Chapter 22: Departing Through the Deal

“Wait...wait a minute.” Pan Yunpeng swallowed hard, “Can you take us with you?”

Wei Qu frowned. “I already told you before, we can't take you.”

“Why?” Pan Yunpeng was stunned, then asked, somewhat agitated.

“Do you want money? Name your price, whatever you want. Or, if you want anything from the mall, take as much as you like, anything you want, as long as you can get us out of here.”

Xu Yu also recovered, scrambling up from the floor and grabbing Wei Qu's arm.

“Yes, take us with you. Whatever you want, just say the word, we'll make sure you get it.”

Wei Qu wanted to say that this wasn't about what they wanted, but before he could speak, Lin Buhuan's voice rang out.

“If you want us to take you out, pay with gold for the fare.”

Wei Qu had been gone for a while, and Lin Buhuan, suspecting he must have been held up, climbed back up to find him, only to overhear Xu Yu's plea. She was instantly angry—she knew these people wouldn’t let them go so easily, and Wei Qu being entangled by them was only his own fault.

Irritated, Lin Buhuan bluntly stated the price to drive them off.

Sure enough, Xu Yu and the others froze at her words, but still looked hopefully at Wei Qu.

Wei Qu, however, didn’t even glance at them, his attitude clear—he followed Lin Buhuan’s lead.

The light in Xu Yu’s eyes dimmed, and even the silent Ruan Yi behind her couldn’t hide her despair.

Only Pan Yunpeng looked conflicted; after a long while, he seemed to make up his mind, gritting his teeth before responding.

“Fine. We’ll give you gold if you take us with you.”

His words left everyone stunned.

Wei Qu glanced at him, then at Lin Buhuan, whose face was full of shock—clearly, she hadn’t expected Pan Yunpeng and the others to actually have gold.

It was getting late, and their inflatable boat really couldn’t fit three more people.

Not trusting Lin Buhuan, Pan Yunpeng returned to the mall and, from who knows where, actually produced a substantial number of gold bars for her.

Looking at the gold, Lin Buhuan found herself unable to refuse, especially since Pan Yunpeng promised to give her more once they were safely out.

Lin Buhuan wasn’t actually that greedy; she just wanted to make things difficult for them, to avoid taking them out.

As for the gold in hand, she certainly wouldn’t refuse—they were needed in her space.

So, after discussing with Wei Qu, she decided they would spend the night in the mall and take them out in batches the next day.

Wei Qu had no objections, but Hua Xiao and Yu Su suggested caution regarding the three newcomers; after all, they were strangers, their temperament and character unknown.

More importantly, they feared Lin Buhuan’s actions might earn their resentment.

Lin Buhuan, however, was unconcerned; compared to her, they had more reason to worry about her breaking the deal.

That night, they found a luxury suite in the cinema and settled in.

The mall had plenty of food and drink, and the bedding they needed for the night was brought up from below.

To their surprise, the luxury suite even had a bathroom with hot water, allowing Lin Buhuan and Hua Xiao to enjoy a refreshing shower.

After a simple dinner, Lin Buhuan and the others went out again to scour the mall for supplies.

Since they’d have to shuttle back and forth at least three times to get the three people out, they took the opportunity to carry away as much as they could, not wasting their effort.

Seeing them out collecting supplies, Pan Yunpeng and his companions hesitated, then joined in.

None of them were fools. Having seen the situation outside the mall, they calmed down and realized what was coming.

They too wanted to take whatever they might need.

Lin Buhuan didn’t care about their actions.

The bulk of the mall’s supplies was already stored in her space; what remained was dispensable, nothing she’d miss if they took it.

While wandering downstairs, Lin Buhuan ran into Ruan Yi.

It was unclear whether it was coincidence or if Ruan Yi had waited there on purpose. Daodao became very excited at the sight of her.

Just as Daodao started toward Ruan Yi, Lin Buhuan tightened the leash.

“Daodao! Come back!”

Lin Buhuan, imitating Wei Qu, commanded Daodao.

Apparently, Wei Qu had trained Daodao after bringing him home—he whimpered and returned to curl up at her feet, gazing wistfully at Ruan Yi.

Ruan Yi’s face mirrored Daodao’s sadness.

Lin Buhuan thought she was just putting on a show; if she were truly so heartbroken, why had she abandoned Daodao in the first place?

“Can I pet him?” Ruan Yi suddenly asked, her tone pleading.

Lin Buhuan’s face remained cold and silent; what was there to pet, she’d done it plenty before.

Noting the rejection, Ruan Yi’s expression grew even more sorrowful, as if she might cry any second.

Her demeanor made it seem as though Lin Buhuan was bullying her. If anyone happened by, they’d surely misunderstand, and it’d be impossible to explain.

Fortunately, this wasn’t some melodrama; there were only six people in the mall, all busy collecting supplies, no one paying them any mind.

Thus, Lin Buhuan stood cold-faced, while Ruan Yi looked ready to cry, locked in a stalemate.

“Why are you acting pitiful now? When you abandoned Daodao, you weren’t nearly so pathetic.” Seeing her mournful face, Lin Buhuan felt irritated and couldn’t help but snap.

“I’m not, I didn’t.” Ruan Yi shook her head vehemently.

As if. Lin Buhuan had witnessed everything that happened back then—how could she still try to deny it?

Ruan Yi fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a tone of deep dejection. “I really like Daodao, but my boyfriend thought he was too noisy and clingy. That day, we went out for a date, and Daodao insisted on coming along, so I took him. Halfway through, we argued, and Daodao got caught in the crossfire. When I tried to go back and find him, he was already gone.”

Lin Buhuan didn’t believe a word. Going back to look for Daodao? She hadn’t searched at all—she just instinctively convinced herself she had.

And that so-called boyfriend, angered by the dog? Why did he even care? He was just a boyfriend, not a husband; who was he to decide if she could keep a dog?

“Looks like you’re truly devoted to your boyfriend,” Lin Buhuan sneered, stabbing at her again.

Ruan Yi froze, wanting to say something, but then fell silent.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Buhuan knew she’d guessed right.

She definitely hadn’t broken up with that loser.

Not wanting to waste another word on someone so blinded by love, Lin Buhuan tugged Daodao away, leaving Ruan Yi behind, lost in her own thoughts.