chapter 8

Chapter 8

Shi Mother’s tone was a bit stern, but it was mostly out of worry for her daughter’s future.

Shi Xian slowly lowered her head, feeling deeply conflicted inside.

She had already considered everything her mother said.

Two years ago, she had taken a leave of absence from school due to health reasons. Now, she had reached the limit for such leaves, and in two months, she would have to face the Gaokao (national college entrance exam).

Going abroad was her only fallback, but she simply couldn’t pass IELTS.

She’d spent a lot on prep courses, but it had all been wasted.

“Honestly, you might as well just find a university here in China. You can always go abroad for further studies later.”

As Shi Mother spoke, she reached out and gently stroked her daughter’s head, where a few drops of water still hadn’t been wiped away.

“Besides… your grandmother still needs money…”

At these words, Shi Xian’s body trembled and her fists clenched a little tighter.

Outside the police station, the rain was falling harder and harder, quickly swallowing up the city, while inside, it was calm and peaceful.

“Please fill in your phone number. For now, we can only report the phone as lost,” the staff member said, handing over a form and a pen.

Liu Nanyu took the form and sat down next to Wu Ai.

On the way here, the girl had already told him her name: Liu Nanyu.

Her name sounded refined, and together with her looks and the faint hint of her background, she seemed all the more gentle and lovely.

Someone like Nanyu is rare to encounter.

A girl this perfect-just meeting her probably used up all the luck from his previous life.

Liu Nanyu finished filling out the form and handed it back.

After the staff checked everything was correct, they tapped a few keys on the computer, briefly explained a few things to note, and signaled that they could leave.

“What about my guitar?”

“A guitar isn’t like a phone. Maybe someone will be willing to bring it to the police station later.”

Wu Ai walked out of the police station, dejected. The sky was dense with dark clouds, not even a sliver of moonlight shining through, and it seemed like the rain would go on for a long time.

“Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”

Wu Ai took out his phone, pulled up a ride-hailing app, and waited for her reply.

“It’s a bit far. I don’t want to trouble you.”

He looked at her in disbelief, thinking she must be crazy.

“Come on, it’s pouring out! Are you planning to walk home?”

She said nothing, just quietly lowered her head.

“Ligao Royal Mansion… in Shunyi… it really is far…”

“Booked,” Wu Ai cut her off, grinning as he shook his phone.

“You’re so quick…” Liu Nanyu looked up at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

The corners of Wu Ai’s mouth lifted slightly. He looked down at the screen, at the words “order confirmed,” and felt an inexplicable sense of achievement.

Come on – this should move her!

He stole a glance at Liu Nanyu, seeing her damp hair plastered to her cheeks, looking especially pitiful under the harsh white lights of the police station.

“Well, at least I don’t have to call the driver myself. I don’t want them to see me looking so down and out.”

“…”

“Don’t forget to pay me back for the ride.”

…

The car sped along; the driver seemed to have no idea of slowing down in the rain. The two of them sat on opposite sides of the back seat, neither saying a word.

“Hello, we’ve arrived. Is it okay to stop here?”

The driver’s voice broke the silence between them.

They got out and looked at the residential complex in front of them. Wu Ai’s eyes widened, and a sense of inferiority crept into his heart.

The complex was incredibly upscale. Whether it was his own apartment or his family’s villa neighborhood, both paled in comparison.

Detached villas, townhouses, international apartments… he wondered which kind Miss Liu lived in.

“Hurry home. Don’t fight with your parents. Isn’t it better to try talking things through?” He held up the umbrella, his tone even.
The umbrella had just been given to them by the driver, who kindly offered it when he saw they didn’t have one.

“Let’s add each other on WeChat. I really appreciate your help this time.”

“Don’t forget to pay me back.”

He handed over his phone, and Liu Nanyu quickly entered her number and sent a friend request.

“How are you getting home?”

“I’ll take a taxi to the subway station, then ride the subway. Save wherever I can.”

“Why do you care so much about money?”

Yeah, why does he care so much about money?

The reason traces back to the home he was about to return to.

To have more freedom in high school, Wu Ai had been renting an apartment on his own since his first year.

His parents, Old Wu and Madam Zhang, were firmly against it at first, but after Wu Ai’s persistent persuasion, they finally set an extremely harsh condition that would change the course of his life.

The rules set by Madam Zhang and Old Wu were as follows:

First, they would only cover three-quarters of the rent; the rest he had to earn himself.

Second, his monthly living expenses were limited to 1,500 yuan.

Their intention was to make things difficult enough that he’d give up and move back home, but unexpectedly, he stuck it out.

But recently, with the pandemic flaring up again, many Acoustic Bars had closed to protect themselves, afraid of becoming the next headline due to a cluster case.

The OASIS where he used to work was no exception-it had posted a closure notice last week, and his source of income was suddenly cut off.

So young, yet already experiencing the hardships of working life.

That’s why Wu Ai valued profit so much.

Profit was the measure by which he judged everything, including saving Liu Nanyu-it was, at its core, just a transaction based on status.

“You actually live alone? That’s so free!”

After hearing his situation, Liu Nanyu looked at him with envy.

“My dad even tries to control my social life. It’s so annoying.”

Wu Ai looked at her with a bit of sympathy.

So even rich girls have their troubles. She might be precious, but she has no freedom at all, like a beautiful caged canary.

“Go home and try to communicate with your parents.” He handed her the umbrella. “You keep the umbrella.”

“What about you after you get off the subway…?”

“It’s fine. The rain will stop eventually.”

He waved his hand and walked into the rain without looking back.

But the next second, he sneezed.

“Damn, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have given her the umbrella.”

It was midnight by the time Wu Ai made it back to his rented apartment.

While riding the subway, Liu Nanyu had already accepted his WeChat request, but neither of them said a word, as if by tacit agreement.

Liu Nanyu’s Moments were very clean-mostly photos from trips abroad, and lots of videos of her dancing.

There were a lot of them; it was clear she really loved to dance.

Wu Ai’s finger hovered over his phone screen for a long time before finally hitting send.

But what he sent was nothing like the carefully considered message he’d drafted-just two blunt words.

“Pay back!”

He regretted it as soon as he sent it, and quickly added another message to soften the tone.

“Double, no, triple…”

Wu Ai hadn’t even finished typing when he received a transfer record from Liu Nanyu.

Two thousand yuan-a huge sum!

He’d been thinking of asking for triple, but she’d sent him four times the amount instead.

Two thousand yuan was indeed a huge amount for Wu Ai, greatly easing his current financial pressure-at least he wouldn’t have to rush to find another part-time job.

Wu Ai quickly accepted the transfer, but then felt a bit embarrassed and sent another message.

“Looking at your Moments, you’ve been to so many places.”

After a while, Liu Nanyu replied: “I went to the US recently, but I’m back now.”

“So you’re studying at an international school now?”

“Yeah, at Dingshi.”

Wu Ai had never heard of that school’s name, so he searched it on Baidu-and was stunned.