...
Qiao Yuchu peeked through a crack in the curtains upstairs, her anger escalating. Suddenly, she turned and walked out the door.
Jin Shunqi, feeling uneasy, followed along.
"Yu Chu, don't be impulsive!"
Qiao Yuchu turned around and forced a smile.
"Don't worry, I'll go down and talk to them properly. We can't let it affect others."
After they left, Mrs. Qiao looked at the empty living room, stood up, and like a lost soul, opened the door and went downstairs.
"They're here, they're coming down."
Upon seeing her emerge, the crowd automatically parted to make way for her.
Qiao Yuchu walked up to the family of three and stood in front of them.
"Since so many people are here tonight, let's just make everything clear at once. My father is still in detention, and my mother is on medical parole and is recuperating at home. It's not like what you're saying, that we hit someone and then hid away. We wouldn't stoop to doing something like that."
"As for the specific amount of compensation, you know in your hearts how much of it is inflated. Gathering a crowd to surround the hospital and the residential area has already affected public order. I have been tolerant of you because you are the victims. Since the police are here tonight, let the police officers judge whether this approach is right or wrong."
The police officers at the local police station also said so.
"If we can't reach an agreement on compensation, we'll take it to court. Gathering a crowd to cause trouble is already a violation of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. If you don't leave, we'll have to detain you all."
The couple exchanged a glance before getting up from the ground. The woman, holding the child, spat at her again.
"Pah! Don't think I don't know what kind of situation your family is in. Your dad cheated on you, your mom is mentally ill, like father, like son. You're no better, hooking up with a foreigner and only knowing how to cling to rich men. Your whole family is disgraced!"
Qiao Yu's face flushed red as she rushed forward to argue with the person, but before she could make a move, a figure rushed out of the stairwell.
As she shouted, Mrs. Qiao rammed into the coffin: "It's just a human life, I'll compensate you and that will put my mind at ease!"
Tears welled up in Qiao Yuchu's eyes instantly, and she rushed to her mother, sobbing, "Mom!!!"
But he only managed to grab a wisp of her sleeve.
The slippery fabric slipped from my palm.
At the critical moment, a figure rushed forward and blocked the coffin. Jin Shunqi grabbed the person around the waist, but was knocked back several steps, his back slamming heavily against the coffin lid with a thud.
Mrs. Qiao fainted on the ground.
Kim Soon-sik slid down and sat on the ground.
Qiao Yuchu scrambled over to her.
"Mom, Jin, are you...are you alright?"
Jin Shunqi gritted his teeth and managed to utter a complete sentence with difficulty.
"I...I'm fine...Let's see how Auntie is?"
Qiao Yuchu lifted her head and glanced at her. There were no injuries on her head; she must have just fainted from the shock.
Seeing that things were going badly, the man led the group of actors he had hired and fled the scene in a flash.
"Let's go, let's go tonight, we'll come back for the money another day."
The police also began to disperse the crowd.
"Everyone, move along, stop crowding around here."
Qiao Yuchu struggled to help her mother stand up, and after Jin Shunqi recovered, he squatted down in front of her again.
"Let me carry Auntie up."
"you……"
Just now, Qiao's mother rushed towards him without holding back, and Qiao Yuchu was afraid that he would suffer some internal injuries.
Jin Shunqi smiled.
"I'm fine, I'm tough, put it up here."
Chapter 84 Breaking Free
When Qiao's mother got home, she took sleeping pills and fell asleep. Jin Shunqi was also exhausted and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Qiao Yuchu tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She got out of bed again, walked to the living room in the dark, opened the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of her father's treasured red wine, poured a full glass, walked to the sofa, and sat down.
She remembered the package she had picked up during the day, turned on the floor lamp, took it out of her bag, and gently opened it. It was a "Notice of Divorce Litigation".
Qiao Zishan actually went to court and sued him.
Qiao Yuchu gave a sarcastic smile, picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp, but tears streamed down her face.
She sat on the cold floor for an unknown amount of time, the wine bottle beside her gradually emptying, while her phone kept vibrating.
Qiao Yuchu patiently answered the call.
"Enough! You've already pushed me to this point! What more do you want?!"
A long silence followed from the receiver.
Xie Shi'an waited for her to finish yelling before speaking quietly.
“Yu Chu, it’s me.”
Perhaps it had been too long since she had heard her voice, for Qiao Yuchu was momentarily stunned. After a moment, she propped her head up with her hand, sniffed, and said, "I'm sorry, I thought it was..."
"How are you?"
Xie Shi'an asked tentatively, a hint of heartache in his voice.
How did you know?
After thinking about it for a moment, she decided to tell the whole story.
“Those people also found the training base. The team leaders had no choice but to call Coach Yan. We are all very worried about you.”
Qiao Yuchu gave a wry smile.
"I'm fine."
She said it reluctantly.
From the moment she answered the phone, Xie Shi'an could hear the sob in her voice, and his heart clenched immediately: "Don't worry, take care of yourself first. Things can always be resolved. Coach Yan and I have pooled together some money and transferred it to you. Take it and use it for now. I'm still here..."
She almost blurted out the word "hospitalization," but then she thought that there was no need to make her worry about herself at this point.
So he quickly changed his words.
"They're still playing in the team competition. Once it's over, we can go back and have a good talk with them..."
"What are you going to discuss? Xie Shi'an, do you think this can be resolved just by talking about it?"
Perhaps the alcohol numbed her mind, or perhaps she had been suppressing too many emotions for days, and at this moment, they all erupted.
Qiao Yuchu sneered.
“When my mother was hospitalized, they blocked the hospital entrance, forcing us to leave the hospital. When we got home, they carried a coffin and blocked the entrance to our building. Do you know how our neighbors view us?”
“Yu Chu…”
Xie Shi'an's eyes also silently reddened.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me most."
"Xie Shi'an, go play your match. I don't care about your pittance, nor do I need your belated concern."
“Yu Chu…”
Xie Shi'an wanted to say something more, but the call had already ended.
She dialed again, but all she heard was a message that the phone was switched off.
Xie Shi'an put down her phone, thought for a moment, and then took out the business card. She dialed the number on it.
"Hey, it's me. How much money can you give me?"
"The initial signing fee is five million, followed by a 10% commission on product sales. If you're not satisfied, we can also..."
"When will I get this five million?"
Once the other party understood what she meant—that she urgently needed money—they immediately agreed, "I can transfer the money to you tomorrow."
Xie Shi'an recited a string of card numbers.
"Transfer the money to this account, and come pick up the contract tomorrow."
The other party was overjoyed.
"Okay, then I wish us a pleasant collaboration in advance."
While Yan Xinyuan was out buying late-night snacks and hadn't returned yet, Xie Shi'an pulled the contract out from under his pillow, then bent down and rummaged through the bedside table for a long time before finally finding a pen.
She uncapped her pen, preparing to sign it, when Jian Changnian pushed open the door and entered: "Shi'an, I've come to see you—"
Before she could finish speaking, she also noticed the A4 paper on her lap.
What are you writing?
Jian Changnian walked over curiously. Xie Shi'an instinctively hid the contract behind her back. Sensing something was wrong, she subconsciously tried to snatch it away.
Xie Shi'an was no match for her now, and the contract was quickly snatched away. Jian Changnian flipped through a few pages.
"Xie Shi'an, are you crazy?! A commercial endorsement contract? I've never even heard of this company! Does Coach Yan know about it?!"
According to regulations, professional athletes are not allowed to accept any commercial endorsements privately; all endorsements must undergo strict background and qualification checks by the companies involved.
"Jian Changnian, you... give it back to me!"
Xie Shi'an reached out to snatch it, but she stepped back a little, pursed her lips, and looked serious, as if she wouldn't give up until she made things clear.
With just a few movements, the wound started to ache slightly.
Xie Shi'an was sweating profusely, clutching his stomach, and gritting his teeth.
"Coach Yan dislikes us doing commercial endorsements the most. He thinks it's a waste of our professional skills. Athletes should focus on their job. Do you think we should let him know about this? And even if he did, would he agree to it?"
At this moment, Jian Changnian was unaware that something had happened to Qiao Yuchu's family. Unable to bear seeing her in distress, he still came over to help her.