radicalducati Chapter 18: 50,000 for a hug isn't too much to ask, right?
Chapter 18: 50,000 for a hug isn't too much to ask, right?
Shuya waited for many days.
It has been a full ten days since Qingxiao said "You can't have your cake and eat it too" at FLORA COFFEE.
For ten days, he continued to come to the stall to pick up goods as usual, continued to call her "Sister Shu" as usual, and continued to pay on credit and settle accounts monthly as usual.
Sometimes he came with his underling, Xiao Geng, and sometimes he came alone.
Every time I come, it's in a rush. I pick out some goods and leave, saying goodbye before I go: "Sister, I'm leaving now."
His tone was exactly the same as before, as if nothing had happened.
Shuya sat at the stall, watching him come and watching him leave.
She finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"You brat."
"Is your appetite that strong? Do you insist on eating standing up?"
Shuya sighed deeply.
"Since you're unwilling to back down, then I have no choice but to back down. After all, I've fallen for you, my brat."
When Qingxiao received Shuya's message, he was copying the plan to optimize the direct traffic for the burgundy batwing sleeve sweater.
The phone vibrated on the table, and the screen lit up.
Shuya's message was only one line: "Are you free tonight? Same place as always."
This is followed by an emoji of a cup of coffee.
"Okay, sis."
Qingxiao closed the backend of the express train, grabbed his coat, and pushed open the door.
The night in Jiubao has begun to cool down, and the wind blows in from the alley entrance, making the clothes hanging on the balcony rustle.
He walked toward FLORA COFFEE.
Shuya booked a private room and sat there.
Today she wore a beige sweater, and her hair was not styled in a bun but draped over her shoulders, with a slight natural curl.
Qingxiao walked up to her and sat down.
"sister."
Shuya looked at him.
He appeared completely calm and composed, as if he were meeting an old friend.
"Little brat, does it have to be so hard?"
Qingxiao remained silent, waiting for Shuya to continue.
Shuya picked up the now-cold latte, took a sip, and then sighed.
"Five hundred thousand, right?"
Qingxiao looked at her hand.
Her nails were coated with a layer of clear nail polish, which shimmered faintly under the light.
"Sis," he said softly, "have you thought it through?"
Shuya leaned back in her chair and looked at him.
"I've thought about it for ten days. Do you know how conflicted I've been?" Her voice carried a hint of self-deprecating laughter. "Me, a woman who's been around Sijiqing for so many years, being manipulated like this by a guy I've only known for six months—where would I put my face if word got out?"
She picked up the cup and took a sip; the cold coffee was so bitter that she frowned.
"Forget it. I've lost all sense of shame in front of you. Five hundred thousand. Take it out and let you run your company."
Qingxiao straightened his back slightly.
"Sister, I'll make sure this money exceeds your expectations."
"But my company isn't registered yet, and our finances aren't sound, so we can't sign any share agreements or contracts right now. But I remember this. This money is considered angel investment. Then…"
Shuya raised her hand, interrupting him.
"Don't talk to me about these things." She lowered her hand. "I don't understand or want to understand any of these things, like share contracts."
She looked up and met his eyes.
"To put it bluntly, you could lose all this money without me even blinking."
Her tone was indifferent.
"I only want to have you."
Qingxiao remained silent.
Shuya leaned back in her chair, her hands clasped on her knees, as if she were discussing a deal she knew would be a loss, but she still decided to go ahead with it.
"Since I've given you money, I'm your sugar daddy. From now on, you'll have to put up with whatever I want with you every day." A smile played on her lips, but her eyes held no joking intent. "Who knows, maybe one day things will turn out differently between us?"
"If you don't agree to this, you won't get the money."
After she finished speaking, she picked up her coffee cup and found it was empty.
She put down the cup, looked at him, and waited for his answer.
Qingxiao tactfully asked the waiter for a refill, and his reply came without the slightest hesitation.
"This older sister is fine."
Shuya paused for a moment, then she laughed, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Do you know why I fell for you?
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and lowered her hand.
"When I was young, I was just like you. No, even more hardworking than you. Back then, I was a Taobao model, shooting hundreds of outfits a day, from morning till night, my armpits were covered in red marks from the labels. That's when I honed my ability to select styles. With so many clothes on me, I could tell which one had a good cut, which one had poor fabric, and which one would be a hit this season just by wearing them."
Her fingers stopped.
"Later, a boss took a liking to me. He owned a very large clothing factory, which produced for several big brands. He spoiled me, rented me the best apartment, bought me the most expensive clothes, and told me that he would marry me in the future, and I believed him."
She lowered her head, and the corner of her mouth twitched, as if she were smiling, but not quite.
"Later I got pregnant. That's when I found out he had a wife and two children back in his hometown. I made a scene. Not the kind of dramatic scene where I cried, made a scene, or threatened suicide, but I went directly to his factory and asked him in front of everyone, 'Do you want this child?' He turned pale. Later he gave me some money, and I used that money to open this stall in Sijiqing."
Shuya slowly revealed a look of reminiscence, but it was calm and serene, as if she were describing someone else's story.
"When the stall first opened, I didn't know anyone and couldn't get any goods. I relied on the eye for selecting styles that I had honed when I was young to get goods one by one from the best manufacturers and accumulate the best-selling styles. At that time, there were very few female bosses in Sijiqing. As a young woman in this market, I was robbed of my goods, had my debts reneged on, was tripped up by my competitors, and was even called a mistress... I got through it all."
She looked up at him.
"Later, after the stall became successful, the owner came to see me again. He said he was wrong and wanted to start over with me."
Her lips curved slightly, but her eyes remained completely expressionless.
"Go to hell!"
"I'll never get married in my life. Men are all bullshit."
She paused for a moment, her tone softening, becoming more gentle and personal.
"But my sister is still a woman, and she also has times when she feels lonely. She has never told these things to anyone else."
She looked at him, her voice softening.
"I won't interfere with you. Whether you date or get married, I won't care. Just spend time with me when you have free time, and remember how good I am to you, that's enough."
The coffee shop quieted down.
Qingxiao did not lower his head; he looked into Shuya's eyes.
"Sister, I'll say it again."
"Having a relationship is a matter of a single thought, it's very simple. But for two people to stay together for a long time, to become friends, to become confidantes, is the most difficult and precious thing."
He paused for a moment.
"This road is much farther than what that bed can give you."
Shuya stared at him for a long time. She lowered her head, smiled, and pointed at him.
"You brat, you're making empty promises to your sister again." She sighed, her tone filled with a resigned helplessness. "You're such a handful. You have me completely under your thumb."
She stood up, picked up her phone, and waved it.
"I'll transfer 500,000 to you tomorrow."
She put her phone in her bag, then looked up and opened her arms.
"Five hundred thousand, it's not too much to ask for a hug today, is it?"
"Of course."
Qingxiao stood up and opened his arms open with composure.
Shuya stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his waist, and gently rested her face on his shoulder.
Her hair brushed against his chin, carrying a faint scent of perfume.
Qingxiao gently placed his hand on her back, as a polite gesture of comfort.
Shuya leaned back for a while, then let go and took a step back.
She reached up to tidy her hair and picked up her bag from the table.
"I'm gone."
"Qingxiao, do a good job with company matters."
"Losing money is a small matter. What I'm afraid of is that you'll lose money and go bankrupt, and I'll never see you again in Hangzhou, in Sijiqing."
(P.S.: Single female lead, but it's an entertainment industry story, so there's no way to avoid the dynamics with other women. The male lead remains steadfast throughout; he knows how to navigate a sea of women without getting attached, loving only Lu.)