Only Lu Changfu and Song Liyuan remained in the private dining room.
“Brother Lu.” Song Liyuan suddenly leaned closer, making the scent of her perfume even stronger. “Actually, I’ve been wanting to ask you something… Do you have a girlfriend?”
Lu Changfu’s heart tightened.
“Why are you asking that?”
“I’m just curious.” Song Liyuan tilted her head, her eyes curving into crescent moons. “A man as outstanding as you must have lots of girls pursuing you.”
“Not at the moment,” Lu Changfu said.
He wasn’t lying. Chen Lili really wasn’t his girlfriend.
Song Liyuan’s eyes lit up even more.
“That’s great!”
“What’s so great about it?”
“Because…” She deliberately dragged out the words. “I like you.”
So straightforward…
Lu Changfu froze.
In his twenty-eight years of life, this was the first time a girl had directly told him that she liked him—and she was a beautiful girl at that.
“You’ve had too much to drink,” he said.
“I haven’t.”
Song Liyuan looked at him seriously.
“I’ve liked you since the first time we met. You’re different from the others, Brother Lu. You’re down-to-earth, talented, and you don’t show off.”
Her hand reached across from under the table and gently held Lu Changfu’s hand.
His palm began to sweat.
He wanted to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t help enjoying the soft touch.
“What about Zhao Feng…”
“I don’t like Zhao Feng.”
Song Liyuan answered without hesitation.
“He’s too restless. I like someone like you.”
Footsteps approached.
Song Liyuan quickly withdrew her hand, sat upright, and casually picked up some food with her chopsticks.
Zhao Feng returned and drunkenly sat down.
“What were you two talking about?”
“We were talking about Brother Lu’s novels.” Song Liyuan smiled. “They’re really interesting.”
The meal lasted for more than two hours.
When it was time to pay, Zhao Feng hurriedly offered to settle the bill, but he was a little slow reaching for his wallet.
Lu Changfu took out his card.
“Let me.”
The bill came to 2,188 yuan.
Without even blinking, Lu Changfu swiped his card and signed the receipt.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Song Liyuan’s eyes light up even more.
After leaving the restaurant, a gust of cold wind blew over, sobering Zhao Feng up considerably.
He put his arm around Lu Changfu’s shoulder.
“Brother, thanks! I’ll treat you next time!”
Song Liyuan stood nearby waiting for her ride-hailing car.
When her car arrived, she looked back at Lu Changfu before getting in, her gaze carrying a meaningful hint.
Lu Changfu returned to the dormitory after eight o’clock.
He took a shower and lay down on his bed.
His phone vibrated.
It was a WeChat message from Song Liyuan.
“Brother Lu, are you home?”
“Yeah.”
“I had such a great time today~ You’re even more charming than I imagined.”
She attached a selfie.
She was sitting on the sofa at home, wearing pajamas with a low neckline.
Lu Changfu stared at the photo for several seconds before replying:
“Get some rest early.”
“I can’t sleep~ I want to chat with you.”
Another photo followed, this time a close-up of her long, smooth legs.
Lu Changfu’s throat felt a little dry.
He put down his phone and walked over to the window.
Outside, the factory lights were scattered sparsely across the grounds.
The lights in Room 204 of the women’s dormitory were still on.
That was Chen Lili’s room.
He remembered the look in Chen Lili’s eyes when she rejected him that afternoon—cold and distant.
Then he remembered Song Liyuan pressing against his leg under the table, holding his hand, and telling him she liked him.
One kept him at arm’s length, while the other was passionate and enthusiastic.
One needed to be paid to pretend to be his girlfriend, while the other was willingly throwing herself at him.
His phone vibrated again.
Song Liyuan had sent him a voice message.
“Brother Lu, are you free next weekend? I know a really great Japanese restaurant in Tianhe. I’ll take you there~”
Her voice was sweet to the point of being almost cloying.
Lu Changfu typed:
“Sure.”
Send.
He walked over to the mirror and looked at himself.
An ordinary face, an ordinary height—the kind of person who would disappear into a crowd without anyone noticing.
In the past, whenever he went on blind dates, most girls would lose interest after asking about his job and income.
But now?
Because he was “rich.”
Because he had “made it big.”
Did Song Liyuan really like him for who he was? Or did she like the money he might have?
He didn’t know.
But at least, being liked by someone felt really good.
Even if it might not be real.
On Sunday, Lu Changfu slept until noon before waking up.
When he opened his phone, he found seven or eight voice messages from his mother, all about “Lili.”
What foods did she like? What did she avoid eating? What should the family prepare for the New Year?
Lu Changfu listened to them one by one, his heart growing heavy.
He sent Chen Lili a WeChat message.
“My mom asked what kind of food you like.”
Half an hour later, Chen Lili replied:
“Anything.”
“You must have some preference, right? Otherwise, we’ll easily get caught.”
“…I don’t eat spicy food.”
“Okay.”
That was the end of their conversation.
After thinking for a while, Lu Changfu sent another message.
“Don’t take what I said yesterday to heart. I was just… impulsive.”
Chen Lili didn’t reply.
That afternoon, Lu Changfu stayed in the dormitory and worked on his novels.
His inspiration had returned. He wrote 5,000 words in one sitting.
After updating his novel, he checked the statistics on the author’s backend.
The book was doing pretty well, with tens of thousands of online readers.
Without the system, he could still make a decent living through writing alone.
But with the system…
He opened his banking app.
Balance: 1,080,472.21 yuan.
The month wasn’t even over yet. The system had said it would give him 100,000 yuan at the end of the month.
If he could keep this up…
His phone rang.
It was Song Liyuan.
“Brother Lu! I’m near your factory. Do you want to come out for afternoon tea?”
Her voice was as sweet as ever.
Lu Changfu glanced at the time.
3:10 p.m.
“Sure. Where?”
“I’ll send you my location.”
Half an hour later, Lu Changfu met Song Liyuan at a teahouse.
She was wearing a pink sweater paired with a white short skirt, her long hair falling over her shoulders. She looked several years younger than her actual age.
“Brother Lu!”
She waved at him.
Two cups of coffee and an exquisite little cake had already been ordered on the table.
Lu Changfu sat down.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just got here too.”
Song Liyuan pushed the cake toward him.
“I ordered this for you. It’s their specialty.”
“Thanks.”
Song Liyuan rested her chin on her hand and looked at him.
“Brother Lu, is writing novels really mentally exhausting? You look like you’ve lost weight.”
“It’s fine.”
“You should eat more nutritious food.”
She spoke seriously.
“How about I bring you food every day from now on? There’s a really good soup place near our store.”
“No need to trouble yourself.”
“It’s no trouble!”
Song Liyuan’s eyes curved into a smile.
“I like taking care of people.”
They chatted for half an hour.
Song Liyuan was very good at finding things to talk about, jumping from astrology to movies, and from food to travel.
She said her biggest dream was to open her own clothing store, but she needed 300,000 yuan in startup capital. After saving for five years, she had only managed to save 100,000 yuan.
“Take it slowly,” Lu Changfu said.
“Yeah.”
Song Liyuan nodded, her eyes dimming slightly.
“It’s just… sometimes it feels really exhausting. I’m alone here in Guangzhou, with no connections or family background. I have to rely on myself for everything.”
Her fingers unconsciously stirred her coffee.
“Recently, my landlord even wanted to raise the rent. Another 200 yuan a month. I did the math, and either I have to move somewhere cheaper or… find a boyfriend to share the rent with.”
After saying this, she looked up at Lu Changfu, and something flashed briefly in her eyes.
Lu Changfu drank his coffee without responding.
When they left the café, Song Liyuan “accidentally” twisted her ankle.
Lu Changfu quickly caught her.
“Thank you, Brother Lu…”
She leaned against him without immediately standing back up.
Lu Changfu could smell her perfume and the fragrance of her shampoo. Her body was soft.
“Are you okay?”
“My foot hurts a little…” Song Liyuan frowned. “I might have twisted it.”
Lu Changfu helped her over to a bench by the roadside.
“Do you want to go to the hospital?”
“No, no. I’ll be fine after resting for a while.”
Song Liyuan waved her hand, then looked at him.
“Brother Lu, you’re really such a good person.”
Her eyes were watery, like a little deer.
Something stirred deep inside Lu Changfu.
After putting Song Liyuan into a taxi, Lu Changfu walked back to the factory.
When he reached the dormitory building, he looked up.
The window of Room 204 was open, and that cream-colored sweater was hanging on the drying rack.
He stood there for a while before returning to his room.
That evening, his mother made a video call.
Lu Changfu adjusted his expression before answering.
“Son! Have you eaten?”
Peng Jiali’s face appeared on the screen. The background was their home kitchen, where she was washing dishes.
“I have. What about you, Mom?”
“I just finished.”
Peng Jiali wiped her hands and leaned closer to the screen.
“Is Lili there? Mom wants to talk to her for a bit.”
Lu Changfu’s heart sank. “She… she’s taking a shower.”
“Oh, okay.” Peng Jiali sounded a little disappointed. “Never mind. Oh, right, Mom wanted to ask—what do Lili’s parents do? Shouldn’t we arrange a time to meet them?”
“Mom, there’s really no need to rush.” Lu Changfu tried to make his voice sound relaxed. “I’ll bring her home during the New Year so you can meet her first. As for her parents… we can take it slowly.”
“How can we take it slowly?” Peng Jiali became anxious. “You’re already twenty-eight! That girl is young. What if…”
“Mom!” Lu Changfu raised his voice. “I know what I’m doing!”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.
Peng Jiali’s voice softened. “Alright, Mom won’t pressure you. It’s just… I’m afraid you’ll miss out on a good girl.”
After hanging up, the system notification sounded:
[Parents’ happiness level is stable. However, ongoing “marriage pressure” has been detected, which may affect their long-term happiness. The host is advised to advance the relationship as soon as possible.]
Lu Changfu gave a bitter smile.
Advance the relationship? How was he supposed to do that? Chen Lili was completely unwilling to budge, while Song Liyuan was being proactive, but…
His phone vibrated.
Song Liyuan sent him a message:
“Brother Lu, I’m home~ I had a great time today. Thank you for the coffee and for caring about me.”
A moment later, she sent another photo. She was at home wearing a face mask and dressed in pajamas.
Lu Changfu stared at the photo for a few seconds before turning off his phone.
He opened his document, wanting to write something, but his mind was a complete mess.
Outside the window, the night grew darker, and the lights in the factory went out one by one…
Only the light in the women’s dormitory room 204 remained on, like a lonely star in the darkness.
Lu Changfu remembered how, a year ago, he had also been writing novels in the dormitory like this, occasionally looking up at that window.
Back then, he earned only four or five thousand yuan a month. He didn’t dare think about dating or buying a house. All he dared to do was build his own world inside his novels.
But now?
Now he had one million yuan and two women—one he wanted but couldn’t have, and another who had willingly come to him, yet he didn’t dare accept.
He remembered what Chen Lili had said:
“So what if you have money?”
Then he remembered what Song Liyuan had said:
“I like you.”
Which one was real? Which one was fake?
He didn’t know.
He only knew that this one million yuan had changed everything, yet it had also trapped him in an even bigger dilemma.
The night grew late.
Lu Changfu shut down his computer and lay down on his bed.
He still had to go to work tomorrow. The factory hadn’t gone bankrupt yet, and life had to go on.