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C2 Lending Money

Chapter II: Borrowing Money

After some time, Lu Yao stood up. With a calm mind, she went to the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes and place them in the dishwasher. After dressing into appropriate clothes, she took her car out of the garage. The drive to her office took her half an hour.

As she walked through the company doors, the staff greeted her. "Good morning, Ms. Lu."

"Morning." Lu Yao nodded and smiled. Entering her office, she took off her coat. "Is Mr. Ji here?" she asked her assistant.

"He is in the office, Ms. Lu."

Lu Yao was a little nervous about asking the CEO for a loan. However, she felt that she had no other choice left. Bracing herself, she went to the CEO's office and knocked on the door lightly before pushing it open.

"Ms. Lu?" Mr. Ji exclaimed when he saw Lu Yao at his door. Putting down the papers he held in his hand, he invited her to sit on the sofa in his office. He inquired if she would like some tea before asking, "What brings you here, Ms. Lu?"

"I've come to ask you if you could lend me some money," Lu Yao replied immediately, not bothering to hide the desperation in her voice. "Mr. Ji, I have worked in this company for three years now. You know me well. I am a sincere worker. I wish to know if it is possible to lend me two million."

Mr. Ji was startled for a moment. Searching her face with a troubled expression in his eyes, he said, "Ms. Lu, I am not the sole in-charge of the company. Furthermore, lending out such a large sum of money would undoubtedly raise eyebrows. Even if I agree, the other directors may not sympathize with you."

"I realize that, Mr. Ji. Is it possible that I could borrow it from you alone?" Lu Yao asked before adding hurriedly, "Don't worry, I will return the full amount to you within six months. If you wish, I will give it back with a five per cent interest!"

Mr. Ji sighed and shook his head. "Ms. Lu, I have no say in this matter. My money is under my wife's control. And you know very well how my wife is. If she were to find out whom I am lending the money to, I might not even be allowed to enter my house."

Mr. Ji paused as something struck his mind. "From what I remember, isn't your husband an investor? Two million must be a small sum of money to him, so why don't you ask him directly?"

"Him? I don't want to bother him with this. It's just a small investment for me, nothing else," Lu Yao said quietly, her heart bitter.

They had been married for three years now. Of course, Lu Yao knew that Shao Yunchen was an investor, but not how much he earned every month. Furthermore, they had a marriage contract in place which said that his money was only his money. She had no access to any part of it.

"Ms. Lu, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I'm powerless as well." Mr, Ji poured out a cup of tea for Lu Yao. "Still, let me see what I can do. Let the Finance Department give you a raise next month. After all, you have worked very hard for us these three years."

Lu Yao smiled bitterly. She knew that there was no point in pressing the issue now. She stood up. "Mr. Ji, I'm sorry I took so much of your time. Thank you."

"It's fine, I didn't really help you. Why don't you try borrowing from the bank?"

"Thank you," Lu Yao repeated, turning to leave the CEO's office.

Once outside, frustration nagged at her as she walked down the corridor. She spotted the ladies washroom to her left. Going inside, she quickly checked that no one occupied it before walking into a cubicle. Behind the closed door she took out a cigarette pack and a lighter from her pocket. She lit a cigarette.

It was not that she was addicted to cigarettes. In the past, smoking used to relax her. After her marriage to Shao Yunchen, who hated the smell of cigarettes, she had not touched a cigarette for a long time. But recently, she had picked up the habit again.

Lu Yao sat on the toilet, smoking. A grave expression covered her features.

Ever since her childhood, she had been proud of having a court judge as her father. She had thought of applying for the judiciary in university, but her aptitude for the subject had been average at best. In the end, she chose finance.

For a long time, her family had been very wealthy. Her dowry had been quite generous for her marriage, and the couple had moved into a three-story villa. Lu Yao had always felt that her father was perhaps making money that was more than his quota, but she had not thought twice about it.

It was not until a month ago that the news of her father's embezzlement broke out. He had not come home. Lu Yao had found out that her father had been arrested.

Her mother had been crying every day since then. Her hair was turning white. Lu Yao suspected that her mother was even losing her eyesight.

But Lu Yao was calm enough. On one hand she was comforting her mother. On the other, she had contacted the family lawyer. She was trying to find ways to pay back the money bit by bit.

She had sold several of their houses, including her dowry house and car. She had shamelessly moved into Shao Yunchen's apartment. However, she was still short of two million. All their relatives had shunned their family. Borrowing money from them was out of question.

In the past fifteen days, she had tried to contact all her good friends and acquaintances. She had pleaded and even come short of begging in a few cases, but failed to find a single cent to borrow.

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