“Nothing worth talking about when it comes to fighting.”

Recalling the incident from back then, Ji Fanling shrugged it off. “I wasn’t exactly setting a good example.”

Soon, the dishes were all served; stir-fried asparagus with mushrooms, poached shrimp, and Jin Tan specialty tofu. Zhou Sui rolled up her sleeves to peel shrimp for her child, and sneaked a few onto Ji Fanling’s plate as well.

“I was just about to ask, isn’t that not your usual style of clothing?” Zhou Sui asked.

“Yeah, it’s Fu Yingcheng’s.” Ji Fanling’s jacket sleeves were rolled up three times, just enough for her hands to peek out.

“…What?”

“Long story. When I had a stomach ache, I threw up on him.”

“…What???”

“He threw away my clothes too, so I’m borrowing his. I’ll go buy new ones later.”

“Wasn’t he mad?”

“What’s he going to do, kill me?”

“But we’re talking about Fu Yingcheng here,” Zhou Sui said in shock. “He’s the kind of guy who has to wash his hands after writing on the board, and doesn’t he never lend anyone his things?”

Ji Fanling looked up in confusion. “Really?”

“Yeah, I remember he hates people touching his stuff. If someone borrows a pen from him, he’d rather just give it away than take it back.”

“…”

“So, maybe he doesn’t want that jacket back?” Zhou Sui wondered.

“Maybe,” Ji Fanling replied vaguely, not mentioning that Fu Yingcheng had actually told her to help herself to anything in his wardrobe.

“I wonder what Fu Yingcheng looks like now. Do you have a photo?” Zhou Sui asked curiously. “After all, he was our school’s heartthrob back in No.1 High School.”

“Him?”

“It’s what everyone on the school forum said,” Zhou Sui explained. “If he didn’t always make the girls chasing him cry, he’d probably have more fans than Cheng Jiali.” She only realized afterward that she probably shouldn’t have mentioned Cheng Jiali.

But Ji Fanling didn’t seem to care at all and continued scrolling through her photo album. “Why would I have a photo of him…”

She tried searching Fu Yingcheng’s name on Baidu, and sure enough, a long entry appeared. His list of personal achievements was intimidating, with the earliest record being his title as the top scorer in Beiwan City’s college entrance exam.

There were even a few photos of him from interviews and award ceremonies.

Zhou Sui took the phone, flipped through a few pictures, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my gosh, he’s even more handsome than he was in school! It’s honestly a loss for the entertainment industry that he didn’t become a celebrity.”

“Really?”

“You look at this face every day, and you feel nothing?” Zhou Sui pushed the phone back to her. “Especially this one, is this really how he looks now?”

“…”

The photo seemed to be a candid shot taken at an event. In it, the man was stepping out of a Maybach, slightly lowering his head. His deep-set eyes, straight nose, and shadowed, tousled hair created a striking silhouette.

A long, slender leg stepped out, one foot landing on the red carpet. The leather shoe gleamed, and the tailored suit pants were pressed to a sharp crease.

Soft, golden light illuminated his face from above.

Elegant, aloof.

Like snow on a mountaintop.

Some people, even when placed in a crowd, exude an innate sense of authority, a presence so strong that it commands attention without a single word.

Ji Fanling lifted her gaze, feeling no particular emotion. “Isn’t he just… alright?”

Zhou Sui pouted. “…You’re something else.”

Perhaps because Zhou Sui had brought up the fight, Ji Fanling suddenly recalled a detail.

Fu Yingcheng had also been there during that chaotic brawl on the playground.

At first, Xu Zhilei was stunned by her fierce slaps with the sole of her shoe. But soon, he snapped out of it, calling his friend Chen Chao to join in the counterattack.

After all, Ji Fanling was just a girl, and shorter than them by a head. She was roughly shoved to the ground, and Xu Zhilei, with his swollen, pig-like face, bent over, grabbing her by the collar. He raised his other hand high, ready to hit back.

Even at that moment, Ji Fanling remained indifferent.

So what if she took a few slaps? She could handle a beating; besides, if things got out of hand, Old Tang would definitely call their parents to the school. When that happened, Xu Zhilei’s father would drag him home for a harsh scolding. But Ji Guoliang, he wouldn’t even bother coming to the school.

So, win or lose, she figured she’d still come out ahead.

A crisp “slap” echoed.

But, unexpectedly, the slap she was bracing for never landed.

Ji Fanling squinted, looking up.

Backlit, the boy in his school uniform was haloed in scattered light, his breath heavy from running over. He held Xu Zhilei’s wrist in a firm grip. “Don’t fight.”

Xu Zhilei, enraged, cursed, “Let go of me!!! Fu Yingcheng, you bastard! I’m gonna kill this b-… ahhh-”

Ji Fanling didn’t catch Fu Yingcheng’s exact movement; she only sensed that he seemed to shift slightly, and his elbow twisting with force. Suddenly, Xu Zhilei let out a blood-curdling scream.

Ji Fanling couldn’t help but snicker.

In the blazing sunlight, the boy’s dark, cold eyes lowered briefly, casting a quick glance in her direction.

It was impossible to discern what emotion lay in his gaze.

Xu Zhilei’s screams drew the attention of teachers and students from across half the field.

When the gym teacher asked what had happened, Fu Yingcheng held Xu Zhilei down with one hand, his expression calm as he said, “I saw them getting into a fight, so I stepped in to break it up.”

Under Fu Yingcheng’s grip, Xu Zhilei screamed, “Is that what you call breaking up a fight?! She came at me, and instead of hitting her, you hit me?!”

Fu Yingcheng replied calmly, “I tried to hold him back, but he struggled too hard. Maybe he dislocated something. I’ll take him to the infirmary now.”

Xu Zhilei had a history of fighting with gangsters outside of school, which had led to a school-wide reprimand. In contrast, Fu Yingcheng was known for strictly following the rules and had even given a speech as the top student under the national flag last semester.

The gym teacher had no reason to doubt Fu Yingcheng and immediately said, “Then hurry up and take him to the infirmary.” Then he turned, his face red with anger. “And you! What are you laughing at?! Ji Fanling! You were running just fine, why did you run over to hit someone?!…”

…

In the past, Ji Fanling had always thought that someone like Fu Yingcheng, who’s disciplined and perpetually above it all, lived in a completely different world from her, someone who had long given up and was already broken.

But in that moment, she suddenly felt that she and Fu Yingcheng were, in some small way, alike.

Though, it was only a fleeting thought.

*

Ji Fanling ate as quickly as usual, finishing early and chatting while waiting for Zhou Sui and Hanhan.

A WeChat message from Fu Yingcheng popped up on her phone.

C: 【Where are you?】

Ji Fanling sent him the address. 【Almost done eating.】

C: 【Wait there for me; I’ll be there in half an hour.】

Ji Fanling assumed he planned to give her a ride back, as he’d done before.

So she didn’t ask further.

When it was time to pay the bill, Zhou Sui suddenly remembered, “Do you still have enough money? Should I transfer you another thousand?”

Ji Fanling had planned to refuse, but remembering she still needed to buy clothes, she nodded and opened WeChat to check her balance.

Remaining balance: 500.

Ji Fanling: ?

Fake document fees, money for printing interview materials, round-trip transportation costs, meals when she couldn’t make it back for food, shampoo, body wash, slippers—not to mention the underwear, socks, and other essentials she’d bought herself…

It all added up.

Never mind how much it totaled.

Zhou Sui had lent her five hundred, so how was it that, after a month, she still had exactly five hundred left?!

“Wait, what?”

Ji Fanling frowned. “How have I been spending money without it going down?”

Zhou Sui leaned over to look, then thought for a moment. “Is your default payment method set to WeChat Wallet? Try sending me one yuan and see.”

Ji Fanling followed her instructions, but Zhou Sui interrupted midway. “Look, it’s set to prioritize bank card payments by default. Did you set up your payment password yourself?”

“I asked Fu Yingcheng about it,” Ji Fanling said, puzzled. “Wasn’t the password set when I first downloaded WeChat? So I didn’t change it.”

“That means you’ve been using money from your bank card.”

Ji Fanling: “…”

“It’s linked to Fu Yingcheng’s card, isn’t it?”

Ji Fanling: “…”

“You seriously didn’t know?” Zhou Sui asked, astonished.

Ji Fanling: “…”

Crap, crap, crap!

She had been spending Fu Yingcheng’s money all this time!

Ji Fanling suddenly recalled a small, seemingly insignificant memory.

After breaking some dishes, she’d gone grocery shopping with Fu Yingcheng. At the checkout, she’d pulled out her personal items like shampoo and slippers and said, “I’ll pay for these myself.”

At that time, Fu Yingcheng had given her a strange look.

No wonder he thought it was strange!

It turned out that no matter who “paid,” it was still his card being charged!

Ji Fanling felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.

Did Fu Yingcheng think she was crazy? Why go through all that extra effort for nothing?

Just two days ago, Fu Yingcheng had offered to compensate her for a jacket, and she’d confidently replied, 【I have money to buy my own.】 Fu Yingcheng had responded with a question mark, he must have been speechless.

She didn’t have a dime to her name.

Zhou Sui tapped open her WeChat transaction history and discovered that she had already spent… twelve hundred and fifty this month.

Ji Fanling was completely numb.

Seeing her face turn deathly pale, like she was mourning, Zhou Sui hurriedly transferred her some money. “Maybe he hasn’t noticed yet. Just pay him back quickly… right?”

Zhou Sui offered a few more words of comfort, making sure Ji Fanling was okay before heading home with her child. Ji Fanling was left standing alone at the entrance of the shopping center, waiting for Fu Yingcheng.

Death would be a small matter; losing face was the real disaster.

She had never felt such a heavy weight on her heart.

The moment Fu Yingcheng saw her, he frowned. “Stomach pain?”

No, heartache.

Ji Fanling looked up, forcing an awkward smile. “…Where’s your car?”

Fu Yingcheng headed toward the shopping center. “Parking garage.”

Ji Fanling quickly caught up to him. “Didn’t you say you were picking me up to go back?”

Fu Yingcheng: “Didn’t I say I’d buy you a new jacket?”

“…”

She felt even more guilty.

Ji Fanling paused, twisting her fingers nervously before managing to say, “Um, I recently realized… my WeChat is apparently linked to your bank card.”

“And?”

“I… accidentally spent your money.”

Ji Fanling closed her eyes, bracing herself as if facing the end. “Did you know?”

Fu Yingcheng replied, “There’s an SMS alert for each transaction.”

SMS alert?

What the hell was that?!

Did that mean every time she paid, the bank sent a message to Fu Yingcheng?!

Damn capitalist.

Ji Fanling forced herself to say, “Oh… so, should I pay you back now?”

She was already bracing for Fu Yingcheng’s sarcastic remarks like, “I thought you were going to pretend not to know forever,” or, “Didn’t you say you had your own money?” or, “Is this thousand all you owe me?”

But Fu Yingcheng simply asked, “Where’d you get the money?”

“Borrowed it from Zhou Sui.”

“Robbing Peter to pay Paul?”

… Well, yes, that was pretty much it.

Uncharacteristically, Fu Yingcheng didn’t tease her. Even his usual sharp, arrogant edge was gone, his gaze calm. “Why borrow her money? Give it back to her.”

“Then I’ll just end up borrowing from you instead,” she replied, feeling she was closer to Zhou Sui anyway.

“She has a child to support. Am I supposed to support her too?”

“…”

“She’s short on money. Am I?”

“…”

“Robbing the poor to aid the rich, impressive.” Fu Yingcheng sounded as if he were mocking her, though he wasn’t really smiling. His tone was a cool kind of gentleness. “No matter how good the friend, borrowing money strains relationships. Pay her back.”

Ji Fanling had no choice but to stop, lower her head, and transfer the money back to Zhou Sui. Suddenly, a thought struck her. “Aren’t you worried about straining our relationship?”

Fu Yingcheng didn’t reply.

Ji Fanling looked up at him.

The man had one hand in his pocket, not looking at her, and his gaze selectively drifting over nearby shops. His long lashes cast a shadow, darkening his expression.

His tone was calm, carrying a hint of an unreadable complexity.

“…We’re not friends.”

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Author’s Note:

Who wants to be friends with you anyway.

Red envelopes in the comments! More tomorrow! Mwah mwah mwah!!

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