Translated by Pure (ko-fi)

Chapter 72.2 Xiao Miao bursted into tears 

Shi Nanxing never thought he would ever be forced into such a predicament for a mere 20 million.

Back in Qunnan, he would easily smuggle profits of tens or hundreds of millions. In addition, every time he tried to make a new connection, those ‘first meeting gifts’ were all at least seven-figures!

Unexpectedly, he was now reduced to selling his houses and cars!

To make matters worse, he didn't have any sense of crisis in the past, and didn't own much real estate. Most of the expensive luxury vehicles in his name were smuggled back by sea without a legal batch number, so it was very difficult to sell, and at least it would take a long time to find a potential buyer.

Regrettably, Sha Peng wasn’t one to wait that long.

Shi Nanxing had to get 20 million for him in a very short period of time, as well as the funds to initiate the first batch of opium fields.

While he was overwhelmed by this predicament, Qi Kai was still distracted. The latter put down his phone and muttered suspiciously, "Strange, why hasn’t Jiang Qiaqia answered the phone all this time, did something happen?"

"Are you mental? Why are you bothering with her right now?." Shi Nanxing felt irritable when he heard her name. While frowning, he got up and put on his coat.

Aftering being scolded so often by him, Qi Kai was already numbed to his cusses, so he just looked at him in doubt. "Where are you going?"

"Going to borrow money." Shi Nanxing replied, "It’s almost the end of the month. No matter what, the 20 million for Sha Peng must be obtained first."

The process of selling was too slow; the two of them have tried almost all methods to obtain money, including the millions of available fluid funds from Dominion Properties. The two of them absolutely dare not open their mouths at home. Not to mention Qi Kai's mouse-like guts, even Shi Nanxing did dare to confess to his family the business he was involved in now, so the two were fighting this battle by themselves.

Shi Nanxing had quite the prestige in Yan City, but it's hard to say when it comes to money matters.

Therefore, the total loans he was able to receive today hadn’t added up to much in the end. When he returned to the company, Shi Nanxing received a call from Sha Peng.

The other party didn't mention money from the beginning to the end, and his tone was like an old friend who hadn't seen each other for a long time. However, Shi Nanxing had no doubt that the Sha Peng would remain smiling even at the moment he raised the gun at him. Hence, after the call, his heart sank to the bottom.

Qi Kai looked at his silent appearance in panic, and finally couldn't help asking the question that tormented him for a long time, "Uncle, can we not cooperate with Sha Peng? Why do I feel that there’s something….off about their group...?"

"Cut the bullshit." Shi Nanxing rubbed his forehead wearily, not wanting to delve into this topic. When the phone rang again, he just waved his hand to signal Qi Kai to pick it up.

A few seconds after Qi Kai connected the phone, the downcast expression on his face was suddenly replaced by a radiance. He turned to the phone and asked, "Really?!"

Upon hearing his tone, Shi Nanxing opened his lazily eyes and watched as his nephew excitedly talked on the phone. Until Qi Kai hung up the phone, he immediately asked in a hurry, "What's going on? What happened?"

"Someone’s expressed interest in our Wubao Mountain listing!" Qi Kai's tone was both surprised and joyful, "The people from Flux Realty said they are willing to take over!"

Although he had suffered countless grievances in the past, Qi Kai completely allowed the grudges bygone. In this urgent moment, all he could see in his eyes was the money that was about to be delivered to his door.

Shi Nanxing frowned, "How come it’s Flux Realty?"

Flux Realty and New Beginnings Real Estate, both names made him feel uncomfortable.

"What’s it matter who it is? As long as we can get the money" Qi Kai didn't understand Shi Nanxing’s train of thought. Disregarding his confusing words, he immediately called Jiang Qiaqia after a short while.

His call was automatically cut short after the first dial tone; the phone still failed to connect.

Shi Nanxing soon thought it through. He was short of money now, as long as the land was sold, what does it matter who the buyer was. Cash was king. Once Wubao Mountain was sold, the crisis lingering in front of them will immediately pass.

He compromised after coming to this conclusion, but he was still not very happy. Shi Nanxing waved his hand and said, "Nevermind. You can discuss the deal yourself. Just make sure to get enough money by the end of the month."

Shi Nanxing really didn't want to continue living in pressure anymore. Whether he could turn around in the future depended entirely on Sha Peng.

Holding the phone, Qi Kai anxiously asked, "Why doesn't Jiang Qiaqia answer the phone? Did something happen to her? She still has 20% of Wubao Mountain’s equity. She needs to be present for the bank to proceed with the transfer."

"What could happen to her? This woman is cunning as a fox, much smarter than you." Shi Nanxing dismissed his worries, "It’s fine. She’s hiding somewhere in Yan City. We have plenty of time to find her before the deal closes.”

******

In the dark night, Jiang Qiaqia hurried onto an old bus. As she huddled in the last row, she peeked out the window.

The bus wobbled and drove out of the bus station. Outside the station, a group of men with sticks bumped into each other like headless flies, looking around while cursing——

"F*ck! Where is she?!"

"I clearly saw her running this way!"

Jiang Qiaqia covered her face with a small backpack, and didn't put it down until the bus was an adequate distance away. Realizing that she had finally escaped from their siege, she breathed a sigh of relief.

At her feet were two heavy handbags. These were all the valuables she had collected from sneaking into her house that evening.

Jiang Qiaqia had lived in the land under her feet for so long, and she was familiar with the ways of the world here. However, just as she was approaching middle age, she was forced to drift to another completely strange country as if she was an exile. When she was busy packing up, Jiang Qiaqia was still in a state of confusion, unsure whether her decision was right or not. Afterall, this choice would leave an unknown impact on her future. The moment she was about to leave the house, she almost wanted to give up. Maybe she should move to a rural part of China while hiding her name? That sounded better than to live a completely unknown life.

But the moment she went out, she was immediately discovered by the debt collectors. The chase that ensued shattered her feeble illusions about the future. A dozen strong men were chasing after her in full stride. Jiang Qiaqia was able to temporarily distance herself by drilling a small hole in the fence. She was covered in dust, her hands and feet had opened wounds; she was in a terrible state. It was hard for her to accept a life where she had to always remain on the run.

The bus drove to the seaside city closest to Yan City, and the bus was full of people with dreams of making a fortune.

Jiang Qiaqia listened to people's vision of the country ‘full of gold and opportunities’ while her thin body swayed like duckweed in the shaking bus.

Holding her bag, she continued to remain motionless as if her whole body has stiffened to stone. After seven or eight hours, she finally saw the sea.

It had unknowingly become morning time, the dawn of the morning sun hit the sea. It was a dazzling sight, bright and gorgeous as the future. She was driven out of the bus in a daze along with the strangers around her. Soon, the sea breeze blew her back to her senses.

The familiar elderly lady was already waiting outside the bus. When she saw her, her eyes were full of pity. "Poor thing, how come you're in such a state?"

Jiang Qiaqia truthfully answered her, and the other party helped her to curse the migrant workers, then comforted her, "It's okay now. When you leave the country and come back after a year or so, they won't be able to find you again."

This sea area was very desolate, with only a simple boat moored at the huge pier. Moreover, it didn’t seem like a steamship, but more like a boat for fishing.

The environment was visibly poor, and no one spoke at the pier. While counting the people brought in, the human smuggler ruthlessly pushed the counted people into the cabin, like a cart of pigs about to be sent to the slaughterhouse.

Someone fell on the deck, but got up with a numb face.

Someone walked into the cabin, but reluctantly poked his head out, as if to say goodbye to the land that gave birth to him.

Jiang Qiaqia was carrying her bags when she was suddenly struck with anxiety. She felt as if her future might not be as optimistic as she was told to be. Fear flickered in her eyes, she took two steps back, and bumped into the elderly lady who was following behind. The elderly lady asked her with concern, "Are you okay?"

The elderly had loaned her quite a bit of money during the past few days, so Jiang Qiaqia trusted her very much. With nowhere to confide in the fear and panic in her heart, Jiang Qiaqia panted as she asked, "I... can I not go?"

The old lady sighed. "Of course."

After a pause, she continued, "But if you don't go abroad, where do you plan to go? Back to Yan City?"

Back to Yan City? Jiang Qiaqia recalled the scene when she was chased and intercepted by an angry mob. Countless emotions ran through her, and in the end, she shook her head.

"It's okay, don't worry. I have relatives over there, someone will take care of you when you arrive." The elderly lady comforted her softly, "No matter what happens there, it’s better than what you have been experiencing here. You're so young, maybe you may find a successful career out there. If you are really not used to living there, just ask someone to contact me, and I will find someone to send you back when the time comes."

After a long silence, Jiang Qiaqia nodded lightly and walked towards the direction where the boat was moored.

"You brought this many items?! You think the boat has endless space for you?!"

Someone ahead had brought too much luggage, so the extras were thrown directly on the pier by the sailors. The sounds of crying and scolding intertwined, it was an indescribably heart wrenching scene. Jiang Qiaqia clenched the duffel bag in her hand. The human smugglers stopped her, but the elderly lady immediately stepped forward and said a few words to the other party, and the sailors finally let her go with a look of reluctance.

Jiang Qiaqia became more and more convinced that the elderly lady had many connections. She nodded gratefully to her as a thank you and goodbye.

Her luggage had already been sent onto the ship, but the elderly lady seemed to suddenly remembered something at this moment. She reached out to hold Jiang Qiaqia. "Wait, there are some things I want you to sign."

As the elderly lady spoke, she took out a kraft paper bag from the leather bag she was carrying. When she opened it, she grabbed out a thick stack of documents.

Jiang Qiaqia immediately became vigilant, so she asked, "What is this?"

"You have to find a job when you go, right? Sign this power of attorney first. I will fax it to my relatives so that they can arrange it for you as soon as possible. Otherwise, if you are arrested, you will probably be deported back. If that happens, there will be severe consequences."

What she said seemed to be genuine, but Jiang Qiaqia didn't know if it was true or not. She didn't really want to sign, but she couldn't directly reject this backer who might be of great help to her in her future life in the foreign country. The elderly lady took out a pen and handed it to her very naturally. Jiang Qiaqia looked back and saw that the other people in the cabin seemed to be signing something.

She hesitantly took the stack of papers and flipped through them. The first few pages were a power of attorney to entrust another on her behalf to secure her future employment. Moreover, the conditions were very generous in her favor.

Everyone else was signing...

It wouldn’t be good if she didn't cooperate, so Jiang Qiaqia reluctantly accepted the pen and looked through the papers carefully.

The sun was rising higher and higher, and the human smuggler behind her began to urge, "Hurry up, hurry up! What are you dawdling for?! The longer you stay, the higher the chance we will be discovered. If that happens, then no one will be able to leave!"

"Wait!" Jiang Qiaqia became flustered by their urging, she accelerated her reading speed, but the stack was too thick. The regulations inside were inexplicably long-winded and included many trivial clauses, and it took her a long time to finish a single page.

The human smuggler was not so polite. Seeing her refusing to move, he stepped forward, gave her a hard push, and began to curse, "Do you want to go or not?! If you want to go, get on the boat. If you don’t, then scram off! Don't f*cking waste everyone's time! "

Jiang Qiaqia staggered and nearly fell. When she turned around, she saw the elderly lady was already kindly speaking to the other party on her behalf.

The other passengers on the ship also began to urge her, worried that delaying the time would make the departure plan go wrong. For a while, Jiang Qiaqia became the target of public criticism. She got up under the cold eyes of the crowd, still wanting to look at the stack of documents when the sailor suddenly shouted, "It's four o'clock!"

There were too many insignificant clauses written in the document. Jiang Qiaqia flipped through it for a while, but couldn't bear the pressure. She gritted her teeth, opened the pen cap, and signed her name under the old lady's instructions.

She then finally boarded the broken ship that carried the dreams of countless people and floated to the sea.

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