Chapter 21: Let Her Go

"Good girl, come on, finish this bottle too." Xiao Ma patted her little head.

But Wang Xiaoai clutched her stomach with a dark expression and dashed off to the bathroom.

A short while later, she returned. Xiao Ma handed her two hundred yuan and said, "Don't worry, your dad won't be locked up for long. It's good for him to learn a lesson. Go stay with your mom for a few days."

Wang Xiaoai accepted the money obediently and replied, "No need. My mom's only free on Sundays. The rest of the time she's busy meeting people for one-night stands. I don't want to interfere. I can manage on my own. When my dad gets out in a few days and collects next month's rent, I'll have him pay you back the two hundred."

Ma Weimin couldn't help but laugh. "Why pay me back? Keep it in case you need it."

"I won't have any emergencies. If I keep it, my dad will just steal it. He's done it plenty of times before," Wang Xiaoai said, then ran off to catch the bus—conveniently, there was a stop right at the door.

Despite how poorly her father was doing, their situation was actually better than most people’s. As natives of Haizhou and homeowners, her father’s assets easily amounted to several million. They didn't own many properties, just the cramped, dilapidated place they lived in and one other apartment like the one Xiao Ma used to rent out.

That explained why this little girl always seemed so carefree. Strangely enough, her grades were excellent—almost a straight-A student.

She once even joked that she was the most useless transmigrator ever. Modern people going back to ancient times could live out all sorts of fantasies, but after she crossed over from the Northern Song, she didn’t have any skills or martial arts—she was just a useless fool at first, with nothing to offer.

She really did say that herself.

Believe it or not, Xiao Ma certainly did now. He even suspected that this “rebirth” was connected to her somehow, as if she had some special power, or perhaps her presence gave others special abilities. In any case, this little girl was extraordinary...

After leaving the Haidong Sub-Bureau, Xiao Ma rushed off, taking advantage of the time left before the workday ended. He hailed a cab to Haihao Tower.

On the way, he bought a hat from a street vendor, put it on, and carefully observed his surroundings, trying to act inconspicuous. Feeling a bit like Jason Bourne, he planned to sneak into "The Most Glamorous" event.

All for nothing.

Inside the elevator, he ran into Miki Longze, who immediately recognized him and blurted out, "Wow, you look so silly in that hat. Take it off. If President Hong sees you, she'll definitely criticize your style."

So, his entry had nothing to do with Jason Bourne skills—Ni Feihong simply hadn’t blacklisted him yet, and everyone else recognized him as the upcoming cover model. With Miki Longze by his side, he strode right in.

His good looks and air of wealth drew plenty of admiring glances from the office ladies.

Now, Xiao Ma's faith in Jason Bourne was crumbling. It was useless—this was an era where looks mattered most. To get ahead, you had to look good, and second, you had to look rich.

He soon ran into another acquaintance—Ye Gongmin, that half-annoying, half-funny playboy.

“Hmm... What’s this loser doing here? Feng Chenchen's already banned—whose set is he visiting now?” Xiao Ma whispered to Miki Longze.

Miki gave him a withering look, thinking what a tactless guy he was, and replied, “Young Master Ye is quite the gentleman. He’s not here for Feng Chenchen. After the last incident, they broke up. He seems to have taken a liking to our President Hong, and like you, snuck in to find her.”

Well, Xiao Ma couldn’t exactly criticize. Ye Gongmin might be broke, but he was still human—why should only Xiao Ma be allowed to break the rules?

Ye Gongmin spotted Xiao Ma and teased, “Wow, Brother Da Min, that hat is so cool, does your stylist know about it?”

“You know nothing of power. I don’t even like talking to you,” Xiao Ma replied with a sneer.

Despite his pretentiousness, Ye Gongmin wasn’t a spiteful guy, so he just rolled his eyes and moved on.

But soon, his face turned green. He was here to chat with Ni Feihong but couldn’t get into her office, so he had to awkwardly wait to see if she’d come out after work. Yet he watched Xiao Ma stroll right into her office, chat for a bit, and not get thrown out.

This left Ye Gongmin gnashing his teeth with envy and frustration.

Ni Feihong’s office had three glass walls—completely transparent. She didn’t throw Xiao Ma out right away, just regarded him with a strange look and said, “Who taught you to wear a hat like that? If you don’t take it off and throw it in the trash, I’ll have security escort you out.”

“You’re being unreasonable—now you want to control my style too? Do I have no freedom at all?” Xiao Ma retorted.

“This is the pinnacle of fashion. If your ridiculous look is allowed, it’ll set a bad example for everyone, lowering the overall tone here. Plus, you’re going to be on my cover—that has consequences. Do you think I’m joking?” she replied.

Fair enough. Xiao Ma needed her help, so he quickly tossed the thirty-five yuan hat into the trash.

Ni Feihong crossed her arms, nodded slightly, and asked, “So what did you want to say?”

“I want to apologize,” Xiao Ma replied, with a strange look on his face.

Ni Feihong hesitated, then waited for him to continue.

“I’m not asking for my job back. I just realized that I really was out of line this morning,” Xiao Ma said.

Her expression softened. “Alright, let’s put it behind us. I’m not holding a grudge, but I won’t be hiring you again. Of course, you’re still on the cover. If you’re strapped for cash, I can personally advance you some payment.”

That was good news—who would say no to money? He promptly accepted her offer of a ten-thousand yuan advance.

It was a bit embarrassing. Being on the cover wasn’t a huge payday—unless you were someone like Feng Chenchen, who would get an extra half a million. For someone as unknown as Xiao Ma, the twenty-thousand contract fee was already generous.

It was all about reputation, status, and popularity. Like in the first Iron Man movie, some supporting actors got paid more than the lead, Robert Downey Jr.

After receiving the money, Xiao Ma lingered. Ni Feihong frowned. “Anything else?”

“I...” Xiao Ma hesitated.

“Don’t tell me you want to invite me to dinner like that idiot outside?” Ni Feihong pointed through the glass at Ye Gongmin.

That loser... How dare she imagine such a thing...

Xiao Ma couldn’t help but feel exasperated.

When Xiao Ma was bristling with defiance, it always amused the queen bee, so Ni Feihong gave him a few more glances.

But as soon as he lost that edge and reverted to his sunny, innocent self, she grew annoyed. “Here you go again, wasting my time. Are you trying to act cool? Do I need to call security?”

“I’m in trouble,” Xiao Ma finally confessed.

Ni Feihong rolled her eyes. “That line is so outdated. When am I not in trouble myself?”

“At my place... I saw a gang kidnap Chen Xiao and Tao Zi with my own eyes. Plus, they took off with over a million of my money,” Xiao Ma said.

What!

Ni Feihong stared at him, mouth half open, then asked, “If that’s true, why didn’t you call the police?”

Xiao Ma replied awkwardly, “It’s complicated. I can’t explain it all at once. At the time, I figured calling the police wouldn’t stop what was happening and would only get me in more trouble.”

Ni Feihong, familiar with the messiness of their circles, knew everyone had their secrets, so she frowned and asked, “Why did you come to me?”

Xiao Ma scratched his head—it was almost instinct. After thinking a moment, he said, “I don’t really know. I’m out of ideas, and I can’t tell the police—no one would believe me anyway. Since both of them work for you, and you have connections and resources, I thought maybe you could do something before things get worse, without involving the police.”

Seeing her considering, Xiao Ma asked anxiously, “You wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing, would you?”

Ni Feihong raised an eyebrow. “If I were that kind of person, I’d call the police right now and hand you over as the whistleblower. That’s my duty as a boss and a citizen.”

Xiao Ma paused. From that, it seemed this so-called loser... maybe wasn’t so bad after all.