153: Chapter 153 Her Broken Self

Cai Fenghua could understand that, but she just couldn't fathom if anyone would actually buy it. She couldn't wrap her head around it no matter how hard she tried.

"Don't doubt it. Look at my transaction volume. This is my online store, and these are my daily shipping orders."

Zhang Menglu showed the backend of her phone, letting facts and data speak for themselves, leaving Cai Fenghua speechless.

"Alright, I admit I was ill-informed."

Chen Hao suddenly chimed in.

"It's not that you're ill-informed; you just don't understand market demand and market dependencies. It's all about mutual needs. As long as you target your customer base precisely, forget this—people would even buy dog shit."

Zhang Menglu countered and refuted him.

"I don't believe it. Who would buy dog shit? Give me a good reason, or you're drinking a penalty shot!"

Chen Hao slapped the table.

"Sell it to natural fertilizer producers or farmers, and see if it sells."

Zhang Menglu winked and gave a thumbs up.

"Fair point. I'll drink."

She tilted her head back and took a gulp of beer. Cai Fenghua habitually picked up her bottle.

"I'll join you."

After the two women finished their drinks, Chen Hao returned to the topic that had been interrupted.

"It just so happens that the boss lady's shop needs people. Do you want to learn the way to make a fortune?"

"I do..."

Then, her tone shifted, and Cai Fenghua said with a troubled expression.

"I want to, but I'd have to start from scratch. I'm afraid I won't be able to learn it."

Zhang Menglu stopped talking. If she didn't take the bait now, she was out of tricks.

Chen Hao saw the difficulty in Cai Fenghua's expression. To successfully persuade her to leave her current life behind, he asked tentatively.

"What's the trouble? Tell me about it."

She lowered her head and said.

"I owe a massive amount to loan sharks. If I don't stay in this line of work, I can't pay it back. So, I really want to switch careers, it's just..."

She lowered her head and fell silent.

Zhang Menglu blurted out a question.

"How much do you owe?"

"2.4 million."

Zhang Menglu gasped.

"How did you end up owing so much money?"

She pondered for a long time, took a large gulp of her drink, wiped her mouth, and said.

"My family strongly favors boys over girls. After I dropped out of middle school, I started working away from home. Until last year, when my brother wanted to get married in a big city, my parents forced me to take out a high-interest loan. I had no choice."

Zhang Menglu was dumbfounded.

"There are actually parents like that in this world? It can't be real, right?"

Chen Hao glared at her, and Zhang Menglu shut her mouth.

Tears began to fall as she sobbed.

"Anyone who hears it says it's fake, but this actually happened to me. Back when I graduated middle school, if I hadn't run to the city overnight, my mom almost sold me to the village idiot."

"Last year, they tricked me into going home and locked me in a cellar. I didn't see the light of day for three months until they forced me to take out the loan. That's my family."

Zhang Menglu hugged her, trying to make her feel better.

Chen Hao asked tentatively.

"Loan sharks use compound interest. How much has it rolled up to now?"

She wiped away a tear and said stubbornly.

"I'm earning okay now. I can pay back 100,000 a month. It hasn't increased much; I only owe 1.8 million now."

Zhang Menglu asked again.

"Have you calculated how much you've paid in total?"

"I have. In the 18 months since I started, I've paid a total of 1.8 million."

Zhang Menglu gasped.

"Cruel. That's so damn cruel."

She looked solemnly at Chen Hao, asking with her eyes if they should help her.

Chen Hao understood her look. It wasn't about paying the money for her, but perhaps talking to the loan sharks. Couldn't Chen Hao keep them in check?

"Who did you borrow from? What platform did you use?"

Cai Fenghua composed herself and regained her steady state.

"Actually, the person knows Manager Huang. He wears glasses and seems to be a lawyer. I don't know his name; I only know he's in charge of my debt."

Zhang Menglu blurted out.

"Cobra?"

Cai Fenghua nodded.

"Yeah, I think I've heard someone call him that. It's his nickname."

"I was wondering who it was..."

Just as Zhang Menglu was about to speak, Chen Hao interrupted her in time.

"I've heard of this person. He's one of Boss Jiang's—Jiang Tao's—men. A refined scoundrel who's never done a good deed."

Cai Fenghua picked up her bottle and said.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Thank you for your advice. If I could make money by switching careers, I really would want to, but my hands are tied."

Zhang Menglu stared at Chen Hao with a questioning look, waiting for him to say more.

Chen Hao raised his beer and clinked it against hers.

"Do you trust me?"

Cai Fenghua was stunned for a moment. Chen Hao said with more emphasis.

"If you trust me, I guarantee you'll earn at least 300,000 in your first month."

Now it was Cai Fenghua's turn to be at a loss. She stared blankly at Chen Hao, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Seeing an opportunity, Zhang Menglu nudged her with her shoulder.

"Say something! This is your chance to turn things around."

It took Cai Fenghua a long while to react before she stammered out.

"I have no problem trusting you, but if I don't earn enough to cover the 100,000 a month and the debt keeps growing, won't all my efforts be in vain?"

Chen Hao said confidently.

"How about this: I'll give you a promise. If you don't make 300,000 in a month, I'll make up the difference."

She felt a rush of blood to her head, and a sense of happiness washed over her. This was a feeling of security she had never experienced even from her parents.

[Cai Fenghua Favorability +10. Detected Favorability has reached 100. Common Reward: Skill Unlock Point +1 has been issued.]

Her Favorability had reached 100 just like that.

The difficulty of winning her over was indeed very easy.

"I trust you. I'll resign tomorrow and come to work for you."

She clinked her bottle with Chen Hao's and downed it excitedly.

Zhang Menglu said with a smile.

"You're right to trust him. He's the most reliable man I've ever met."

Zhang Menglu and Chen Hao knew each other well. As long as Chen Hao was willing to help, forget about paying the debt—if he just met with Jiang Tao again, her debt might be wiped clean.

Actually, the reason Chen Hao didn't mention he knew Jiang Tao was mainly because he had blacked out last time. He couldn't be sure if Jiang Tao was truly cowed or if he was just biding his time to strike back later and go down fighting.

Chen Hao never boasted or made grand promises about things he wasn't certain of.

Chen Hao also knew that leaving the industry wasn't easy. Since the system hadn't notified him of a successful mission, it meant she was still in deep water.

To ensure she successfully left her old life, Chen Hao planned to take it step by step. By letting her be self-reliant and earn 300,000 a month, she would naturally succeed and say goodbye to her past.

The three of them chatted until very late, past 1 AM, when Chen Hao spoke up.

"You two stay here for the night. I won't disturb you."

Chen Hao's departure caught both women off guard, especially Zhang Menglu, who chased him downstairs and questioned him in a low voice.

"You're leaving her here and going? What kind of move is that?"

Chen Hao whispered.

"Would you prefer the two of us to leave together and get a hotel room? Are you really that generous?"

Zhang Menglu finally realized.

"Oh, right. You should probably go then. But it's so late, where will you stay?"

"I'm a grown man; I can stay anywhere. Don't worry about me. Just lock the door and go back up."