After Rebirth, I Married My Rival - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Money Is Hard to Earn

Xu Yuan led the somewhat disheartened Ye Sisi back into the private room.

Watching Chen Yuhang deliberately trying to get close to Li Xinran, Xu Yuan, who was already fuming, decided not to spare him any courtesy.

Moreover, it was him who intentionally revealed the price earlier.

« Buddy, don’t lose your composure, » Xu Yuan grabbed the other’s hand and flung Chen Yuhang aside like a chick.

This guy looked tall and sturdy, but who knew he’d be so weak? Is he really that physically feeble?
Chen Yuhang was momentarily stunned and stood up abruptly, feeling as though he had been humiliated.

Yet Xu Yuan’s gaze, like that of a supreme ruler standing atop a peak, made Chen Yuhang inexplicably fearful, even wanting to retreat.

The others also noticed the apparent conflict between Xu Yuan and Chen Yuhang, prompting Li Rui and the rest to rise to their feet as well.

« My apologies, everyone. I must excuse myself first. » Chen Yuhang suppressed his fury but still couldn’t bring himself to meet Xu Yuan’s eyes.

Xu Yuan had no intention of letting them walk away so easily. Since they’d already offended him, he wasn’t afraid of pushing things a little further.

« Wait a minute, you’re not my guest. You need to pay for that bottle of wine you just drank. »

Chen Yuhang was so angry he laughed—he truly hadn’t expected Xu Yuan to dare humiliate him like this.

« Of course! »

Chen Yuhang took out his phone, and Xu Yuan also pulled up his payment QR code from his.

However, for some reason, after operating for a long time, Chen Yuhang’s expression gradually grew tense, completely lacking the confidence he had at the beginning.

His card was actually frozen!
« I’ll step out to make a call and transfer the money to you later. » Chen Yuhang panicked slightly and, without waiting for the others’ reactions, rushed out the door like a madman.

Chen Yuhang outside the door took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress his surging emotions as he dialed the number he least wanted to call.

« Darling, why has my card been frozen? » Chen Yuhang tried his best to sound as seductive as possible, lacing his voice with a hint of ingratiation.

Soon, a voice as unpleasant as a duck’s quack came through, sounding like an effeminate man.

« Hanghang, do you only think of me when you need money? »

Of course not, baby. I’ll come keep you company tonight, okay?

..

..

Chen Yuhang walked back into the private room, finally able to relax a little, though the look in Xu Yuan’s eyes only fueled his growing resentment.

He had completely lost face today! It felt like everyone was looking at him with strange, judgmental eyes.

Transfer sent.

« Alright, you can go now. » Xu Yuan waved his hand dismissively, not even bothering to look up.

Xu Yuan could probably guess who the other person was. The private room’s door had a transparent window, and he had clearly seen the expression on the other person’s face while they were on the phone.

No wonder Chen Yuhang’s gaze toward Li Xinran and Shen Yueshu was so predatory, like a beast of desire staring down at its prey.

It was nothing more than a way to assert superiority, feeding their inner pride and compensating for the humility they felt in front of certain people.

..

Xinran, let me take you home.

Xu Yuan looked at the group who had drunk their fill, then gently picked up the thoroughly intoxicated Li Xinran.

« Alright guys, that’s enough. We’ve got military training tomorrow—do you really want to be late? » Xu Yuan urged the already-drunk Li Rui and the other two.

Not drunk yet… can still… drink.

All three of them were practically drunk to the point of collapse, yet they still insisted on acting tough here.

Xu Yuan shook his head helplessly, deciding to come back later to pick them up.

« You go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t drink anymore, » Shen Yueshu, who showed no signs of intoxication, said with perfect understanding.

Xu Yuan nodded at her and replied, « Alright, I’ll come back for them later. »

« Let’s go. » Xu Yuan glanced at Ye Sisi and said coldly.

Pouting in anger over Xu Yuan’s earlier words, Ye Sisi took a fierce gulp of wine before following him.

..

« Go buy some hangover medicine. » With Li Xinran in his arms and no hands free, Xu Yuan directed Ye Sisi to the pharmacy across the street.

Though still irritated, Ye Sisi went anyway after seeing Li Xinran’s uncomfortable expression in Xu Yuan’s embrace.

..

Finally, they arrived at the school.

Xu Yuan was still carrying Li Xinran, afraid that if her stomach got jostled after drinking, she might easily throw up.

So, even if it was tiring, it was worth it. This girl had only had three bottles of beer today, yet she ended up this drunk.

As they walked along the campus path, Xu Yuan noticed that Ye Sisi was still resentful and couldn’t let go of what he had said earlier. He calmly remarked, « Did you know that Xinran was clutching her bank card tightly the whole time? »

From the very beginning, she never intended for me to spend the money alone. This amount might be insignificant to you, perhaps just pocket change.

But for her, it might feel like the sky is collapsing. Can you imagine all her high school expenses for three years came from her part-time earnings? »

Ye Sisi slightly raised her head, her eyes flickering with a trace of disbelief.
I have no idea how long that little girl had been saving up. All I know is that a few days before school started, she counted her only thirty thousand yuan over and over, down to every single cent.

For ordinary people, thirty thousand yuan is a significant sum. It could even be life-saving money.

Xinran couldn’t comprehend how simply going out for fun could cost over 200,000 yuan. Xu Yuan let out a deep sigh, his heart aching at the thought.

A girl who only drank juice at class reunions would one day actually drink alcohol.

« Money is hard to earn! »

This was something Li Xinran had told him. Xu Yuan used to think he understood, because he’d also struggled when starting his business. But after getting to know the current Li Xinran, he realized his family circumstances were far better compared to many who faced real hardships.

« Ye Sisi, do you know how much you can earn from one food delivery order? At best five or six yuan, at worst just one or two.

One late delivery means working a whole day for nothing. One negative review wipes out half a month’s earnings, » Xu Yuan continued.

The food delivery industry at this time wasn’t as standardized as it would become later, making the consequences of negative reviews far more severe than in future years.

I took over for Xinran for a while, and it was exhausting every day. Yet this girl persisted for three years or even longer. Besides studying, she had to earn money to support herself, and probably her family too.

« I’m sorry. » Ye Sisi finally lowered her proud head at last, tears falling uncontrollably.

Ye Sisi didn’t actually have much ill intent; she simply had no concept of money. Her father was too good at making it, and she never lacked for anything.

« You shouldn’t apologize to me, but to Xinran, » Xu Yuan said calmly.

The two arrived at the dormitory building, where Xu Yuan briefly communicated with the dormitory administrator.

After all, it was a special situation, and Xu Yuan was allowed to enter the girls’ dormitory. However, the auntie behind him kept following closely.

« The young man is quite decent, knowing to send his girlfriend back safely. »

« Kids these days are nothing like we were back in our time, » the auntie sighed wistfully. Having worked as a dorm supervisor for so many years, this was the first time she’d seen a girl get this drunk while the boy still insisted on bringing her back safely.

Xu Yuan also smiled without offering further explanation.

After seeing Li Xinran back to her dorm, Xu Yuan brewed another cup of hangover remedy and personally fed it to her before leaving with peace of mind.

« Let me know if anything comes up. Here’s my number. » Xu Yuan found a notebook and pen, wrote down his contact for Ye Sisi, and the two exchanged phone numbers before he took his leave.

No sooner had Xu Yuan left than Li Xinran, after drinking the hangover remedy, suddenly felt queasy and vomited with a retching sound.

Fortunately, Ye Sisi reacted quickly and grabbed the trash can in time, otherwise the dorm room would have been uninhabitable.

After vomiting, Li Xinran wobbled as she sat up, her head still spinning.

« Where am I? Xu Yuan? Where’s Xu Yuan? » Li Xinran anxiously searched for Xu Yuan’s figure.

« Xinran, we’re back at the dorm. Xu Yuan brought you back, but he’s already left. Don’t worry, he didn’t drink anything, » Ye Sisi said softly, patting Li Xinran’s back in reassurance.

Li Xinran, who had somewhat regained her senses, stared blankly at the dormitory before gradually curling up and burying her head in her knees, slowly beginning to sob.

Seeing this, Ye Sisi felt a deep sense of guilt, her eyes involuntarily reddening as she choked out, « I’m sorry, Xinran. I didn’t think it through. I just… I’m sorry. »

« It’s impossible to repay… impossible! » Li Xinran continued to sob, unsure how she would even face Xu Yuan in the future.

« Sisi, I kind of hate you right now. What should I do? » Li Xinran was truly drunk, blurting out such words right in front of Ye Sisi.

Ye Sisi was flustered. She already felt guilty, and now she didn’t know what to do. She just had a bit of cunning in her, but she never expected to actually hurt Li Xinran.

It was only the first day of school, and she’d already earned her roommate’s resentment. Ye Sisi didn’t want things to be like this.

« I originally thought that once I became the best doctor and cured my father’s illness…

I could be with Xu Yuan. But what should I do now? »

« Sisi, what should I do now? » Li Xinran lifted her head, her eyes brimming with stubbornness and sorrow.

Ye Sisi’s heart felt as if struck by a heavy hammer as she gazed into Li Xinran’s tragically beautiful eyes.

So, for others, 200,000 yuan is truly an insurmountable debt?

« Actually, Xu Yuan is quite wealthy. I overheard from my dad that he’s about to sign a contract worth 40 million, » Ye Sisi wanted to comfort Li Xinran but didn’t know how, so she simply shared the information she’d secretly heard from Ye Hao about Xu Yuan.

« But that’s Xu Yuan’s money! Only a legal spouse can enjoy marital property rights, and I’m not! » Li Xinran shook her head firmly, her eyes reddened.

Even at this moment, her knowledge of the relevant laws remained crystal clear in her mind.

Ye Sisi couldn’t understand Li Xinran’s thought process. Weren’t they deeply in love? Why bother with such formalities?

The truth was, Li Xinran cared deeply about this. She didn’t want Xu Yuan to keep giving unconditionally while she complacently enjoyed everything he provided.

This feeling was so unreal that Li Xinran didn’t know what she could bring to Xu Yuan.

One-sided giving would eventually breed weariness. Li Xinran wanted to stand equally before Xu Yuan and remain by his side all along.

After a long silence, Ye Sisi finally mustered her courage and looked at Li Xinran with utmost seriousness as she spoke.

Xinran, should we try investing together? Even starting a small business would be fine.

She actually envied Xu Yuan for being able to make such large investments at such a young age. The reason she ordered such expensive wine today, aside from thinking Xu Yuan was a scumbag and wanting to teach him a lesson, also had a bit of her own ulterior motive.