Several older women pointed straight at Zhao Huilin and cursed her out. Furious and mortified, Zhao Huilin nearly rolled her eyes back and fainted.
Yan Heqing, meanwhile, calmly put on his jacket, politely said goodbye to the neighbors, picked up his bag, and walked steadily out into the night.
Chapter 5: 005
Her scheme had backfired, and Zhao Huilin slunk home.
Once home, the more she thought about it, the angrier she grew, and the more her heart ached. After sulking in the living room for ages, she went to the bedroom and patted the sleeping Yan Shengbing.
"What was Yan Heqing's major again?"
All she knew was that Yan Heqing had gotten into Beijing University, the best university in the capital. When his admission letter arrived, she had only photographed the envelope to show off on Moments. In truth, she had been bitter and jealous and had never even looked at his major.
"You'll have to earn your own tuition, too." Zhao Huilin had tossed the admission letter onto Yan Heqing. "I don't have a single cent."
Thinking back on it now, Zhao Huilin was sick with regret. If only she had known, she would have opened it and taken a look!
"No idea." Yan Shengbing had been sound asleep. He answered and went right back to sleep.
"How can you still sleep?" Zhao Huilin's anger flared. "That ungrateful wretch Yan Heqing ran off!"
"The sooner he gets lost-" Yan Shengbing woke up at once and scrambled into a sitting position. "Where did he go? He hasn't given us the money yet."
Zhao Huilin rolled her eyes skyward. "How would I know? He just walked all over me, and all you do is sleep."
Yan Shengbing was unconcerned. "Where could he possibly go? He'll be back in a couple of days."
"You don't know shit!" Zhao Huilin jabbed his forehead. "He's gone to find Young Master Lu, to live in a big house and eat and drink his fill. Come back? I bet he's having too much fun to even think about it!"
Yan Shengbing was wide awake now. He rolled out of bed and looked for his shoes. That was 4.9 million yuan! "Which way did he go? I'll chase him down!"
"Chase him, my ass! He's long gone. That's what you get for lying in bed like a corpse all day!" Zhao Huilin snorted a few times. "But the monk can run, not the temple. I don't believe he can manage to transfer universities."
Yan Heqing was a student at a prestigious university. She would go make a scene at his school tomorrow. She refused to believe he didn't care about saving face!
Yan Heqing returned to his place with several extra bags of vegetables, rice, and flour in his hands. He hadn't eaten dinner yet.
He went inside, changed his shoes, and headed straight for the kitchen.
As a child, he had been too young to do heavy work, so he had washed dishes for the owner of a little restaurant by the entrance to the residential complex. The owner would give him a little money.
Whenever anyone came to inspect the place, they would say he was the owner's son.
Yan Heqing had learned to cook by watching at that little restaurant.
Before long, he came out carrying a bowl of rice and a plate of hot-and-sour shredded potatoes.
There was only one room. A bed took up half of it, while a small sofa and table occupied the other half. They all belonged to the landlord. Though a little old, they were still decent quality.
Yan Heqing had bought a beige sofa cover and a pale yellow tablecloth to cover them.
A few pink gladiolus stems stood on the table, their vase a mineral water bottle cut in half.
Orange light bathed the little table, making the simple meal even more delicious.
Yan Heqing bent his head and ate. He ate quietly and quickly, a habit formed over his years of working part-time jobs.
After finishing every last bit of rice and shredded potato, Yan Heqing gathered up his bowl and chopsticks and went to the kitchen to wash them.
When he came out after washing the dishes, Yan Heqing opened his bag, organized his books, then pulled a laptop and a phone from his backpack.
He had found both the laptop and the phone at a secondhand market for a total of 2,000 yuan. They had all the basic functions. Though the phone was still a low-end model, at least it was a smartphone.
Yan Heqing turned on the computer to do his assignments.
Usually, he went to the library to use its computers for his assignments. This was his first time using his own computer, and with no need to race against the clock, he studied until nearly midnight.
It was a phone call that finally interrupted him.
The caller ID read-Oxygen.
Oxygen, the bar Lu Lin occasionally visited.
Yan Heqing's gaze flickered slightly. He answered the call. "Hello."
"Is this Yan Heqing?" The person on the other end was a man.
"Yes."
"The boss agreed to all your conditions. You'll work every Friday and Saturday from eight in the evening until two in the morning. Any problems?"
"No."
"All right, come start work tomorrow."
After hanging up, Yan Heqing saved his assignments, shut down the computer, and went to shower.
Lu Lin was reviewing reports when Xie Yunjie called. Lu Lin put him on speaker.
"President Lu, come have a drink at Oxygen." Xie Yunjie's voice echoed through the empty office. "Chu and the others are back."
"No time." Lu Lin moved his mouse.
"You're not still working, are you? It's already midnight." Xie Yunjie was used to it. "Leave the rest of us some room to make a living. Lu Group already ranked first in revenue last year. If you keep working this hard, we'll be living on air."
Lu Lin spoke unhurriedly. "Being able to live on air wouldn't be so bad."
Xie Yunjie laughed. "Chu and the others brought a few friends, too. One of them seems to be that kid of yours. Guess who?"
"I'm hanging up." Lu Lin ignored Xie Yunjie's teasing.
"Wait, wait, I'll tell you." Xie Yunjie hurried on. "Lin Fengzhi, right? The kid Mu Chi brought last time. He looked at you like he wanted to swallow you whole."
Lu Lin frowned. "Don't joke about that."
He had some impression of the name Lin Fengzhi. He was the Lin family's youngest son and seemed to be underage.
"All right, our President Lu is a proper gentleman. This lowly one will take his leave!" Xie Yunjie muttered another line. "Will I ever live to see you fall in love?"
Afraid of getting scolded, Xie Yunjie hung up first.
He had just hung up when the private room's door opened. Chu Ziyu and Shen Xiong came in, followed by two others.
Xie Yunjie recognized one as Lin Fengzhi and the other as Lin Fengzhi's second older brother, Lin Fengyi.
As soon as Chu Ziyu entered, he asked, "Is Lu coming?"
Lin Fengzhi immediately looked over expectantly.
Xie Yunjie whistled. "Lu's not coming."
Lin Fengzhi instantly deflated like a punctured ball, his whole body wilting. He had overheard Lin Fengyi on the phone, arranging to go drinking with Lu Lin's friends, and had wheedled Lin Fengyi into bringing him along.