Chapter 339 - 164: Two People in the Same Boat

Chapter 339: Chapter 164: Two People in the Same Boat

Aunt Luo composed herself and forced a smile. "I’m sorry, I lost control for a moment. I don’t know why, but when I’m with you, I just feel like talking."

"It’s okay. You should try to look on the bright side and not resign yourself to fate. I’ve stopped accepting my fate, too."

The Xie Yiren of today had indeed stopped accepting her fate. She’d even given up her status as the Saintess—what fate was there left to accept!

Aunt Luo said, "Oh, right. I saw the resume in your hand earlier. Are you looking for a job?"

Xie Yiren replied, "Yes, I’m looking for a job."

Aunt Luo sized up Xie Yiren. She had a keen eye for quality and could tell at a glance that the high heels on Xie Yiren’s delicate feet were custom-made by Salvatore Ferragamo, worth tens of thousands of US Dollars. It was Audrey Hepburn’s favorite brand of high heels. Then she saw that the jacket Yiren was wearing was from Gucci’s new spring collection, priced at 80,000 yuan. She didn’t even need to look at anything else; the outfit alone was worth hundreds of thousands.

"Are you short on money? That outfit of yours isn’t cheap. Are you just doing this to experience life?"

"I... I..."

"Oh, I see. Your boyfriend bought them for you."

"Yes." Xie Yiren nodded. Su Ran had paid for everything. He was particularly attentive to the high heels on her feet. "I... I don’t want to use his money anymore. I want to earn my own. I don’t want it to seem like I’m some kept woman."

"You’ll earn it yourself? What about your parents?"

"I don’t have parents. I only found out a while ago that I’m an orphan. My boyfriend felt even more sorry for me after that. He bought me all these clothes, and he pays my tuition. He doesn’t want me to look for a job because he’s afraid I’ll get bullied, but I don’t want to use his money..."

Aunt Luo watched the young woman speak her mind, head lowered and fidgeting with her fingers. ’Indeed,’ she thought, ’the world is full of suffering people, bustling about in their misery.’

"For your boyfriend to do all that, it’s clear he loves you very much."

"Yes, he’s very good to me. Even though I don’t have any family left, I consider him my closest kin."

"I hope your boyfriend continues to treat you well."

"He will."

"That’s good."

Aunt Luo knew that a man who appeared in Xie Yiren’s life at a time like this was like the moonlight in her darkest hour. If that light were to one day leave her, then she herself would simply disappear...

The two continued to walk for a while until Aunt Luo grew tired. Xie Yiren escorted her to the campus gate, where a male assistant got out of a parked Mercedes-Benz and opened the car door. Aunt Luo had taken a liking to the young woman, so she offered to exchange WeChat contacts. "Weren’t you looking for a job? I know a few people in the dance industry. If a suitable position opens up, I can introduce you. A woman has to rely on herself. When you live off a man’s money, you lose your voice."

"Yes, that’s exactly what I think! He even gets fierce with me now, and I don’t have the confidence to talk back."

"Hehehe, bye-bye."

Watching the Mercedes drive away, Xie Yiren felt her mood lift considerably. Humming a tune, she started walking back toward the school.

In the back seat of the Mercedes-Maybach, Aunt Luo watched the retreating figure and felt as if she were seeing a mirror image of her younger self.

"Ah Wei, make the arrangements."

"Understood."

Ah Wei was the assistant. He made a note of it, which meant he would contact a dance studio to find a job for Xie Yiren. For a powerful figure of Aunt Luo’s status, if someone kept her company and chatted with her, she would thank them in her own way when she was pleased.

Ah Wei asked, "Aunt Luo, where are we heading now?"

"To the airport. We’re returning to the Imperial Capital. Su Ran is coming to the Imperial Capital tomorrow. Heh, I’m quite eager to meet this ’little friend’ of mine who refuses to add me on WeChat and insists on talking through email every day."

...

「Jiangning.」

「At the university gate.」

Su Ran had once mentioned that Shen Qingning always wore jeans and that he’d like to see her in a skirt. Shen Qingning remembered this. To thank Su Ran for saving her life, she had specially gone out and bought a black silk half-skirt, paired with a white chiffon blouse—a classic black-and-white combination. She stood waiting at the school gate for a while. The red light ahead turned green, and an army of electric scooters surged forward. SCREECH... A Yadea electric scooter stopped right in front of her. "Class President?" Shen Qingning stared in surprise at the rider. It was Su Ran.

"Why so surprised? The traffic’s terrible, so I didn’t take the sports car. Riding a scooter is more convenient."

"What’s with that look? Don’t I look good on an electric scooter?"

"It suits you."

"Soot? Why are you calling me dirty?"

"I didn’t! I said ’suits,’ as in ’it looks good on you’!"

Su Ran chuckled. He was just kidding. He looked Shen Qingning up and down. "New skirt?"

"Does it look good?" She lowered her head, a little shy, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, hoping for a compliment from Su Ran.

"The hemline reaches your mid-calf. Far too conservative. Thumbs down!"

"Really? The sales associate said this skirt was gorgeous and that it suited me perfectly."

"You actually believe a sales associate? Sigh. Get on, let’s go eat."

Shen Qingning mumbled an "oh," feeling quite dejected. ’Too conservative?’ She was indeed an overly conservative girl, the type who would blush just from touching a boy’s hand. Needless to say, sitting behind Su Ran now with one arm wrapped around his hard eight-pack abs made her blush even more.

"Class President, is the skirt really that ugly?"

"It’s alright. Has a real 70s or 80s vibe."

"You..."

The electric scooter zipped through the streets, occasionally braking hard when a car in front of them stopped short.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Shen Qingning noticed two distinct, clean circles on Su Ran’s otherwise dusty back.

The restaurant was Shen Qingning’s choice: a seafood buffet that cost 500 yuan per person. Su Ran didn’t really care what they ate, but Shen Qingning was grateful to him for lending her the money to save her grandmother, so she was determined that this meal couldn’t be a cheap one. A 1,000-yuan meal was still a considerable expense for an ordinary university student, but she did what she could within her means.

They went in, got some seafood, and sat down. Su Ran raised his glass. "My thanks to Boss Shen for the treat."