Translator: Cheese
Selling Oneself
Liu Chaoyang’s face became a spectrum of colors.
He also knew that 5,000 yuan was too low, but he was afraid that Su Tian would ask for a lion’s share1, so he low-balled the amount first. When the other party was dissatisfied with the amount, he would slowly raise the price.
He didn’t expect that Su Tian wouldn’t play by the rules and directly say that she would sell him the bracelet for 175,000 yuan.
He was also someone from Didu; of course he knew that such a luxury good made to become like this was basically worthless. Don’t even mention 175,000–even if it was half the price, nobody would want it.
Officer Liu coughed, covering up the smile he accidentally let out.
He had to admire Su Tian, able to softly say words that could choke people to death without killing. He had to learn this skill.
“Since we will be settling it out of court, let’s not play tricks. Just say the real price.”
Liu Chaoyang flushed. He gritted his teeth. “How much do you want?”
Su Tian: “This is what I think ba. You go see your wife and discuss how much money you’ll pay, and we’ll talk it over again. Is that okay, Officer Liu?”
Officer Liu, naturally: “Yes.”
Liu Chaoyang stood up with a sullen face and left to discuss with Lin Xiuping.
Su Tian announced she’d be leaving for a while. She stood up and went out the police station entrance.
The others knew what she was going to do and pretended that nothing was wrong. The eldest young miss was the most amazing. She pulled out a bag of melon seeds from her bag and offered it to everyone.
Since the last time she was too poor to eat instant noodles, she suddenly got2 the appeal of these cheap snacks and had to bring a bag everywhere.
Wang Haoxue rubbed her eyes as she cracked melon seeds. She looked at You Pinyan, speechless.
“Don’t cry, isn’t it just a bracelet? When I go back I’ll buy you another one of the exact same model for you ba?”
The surrounding police: “…”
God ah, it must be great to be rich, hurting poor people like them.
Wang Haoxue’s eyes were red. “But it’s not the one Tiantian gave to me ah.”
You Pinyan: “…Then eat more melon seeds.”
Wang Haoxue sniffled, “Okay.”
Outside the police station was a clearing, where the sun was very strong. Liu Kaiyan silently sat by the flowerbed, his head lowered as he thought of who knew what.
Su Tian walked over and sat down beside him. “I asked Uncle Liu to go discuss compensation with Auntie.”
Liu Kaiyan responded with an “mm.”
Su Tian: “What’s your perspective?”
Liu Kaiyan: “I’m sorry.”
Su Tian laughed. “It’s not your fault. Why do you want to place other people’s wrongs onto yourself?”
Liu Kaiyan did not answer.
Because in the end, they were his parents. Even if he wished he had never been born, he couldn’t change this.
–The blood that flowed in his body came from those two people.
He was disgusted by it, hated it, but he could never change it.
Liu Kaiyan lifted his head, revealing a pair of reddened eyes.
He didn’t cry, but his eyes were bloodshot.
“Su Tian.”
He called her with her first and last name.
He hadn’t called her that in a long time.
Su Tian: “Hm?”
Liu Kaiyan: “The two of them have no money. They only have a savings of 20,000 at most.”
Su Tian: “Mm.”
Liu Kaiyan: “The money for the bracelet, I’ll pay it back ba. Give me some time, I’ll pay a monthly interest of 3%.”
A monthly interest rate of 3% was 36% yearly, the highest interest rate permitted by law for private borrowing. Any higher and it was considered usury3.
Su Tian turned to look at him. Under the sun, her eyes glowed a mellow, honey-like brown.
Her gaze was so focused that no one could hide from her.
Liu Kaiyan somewhat embarrassedly shifted his gaze and stared at the ground again. “I… I…”
“Liu Kaiyan, have you thought of the consequences of doing this?”
Of course he had. As long as he offered to pay them back, he would never be able to get rid of them. Not unless he left here, left Luocheng, went somewhere they couldn’t find him…
“I’m going to take a break from school…”
The youth’s voice was hoarse. His shoulders shook silently, a loneliness that tugged at one’s heart.
He didn’t look at Su Tian. He stared at the ground as he said, “I’ll go find work to earn money. Don’t worry, I will pay you back.”
Su Tian sighed softly. “Liu Kaiyan, you’re only seventeen. Don’t force yourself too much. You can be a little more willful.”
Youths always had a right to be willful.
Liu Kaiyan smiled. Su Tian said this as though she were seventy or eight years old. Not to mention, he had never had the right to be stubborn.
“How about this ba. I have an idea, do you want to hear it?”
The next second, Su Tian’s adult-like tone became that of a delicate little girl again.
Liu Kaiyan’s heart moved. He couldn’t help but raise his gaze to look at her.
She smiled beneath the sunlight, her brows and eyes curved. Her entire body gave off a glow, like a sly little fox.
Su Tian motioned to him. “Come here, I’ll tell you…”
Liu Kaiyan looked at her blankly. By the time he reacted, he’d already offered his ear.
Su Tian whispered a few sentences in his ear and asked, “How is it? Do you think it’s possible?”
Liu Kaiyan’s throat bobbed. Suddenly, he couldn’t speak.
He had never felt so embarrassed4, and he’d never been so thankful for his fortune.
What virtue and ability did he have that he could meet Su Tian, get in touch with her, get to know her, and become her friend?
The first seventeen years of his life seemed to have become less unbearable.
Su Tian saw Liu Kaiyan look at her without speaking and thought he didn’t agree to her method. “What’s wrong with it? Say it, and then we’ll think of another method.”
“No.”
“Hm?”
“Tiantian…”
He changed the way he called her from “Su Tian” to “Tiantian.”
“Mm?”
“Can… can I give you a hug?”
Su Tian froze for a moment. She looked at the nervous youth, smiled, and nodded. “Of course you can ah.”
Liu Kaiyan quietly shifted his fingers, but he didn’t move.
Su Tian was helpless. “Don’t be so shy.”
“I’m not…”
Liu Kaiyan turned away, blushing slightly.
Su Tian smiled, and taking advantage of when he didn’t dare to look at her, she stepped forward and hugged him gently.
The boy in her arms instantly became as stiff as a statue.
Su Tian softly patted his stiff back and raised her head to look at him with a smile.
“Liu Kaiyan, you have to work hard5!”
Many, many years later, Liu Kaiyan had never forgotten Su Tian’s words and smile from that time.
When he was at his most desperate, most helpless, when he had given up and wanted to ostracise himself, she had given him a hug.
He slowly closed his eyes and hugged her tightly. When he released her, he had once again become a spirited young man.
Su Tian and Liu Kaiyan returned to the police station. It so happened that Liu Chaoyang was being escorted back by a policeman. It seemed that he had finished discussing with Lin Xiuping.
Liu Chaoyang didn’t dare try to avoid responsibility. Afraid that Su Tian would try to sell the mangled bracelet to him again, he gritted his teeth and said, “We’ll pay 20,000. Can’t you forget about this ba?”
Su Tian raised her brows. “Our bracelet was originally valued at 180,000. Now it’s not even worth 30,000. Isn’t you paying 20,000 a little…”
Liu Chaoyang: “But our home only has this much in savings. We can’t afford to pay any more…”
He looked at Liu Kayian and said somewhat anxiously, “Kaiyan, you know our family’s circumstances. Tell your classmate, we really can’t afford to pay any more.”
Liu Kayian kept silent, seeming as though he hadn’t heard him. He neither spoke nor moved.
Liu Chaoyan looked at Liu Kayian, furious. “Are you really going to watch your mom go to jail? We worked so hard to raise you til now. don’t you feel an ounce of gratitude?”
Liu Kaiyan still didn’t speak.
Liu Chaoyang: “Good, good, we’ve raised a white-eyed wolf7 ah!”
“What do you want Liu Kaiyan to say?”
Su Tian leisurely intervened, interrupting Liu Chaoyan’s bitter lament.
She spoke directly. “Liu Kaiyan and I are just ordinary classmates. At most, he gets a 5% discount when he comes to buy desserts. Do you think that his face8 is worth over 100,000?”
Liu Chaoyan was instantly rendered speechless.
He choked for a long moment before finally saying, “Then how much do you want? Any more, and our family really can’t afford it.”
Su Tian thought. She hesitantly said, “Otherwise how about this ba. It just so happens that our dessert shop needs to hire more people. You or your wife can come work for us to pay off the debt. I’ll give you a salary of 1,500 a month, plus bonuses. 150,000 could be paid off in 8 years and 4 months, at most. What do you think?”
Liu Chaoyang’s face twisted. 8 years and 4 months? Working for her dessert shop?
Them, who held master’s degrees and doctorates, work in a little dessert shop?!
How could that be?
“Since you’re unwilling, then, how about your wife?”
Of course Lin Xiuping would be more unlikely to agree. Compared to Liu Chaoyang, she had higher self-esteem.
Su Tian was also helpless. “Then what do you say? You don’t have money, and you’re not willing to work. It looks like our only option is to go to court.”
Officer Liu sat to the side. He silently held his cell phone with his head lowered doing who-knew-what.
Liu Chaoyang had never felt so humiliated9 in his life. Even when he’d been exiled to Didu, he still felt he had dignity.
But now, he found that his dignity and his educational background that he’d been so immensely proud of weren’t worth a fart10.
Did he really have to work at a little dessert shop to pay off his debt?
No no no, they could live frugally and slowly pay it back.
That’s right!
“How about, I write you an IOU? Pay in installments?”
Su Tian smiled. “Then how are we going to calculate the interest? If the annual rate is 36%, we can reluctantly accept it.”
Liu Chaoyang had high academic achievements, after all. He could figure out the notion of an annual interest rate of 36%. The rate at which they earned money would not be able to match the rate of interest.
What should he do? What should he do?
He was sweating profusely.
Suddenly, he looked at Liu Kaiyan sitting silently next to Su Tian.
He suddenly had an idea and pointed to Liu Kaiyan. “Let Kaiyan work in your shop!”
[1] 狮子大开口: open one’s mouth wide; to demand an exorbitant price
[2] Got (actually get) was in English in the raws
[3] The illegal practice of lending money at an unreasonable rate of interest
[4] 无地自容: ashamed and unable to show one’s face
[5] 加油: used to cheer someone on
[6] 耍滑头: to resort to tricks; to act in a slippery way; to try to evade
[7] 白眼狼: an ingrate
[8] Face as in reputation or honor, not his actual face LOL
[9] 丢人: to lose face
[10] 他妈的屁: lit. his mom’s fart. Alternate meaning is “not worth a damn/fucking thing”
Cheese: it’ll be the 1 year anniversary since i published my first solo translation project “My Son is a Transmigrated Prince” in 2 weeks! tbqh im actually a bit surprised that i haven’t lost my enthusiasm for translating (in fact, i’d been eyeing a korean novel for a few weeks now, despite literally not having enough time in the day to juggle that and my other obligations…), but grateful nevertheless.
if i can get my butt in overdrive, i might be able to pump out an extra chapter or two for both MSTP and SMVB in celebration? no promises, but i’ll do my best 😉
Cheese Translations 
Where did the ambition for making Kaiyan study till he drop go
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The audacity, they’re horrible and selfish “parents”
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And so, the Wormwoods did the first decent thing for their daughter, by signing the adoption papers. – Matilda Excerpt
Go Kaiyan!!! Freedom is just ahead!!
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Kaiyan se libertará de seus pais e se tornará um “escravo” de Tiantian? Com certeza ele está muito relutante com essa posição não é? Kkkk
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Thank you for your hard work! Your translations are smooth and very enjoyable to read c:
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thank you! it’s always nice to hear that my efforts are showing :’) even if they’re not 100% accurate all the time hehe
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