Chapter 45: The Shameless Phoenix Man
She was, quite simply, a walking gold nugget.
The day of the transaction arrived. Fearing that Wu Jiaxiu’s family might arrive early, Sheng Wanyan slipped out of her home at three in the morning. When she reached the foot of the mountain and confirmed the area was deserted, she retrieved the half-pig from her space and laid it on the ground.
The night air was biting. She pulled a piece of dark cloth from her pocket and wrapped it around her head, masking her features. In the dead of night, it was better to remain a shadow.
Wu Jiaxiu and her party arrived at three-thirty. Sheng Wanyan was glad she’d given herself a head start; otherwise, finding an excuse for the meat already being there would have been difficult. Wu Jiaxiu hadn’t just brought her husband; her brothers were in tow as well. Half a pig was no light weight, and it would take several strong backs to haul it home.
“Wanyan?” Wu Jiaxiu called out, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
“It’s me,” Sheng Wanyan replied.
Wu Jiaxiu let out a massive sigh of relief. She had been terrified that they would stumble upon a stranger or, worse, that their deal had been leaked. She hurried forward, and when her eyes landed on the massive slab of pork on the grass, her heart finally settled. Her mother had been plagued by the fear that the money would be snatched or the deal would fall through. Without Jiaxiu’s constant reassurances, no one in the family would have believed she’d actually found a solution.
Now, she could go back as the hero of the family. Her status in her mother’s house was about to become very special indeed.
“Why are you here so early?” Wu Jiaxiu whispered.
“The butchers had to get back to the slaughterhouse for the morning shift,” Sheng Wanyan lied smoothly. “They could only drop it off at this hour.”
Wu Jiaxiu nodded understandingly and quickly signaled her brothers to hoist the pig. If they lingered much longer, they risked being spotted by early-morning workers.
“Wanyan, thank you. Truly,” Jiaxiu said, grabbing her hand. “My husband and I will walk you back so you can get some rest. And don’t bother bringing a lunch to work today—we’re taking you to the State-Owned Restaurant.”
Sheng Wanyan had gone above and beyond, and Wu Jiaxiu felt a pang of guilt knowing the girl had been waiting out here in the cold darkness. Wanyan didn’t refuse the escort. While she wasn’t particularly afraid—having spent years in her past life working until the early hours and driving home alone—she knew a lone woman on the road at 4:00 AM was an easy target.
She had plenty of self-defense tools in her space, but she lacked any actual combat training. In her previous life, she’d had a team of bodyguards for that. She briefly regretted not practicing Muay Thai, but she knew herself; she was a lady of luxury at heart. She wasn’t built for that kind of hardship.
Wu Jiaxiu and her husband saw her all the way to the entrance of her apartment building.
“Wife, make sure you treat Comrade Sheng to the best dishes on the menu tomorrow,” her husband said once they were alone. “And let’s buy her a pound of those nice cakes. If we’re out of coupons, I’ll find a way to get some.” He was an honest man and felt the weight of the favor deeply.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Wu Jiaxiu said with a soft smile. She had married him precisely because of this grateful, upright nature. If a man didn’t understand the basic concept of repaying a kindness, he certainly wouldn’t treat his wife well.
Sheng Wanyan crept back into her room. Having already napped in her space, she was wide awake. She pulled out a book to pass the time, and before she knew it, the clock hit six-thirty.
She headed to the kitchen to start breakfast, hoping to let Mother Sheng sleep in. When her mother eventually emerged and saw the table being set, she immediately tried to shoo Wanyan back to bed.
“Go back to sleep, Mom,” Wanyan insisted. “I went to bed early last night. I’ve got plenty of energy.”
Seeing her daughter’s bright eyes, Mother Sheng didn’t argue and went back for another hour of precious rest. She felt a surge of pride; no other daughter in the building was as thoughtful as hers. Aside from that brief period where Sheng Xiuying had led her astray, Wanyan had always been a good child. Now that she was working, she was even sharing the household burdens.
Let anyone try to say daughters are useless in front of me, Mother Sheng thought fiercely. I’ll slap the words right out of their mouths.
At noon, Wu Jiaxiu followed through on her promise. She was incredibly generous, ordering braised pork, braised fish, and a meat bun for each of them.
As they ate, Sheng Wanyan felt a prickly sensation—the distinct feeling of being watched. She glanced around and caught a man at a nearby table peeking at her.
It was the youngest son of the Chen family, the neighbors who lived directly above them. He was a thin, sickly-looking man, but the way he stared at her made her skin crawl. It wasn’t a look of admiration; it was the look of a man inspecting a piece of private property he already believed he owned.
Sheng Wanyan looked away, ignoring him.
Chen Ming, however, was already deep in a fantasy. His mother had told him she planned to bring Sheng Wanyan into their home as his wife. Once that happened, Wanyan’s job would belong to the Chen family. He hadn’t seen her in a few months and was stunned by how beautiful she had become.
She’s so pretty, he thought. If she really wants to keep her job, I might let her. For a face like that, I can afford to be a little nicer to her.
When the two women finished their meal and stepped out of the restaurant, Chen Ming scrambled to follow them.
“Sheng Wanyan!”
She kept walking. In her mind, the Chen family was nothing but trouble. Seeing that he was being ignored, Chen Ming sprinted ahead and blocked her path.
Wu Jiaxiu immediately stepped in front of Wanyan, sensing danger. She had noticed this man leering at them inside.
“Sheng Wanyan, I’m talking to you!” Chen Ming snapped. He felt she was being far too arrogant for a future wife. Just wait until you’re under my roof, he thought. We’ll see how noble you act then.
“Who are you?” Wanyan asked coldly.
Chen Ming’s face darkened with offense, but he suppressed his temper, thinking of her “usefulness.”
“I’m your fiancé.”
He spoke loudly, drawing the attention of passersby. Sheng Wanyan nearly laughed out of sheer spite. The Chens really were a special breed of shameless.
“You can lie without blinking, can’t you?” she retorted. “I don’t have a fiancé.”
“My mother went to your house to settle the marriage,” Chen Ming said, puffing out his chest. “I am the youngest son of the Chen family.”
Sheng Wanyan rolled her eyes. “Oh, the Chen family! Now I remember. Your mother came to our house and was chased out by my grandmother. My family never agreed to anything. In fact, my grandma and my dad made it very clear they would never agree to such a match.”
Her voice was clear and loud, ensuring the gathering crowd heard every word.
“So I have to ask,” she added, her eyes narrowing, “what kind of ‘fiancé’ exactly do you think you are?”
