Shen Yuqing followed Lin Sui to send Song Lejin to the entrance of the residential complex. The apartment he had bought happened to be the same one he had rented for tutoring.
He asked, “Which building do you live in?”
Song Lejin smiled and replied, “Building 6, Unit 1, Apartment 0701.”
Shen Yuqing’s eyelids twitched, it was right below Song Wangzhuo’s place. Song Wangzhuo lived in 0801. There was a good chance the two might run into each other in the elevator. Shen Yuqing couldn’t help but marvel at the coincidence.
He’d have to mention it to Song Wangzhuo when he saw him tomorrow, just to give him a heads-up. After all, though neither of them knew about their current connection, there had been some tension between them before.
Better to say something in advance.
Noticing Shen Yuqing’s reaction, Song Lejin asked, “What’s wrong? Do you have a friend living here?”
Shen Yuqing hadn’t expected Song Lejin to be so perceptive. He’d only spaced out for a second before being caught.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Just felt a bit dizzy earlier, but I’m fine now.”
Concern flickered across Song Lejin’s face. “Then you should head back and rest. Once I’ve settled in, I’ll invite you over.”
Lin Sui added, “It’s getting late, Lejin. You should go in now.”
They had walked back, and by now, the sky had completely darkened.
Song Lejin nodded. “Alright. A-Sui, you should head home and rest too. Thanks for today.”
Lin Sui waved it off, he was more than happy to be bothered by Song Lejin.
As Song Lejin turned and entered the complex, Lin Sui asked, “Want me to walk you back?”
“I’m not that fragile. See you.” Shen Yuqing hadn’t been in the best state all day, and after walking for a while, he really was feeling tired now.
Lin Sui didn’t insist. “Alright, I’ll head off too. See you at the academy tomorrow.”
Shen Yuqing waved and turned to leave. His own place was only a few minutes’ walk away.
Once home, Lucky had already heard him coming and was waiting by the door, meowing at his feet the moment he stepped inside. Shen Yuqing picked him up, closed the door, and headed to the couch.
The lights were off, but the glow from the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the room well enough to see everything clearly.
Shen Yuqing collapsed onto the sofa, only to feel his communicator vibrate.
He lifted his wrist to check—it was a group message.
Lin Sui had created the group, which only had three members: the other being Song Lejin.
Shen Yuqing blinked, puzzled. If Lin Sui was trying to pursue someone, why drag him into it?
Couldn’t make sense of it. Really couldn’t.
The next day, his internal clock woke him up right on time.
He was fully recharged today, and Xiao Zhao had returned early to make breakfast. As he ate, he asked, “How’s Pei Yiyan doing?”
“Young Master Pei seems to be in good spirits. He could be discharged as early as tomorrow, or the day after at the latest,” Xiao Zhao replied.
Shen Yuqing nodded, then added after a moment’s thought, “Tell him not to rush. If he’s not fully recovered, he should stay a few more days.”
Xiao Zhao chuckled. “The hospital isn’t as comfortable as home. Young Master Pei wants to rest there too.”
That made sense. The smell of disinfectant wasn’t something most people could get used to. “Then have Dr. Jin check on him regularly.”
Dr. Jin was the Shen family’s private physician.
Xiao Zhao smiled and nodded. “Understood.”
Once everything was settled, Shen Yuqing headed out. He always arrived at the academy right on time, and today was no exception.
But unexpectedly, he saw Song Wangzhuo.
Quickening his pace to catch up, Shen Yuqing greeted him: “Morning.”
Song Wangzhuo glanced at him and responded with a simple “Morning.”
This left Shen Yuqing momentarily stunned. He hadn’t actually expected Song Wangzhuo to acknowledge his greeting. Why was he being so “friendly” today?
Having grown accustomed to Song Wangzhuo’s usual indifference, this sudden change left Shen Yuqing at a loss.
After a brief pause, he managed to ask, “By the way, did you take up another delivery gig?”
Shen Yuqing was asking a question he already knew the answer to, simply making conversation.
Yet Song Wangzhuo remained surprisingly “friendly” in his reply: “Quit the bar job, switched to deliveries.”
The delivery job offered more flexible hours compared to the bar, where he had to stay constantly alert.
Hearing this response made Shen Yuqing even more surprised.
What was up with Song Wangzhuo today? Why was he so amiable?
Could it be because he’d provided him with a place to stay?
Shen Yuqing pressed further: “Are you settling in okay?”
“Very comfortable,” Song Wangzhuo replied. “Best place I’ve ever lived in.”
No need to worry about disturbing neighbors when coming home late, no more climbing endless flights of stairs, and no fear of his door being broken into.
Hearing this, Shen Yuqing felt a pang of sympathy, thinking to himself, you’ll live in even better places in the future.
Seizing the opportunity while Song Wangzhuo was in a talkative mood, Shen Yuqing voiced a question that had been on his mind: “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask with all the side jobs you’ve taken, you must have saved up quite a bit. Since you’re only responsible for yourself, why not rent a better place?”
Song Wangzhuo gave him a sidelong glance. Shen Yuqing straightened his back and quickly added, “Just curious. You don’t have to answer.”
Song Wangzhuo kept his eyes on the road ahead and said flatly, “Paying off debts.”
Debts?
Song Wangzhuo had debts?
Shen Yuqing wanted to ask more but noticed Song Wangzhuo’s growing impatience and wisely kept quiet.
If Song Wangzhuo wouldn’t tell him, he still had his cheat code.
Walking quietly beside Song Wangzhuo, he summoned the system again.
[What kind of debts does Song Wangzhuo have?] Shen Yuqing asked.
This time, the system responded promptly: [No records available. I don’t know.]
Shen Yuqing was exasperated: [Do you even hear yourself?]
The system replied: [ This debt was likely incurred long before our records begin, which start from when the male lead arrived on Silino. But you can ask him, and I’ll log the information.]
What good would logging it do now?
There was no chance for a do-over if he failed this time.
Shen Yuqing sighed softly. He couldn’t help but think back to the novels he’d read in his past life other transmigrators got overpowered golden fingers right off the bat.
Why was he stuck with a disabled fiancé, a long-lost true heir, an unseen third male lead, and an unreliable system?
The system tried to console him: [Hang in there. You’ll have vast riches later.]
[You said it yourself later,] Shen Yuqing replied silently, feeling like he was on the verge of falling apart.
Noticing the sudden silence beside him, Song Wangzhuo glanced at Shen Yuqing out of the corner of his eye.
He, too, wanted to ask about that cat named “Good Luck.”
He kept agonizing over it all the way to the classroom door, yet still couldn’t bring himself to ask the question.
Taking his usual seat, Shen Yuqing followed hesitantly and asked, “Mind if I sit here?”
This way, if there was anything he didn’t understand, he could immediately ask Song Wangzhuo under the table.
But after asking, he thought Song Wangzhuo probably wouldn’t want to be associated with him in front of everyone. Just as he picked up his bag to move to the back, he heard Song Wangzhuo say, “Sit.”
At the same time, his stats suddenly updated.
[Corruption Value: 55, Favorability: -30]
Shen Yuqing froze for a moment before breaking into a grin. Yes!
Song Wangzhuo was momentarily taken aback by Shen Yuqing’s smile before lowering his head to pretend to flip through his textbook.
Was sitting next to him really that exciting?
So hard to understand! So weird!
