Chu Jinhan stared at her for a long moment before finally swinging his long legs up and settling onto the electric bike.
He started the throttle, and the bike moved forward slowly.
Their unusual riding arrangement drew a lot of attention from pedestrians.
Even Song Yunfei, thick-skinned as she was, felt a little overwhelmed by so many eyes on them. She silently covered her face, hiding it from view.
Chu Jinhan occasionally glanced down at her.
All he could see was the back of her fair neck, a few stray strands of hair sticking to her skin, and a thin sheen of sweat.
Waiting at a traffic light, Song Yunfei felt a warm breath near her ear.
Thinking someone was bothering her, she turned—only to lock eyes with a Samoyed dog.
The fluffy dog wagged its tail, tongue lolling, as if she were a kindred spirit.
It was perched on another person’s electric bike, mirroring her position, the bike almost the same color.
Song Yunfei twitched her lips in disbelief.
While the owner wasn’t paying attention, she reached out and patted the dog’s head.
The dog eagerly leaned in and licked her face.
Song Yunfei instinctively turned her head, only to bump into Chu Jinhan’s seat—hers and his.
His expression darkened. He put a hand on the back of her head. “Don’t move.”
She glanced at him and saw the sharp, warning look in his eyes.
Silently, she drew back and squatted obediently, ignoring the Samoyed.
“小宋。”
A voice came from the left. Song Yunfei turned her head to look.
A woman sat in the passenger seat of a BMW. She looked familiar, though Yunfei couldn’t place her immediately.
Song Yunfei mumbled a greeting. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Really is you.”
The woman seemed to be in her late twenties, attractive, wearing business attire.
She looked down at Song Yunfei, then cast a glance at Chu Jinhan behind her, a faint, hard-to-interpret emotion in her eyes.
“This your boyfriend?”
Song Yunfei caught the condescension behind that gaze: Handsome, but riding a beat-up electric bike. Young, but no money—what’s the point?
Yunfei, however, didn’t flinch. She nodded calmly. “Yes.”
“He’s a delivery guy?”
“Part-time,” she answered honestly, with no hint of the insecurity the woman might have wanted.
“Alright then,” the woman replied, clearly unimpressed.
Chu Jinhan, however, noticed. He stayed silent on the bike, hands gripping the handlebars tighter.
The contrast between the woman flaunting her BMW and Yunfei squatting below him was striking.
Soon, the light turned green, and the bike moved again.
The small city had its advantages—traffic was flexible, a mix of cars and electric bikes weaving freely.
But the battery on this bike was weak. Two days without charging, and with only two kilometers left, it died halfway.
Both of them got off and stared at the motionless bike, exchanging a glance.
Yunfei shrugged. “No choice. Let’s push it back.”
Chu Jinhan walked ahead, Yunfei pushed from behind. Within minutes, they were both sweating profusely.
“Sorry to trouble you,” he said suddenly.
Yunfei thought she was hallucinating. “What did you say?”
He turned to her, eyes serious. “I’m poor, and I have a lot of enemies. Yet you still choose to follow me and endure this… I’ve let you suffer.”
She saw the sincerity—and a hint of hurt—in his eyes.
Her hands trembled, her heart fluttered.
She wanted to say, Big shot, you’re not poor! You’re the president of Yan Jin Group! How could you be poor?
But she didn’t dare. Saying it might put her life at risk—figuratively speaking.
She forced a smile. “I’m not suffering. Our poverty is temporary. We’ll have everything eventually. I believe in you.”
“Really?”
She nodded like a little chick pecking at grains. “Really. You’re a returnee! Once things settle down, you’ll get a job at a big company. With your skills, a million-yuan annual salary will be a piece of cake!”
Chu Jinhan’s gaze pierced hers, as if trying to see through her completely.
As she felt the intensity, a chill ran down her spine.
Finally, he spoke slowly, “I don’t even remember what I studied.”
Yunfei clenched her fists, encouraging him, cheering him on. “That doesn’t matter! You may have lost your memory, but your abilities are still there. If I say you can do it, then you can!”
He said nothing more, withdrawing his gaze, and continued pushing the bike forward.
Yunfei let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Across the street, a low-profile Mercedes was parked.
Inside sat a woman in a black long dress, her curled hair cascading down her back. She was stunning, with an icy elegance.
In the driver’s seat was another woman, slightly more striking, with sharp, spirited features.
“That bastard is really here. Nan Nan, should we catch him?”
Nan Nan watched them walk away, then spoke in a calm voice, emotionless.
“No need. If he enjoys this simple life so much, let him stay.”
She clenched her fingers, a flash of hatred in her eyes.
Chu Jinhan… I want to see if you’re still this happy once you know who she really is.
By the time they got everything home, Song Yunfei collapsed on the sofa, exhausted.
After walking two kilometers in the scorching heat, she was drenched.
She watched Chu Jinhan, busy moving the fridge. He was equally sweaty; his back was soaked.
When he bent over, she could see the skin beneath his shirt.
Soon, the fridge was plugged in and running normally.
Yunfei caressed it, sighing. “Perfect. Now we don’t have to worry about the food spoiling.”
Chu Jinhan glanced at her.
Seeing her so happy over a fridge made his expression more complex.
Yet deep down, he felt a strange emptiness.
Even now, so poor, these things didn’t seem valuable to him.
Even hearing about millions of yuan left him unmoved, as if he had once possessed it.
Sometimes, he wondered if he really had high ambitions.
Like those people online who claim millions are pocket change, even if they have nothing in their bank.
Yunfei noticed his unusual mood and asked, “What’s wrong?”
He looked at her, then suddenly asked, “If I stay poor like this forever, would you still follow me?”
She froze. Uh-oh. He’s clearly been rattled by that woman and is questioning life now.
She cleared her throat, raised a hand, and patted his shoulder.
“Don’t think so much. I told you—you’ll succeed, I know it!”
His gaze remained sharp, unyielding. Clearly, her reassurance wasn’t enough.
Her smile slowly faded.
She suddenly wondered… if she started looking down on him for being poor, would he break up with her?