My Terrible Life in Those Years

My mind was in complete turmoil because of what that bastard had deliberately caused. I managed to fall asleep, but I couldn't sleep soundly. My mind was filled with notes flying around!

I chased after those notes, frantically grabbing, snatching, and pulling at them...

Every single note had the same arrogant face on it!

I got up very early this morning and splashed my face with cold water.

When I went downstairs, I ran into the little girl next door.

She looked like she hadn't slept well, but I thought that anyone who goes to bed at three or four in the morning and goes out at seven would probably be exhausted.

She wasn't wearing makeup, and was dressed very simply, quite different from how she looked last night. She had a small backpack on her back.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" she greeted me with a smile.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked in surprise.

She smiled slightly, and perhaps because she wasn't wearing makeup, that faint, rustic air that I hadn't noticed last night made me feel somewhat close to her.

"Your wallet is empty, how can you sleep well?"

I gave a wry smile, completely lacking the strength to reply.

"Don't you even have money for food?"

"There's someone else eating today; they earned thirty yuan helping out at the barbecue stand last night!"

I was utterly humiliated. Just yesterday, when I learned that I might earn ten thousand dollars, I thought my bad luck was over. Who would have thought that this bastard would pull this stunt on me again?

She took out a small wallet from her small bag, which contained several large bills.

"I need to run some errands today and will need some money. I might have a little over two hundred left. How about I lend you one hundred for food? You can pay me back when you get your salary?"

I froze for a moment.

What does that mean? Someone actually asked a stranger in the next room to borrow money?

Is this girl interested in me, this pretty boy?

I hesitated slightly. If it were a close friend, I would accept without hesitation, but right now, I'm practically penniless.

"What? Are you afraid my money is counterfeit?" she teased me, noticing my hesitation.

Suddenly I understood, and I grabbed the hundred dollars she handed me.

"Okay, I'll check if it's real or fake for you!"

Seeing that I was straightforward, she became happy.

"When I first arrived, I was robbed too. I know that feeling of being completely desperate all over the place all along. Besides, haven't you heard this saying?"

"What did you say?"

"A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative! Who knows when I might need your help?"

I laughed. I thought this girl was interesting. She was afraid I had any ulterior motives, so she tried to dispel my concerns from various angles.

She's incredibly understanding! And she really knows how to read people's hearts!

"Okay, that's settled then. Or, how about I write you an IOU? I don't know how long it will take to pay you back."

"No need, it's only a hundred, why bother with an IOU? If you really don't pay it back, I'll consider it an act of charity!"

She looked up at me, amused.

"What's your name? My name is Jiang Ning."

"My name is Du Yan, nice to meet you, my neighbor from Jiangning!"

"If your schedule allows, come over for dinner! I have a rice cooker, so you can cook your own meals—it's clean and cheap!"

I was surprised again: "You...you don't actually have a crush on me, do you?"

Exactly! He was asking me to borrow money and invite me to dinner. It would be strange if I didn't think things through.

Du Yan gave me a chuckled look and said, "Jiangning neighbor, although you're not bad looking, tall, and somewhat pretty, you're a bit too narcissistic. You'll have to pay for the meal!"

I exaggeratedly slapped my face: "Huh? You didn't like her? What a waste of my pretty face!"

His annoyed expression made her giggle again!

When we went downstairs, she even treated me to two large steamed buns and a cup of soy milk.

I already know a little about this Miss Du Yan. Although she is from the countryside, she is not stingy at all; on the contrary, she is very generous.

I have a straightforward personality and I'm not pretentious.

However, I now owe this huge favor.

I secretly planned that once I received the ten thousand yuan, I would immediately pay her back and then treat her to a big meal.

"Hey Du Yan, I work at the Kangning BBQ stall in the south area at 8 PM. If you want some BBQ, come find me and I'll grill it for you!"

That's what I said to her when we parted at the train station.

She smiled and nodded.

I noticed she seemed a bit perfunctory, so I added, "I'll bake it for you myself!"

When I got back to the company, only a few of my other colleagues had arrived yet.

Seeing my listless expression, Liu Mei greeted me curiously, "What's wrong, Young Master Jiang? You're about to become a millionaire, why do you look so tired?"

"Don't even mention it, we were robbed last night!" I was quite annoyed.

"Huh?" Liu Mei was surprised when she heard my words while she was turning on the various machines at the front desk.

"What was stolen? Did they steal you?" Liu Mei deliberately scanned my entire body with her eyes, her meaning quite clear: my most valuable asset is probably this body.

"Oh, you're making fun of me. It would be great if you actually stole someone's money, but of all things, it's my allowance!"

I briefly mentioned the matter to her.

Her eyes widened: "Just two hundred yuan and you're already so down??"

I opened my eyes wide and said, "Hey, Miss Liu, this is my living expenses for this month! I still have to wait until payday!"

Sister Liu used her slender little fingers to hook my head over.

"Would you like me to tell you a way to instantly rejuvenate you?"

"What other methods are there?" I said dismissively.

"Oh, you thought I was just trying to fool you? Fine, don't listen then, it's your own fault for not listening, don't blame me later!"

Seeing my attitude, Sister Liu immediately became a little unhappy.

Hmm? Could there really be a good solution?

"Tell me about it. Let's see if you're reliable."

"I'll tell you, but you have to treat me to a big lunch first!"

My face was pale. I only had 130 yuan on me, 100 of which I had borrowed from Du Yan.

You want me to treat you to a big meal? Are you kidding me?

"Okay, anything under thirty, you can order whatever you want!" I was really agonizing over the price.

That's right! Foods under thirty are a feast for me right now!

Liu Mei's eyes widened immediately: "Hey Jiang, you're about to be a millionaire, why are you so stingy?"

"Don't try to fool me. Whether I'll even get paid is another matter, and it's still a long way from payday." Do you think I don't know when you guys pay salaries?

"Besides, I only have 130 yuan on me right now, and that 100 was borrowed from my neighbor. The 30 yuan I'm giving you for food is already two or three days' worth of my food expenses!"

Liu Mei looked at me for at least half a minute and didn't see anything in me that suggested I was exaggerating.

"Alright, seeing as you're really broke, you don't need to treat me to this big meal. Let me tell you, that payment from GG arrived last night. You can get Ms. Shu to approve the 10,000 yuan bonus and pay it to you early. If she signs it today, you can get this huge sum today!"

My jaw dropped. Is this even possible?

"Really? If we really get it, I'll treat you to a big meal, the kind that costs fifty!"

Anyway, no matter how big the meal is, I can't possibly spend more than 100!