A man should have backbone and integrity. First published in Grinding Iron Magazine, Issue 2.

  She finished speaking, took out a check from her backpack and placed it on the tea table beside me, pushing it towards me and said: "This is just a small token of appreciation, I still hope you can fulfill my wish and make that child's dream come true."

  I stood by and glanced at the substantial check, unmoved as I looked at this self-righteous woman in front of me.

  She couldn't help but sneer in her heart. Was she paying to have someone flatter her own daughter? Or did they really think she was that easily bought, with eyes that lit up at the sight of money?

  A flame of anger rose from the bottom of his heart, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask: "Mrs. Yuan, what do you mean by this?"

  "This is a thank you gift, to thank you for taking care of Xue Er during this time." Mrs. Yuan smiled slightly and looked at me with genuine gratitude, without any condescension or sluggishness.

  "Taking care of your daughter is just a favor for a friend, and also because her filial piety moved me. Besides, it's not me who actually took care of her, but one of my friends. So this money, I'm ashamed to accept it, you'd better take it back.

  Last time I accepted the money was because of an emergency, and it was just a payment for what I deserved, which wasn't excessive at all. In fact, I almost lost my life because of that broken case!"

  This time, it's clear that she is trying to bribe me. If I accept it, then I'm really not worthy of being a human being. And what I said was all true, the one who took care of her daughter was always Chang Yu.

  Looking at Mrs. Yuan's somewhat embarrassed smile, he continued: "You're just in time, my friend has been busy lately and can't get away from work. Mrs. Yuan lost her beloved daughter, this is also a continuation of the unfinished fate, so let Xue return to the Yuan family for a while!"

  Since she can't bear to part with her, then bring Yuan Xue back home, it's just that I've been feeling annoyed with her lately.

  He stood up from the conference table, bowed politely and said, "As for your wish to reincarnate, I must speak frankly, it's beyond my power. If Yuan Xue really doesn't want to be reborn, no one will force her. But here I have to remind you that as far as I know, ghosts don't have the chance to reincarnate. If she regrets it later, no one can help her. If you have nothing else, then I'll take my leave!"

  The moment I saw Yuan Xue, I vaguely guessed something, but I didn't expect her to bring her mother back home to pressure me, and even use money to bribe me. This is simply a humiliation for me, the initial kindness and love, at this moment all went down the drain, never to return, I really don't want to have anything to do with that girl again.

  "Wait, don't go!"

  My decision was made after I turned around and heard Mrs. Yuan's intercepting voice, standing up to come before me, her expression looking at me with a difficult smile due to being refused, saying: "I've heard about some things, I know that Miss Yin got involved in something for the sake of our family's Xue Er and was threatened and intimidated. This time there was clearly a good opportunity to extricate herself, why didn't you know how to cherish it? Or is it that Miss Yin really wants to be with that ghost assistant? People and ghosts are on different paths, even if you'll work together as partners, but you're ultimately human, you won't have a result. This point Miss Yin understands clearly, so why not do something that follows the circumstances and bring together a loving couple?"

  This woman is really thick-skinned and her mouth can talk nonsense.Those sharp eyes are obviously mocking me, and it's doomed to have a bad result when dating with a ghost.

  The outcome is none of her business, but she touched my bottom line. By warning me like this, I don't need to give her a good face anymore. It's not bad to clarify things either.

  No matter whether it's about who started first or emotions, everything began between me and Ming Yan. A third party was never involved, so why can she say such big words to suppress me with a straight face?

  I was going to speak nicely, but some people don't know how to appreciate kindness. They refuse to give in even when given a way out, so I won't pretend to be polite anymore.

  She glanced at Mrs. Yuan with a cold face, smiled and said, "If you are here to thank me, then I have accepted your kindness now. But if you are here to disturb my personal life, I think it's none of your business who I like and who is with me, so you have no right to ask."

  Besides, it's not up to me to decide who he likes, because Ming Yan likes whoever he wants, and that's his own decision. Whether I like him or not is a separate matter. If you insist on saying that I'm meddling in this, then I have nothing to say for myself. But since you're here today, I still want to make things clear with you. Emotional matters aren't like trading goods, where once you've said something, it's gone. How my ghost boyfriend and I interact is none of your business."

  Mrs. Yuan was somewhat shaken by my provocation, and her face couldn't hold up very well, probably because no one had ever been so rude to her before! Her complexion turned pale and then red again, and even that dignified and virtuous face of hers became distorted with anger, just like those noblewomen on TV who try to maintain their dignity despite being offended.

  "I spoke nicely and politely to you, but you responded with a lowly and humble thank you. Is this the attitude and answer you give me?" She was so angry that she finally blurted out these words after a long time.

  "Coming to my door to ask for me? How dare you?" I picked up the check on the table in front of her, tore it into two, four, and finally a pile of scraps, scattering them everywhere. I stared at her coldly, "Is this the attitude of your wealthy people? Mrs. Yuan, one should have dignity, money is good but not omnipotent, so don't show off your arrogance and wealth in front of me. I owe you nothing, nor am I a servant hired by your money to be ordered around!"

  "What a sharp-tongued and quick-witted little girl, yet she doesn't know how to behave! She actually refused the toast and didn't drink the penalty wine!" She was really infuriated by me, and raised her palm to slap me. Just as I was staring at her hand, ready to react at any moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew her into a nearby seat.

  He was suddenly pushed to the ground by a hand, this unexpected event was beyond my expectation. My line of sight shifted towards the owner of the hand. The somewhat resentful heart was comforted at once, because the one who had intervened was none other than Ming Yan.

  "Dare to move Xiao Yue, you're asking for death!" His figure blocked the way between me and Mrs. Yuan, looking at me worriedly, then turning his head to glance coldly at Mrs. Yuan who was lying on the ground, letting out a cold snort before turning back to me and sizing me up from head to toe before asking: "How are you? Did she hurt you?"

  "Mom!" Yuan Xue floated over, pounced on Mrs. Yuan's body, knelt on the ground trying to stop Ming Yan's action, and looked up at me and Ming Yan with fear.

  "Little sister Yue, brother Ming Yan, please don't hurt my mom. She's only like this for my sake and she's not thinking clearly right now. She's a kind person with no ill intentions, just trying to make up for me and satisfy me. I was the one who was too arrogant, thinking that money could calm down little sister Yue. Sorry, sorry!" She stood there between us, kneeling on the ground with tears in her eyes, begging pitifully.

  Mrs. Yuan's face, originally full of anger, suddenly lost its fury when she saw her daughter pleading for her, and burst into loud sobs.

  She wanted to hold her daughter, but they were separated by life and death. They could see each other but couldn't touch, leaving only despair.

  Ming Yan maintained a cold attitude towards them, especially when looking at Mrs. Yuan, her eyes were really cold, and at first glance, there was a chilling feeling of being cold-shouldered. It scared Mrs. Yuan so much that she trembled with fear and didn't dare to raise her head.

  Pity the parents of the world, no matter how bad Mrs. Yuan's attitude towards me is, I can still understand her paying-out emotions for her own children. Only, her unreasonable demands, I, love but cannot help.

  I shook my head at Ming Yan, indicating that he should retreat and not scare them anymore. Because just now I could see that Ming Yan's sudden appearance had already frightened Mrs. Yuan, who was still trembling with a look of lingering fear.

  I took a deep breath, pulled Ming Yan behind me and said to them in a cold tone: "Leave now, don't come back to disturb me again, and don't do anything stupid, or you'll know what will happen!"

  This is no idle threat. Yuan Xue should be clear that Ming Yan's words are not just a warning to her. If she continues to be so obstinate, no one will be able to save her.

  Yuan Xue's attitude has become much more honest, and the arrogant air that was present when she first arrived has disappeared. I don't know what Ming Yan said to her, but my impression of her has changed a lot. Before leaving, she glanced at Ming Yan with a mixture of fear and apology in her eyes, still cold and indifferent towards him, then turned around and left with Mrs. Yuan.

  People came out of nowhere, unexpected things happened, and the tranquility of the morning was broken. After they left, I felt like I had been drained of all my energy, with no strength left. Weakly returning to the office, I coincidentally met Director Wang and simply told him that things didn't work out because there were some things I really couldn't do.

  How could I possibly sell out my boyfriend for money?

  Director Wang was originally very expectant, but after hearing me say that, he also knew that I had really tried my best, so he could only give up and didn't mean to make things difficult for me.

  I've got a headache, that intense confrontation just now was really exhausting, the aftereffects are showing up now, I'm lying on the desk weakly and let out a long sigh: "What a madman, finally gone."

  Ming Yan has not spoken a word from the moment he met them until now. As he walked over, his spiritual energy lifted the curtains and blocked out the sunlight, standing beside me, silently staring at me.

  I was puzzled why he looked at me like that, but his actions gave me the answer. His hand was placed on my crown, and his voice was somewhat cold, "From now on, don't make excuses to get rid of me, especially when facing such a madman!"

  I smiled wryly and savored that comfortable feeling. "Alright, alright, I'll bring you along wherever I go from now on, for safety's sake."

  Ming Yan laughed and immediately fell silent. I looked up at him in confusion, only to find that his face was looking very bad, not the kind of injury, but a cold anger.

  He makes me worry a lot and I don't know if being around me will affect him or change something.