"Fool, if that's the case, you should be studying hard, right? Only then can you make something of yourself and lighten your sister's family burdens. Otherwise, if you achieve nothing in life, I'll have to take care of you instead," Yuan Shanshan said with a gentle laugh.
Just the fact that her younger brother cared about her moved her deeply; that alone made her feel that all her sacrifices were worthwhile.
"But..." Yuan Zhibang wanted to say something, but Yuan Shanshan suddenly covered his mouth:
"Alright now, don't overthink it. Just focus on going to school, and leave the money worries to your sister to solve. No need to worry."
"Okay," Yuan Zhibang could only agree.
It seemed there was no other way, and he couldn't waste his sister's hard work.
"Here's two hundred bucks. I haven't received my salary yet, so I can't give you much. Take it for now and remember to spend it carefully," Yuan Shanshan took out two hundred yuan and said to Yuan Zhibang.
In fact, after giving Yuan Zhibang two hundred yuan, her own wallet was left with only a hundred yuan.
But Yuan Shanshan felt she could endure it, as she didn't spend much normally. The company provided meal money, and she only had to pay for bus fare at most.
"I don't want it," Yuan Zhibang said quickly, shaking his head.
Yuan Shanshan had already given them so much; how could he dare to take her money?
"Take it if I tell you to take it," Yuan Shanshan stuffed the money into Yuan Zhibang's arms. "I still have some money on me, so don't worry."
Yuan Shanshan knew Yuan Zhibang was worried she would be left with no money after giving money to him.
"Well, okay then," Yuan Zhibang accepted the money reluctantly.
"I need to go now; you should hurry back to school," Yuan Shanshan instructed before hobbling away.
After leaving the hospital, Yuan Shanshan stood at the bus stop. The smile vanished from her face, replaced quickly with a look of distress.
The hospital bills for the past month totaled over five thousand yuan, yet she had only a hundred yuan on her. There was no solution other than borrowing money.
After some thought, Yuan Shanshan decided to call Che Xiaoxiao, only to hear loud noise on the other end and asked curiously:
"Xiaoxiao, where are you? Why is it so noisy?"
"Me? I'm at the auto repair shop," Che Xiaoxiao giggled mischievously:
"Let me tell you, I'm getting a new heart for my love drive. It cost me tens of thousands, now I'm broke, but it's worth it. My love drive can accelerate to three hundred kilometers per hour now, cool, huh?"
Che Xiaoxiao's obsessions were clear, with cars at the top, followed by money and food.
"Cool, pretty cool," Yuan Shanshan replied with a forced laugh, having intended to ask Che Xiaoxiao for a loan. But it seemed impossible now.
After all, Che Xiaoxiao herself had said she had spent all her money.
"By the way, Shanshan, what do you want, calling me ? Do you want to treat me to a meal?" Che Xiaoxiao, unaware of what had happened, joked.
"It's nothing, the thing is, Xiaoxiao, I'm busy now, gotta hang up."
Yuan Shanshan quickly hung up the phone, but her expression became even more despondent. If even Che Xiaoxiao didn't have any money, she really didn't know who else to turn to.
On the other end, Che Xiaoxiao was bewildered, muttering, "What was that about."
Yuan Shanshan had suddenly called, asked where she was, and then abruptly hung up. What did that mean?
The next day, Yuan Shanshan showed up at work as expected. She busied herself with work all morning but was clearly distracted.
It wasn't until noon that she finally made up her mind to go to the HR department.
But as soon as she got to HR, she saw Hao Jian flirting with a female colleague.
"Little sister, let me read your palm. My nickname is Race Half-Immortal. Before coming to this company, I made a living by fortune-telling," he boasted.
"Really? Are you that good?" The female colleague was quite naive and believed him immediately.
"Of course, let me have a look for you, and you'll know about your past and future," Hao Jian said with a wink and a nudge.
"Then help me have a look." The girl handed over her hand.
"What do you want to ask about?" Hao Jian inquired.
"Let's talk about love. I don't have a boyfriend right now, and my family keeps pushing me," the girl explained.
"Alright, let me have a look for you, huh."
Hao Jian pretended to read her palm, but he kept touching it here and there—hey! You wouldn't believe it, but this chick's hand was really smooth.
"Are you done touching, or what? Did you see anything?" The girl felt something was amiss.
"Oh, I'm done. Your palm is good, it says you'll encounter some peach blossom luck in the near future, and the guy will be very handsome," Hao Jian bluffed.
"Ah, you can tell all that?" The girl expressed her astonishment.
"Of course, I'm Race Half-Immortal," Hao Jian said, patting his shoulder with pride.
"Then tell me more about him, what's he like?"
Hao Jian was naturally willing to continue. While touching the girl's hand, he said:
"Hmm. I've figured it out, it's clear. Besides being handsome, he's also humorous, and he's right here in this company. He has thick eyebrows, big eyes, a buzz cut, is about six feet tall, and he's wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans today. If you use this description as your standard, you'll find him no problem."
"The person you're describing... isn't that just you?" The girl glanced at Hao Jian and felt a surge of frustration.
Hao Jian was clearly talking about himself—he was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans that day, and he also had a buzz cut.
"Eh, me? It turns out to be me?"
Hao Jian immediately feigned a surprised expression and deliberately checked his own outfit.
Afterward, Hao Jian sighed resignedly:
"Ah, who would have thought that your destined one would be me? This is unexpected yet totally makes sense! Perhaps, only a suave and debonair man like me is worthy of your unparalleled beauty! How about we go to a hotel after work, and I give you the most precious thing in my body!"
"Get lost," the girl cursed irritably, and then stopped paying attention to Hao Jian, turning to leave.
She was furious, having realized that Hao Jian had been teasing her.
"Hey, you don't believe me? But I am Race Half-Immortal!" Hao Jian shouted after the girl.
The girl didn't turn around but responded by flipping a middle finger.
"Tch, whatever," Hao Jian felt disappointed. However, as he turned around, he saw Yuan Shanshan standing not far from him.
"What are you doing here?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled.
"I, I came to find you," Yuan Shanshan said, looking down with embarrassment.
After all, she had only known Hao Jian for a day, but here she was looking to borrow money from him.
"Looking for me? What for?" Hao Jian was particularly baffled, and suddenly gasped in surprise:
"You, you couldn't have fallen for me, could you? Let me tell you, there's no chance, I'm spoken for."
Yuan Shanshan rolled her eyes, holding back the laughter on her face, then finally said:
"No, that's not it... Actually, I came to borrow some..."