Chapter 64: A Chance Encounter with Fang Qing and Her Son, Leading to a Demand for Repayment

It was Friday, and he had the next day off.

It seemed he was going to his cousin’s house.

Their treatment was really good; others only had one day off, but they usually had two.

The perks of being a special talent.

“Brother Fu, wait a moment.”

Lin Yuyao called out, and Fu Huayi stopped.

Lin Yuyao jogged to catch up, smiling and asking, “Are you here to help Sister Leyi look at the house again?”

“Yes, houses that aren’t lived in regularly need to be ventilated.”

“That’s true.” She nervously fiddled with her bag. “Brother Fu… would you like to come up?”

“Yes.”  A sound with a rolling Adam’s apple.

He appeared calm, but he was actually very nervous, his thoughts wandering.

Following behind her, his mind was filled with what she meant by inviting him upstairs.

He had never known that secret love could be so agonizing and torturous.

Longing yet avoiding, sweet yet bitter.

He couldn’t help but ponder every minute movement, every simple word, for hidden meanings.

Perhaps there were no hidden meanings at all, but every detail was magnified endlessly by him.

He dared not speak, dared not say much, for fear of making a mistake.

But in every silence, his heart beat rapidly.

This sweet yet anxious feeling lasted until she took out four hundred yuan.

“Brother Fu, thank you for your care these days. This four hundred yuan is what I owe you, plus a little interest. I hope you won’t refuse.”

In the hot summer, even without the fan on, his heart turned cold.

So, she had called him, and followed him into the apartment on the fourth floor, to… repay the money?

Fu Huayi stared at the four hundred yuan, unable to speak for a long time.

This made Lin Yuyao very nervous.

He stood still, without any expression. What did it mean?

Had she miscalculated?

Impossible! She had checked the prices at nearby furniture and appliance stores.

The clothes also had price tags; she had calculated it correctly.

“Brother Fu?”

Her hand was getting numb.

Her voice brought his wandering thoughts back to reality.

Fu Huayi: “Where did you get the money?”

Oh, that’s what he meant.

Lin Yuyao breathed a sigh of relief.

“I wrote a book these days, and this is the money from selling it.”

Huh?

“You wrote a book?”

“Yes, I sold it to the Yunhua Publishing House. I got the money a few days ago but haven’t had a chance to give it to you.”

Yunhua Publishing House?

Fu Huayi suddenly understood.

He remembered that the boy from the Chen family worked at the Yunhua Publishing House.

So, was this why she knew Chen Bingzhi?

“Such a big thing, why didn’t you…” Wait, no.

He almost said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He had better channels, could get her better resources and a better price.

But… why would she tell him?

In her heart, he was probably no different from Lu Jiangting, just someone she wasn’t close to.

Thinking of this, bitterness welled up in his heart.

Lin Yuyao sensed his feelings.

She said, “Brother Fu, you’ve already helped me a lot, and I’m not comfortable bothering you anymore. I work at the library and have been paying attention to publishing channels, so I went there myself.”

“Yes, Yunhua Publishing House is pretty good too.”

Lin Yuyao nodded, raising the money slightly, “Then please take this money.”

He couldn’t refuse.

But he clearly remembered her saying, “Where the money is, that’s where the heart is.”

Forget about four hundred yuan; he wanted to give her all his possessions.

But she didn’t even want four hundred yuan.

Sigh!

Fu Huayi could only accept it.

“Okay.”

After receiving the money, were they even?

Fu Huayi thought for a moment and said, “Remember you said you’d treat me to a good meal when you made money?”

Huh?

Lin Yuyao was a little stunned.

Oh yes, she almost forgot. She had said that.

Lin Yuyao nodded quickly, “Yes, but our days off didn’t match, so I haven’t had a chance.”

Fu Huayi breathed a sigh of relief.

They couldn’t be even.

There was still a meal.

My pitiful little bit of fate depends on this meal.

He had to cherish and make the most of it.

“Yes, it’s not urgent. We’ll talk about it later. When we have a chance, I’ll come find you.”

“Okay.”

After a few more words, Lin Yuyao left, and Fu Huayi didn’t dare to keep her.

After all, it wasn’t early, and he didn’t want her to think his care was ulterior.

The next day, he went to the bookstore to read, spending half a day there.

Previously, Lin Yuyao had helped him register when he borrowed and returned books, but after the last incident, she no longer interfered.

When she saw him, she would deliberately avoid him or busy herself with other things.  This…

The other two would come over to help him register.

But this time was different; she eagerly took the books from his hands, helped him return them, and even recommended two new books.

Fu Huayi was both amused and frustrated, feeling mixed emotions.

This meant he was safe in her heart again, turned back into that helpful “good person.” Should he be happy or sad about this?

…

At noon, when Lin Yuyao went to the nearby restaurant for lunch, she unexpectedly ran into a familiar face: Fang Qing and her son?

“Yuyao? What are you doing here?”

Seeing the surprise on Fang Qing’s face, Lin Yuyao realized this encounter was indeed a coincidence. She didn’t know she would be here either.

Lin Yuyao looked down at their table, which was filled with fish and meat, while Fang Qing’s son was eating with grease all over his mouth.

She smiled and asked, “Sister Fang, are you here on vacation with your child?”

Huh?

“It seems that Sister Fang’s salon has been quite profitable. I just wonder when you’ll pay back the money you borrowed from me.”

Hmm?

The restaurant owner’s wife glanced over curiously at them.

Fang Qing felt embarrassed under the collective gaze and said, “Yuyao, I’m really sorry. My salon went out of business, so… I’m afraid it will take some time to pay you back the money.”

“Oh, I see. That’s such a pity. While I feel sympathetic about your salon closing, you still need to pay me back as soon as possible; that was my dowry from my parents, and they don’t have much money—it was all borrowed. To pay it back, I’ve been living frugally, eating tofu every day…”

As she spoke, she put on a pitiful look, swallowing hard while eyeing the meat on the table.

“Sister Fang, just pay me back whatever you can; I… I’m running low on living expenses.”

Fang Qing’s face turned unpleasant at that.

Her son, who was still in kindergarten, didn’t understand what was happening and continued to eat meat, occasionally looking up.

“I… I don’t have any money,” Fang Qing said softly.

Lin Yuyao felt her eyes reddening, her voice quivering, “Sister Fang, even if you have no money, you’re better off than I am, right? You can still eat meat, and I can barely afford meals.”

“How can that be? I heard you found a job here and have a salary. We just got here, and I haven’t found a job yet.”