chapter 29 Cece Jiang's crisis

"Class monitor?" Just as Cecilia Jiang hung up the phone, Aiden Ye's voice suddenly came from behind her. "Aiden Ye, when did you get here!" Cecilia Jiang was startled by Aiden Ye, her face showing some panic. "I just got here." "You didn't hear anything, did you?" Cecilia Jiang looked at Aiden Ye nervously. As the class monitor, she had always been the best, and although she was in trouble now, she didn't want her old classmates to know. Especially Aiden Ye, whom she once had feelings for. Cecilia Jiang's liking for Aiden Ye was not complicated. It's often said that persistence wins hearts. Back then, Aiden Ye and William Li used to walk her home every day. At first, Cecilia Jiang was somewhat annoyed by it. But over time, she got used to it. If one day Aiden Ye and William Li didn't walk her home, she even felt uneasy. As for why she liked Aiden Ye and not William Li, it was just a matter of taste. William Li developed very early; he was already over 1.7 meters tall and quite fat, not Cecilia Jiang's type. But Aiden Ye was different; not only did he have good proportions, but he was also quite handsome. Though Cecilia Jiang wasn't sure if that was what liking someone meant. Times had changed. Although she appeared successful on the surface, she had her own struggles. She borrowed a high-interest loan for her company’s development. Based on the company's performance, she was fully capable of repaying it. But after a partner ran away with most of the company's cash flow, repaying Brother Max's high-interest loan became difficult. To borrow this money, Cecilia Jiang had used her body as collateral. Meaning that if she couldn't pay back the loan, she would have to be Brother Max's woman for a year. Aiden Ye saw Cecilia Jiang's stubbornness and shook his head, saying, "I didn't hear anything." Hearing Aiden Ye's words, Cecilia Jiang's face looked a bit better. Even in her moment of disgrace, she couldn't let her old classmates see her fall. "Class monitor, if you're in trouble, you can tell me. I can help you." Although Cecilia Jiang hadn't put the call on speaker, Aiden Ye's hearing was exceptional, and he had heard the phone conversation. "I'm a big CEO. Why would I need your help? Let's go back and eat!" Cecilia Jiang forced a smile. Aiden Ye didn't say more and followed Cecilia Jiang back to the private room. Back in the room, Cecilia Jiang was distracted. Listening to her classmates' praises, she had unspeakable bitterness. If she had known it would be like this, she wouldn't have borrowed the high-interest loan and pretended to be strong. She would have preferred being ordinary. Now, she wanted to cry but didn't dare. Her heart ached, yet she had to pretend to smile. Finally, the gathering ended. However, just as everyone was about to leave, the door to the private room was kicked open. A dozen people entered one after the other. The leader was a man with a dragon tattooed on his neck. Seeing the newcomer, Cecilia Jiang's face instantly turned pale. She hadn't expected Brother Max to find her so quickly. "Cecilia Jiang, I finally found you!" Brother Max exclaimed excitedly. "Who are you? Who let you in?" Luke Zhang seemed confused and scolded loudly. But Brother Max slapped him, knocking him to the ground. "I'm here to collect money from Cecilia Jiang. Either help her pay it off or shut up. Otherwise, my knife doesn't discriminate!" Brother Max placed a sharp knife on the table. "Brother Max, today is our class reunion. Please give us some face. We can talk about our matter later, okay?" Cecilia Jiang pleaded. "Cecilia Jiang, we had an agreement. If you can't pay back the money, you have to spend a year with me. Don't say I'm heartless; I've already given you three extra months," Brother Max said coldly. Brother Max's words left Cecilia Jiang looking ashen-faced. Others started looking at her differently. "So much for being impressive, just another high-interest loan borrower!" "She really knows how to act." "..." Someone even whispered. "Isn't she our class monitor? Should we chip in to help?" a female classmate, who was on good terms with Cecilia Jiang, suggested. "Class monitor, how much do you owe him?" "Including interest, ten million," Brother Max said, smoking a cigarette. Ten million! That was no small amount. Even for Owen Wu, it wasn't easy to come up with that much on the spot. He boasted about his company making a hundred million a year, but that was gross profit. The actual net profit was only about twenty or thirty million. Ten million was almost half a year's profit for him. Hearing the amount, everyone fell silent. "Maybe ask Owen Wu for help. Right now, he's probably the only one who can afford it," the female classmate sighed. If the amount Cecilia Jiang owed wasn't much, they could have contributed together. But it was ten million. Only Owen Wu could afford it in the room. Owen Wu frowned when he heard this. Then, he said, "Honestly, I can come up with ten million, but it's not a small amount. Class monitor, I can help you pay this debt, but I can't do it for free." "Owen Wu, give me some time to get back on my feet, and I can pay you ten percent interest," Cecilia Jiang quickly said. "I don't want interest," Owen Wu shook his head. "What do you want then? Shares in my company? I can give you that too." "I don't want shares either." "Then what do you want?" "I want you to be my girlfriend," Owen Wu stated bluntly. After all, it was ten million. As a businessman, he wouldn't make a deal without sufficient benefits. Owen Wu's words crushed the hope that had just risen in Cecilia Jiang. Being Owen Wu's girlfriend or Brother Max's girlfriend, what was the difference? If she really had to choose between them, she'd rather pick Brother Max. At least she had no relationship with Brother Max, but Owen Wu was her classmate. Being around him all the time would make her lose face. "Owen Wu, haven't you already made me your girlfriend?" Cindy Chen finally couldn't hold back and spoke up. "Cindy Chen, look at yourself. A second-hand wants to be my woman? I was just playing with you," Owen Wu said bluntly. He didn't care about offending people. To him, these were just poor classmates. Offending them didn't matter. Cecilia Jiang was the only one he cared about in the room. Cindy Chen trembled with anger but dared not lash out. She couldn't afford to provoke Owen Wu. "Maybe you should agree, class monitor. After all, Owen Wu is young and successful. You two would make a handsome couple," someone suggested. "Have you decided yet? If not, I'm going to take her home," Brother Max said, blowing a smoke ring.