Chapter 2: Choice

Wei Yuxian didn’t know how far she had walked. It was September, the golden autumn, a season of bright sunshine, but she felt chilled to the bone, unable to see any hope.

The sun gradually sank towards the west, casting long shadows, but the scorching heat of the day showed no signs of abating.

Wei Yuxian was tired and hungry, her stomach empty with no reserves, but she had no money. She couldn’t afford to buy food.

She didn’t know what time it was now. Wei Yuxian finally stopped wandering aimlessly. She took a deep breath, a glimmer of determination flickering in her eyes.

Now, staying in The Capital City and working seemed to be her only option. At least, for now, she needed to survive in The Capital City before considering anything else.

Dragging her luggage, she began to search for job openings in the shops along the roadside.

After walking for a while without seeing any shops with job recruitment signs, a man in a black suit stopped her.

Wei Yuxian looked at him warily, protecting her luggage, which was all she had. She asked, “Do you need something?”

The man smiled at her and took a step closer, but Wei Yuxian immediately stepped back, keeping her distance.

Seeing her reaction, the man wasn’t offended. He just asked, “Young lady, are you short of money?”

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuxian became even more cautious. Instead of answering immediately, she looked around, searching for an opportunity to escape.

It was very unusual for a stranger to come up to her on the street and ask if she needed money!

The man, afraid that she might run away, quickly said, “Young lady, I’m not a bad person. Do I look like a bad person to you?”

Wei Yuxian looked at him with a “Are you crazy?” expression. What bad person would have “I am a bad person” written all over their face? Are bad people really that bold these days?

The man felt somewhat helpless and said, “I really am not a bad person. I just… seeing you in such a sorry state, I wondered if you were short of money. I came over to ask. If you’re not short, then I’ll leave.”

Wei Yuxian licked her dry lips, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Seeing that he really didn’t seem like a bad person, she asked, “So what? Are you going to give me money?”

With so many people around, if this man was really a bad person, she could ask for help from the people nearby.

The man smiled wryly, “You could interpret it that way, but there’s a price to pay.”

Wei Yuxian’s wariness surged again and she asked, “What price?”

The man looked around and spotted a noodle shop nearby. He said, “Let’s go in and talk over food.”

Wei Yuxian thought about her empty wallet and licked her dry lips in an attempt to moisten them. She felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Let’s just talk here.”

The man sensed her embarrassment and said, “I’ll treat you. Come on, there are people around here. If I wanted to do something to you, I wouldn’t have the chance. You can rest assured. If you really don’t need money, then just consider what I said as empty words.”

With that, the man turned and walked towards the noodle shop, without checking if Wei Yuxian followed behind.

He was eighty percent confident that she would follow.

Wei Yuxian watched the man’s back, pursed her lips, and gritted her teeth as she followed.

Well, she was already in this state now, could it get any worse? At least by following him, she could have a bowl of noodles to fill her stomach first.

Dragging her luggage, she followed the man into the noodle shop. When the man smiled and asked her what she wanted to eat, she replied, “Anything is fine. As long as it fills my stomach, I don’t mind.”

The man ordered two bowls of noodles, while Wei Yuxian sat down at a table near the door.

The noodle shop was not small, playing music she didn’t recognize. However, it wasn’t mealtime, and besides her and the man, there was no one else in the shop.

The man quickly returned with the bowls and sat down across from her, still wearing a smile on his face.

Wei Yuxian’s mouth was extremely dry. She gulped down two large cups of tea before feeling a bit better. Finally, her lips weren’t so parched anymore.

She looked at the man across from her, touched her lips, and asked, “What did you mean by the price?”

The man replied, “No rush, we’ll talk while we eat.”

The noodles soon arrived. Wei Yuxian couldn’t wait for them to cool down. She took a few bites to ease the discomfort in her stomach, then looked up and said, “Can we talk now?”

The man calmly stirred the noodles and said, “The price is very simple, it’s your—first night.”

The last three words were spoken very softly by the man, but Wei Yuxian still heard them clearly.

Instantly, her hand stopped moving the chopsticks, her gaze fixed firmly on the man in front of her. A few seconds later, she set the chopsticks down and looked at the man coldly.

Her tone was equally icy, “I won’t do such a thing!”

Under her gaze, the man calmly took a bite of noodles before saying, “Don’t rush to refuse. Listen to the reward before giving me your answer.”

Wei Yuxian’s attitude remained unchanged, her tone unaltered as she repeated her words, “I won’t do such a thing! Sir, this noodles, you should… eat it yourself.”

“Ten thousand,” the man met her gaze, “Your income after tonight will be ten thousand.”

Wei Yuxian hesitated. Fearlessly, she maintained eye contact with the man. After a few seconds, she stirred the noodles in her bowl and said, “I need to think about it.”

“No problem, I’ll wait for you.”

Wei Yuxian ate her noodles absentmindedly. What was once delicious now tasted bland.

Ten thousand was no small amount!

If she had ten thousand, she wouldn’t need to work anymore, and she could continue her studies.

But the price…

It was too high.

She was torn, unsure whether to agree or not. This decision would determine the path she would take in the future!

Should she choose to continue her education or work instead?

A few minutes later, Wei Yuxian finished her noodles, even slurping up all the soup. She was indeed hungry.

She looked at the man and said, “Okay. But I want the money first.”

She had agreed. At the crossroads of her future, she had made a choice.

It was just once. Once she got through this crisis, she wouldn’t have to face such a choice again!

Knowledge is power. Her only goal in coming to The Capital City was to attend university. She didn’t want to spend her whole life in mediocrity, living at the bottom. She wanted to change her destiny!

So she agreed.

With this money, she could pay her tuition fees. The remaining amount could be used for living expenses. With frugality and her usual part-time work, she should be able to complete her university education.

Thinking of this, Wei Yuxian couldn’t help but see the beckoning of a wonderful university life.

The man seemed unsurprised by her answer and said, “Alright, I’ll transfer it to you now.”

They exchanged WeChat contacts. In no time, Wei Yuxian received a transfer of ten thousand.

“Received?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Putting down his phone, the man asked, “Are you full? Do you want another serving? My treat.”

Wei Yuxian shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“Alright, then follow me now.”