“You can’t rent it to me?” Xu Xiaofang’s reply caught Wu Tian off guard.
He felt his offer was already quite generous. With an annual rent of fifty thousand yuan, he could secure a larger and better plot of land.
However, he knew Xu Xiaofang’s family was in financial straits, and she had used grants for her university education. That was why he intended to seize this opportunity to help her family.
But why would Xu Xiaofang refuse?
He looked at her quizzically and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you have plans for this land?”
Xu Xiaofang shook her head again. “It’s not that I need the land. It’s just that it was already reserved yesterday. They plan to use it for growing watermelons.”
“I see,” Wu Tian said with a hint of regret.
Someone had gotten there first. His luck was truly terrible!
But if it was gone, it was gone. He had money now and didn’t desperately need this particular plot.
Wu Tian casually asked, “How much did that person offer you?”
Xu Xiaofang replied, “Not much, just ten thousand.”
“Ten thousand a year?” Wu Tian said. “That’s acceptable. It’s a decent income!”
To his surprise, Xu Xiaofang’s expression grew even more somber. “No, it’s ten thousand in total. They bought our family’s land.”
“What did you say?!”
Wu Tian was shocked. He quickly exclaimed, “How could you agree to that? This isn’t buying land, it’s practically robbery!”
“Although our village is impoverished, ten thousand yuan for such a large plot of land is still outrageous, isn’t it?”
Xu Xiaofang said softly, “I had no choice. I was in urgent need of money, and they were willing to pay in cash, so…”
Wu Tian frowned slightly. “Urgent need of money? What happened to your family that you’re so desperate for cash?”
Xu Xiaofang hesitated, then, as if making a decision, her tone became more urgent.
“Wu Tian, I won’t hide it from you anymore. I’ll just tell you the truth.”
“My father isn’t out there. He’s seriously ill and needs surgery soon.”
“But the hospital said it’s impossible without thirty thousand yuan, and our family doesn’t have medical insurance. So, I’ve been trying to find a way to raise the money.”
“I’ve already decided to sell our house to see if I can gather enough.”
This news left Wu Tian somewhat dazed. He stammered, “There’s such a thing? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Xu Xiaofang said softly, “What good would it have done if I told you earlier? Even though you’re a doctor, you can’t perform surgery. I didn’t want to trouble you.”
“Saying that makes us seem too distant,” Wu Tian said. “We’re good friends, we should help each other. It’s only right that I help you!”
He was about to reach into his pocket for his bank card when a man’s loud shout came from outside.
“Xu Xiaofang! Xu Xiaofang! Are you home!”
Xu Xiaofang’s face changed slightly. “The person buying the land is here.”
Wu Tian patted her shoulder. “Let’s go, I’ll come out with you!”
The two walked through the house and into the yard. Wu Tian saw four or five men standing beside a car.
The leader, a man in his thirties named Liu Rongqiang, smiled broadly as soon as he saw Xu Xiaofang emerge. “Xu Xiaofang, I’ve got the money ready, and the contract is prepared. Where is your land deed?”
Xu Xiaofang nodded. “I’ll go get it now.”
She walked back into the house. Wu Tian then heard the man rubbing his hands together excitedly, “Haha, I can’t believe ten thousand yuan can buy such a large plot of land, and I can even spend a night with a college student.”
“This girl looks like a virgin. I haven’t tasted that before. Today’s going to be fun!”
Wu Tian’s brows furrowed deeply.
Soon, Xu Xiaofang came out with the land deed.
She said to Liu Rongqiang, “Boss Liu, where’s the money?”
Liu Rongqiang directly pulled out ten thousand yuan from his briefcase and handed it to Xu Xiaofang.
“Don’t worry, I’m a man of integrity. You can count it first.”
Just as Xu Xiaofang was about to reach for it, Wu Tian extended his hand and stopped her.
Xu Xiaofang looked at Wu Tian blankly and asked, “Wu Tian, what are you…”
Wu Tian’s expression had turned extremely grim. He gazed at Xu Xiaofang and said, “Xiaofang, tell me honestly, is this ten thousand yuan the only thing in your transaction with him?”
Xu Xiaofang’s face changed drastically. Her eyes darted away as she asked, “Wh-what do you know?”
“I heard what he just said,” Wu Tian said in a deep voice. “It’s not just ten thousand yuan between you. You also agreed to sleep with him, didn’t you?”
Xu Xiaofang’s delicate body trembled. For a moment, she almost dropped the land deed.
She dared not speak, nor could she meet Wu Tian’s eyes. She simply lowered her head.
Liu Rongqiang, seeing that the situation was amiss, frowned and said, “Kid, who are you?”
“What happens between Xu Xiaofang and me is our business. What’s it to you that you’re butting in?”
Wu Tian didn’t respond to him. He continued to look at Xu Xiaofang and said, “Xiaofang, answer me honestly, is this true?”
Xu Xiaofang bit her lip tightly. With great effort, she finally nodded.
Upon receiving Xu Xiaofang’s confirmation, Wu Tian found it even more unbelievable.
He said to Xu Xiaofang in shock, “Xiaofang, how could you do something like this? Aren’t you demeaning yourself?”
Xu Xiaofang was a decent girl. She knew that what she was doing was wrong and had been under immense psychological pressure.
Now, being spoken to like this by Wu Tian, her composure shattered.
Tears the size of soybeans slid down her cheeks. Xu Xiaofang whispered, “I-I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I really had no choice!”
“If I didn’t do this, my… my father would die!”
Seeing Xu Xiaofang cry, Wu Tian felt a pang in his heart.
In his eyes, Xu Xiaofang had always been a good girl, and he couldn’t stand to see her bullied.
So, he said sternly, “Don’t sell this land. If you go through with this today, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Liu Rongqiang was displeased upon hearing this.
Where could he find land this cheap? Moreover, he could get involved with such a beautiful virgin. No man would pass that up!
He reached out and nudged Wu Tian, saying unhappily, “Hey, what are you doing, kid? Trying to ruin my good time, huh?”
“Get lost now, or do you believe I’ll beat you to death?”
Wu Tian shrugged his shoulders, shaking Liu Rongqiang away.
He looked into Liu Rongqiang’s eyes, his tone chilling, and said word by word:
“This land is not for sale. Don’t you understand plain language?”