It was no exaggeration to say that even during the New Year, Gu Huo would not have splurged so much all at once.
Because Qiao Sheng never gave him much money, he would spend every meal wisely according to her tastes, making sure the money was used where it mattered most.
Gu Huo’s brows furrowed deeply.
The doubt in his heart made him unable to wait another second—where did she get the money?!
To put it bluntly, as a young girl, Qiao Sheng was only passable in appearance; everything else, in Gu Huo’s eyes, was a flaw.
Lazy, gluttonous, unreasonable, spoiled and willful, vain, selfish, unhygienic, listless, and lacking any drive.
Gu Huo was merely introverted and quiet by nature, but he was both physically and mentally normal, with no peculiar preferences. There was no way he would ever like a girl like her.
But she was his grandmother’s granddaughter, and that identity alone was enough to bind Gu Huo to her willingly, toiling for her and worrying about her endlessly.
While fulfilling his promise to his grandmother, he silently hoped that Qiao Sheng would change.
Not for any other reason, but simply to let his grandmother rest in peace.
Yet if Qiao Sheng’s change meant she had to bow to necessity for survival, making some kind of sacrifice, Gu Huo would rather she remain lazy, gluttonous, and selfish. He could just take care of her for a lifetime—after all, aside from her, there was no one else he could care about.
And the one who had always stayed by his side, in another sense never leaving him, seemed to be only her…
Gu Huo turned and walked directly to Qiao Sheng’s door, raising his hand to knock when the door suddenly opened from the inside.
Qiao Sheng was in the middle of a yawn, her mouth half-open, looking startled.
She blinked her eyes, which were moist with involuntary tears, making them appear watery.
A hint of drowsiness between her brows made her look like a little deer lost in the woods, innocent and clueless.
Her long hair was disheveled over her shoulders, her skin fair and translucent.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Qiao Sheng closed her half-open mouth, ignoring the frantic thumping of her heart in her chest, and forced a smile. “You’re off work?”
Instead of answering, Gu Huo asked, “Where did you get the money?”
Qiao Sheng let out a confused “Huh?”
Gu Huo pressed on, his tone urgent. “Where did the money for the shopping come from?”
Qiao Sheng finally understood. “Oh, I returned an item, so I had money.”
Gu Huo was taken aback, remembering that the day before she started her hunger strike, she had indeed ordered a dress, saying it was for a comic convention. After placing the order, she had shown him her balance, complaining that he didn’t earn enough, preventing her from buying the one she liked most.
Gu Huo remembered her double-digit balance and the price of the item, which was significantly higher than her remaining funds.
“I didn’t really like that dress anyway, and I wouldn’t have worn it much,” Qiao Sheng explained. “Besides, I told you, I won’t spend money recklessly anymore.”
Suddenly, they fell into an awkward silence.
Gu Huo felt inexplicably flustered.
At this moment, he actually didn’t know how to interact with her now that she had “turned over a new leaf.”
After a long silence, he abruptly asked, “Why didn’t you reply to my message?”
But what was there to ask?
Whether she paid him any attention depended entirely on her mood, something he had long grown accustomed to.
“My phone ran out of battery and shut off. I forgot to turn it back on while charging.”
After this exchange, the conversation fell flat again…
Gu Huo opened his mouth. “I got paid today. I’ll transfer it to you later.”
As a top student, Gu Huo naturally remembered Qiao Sheng telling him she wouldn’t handle the finances anymore, but habits ingrained in one’s bones couldn’t be changed overnight.
“I don’t want it. You keep it.”
“…Alright then. If you need anything, just ask me.”
Qiao Sheng had made up her mind—unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t reach out to Gu Huo for money.
After Grandma passed away, she left behind a meager savings, all of which had been spent by the original owner.
Every penny she spent from now on would be Gu Huo’s.
Qiao Sheng wasn’t being pretentious.
In her previous life, she was used to self-reliance. Her aversion to troubling others kicked in—she felt more at ease spending money she earned herself, whether it was a little or a lot. Spending someone else’s money always made her feel uneasy.
But then again…
Qiao Sheng sat wide awake on the edge of the bed, stroking her chin.
According to the original plot, Gu Huo would become successful in the future and gift her cars, houses, and a monthly allowance of one million. Should she accept it or not?
She couldn’t, she absolutely couldn’t. She would definitely refuse outright.
But her refusal might not sound firm enough. What if he took it seriously and really didn’t give it to her…
The reason she didn’t want to spend his money now was because he worked hard for every penny.
As for the future monthly million—even if she took it, it would only be a drop in the bucket of Gu Huo’s vast wealth.
Choosing between clinging to noble principles and living in poverty, or being a happy freeloader… such a simple multiple-choice question. Even with her eyes closed, she knew which one to pick.
Qiao Sheng grew excited.
Belatedly, she realized that transmigrating into the body of a despicable villainess might not be so bad after all?
After all, she was certain she wouldn’t foolishly try to become the young mistress of the Gu family, wouldn’t cross Gu Huo’s bottom line, and wouldn’t provoke the female lead. Hehehe, wouldn’t that mean the massive monthly allowance was practically guaranteed?
Don’t say she had no ambition. Even if it were just one million a year instead of a month, she’d still wake up laughing from her dreams!
Gu Huo looked around.
He had been too anxious earlier and only now noticed that under the light, everything in sight was clean—no randomly discarded bowls or chopsticks on the table, no water stains or hair on the floor. It was unbelievably tidy.
Entering the kitchen, he found it just as neat as the living room.
The bowl of plain, watery noodles was gone, and it wasn’t in the trash either. She must have eaten it.
Gu Huo was stunned once again.
The same person who often threw tantrums, saying his cooking was like pig slop, had actually eaten it.
Maybe because she made it herself.
To save water, Gu Huo took a quick shower. When he went to throw his clothes into the washing machine, he couldn’t find the ones he had changed out of before leaving.
After searching around, he was surprised to find them on the balcony.
He stood there staring for a long time.
The clothes were neatly hung on the drying rack. To keep warm, the balcony glass windows, which were opened during the day for ventilation, were closed at night, letting in no breeze. The clothes hung quietly there, faintly carrying the lingering scent of laundry detergent.
Since Grandma passed away, this was the first time someone had washed his clothes for him.
And that person was actually…
It was actually the spoiled, willful Qiao Sheng, who had never lifted a finger for household chores.
He felt somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness.
Suppressing the turbulent emotions swirling inside him, Gu Huo quietly retreated from the balcony. With a complicated expression, he stared at Qiao Sheng’s closed door, feeling inexplicably uneasy and apprehensive.
Even if she was following Grandma’s wishes, she didn’t have to be this nice to him.
In his memory, everyone who had ever been kind to him eventually left…
Gu Huo’s mind wandered to the ingredients in the kitchen.
Were they that heavy? Did she carry them all up in one trip?
It must have been exhausting.