Sold for 300, I Fight Back with Superpowers

Xu Xianhui jumped, startled by the voice. She immediately tried to shake off the hand grabbing her arm, her eyes warily sizing up the newcomer.

The person grabbing Xu Xianhui’s arm was Cao Dong. He was originally a temporary worker at the Beijing Cotton Mill. After the economic landscape changed, he decided to try his luck. Along with a few buddies, he started reselling goods brought up from the south to Beijing. To his surprise, business was booming. A single day’s profit was more than what he earned for a whole month of back-breaking work at the cotton mill.

Having tasted success, Cao Dong quit his job at the cotton mill and focused entirely on his small business. Over the past six months, he had actually made quite a bit of money.

One day, he was passing by the gate of Beijing University when he saw Xu Xianhui walking out. Cao Dong was instantly smitten. He found a chance to get to know her and began to pursue her, but after several months, Xu Xianhui remained completely indifferent to him.

Of course, Xu Xianhui looked down on Cao Dong. Not only did she already have someone she liked, but she also couldn’t stand the sight of him based on his looks alone.

Cao Dong was short, barely over 1.6 meters tall—about the same height as her. On top of being short, he had small eyes and a face full of acne. Every time Xu Xianhui saw his face, she felt a wave of nausea. How could she possibly accept his advances? Besides, she was a student at Beijing University, while he hadn’t even finished elementary school. Xu Xianhui felt he was utterly beneath her in terms of status.

As for what Cao Dong did for a living, Xu Xianhui had never cared. She usually avoided him whenever she saw him. Who would have thought she’d run right into him today?

Xu Xianhui glanced around and realized that, lost in thought, she had wandered off campus without even noticing.

”Cao Dong, what do you think you’re doing?” Xu Xianhui failed to shake him off, so she used her other hand to pry at his arm. ”Let go of me! I’ll never be your girlfriend, so you can just give up.”

Cao Dong narrowed his eyes, and still holding her arm, he started dragging her toward an alley near Beijing University.

A jolt of fear went through Xu Xianhui. She said hurriedly, ”Cao Dong, what are you doing? If you don’t let me go, I’m going to scream for help.”

”Heh heh, are you short on cash?” Cao Dong suddenly asked in a low voice, looking at her.

Xu Xianhui froze for a second at his words, blurting out, ”How did you know?”

Then, her expression turned cold. ”What’s it to you? It’s not like you can help me anyway.”

”Tell me about it. What if I can help?” Cao Dong saw a glimmer of hope. He had a good amount of money now, and his life was much more comfortable than before. ’If money can solve a problem,’ he thought, ’then it’s not really a problem.’ If he could use money to win over Xu Xianhui, he was more than willing.

At the same time, Cao Dong felt a pang of regret. ’Why didn’t I think of this before?’ He had always assumed that students at Beijing University were all high and mighty, the type to scorn money.

”You... you can lend me money?” Xu Xianhui looked Cao Dong up and down. She hadn’t paid attention before, but now she noticed his clothes didn’t look cheap. ’Could it be? Did I inexplicably wander off campus today because this man, of all people, might be able to help me?’

At this thought, Xu Xianhui looked at Cao Dong again and suddenly found him much more pleasing to the eye.

”How much do you need?” Cao Dong asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hearing him ask, a flicker of hope ignited in Xu Xianhui’s heart. She asked tentatively, ”A thousand... can you lend me a thousand?”

”A thousand!” The number gave Cao Dong a moment’s pause. To be honest, he could probably scrape together a thousand yuan, but it would likely mean dipping into the capital he used for buying inventory. That would, more or less, affect his business.

Still, Cao Dong wasn’t too worried. He did business with a few buddies. Worst case, he could borrow a bit from them and pay it back once he made more money. It wasn’t a huge deal.

The speed at which he had been making money over the last six months gave Cao Dong a great deal of confidence.

”Yes, a thousand. Can you get it?” Xu Xianhui took a deep breath. This was the only hope she had left, and she had to seize it. She absolutely could not let the loan sharks take her away; she knew if that happened, her fate would be grim.

”I can, I can,” Cao Dong said with a smile. ”But, you know, a thousand isn’t a small sum. If I lend you a thousand yuan, what will you use to pay me back?”

”When I... when I have money, I’ll pay you back, of course.” Xu Xianhui said this with absolutely no confidence. She knew in her heart she couldn’t repay this sum.

But she was too desperate for the money right now. She’d worry about how to deal with Cao Dong later if she couldn’t pay him back. In any case, he wasn’t one of those loan sharks. He would be easier to handle.

Cao Dong smiled at her words. ”And when will you pay it back?”

In his half-year of doing business, Cao Dong had dealt with all sorts of people. Juggling his trade, he had long since learned to read people. Xu Xianhui, a student still sheltered on campus—even with her past experience in the countryside—was no match for his worldly wisdom. Cao Dong saw right through her in an instant.

”As soon as I have the money, of course,” Xu Xianhui said quickly.

”That’s not good enough. You have to give me a deadline, right?” Cao Dong chuckled. ”This is a thousand yuan, not some ten or twenty. Do you have any idea how long it takes a regular worker to save up a thousand yuan?”

”N-next year,” Xu Xianhui stammered.

”What month next year?” Cao Dong pressed.

’What month? How was she supposed to know what month? She didn’t even know if she’d have the money to pay him back then.’

Xu Xianhui felt that Cao Dong was just toying with her, exploiting her desperate need for money. Her voice turned cold. ”If you don’t have the money, then stop wasting my time.”

With that, Xu Xianhui tried to leave, but her arm was still in Cao Dong’s grip. She snarled, ”Let go.”

As if he would let go. Cao Dong chuckled slyly, pulled five ten-yuan bills from his pocket, and asked, ”You think I don’t have money?”

Seeing the fifty yuan, Xu Xianhui’s eyes widened. God only knew how desperate she was for money right now. To her, the sight of those bills was more welcoming than that of her own parents. They were her lifeline!

”You can really lend me a thousand yuan?” Xu Xianhui asked, needing to confirm.

”Of course,” Cao Dong said with a raised eyebrow.

”And you can give it to me before tonight?” Xu Xianhui was anxious. She was afraid that if she waited too long, something might go wrong. She needed to get that money in her hands as soon as possible.

’Why the big rush?’

Cao Dong narrowed his eyes and smiled. ”I can lend you the money. I can even give it to you before tonight and won’t even pester you about when you’ll pay it back. But you have to agree to one condition.”