As He Zhilan was discussing business with Lanlan, Lin Chan, on the other side, was bombarded by Lanlan’s family with questions about when he planned to get married. Lin’s head was spinning from all the fuss, and he kept urging He Zhilan to hurry up. As soon as He Zhilan was done, Lin Chan, without another word, quickly grabbed her hand and made a beeline for the exit.
Back in the car, He Zhilan was in an excellent mood. She knew that small items were rare in the capital, and it boosted her confidence in their potential profitability.
"By the way, you seem really close with Lanlan’s family? They treat you almost like a son. I thought the old grandmother was going to have a heart attack if you didn’t agree to get married right then and there! It’s almost a crime that you’re still single! I’m much younger than you and even I’m married!" Emboldened by her good mood, He Zhilan teased Lin Chan, "When you first told me about your childhood sweetheart, I thought you were talking about someone you used to have a crush on!"
"Nonsense! While everyone else in high school secretly liked someone, I, Lin Chan, didn’t have time for that. All I thought about was how to have as much fun and do as little studying as possible under my parents’ watchful eyes. When my parents tried to use money to pressure me into studying harder, all I could think about was how to make money."
Lin Chan shook his head with a laugh and explained, "The reason I am close with them is that I helped them out during high school. When Lanlan’s parents and brother had an accident, her parents died instantly, and her brother was in the hospital for a long time, waiting for money for his treatment. I stole my father’s secret stash of money and gave it to her. Even though her brother didn’t survive long after, ever since then, I’ve had a really good relationship with her family. My dad found out and gave me a beating. It was then that her family came to my house and explained why I had taken the money. However, after Lanlan finished high school, rather than continue studying, she chose to marry her current husband who lived with her family. It has been smooth sailing for their family after that. Over the years, because we both live in the capital, we stayed in touch and would often have meals together."
"You were quite the hero in high school, huh? And you even knew where your dad hid his money?" He Zhilan giggled, "Were you spying on your dad?"
"Our old man’s thinking is nowhere near as good as mine! There are only so many places he can hide money. It was easy to find, and he actually thinks my mom doesn’t know. My mom pretends not to know so as to let him have a bit of fun in life." Lin Chan shrugged and asked about He Zhilan’s plans for the weekend. When he learned that she intended to go back to her dormitory to study this stuff, he didn’t suggest to take her anywhere else. He drove straight to pick up some additional items that He Zhilan needed, and then promptly dropped her back off at her dormitory.
Walking into her dormitory with two bags in tow, He Zhilan startled Chen Xiting. Ever since Gu En moved out of the dormitory, He Zhilan hadn’t moved to the lower bunk. Truthfully, she was rather put off by the idea of sleeping in the bunk that Gu En had used. Now, with the extra space, she had somewhere to put these things.
"Zhilan, what are you going to do with all this scrap fabric?" Chen Xiting looked at the bags, puzzled. Then Chen couldn’t help but complain, "Jiang Biyun, that traitor. When you left, she went out on a date with Lin Deng."
"Is there a weekend when she’s not with Lin Deng?" He Zhilan had grown used to this. As soon as she returned to the dormitory and saw that Jiang Biyun was missing, she knew she must have gone out with Lin Deng.