Chapter 332: Life Becomes Difficult
Early Monday morning, the two of them sat on the living-room sofa, staring at each other in shock.
After eating the last of the small lobsters, their previously comfortable life suddenly disappeared.
Because An Han had spent a lot of money before, and she was the one who bought most of the daily items for the rented apartment, she now had only a bit more than a few hundred yuan left, even though there was still half a month until next month’s living allowance.
If she were living alone and eating at the school cafeteria, that money would have been enough. But now her rich second-generation boyfriend had suddenly become so poor that he couldn’t even afford meals.
“Your card got frozen?”
Su Peng’s Alipay was linked to his parents’ bank card. Before, the only limit to his spending was whatever limit his parents set. But now…
“Not exactly frozen.”
Su Peng lowered his head and looked at his phone. He looked a bit guilty but still stubborn as he said, “If I use their money now, doesn’t that mean I’m giving in?”
“Then how much money can you still use?”
An Han leaned over to check.
“The money from an online-shopping refund… about two hundred yuan.”
He paused and added, “My secret savings are still my parents’ money in the end. Since we fought and things are bad now, it’s better not to use it.”
“Oh~ so you even secretly saved money on the side~”
“……”
Without using his secret savings, Su Peng was really, truly broke.
After both of them stayed silent for a long time, An Han finally sighed and said, “From now on, we can’t eat late-night snacks anymore.”
“For the next few weeks, we’ll use my money. At the cafeteria, ordering two bowls of rice and two meat dishes with two vegetables costs less than twenty.”
Su Peng looked uncomfortable. He didn’t want all their meals to depend on An Han’s money. That would make him feel like he was being kept like some pretty boy.
Su Peng quickly changed the topic. “I’ll find a part-time job in the next few days. Maybe I can work at the cafeteria? The pay is low, but at least they give free lunch and dinner.”
“You’ve never done part-time work before, right…”
An Han was doubtful. With his “housekeeping skills,” she feared that even scooping food at the cafeteria would make his hands shake… But actually, the cafeteria ladies also shake when scooping food, so maybe it didn’t matter.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Pfft~”
Now An Han finally found something she was better at. Proudly lifting her chin, she boastfully said, “I started working during summer vacations in high school! My old laptop? I earned the money for it myself!”
Seeing her annoying little expression, Su Peng couldn’t hold back. He squeezed her cheek lightly. Her soft, squishy skin almost burst with collagen.
“Ow! It hurts!!”
“I didn’t even pinch hard.”
“But it still hurts!”
When she pulled away, her eyes were a little red.
Realizing she wasn’t pretending, Su Peng became flustered and hurried to comfort her.
Because she was so sensitive to pain, even bumping her foot on the table would make her scream for several minutes. She was so angry about it that she wrapped the table legs with fabric to avoid hitting them.
“It’s almost time for class,” An Han said as she rubbed her cheek and glared at Su Peng. She stood up. “Let’s go. If you’re late, you can kiss your scholarship goodbye.”
She suddenly froze, then happily asked, “Oh! Right! When will your scholarship be given out? That’s your own money, right?”
“Within this week.”
“How much?”
“A few thousand, I think?”
If he could get a few thousand, plus the monthly allowance her dad gave her, then they wouldn’t need to worry about food for the next two months.
Suddenly, life didn’t feel so heavy anymore.
Besides, no matter how badly Su Peng argued with his parents, it was only temporary. Two months would be enough time for them to calm down.
“A minute ago we were both worried, but now everything is solved!”
Happily, An Han ran back to the bedroom to grab her books for the morning classes. After fixing her appearance, she rushed out in less than two minutes, fast and noisy as always.
“Let’s go! Off to class!”
“Let’s also buy some breakfast on the way!”
But when they went downstairs and Su Peng got on his bike, An Han noticed something strange.
She came closer and moved to Su Peng’s left side. Su Peng quickly put his hand into his pocket and used his other hand to hold the handlebar. He called to her, “Get on.”
“Is your hand seriously hurt?”
“It’s okay, it just hurts a little.”
“Could it be a broken bone?”
Su Peng froze, then shook his head casually. “I just bumped it. How could it be broken?”
“Do you want to go to the school clinic to check?”
Seeing the worry and concern in An Han’s eyes and eyebrows, Su Peng could only give a small smile and nod. “Okay, anyway it doesn’t cost money to check.”
“You sit at the back. Today I’ll take you!”
But An Han kicked his leg lightly and complained, “You’re still riding with one hand? Aren’t you afraid you’ll make both of us fall?”
“Can you even ride?”
“I was riding a bike to school by myself in grade three!”
Though she hadn’t touched a bike since primary school… maybe she needed to practice a bit…
Su Peng felt embarrassed sitting on the back seat of a girl’s bike. He scratched his head, but under An Han’s angry stare, he slowly got off.
“Wait a moment…” An Han got on the bike and carefully pedaled twice. She quickly became used to it. “Get on.”
Su Peng sat on the back seat heavily, and the bike tilted left and right. An Han almost lost control and quickly put both feet on the ground to steady herself.
“Why are you so heavy?!”
After he got on, the bike suddenly felt several times heavier. Even steering and keeping balance became very hard for her.
“I’m only 70 kg.”
“So fat!”
Forcing herself to pedal, An Han worked hard to keep balance. The bike wobbled as it slowly moved forward.
She let out a small sigh of relief. It seemed she could still handle carrying someone.
But suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her waist. Even through several layers of winter clothes, his palm felt hot on her skin…
“Hiss!”
She didn’t even know if it was pain or ticklish. The bike suddenly jerked to a stop. Her face turned red, and she looked back at Su Peng with embarrassment and anger.
“It was too shaky, and my left hand is hurt,” Su Peng explained with an innocent face. “I was afraid I’d fall.”
“Then don’t hold so hard!”
“Okay.”
Then Su Peng simply put both arms around her waist, resting comfortably and confidently against her back.
“Why is your waist so thin?”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
An Han’s face turned red. His arms gave her waist a slight pressure, and she could feel his body warmth behind her. She felt like she was wrapped up completely by Su Peng, surrounded by a strong sense of safety and a man’s presence.
Her waist had always been her most sensitive spot. Just poking it during play would make her laugh for minutes. Now it was held tightly in his arms, and that ticklish, lightly electric feeling made the redness on her cheeks grow even stronger.
Luckily, the feeling wasn’t too intense. Even though she was shy, she focused on riding the bike and avoiding the people on the street. Her speed was slow, but she rode steadily all the way to the school gate.
“Get off! What, are you still sticking to me?”
Only then did Su Peng unwillingly let go of her waist.
“What’s the rush…”
“We won’t have time for breakfast.”