Chapter 122: A Very Large Wallet

"I was on the middle bunk when he boarded in Dongshan Province’s capital; we ended up in the same carriage, and when someone tried to swap bunks with me, he was the one who turned them down!"

Wen Leyu questioned Li Ye with her eyes, but before Li Ye could answer, Liu Muhan calmly explained.

"She approached me first to swap bunks—mine was the bottom bunk, so I refused, and I turned her down too."

After Liu Muhan finished speaking, Li Ye added a few casual remarks.

His words sounded offhand, but he was really explaining to Wen Leyu: I didn’t draw my sword for a beautiful stranger—I just acted on a fleeting chance encounter.

Li Ye and Wen Leyu were deep in tender affection, and he didn’t want any misunderstanding to tarnish their budding love.

Liu Muhan suddenly found it amusing—Li Ye’s behavior on the train had left a deep impression on her.

Firm, decisive, rational—but why did he now seem so henpecked?

"No, it’s not henpecked—he’s carefully guarding something."

Liu Muhan recalled the scene at the station platform, when Li Ye had “tricked” Wen Leyu into taking the lightest bag, and suddenly understood.

She remembered how, when she first enrolled last year, He Xue and others in the dorm had persuaded Lu Jingyao to write Li Ye letters and send him money.

Back then, according to Lu Jingyao’s casual descriptions, Li Ye had seemed just as the newspaper article described—single-mindedly devoted.

Liu Muhan, who understood human nature well, knew only someone single-mindedly devoted could care so deeply for another’s feelings and guard them so carefully.

After hearing Li Ye and Liu Muhan’s words, Wen Leyu’s face showed no emotion, but her left hand grabbed Li Ye’s and pulled him ten centimeters closer to her side.

Then the girl picked up a book with her right hand and asked Liu Muhan: "Has Qi Cun Dao Feng released a new book? Want to take a look?"

Only then did Liu Muhan notice dozens of books lined up on the shelf, their spines bearing Li Ye’s pen name: “Qi Cun Dao Feng.”

She exclaimed happily: "‘Fenghuo Taobing’—is this your new book, Li Ye?"

Wen Leyu’s eyes narrowed again, and a faint smile appeared on her lips—cold, though.

"I read ‘Qianfu’—it was great. I’ll buy one. Gotta go, you two keep browsing."

Liu Muhan flipped through ‘Fenghuo Taobing’ and decided to buy it.

Then she pulled Lu Jingyao away.

She feared that if she stayed any longer, this sharp little girl would make Lu Jingyao’s expression even more miserable.

With her sensitive intuition, Liu Muhan was certain: Wen Leyu and Lu Jingyao knew each other.

Just a single glance between them had left Lu Jingyao visibly shaken—there was a clear gap in their levels.

Liu Muhan had stayed put for half a minute precisely to observe Li Ye and confirm his current attitude toward Lu Jingyao.

Even the faintest trace of lingering feeling from Li Ye would have escaped none of her notice.

But Li Ye’s reaction was strange—he seemed to have slashed through all emotional ties, forgetting everything from the past.

Then why stay here? Seeking pain?

The chance encounter between an ex and a current lover is one of life’s saddest moments.

Especially when the current lover is even better than the ex.

Watching Liu Muhan’s retreating back, Wen Leyu murmured: "He not only knows your pen name—he knows your real name too."

So that’s what the girl had been doing—offering the book to Liu Muhan to test how familiar she was with Li Ye.

Li Ye smiled and replied frankly: "I was surprised too. She had a copy of the Dongshan Education Daily and recognized me from the photo."

"I have that same Dongshan Education Daily—unless you’re close, you wouldn’t recognize him."

Wen Leyu thought for a moment and asked: "After she recognized you, what else did she say to you?"

Li Ye looked at Wen Leyu in surprise, thinking she’d flipped her lid over jealousy—but then he saw she wasn’t angry.

The girl was calm, serious—as if investigating a case.

"She said she’d read my books. I asked why she had the Dongshan Education Daily—she said her father—"

Wen Leyu interrupted immediately after he finished: "After you returned the paper to her, did she initiate conversation again?"

Li Ye, startled, nodded: "I’d just pulled out two copies—she asked for one, saying she was bored on the train."

But Wen Leyu cut him off again: "When you got off, she didn’t return that book to you, right?"

Li Ye slowly nodded, not daring to hide a single detail.

From just his brief account, Wen Leyu had deduced Liu Muhan’s subsequent actions—she was indeed sharp.

"Huh~"

Wen Leyu exhaled, sounding relieved: "It’s all her doing—none of it’s your fault."

"She must’ve researched you thoroughly before meeting you—knew your general appearance, your hometown—so she half-guessed, half-confirmed you were Qi Cun Dao Feng."

"."

Li Ye suddenly understood.

This was Wen Leyu’s other side—yes, she was a sweet, innocent kitten around him, but her parents were tigers.

The education and skills Wen Leyu had inherited since childhood weren’t just for catching mice—they were for hunting large prey too.

Liu Muhan pulled Lu Jingyao out of the bookstore and wandered back to campus.

Beijing Foreign Languages College was in Haidian District, not far away—a ten- or twenty-minute walk.

But as they walked, Lu Jingyao quickened her pace, as if trying to leave Liu Muhan behind.

Liu Muhan hurried to catch up, studying Lu Jingyao’s face.

She saw Lu Jingyao now had her head down, teeth clenched, face rigid, eyes vacant, mechanically striding forward.

Liu Muhan grabbed Lu Jingyao’s arm: "Jingyao, don’t let the past poison your present. Let go of the pain—time will fade it."

"I want to forget—I dream of forgetting him every night."

Lu Jingyao turned her head slowly, her gaze unfocused on Liu Muhan’s eyes.

"But why did fate make me meet him again? I ran so far—why must I see him again?"

Liu Muhan had no answer.

The world is so vast—why did you have to cross my path?

Lu Jingyao stared at Liu Muhan’s silence, then her vacant eyes flickered: "Muhan, do you think he’s outstanding?"

Liu Muhan paused, then said: "Objectively, he’s far above average—but since you’ve let go, you shouldn’t dwell on it."

"But he wasn’t like this before—he wasn’t! What am I supposed to do?"

Lu Jingyao shook her head violently, flinging two tears into the air—her pitiful, sorrowful expression moved even Liu Muhan to sadness.

Lu Jingyao could never forget the past; she had once been insecure, but after entering university, she gained confidence.

But Li Ye had suddenly changed—and shattered her confidence again.

Unless Lu Jingyao soared higher, became stronger, far surpassing Li Ye—

If she couldn’t, she’d carry that hidden stab of pain for the rest of her life.

"Jingyao, if you want to escape Li Ye, why not apply for study abroad?"

"Study abroad?" Lu Jingyao laughed bitterly: "How could that ever be for me? It’s too hard."

"Not hard," Liu Muhan said firmly. "If you focus, it’s not impossible—but you must drop your pride."

Lu Jingyao looked up blankly at the sky, then whispered after a long silence: "Pride... how much is it worth?"

Beijing was truly vast—just Haidian District kept Li Ye and Wen Leyu wandering all day.

At four in the afternoon, Li Ye turned the bike toward home: "I’ve got plans with Jin Peng to look at apartments—I’ll drop you off for dinner, okay?"

"No," came the unexpected reply from the bike’s backseat. "I want to eat Fengze Garden. Just drop me off."

"."

Li Ye turned back and saw Wen Leyu’s face tight, her legs kicking rhythmically at the air—practicing some unknown leg technique.

"How about I buy you a big pork knuckle? And some donkey rolls? Then I’ll take you home."

"I want Fengze Garden. I’m using my manuscript fee."

"Alright then! Tonight we eat Fengze Garden—my little Yu is mad, gotta spoil her properly."

Li Ye twisted the handlebars and hurried off to take the girl to dinner.

You can’t anger a cat—once you do, forget petting her—she’ll swipe you and blind you with one claw!

As he rode, Li Ye felt Wen Leyu’s small head slowly rest against his back.

She whispered softly: "I’m not angry—I’m just... not feeling well."

Her words carried three parts melancholy, seven parts embarrassment.

But Li Ye laughed: "It’s fine if you are! Ask Teacher Ke—he’ll tell you no one goes through life without getting mad."

"."

Wen Leyu sat stunned for a long moment, then rubbed her head against his back like a cat, gripped his shirt hem, and swung her long legs again.

"Xiao Ye, look around—eight thousand still feels too expensive."

Zaojunmiao lies between Haidian District and XC District, within what would later be the Third Ring Road—prime real estate.

But in 1982, Zaojunmiao showed no signs of prosperity—just low, broken, muddy huts; in Jin Peng’s eyes, it was barely better than Qingshui County.

Yet Li Ye scanned the surroundings and said: "Look at it with a developmental perspective—this place is good."

Right now, Zaojunmiao had no tall buildings; its bustle couldn’t compare to the Second Ring Road of the future.

But around it were many universities—Polytechnic, Aviation, Nationalities, Political Science, Post and Telecommunications—nearly ten, famous or not.

Not far north lay Renmin University; even Peking University was only a few kilometers away.

Zaojunmiao’s location was perfectly central to the eight-member group’s schools.

Don’t even talk about how much this house will be worth in the future—just based on this alone, no matter how much you offer, it might still not be suitable.

“Alright, turn left at the next alley—it’s as narrow as a chicken’s intestine; I don’t even know if a Dongfeng truck can fit through.”

Jin Peng led Li Ye into the alley and walked straight to a gate in the middle.

Li Ye grew more satisfied the more he looked.

This alley was certainly narrower than a street, but among Beijing’s alleys, it counted as “truly wide.”

And this courtyard had clearly been renovated in recent decades—the main structure and bricks and tiles were all solid and straight.

The gate was open; Jin Peng stepped forward, knocked on the door ring, then said, “Is Mr. Zhang at home? We’re here to see the house, as arranged.”

A young voice replied, “Come in! I’m home!”

Jin Peng whispered to Li Ye, “It’s the owner’s son—something like Zhang Rui. I heard he’s a college student too, and he’s stubbornly holding out for eight thousand.”

Li Ye nodded. Such a large inheritance—no one wants to sell it cheap. It’s only natural.

But after stepping inside, Li Ye and Jin Peng were no longer calm.

Inside the courtyard stood a small table surrounded by wooden stools, each occupied by a man, all glaring at Jin Peng and Li Ye with clear hostility.

Li Ye whispered, “Who’s the owner?”

Jin Peng frowned and shook his head—none of them.

Li Ye grew uneasy—he feared the house’s ownership might be disputed. Sibling disputes over property were all too common.

For example, back in 1980, a Tian actor bought a sihe courtyard near the Forbidden City, and later his children fought bitterly over its ownership.

“Please sit! What’s your name?”

“No need for formalities—surname Li,” Li Ye sat on a stool and smiled. “Are these all family members?”

“No, just like you—we’re here to buy the house too.”

Li Ye barely held back from standing up and walking out.

Damn, 1982 house flippers—you trying to teach me a lesson?

“Brother, where’s your old man? Yesterday you said he was the owner.”

Jin Peng was equally annoyed—so it’s just your family that’s complicated? You want a high price, you want to meet the owner, and now you’re bringing in others to drive the price up?

Zhang Rui smiled gently. “My father’s resting inside. But since I need money right now, I’m the one deciding the price.”

Jin Peng’s face twisted with impatience as he looked at Li Ye.

He’d already thought the price too high, and he found Zhang Rui untrustworthy.

Li Ye sat silent, staring blankly at a cassia tree by the courtyard wall.

Keeping a cassia tree alive in northern China required real care—this owner had some finesse.

Stay calm. Don’t rush.

Seeing both men silent, Zhang Rui asked Li Ye, “I heard you’re from Peking University.”

“Mm.”

“Show me your admission letter.”

“No rush,” Li Ye said coolly. “Let your father rest first. In the end, he’s the one who has to sign, isn’t he?”

Don’t play games with me—you’re the owner’s son, so why pretend?

Zhang Rui’s face hardened. “Don’t act uncomfortable. Yesterday I told your cousin eight thousand—that was firm.”

“But today someone else offered ten thousand—for the house and all the furniture.”

“I need the money now. If you match ten thousand, I’ll sell it to you without hesitation.”

Li Ye thought for a moment, then asked Zhang Rui, “These four—aren’t from Beijing?”

Zhang Rui nodded. “From the south. They’ve got deep pockets.”

Li Ye said, “Let me take a look inside the house.”

Zhang Rui smiled. “Of course—all the furniture’s good. Used for decades, not a single piece broken.”

Li Ye followed Zhang Rui inside, took a quick look around, then asked to see the owner in the study.

The owner was in his fifties, with a clear scholarly air; he looked slightly embarrassed seeing Li Ye.

“Mr. Zhang, here’s my admission letter. If you’re willing, I’ll take the house and all the furniture for ten thousand. Deal?”

Both Mr. Zhang and Zhang Rui were stunned—Li Ye had agreed so quickly.

Zhang Rui couldn’t help asking, “Brother, you’re spending this much without consulting your family?”

【You’re wondering if this ten thousand is legitimately earned, aren’t you?】

Li Ye smiled and pulled out his copy of “Fugitive in the Flames.”

“I’m using my own royalties. My family doesn’t interfere.”

Mr. Zhang took the book, glanced at it, then suddenly said, “You wrote ‘Infiltration,’ didn’t you?”

Li Ye smiled. “Humble of me—it’s just popular fiction, not worthy of high art.”

But Mr. Zhang said, “I should be the one humbled. Today I’ve made you laugh—let me decide: eight thousand. Not a cent more.”

“No—ten thousand. I think it’s fair.”

Hey, if you don’t sell me this furniture, I’ll feel like I’ve lost a fortune!

(End of chapter)