Wealthier than imagined?

Indeed, for Xu Jing and Ma Hai to clear several thousand dollars of debt at once, they must have received a substantial investment from Xia Xiaolan.

The exact amount was hard to estimate, but it had to be more than ten thousand dollars.

Otherwise, with several thousand going to debt repayment, what could they do with what remained?

Xiang Li suddenly remembered: “That bastard Xu Jing got money from Xia Xiaolan, yet still demanded 1,000 dollars from me within a week?”

Xiang Li had no intention of paying and felt angry about being deceived.

Those two had been putting on an act in front of her, keeping her quiet to prevent her from disrupting their investment!

When honest people decided to deceive, Xiang Li had been completely defenseless.

Li Yong also felt Xiang Li couldn’t handle even simple matters.

However, this wasn’t the time for criticism. Hearing about the 1,000 dollars, Li Yong saw an opportunity:

“People trust those who keep their word. Tomorrow, send them the 1,000-dollar check and settle the car matter completely.”

The car could still sell for over a thousand dollars, and Xiang Li had only paid less than 1,500 dollars in total. She was getting the better deal. Since they’d agreed to settle for 1,000 dollars, the money had to be paid.

They couldn’t delay like with the installment payments – this was in black and white.

Li Yong’s good reputation among international students came from his trustworthy image and keeping his word!

Was this reputation not worth 1,000 dollars?

He was dating Xiang Li, so her actions reflected on him. Besides, the 1,000 dollars wouldn’t be wasted – it provided an opening.

“You’re clever enough to know what to ask, right? We need to find out if Xu Jing and Ma Hai’s project has investment value. Do you know what they’re working on?”

Li Yong was good at focusing on key points, but Xiang Li was confused.

In the two months before breaking up with Xu Jing, she’d already lost interest in him and hadn’t paid attention to what he and Ma Hai were working on.

Just some worthless thing… Xiang Li struggled to remember, finally recalling something:

“It’s some kind of dictionary, for translating English words!”

Li Yong pondered – translating English?

Translating English into what language – Chinese perhaps!

If it was something like that, people might buy it.

Li Yong had been abroad for four years and wasn’t entirely current with the situation back home. But seeing how many people were willing to self-fund their studies abroad, he figured such translation tools would find buyers.

However, there was a huge gap between having buyers and having many buyers.

Honestly, Li Yong didn’t believe Xu Jing and Ma Hai could create anything truly valuable, but Xia Xiaolan did.

Li Yong hoped Xia Xiaolan wasn’t truly discerning, capable of spotting business opportunities others missed, as that would mean she wasn’t easily fooled.

He preferred if she was gullible.

He’d casually told Xiang Li to repay Xu Jing, but she was reluctant.

Li Yong kissed her cheek:

“You know I need money right now, but I don’t mind covering it for you – we shouldn’t be so formal with each other. I’m working for our future too.”

Xiang Li felt embarrassed, “I never asked you to pay.”

Some women were strange – they looked down on those willing to spend money on them.

Yet they were deeply moved by those who only spoke nicely without taking action.

Xiang Li accepted Li Yong’s suggestion and brought the check to find Xu Jing and Ma Hai in the morning.

An iron lock secured the underground garage door, and Xiang Li was turned away again – Xu Jing couldn’t possibly stay home waiting for her check. He and Ma Hai had received investment and had many tasks ahead, including registering their company, finding a new apartment, and continuing to repay others.

Xiang Li laughed bitterly and turned to find the landlady:

“Hi, Mrs. Maltz, remember me? I’ve been here several times before. I urgently need something from the garage – could you open it for me?”

Mrs. Maltz was puzzled: “You can wait for them to return.”

“I know you’re a kind lady. I need to get something urgently – I can’t wait until they return. Can’t you help me?”

Xiang Li disliked dealing with Americans like Mrs. Maltz.

Not every American was elegant and proper. Mrs. Maltz looked unkempt, and even from a meter away, Xiang Li could smell the mixture of a white person’s body odor and cheap perfume…

The slovenly Mrs. Maltz had drooping eyelids but sharp eyes:

“I remember you – you’re Xu’s ex-girlfriend. You never stayed overnight in the garage, so what could you have left there? Cunning Chinese woman, I won’t violate American law for you. Private property is inviolable – even if you were Xu’s current girlfriend, I wouldn’t open the door!”

The garage was rented to Xu Jing and Ma Hai – it was their territory.

Mrs. Maltz wouldn’t act like Chinese landlords who used their keys whenever they wanted.

Even if rent went unpaid and they smelled something foul suggesting a tenant might be dead inside, landlords should call the police first, not use spare keys!

If she broke in, Xu Jing and Ma Hai would have the right to shoot!

Though the two poor students wouldn’t have guns, Mrs. Maltz wouldn’t help Xiang Li.

Xiang Li silently cursed the pedantic landlady. She was helpless against such rigid Americans – American law indeed had such provisions.

She had no choice but to wait for Xu Jing and Ma Hai today.

“They have to come back eventually, right?”

…

Where were Xu Jing and Ma Hai?

For the first time since arriving in America, they were dining at an upscale restaurant.

A meal here would cost at least a hundred dollars, especially since Xia Xiaolan had ordered wine for them.

“I won’t drink – the wine is for my two senior brothers.”

America in the 1980s wasn’t so strict – there were even people driving while high, and police couldn’t catch them all. But not drinking when driving was deeply ingrained in Xia Xiaolan’s habits. She had to return to Ithaca in the afternoon, so naturally avoided alcohol.

It was about considering others’ safety and taking responsibility for her own life.

She kept encouraging them to drink, with a salesperson’s skill at persuasion. How could Xu Jing and Ma Hai resist?

Soon both their faces were flushed.

The three discussed future development plans for the electronic dictionary, growing increasingly enthusiastic.

Xu Jing and Ma Hai were scared in hindsight – Xia Xiaolan wasn’t bluffing, she understood… Her threat to replace them wasn’t a joke!

They’d been careless. Xia Xiaolan studied architecture, and given their simple personalities, they hadn’t been guarded around her.

In a corner, an American man holding a wine glass kept getting distracted, his gaze repeatedly drifting their way.

His female companion finally noticed the oddity and followed his line of sight:

“Darling, since when are you interested in Asians?”