Chapter 97: Chapter 96: I Didn’t Make Her Do It

“Mom, I’m helping tidy up the room.”

“Yes, yes, it hasn’t been cleaned for several days, there’s a lot to tidy up, she’s fine, don’t worry.”

“I won’t be home for dinner, you all eat first, don’t worry about us, we’ll head back once we’re done here.”

As soon as he hung up the phone, a pair of tender arms wrapped around his shoulders.

He really didn’t need to go home for dinner; someone was already taking care of him.

However, clearly, neither of them was fully satisfied yet.

“Aren’t you afraid someone’s following me?”

Xue Ning muttered, “If someone comes, I’ll pretend I’m drunk.”

“Hiding by the door doesn’t really look like a place to pretend you’re drunk, and besides, you really were drunk.”

“Haha, was I? If I was drunk, how could I have found it so precisely?”

…

Xue Ning returning was out of the question.

That night, the two had a little dinner, and Li Yang called home, saying Xue Ning had to attend a meeting at school and would return the next afternoon.

He planned to return the next morning.

Xue Ning indeed had a meeting the next day.

During dinner, Xue Ning said, “Tomorrow’s meeting should be about Liu. They’re probably going to let him teach the first-year math class.”

“Then tomorrow, mention it to my mom so they won’t keep thinking about inviting Liu Dayou for dinner all the time.”

Li Yang was a model student; how could he badmouth Liu Dayou in private?

Complaining about him over the phone was one thing.

“Is there anything else you need this toolman to do?”

“Hmm…let’s talk about it after some time…”

This month’s five thousand yuan wasn’t transferred yet by Li Yang, so Xue Ning probably still felt insecure. She would likely choose to continue working.

After the New Year, they could discuss it, allowing his parents to rest and recuperate at home in the meantime.

He was actually a very selfish person, selfish enough to not understand Green Water Group, thinking it was flawed.

So selfish that despite Jiang Banxia being so endearing, he never considered having anything with her, simply because he believed her emotions were unstable. Making an effort might be in vain. So, at most, he helped Jiang Banxia stabilize her emotions from a friend’s standpoint, never actively guiding her… although he might have unintentionally guided her a bit…

Perhaps the improving Jiang Banxia in the future might be out of his league, but he had no reason to gamble on that.

Who dares gamble on human nature?

Wang Manqi served as a warning bell.

In his previous life, he had bet on Wang Manqi and gained something at least. It started off well but ended miserably.

Not to mention, betting on Jiang Banxia might be a losing hand; even with fallback plans for a margin of error, who can guarantee it won’t end miserably?

Since his rebirth, he placed a total of three bets, one of which was on Xue Ning because he knew she was no trouble at all.

No matter how many shortcomings Xue Ning had, as long as the advantages were ones he liked, it was enough.

He wasn’t afraid of losing with his parents, so he could unconditionally bet on them. Even if he lost, it was to repay them from his past life, and he was willingly doing so.

The potential loss with Xue Ning wasn’t significant either, so he placed a bet on her too.

His third bet was solely on one thing: money.

Money would never make him lose, it was always his reliance, and a support that would never betray him.

Bai Qing nearly shattered his resolve with money, but he planned to pay the money back later, sealing that breach.

In any case, he wouldn’t take advantage of others, ensuring no one suffered losses because of him.

(These are all personal experiences. Even the sweetest loves have an expiration date. The best solution is to marry at the peak of sweetness to firmly lock in the relationship; otherwise, the longer you wait, the bigger the changes. This is just the best approach, not a guarantee that marriage will turn out well. Of course, some manage to drag it out, but usually, you marry when neither side can afford to make a mistake. In the end, whoever has more tolerance for error will get off first; no one will adapt to something beneath them, regardless of gender.)

At night, it was Xue Ning’s time to sober up.

Early the next morning, Li Yang returned, making sure to take a shower at Xue Ning’s apartment before leaving.

While having breakfast, Wang Cuiping asked, “Why didn’t Ningning come back for breakfast?”

“Mom, she has a meeting at nine, eating anywhere is the same, why bother with the hassle?”

“Oh, that’s true. Well, you hurry up and eat.”

Wang Cuiping felt perhaps she had been too happy these days, suddenly finding it a bit hard to adjust.

Li Yang took a few bites and said, “Mom, I’m going to be away for a few days starting tomorrow.”

“Hmm? Why are you going out?”

“There’s a Jing University freshman gathering in Yangcheng. At Jing University, I don’t have many friends, you know how introverted I am, meeting a few friends in advance…”

Wang Cuiping glared at him, “You dare call yourself introverted? When you’re anxious, you could even make friends with the village dog…”

“Cough, cough… Anyway, the tickets are already booked, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure to update you every few hours so you won’t worry…”

Wang Cuiping didn’t actually worry much; knowing her son wouldn’t starve even if penniless outside.

But that was before, before realizing this rascal of a son was pure gold inside, though they just wanted to raise him as a dung ball.

“Then let me give you some money.”

“Alright, we don’t need too much. The rich kids cover food and lodging. When I leave, I’ll treat them to a meal. Just give me 5,000 yuan.”

“True, we should really treat them well. There’s still money at home. I’ll give you 5,000 yuan in cash and transfer 10,000 to your dad’s card, use it anytime.”

“Okay, fine.”

After eating, Li Yang went to his room with his laptop to start working.

Hello, ladies!

As for those in the Alliance Leader Group? Just give them a bit to eat; what’s a bicycle for with 1,000 yuan? Each has already returned ten to a hundred times over.

The coming days are a bull market; buying anything won’t result in a loss; just giving them a slight direction is enough. Remind them when it’s time to sell. That 1,000 yuan is the most cost-effective investment they’ve ever made.

In the afternoon, Xue Ning returned. She felt a little unwell, but when asked, she said it was because the meeting was too long and her back hurt from sitting.

Then, Xue Ning talked to Wang Cuiping about Liu Dayou’s situation.

Wang Cuiping immediately wanted to call and confront Liu Dayou.

No wonder her son’s grades suddenly dropped. Liu Dayou always talked about dating, but never brought a wife home.

So Liu Dayou found an excuse to move her son to the back row, sitting with the class’s worst student?

Who can improve their chess skills playing against an amateur?

But eventually, Li Yang stopped her, magnanimously saying: “It’s all in the past. I became a top scorer myself. There’s no future interaction with Liu Dayou, no need to…”

In the end, Wang Cuiping angrily blocked Liu Dayou’s number, as well as the number stored in Li Likun’s phone.

…

Early the next morning, Li Yang packed a backpack with a laptop, charger, and a set of summer clothes, ready to set off lightly.

But it wasn’t just two people traveling; it was three.

Yang Shanshan joined them.

Li Yang only realized upon arriving in Jiangbei that they’d be taking a high-speed train there.

Planes are inefficient; trains take only four hours.

Planes take two hours, but the entire process takes five hours, as both Jiangbei and Yangcheng airports are enormous. With luck, the boarding gate is close, saving time; without luck, it’s far, potentially clocking over 10,000 steps on WeChat.

Not to mention, airports are usually farther away than train stations…

Li Yang didn’t do much in the morning; he arranged everything the day before, only occasionally replying to messages in the Rich Ladies Group.

Those ladies are all from Capital City, with Song Yu being the only one who knows he’s eighteen, Xiangnu might know too.

After all, he follows her speaking style; she originally said she’s 21, though she claims 73; he said he’s 18, but claims 92, isn’t that logical?

Song Yu reached out again.

“Little brother, can I convert my hotpot place into a nightclub? My hotpot place is bleeding money…”

“Where’s your hotpot place?”

“Haidian Park. This hotpot place cost me 12 million, and now I barely have any customers daily.”

“Do you want to open a nightclub at Jing University’s gate?”

“Or… open a bathhouse with a second floor, how about it? Students have money…”

“Are you sure doing that won’t lead to your death?”

“Hahaha, I’m just joking. Little brother, help me figure out what else I can do to get my money back?”

Li Yang asked, “How much area are you dealing with?”

“It’s a whole building, five floors up and down, around 1,000 square meters.”

“???

Now he believed Song Yu truly spent 12 million yuan. It’s likely more, not less.

If it’s really over 1,000 square meters, 12 million might just be the annual rent.

“Wait until the semester begins, I’ll go to Jing University to check it out. What’s the store’s name?”

Song Yu: “???, what’s that mean? Semester starts at Jing University?”

“Yeah, I took the college entrance exam this year and got into Jing University. Report in September.”

“I’d sooner believe you’re 92 than you got into Jing University. In places like yours with so many candidates, the admission rate is terrifyingly low. If Xiangnu studied in Capital City, she could probably get into Qingbei, but she took the college entrance exam from Gansu Province… Your area doesn’t even match Gansu Province’s Qingbei admission rate.”

“Which school is she from?”

“Capital City School of Economic Management.”

“?????”

Li Yang was about to ask Song Yu why Xiangnu, a vocational student, dared to impersonate Qingbei’s elite, but suddenly he felt a weight on his shoulder.

He turned to look, and Bai Qing had fallen asleep, leaning against his shoulder.

No wonder she hadn’t come over to check her phone.

At this moment, sitting opposite him, Yang Shanshan spoke: “Li Yang, can’t you treat Qingqing better? She’s completely sacrificed for you. The company didn’t give money, so she sold her house to give you the money. How many people in the world can do that?”

Li Yang glanced at Bai Qing, deliberately saying indifferently: “I didn’t make her do it. She did it herself; how can you blame me?”

“You…”

Leaning against Li Yang’s shoulder, Bai Qing’s eyelashes fluttered slightly…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep