Zhou Jinyuan glanced at her leg. “The doctor said your leg can’t get wet.”
Lin Wangxi’s face fell as she looked at him pitifully. “But I feel really uncomfortable.”
“Can you wash yourself?”
“Of course I can. It’s just my leg that’s injured, not my hands.”
“…Alright.”
Zhou Jinyuan finished clearing the dishes, went to the kitchen to wash them, and came back out.
He said to Lin Wangxi, “I’ll go buy you some clothes to change into.”
Lin Wangxi made an OK gesture and replied with a smile, “Okay.”
Zhou Jinyuan turned and walked out, but after a couple of steps, he turned back and said, “Next time the bank calls, don’t answer.”
“Oh, okay. But why are they calling me?”
Zhou Jinyuan paused. “Sorry. My contacts were leaked.”
Lin Wangxi didn’t quite understand, but she still nodded. “Got it. It’s fine. I just won’t answer next time.”
Zhou Jinyuan gave a quiet “mm,” then turned and opened the door.
Only to find a man standing outside.
“Oh, what a coincidence. I was just about to knock. I’ve got some news for you.”
As he spoke, Lin Wangxi saw a man walk in.
He was about the same age as Zhou Jinyuan, wearing a blue T-shirt. His naturally curly hair looked fluffy, almost like wool.
Lin Wangxi recognized him—his name was Fang Man.
Zhou Jinyuan tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Fang Man stepped inside, and when he saw Lin Wangxi sitting on the sofa, he stopped in his tracks. The smile on his face stiffened.
The two of them awkwardly looked at each other for two seconds.
Fang Man was the first to recover. He smiled and greeted her, “Miss Lin, you’re here too.”
As he said that, he glanced at Zhou Jinyuan, as if asking why he hadn’t mentioned it earlier.
Hearing the words “Miss Lin” felt a bit jarring to Lin Wangxi. Still, she forced herself to wave at him as a greeting.
Zhou Jinyuan said, “Let’s talk outside.”
Fang Man nodded apologetically to Lin Wangxi. “Uh, I need to discuss something with Brother Yuan.”
After saying that, he hurried out.
The people around Zhou Jinyuan generally didn’t like interacting with Lin Wangxi.
She used to act aloof and superior. Several times before, when they greeted her, she barely responded.
They all had their pride, and after a while, they stopped trying to talk to her—it felt like they were fawning over her.
Before the team disbanded, someone had said something harsh to Zhou Jinyuan.
“Now that someone wants to buy this patent, what are you holding out for? Are we all supposed to starve waiting for this half-finished project that might never be completed? You, Zhou Jinyuan, have a rich woman supporting you—we don’t!”
It was that sentence that made Zhou Jinyuan agree to sell the patent they had worked on for five years.
After keeping aside money for his younger sister’s treatment, he distributed the rest to everyone.
But the bulk of the debt remained on him. He alone had spent five years, only to end up buried in debt.
Fang Man looked at him with some sympathy.
Zhou Jinyuan closed the door behind him, ignoring the look. “What did you come for?”
Fang Man scratched his head, his gaze shifting uneasily. “A friend of mine took on a project and asked if I could do it. I thought… Brother Yuan, you’d definitely be able to handle it.”
“What is it?”
“A new type of artificial joint. It’s much simpler than the vascular imaging device we worked on before. And, well… you need money right now too, don’t you?”
Zhou Jinyuan thought for a moment, then asked, “How much?”
Fang Man awkwardly held up two fingers.
Zhou Jinyuan nodded. “Two hundred thousand? We can take it.”
“…Not that much.”
“Twenty thousand?” Zhou Jinyuan considered briefly. “If they provide the materials themselves, it’s acceptable.”
Fang Man’s expression grew even more strange. He coughed lightly. “Not that either, Brother Yuan. It’s two thousand—and they want it done within a month.”
“……”
Fang Man grabbed his arm. “Come on, Brother Yuan, just think about it. They’ll provide the materials, and it’s still two thousand! You’re even considering doing ride-hailing work now—what’s there you can’t do?”
Zhou Jinyuan lowered his gaze and remained silent.
Fang Man waited for more than ten seconds before Zhou Jinyuan finally spoke. “Your friend probably got at least two hundred thousand for this, and only passed two thousand to you. Is he really your friend?”
Fang Man gave a bitter smile. “It was introduced by a friend. I don’t even know the middleman well. But we don’t have a choice right now, do we? We’re all short on money. We don’t have the luxury to pick and choose. Even a mosquito’s leg is still meat.”
Zhou Jinyuan didn’t reply. He instinctively glanced at the tightly shut door, as if he could see the woman sitting on the sofa inside through it.
After a long while, he finally spoke, sounding resigned. “Take it.”
Fang Man was surprised. He had expected to get scolded, not to persuade him so easily.
Truthfully, when he heard the two-thousand offer, he had almost cursed. Split among three people, it would only be a little over six hundred each. It wasn’t nothing, but it felt like an insult.
Still, given their current situation, he had no choice but to come discuss it with Zhou Jinyuan.
“Alright!” Fang Man nodded firmly.
Although their team had disbanded, three of them remained. They could still handle regular R&D work, even if it would be tough.
Who would have thought that such a large subsidiary company would go bankrupt?
The worst part was that Zhou Jinyuan had signed both a performance agreement and a non-compete agreement with them.
The investment from the subsidiary was gone, but the contract had been signed with the parent company, leaving them stuck.
Because of that, Zhou Jinyuan wouldn’t be able to work in the same industry for five years.
Otherwise, with his ability, he could easily earn over a million a year at any company.
By calculation, he still had to endure another year and a half.
Noticing Zhou Jinyuan’s gaze, Fang Man also subconsciously glanced toward the door.
He lowered his voice and asked, “Brother Yuan, why is that young lady staying with you?”
“That’s none of your business,” Zhou Jinyuan said, withdrawing his gaze. Then he suddenly added, “Do you have any money? Lend me twenty thousand.”
Fang Man froze. “That much? What do you need it for?”
“Do you have it or not?”
Fang Man shook his head. “No. I only have five thousand. Do you want it?”
“Give it to me.”
Fang Man took out his phone to transfer the money, but Zhou Jinyuan pressed down his hand.
“Don’t transfer it. It’ll be automatically deducted.”
Fang Man rolled his eyes. “I’ll send it through WeChat. It won’t be deducted there.”
Zhou Jinyuan looked doubtful. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’ll send it to you—see for yourself.”
Fang Man transferred the money and watched as Zhou Jinyuan received it. “See? I told you it wouldn’t be deducted.”
Zhou Jinyuan nodded, slipped his phone into his pocket, and then asked, “Do you know any decent women’s clothing stores nearby?”
Fang Man looked at him strangely, then glanced toward the room.
“Brother Yuan… who are you buying for? Don’t tell me it’s for her. Would she even like anything you buy?”