Su Nuo saw how carefully Jiang Jingye usually spent money.
But now, just so he could get along well with his colleagues, she had given him a full thousand yuan without hesitation.
What did a thousand yuan mean?
It was probably enough to buy everything in this entire room combined.
And it still might not even reach that amount.
Seeing his darkened expression, Su Nuo thought he was dissatisfied with the amount and sighed.
“I know you used to spend tens of thousands on a single meal, but things are different now. Our monthly living budget is limited. How about this, I’ll add another two hundred…”
“No need.”
Before she could finish, Jiang Jingye interrupted her.
“The company provides meals. I don’t have anything to spend money on. Save it for yourself.”
Su Nuo froze.
“That won’t do. You can’t not have any money on you.”
She was also worried he would not be able to adjust to this kind of hardship, worried he might keep spending recklessly, so she insisted on giving him the cash so he could feel the weight of money in hand.
Jiang Jingye said calmly, “I’ll get my salary next month.”
But Su Nuo was firm and insisted he take the thousand yuan.
In the end, he could not win against her and accepted it.
Only those few bills felt strangely hot in his pocket.
A pot of rice.
Jiang Jingye ate most of it.
Su Nuo had a small appetite to begin with.
And she had also drunk milk tea.
By the end, there was still some left in her bowl.
Jiang Jingye got up and cleaned the dishes.
Su Nuo leaned casually against the bed, sipping her milk tea.
She watched him washing and rinsing in the small bathroom.
His sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong forearms.
His long, well defined fingers cleaned the dishes carefully and methodically.
Su Nuo could not help but sigh.
Those hands used to sign deals worth millions or tens of millions.
Now they were washing dishes in this cramped bathroom.
What a waste.
But it did not matter.
She believed in his ability.
Rebuilding his career was only a matter of time.
After washing the dishes, they went to the supermarket again.
They bought a simple range hood.
And picked up food for breakfast.
“We can only get bread and milk for now. There’s no fridge at home, so frozen dumplings or buns won’t last. But bread is fine. We still have eggs and some lettuce. I’ll make sandwiches for you tomorrow morning.”
As they walked, Su Nuo kept talking.
Passing the appliance section, she carefully looked at the prices of different refrigerators.
The four door ones were too wide, the double door ones too tall.
After searching for a while, she finally spotted a small single door model.
It fit perfectly into the empty space beside the wardrobe.
One thousand eight hundred and eighty eight yuan, not cheap, but not outrageous either.
“When your job stabilizes a bit more, and I find something suitable too, we can think about buying a fridge.”
Hearing this, Jiang Jingye quietly did some mental calculations.
They had spent about two thousand on supplies these two days, and nearly five thousand on rent.
She had also given him one thousand.
Altogether, it was roughly eight thousand.
She probably only had a little over six thousand left.
His job would only start at the end of the month.
Salary would take more than a month to arrive.
Six thousand yuan should be enough to survive frugally for a month.
But there was always uncertainty.
What if the salary was delayed.
What if the landlord raised the rent.
What if demolition happened…
Unlikely, but unsettling.
He silently memorized the fridge model.
He decided that once he got his salary, the first thing he would do was buy it.
Back at home, he installed the range hood according to the manual on the windowsill.
Su Nuo tested it.
The lingering cooking fumes finally dispersed a bit.
She checked the time. It was almost eleven.
“You’re going to work early tomorrow. Go shower and sleep early.”
Jiang Jingye obeyed and went into the bathroom with a towel.
After a sound of running water, he came out wearing a white tank top and shorts.
Su Nuo was lying on the bed browsing for household items online.
She looked up.
And froze.
His shoulders were broad, his back firm, and the tight muscles almost seemed like they would spill out of the loose white tank top.
Su Nuo swallowed and her cheeks turned red without her noticing.
She quickly looked away and silently recited a Buddhist chant.
She had gone to bed early last night and missed this sight. She had woken up late this morning and missed it again.
Now she was going to see it every day.
Her heart could not stop racing.
Without thinking, she ordered two more tank tops and several pairs of underwear for him.
She chose tank tops with thinner straps and underwear in brighter colors.
She quickly justified it in her mind: it was just because it suited him, not because she wanted to see it.
Jiang Jingye glanced at her suspiciously.
His eyes fell on her phone screen.
He saw the payment page.
And the avatar of her Alipay account.
Xu Jiayi.
So that was the reason she was shopping online.
Every purchase was just an excuse.
To see Xu Jiayi.
How devoted.
His hand slowly tightened.
Then he deleted the fridge model from his mind.
If she wanted a fridge, let Xu Jiayi buy it for her.
Early spring morning.
Cool air.
Su Nuo did not sleep well.
Her mind kept replaying chaotic images of Jiang Jingye.
She even felt like registering a novel account and starting to write.
Maybe she could make a living from it like in the real world.
Half asleep, a smell drifted in.
She opened her eyes.
Jiang Jingye was standing by the windowsill frying eggs.
The oil sizzled softly.
He placed the fried egg and lettuce into bread.
Cut it diagonally into two triangles.
Wrapped them carefully in plastic wrap, leaving one on the table and taking the other with him.
Then he quietly left for work.
Su Nuo turned over and went back to sleep.
When she woke again, his side of the bed was cold.
Only a wrapped sandwich was left on the folding table.
She sat up and unwrapped it.
Took a bite.
It tasted unexpectedly good.
She thought to herself that her nominal boyfriend was handsome, well built, steady tempered, and adaptable. Even after being a CEO, he had no arrogance about working as a security guard.
Even a simple sandwich tasted this good.
What a pity.
He only had Xu Jiayi in his heart.
If only she could have even a little bit of that pure affection.
How happy she would be.
After finishing the sandwich, reality returned.
She only had about six thousand yuan left. There was still a lot to buy for the simple rental apartment. One income alone was not enough.
And writing novels was unreliable.
So she would have to find a job too.
The original owner had no education or work experience. She herself only knew how to write fiction.
So she would do what Jiang Jingye did.
Go out and look around.
Take whatever job she could find first.
She just did not expect her first boss would be an old acquaintance.