Chapter 28
Seeing each other during the workweek wasn’t easy. Lin Qianqian and Ming Yao could only meet after work.
A driver took them to a distant Western restaurant.
Ming Yao was watching the time. She had a curfew.
After listening to her list of rules and restrictions, Lin Qianqian was stunned.
“All that effort, and this is what you get?”
“But I got the money,” Ming Yao said, repeating her mantra, convincing herself that the restrictions were a small price to pay for her newfound wealth.
“I just wanted to see you, update you on my progress, and let you celebrate my victory. I don’t have anything in common with those greedy relatives of mine,” Ming Yao said, showing Lin Qianqian a checklist on her phone, going through each item.
Lin Qianqian rested her head on her hand, taking a sip of red wine. It tasted bitter.
Ming Yao was speaking too quickly, the subject matter unfamiliar, and Lin Qianqian struggled to keep up.
“I have a few things to take care of in the next few days. I have to attend my father’s funeral, so I won’t be able to see you for a while,” Ming Yao said, picking up the menu. “Order whatever you want. I’m paying!”
Lin Qianqian grinned. “Are you sure?”
She ordered a few more dishes, all beautifully presented.
Western food never filled her up. She would rather have a bowl of Lu Yin’s cold noodles.
But despite her newfound wealth, Ming Yao didn’t seem happy.
Lin Qianqian felt a surge of gratitude for Lu Yin’s kindness.
She would get Lu Yin a special gift for her birthday.
“Charge it to my card,” Ming Yao said after they finished eating, handing the waiter a credit card.
A few minutes later, the waiter returned, holding the card. “Miss, there seems to be a problem with this card.”
“That’s impossible,” Ming Yao muttered, handing him another card.
They gathered their things and headed towards the exit. The waiter stopped them again at the front desk. “Miss, this card…”
“It doesn’t work either?!” Ming Yao exclaimed, examining the card.
Two notifications popped up on her phone.
[Live within your means.]
[If you can’t earn it, you can’t spend it.]
“That woman!” Ming Yao gritted her teeth. “I’ll deal with her when I get back!”
Lin Qianqian groaned inwardly.
So, she was footing the bill.
And this restaurant looked expensive. Her savings were about to take a hit.
She handed the waiter her phone to scan the payment code. The POS machine beeped.
She checked her balance, her heart sinking as she saw the message on the screen—
Insufficient funds.
They were both doomed.
“Did it go through?” Ming Yao asked anxiously.
“I…don’t have enough money…” Lin Qianqian mumbled, her voice barely audible.
She might be poor, but she had her pride. She didn’t want to reveal her pathetic bank balance.
And she couldn’t ask Lu Yin for money. Lu Yin had just given her ten thousand yuan a few days ago. She hadn’t expected this meal to cost tens of thousands…
“What’s wrong with your card?” she asked Ming Yao loudly.
Misery loved company.
“Why are you shouting?” Ming Yao snapped, hitting her arm. “It’s just frozen…”
They glanced back at the waiter, who was watching them, and offered awkward smiles.
“I just calculated it. I’m a few thousand short,” Lin Qianqian said, after checking her balance again. “Do you have any cash?”
“No, I don’t carry cash. Who does?”
Lin Qianqian had never been so humiliated.
She would never intentionally dine and dash!
“Your stepmother won’t even give you a few thousand yuan?” Lin Qianqian asked, incredulous. “Doesn’t your family own a company?”
“I told you, she wants me to work there, and I don’t want to…” Ming Yao retorted. “Isn’t your sister a partner at that art institution? Can’t she even spare a few thousand yuan?”
Lin Qianqian vowed never to dine with a spoiled rich girl again!
She had never felt so poor, her entire net worth insufficient to cover a single meal.
Their pure and beautiful friendship shattered over an unpaid bill.
Ming Yao turned to the waiter, her eyes pleading. “Can we…put it on a tab?”
“Miss, if you don’t pay, we’ll have to call the police.”
“Wait!” Ming Yao exclaimed.
“Wait!” Lin Qianqian echoed.
They stepped aside, conferring in hushed tones.
“I’ll call my stepmother.”
“I’ll call my sister.”
Lin Qianqian glanced at the time. Lu Yin was teaching an evening class.
She had secretly taken a picture of Lu Yin’s schedule. If there hadn’t been any changes, Lu Yin wouldn’t be available.
But if they didn’t pay, they would be arrested.
Desperate, Lin Qianqian called Lu Yin.
Lu Yin was giving her students time for a group discussion when her phone vibrated. She was about to decline the call, then saw the caller ID and sighed.
She had a feeling.
Lin Qianqian always found a way to interrupt her, whether she was teaching or sleeping.
“Sister, can I borrow ten thousand yuan?” Lin Qianqian’s voice was urgent.
She had to have some money left after paying the bill.
She needed to maintain some semblance of dignity, and dignity required cash.
“What happened?” Lu Yin asked, stepping out of the classroom.
“It’s an emergency.”
“Is ten thousand enough?” Lu Yin couldn’t tell from her tone how serious the situation was. “What kind of trouble are you in? Do I need to come there?”
“No!” Lin Qianqian said quickly.
She couldn’t possibly admit she couldn’t afford dinner.
Lu Yin glanced back at the classroom and transferred twenty thousand yuan, telling Lin Qianqian to contact her if anything else happened.
Seeing the amount, Lin Qianqian’s eyes lit up, her posture straightening.
She paid the bill, but Ming Yao’s mood remained sour.
“Let’s go,” Lin Qianqian said, pulling her out of the restaurant, embarrassed.
“I’ve been behaving for a whole week, and she won’t even let me buy dinner?” Ming Yao said, knowing her cards were frozen. She thought about the jewelry she had at home. “If I have to, I’ll sell a few necklaces to cover my expenses.”
She paced back and forth. “I’m an adult. I shouldn’t have to beg for money.”
Lin Qianqian felt insulted.
“What’s wrong with asking for money? I didn’t steal it. If I can get it, it’s my prerogative.”
Ming Yao didn’t share her philosophy.
“I’m going home. No more fun tonight,” she said, patting her pockets. “Can you lend me a hundred yuan for a taxi?”
“Where’s your driver?” Lin Qianqian asked, transferring the money.
Ming Yao coughed, lowering her voice. “It’s too late. He’s off duty.”
Lin Qianqian didn’t believe her, knowing the real reason, but didn’t press the issue.
The subway station was nearby. She didn’t need a taxi, but she waited with Ming Yao.
The restaurant was in a remote location, the prices high, and most patrons arrived by car. Taxis were scarce.
“Why don’t you go home and figure something out? I know your spending habits were a bit excessive, but cutting you off completely seems harsh,” Lin Qianqian said. “It’s easier to go from frugal to extravagant than the other way around.”
Ming Yao’s face was grim. “I’m not happy.”
The autumn air was cold, and her jacket was in the car with her driver.
Now, she was stranded and freezing.
Lin Qianqian clutched her own jacket tighter.
She wasn’t about to offer it to Ming Yao. If Lu Yin were here, that would be a different story.
Then, she could give her jacket to Ming Yao and borrow Lu Yin’s.
But Lu Yin wasn’t here, and she wasn’t about to sacrifice her own comfort.
“I shouldn’t have involved her in the first place,” Ming Yao said, looking down the street for a taxi. “If I had just split the inheritance with my siblings, I wouldn’t be in this situation. Now, I can’t even spend a penny.”
“How did you even meet her?” Lin Qianqian asked, curious. As far as she knew, Ming Yao hadn’t known this psychiatrist before.
One had sought a stranger’s help to secure her inheritance, making her her stepmother. The other had helped a stranger secure her inheritance, marrying a sick man.
Coincidentally, the man had been admitted to the ICU just days after the wedding, barely having met his new bride.
Fate had intervened.
“I have an older sister who works abroad. She was stressed and a bit depressed. My stepmother was her psychiatrist,” Ming Yao explained. “She’s quite persuasive. I tried to convince my sister to work for the family business, but she always refused. Now, my stepmother has convinced her to come back. She should be returning before the end of the year.”
“I was hoping to get the bulk of the inheritance, but now my sister can share the burden,” Ming Yao said, her expression brightening. “I’m better suited to relying on my family, especially my sister. But who knew she would entrust all her assets to my stepmother before returning?”
Lin Qianqian thought of Lu Yin, wondering if she had disturbed her class.
She had been so focused on getting the money that she hadn’t asked how Lu Yin was doing.
A taxi finally arrived. Lin Qianqian saw Ming Yao off, then headed towards the subway station.
Lu Yin’s evening class ended at ten. She had another class tomorrow, so she might not come home tonight.
Lin Qianqian changed her mind, taking a different line, towards the art institution.
It was past nine when she arrived.
She bypassed the office and headed towards the studios, checking the picture on her phone to find Lu Yin’s classroom, then looking for the corresponding number on the door.
An autumn drizzle had started while she was on the subway.
She never used an umbrella unless it was a downpour. A light rain was barely an inconvenience.
She pushed her damp hair back from her face, checking her pockets for a tissue. Empty.
She wiped her face with her sleeve and sneezed.
Hearing voices approaching, she quickly looked for a place to hide, avoiding unnecessary interactions.
She stood in a corner near Lu Yin’s classroom, wiping the raindrops from her face, her reflection blurred in the glass panel of the door.
It was almost ten. The back door of the classroom opened, and students began to file out, their chatter echoing in the hallway.
Lin Qianqian peeked inside, trying to see over the taller students.
When the last of the students had left, she entered the classroom. Lu Yin was helping a student with a question, her head bowed.
The classroom was still noisy, and she hadn’t noticed Lin Qianqian.
Lin Qianqian watched her quietly.
The last time she had studied Lu Yin’s face like this was that night, after the wine, when she had kissed her.
The kiss hadn’t pushed them apart, but rather opened a Pandora’s box of unspoken emotions, their relationship shifting, the ambiguity intensifying.
The student left.
“Sister!” Lin Qianqian waved.
Lu Yin finally looked up, noticing her damp hair plastered to her forehead, but her smile was bright and unguarded.
She remembered a recent dream.
With their increasing intimacy, the nightmares had begun to fade, the real Lin Qianqian merging with the mocking figure from her dreams.
Lin Qianqian lay beneath her, her cheeks flushed like rain-soaked roses, her voice soft and pleading.
“Sister,” she whispered, over and over again, “I still love you. Please, love me back…”
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