Song Kening walked over and sat down without saying anything.
Lu Zhiyu stopped typing and turned to look at her.
“How did it go?”
Song Kening shook her head, her voice sounding a little dejected.
“I asked around. All the sales positions require at least a college diploma, and they even check your academic records on the spot.”
Lu Zhiyu remained silent.
Ever since elementary school, Song Kening had been obsessed with dressing up, getting into trouble, and refusing to study. No matter how many times she was taught, she never changed. That was why the Song family had become so disappointed in her.
Song Kening sighed and leaned against the wall.
“I was thinking… maybe I can only look for jobs at small privately owned shops in the alleys. Rice noodle shops, fast-food places, things like that. Their requirements are probably less strict, and maybe they won’t check education records.”
“Don’t go.”
Lu Zhiyu’s voice suddenly sounded.
His tone was calm, but for some reason, it carried an unmistakable finality.
Song Kening turned to look at him.
Lu Zhiyu didn’t look at her. His eyes remained fixed on his phone screen.
“Didn’t we already agree? I’ll make the money. You take care of everything at home.”
Song Kening opened her mouth.
“You don’t need to be upset.”
His voice was slightly softer this time.
“That’s just how society is now. Without an education, you can’t even get hired as a cleaner.”
Song Kening knew he was telling the truth.
A diploma was the key that opened the door to employment.
She leaned against the wall and watched the people coming and going around the mall.
There were young women carrying shopping bags, young mothers pushing baby strollers, and young couples holding hands.
Everyone looked so relaxed, as if life were something easy for them.
“I just wanted to help a little,” she said quietly. “It’s too tiring for you to carry everything by yourself.”
Lu Zhiyu’s fingers paused.
A few seconds later, he said in a deep voice, “I’m not tired.”
Song Kening glanced at him.
His head was lowered, his bangs falling over half of his eyebrows. His nose was straight and his jawline sharp.
From the side, his face showed almost no emotion, as though he genuinely didn’t feel tired.
But yesterday, when she saw him lifting the air-conditioner outdoor unit onto the metal rack, the veins on his arms had bulged visibly.
She looked away and picked up the mineral water bottle beside her.
How could he possibly not be tired?
Song Kening didn’t know what else to say, so she unscrewed the cap and handed the bottle to him.
“Drink some water.”
Lu Zhiyu took it, drank a sip, and handed it back.
He put his phone down and stretched his fingers.
He had already been typing for nearly three hours.
“Do you want to take a break?” Song Kening asked.
“No.”
Lu Zhiyu picked up his phone again.
“Give me another hour and I’ll finish the core module.”
Song Kening had no idea what a core module was, but judging from his tone, things seemed to be progressing well.
“Then keep working. I won’t disturb you.”
She pulled out her earphones from the canvas bag and opened Douyin Lite, where she could earn coins from watching videos and exchange them for cash.
Since she was going to watch videos anyway, she searched for:
“Money-saving tips for daily life!”
Lu Zhiyu glanced sideways at her.
The light from the screen illuminated her face. Her eyes were fixed on the video without blinking, her expression extremely focused.
He looked away and continued typing.
Around five in the afternoon, it was time for dinner.
Many people had either gone home or headed upstairs to the restaurants, so the seating area in the atrium had emptied considerably.
Song Kening checked the time.
“It’s about time. Let’s go home and make dinner.”
Lu Zhiyu saved his code, exited the program, and put his phone away.
The two stood up.
Song Kening put the power bank and charging cables back into her canvas bag, then capped the empty mineral water bottle and put that inside too.
They crossed the pedestrian bridge and headed toward the urban village.
The food stalls at the entrance of the alley were already setting up for the evening.
A female stall owner was squatting by the roadside washing river snails while water flowed loudly from a hose.
Song Kening stopped briefly at a fruit stall and glanced at the price of lychees.
Thirteen yuan per jin.
She immediately looked away and continued walking.
Lu Zhiyu tilted the umbrella toward her.
Lu Zhiyu spent two weeks completing the low-level driver for the smart-home central control system.
For those two weeks, from morning until night, aside from eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom, he spent almost all his time hunched over that tiny screen, typing with his fingers.
Watching him work like that made Song Kening both anxious and heartbroken.
But there was nothing she could do to help.
The small restaurants in the alley were mostly run by couples or entire families. After all, they couldn’t afford to hire employees.
The only thing she could do was make different meals every day.
Whenever the affordable supermarket had discounted vegetables, she bought whatever was on sale.
She would buy five yuan worth of pork shoulder, have it minced, and make steamed pork patties.
Her occasional luxury was buying a piece of pork bone to make soup.
After two weeks, Lu Zhiyu had visibly lost weight.
His eye sockets looked deeper, and his jawline had become even sharper.
“It’s delivered.”
He placed his phone on the table.
There was a hint of relief in his voice that was almost impossible to notice.
Song Kening was washing dishes in the kitchen.
When she heard those two words, she didn’t even rinse the soap from her hands before running out.
“Delivered? Has it been approved?”
“We’re waiting for the platform to review it. Usually, it takes three working days.”
Song Kening dried her hands and hurried over to look at his phone.
The platform displayed:
Project delivered. Awaiting review.
A small icon beside it was spinning.
“Fifty thousand yuan.”
She whispered it once, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from rising.
“Once the 50,000 yuan arrives, we can buy a thin mattress. The bamboo mat we’re sleeping on is too hard.”
“We should also get you a pair of shoes. Those leather shoes aren’t convenient for going out. And—”
“Let’s wait until the money arrives.”
Lu Zhiyu interrupted her.
His tone was calm, but the corners of his lips moved slightly.
Song Kening giggled twice and turned back to the kitchen to continue washing dishes.
The sound of running water filled the room.
She hummed a song, completely off-key.
Lu Zhiyu sat at the folding table.
Listening to her off-key singing mixed with the sound of running water, he leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes.
Three days later, Lu Zhiyu’s phone vibrated.
A notification from the platform popped up.
He opened it.
His expression instantly darkened.
Song Kening was collecting clothes by the window.
Seeing something wrong with his expression, she put down the clothes and walked over.
“What happened?”
Lu Zhiyu handed her the phone.
On the screen was an official message from the platform.
The title was highlighted in red:
“Funds Frozen Notification.”
The message read:
Dear user, regarding the project you submitted (Project No. XXXX), the platform has received a report concerning the compliance of its technical source. In accordance with the relevant agreement, the project reward has been temporarily frozen. Please provide proof of the originality of the technology within seven working days. Failure to do so will result in the case entering arbitration.
After reading it, Song Kening’s head began to buzz.
“How could the money be frozen? Didn’t your previous assets just get frozen? You weren’t declared a dishonest debtor. What does that have to do with this?”
Lu Zhiyu leaned back in his chair.
His voice was ice-cold.
“Zhou Yuqing did it.”
“How did he know you were working on this project? And what reason did he use to report you?”
“He doesn’t need to know what project I’m working on.”
“He only needs to monitor several major technology platforms. As soon as an account bearing my name or connected to me shows any activity, he can report it immediately.”
Song Kening froze.
“All of NEX’s technical patents and software copyrights were registered and protected under the company’s name.”
As he spoke, a mocking curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“The company belongs to Zhou Yuqing now. He can use NEX’s name to report me, claiming that even while I’m under investigation, I’m still stealing and reproducing the company’s core technology.”
“To avoid taking any risks, the platform will naturally freeze the funds first.”
He spoke casually, as though he were talking about someone else’s affairs.
But Song Kening noticed that his fingers were clenched tightly.
His knuckles had turned white.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But what could she say?
That Zhou Yuqing was a bastard?
That was far too mild.
That everything would be fine?
How could it possibly be fine?
Two weeks.
Two entire weeks.
From morning until night, he had hunched over that tiny computer screen, typing line after line of code.
His fingers had become swollen.
His eyes were bloodshot from staying up late.
After finally completing and delivering the project, one report was enough to freeze everything he’d worked for.