stjorthotic Chapter 136 Hysteria
Chapter 136 Hysteria
They were all Ju Wenming's childhood friends. Hearing that his wife was now successful, they specially organized this scheme. The group had conspired together, just waiting to fleece him.
Ju Wenming irritably ran his hand through his greasy hair and cursed, "Bullshit! Do you think I'm broke? Just wait, I'll win all your underwear today!"
Just then, his phone, which he had tossed on the corner of the table, vibrated, and the word "wife" appeared on the screen.
He glanced at it, a deep impatience flashing in his eyes, then pressed the hang-up button, flipped the phone over, and placed it face down on the table.
"Who is it?" the skinny monkey asked, feigning ignorance.
"Damn it." Ju Wenming exhaled a smoke ring, picked up a card, slammed it on the table, and shouted impatiently, "Ignore her! Come on, let's continue! I'm going to gamble all the way this hand! I refuse to believe it!"
The men at the card table burst into laughter, and the air in the room grew increasingly stuffy.
The busy tone of the call being disconnected struck Rong Qing'e's heart like a heavy hammer.
She could no longer hold on, her body slid down the cold wall, squatted on the ground, buried her face deeply in her knees, and finally let the tears she had suppressed all night burst forth.
She didn't know how long she cried, until her legs went numb and her throat became hoarse. She leaned against the wall, slowly making her way home, and used her key to open the cold door.
She was greeted by familiar darkness and deathly silence.
She fumbled for the entryway light and turned it on. The orange light illuminated the small space, as well as the pair of casually discarded men's leather shoes that smelled sour, next to the shoe cabinet, and a pile of socks whose original color was no longer discernible.
That familiar, nauseating smell permeated the oppressive air.
It was this smell that had made her frown countless times in the dead of night, silently picking it up and washing it clean.
She used to think this was just a normal, mundane part of married life.
But today, this smell acted like a fuse, instantly igniting all the pent-up grievances, anger, and despair in her heart.
It's never the last straw that breaks the camel's back, but every single one.
"ah--!"
Rong Qing'e let out a heart-wrenching scream. She rushed over, grabbed the pair of smelly shoes and socks, and frantically ran to the door, throwing them into the trash can in the hallway.
Still not satisfied, she rushed back into the house, opened Ju Wenming's shoe cabinet, and took out all his shoes—one pair, two pairs, three pairs…—regardless of whether they were designer leather shoes worth thousands of yuan or sneakers worth hundreds of yuan, she threw them all out!
At this moment, she became completely hysterical.
After doing all this, she leaned against the door frame, panting heavily, her chest heaving as if she wanted to expel all the stale air from her lungs.
The world is finally at peace.
She went into the bathroom, took off the business suit that had confined her all day, and turned on the shower.
Scalding hot water poured down from above, washing over her body, as if washing away the filth and unbearable suffering she had endured over the years.
She stood in the bathroom for a very long time, until her skin turned bright red from the heat.
Wrapped in a bath towel, she stood in front of the sink, looking at herself in the mirror.
The woman in the mirror had red and swollen eyes, a haggard face, and fine lines at the corners of her eyes. Her once clear and bright eyes were now filled with an overwhelming weariness and sorrow.
Is this still the same Rong Qing'e who was once hailed as the "flower of the Chinese Literature Department" on the university campus?
She remembered Ju Wenming from university—sunny, ambitious, and always saving her a seat in the library, running across half the city on winter nights to buy her a hot roasted sweet potato.
She recalled Ju Wenming in the early days of his business, full of vigor and ambition, holding her hand and vowing to make her the happiest woman in the world.
When did everything change?
Was it from the first time he was led into that chaotic and murky card game by a client?
It all started when he first lost all the money for goods, knelt in front of me, cried bitterly, and vowed never to gamble again.
Forgiveness time and time again, disappointment time and time again.
Her heart had long been worn down and riddled with holes by this repeated torment.
Chang Chengbiao's words echoed in his mind again: "That kind of person is a bottomless pit; you can never fill it."
Yes, there are too many to fill in.
But what to do about this 150,000 hole in front of us?
Three days.
She had to get 150,000 within three days.
Rong Qing'e wiped the fog off the mirror, took a deep breath, and picked up her phone.
She went through her contacts, and all those friends who used to call her brother and classmates who used to drink and laugh together, instantly became indifferent and perfunctory after hearing the words "borrow money".
"Qing'e, what bad luck, I just bought a house recently and I'm really strapped for cash..."
"Sister-in-law, it's not that I don't want to help you, but when it comes to civility... sigh, you know how it is. If I lend this money out, isn't it just like throwing it down the drain?"
"What? 150,000? Qing'e, are you crazy! You should divorce Ju Wenming right now! Forget about him!"
The last call she made was to her best friend.
On the other end of the phone, after listening to her tearful complaints, her best friend remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "Qing'e, it's not that I don't want to lend you the money. I have 20,000 yuan here, which I'm saving for next month's mortgage payment. If you need it urgently, take it. But 150,000 yuan, I really can't afford it. And let me be clear from the start, this money is a loan to you, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Ju Wenming. Take my advice, get a divorce. If you continue like this, he'll drag you down sooner or later."
After hanging up the phone, Rong Qing'e looked at the bank transfer information displayed on her phone screen: 20,000 yuan.
A drop in the ocean.
There is still a shortfall of 130,000.
Who else can she turn to?
Her parents were old and in poor health, and she dared not let them know about these distressing things.
In her despair, a young, handsome face with an undeniable air of authority suddenly entered her mind.
Ning Xiuyang.
The company's new boss.
The man who drove a G-Class worth millions, one of only two hundred in the world, casually acquired a company with annual revenue of hundreds of millions, and dismissed a top agent with a few words.
Fifteen thousand yuan is probably not even the cost of a meal for him.
Once the thought popped into her head, it grew wildly in her heart like a vine.
but……
What gives her the right?
I am just one of his subordinates, and this is the first time we have met.
Asking the boss for money right away, especially to pay off her gambling debts as a gambler, will leave a terrible impression on the new boss.
Does he think he's a huge problem?
Could he, in a fit of anger, also get himself kicked out like Li Yujie?
No, absolutely not!
This job is her only support now, her last vestige of dignity.
Rong Qing'e shook her head desperately, trying to shake this absurd thought out of her mind.
But time waits for no one.
Chang Chengbiao's calm yet unquestionable face, his underling's unbridled gaze, and the threat of "going to your company to have a chat with your boss" weighed on her like a mountain, making it hard for her to breathe.