin thought about it for a brief moment before continuing on. “‘I’ remember making a promise to you that ‘I’ would find a way to free you from your disability. I think that ‘I’ might have just been able to pull it off.”

Li Xiaoxing clenched his fists tightly upon hearing those words. He stared deeply into Ji Fanyin’s eyes and asked, “Really?”

“… It could have been done. If the old ‘Ji Fanyin’ still existed, that is.” Ji Fanyin retracted her hand and took two steps back. “What a pity. It looks like you’ll have to spend your entire life in that wheelchair now.”

“...”

“It was with ‘my’ encouragement that you were able to partially recover from your full paralysis and regain control over your upper body. With ‘my’ help, there was a possibility that you could have been able to stand up on your own two feet and become a fully-abled person,” said Ji Fanyin. 

“And in the whole scheme of things, Ji Xinxin has only thwarted all your possibilities. I wonder how much you still love her now after hearing all of this. If it was a full ten points before, how many would it be now?”

Ji Fanyin was truly curious to know the answer. 

“What difference would telling you the answer make?” Li Xiaoxing showed no expression on his face. “How would that benefit you?”

“What difference would reading a book to its final page make? It’s just to provide some closure,” replied Ji Fanyin. 

“You can’t abandon me now,” said Li Xiaoxing in a suppressed voice.“You have already chosen to help me. You should help me to the very end.”

Looking at the man in the wheelchair, Ji Fanyin finally retracted her smile. She calmly poured a cup of water from a nearby water dispenser before throwing it into Li Xiaoxing’s face.

It happened so fast that Li Xiaoxing didn’t have a chance to avoid it. It splashed his entire face and then trickled down onto his tuxedo. 

Ji Fanyin fiddled with the now empty cup with narrowed eyes. “Is that how you repay and apologize to me, Li Xiaoxing?” 

Li Xiaoxing’s pupils contracted as if someone had shone glaring light into them. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “… No, I apologize. That was rude of me. I am willing to compensate you accordingly. I am grateful for the support you have provided me back then.”

“ It’s too late. I don’t care for that,” replied Ji Fanyin.

She waved his hand disdainfully and bid Li Xiaoxing farewell. “This should be our last meeting. Let’s not contact each other from now onward. Goodbye, Mr. Li. On a positive note, you’re at least a generous client.”