World 1. Chapter 15
Xing Hui had been reluctant from the start and was struggling fiercely; now that she saw the police, she naturally screamed for help. With Xing Hui as a ready-made example, the police naturally took her in for questioning.
The outcome was predictable: Xing Hui had now fallen out with her boss and spilled everything she knew—drugging customers, tax evasion, using violence, and framing others—which was more than enough to land him in serious trouble. Not to mention that his wife, upon seeing the evidence, was furious. Ignoring the tutoring center owner’s desperate pleas, she not only provided concrete proof but also quickly divorced him, leading to the center’s subsequent closure.
With this scumbag dealt with, Lin Yanan finally felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.
In the blink of an eye, there was only one month left until Li Xue’s exams. She stopped going to work and began studying at home with full dedication. Lin Yanan and Qin Feng did their best to share the household responsibilities, and even little Tian Guo’er knew not to make a racket at home; she would hand her mother a glass of water whenever she came out.
“Mom, just transfer me a little more—two thousand will do.” That day, Lin Yanan received a call from Qin Huan. As expected, she was asking for money again.
“I already told you at the start of the semester: that’s all the money I’m giving you for this term. I won’t give you any more. Why don’t you just get a part-time job and earn your own money?” This time, Lin Yanan’s tone was firm. She had also forbidden Li Xue and Qin Feng from transferring money to Qin Huan, determined to break her of this bad habit.
“Oh, Mom, just transfer it to me first. I’ll definitely get a part-time job later. You can’t just let me starve to death, can you?” “If it weren’t for her brother and sister-in-law cutting off the money, Qin Huan wouldn’t have to be pestering Lin Yanan like this, but dating is just so expensive.
“You’ve got two hands and two feet—how could you possibly starve to death…”
The mother and daughter went back and forth for quite a while, but Lin Yanan wouldn’t budge. Qin Huan was about to keep pestering her, but when she saw Zhang Rui walking over, she hurriedly stuffed her phone into her pocket.
“Huanhuan, the weekend’s almost here. How about we go out for a couple of days? The school travel agency has a new package—two days and one night for just 258 yuan, and it includes breakfast. Isn’t that a great deal?” Zhang Rui approached with a beaming smile, inviting Qin Huan to go out for the weekend.
“Sure, that sounds great.” She wasn’t about to let him know she was short on cash.
“Then go ahead and book two spots. I’ll go grab some food and drinks for us.”
“Great, make sure to get plenty of my favorites.”
“No problem. I know your tastes inside out—I’ll definitely get plenty.”
Watching Zhang Rui walk away, Qin Huan finally let out a sigh of relief. She pulled out her phone to check the travel packages on the official account, but as soon as she did, she realized she hadn’t turned off the speaker at all. Lin Yanan had heard every word of their conversation just now: “Is this the guy you’re dating? Is this how you two always act? You let him talk you into footing the bill, and you’re satisfied just because he buys some food and drinks?”
Hearing Lin Yanan’s icy tone, Qin Huan didn’t dare take it lightly and hurried to explain: “His family is poor; he can’t afford much. It’s enough that he buys us some food and drinks. He’s very ambitious—he’s studying while working part-time…”
“But he won’t spend his own money on you and makes you ask your family for it? Qin Huan, I really underestimated you. Looks like you’re not short on money at all. Since that’s the case, don’t call me asking for money in the future.” After saying that, Lin Yanan hung up the phone without a second thought. Goodness, she had no idea Qin Huan was such a considerate, easygoing person! Too bad that’s how she acts with outsiders, not her own family.
Qin Huan knew her family wouldn’t be sending her living expenses anytime soon, so she texted Zhang Rui: “I’m running low on cash. Why don’t you place the order this time?”
“Oh, in that case, just cancel it.” Zhang Rui was currently at the school’s mini-mart, picking out discounted snacks. When he saw Qin Huan’s message, his eyes darkened for a moment, and he immediately put everything back on the shelf. Since they weren’t going out anyway, there was no point in buying snacks.
Qin Huan felt a pang of sadness when she saw the message. She wasn’t unaware of Zhang Rui’s true nature, but she lacked a sense of security in their relationship. As long as he showed even a hint of concern for her, she would immediately forget any previous unpleasantness and convince herself it was all right. But right now, her heart ached.
“Have something to eat.” That evening, Qin Huan was lying in bed, lost in thought, when Wu Yue handed her a takeout meal. Seeing that Qin Huan hadn’t eaten much from noon until night, she’d brought her some food. Although they’d had an unpleasant falling-out last time, Qin Huan had been actively trying to smooth things over, so Wu Yue had forgiven her. However, when it came to Zhang Rui, their views still didn’t align.
“Thanks.” Seeing Wu Yue, Qin Huan felt too embarrassed to stay in bed any longer.
“Hey, Wu Yue, do you have any money left? Could you lend me some?” Qin Huan knew it was best not to mix money with friendship, but she really didn’t have a single penny left in her pocket. To survive, no matter how hard it was to ask, she had to speak up. Afterward, she could look for a part-time job to get back on her feet.
“Huanhuan, it’s not that I don’t want to lend you money, but if I do, are you sure you won’t just spend it on Zhang Rui again?” Wu Yue looked up and met Qin Huan’s gaze with clear, steady eyes. Qin Huan slowly lowered her head, unable to lie and say she wouldn’t do that. They’d been roommates for three years; they knew each other’s situations all too well.
Watching Qin Huan, who looked like a timid little bird trying desperately to make herself invisible, Wu Yue felt a pang of sympathy. “In that case, if you can’t come up with the money, I’ll treat you to a meal. Once you’re back on your feet, you can treat me in return. What do you think?” Lending her money was out of the question—it would only benefit that scumbag—but she had to look out for her sister.
“Okay, I’ll take your advice.” Although it wasn’t what she’d imagined, at least her meal problem was solved.
Today was the day Li Xue’s written exam results were released. She got up early, clutching her admission ticket, feeling restless and distracted—she was so preoccupied that she barely ate. Lin Yanan knew she was worried but didn’t push her too hard; she had to work through it herself.
“Honey, come check for me—my hands are shaking.” By 5:00 p.m., she could finally look up her scores on her phone. But Li Xue was too nervous, so she handed the task over to Qin Feng.
“Sure, I’ll check for you.” Qin Feng didn’t refuse; he immediately looked it up on his phone. The result was a pleasant surprise: “You’re number one!!”
“Oh my, it’s true!” Seeing the ranking and score on the screen, Li Xue jumped for joy. Although she didn’t know how many points she was ahead of the others, being first put her mind at ease for the moment.
“Let’s go out for dinner tonight—it’s on me!” Seeing his wife’s outstanding results, Qin Feng chimed in cheerfully.
Ever since Lin Yanan opened her shop, she had taken over Qin Huan’s tuition and living expenses. She lived with them and contributed to the household expenses. Plus, since both sets of parents were in relatively good health, there were no major medical expenses. So even though Li Xue’s salary had decreased, life at home wasn’t too difficult. He had also long since repaid the 20,000 yuan he’d borrowed from his colleague. Seeing that his wife’s hard work had paid off, Qin Feng decided to splurge a little.
“Then let’s pick a restaurant close to my in-laws’ place. We’ll all get together for a meal and celebrate Li Xue.”
“Alright, let’s go with Mom’s suggestion.”
The two families were getting along harmoniously, and the meal was quite lavish. However, Qin Huan, who had seen the photos on WeChat Moments, wasn’t feeling quite so cheerful.