Shen Juanzhou’s hand tightened slightly around his cup of instant noodles. “You keep it for yourself.”
“I bought it specifically for you,” Su He replied. “I get free meals at the restaurant.”
Su He lifted the bag slightly. “Fine then, I’ll just save it for tomorrow.”
“Give it to me.” Shen Juanzhou’s gaze shifted between the instant noodles and the stir-fried pancake. He looked at Su He with a hint of hesitation.
Su He’s lips curled into a smile. “No need to force yourself~”
Shen Juanzhou’s eyes met Su He’s mischievous gaze. He paused for a moment, then moved to take his instant noodles back into his room.
Su He quickly stopped him. “Hey, hey, hey! Here, take it. You’re so easy to tease!”
Shen Juanzhou turned away, a trace of a smile flickering in the depths of his eyes. He turned back and accepted the bag.
Having accepted a favor, he felt obligated to ask, “The stuff in the living room…”
“Oh,” Su He realized the living room was indeed a bit of a mess. “I’ll clean it up in a bit. I just unpacked everything and haven’t had the chance yet.”
Shen Juanzhou said in a deep voice, “I didn’t say you had to do it right now.”
Su He looked up in surprise. That felt like the longest sentence Shen Juanzhou had ever spoken to her. She smiled. “Oh, okay. Got it. You’re still streaming, right? Go back to work.”
Shen Juanzhou did indeed need to get back. “Mm.”
As Su He sorted her belongings into categories, it suddenly dawned on her—wait, it seemed Shen Juanzhou didn’t lock his door behind him this time.
Could that be considered progress?
It was getting late, nearly midnight. Su He put the organized items into a large plastic bag, clapped the dust off her hands, and headed to the bathroom to shower.
Tomorrow would be the first day of her entrepreneurial venture!
In the morning, she went out for her routine morning run.
Su He made sure to run in the park every day now, no matter how tired she had been the night before. The results were quite noticeable; she could feel her muscles becoming firmer, and her waistline was more defined. Furthermore, her usually pale complexion finally showed a healthy, human glow thanks to her regular meals lately.
Aside from being broke and having a job, Su He actually quite liked her current life.
Today was her day off, which meant no free staff meals. After buying two portions of breakfast, she felt a bit anxious about what to eat for lunch. Eating out every day was expensive and unhealthy.
Su He bought a small electric pot and a bag of frozen dumplings—that would be her lunch for today. Saving money starts with every cent.
Actually, buying food for Shen Juanzhou every day was also an expense. But what could she do? She owed him money!
Even though the original owner had been very frugal with her monthly salary, she inevitably encountered situations where spending was unavoidable. Consequently, when it came time to pay the rent last month, she was 700 yuan short.
The original owner had no relatives or friends here, and her family back home had no spare cash. She didn’t want her parents to worry, either; if they knew she wasn’t making money out here, they would surely force her to come home and get married. That wasn’t the life she wanted.
In the end, she had to swallow her pride and knock on Shen Juanzhou’s door. Without any judgment or many words, Shen Juanzhou had simply transferred the money to her.
But the feeling of being in debt was unpleasant; it always felt like she was a head shorter than him. The original owner had wanted to pay him back as soon as possible, but she had taken the pills before her next paycheck arrived.
Su He would settle this debt.
The original owner had left behind less than 370 yuan. Yesterday, Su He had managed to get 1,000 yuan back from Zhang Chi, but she had spent 710. Scraping everything together, she had exactly 660 yuan.
It was a long road ahead, but she would clear the debt as quickly as possible.
Su He placed the breakfast on the table, sent a quick message, and headed back to her room. Since she hadn’t practiced her “old trade” in a while, she felt a bit out of practice and wanted to do some reviewing in private.
By noon, she didn’t even need to check the time; her stomach provided the notification. She went out, washed the small pot she had bought that morning, and tossed the dumplings in.
With dumplings on the way, she found herself craving a side of vinegar and chili oil, but unfortunately, the house was completely bare. Forget it, she thought.
Su He looked toward the sound.
Shen Juanzhou was emerging from his room. He looked like he had just woken up; a few tufts of hair were sticking up at odd angles. Handsome people really do look good regardless of the circumstances, even in just a simple T-shirt and sweatpants.
She watched him stretch and squint at the sunlight flooding the living room for a moment. It took him a few seconds to snap out of it and notice Su He in the kitchen.
Su He smiled. “Morning!”
Shen Juanzhou stood up straight, shook off the remaining sleepiness, and nodded. Perhaps feeling he was being too cold, he added, “Morning.”
“Are you off today?”
Su He stirred the dumplings in the pot with a spoon. “Yeah, a hard-earned day off.” She glanced at the half-bag of dumplings sitting on the counter and then at Shen Juanzhou. “Want some? They’re frozen ones.”
She lifted the bag to show him. Shen Juanzhou hesitated for a second. “Then… sorry for the trouble.”
In the past, he would sleep until he woke up hungry, roll over to sleep more, and then finally drag himself out at noon when he couldn’t take it anymore. He’d eat a bite, nap again, and then prepare for his stream.
But over the last few days, he had developed a new habit: waking up, checking the table by the door for food, and then having a comfortable post-breakfast sleep.
Since Su He was busy at the stove, Shen Juanzhou didn’t want to just stand around. “Need any help?”
Su He glanced at the pot. “Could you grab your own bowl and chopsticks? I don’t have any spares.”
“Oh, okay.”
Su He’s set was decent enough—a ceramic bowl and the wooden chopsticks she used regularly. Shen Juanzhou’s setup, however, was much simpler: his chopsticks were still in their plastic wrapper—clearly leftovers from a takeout order—and his “bowl” was just an old instant noodle bucket.
Su He found it a bit funny. Since they lacked a proper serving dish, she simply drained the water and placed the pot in the middle of the table. “We’ll have to make do!”
However, with the aroma of hot dumplings filling the room, neither of them cared much about the presentation. Shen Juanzhou waited for Su He to sit before taking the seat opposite her.
Su He scooped a few into her bowl and handed him the spoon. “Here.” Without waiting, she started eating.
She had bought a variety pack: leek and pork, cabbage and pork, and celery and pork. To Su He, they tasted average—after all, she ate freshly cooked meals from professional chefs at the restaurant every day.
But for Shen Juanzhou, who spent his life rotating between takeout and instant noodles, the rare taste of a hot meal cooked right in the apartment felt exceptionally different.
By the time Su He had finished two or three, Shen Juanzhou had polished off a large bowl, eating them in single bites. Su He slowed down, looking up to watch him eat.
It was a pleasant sight. The warm sunlight traced a soft golden border around him, softening his usually indifferent features. Su He scooped a few more for herself and pushed the pot toward him. “You finish the rest.”
Shen Juanzhou paused. “You’re only eating that many?”
“Yeah, frozen ones aren’t that great.”
Shen Juanzhou understood. Once the meal was over, he didn’t wait for her to ask; he gathered the dishes and headed to the kitchen to wash them.
Su He smiled. She checked the time—it was about right. She said goodbye to Shen Juanzhou, picked up a large plastic luggage bag, and headed out.