"Alright, take it. You're not old, but you know a lot. Who told you I had that kind of relationship with him?"
"Didn't you?"
Seeing his candidness, Min'er suddenly felt a surge of joy.
"You... you just overthink things."
Zhan Bei Jue tapped her on the forehead.
"As a girl, can't you think about something more normal?"
Min'er thought to herself: This kind of thing is very normal, it's just that I can't accept it.
It's not that I can't accept it, it's mainly that I can't accept you being with someone else.
"So you really weren't involved with him? Then what were you doing these past few days?"
Zhan Bei Jue asked her back.
"What do you think we were doing? Not going to work every day, but going out on dates with him?"
Min'er turned her head away.
"That's what everyone says anyway."
"Which everyone?"
"Who else could it be? You know just by thinking about it with your toes. Besides me, who else in the restaurant likes you?"
Zhan Bei Jue couldn't help but smile again.
It seems this place is really not suitable for me.
Such a small restaurant, yet so much internal strife.
"Alright, I won't beat around the bush with you. Actually, I went out with the boss these past few days to help him collect debts."
"Ah? Collect debts?"
Min'er would never have guessed that this was the case.
She knew about debt collection.
She had not only seen it on television but had also experienced it herself.
People who collect debts usually have violent tendencies.
No wonder they were dressed like that.
Going to someone's house, regardless of their circumstances, if you say you want the money, you have to get the money.
If they can't produce it, they'll smash things at best, or beat and scold people at worst.
It's a very cruel and cold-blooded profession.
She never expected him to be willing to do anything to make money.
Seeing Min'er sizing him up with a look of disdain and fear.
Zhan Bei Jue quickly explained.
"Your outdated ideas need to be updated. Times have changed. Debt collection isn't as violent as it used to be. We do it civilly now."
Civilly?
Debt collection can be civil?
If it's civil, will they give you the money?
"That depends on whether you know how to use a few little tricks."
Zhan Bei Jue pushed her towards home, explaining as they walked how he did it.
No need to hit or scold. Just gather a few brothers, drive a few beat-up cars or motorcycles, and park them in front of the debtor's shop.
Turn on the stereo, crank up the volume, then take out playing cards and play cards in front of their shop, making it impossible for them to do business.
Min'er imagined the scene.
A group of ruffians blocking the entrance, preventing people from doing business, was indeed quite terrifying.
"Aren't you afraid of attracting the police?"
"I'm not afraid of debtors, so why should I be afraid? You still don't understand human weaknesses enough."
Min'er then happily took out the envelope and started counting the money.
"This much?!"
Zhan Bei Jue said, "I helped a friend of the boss recover a debt that was over ten years old."
"So, in my excitement, I split half of it with you."
"And he also said he'd introduce business to me in the future. We might be making a small fortune soon."
This was hardly a small fortune!
In just a few days, she earned more than she could in two years of hard work.
This was a huge amount of wealth!
Min'er couldn't help but praise him again.
"You're really like James from that survival game. The first time I saw your clean face, that's what I thought!"
Seeing her smile happily, Zhan Bei Jue also felt at ease.
"What survival game? Do you like playing games? Is it a game you used to play a lot?"
"No, you probably haven't seen it. It's a Swiss variety show."
Min'er said, "It's a wilderness survival type. They select 100 physically fit contestants from the applicants and put them in harsh wilderness environments."
"Let them live alone in the wild for 100 days. The only survivor can receive a generous prize."
"This show has very high ratings and is held every year. But I haven't watched it much in the last two years. My impression is still from when James won the championship that year."
"It was really exciting. I don't know why, but the first time I saw your true face clearly, I immediately thought of him."
"Oh? There's a show like that? Held every year? How much is the prize money?"
"It used to be one million euros, I don't know about now. Aren't you familiar with the boss? You can ask him. He should like watching this show."
Zhan Bei Jue fell into thoughtful silence.
The two continued walking home.
As they neared Dami's house, Min'er said.
"I'll go to Dami's house first to return the money. It's not easy for her to raise a child alone. Let her be happy too."
Zhan Bei Jue agreed.
"Then you go back first. I'm going out for a run to exercise."
"Running? Aren't you tired this late?"
"Not tired. I need to exercise well. To let the wound recover quickly. So I can earn more money to make you happy."
Saying that, he strode off towards the lake.
Min'er waited until she was drowsy before he returned.
He looked as if he had been swimming, his whole body soaked.
"Why did you take so long? Hurry up and shower and sleep, you have work tomorrow."
Zhan Bei Jue said, "I went for a run and a swim. It's okay, I'm not tired. You go to sleep first."
The next morning, as dawn broke, Min'er turned over and opened her eyes to see that Zhan Bei Jue on the floor was gone again.
She quickly climbed to the back window and looked towards the lake.
In the lake, a pair of arms were swinging vigorously. This person had gone out to exercise again.
His wound had only been healing for a few days, and he was already pushing himself so hard with exercise. He truly wasn't afraid of death.
At work, Zhan Bei Jue took the opportunity to chat with his boss.
He asked if there were any good TV shows to watch recently, as he was bored at home in the evenings.
The boss said there weren't.
"I haven't watched TV in a long time, it is indeed quite boring. But there will be good shows coming soon."
"What shows?"
"It's the seventh season of 'Chase Game'! They're already holding auditions for contestants, and filming will officially begin soon."
The boss's eyes lit up when this was mentioned, and he enthusiastically told Zhan Bei Jue.
"This is the seventh year. The show is getting more mature and has accumulated a large fan base. It hasn't even aired yet, but everyone's expectations are sky-high. I believe it will set off another wave of nationwide viewership."
Zhan Bei Jue had been waiting for him to say this.
He quickly followed up on the boss's words.
"Does your country have such a show?"
"You have it too?"
"It seems like all variety shows copy each other, just changing the packaging."
The boss said, "Who cares? As long as it's good to watch."
"And I heard that the age limit for contestants has been lowered this year. Many young people have signed up. The competition is fierce, so the show will definitely be more exciting."
"How much is the prize money this year?"
"Five million euros. If only I had the physical fitness for it. To go out and compete for 100 days and earn enough for a lifetime of retirement, it's too worth it."
Zhan Bei Jue smiled and said no more, then went back to serving his dishes.