I May Not Have Money, but That Doesn't Mean Others Don't!

Four years had passed in the blink of an eye, and every blade of grass and tree within Shrek Academy had been touched by the passage of time.

Yet those familiar corners still carried countless stories of youth.

It was an early summer night. Moonlight filtered through the window curtains into the corridor of the girls' dormitory, and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance.

The bathroom door opened, and Ye Guyi emerged from the misty steam.

She wore a pale gold silk slip dress of exquisite quality, which draped along the curves of her body and outlined her graceful figure.

Her fair, delicate arms and long jade-like legs were exposed to the slightly cool air, still retaining the warmth of her bath.

Barefoot, she stepped across the wooden floor, leaving behind a string of faint wet footprints.

She walked to the dressing table and sat down, gently drying her damp hair before the bronze mirror.

Crystal-clear droplets still clung to her neck and the ends of her hair, refracting flecks of light beneath the dim yellow lamp.

The woman in the mirror had picturesque features. The girlish innocence she had possessed four years ago had faded, replaced by a more mature charm.

Every gesture she made carried an irresistible allure.

Just then, the door was abruptly shoved open.

Jiang Nannan rushed in from outside, her eyes bloodshot and tears still lingering in her reddened rims. She looked as though she had only just stopped crying.

Ye Guyi froze, her comb stopping in midair as she stared at her in surprise. "Nannan? Why are you back? Didn't you take leave to go home and care for your mother?"

She remembered Jiang Nannan hurriedly packing her luggage and leaving the academy only half a month ago.

She had said that her mother's old illness had flared up and that she needed to return home to care for her.

By all rights, she should not have returned for at least several months.

Jiang Nannan hurried to Ye Guyi's side. Tears fell like beads from a broken string, and her voice was so choked that she could barely form a sentence. "Sister Guyi... my mother's illness has gotten worse... The doctor said... said she needs more expensive medicine to stabilize her condition... I... I don't have any money left to buy it..."

As she spoke, her hands clenched tightly around the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white as her entire body trembled faintly.

"C-Can you lend me some money? I really have no other choice... Among everyone I know, you're the only one..."

She looked up at Ye Guyi through tear-filled eyes, her gaze full of despair and pleading. "Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back! Once I graduate, once I have an income, I'll pay back every last coin!"

Ye Guyi's heart clenched sharply at those words.

She knew that feeling all too well.

Four years ago, she had been just as helpless and desperate, able only to watch as the life of someone dear to her slowly slipped away while she could do nothing.

If Li Changqing had not given her a glimmer of hope back then, she would either still be looking for chances to kill evil soul masters or already be dead in some forgotten corner.

So when she saw Jiang Nannan like this, her eyes reddened as though she felt every bit of her pain.

She hurriedly set down her comb, turned around, and took Jiang Nannan's icy hand. "How much do you need? Tell me. I'll help you figure something out."

Jiang Nannan sniffled, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "P-Probably three thousand gold soul coins... The doctor said that's only a conservative estimate. As for how much more might be needed later... he couldn't guarantee anything..."

Three thousand gold soul coins.

Half of Ye Guyi's heart went cold.

For a student, especially a commoner, that number was practically astronomical.

Although she had no worries about food or clothing at Shrek Academy, all her savings combined amounted to less than three hundred gold soul coins.

A troubled expression appeared on her face. She opened her mouth, but did not know how to say it.

Seeing her fall silent, Jiang Nannan thought she was worried that she would not be able to repay the debt. She hurriedly said, "Sister Guyi, I really will pay you back! I can swear on my Martial Spirit! I absolutely won't default on it! Please, I really have no other way..."

As she went on, her voice took on a sobbing tone again.

Jiang Nannan's crying threw Ye Guyi's thoughts into chaos, and she quickly interrupted her. "No, no, Nannan, listen to me! I'm not worried that you won't repay me! I... I really can't come up with that much money! Even if I count everything I have, it's only two or three hundred gold soul coins..."

She spread her hands with a bitter smile.

Jiang Nannan froze.

Then, the last shred of hope in her eyes went out, and tears surged forth.

As though all her strength had been drained away, she collapsed onto the edge of Ye Guyi's bed, covered her face with both hands, and sobbed. "Then... then what am I supposed to do... Even you don't have money... Who else can help me? Who else can I borrow from..."

She cried as though her heart had been torn apart, her shoulders trembling with each sob.

Ye Guyi's heart ached at the sight. She quickly sat beside her, pulled her into her arms, and gently patted her back in comfort.

"Don't cry, don't cry. I may not have money, but that doesn't mean other people don't!"

Ye Guyi's mind raced, and suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Li Changqing! That bastard definitely has money! He may not be much of a person, but I've never seen him short on money."

Jiang Nannan raised her head from Ye Guyi's embrace and looked at her with tearful eyes. "R-Really? Would he be willing to lend it to me?"

Ye Guyi patted her chest and said with feigned confidence, "Don't worry! First thing tomorrow morning, I'll take you to find him. I guarantee we'll get the money!"

After saying that, she actually had little confidence herself.

She had spent four years around Li Changqing and considered herself to understand him somewhat.

That guy was extremely calculating and never did things according to convention.

Just like back then, the reason he had been willing to take her along was, bluntly speaking, because he had taken a fancy to her Sacred Angel Martial Spirit and felt that such a Martial Spirit should not go extinct.

There had been nothing else to it.

In other words, if she ever became disobedient one day, or truly fell into some irreversible danger, he would absolutely abandon her and flee without the slightest hesitation.

Could such a cold-hearted person really be kind enough to take out three thousand gold soul coins to help Nannan?

Ye Guyi was deeply uneasy.

But at the moment, aside from Li Changqing, she truly could not think of a second person who could come up with such a large sum.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. Your eyes are all swollen. How are you going to face anyone tomorrow?"

Ye Guyi pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the tear tracks from Jiang Nannan's face. "Stay here with me tonight and get some proper rest. Tomorrow, we'll go ask that bastard for money."

Jiang Nannan nodded through her sniffles. Like a wounded little beast, she nestled against Ye Guyi's side and gradually stopped crying.

That night, both of them were filled with worries and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Early the next morning, when the sky had only just begun to brighten, Ye Guyi pulled Jiang Nannan out of bed.

After washing up and getting ready in a hurry, the two of them rushed toward the dining hall.

Shrek Academy was shrouded in a thin layer of mist in the early morning, and the air was exceptionally fresh.

Birdsong drifted from the woods, while the occasional early-rising student passed by them and cast curious glances their way.

Jiang Nannan had not slept well all night. Her eyes were still faintly red, and she looked somewhat listless.

Ye Guyi walked beside her, glancing at her from time to time as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

There were already a few scattered people seated in the dining hall. Steam drifted from the serving windows, carrying the aroma of food.

They spotted Li Changqing at once.

He sat by the window, with a large bowl of steaming meat porridge before him, along with two small dishes and three buns. He was eating with great relish.

Four years had passed, and he had grown considerably taller. His features had become more defined, and there was now more steadiness and sharpness between his brows.

But the way he devoured his food like a whirlwind was exactly the same as it had been four years ago, unchanged in the slightest.

Ye Guyi took a deep breath, pulled Jiang Nannan over, and sat down across from him.

Li Changqing raised his head, half a bun still stuffed in his mouth. "Mm? Why haven't you two gotten food? What are you sitting here for?"

He swallowed the food in his mouth, took another sip of porridge, and wiped his lips before looking seriously at the two of them.

When his gaze landed on Jiang Nannan's reddened eyes, he paused slightly and set down his chopsticks. "Sister Nannan? When did you come back? Didn't you take leave and go home?"

Jiang Nannan opened her mouth, but it felt as though something was lodged in her throat. For a long while, she could not say a word.

Li Changqing raised an eyebrow and turned to Ye Guyi, his eyes questioning.

Ye Guyi cleared her throat and got straight to the point. "Li Changqing, we came to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?" Li Changqing frowned slightly, unable to react for a moment.

Jiang Nannan lowered her head, twisting her fingers together. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Borrowing money was simply too difficult for her to bring up.

Ye Guyi could not stand watching any longer, so she blurted it all out. "Nannan's mother is critically ill and needs three thousand gold soul coins for medicine. She has no money, and I can't come up with that much either, so we could only come find you, you rich bastard!"

Once she finished speaking, Jiang Nannan abruptly raised her head and hurriedly added, "Changqing, don't worry! I'll definitely pay you back in the future! I can use anything as collateral! Please help me..."

Her voice trembled, and her gaze was full of earnest pleading.