Shen Juanzhou, who was busy chatting with his fans mid-game, saw a notification from Su He. Initially, he didn’t want to bother with it, but worrying it might actually be something important, he opened the message.
He didn’t want any entanglements with her, but the moment he saw that stir-fried rice noodle dish—still steaming with wok hei in the chef’s pan—his stomach revolted.
Since Su He said she was doing this to pay him back for the instant noodles and water, he figured he would just transfer the money to her. The noodles and water could count as her delivery fee. That way, he wouldn’t owe her a thing.
The more he wanted to eat, the harder the wait became. Shen Juanzhou even caught himself spacing out during the game, wondering why the food hadn’t arrived yet.
As another round ended, he guessed Su He was nearly home, so he didn’t start a new match. Instead, he waited expectantly at his desk. His fans picked up on his distraction immediately.
“The streamer is slacking today.” “Zhou-ge, I want to see your Lan!” “I want to see Li Bai!” “Zhouzhou is still so handsome today~”
The comments scrolled by incessantly, but Shen Juanzhou didn’t give them a second glance.
Click! Finally, there was a sound from the door.
Shen Juanzhou sat up straight. He waited quietly for a moment, assuming Su He would knock on his door as per usual logic. But after waiting a while, his fans saw him sitting motionless on camera.
Vibrate, vibrate— His phone buzzed on the desk. “The stir-fried noodles are on the table.”
Su He had entered the apartment and, figuring Shen Juanzhou was busy, simply left the food by the door. After working all day, she felt sticky and smelled unpleasant. She finally understood why the original owner had rented this apartment; after a day of bitter, exhausting work, coming back to a dirty, cluttered dormitory would make anyone feel like life wasn’t worth living.
Coming out of the shower smelling like fragrant body wash, Su He finally felt her frayed nerves relax. As she sat on the edge of the bed drying her hair, she noticed three missed calls.
The caller ID read: Boyfriend???!!!
If he hadn’t called, she would have forgotten that in the midst of her miserable life, the original owner actually had a boyfriend named Zhang Chi who constantly exploited her.
The original Su He met him when she started working at the restaurant. He was a chef at the bullfrog place next door. In her memories, the guy was decent-looking but had a gambling habit and was always asking her for money. He also suffered from a common male vice: acting like an “alpha” while constantly flirting with other women.
Su He blew at her dripping bangs and called him back. Her voice was chillingly indifferent. “What is it?”
Zhang Chi was stunned. In his memory, Su He had never used that tone with him. Assuming she was just throwing a “girly tantrum,” he didn’t take it seriously and laughed. “Why didn’t you wait for me after work? I’ll take you out to eat.”
“Oh, I was too tired, so I went home first,” Su He said perfunctorily. Spending money on one meal only to have him squeeze ten meals’ worth of cash out of her later? She wasn’t that stupid.
“Is there anything else?” Su He had no patience for his nonsense.
Zhang Chi cleared his throat. “What’s wrong with you today? In a bad mood?”
“Do you have a point?” If not, she was hanging up.
Finally, Zhang Chi revealed his motive. “Xiao He, I’m out eating with some friends and I’m a little short on cash. Transfer me 200 yuan so I can settle the bill. I’ll pay you back tomorrow.”
Su He’s anger hit the ceiling. Xiao He my foot! I knew you weren’t up to any good—asking to ‘borrow’ money again!
“How about you pay me back for all the times I’ve covered for you first?”
Hearing her cold tone and the request for repayment, the man actually got angry. “Su He! Aren’t you being a bit too petty? We’re boyfriend and girlfriend. Isn’t your money my money? Do we really need to keep track of things so clearly?”
Su He exploded. This guy was PUA-ing (manipulating) her!
“I don’t think we need to be boyfriend and girlfriend at all! I’m not willing to spend my money on you! I am petty! I’m informing you now: we’re broken up! Tomorrow, make sure you return every cent you borrowed from me! Otherwise, I don’t mind going to your boss to ask for it!”
Before Zhang Chi could roar back, Su He slammed the phone down.
Was this even a man? What kind of freak? What did she do to deserve such a scumbag!
Su He was so furious she felt like she might ascend to heaven right there in her room. She was already worried to death about money, and he had to add to her stress.
Zhang Chi called back repeatedly. After she rejected the calls, he started a WeChat bombardment. If she wasn’t worried about missing the money if he actually paid her back, she would have blocked him instantly. Finally, she sent a formal text notifying him of the breakup and advising him to pay up. Then, she set him to “Do Not Disturb.”
The lack of money kept Su He from sleeping. She paced her room, tugging at her already thinning hair. She felt wronged—other beautiful women had so many paths in life, so why did it feel like she was at a dead end?
Shen Juanzhou, who had come out to throw away some trash, hadn’t expected to overhear such gossip. It wasn’t that he wanted to eavesdrop, but Su He’s voice was just too loud. She was so angry she was practically screaming. He couldn’t help but hear.
This was the first time he had heard Su He so genuinely furious. In the three months they had lived together, Su He had been like a frightened cat—sneaky, timid, and slightly shifty. She hadn’t seemed very bright and always appeared to have some petty, unpleasant schemes brewing.
Recalling the annoying expressions Su He used to wear, Shen Juanzhou frowned with disgust. He tossed the trash and locked the door behind him.