Yao Jingjing asked her over the phone, "Who got you so worked up? Didn't we burn our books and swear on graduation day that we'd never study again? Whoever crams like crazy from now on is a grandson!"
Qian Fei replied, "The problem is, when you see this insufferable guy every day—someone who only cares about looking good, acts pretentious without doing any real work, wishes he could go through life without lifting a finger, acts all cocky but is scarily good at arguing with his girlfriend—you never take him seriously. You look down on him at an angle so steep it's practically a right angle, thinking he's just a decorative vase, the ultimate showpiece. But then one day, you suddenly realize—this isn't just a vase, it's a damn magic lamp! The kind that pops out a genie to scare the hell out of you while showing off its skills!"
Yao Jingjing smacked her lips twice and said, "I get it now. You've been provoked by that tsundere tenant of yours! How rare. Back then, Wang Ruohai used the harshest words imaginable to push you to study, and you wouldn't even budge an inch from your bed. How come this little tsundere tenant is giving you so much motivation now?"
Qian Fei declared righteously, "That's because Wang Ruohai was one of us. With your own people, you don't need to save face. He could say whatever he wanted—if he called me lazy, I'd agree; if he said I was shameless, I'd take it. But Li Yifei is an outsider! In front of outsiders, we fine Chinese sons and daughters must stand our ground!" She paused, then scolded Yao Jingjing, "Wait, didn't we agree never to mention Wang Ruohai again?"
Yao Jingjing surrendered. "Fine, fine! I won't bring him up again, okay? Honestly, you're like a lunatic—perfectly normal one second, then suddenly flying off the handle. If we can't talk about Wang Ruohai, how about Hu Zining? How's it going with him lately? Hasn't he been pushing to sleep with you again?"
Qian Fei chuckled and said in a high-pitched voice, "How could we just sleep together so casually? I'm saving the best version of myself for my husband to enjoy on our wedding night!"
Yao Jingjing made gagging noises. "Could you be any more shameless? Talking like you're still some fresh, virtuous maiden!"
After exchanging a few more playful jabs, Qian Fei hung up and settled down to study for her CPA exam, tuning out the bickering next door.
The next evening after work, Hu Zining invited her out for dinner and a movie. The film was an artsy blockbuster with an R-rated vibe—the leads on screen were all over each other, groping and kissing passionately, with the sound of the man tearing the woman's clothes off now and then. The movie seemed to have stirred something in Hu Zining, because as soon as they left the theater, he pulled Qian Fei into a corner, clearly wanting to reenact the passion. Qian Fei thought about how she hadn't let him past her teeth the last few times and figured she couldn't keep playing the chaste martyr forever, so she subtly relaxed her defenses.
Hu Zining took full advantage, his tongue plunging in with fervor.
She was breathless from the kiss and turned her head to break away.
Hu Zining was panting slightly and murmured, "What's wrong, Feifei? Hmm?"
Qian Fei was also out of breath and shook her head. "Just need some air!"
Hu Zining grabbed her hand and guided it downward. "Feifei, look what you're doing to me—you're driving me crazy!"
Her fingers brushed against something firm, and she yanked her hand back as if burned.
"Stop! Someone might see!" she hissed, her face burning.Hu Zining smirked mischievously, "Don't go home tonight. Come to my place, okay?" He breathed hot air against her ear.
Qian Fei almost wanted to kneel before him. It had only been a few days, and he was already thinking about sleeping with her again. She never knew she looked so sexually stimulating.
She used the most common excuse women around the world give to reject advances and mumbled to Hu Zining, "My period is here!"
Hu Zining looked at her, his handsome face turning pale and then red, as if he was holding something back. Finally, he took a deep breath, letting his face gradually return to its normal color between red and white. "Alright, then I'll take you home!"
Qian Fei checked her watch—9 o'clock, still early—and said to Hu Zining, "Just take me to the subway station!"
Hu Zining held her hand as they walked toward the subway station.
As they neared the station, he suddenly said, "Feifei, I want to talk to you about something."
Qian Fei stopped and asked, "What is it?"
Hu Zining said, "Well, there's an opportunity right now. A close buddy of mine is planning to start a trading company and has agreed to let me invest. The registered capital is 500,000 yuan—he’ll put in 350,000, and I’ll put in 150,000. But right now, I only have 50,000 on hand. Feifei, do you think you could lend me 100,000? Trust me, this is a surefire deal. My buddy said we’ll get the principal back in just three months!"
Qian Fei hesitated. "Zining, I’m not lying to you—I only have 2,000 yuan right now."
Hu Zining looked at her, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "You work on projects in investment banking—aren’t the bonuses pretty good? Feifei, you have to trust me. I’m not some outsider. Once we get married, all the money I earn will be managed by you! A couple shouldn’t keep secrets from each other!"
Qian Fei felt her scalp tingle under his earnest, expectant gaze. "Zining, I’m really not lying! All my money went into buying a house! I’m sorry, Zining—I can’t help you."
Hu Zining stared at her for a while longer, then forced a smile. "It’s fine!" He then escorted her into the subway station.
That night, Qian Fei was too restless to sleep, so she called Yao Jingjing to bother her.
Yao Jingjing cursed her for disturbing her in the middle of the night but still asked, "What’s going on?"
Qian Fei recounted the evening’s events in a monotonous, diary-like manner, making Yao Jingjing miserable.
"I was already sleepy, and you made it sound like a chant! Couldn’t you at least make it a little more dramatic? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"
Qian Fei chuckled. "I didn’t want to hype you up and keep you awake. You should appreciate my thoughtful consideration!"
Yao Jingjing replied emotionally, "Bullshit!"
Qian Fei said, "We’ll discuss the bullshit later. Yao Jingjing, tell me—when someone finally musters the courage to ask for a loan and runs into a broke person like me, why do I always feel like I’ve wronged someone?"
Yao Jingjing yawned and slurred, "You’re such a little brat! Let me tell you, borrowing money while dating is never a good sign. Be careful!"
After saying that, she complained about being sleepy and hung up.
Qian Fei lay there, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
For the next several days, Hu Zining didn’t come to see her.Qian Fei wondered if he might be upset, thinking she had money but didn’t want to lend it to him. She sent a WeChat message to Hu Zining, asking, “Zining, how about we go hiking this weekend?”
After about ten minutes, Hu Zining replied, “I don’t have time this weekend. I need to raise money.”
Qian Fei suddenly felt as if someone had slapped her in the face—an awkward, uncomfortable sensation.
※※※※※※
Work at the hotel site gradually fell into a rhythm, with the two securities firms collaborating seamlessly. The staff quickly bonded.
Apart from Li Yifei, his company had another colleague named Zhao De, also in his twenties, while the others were slightly older. As a result, Qian Fei naturally grew closer to Li Yifei and Zhao De.
Over time, Qian Fei realized that all three of them shared a sharp, sarcastic wit. In this regard, they were like-minded and united in spirit.
After lunch each day, the older colleagues would complain about their age and insist on taking naps. The hotel’s liaison officer and securities department representative even prepared a dedicated resting room for them.
Qian Fei, however, felt that lying down right after a full meal risked indigestion—wasting all that food. So she chose not to nap. Li Yifei and Zhao De, brimming with energy, also had no interest in sleeping. Thus, the three of them opted out of the older colleagues’ health-conscious siesta routine.
They bought a deck of cards to play Landlord. Qian Fei pointed out that they could just as easily play online, but Zhao De argued that three people booking a room in broad daylight would look suspicious. Li Yifei added that playing digitally lacked the rhythm of a real card game. Reluctantly, Qian Fei gave in.
At first, they kept score without betting money, which made Qian Fei play half-heartedly. Li Yifei and Zhao De, always winning, found it dull. To motivate her, they proposed switching to a cash-based system.
Qian Fei raised both hands in protest. Zhao De, equally solemn, told her, “Qian Fei, put your hands down. Surrendering won’t help. In the struggle between peasants and landlords, neither surrender nor capture earns sympathy. The only thing we must do is uphold our unwavering faith in Chairman Mao!” As he spoke, he dramatically slapped a pink banknote onto the table. “See? Just like this!”
Qian Fei retorted, “I’d rather keep my faith in Chairman Mao safely tucked in my wallet!”
Zhao De smirked. “Fine, let’s not say I’m bullying you. Best of three—ask Yifei. If he also refuses to play for money, we’ll stick to scoring.”
Qian Fei turned to Li Yifei, her eyes sparkling with hopeful innocence.
Li Yifei glanced at her, said nothing, and pulled out his wallet, placing a red bill on the table.
Qian Fei shot up, pretending to yawn while covering her mouth. “For the sake of contributing to our nation’s development this afternoon, I’ve decided to start practicing napping from today onward!”
Zhao De grabbed her and yanked her back into her seat. “No way! Both of us have already put money down. If you try to bail now, do you really think I’d let you off?”
Qian Fei glared. “So you’re forcing me?”
Zhao De waggled his eyebrows at her, grinning. “Exactly! Even if you scream ‘Help!’ at the top of your lungs, no one’s coming to save you!”
Qian Fei: “Help! Help!”Zhao De: "...Qian Fei, can you be serious for once? That joke is so old I feel like I'm wasting my life just by acknowledging it! And I'm trying to flex my authority here—could you at least play along?"
Qian Fei snorted but obliged: "Alright, tough guy, are you after money or my virtue?"
Li Yifei suddenly chimed in from the side: "Qian Fei." She turned to look at him. He gave her a once-over and said, "You're perfectly safe—there's nothing worth taking from you."
Qian Fei's face twisted in indignation.
She took a deep breath, pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket, and slammed it onto the table with a loud "Bang!" declaring grandly, "Don't look down on me! If I don't have looks to rob, I sure as hell have money!"
Zhao De choked on his own breath mid-laugh.
Author's Note: Thanks to the three little sisters for the mines, mwah! ^_^
Xiao Hai threw a mine at: 2014-02-19 16:09:34
"Hands off my dumplings!" threw a mine at: 2014-02-19 22:04:56
Isabella threw a mine at: 2014-02-19 23:44:52
—Ahhhh magnificent maidens, beauties, all you great ones, please leave a 2-point comment!!! Those 0-point reviews are breaking my heart TT
Pleeease leave comments, 2-point comments! Damn, this month's ranking is insane TT Now I don't even dare dream about the quarterly list sobs TT
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