Lin Lin never told Wen Ying what happened with the Xie family, and Wen Ying, tactful enough, didn’t press.
That evening, Wen Ying was invited to Li Mengjiao’s for dinner. After chatting with Li’s dad, Mengjiao walked her downstairs and offered to lend her money.
“I’ve got way more than I need, it’s just sitting there,” Mengjiao said.
Wen Ying’s heart melted at Li’s sincerity.
Li Mengjiao was just too adorable!
She’d once thought Mengjiao was clingy, chasing Xie Qian relentlessly. But in that moment, Wen Ying wondered how Xie Qian, in her past life, never softened toward someone as lovable as Mengjiao.
“I don’t need it, though,” Wen Ying said, declining. “Are you worried I can’t keep up with ‘Shrimp King’ opening a store? Qin Yi paid 50,000 to join, and with the stall’s earnings, we’ll have 70,000 or 80,000 by school starting. That’s over 100,000, plenty for a shop.”
If they hadn’t donated the food festival week’s profits, they wouldn’t even need Qin Yi’s fee.
That 40,000 donation left a slight shortfall in their projections, but Qin Yi’s 50,000 covered it nicely.
Even without Qin Yi, “Shrimp King” could still go brick-and-mortar, just with a smaller store or simpler decor, no big deal.
Seeing Mengjiao hesitate, Wen Ying smiled, “Keep your money. You’re not short on ways to spend it, right? You’ve got competitions coming up, use it for nice stage outfits or travel to Hunan for the finals. Paying your own way, no burden on your family, isn’t that great?”
Mengjiao didn’t lend the money but got talked around by Wen Ying.
Using her own earnings for what she loved? That did sound pretty cool.
After seeing Wen Ying into a taxi, Mengjiao bounced back upstairs. Her dad was in the living room, steeping tea, waiting on the couch.
“Did you lend her the money?” he asked.
“Nope, she wouldn’t take it!” Mengjiao plopped next to him, grabbing his arm. “You knew she wouldn’t, didn’t you? Why didn’t you warn me?”
Li Dad chuckled, “You were set on helping your friend. If I’d told you not to, I’d be the bad guy. As for why I knew? Tell me, does Wen Ying strike you as capable?”
“Duh, of course she is!”
He pried her hand off, lifting his cup to blow on it. “Capable people have pride. She’s not desperate, so she won’t take your money. Times have changed, shameless folks are everywhere, but those with backbone are rare. Respect her choice, don’t chip away at her pride.”
Friendships need balance to last.
When one friend becomes another’s creditor, even if the lender doesn’t care, the borrower feels uneasy.
Li Dad figured Mengjiao would learn that herself.
…
Two days later, Wen Ying tried Xie Qian’s number again, still off.
Had he not had time to replace his phone in Beijing, or ditched the number entirely?
Unsure, she decided to wait.
To Qin Jiao, Wang Shuang, and the others, she was upfront, “Xie Qian’s family hit some trouble, he went back to Beijing early and won’t be here this summer. He left his phone in Chengdu, so we can’t reach him. Let’s wait for him to reach out.”
At first, they worried about what Xie Qian was facing. Days passed with no word, and Wang Shuang grew skeptical, “Does Xie Qian really see us as friends? We know nothing about his family, just that he’s from Beijing with a cousin teaching at a top Chengdu school. That’s it. Now he’s gone without a word, leaving a mess here, shouldn’t he at least explain?”
No contact info.
No clue about the Xie family.
No idea what Xie Qian was thinking.
Like he was above it all, briefly mingling with “mortals” like them, then losing interest and heading back to his palace.
As for “Shrimp King,” Xie Qian’s 2,000 yuan stake was now 15% worth 150,000, but to him, that was probably pocket change.
The whole venture, in Xie Qian’s eyes, might just be a game.
The more Wang Shuang thought, the madder he got, his tone souring, “If Xie Qian’s not coming back and wants nothing to do with us, I’ll buy his shares myself!”
“Wang Shuang!” Qin Jiao snapped, cutting him off.
Saying that now was like rubbing salt in Wen Ying’s wounds.
They’d all met Xie Qian through Wen Ying, their ties to her stronger. If anyone had a deep bond with Xie Qian, it was her, they lived in the same complex, tutored together. If Xie Qian didn’t tell them anything, he’d at least owe her a heads-up.
His ghosting hit Wen Ying hardest, worrying and hurting her most.
Qin Jiao was concerned, but Wen Ying brushed it off, “I’m more worried he’s stuck in some tough spot. He’s just gone for the summer, not forever.”
With memories of her past life, Wen Ying knew Xie Qian would transfer to Chengdu within six months, so him vanishing for good seemed unlikely.
If he didn’t transfer this time around, she’d feel a pang but see the upside: a different school path could shift his future, maybe dodging the tragedy from her last life.
With that mindset, Wen Ying stayed steadier than Wang Shuang.
Wang Shuang’s anger was its own kind of worry for Xie Qian.
Two people were thrilled about Xie Qian’s exit.
First, Wen Ying’s mom, Chen Ru.
Chen Ru had long suspected Wen Ying and Xie Qian were puppy-lovestruck, being around a guy that good-looking, how could Wen Ying focus on studies?
With Xie Qian gone, tutoring was just Wen Ying, and with ten days left until school, three lessons a day at 900 yuan total. Chen Ru gritted her teeth, “Fine, 900 it is, I can afford it!”
Cutting ties with Wen Hongyan’s family was a bonus, no need to subsidize Shu Lu, the extra cash covered the tutoring.
The second happy camper was Zhao Dong.
He’d noticed Xie Qian hadn’t hit the night market in days. A quick check confirmed Xie Qian was back in Beijing!
Intrigued, Zhao Dong called Cai Youlun, “What’s up with the Shu family?”
