"Let go! That's my bag!" Hua Xiaomo's face turned red with frustration.
Qi Longbing watched Hua Xiaomo exert all her strength. A cynical, teasing smile touched the corners of his lips as he taunted her, "And what if I don't let go? A little brat like you thinks she can beat me? If I, Qi Longbing, can't even handle you, then I've wasted my life!"
He also tugged at the bag, and in their struggle, the poor backpack's zipper gave way.
WHOOSH...
Stacks of cash spilled out, red hundred-yuan banknotes fluttering through the air before scattering across the ground.
Both of them froze. Hua Xiaomo was especially dumbfounded, staring at the flying hundred-yuan banknotes, momentarily unable to process what had happened.
"Hah, this money... it's just about enough to pay for my broken glass," Qi Longbing said with a smug grin.
Hua Xiaomo's eyes stung. "My money..." she whispered. No longer bothering to argue with Qi Longbing, she scrambled to pick up the scattered banknotes.
There weren't many people at the intersection, but passing cars stirred up the air, sending the banknotes fluttering wildly again.
"My money, my money..." Hua Xiaomo muttered, frantically grabbing the notes and stuffing them into her bag. But many had already been blown far away.
Qi Longbing watched her desperately scrambling to pick up the money, finding the scene quite a spectacle! So, this is what women from the slums are like—utterly obsessed with money...
As this thought crossed his mind, Qi Longbing's gaze grew colder. He couldn't help but sneer, "They're all scattered by the wind. Why bother picking them up?"
Right then, money was all Hua Xiaomo could see. She couldn't care less what Qi Longbing was thinking. Seeing banknotes drifting towards the middle of the road, she darted after them without a second thought.
SWISH! A car sped straight towards her.
Hua Xiaomo gasped in fright. It was too late to retreat. In that instant, a figure lunged forward, shoved her aside, and spun them both around, narrowly avoiding the danger.
Hua Xiaomo was momentarily dazed. A strong, masculine scent filled her nostrils, jolting her senses slightly.
Before she could utter a word, a voice boomed from above, nearly deafening her, "You'd risk your life for money? Do you love it that much?"
Hua Xiaomo looked up at him, then fiercely shoved herself out of his embrace. Glaring, she retorted, "Yes! I love money! Who in this world doesn't?"
"Don't you? What about the clothes you're wearing? The car you drive?" Hua Xiaomo cried, her voice laced with anguish. "You have lots of money, so you don't care. But I'm different! That's my money! I can't *not* care..."
A deep resentment burned in her eyes, and her small face flushed crimson.
"..." Qi Longbing was momentarily speechless.
After her outburst, Hua Xiaomo fell silent. She looked at the window of his luxury car. "If you insist I pay for your glass, I can't afford it. I don't have the money..."
Hearing this, Qi Longbing chuckled. "No money? Hah..." A look of disdain and contempt filled his eyes. "Then what's in your bag? Don't tell me it's full of scrap paper."
"I can't give this to you!" Hua Xiaomo instinctively clutched her bag tighter, her eyes wide and wary, as if expecting Qi Longbing to snatch it.
Qi Longbing observed her. Seeing how anxious she is, perhaps this money has another purpose, he mused. "Why can't you? You smashed my car. Did you think you could just walk away? Fine. The money in that bag—however much there is—I won't argue about it. Leave the bag, and you can go!"
Hua Xiaomo gritted her teeth. "Have you no shame? You're the one who hit my bicycle, and I only..."
No matter what, I absolutely cannot give him this money, she resolved.
"I don't have money, only my life! Qi Longbing, don't think I'm afraid of you!" Hua Xiaomo declared, steeling herself.
Qi Longbing sized her up, a flicker of thought in his eyes. Then, a playfully malicious smile spread across his face. "You may not have money, but you have a rich dad!"
An idea sparked in Hua Xiaomo's mind. "That's right! Go ask Hua Renda for it! He has plenty of money. You can ask for as much as you want, as long as he's willing to give it to you." With that, ignoring the pain in her hands and her damaged bicycle, she clutched her bag tighter and retreated a few steps, desperate to leave this wretched place.
Qi Longbing noted how she referred to her father by his full name. Their father-daughter relationship probably isn't so straightforward, he mused.
"You caused the trouble, so you go ask for it! Two hundred thousand isn't a lot, but not one cent less!" Qi Longbing said with a cunning smile. If he were dealing with Hua Renda directly, he certainly wouldn't be this polite, he thought.
"Two hundred thousand? Uh..." Hua Xiaomo was stunned. The entire bag had barely contained fifty thousand yuan—her living expenses and tuition fees that Hua Renda had previously given her before restricting her funds. Unfortunately, so much had blown away that not even fifty thousand remained.
Seeing her deflate like a punctured balloon, Qi Longbing mocked, "What's wrong? Isn't he your biological father? You mean you can't even get money from your own dad?"
Hua Xiaomo bit her lip, her eyes darting slyly. Suddenly, her cold demeanor vanished, replaced by an ingratiating tone. "President Qi, a man of your stature shouldn't lower himself to argue with a nobody like me..." Even I think these words sound fake, she cringed inwardly. Just moments ago, she was calling him by his full name, and now it was the respectful "President Qi."
"Hah..." Qi Longbing chuckled softly, finding this even more amusing. He continued to bait her, "I already told you, leave the bag, and you can go. You were the one who refused. Can you blame me for that?"
Hua Xiaomo swallowed her pride. "President Qi," she pleaded, "that's my tuition and my mother's living expenses. I really can't give them to you."