Chapter 35: 035 Unexpected Counterattack
After listening and sorting through it for a minute, Wang Heng finally understood what was going on.
Pei Ningle changed her mind at the airport and temporarily decided to stay in Rongdu to continue striving for her music dream, so she refunded the airplane ticket and took the last airport shuttle back to the urban area. But since she knew nothing about Rongdu and didn’t know where to stay, she came to Wang Heng’s school, hoping to find an inn here… However, at the start of the new semester, the popularity of inns and hotels near the school far exceeded her imagination.
With no other choice, the young girl chose to call for outside help.
For Wang Heng, who received the phone call, if Pei Ningle were really just a stranger, he might have coldly said, “What does your matter have to do with me?” and hung up, but unfortunately, she wasn’t.
Otherwise, just buy another airplane ticket and send her back? The problem was, since she could run away once, she could naturally come back countless times. Was he supposed to forcibly send her back? Besides, he didn’t have her parents’ contact information…
The girl’s helpless yet stubborn voice reminded him of many things he experienced in the first playthrough. He still remembered that at Pei Ningle’s most down-and-out time, she couldn’t even pay the rent and had to temporarily stay in his rental room… Those little bits of memory weren’t so bad if he didn’t actively recall them, but listening to her voice, how could they not come to mind?
“I’m really, really sorry,” Pei Ningle said weakly, “I know I might be a bit over the top, but in Rongdu, you’re the only one I can ask…”
Not sure if he was responding to her or talking to himself, Wang Heng said in a low voice: “No relationship, anyway, helping you think of a way won’t put my life in danger, right?”
Pei Ningle didn’t quite understand why he said that and didn’t know how to respond, so she stayed silent.
Wang Heng was also silent for a few seconds, finally saying: “Then wait for me at the doorway, I’m coming over now.”
Then he hung up the phone and got off the bed.
In the dormitory, after a brief silence, the three roommates became even more excited.
Fu Hanwen: “Another girl?”
Tang Hexing: “You’re being a bit excessive now.”
Wang Ke: “Impressive…”
In his hesitant mood, Wang Heng couldn’t be bothered to come up with any excuse. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, grabbed his mobile phone, wallet, and dormitory key, and casually explained:
“Don’t overthink it, guys, she’s just an ordinary friend. I’m just doing a good deed.”
After saying that, he quickly walked out of the dormitory and closed the door behind him.
The dormitory was still pitch black, but all three of them sat up at the same time.
Tang Hexing was a bit puzzled: “What did he say… good deed?”
Fu Hanwen sneered: “Do you guys believe that?”
Wang Ke thought for a moment and said: “I think it depends on the situation. For example, if an older woman came to me for help, I definitely wouldn’t have any improper thoughts; it’d purely be doing a good deed. Same for Wang Heng—if the girl at the school gate asking for his help isn’t his type, it might really be that simple…”
Fu Hanwen interrupted: “Wait, what’s your definition of an older woman?”
Wang Ke: “Over fourteen years old.”
Fu Hanwen: “…”
Tang Hexing: “…”
————
Under the streetlight outside the school gate, in the orange-yellow light, stood a somewhat petite and thin figure.
Seeing Wang Heng walk out of the school gate, the young girl quickly ran up to him, clasped her hands together, and bowed to express gratitude and apology.
“Alright, I’ve already booked a hotel for you.” Wang Heng waved his new mobile phone.
Pei Ningle noticed this detail and couldn’t help asking: “Did Sister Lu buy it for you?”
Wang Heng didn’t think much and nodded: “Correct.”
The girl’s expression changed slightly, and her gaze toward him gained a hint of deeper meaning.
Wang Heng sensed something off and subconsciously explained: “No, we’re in a business cooperation, business partner relationship, you get it? This money I’ll pay back to her later; right now, it’s just part of the investment.”
“Part of the investment, business partner… I do mess up a lot, but you can’t treat me like a fool, right? You’re the same as me, just 18, first year university student—what business could you have? She buys you an Apple mobile phone, that’s an investment? Tsk tsk tsk…”
Pei Ningle’s tone carried a sense of disdain.
Wang Heng was about to explain, but then he thought better of it and suddenly realized he actually didn’t need to say anything extra. If Pei Ningle misunderstood and saw him as a gigolo being kept, wouldn’t that be better? She probably wouldn’t like a soft rice guy, right?
Besides, he didn’t think he was lying; he just wasn’t explaining it fully. If she misunderstood on her own, whose fault was that?
So Wang Heng looked around and said mysteriously: “Keep your voice down! I’m just a first year university student, still gotta stay in school for four years.”
“Rest assured, I’m not a big mouth. But thinking about it, yeah, that Sister Lu is pretty and rich, so capable—how could you refuse her? And speaking of money, I really didn’t care about it before; I thought obsessing over rich or poor people all day was super boring. But now I’ve learned—money is really important…”
As she said this, Pei Ningle sighed, showing a sense of vicissitude despite being a girl in the flower of youth.
Of course, based on Wang Heng’s understanding, this girl’s vicissitude was just a momentary emotion. By the next minute, she’d still be as muddled as ever.
Wang Heng: “Then shall we head to the hotel now?”
Pei Ningle nodded, but then remembered something and couldn’t help feeling a bit worried.
She asked: “You’re using the money Sister Lu gave you on me, like this…”
Wang Heng looked at her amused: “What’s wrong?”
The girl lightly bit her lip: “It just feels… really not good…”
“Rest assured, Lu Qi just bought me a mobile phone. The money for booking your hotel is of course my own.”
“Oh…”
Pei Ningle followed him toward the hotel.
After walking a few dozen meters, she suddenly realized a more important issue and hurriedly said: “Right, how much is the room you booked?”
Wang Heng: “Two hundred twenty per night.”
Pei Ningle tilted her head and thought: “Cheaper than in the Imperial Capital… but still feels expensive. Or maybe I’m just too poor?”
Wang Heng: “Mainly, the cheaper rooms are all snatched up, and this is just for tonight as a transition. If possible, you should be able to find a rental room tomorrow and settle down.”
“Rental room…” The girl lowered her head and pondered silently again.
Wang Heng turned his head and glanced at her, roughly guessing what this girl was thinking.
So he added: “The rent money, I’ll cover it for you first. Just pay me back when you earn some.”
Anyway, with Lu Qi’s one hundred thousand, Wang Heng felt there was no need to nitpick over the equivalent of just one or two bitcoins. Besides, at this point in time, housing prices in Rongdu hadn’t skyrocketed yet, so renting wouldn’t be too expensive.
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Ningle was stunned. Then she took two big steps to block Wang Heng’s path and solemnly bowed again.
“Thank you so, so much. This girl has nothing to repay you with, only…”
In that instant, Wang Heng felt his heart stop beating.
Fortunately, Pei Ningle continued right away: “Only work overtime, earn the money back to you as fast as possible!”
Wang Heng calmed down, his expression complex: “In the future, don’t pause when you talk—say it all at once, okay?”
The girl playfully stuck out her little tongue.
————
Happy New Year, joy and peace. May everyone’s lungs have clear textures, normal distribution, no substantial lesions in the lungs, normal hilum, centered mediastinum, normal heart shadow, smooth diaphragm surface, and sharp costophrenic angles.
To do our part in preventing the epidemic, may everyone stay home and go out less. We can only try to type more and speed up updates…
