Chapter 50: Extra (2)

Lin Yang carried a few bags and went upstairs.

The door of dorm room 502 was not closed. He peeked through the gap and saw only Lin Chao inside, so he pushed the door open without hesitation. “Brother?”

Lin Chao did not turn around. He kept writing in his notebook and answered without looking up, “Mm.”

His desk and bookshelf were filled with all kinds of books, mostly related to history and politics.

Although Lin Yang and Lin Chao had identical faces, as they grew up, their differences became more and more noticeable. One was becoming more and more lively, while the other spent every day reading and was obsessed with history and politics.

As Fang Yuwei said, one was too calm and composed, while the other was too energetic.

Why couldn’t they balance each other out?

Lin Yang leaned over to take a look. “You’re applying to join the student council?”

“Yeah.”

Lin Yang was not interested at all. “Come eat quickly. Brother Liyu asked me to bring back lots of good food. It’s really delicious. Eat it while it’s hot.”

“Later.”

“Nothing is more important than eating!” Lin Yang kept urging him while taking out the food containers one by one.

When Lin Chao started eating, Lin Yang grabbed a few more durian shrimp balls and munched on them with a satisfied look. He sat to the side admiring his own watch and even stretched his arm forward. “Look.”

“Brother Liyu gave it to you?” Lin Chao glanced at it and took another bite of food.

“Yeah, it cost three to four hundred.” Lin Yang’s fifty-yuan watch had broken and he had been planning to buy a new one. Now that Yang Liyu gave him this one, he saved some money and was overjoyed.

If he had to spend three or four hundred himself, that would mean half a month’s food expenses. That was a huge amount for a student.

Wasn’t that deadly?

Lin Chao heard him say three to four hundred and looked at the watch again.

“You have one too.” Lin Yang handed him the bag he had casually set aside earlier. “Here, yours is inside. It’s exactly the same as mine. Brother Liyu said it’s a gift for the start of the semester.”

Lin Chao took it, politely wiped the dust off the bottom of the bag, and placed it on the bookshelf.

“There’s also this.” Lin Yang pulled out the black card from his pocket and handed it to Lin Chao. “Brother Liyu said that since we don’t have any support over here, in case we ever need money for an emergency, we can use this card.”

Lin Chao paused his eating.

Lin Yang started trying to persuade him seriously. “What if you have to go to the hospital or suddenly need a large sum of money? Anyway, just keep it. Use it for emergencies.”

As for what counts as an emergency?

That would depend on personal interpretation.

To him, not having food to eat was also an emergency.

Lin Chao did not think too much and nodded, carefully storing the card.

Lin Yang was the type who could not sit still. He asked again, “Are you going to the supermarket later?”

“I’m going to the library.”

“All right, I’ll go by myself.” Lin Yang really could not stay put. After eating two more durian shrimp balls, he went out again.

He was going to the supermarket.

To the biggest supermarket nearby.

Lin Yang brought his living expenses for the month, a huge sum of 800 yuan, and rushed all the way to the supermarket.

He pushed the shopping cart, and his eyes lit up at every snack he saw. He stood upright and confident because he not only had his living expenses but also had the credit card that Yang Liyu gave him.

Spending a few extra hundred each month was no problem. It was only right to splurge a little in the supermarket.

Lin Yang looked at the dazzling array of snacks on the shelves, and his eyes were practically glowing.

Who would have thought that his family had run a supermarket since he was young, yet he had never really eaten snacks.

When he was little, he could still trick his grandparents into buying him candy. But later, his parents told his grandparents that eating candy would damage his teeth and eating too many snacks would hinder his growth.

Father Lin and Mother Lin firmly believed in what Fang Yuwei said, so after that, neither Lin Yang nor Lin Chao ever ate snacks again.

The first thing Lin Yang wanted to do when he got his first month’s living expenses after getting into college was to go to the supermarket and buy all the snacks he wanted to eat to reward himself properly.

So he returned with two large bags of snacks and even shared some with his roommates.

Li Mao and the others were stunned and exclaimed, “Young Master is so generous!”

Rich people really buy snacks differently. They buy a mountain of them all at once.

“I’ve never eaten these before. I want to try them.” Lin Yang grinned and tore open a bag of chips to munch on.

Li Mao and Su Pei exchanged glances and immediately understood.

How could a young master like him have eaten this stuff? With a family so rich, a few-yuan-per-pack snack surely would not enter the young master’s mouth. He probably ate imported high-end foods.

They had heard that even the bottled water rich people drank was imported. Anyway, it was beyond their imagination.

Li Mao and the others also tore open a bag of chips and happily ate with Young Master Lin.

“Bzzz bzzz bzzz—” Lin Yang’s phone rang. He glanced at it and pressed the answer button, smiling as he greeted, “Sister Yuxin?”

After Tian Yuxin got into No. 1 High School, she was also admitted to the provincial key school, but she did not go. She stayed at her original school and eventually got into medical school. She studied all the way to a doctorate and had just started working at A City’s First People’s Hospital.

Lin Yang was originally smiling. Whatever was said on the other end made his eyes dodge around as he stood up, “You… you’re downstairs? I’ll come down to find you?”

After he spoke, he looked nervously at the snacks all over the table and the large bags on the floor, “You’re coming up? You can come up? I’ll get dressed quickly.”

Today was the end of military training, and many people had luggage to move. The dorms were open, and both parents and students were coming in and out.

Lin Yang hung up the phone and immediately jumped up in panic. Looking at the snacks on the table and floor, he opened the cabinet and stuffed them in like mad. What would not fit, he hurriedly shoved at Li Mao and the others, “Take them. All yours.”

“What’s going on?” Su Pei asked in confusion.

Just as he finished speaking, a gentle voice came from the door, “Yangyang, are you here?”

“Yes yes yes—” Lin Yang stuffed the unfinished bag of chips into Su Pei’s hands, wiped his mouth, and hurried to the door, smiling brightly as he opened it, “Sister Yuxin.”

Tian Yuxin was wearing a long white dress, looking delicate and quiet. She had spent all these years studying on campus and still looked youthful enough to pass for a university student.

“How was military training?” Tian Yuxin asked.

“Exhausting. I’ve been starving for a month.” Lin Yang slumped on the doorframe, looking drained as he spoke.

Tian Yuxin gave a light smile and handed him a bag, “I have a day off today. I made some cakes and pastries for you and Chaochao. He said he went out, so can you bring it to him later?”

“No problem. Thanks, Sister Yuxin. Do you want to come in and sit for a while?” Lin Yang asked.

Tian Yuxin was still shy, “No need. I just came to check on you. You’ve gotten a lot tanner.”

“Men are healthy when they’re tan.”

“Is your dorm tidy? Do you have any clothes that need washing?” Tian Yuxin asked again.

“Yes—” Lin Yang blurted out but suddenly remembered his mother’s warning to be self-reliant and not trouble Yang Liyu and the others in A City. He abruptly changed his words, “No, I already washed them myself.”

“So capable?” Tian Yuxin softly praised him several times.

When she went downstairs, Lin Yang quickly put the bag inside and accompanied her down.

As soon as the door closed, the dorm exploded.

Li Mao was eating the chips Lin Yang had shoved at him and leaned over to peek into the bags.

“What is it?” Su Pei asked.

“Really exquisite pastries.” Li Mao exclaimed.

Su Pei said, “The young master only eats handmade pastries? No wonder he’s so into snacks.”

Lin Yang sent Tian Yuxin off at the north gate and watched her get into the car before returning. He took out some of the pastries Tian Yuxin had brought, gave each person a box, and then asked Li Mao, “Where are my chips?”

“All gone.” Li Mao pointed to the empty bag in the trash.

“You finished them!!” Lin Yang jumped in frustration, looking heartbroken. He snatched another bag of chips from Li Mao’s desk, the one he had just given him, leaving behind only a delicate pastry and a piece of cake.

Li Mao looked at the cake with drooling eyes, wishing he could rush to the convenience store and buy ten bags of chips to trade all for the dessert.

The young master’s way of thinking really was different from theirs.

What they didn’t know was that Tian Yuxin strictly followed Fang Yuwei’s advice. When Lin Yang was not even three years old, she once tried to give him a piece of candy, but Fang Yuwei said candy would rot his teeth and snacks would hinder growth.

Since then, Tian Yuxin only brought fruits or homemade pastries from home for the two brothers.

Even now, the pastries she brought Lin Yang were still handmade, and of course, they were very delicious.

If she found out that Lin Yang had bought so many snacks to secretly eat, it would be a disaster. Though now that he was already 1.86 meters tall, not growing taller was no big deal.

That night, Lin Chao and Lin Yang went out for dinner.

Lin Yang took the opportunity to make Lin Chao treat him to hotpot. After the meal, as the two returned to the school gate, Chen Shuang rushed over, handed them the shoes and clothes she had bought, and then went back to work overtime at the company.

Chen Shuang felt very guilty for not having a meal with them, but she was swamped with work and had to return immediately.

Chen Shuang was now a lawyer and had a court session early the next morning, so she was pressed for time.

Lin Yang carried the bag back to the dormitory and opened the box. Inside was a pair of very cool sneakers. He widened his eyes and exclaimed, “This is way too cool. These are Nike shoes!”

“These are limited edition!” Su Pei was so stunned that his eyes almost popped out. He jumped down from the top bunk. “You like collecting sneakers?”

“No.” Lin Yang denied. “These were bought by my sister.”

“How many sisters do you have in A City?” Li Mao was confused.

The one who just delivered the pastries was also a sister.

“She’s my mom’s student.” Lin Yang briefly explained.

Back when Chen Shuang lived at school, the winters were too cold. Fang Yuwei was afraid she would catch a cold, so she took her to the teachers’ dormitory to shower.

When they were little, Lin Yang and Lin Chao often played with Chen Shuang too, although not as frequently as with Yang Liyu and Tian Yuxin, but Chen Shuang was also very kind to them.

“Your mom’s students are really generous.” Li Mao and the others didn’t believe it one bit and even said, “Lin Yang, is your family actually very rich? Are those people trying to curry favor with you?”

“Hahaha.” Lin Yang laughed, and thinking about how his mom had just been transferred to the Education Bureau and his dad repeatedly warned him to keep a low profile and not to flaunt wealth to invite trouble, he said very seriously, “My family really has no money. My mom is just a teacher who’s devoted to her job.”

“What about your dad?” Su Pei asked.

Lin Yang said, “My dad does some small business. Otherwise, how would he support the family? My grandparents are still in the countryside growing sweet potatoes.”

The others were half convinced and half skeptical.

Was that really true?

They even started paying attention to observe Lin Yang, and it really seemed like he blended into the “ordinary people.” When he went to the cafeteria, he would also complain that the food was expensive. When he bought a bottle of drink, he would calculate every penny.

When Su Pei topped up fifty yuan in a game, Lin Yang blurted out, “Are you crazy? Fifty yuan? Do you know how many meals that could buy?”

When Li Mao talked about dating a high school classmate and had to save up for dates, eating instant noodles every day, Lin Yang would also shake his head and sigh, “Why suffer like that? We only get so much money a month. Isn’t dating a death sentence?”

Acting.

He was really good at acting.

Li Mao and the others always thought that way, but now they were starting to feel something was off. Lin Yang’s act was too real. Was he really not a rich young master and only happened to receive some luxury gifts but had no money himself?

At the end of the month.

The boys were broke. Dating, smoking, and playing games had drained all their money.

Of course, for Lin Yang, it was from eating.

There was still a week until the end of the month. Li Mao couldn’t even afford instant noodles and was eating only one meal a day.

After enduring for two days, Lin Yang made a decision. “Let’s go. I’ll treat you all to barbecue at the back street!”

He still hadn’t used the card Yang Liyu gave him. It was time. At this critical point for the whole dormitory, it wouldn’t be too much to use it, right? For the remaining few days, he could just mooch off Lin Chao.

“Long live Young Master Lin!”

“Young Master Lin is awesome!”

Li Mao and the others jumped up with joy, almost moved to tears. At the end of the month, someone was treating them to barbecue. It felt like a dream.

A kind man, truly a kind man!

The group rushed to the back street, found the widely recommended barbecue place, ordered barbecue and hotpot, and added two more dishes. Li Mao even asked for two bottles of alcohol.

The whole table ate happily.

Lin Yang was eating with great joy. From childhood to now, Mother Lin, for the sake of their health, always made them eat at home, didn’t allow them to eat snacks, and strictly forbade outside food.

Ever since Father Lin learned to drive a car, they even went back to the village to grow vegetables and raise chickens and ducks, just to let them eat organic food.

Lin Yang ate the barbecue and hotpot and felt extremely happy.

The group of men ate a full table of food. Lin Yang looked at the bill. It came to over a hundred yuan. So expensive.

He pulled out the black card that Yang Liyu gave him and walked to the counter to pay.

As he walked, he muttered to himself: I’ll only swipe it once this month, just to bond with my dorm mates. After all, we’ll be living together for four years. Brother Liyu definitely wouldn’t mind.

But when he handed the card to the cashier, the young woman told him, “We don’t accept credit cards here.”

Lin Yang was dumbfounded. “!”

Seeing that he was handsome, the young cashier kindly reminded him, “You can choose to pay in cash or have your classmates pay for you. The total is one hundred and sixty-eight yuan.”

“…..”

Li Mao and the others noticed Lin Yang standing there for a while and curiously walked over. “What’s wrong?”

Just as Lin Yang was about to hide the black card in his pocket, in his rush, the card fell out. He hurried to pick it up and awkwardly explained, “They don’t accept credit cards here.”

So embarrassing. He had no money to treat his roommates and had to use someone else’s credit card, and now he couldn’t even swipe it.

Lin Yang finished speaking and walked outside with his phone, his face turning red from embarrassment. “I’m calling my brother to come pay.”

When Li Mao saw the black card, he was already stunned. His buzz from the alcohol immediately disappeared. “That’s a black card?”

That guy was using a black card?

Su Pei said, “I told you he was pretending to be poor just to blend in with us. And you still thought it might be a misunderstanding!”

“Misunderstanding my ass.” Li Mao looked at another roommate. “That guy is totally pretending to be poor. He’s wearing a watch worth millions and using an unlimited black card. How rich must his family be?”

“We probably can’t even imagine.”

After calling Lin Chao, Lin Yang came back looking awkward and embarrassed. “My brother is on his way.”

It was really too embarrassing. Ugh.

“This restaurant is ridiculous too. Not accepting credit cards? That’s their problem.”

“Exactly.” Su Pei even told the cashier, “Tell your boss to enable that function. It’s really inconvenient.”

Lin Chao arrived shortly after and paid the bill in cash.

Lin Yang kept his head down and followed Lin Chao with a hunched posture, whispering all the way, “Brother, don’t tell mom and dad. I’ll pay you back next month.”

“Is what you did right?” Lin Chao turned his head and looked at Lin Yang with a stern face, full of righteousness.

“Wrong, wrong, it won’t happen again.” Lin Yang sincerely admitted his mistake.

He shouldn’t have finished spending his own money and still tried to act like a rich guy, even wanting to use the credit card Yang Liyu gave him to treat others.

Too sinful.

Lin Yang and Lin Chao walked ahead, whispering to each other. It was obvious Lin Yang was humbly admitting his mistake.

Li Mao and the others were right behind. Su Pei observed the two of them and asked, “What are they talking about?”

“What else could it be?” Li Mao covered his mouth and lowered his voice. “Lin Yang must be getting scolded. He accidentally showed off his wealth. We saw that black card, and now his brother is lecturing him.”

The other two immediately understood. “Nowadays everyone resents the rich. He’s trying to pretend to be poor, right?”

Li Mao replied, “Exactly. I bet he’ll start shouting about being poor soon, trying to cover things up.”

The two nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

Because Lin Chao caught him trying to use Yang Liyu’s “emergency” credit card, Lin Yang was so scared he didn’t dare use it again, afraid Fang Yuwei and Lin Yan would find out. He also owed Lin Chao over a hundred yuan for the meal and would have to repay it next month.

At the beginning of the month, once his living expenses arrived, Lin Yang repaid Lin Chao and started living a frugal life.

It wasn’t enough to begin with, and now it was short by more than a hundred.

Lin Yang was suffering and complained in the dorm, “No money. Why is school food so expensive? I spent eight yuan on today’s meal. Tomorrow I can only afford a six-yuan one.”

As soon as he walked away, Li Mao said, “See, didn’t I say so?”

Su Pei shook his head. “If I’d known, we should have pretended we didn’t see his black card. Now the young master got scolded by his family. Pretending to be poor isn’t easy.”

To save money, Lin Yang started playing the emotional card with Yang Liyu and the others, occasionally calling to act cute and wait for someone to treat him to a fancy meal so he could survive the month.

All three of them adored him. Tian Yuxin, worried that he wasn’t eating well at school, would sometimes take time to make him some good food and bring it over. Lin Yang was overjoyed every time—one more meal saved.

When Li Mao saw that ten-million-yuan Maybach appear again, he leaned on the balcony railing and sighed, “The young master’s act of pretending to be poor collapsed completely in this moment.”