Chapter 142

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Looks like I guessed right."

Wu Meng's gossipy little eyes lit up.

"They haven't talked......"

Lin Xiyu didn't want her to guess wildly and bring trouble to her cousin: "You absolutely must not tell anyone about this, including your mom, and don't say anything either."

"Okay."

Wu Meng's just-lit little flame of gossip was mercilessly extinguished.

"You go home first."

Lin Xiyu, vexed and restless: "Let's chat another day."

"Fine."

Seeing her expression was off, Wu Meng didn't dare linger, stomped hard on the pedal, and rode away on her bicycle.

"Sigh."

Lin Xiyu watched her go until she was far away, her thoughts lingering for a long time; finally unable to rest easy, she picked up the phone and sent a message to her cousin.

Shortly afterward, the pager hanging at her cousin's waist rang; seeing the incoming call notification, her expression looked a bit unnatural. She took an envelope out of the shoulder bag she carried and stuffed it into that young man's hand, not waiting for him to refuse before mounting her bicycle and riding off in a puff of smoke.

——

"Sis, did you go see that young man again?"

Lin Xiyu used this as a pretext to call her cousin back from campus, giving her no chance to quibble, and asked directly.

"How do you know?"

Her cousin felt a bit guilty, her gaze shifting uneasily.

"A classmate of mine saw you at Shandong University."

Lin Xiyu didn't give up Wu Meng, casually making up an excuse.

"Who is it, so nosy......"

Her cousin grumbled unhappily: "Saw is saw, why do they have to go around broadcasting it."

"Sis, stop complaining."

Lin Xiyu, worried: "Tell me first, did you give that man money again? You work yourself to death every day, live frugally, and pour all your money into that bottomless pit—what exactly are you hoping for?"

"Hoping he'll make something of himself."

Her cousin muttered softly: "He said he's confident he can become a Software Engineer, then go to Zhongguancun, make money, and pay back everything he owes me?"

"That's all you're hoping for?"

Lin Xiyu didn't believe her: "No other thoughts? Don't you want to get closer to him?"

"I do want to......"

Her cousin's eyes dimmed, showing a hint of resentment: "He hasn't agreed yet."

"Sis, wake up."

Lin Xiyu felt indignant for her cousin: "That man has not a shred of sincerity; he treats you like an ATM. If you had no feelings for him at all and were just doing it for fun, to satisfy your own motherly instincts, I wouldn't say anything more. But look at yourself—you're clearly in too deep, harboring illusions about love. If one day those illusions are shattered, I really worry you won't be able to accept it."

"He's focused on his studies and doesn't want to date."

Her cousin found excuses for him: "At school he's also a loner, with not even a girl he can talk to. I'm the only female around him. As the saying goes, 'the water-side pavilion gets the moon first.' I've always quietly cared for him and helped him, letting him see my kindness. Once he comes to his senses one day and wants to date, the first person he'll think of will be me......"

"I'm truly speechless."

Lin Xiyu helplessly rubbed her forehead: "Sis, don't you understand? If that man truly had you in his heart, he definitely wouldn't act like this. I really don't want to watch you keep sinking until your head is broken and bloody before you wake up."

"I feel......"

Her cousin muttered softly, a bit unconvinced: "He does have some feelings for me; otherwise why would he ignore all the other girls but let me get close to him......"

"That's because you give him money."

Lin Xiyu pierced her illusion with one sharp remark: "He wants your money but doesn't want to give feelings or make you any promises. That kind of person is a scumbag who deceives feelings."

"Xu Rui isn't that kind of person......"

Her cousin subconsciously defended the young man: "He's just short on money, with too heavy a burden at home. He doesn't want to drag me down, so he's unwilling to date me."

"If he doesn't want to date, he shouldn't take your money."

Lin Xiyu pressed coldly: "Tell me the truth—how much did you give him this time?"

"No, how much......"

Her cousin guiltily averted her gaze, not daring to meet her eyes.

"No much is how much?"

Lin Xiyu refused to let up: "Hurry up and say it, don't make me anxious. If you don't tell me, I'll tell Aunt Da......"

"No, no, please don't tell my mom......"

Unable to withstand her urging, her cousin hemmed and hawed for a long time before finally telling the truth.

"Two thousand?!"

Lin Xiyu exclaimed in shock at the amount: "You really are generous—just throwing away two thousand yuan like that?"

"His grandmother is sick and needs a lot of money; helping a little is better than nothing."

Her cousin gave an awkward laugh: "Besides, I'm about to be promoted to Vice Store Manager, and my salary will increase. Two thousand isn't anything; I'll earn it back in a month or two."

"What do you mean two thousand isn't anything?"

Lin Xiyu was utterly speechless: "Aren't you still supposed to buy a shop? You borrowed money from the company and pay it back with your salary; once it's deducted, you won't have much left at all."

"It'll go up once I'm promoted to vice store manager."

The female cousin felt a bit guilty: "After paying back the shop money, there should still be some left......"

"You told him about the promotion?"

Lin Xiyu's mood at this moment could no longer be described as speechless.

"This is something I earned through my own ability, of course I have to tell him......."

The female cousin's thinking was clearly not on the same wavelength as hers: "I also have to let him know that even though I'm not good at studying, I still have my strengths; at the very least, my ability to make money definitely won't lose to anyone."

"Just you wait."

Lin Xiyu gave the female cousin a hopeless look: "He knows you've become vice store manager, and his appetite will only grow bigger; the expenses of his whole family will all be borne by you."

"Oh oh."

The female cousin touched her nose and gave an awkward laugh twice, tacitly admitting it.

"Besides medical expenses, what other money have you paid for him?"

Lin Xiyu's heart thumped, and a bad premonition surged up again.

"Studying to be a software engineer isn't easy......."

The female cousin rubbed her hands, stammering: "The required textbooks, computer training fees, and such are all quite expensive......"

"Oh my god!"

Lin Xiyu slapped her forehead with her hand, so angry she couldn't speak.

"Xiyu, good younger sister......"

The female cousin smiled bitterly: "You absolutely must not tell my mom about this."

"It's fine not to tell Aunt Da......."

Lin Xiyu changed the subject and said: "But this time, I can't just stand by and watch you sink deeper, being deceived by others......"

"What do you want to do?"

The female cousin's heart trembled, and she felt a bit nervous.

"I won't do anything to him......."

Lin Xiyu didn't want to confront the female cousin head-on, and thought of a compromise: "You said he wants to study to be a software engineer, right? Guben and Wang Fan opened an internet cafe with ready-made computers; he can use them anytime. I'll tell Guben, and it should be no problem."

"That would be great......"

The female cousin's eyes lit up, showing joy: "That way he won't have to humbly borrow other classmates' computers anymore."

"You tell him......"

Lin Xiyu had her own plans: "When to go to the internet cafe, I'll have Guben wait for him there."

"Fine, I'll go tell him right now......"

The female cousin didn't think twice, and impatiently rushed out the door.

Lin Xiyu watched her head toward the Shandong University New Campus direction; a glint of eerie light flashed in her eyes as she smiled meaningfully.

—

No. 1 High School, internet cafe.

Guben received Lin Xiyu's phone call, rushed over from home, and waited at the internet cafe.

The female cousin had her whole heart set on thinking for that male student, and indeed brought him over before dark that afternoon.

After the female cousin left, Guben began to implement his plan.

The male student was named Xu Rui, one grade above him, studying in the computer department of Shandong University.

Guben was also interested in computer applications, and under the pretense of seeking advice, deliberately got close to him.

Xu Rui didn't know it was a scheme; having an excellent junior deliberately flatter him made him somewhat carried away.

Guben, taking advantage of their congenial conversation, invited him to dinner.

Wang Fan was a person of influence, saw through Guben's deliberate actions, and also happily joined in.

The two played good cop and bad cop, getting Xu Rui drunk.

After drinking, Xu Rui spoke the truth and revealed his real purpose for wanting to go to Beijing.

He already had a girl he liked; that girl had moved to Beijing with her parents during junior high and was admitted to Central University for Nationalities in the same year as him.

The two corresponded by letter in private.

The girl encouraged him to study to be a software engineer and go to Beijing to develop after graduation.

Xu Rui's family was poor, he had no money to buy a computer, and that's when he got the idea to have the female cousin sponsor his exam.

He was drunk, crying and venting the resentment accumulated in his heart at the dinner table.

Every time the female cousin gave him money, he felt very humiliated.

Every time the female cousin went to his home to find him and saw his family's plight, it made him feel unable to hold his head up.

He believed that deliberately flattering and currying favor with the female cousin was selling out his self-respect, and even deep in his heart, he felt an indescribable hatred for the female cousin.

He thought she disregarded his feelings, again and again tearing open his scars, forcing him to humbly face a woman he didn't like.

Guben came prepared and recorded everything, recording his crying and complaints word for word.

—

"Damn, there's actually someone like this, more scummy than me......"

Wang Fan disdained his behavior and indignantly retorted: "I, your grandpa, am scummy out in the open; if we get along, we hang out, if not, we split. He's scummy to the marrow; looks decent on the surface, but is actually full of bad ideas......"

"The female cousin should wake up now."

Guben threw the recorder to him and gave him a task: "It's more suitable for you to tell her about this; she's your employee, and you, as the boss, have an obligation to care for employees and do their ideological work well."

"Damn, you, you're really something......"

Wang Fan was utterly speechless: "Your own elder sister-in-law, you don't take care of her, and you throw her to me?"

"I have other things..."

Guben pointed at the person lying drunk and unconscious on the table: "This person may be a bit scummy, but they're still of some use..."

"Him?"

Wang Fan looked down on him: "Someone who lives off women and can't even support himself—what use could he be?"

"We're going to Shanghai soon; the Internet Cafe relies on Ping Shu alone, we can't manage without someone helping out."

Guben was meticulous and instantly came up with a countermeasure: "I already had plans to dig a computer science student from Shandong University; since there's a ready-made one, there's no need to bother with that."

"You want to use him?"

Wang Fan glanced at Xu Rui doubtfully: "Is he any good? I can't stand a man with bad character..."

"Ping Shu handles the accounts; just let him help out and run errands, go to the Cultural Market to fix computers—there's nothing wrong with that."

Guben's finger lightly tapped the tabletop, as if tapping on someone's heart: "As for character, without Sister's assistance and with a hold over him in our hands, he wouldn't dare not obey..."

"You're something..."

Wang Fan gave a thumbs-up, admiring him from the bottom of his heart.

In terms of black-bellied shamelessness, he submitted to no one, only to this master before him.

The height of his methods for manipulating hearts and the depth of his scheming—just thinking about it was terrifying.

—

Sister brought people to the Internet Cafe, thinking it could bring them closer, but instead she heard bad news.

Xu Rui's recording while drunk was like a heavy hammer, striking her heart.

She couldn't understand why someone could be two-faced.

Facing someone who treated him sincerely, he could still do such a cold and heartless thing.

—

Early the next day by the Moat, Sister cried with snot and tears, recounting her grievances and heartache.

"The first month after I started at the Soy Sauce Factory and got my pay, I started helping him; I wouldn't eat or spend for myself, wholeheartedly doing good for him."

"Raising a dog for a year would still create feelings, but I didn't expect him to be so heartless—not only forgetting my kindness, but also thinking I was overbearing and making him feel humiliated."

"You'd be better off raising a dog; an ungrateful white-eyed wolf—that's exactly the kind of person he is."

Wang Fan had no choice, forced by Guben, and had to accompany her, listening to her nagging.

The more he listened, the more annoyed he became, gradually losing his patience.

"I also want to raise a dog, but my mom won't let me."

Hearing this, Sister cried even more heartbrokenly.

"What's wrong with raising a dog?"

Wang Fan rubbed his ears, very speechless: "Why won't your mom let you raise one?"

"My mom said there's no money..."

Sister tearfully complained: "She says she can't even afford to raise me, let alone a dog..."

"It's just a dog; how much money could it cost?"

Wang Fan took the opportunity to pull her up from the ground: "Alright, stop crying; if you want to raise one, I'll take you to the Pet Market right now and buy you a dog."

"Really buy one?"

Sister didn't expect him to act so quickly; she was so shocked she forgot to cry.

"Of course."

Wang Fan was eager to get away, constantly urging: "One dog can heal your emotional wounds and let our company's business backbone recover his spirit—it's damn worth it."

"What kind of dog can you buy at the Pet Market?"

Sister was persuaded by him, casually wiped her tears, and stopped crying.

"I don't know; we'll see when we get there."

Wang Fan pulled her onto the Motorcycle and handed her a Helmet.

"I want to raise a Pekingese."

Sister put on the Helmet, murmuring with anticipation, drowned out by the Engine's roar of the Motorcycle.

—

Wang Fan took Sister to the Pet Market and indeed bought back a Pekingese puppy.

The Stray Dog was only three months old, just weaned not long ago; arriving in a new Environment, it wasn't shy at all, trotting around the office on its short little legs—so cute it was indescribable.