The young lady hired me to help her and the young master have an online romance.

Jiang Wan felt a pang of sadness mixed with tenderness. She reached out and patted his shoulder. "No need. This 30,000 yuan is my sister's money."

"Money can be earned back, as long as you're safe."

Jiang Feng was still annoyed, "My act of bravery cost my sister 30,000 yuan."

"I will never act impulsively again if I encounter something like this in the future."

Jiang Wan gently comforted her, "You can't think like that. There's nothing wrong with doing a good deed, but if conditions allow, you should call the police first and not rush in on your own."

Jiang Feng nodded obediently, "I understand, sis."

The two walked home along the road.

A cool night breeze rustled the plane trees lining the road.

After walking for a while, Jiang Feng suddenly spoke up again, "Sister, I'll definitely pay you back that 30,000 yuan!"

Jiang Wan chuckled, "Sure, once you get into police academy and become a police officer, you can give me half of your monthly salary."

Jiang Feng snorted through his nose, "You wish! You think you can buy out half of your brother's lifetime salary for 30,000 yuan?"

"You're really messing with me!"

The laughter of the siblings drifted away on the night breeze.

When I got home, the living room lights were still on.

Fang Ru sat on the sofa watching TV, while Jiang Baishan watered his flowers and plants on the balcony.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home," Jiang Wan said as she changed her shoes.

Fang Ru looked towards the entryway and stood up in surprise. "Wanwan? Why are you back?"

Jiang Wan put her bag on the sofa. "I don't have much to do this week, so I thought I'd come back and stay for a couple of days."

"Xiaofeng just got out of school, so I went to pick him up on my way, and we strolled around outside."

Jiang Baishan walked in from the balcony, glanced at the siblings, and then his gaze fell on the gauze on his son's elbow. "What happened to your hand?"

Jiang Feng subconsciously hid his hands behind his back, and was about to speak when Jiang Wan spoke first, "He fell during PE class, just scraped his skin, it's not serious."

Jiang Baishan said "Oh".

It's normal for boys to stumble and fall, so I didn't pay much attention.

Fang Ru thought similarly to her husband and didn't care either.

The siblings looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

A short while later, Fang Ru and Jiang Baishan returned to the master bedroom to rest.

After a quick wash, Jiang Wan returned to her room.

After a two-hour drive and dealing with some upsetting matters, I am now completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.

I lay down on the bed and let out a long breath.

Jiang Wan picked up her phone and opened Facebook.

In the chat box, Shang Shixu sent her a photo of the sunrise in Boston around 7 a.m.

She was on the phone with her brother at the time and wasn't in the mood to see what he had posted.

After deleting the message notification, I forgot to reply.

It's already 11:30.

Jiang Wan typed on the screen—

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Sorry, something came up and I didn't see the message]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Just finished working, going to bed to rest]

After sending the message, she placed her phone next to her pillow and stared at the ceiling.

There was a thin crack in the ceiling that stretched from the light fixture to the corner of the wall.

She noticed the crack when she was a child, and whenever she couldn't sleep, she would stare at it and eventually fall asleep.

But tonight, she can't sleep.

Looking at this crack, I feel a tightness in my chest.

Thirty thousand yuan.

It was spent in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, I can pay back the money I borrowed last night first thing tomorrow morning.

The bad thing is that I ended up owing people a favor for no reason.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

Others were just being kind and lending her money in an emergency.

Jiang Wan turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

Across the ocean, Boston.

Shang Shixu's morning of frustration was inexplicably soothed after seeing these two newly emerged messages.

But then he frowned.

Something happened?

What happened?

It's definitely not a good thing.

She usually chatters on about what happened that day, or sends emojis to express herself.

After hesitating for two seconds, Shang Shixu pressed the voice call button.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

Haicheng, Zhijiang County.

My phone next to my pillow suddenly vibrated, and the screen displayed: "Lie invites you to a voice call."

Jiang Wan propped herself up and pressed the answer button.

"crooked?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"You..." Shang Shixu's voice rang out, tinged with an unnatural pause, "What happened today?"

Jiang Wan leaned against the headboard and held her phone to her ear. "It's nothing, it's all taken care of."

Shang Shixu didn't press the matter, but a strange, unsettling feeling was gripping him.

He didn't like how listless she seemed now.

"Let me tell you a joke."

"What?"

Jiang Wan thought she had misheard.

"What a joke," the other person repeated.

His tone was cold and hard, as if he were being forced to speak at gunpoint.

"Do you want to listen or not?" he urged.

Jiang Wan's lips curved into a smile. "I want to hear it!"

This man told her a joke, something she had never even considered.

Jiang Wan listened intently with great interest.

Shang Shixu took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.

"There was a penguin who wanted to be friends with his refrigerator."

The refrigerator asked it, "You live in Antarctica, such a cold place, why do you still want to be my friend?"

"The penguin says—"

He paused for a moment.

"Because you have light."

Jiang Wan paused for a second, then burst out laughing.

It's not because the joke is funny.

It's because the person who told this joke was Shang Shixu.

Shang Shixu, that aloof and sharp-tongued man who called her a toad.

He actually told her corny jokes.

"Are you kidding me?" Jiang Wan's voice was tinged with laughter.

After a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, a soft "Mmm" came through.

Just one word, but it suddenly made Jiang Wan's eyes sting.

There's a feeling I can't quite describe.

"Shang Shixu," Jiang Wan called him by his name, a rare occurrence for her.

"Um."

"Thank you."

There was no deliberate attempt to flatter or ingratiate herself, nor was there any hint of coquetry.

This is Jiang Wan's most authentic and relaxed state.

After she finished speaking, the room was quiet, and the other end of the phone was also quiet.

They were separated by an entire ocean, yet they seemed to be in the same space, entangled by unknown emotions.

Jiang Wan broke the silence first, saying, "Your jokes are really lame."

"So it's a lame joke," the man replied.

Jiang Wan curled the corners of her lips. "No problem."

"Goodnight, brother. I'm going to sleep now~"

The voice carried an obvious lightness.

"Good night."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Wan put her phone on the bedside table and got into bed.

She stared at the long crack in the ceiling, and soon drowsiness crept in.

Boston.

Shang Shixu stared at the chat box for two or three seconds, then turned off the screen and put down his phone.

The documents on his desk that had just annoyed him now looked more pleasing to the eye.

He picked up his pen and began to annotate methodically.

*

When Jiang Wan woke up on Saturday morning, the first thing she did was to pay back the money.

She first had the 5,000 yuan from Li Zhile transferred back via WeChat.

Then there was Shen Che's 50,000.

She sent a message: "Brother Che, send me your bank account number. I'll transfer the money back to you if I don't need it."

A few minutes later, Shen Che replied: [Is everything taken care of?]

Jiang Wan: [Mmm]

Shen Che: [Keep this money with you. You're probably short on cash after dealing with Xiaofeng's matter.]

He is still as gentle and understanding as he was when he was a child.

Jiang Wan is very happy to have such a friend.

Seven years ago, she would have accepted the benefits offered without hesitation.

But now, as an adult, she can't do it.

"He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's money is bound to do his bidding." This money must be repaid.

Jiang Wan: [Thank you, Brother Che, but I have enough money on hand, so please don't refuse. Otherwise, I'll be embarrassed to ask you for help again next time.]

After these words were sent, the other party did not insist any further and quickly sent the card number.

After transferring the money, the two chatted for a bit more before Shen Che went to get busy.

Jiang Wan closed WeChat, opened Facebook, and began her daily flirting session—

In reality, it was a "harassment" mission.

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Honey, I'm awake!]

Nice Rabbit Rice Squid: [Was this evening in Boston beautiful? Were you in class or working this afternoon? What did you have for dinner? Was it good?]

A reply came a dozen seconds after the message was sent.

Lie: [Control freak?]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [No, I just hope you'll share things with me on your own initiative.]

[I don't mean you have to report to me, but it would be best to tell me what you did each day, what you ate, who you played with, and where you went, when you went. If you're too lazy to type it all out, just take pictures and send them to me.]

[This isn't a requirement, okay? Remember? Take a picture and show it to me.]