Fu Yingcheng’s expression froze.

The subtle shift in his demeanor made Ji Fanling instantly realize she had misspoken. She wanted nothing more than to smack herself.

What kind of mouth do I have?

Why do I always poke at others’ sore spots?

Back in high school, there were two people in the class whose parents never attended parent-teacher meetings: her and Fu Yingcheng.

Of course, her situation was different from his. She was a problem child, always at the bottom of the class rankings, with parents who couldn’t care less. It was enough to make Old Tang lose what little hair he had left.

As for Fu Yingcheng, he consistently held the top spot in the grade rankings. Whether or not his family showed up didn’t really matter. Even if they did, they would have been the legendary “model parents” who attended parent-teacher meetings just to share their education tips.

But why would the parents of such an exceptional child never attend?

The school’s gossip network had long since spread the rumors.

Fu Yingcheng’s father, Fu Zhiyuan, was once the high-profile CEO of Hertz Medical Group. However, blinded by greed, he cut corners and sold defective products that had failed quality inspections to hospitals. This led to tens of thousands of medical incidents nationwide. When the scandal broke, he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

This happened in the summer of 2003, when Ji Fanling was seven years old.

The downfall of the richest man in Beicheng overnight caused an uproar across the city. Even someone like her, who never paid attention to current events, couldn’t avoid hearing about it everywhere.

It was true that his father went to prison.

But what about his mother?

Why didn’t she attend parent-teacher meetings?

No one knew.

But one could imagine…

The answer was certainly nothing pleasant.

Fu Yingcheng didn’t show any signs of displeasure. He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and looked thoughtful.

“She also majored in the arts in college. She muddled her way through, didn’t really learn any skills, and never produced anything noteworthy.”

As Fu Yingcheng spoke, he meticulously folded the pristine white napkin in his hand with compulsive precision. “After graduating, she traveled around, got pregnant, and naturally ended up getting married and becoming a full-time housewife.”

Ji Fanling’s eyelid twitched.

Wow, so it was a shotgun wedding.

“So, she’s never worked a day in her life,” Fu Yingcheng looked up at her, his expression faintly amused. “Unlike you, working hard every day to make a fortune.”

Ji Fanling thought to herself, A fortune? The little wealth I’ve made has all gone into feeding you.

With a blank expression, she raised her glass. “You’re hardworking too. And you’re rich.”

The two glass cups clinked crisply.

The slow serving speed of the restaurant severely hindered Ji Fanling’s ability to dig into her meal.

The restaurant served only one dish at a time, and the portions were small despite the large plates. The waiter stood nearby, narrating like a tour guide: “This dish is a sweet and fresh sea urchin mousse from Hokkaido, paired with a light fennel foam. The garnish on top is a touch of smoked Avruga…” Ji Fanling had already swallowed the whole thing in one bite and was now staring wide-eyed at the waiter, trying to mentally “re-chew” and scrape up some trace of the smoky flavor he mentioned.

The waiter: “…”

Ji Fanling leaned slightly toward Fu Yingcheng, moving her lips discreetly: “Do we have to wait for him to finish talking?”

A soft chuckle escaped Fu Yingcheng’s throat.

The man’s knife and fork crossed silently in his hands as he glanced up at the waiter, his tone calm: “No need for the introductions. It’s the same thing dressed up differently.”

…

The table next to them was only halfway through their meal, but their table had already moved on to dessert—delicately crafted pistachio French tarts and rose chocolates. Ji Fanling ate with a bitter heart. “Do you think it tastes good?”

“You don’t?” Fu Yingcheng looked up.

“…Not to my taste.” All she could taste was the flavor of money.

With the mindset of not wasting food, Ji Fanling stuffed everything into her mouth and, with a bitter expression, got up to pay the bill.

To her surprise, when the waiter heard she intended to pay, they said in surprise, “Your table has already settled the bill.”

Ji Fanling froze. “When was it paid?”

“Mr. Fu settled it at the very beginning.”

Ji Fanling slowly blinked.

People are strange like that. Just moments ago, under the heavy weight of financial pressure, she couldn’t taste anything remotely delicious. But now, all of a sudden, even the lingering aftertaste on her lips seemed…

…to carry a hint of sweetness she hadn’t noticed before.

Ji Fanling walked back and asked Fu Yingcheng, “Weren’t you saying it was my treat?”

Fu Yingcheng was looking down at his phone. Upon hearing her, he seemed to suddenly remember and responded leisurely, “I’m so used to paying for everything myself that I forgot you were even capable of treating.”

“…” Her fists tightened.

What did he mean by “capable”?

Fu Yingcheng stood up, put on his coat, straightened the lapels, and glanced at her. “Does it have to be today?”

“Then I’ll treat you another day. It’s not like we’re in a rush for just one meal.”

Ji Fanling let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed him.

When she said that, she wasn’t trying to make excuses, she genuinely thought the two of them had plenty of opportunities to eat together.

Little did she know, plans could never keep up with change.

Street Food Stall, Next Day Lunch Break.

After finishing her meal, Lu Yan didn’t rush back to her rental room for a nap as usual. Instead, she leaned over the table, pulled out a notebook, and started punching numbers into her phone’s calculator while scribbling notes and muttering to herself: “Deduct 320 for household items, add 100 for overtime pay, then subtract 1,100…”

Ji Fanling casually tidied up the chairs and tables nearby, then walked over and glanced at her. “Doing the math?”

“Yeah, every month as soon as I get paid, I have to repay Huabei, and there’s not much left,” Lu Yan said, tapping her chin with her pen. “Tomorrow I also need to pay rent—subtract 800…”

Ji Fanling stopped in her tracks. “800? You can still rent a place that cheap in Beiwan?”

Lu Yan: “It’s a shared apartment. Four of us split the cost.”

Ji Fanling: “Didn’t you say it’s really close to here?”

Lu Yan: “It is close, just on Jixing Street. I even go back to nap during lunch. There’s still a bed available. If you’re interested, you could move in too.”

Lu Yan had mentioned it casually, but when she saw Ji Fanling’s expression, she was surprised. “You’re serious?”

Ji Fanling had initially thought it would take her a while longer to save enough to move out of Fu Yingcheng’s house. After all, moving out didn’t just mean covering rent—it also meant she’d have to pay for utilities herself and buy essentials like quilts, pillows, hangers, toothbrush holders, washbasins, and so on…

But if the rent was only 800 yuan…

Ji Fanling: “During today’s lunch break, can I come by and check out your place?”

“You want to check out the apartment?” Lu Yan said, suddenly realizing something. Her eyes widened, and she threw herself onto Ji Fanling, grabbing her shoulders. “You’re moving in with me! We’ll go to and from work together! We’re going to be roommates!!!”

Ji Fanling was shaken so hard she nearly toppled over. She awkwardly patted Lu Yan’s back. “…It’s not that serious.”

Lu Yan, overflowing with enthusiasm, dragged Ji Fanling to her apartment right after lunch.

The rental apartment was located in a typical urban village at the eastern end of Jixing Street. The layout was very small, with a shared kitchen, balcony, and bathroom. For showers, tenants had to go to a public bathhouse outside the building.

Currently, there were four tenants. Besides Lu Yan in Room 3, there was a middle-aged bachelor in Room 2 and a young couple in Room 1.

The two proper bedrooms had long been occupied. Room 4, originally a storage room in the corner, had just enough space to squeeze in a bed. However, because it lacked windows, had poor ventilation, and was directly facing the bathroom, it had remained unrented.

“This is the only bed left.” 

Lu Yan said, also feeling the environment was a bit harsh. She cautiously watched Ji Fanling’s expression and added, “It’s a little stuffy in here, but since it’s smaller, the rent is definitely less. Around 500 yuan a month…”

“500? Who needs anything fancy at that price? As long as I can sleep, it’s fine.”

Ji Fanling glanced around the room, dusting off the rust on her hands. Suddenly, she noticed that the lock on Lu Yan’s door looked much newer than the one on her prospective room. “Can you report a broken lock to the landlord for repairs?”

“No, I replaced it myself,” Lu Yan replied.

Then she suddenly thought of something. “By the way, how long is your current place rented for? Can you move out early?”

Ji Fanling paused for a moment, then gave Lu Yan a mysterious look. “I can move anytime.”

*

Ji Fanling didn’t procrastinate when it came to moving. On the way back to the street food stall, she asked Lu Yan for the landlord’s WeChat.

For the landlord, an empty room was just wasted space, so they quickly agreed on the deposit and rent. Lu Yan also informed the other tenants, and Ji Fanling’s addition reduced the shared rent for everyone by 100 yuan. Considering that all the tenants in this kind of shared apartment were undoubtedly short on money, no one voiced any objections.

In the evening, when Ji Fanling returned to Fu Yingcheng’s house, she threw herself onto the sofa, burying her face in the stuffed rabbit. She couldn’t suppress the exhilaration and anticipation bubbling within her.

It had nothing to do with the quality of the apartment itself. It was the unexpected joy of accomplishing something she thought would take much longer.

The fingerprint lock beeped with a soft ding, and the door was pushed open. Ji Fanling, quick as lightning, bounced off the rabbit and casually moved to sit farther away, feigning nonchalance. “Back so early?”

Fu Yingcheng glanced at the emotion on her face as he bent down to change his shoes. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve got some good news. Want to hear it?”

“Go ahead.”

In a tone deliberately kept calm, Ji Fanling announced, “I found a place to rent.”

Fu Yingcheng’s motion of taking off his coat visibly paused for a moment. His long lashes lowered as he spoke in an even tone, “…You can afford a place now?”

“Not really. I’m sharing with a colleague.”

“Congratulations.”

He hung his coat on the rack and walked to the bathroom. While bending over to wash his hands, he said with a calm tone. “When are you moving? Next month?”

Ji Fanling followed behind him, shaking her phone slightly. The WeChat interface displayed her recent conversation with the landlord. “Wrong.”

“…”

She lifted her chin, meeting the deep, dark eyes reflected in the mirror. Her expression was unmistakably radiant, so joyful it was almost blinding. Clearly and deliberately, she enunciated:

“—I’m moving out tomorrow.”

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Author’s Note:

Mr. Fu, why aren’t you smiling? Is it because you’re just not the type to smile?

Red envelopes for the comment section, and there’ll be more tomorrow~ Muah, muah, muah!

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