Lu Yumo skipped class for nearly a whole week.
He only slept five hours a day, and he managed to collect 50,000 yuan in the end.
He met up with Zhou Tingting at a coffee shop near his house.
Zhou Tingting was delighted that Lu Yumo was bringing her money. There was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she departed from her house to go to the coffee shop.
She waited patiently for more than 10 minutes before Lu Yumo finally showed up. He looked weary. He had dark circles around his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Zhou Tingting, who was stunned, frowned when she saw Lu Yumo in this haggard state. She reckoned that he must have pulled another all-nighter playing games again.
Even though she believed that Lu Yumo did not deserve her because he was such a baby, she still put up with him because his family was rich. She forced herself to stay calm and then asked with concern written all over her face, “Are you not feeling well, Yumo? Recently, the temperature has been varying greatly between day and night. Remember to take care of yourself. Did you bring the money?”
Lu Yumo was tongue-tied when he saw the expectation in Zhou Tingting’s eyes. He did not want to disappoint his girlfriend, but this was the best he could do. He rubbed his tired eyes and then said in a husky voice, “There is 40,000 yuan in this card. You keep this for now. As for the remaining money—”
“What?! Only 40,000 yuan?!” Zhou Tingting interrupted Lu Yumo forcefully, disbelief accenting her tone. “Yumo, do you have any idea how serious my mother’s condition is? Without the money for the operation, she’ll die! I’m not some kind of demanding girl, and this is the first time I’ve ever asked something from you. I only need 500,000 yuan. If you don’t have it, can’t you ask your parents for it?”
‘But my parents aren’t obligated to take care of your family...’
Lu Yumo knew that very well. Therefore, he had just asked his parents for money once. He had not thrown a tantrum or insisted that his parents help the Zhou Family.
He averted his gaze from Zhou Tingting. An awkward silence hung heavily between them, and he only began to talk again after a few seconds that felt like an eternity. “40,000 yuan is my limit. I can work very hard to give you everything you want, but I really cannot give you 500,000 yuan.”
After merely a week, he had tasted humiliation and abuse that he had never experienced before in his whole life.
Young people were a bunch of sensitive and fragile creatures. Like a baby, their self-esteem was weak and they needed to be protected and taken care of meticulously.
However, Zhou Tingting’s family was in dire straits.
Lu Yumo said, “I’ve consulted my friend. In his opinion, you should approach the media and let them know about your situation so that they can help you ask society for donations.”
Zhou Tingting’s jaws were set tight. Her face had turned dark, and her eyes bulged. She stared at Lu Yumo and snarled, “Do you know how embarrassing it is to ask society for donations? I can’t believe you’d ask me to do something like that!”
Most importantly, her mother was not seriously ill. She was just bluffing, and everything would be exposed if she asked society for donations.
Before Lu Yumo could say anything, his phone rang.
When he answered the call, a female voice wafted out. “Hello, is this Mr. Lu Yumo? The gaming console that you ordered for Ms. Fu Zhi the other day has been restocked. Please settle the balance by paying 8,000 yuan. Then, we will proceed to deliver the gaming console to you.”
The phone was a little loud, and Zhou Tingting heard their conversation.
A loud bang echoed, startling Lu Yumo.
Zhou Tingting, who had smacked the cup on the table hard, snarled aloud, “I didn’t say anything when you pulled an all-nighter gaming while my mother was sick in bed, but you’d rather spend money to buy a gaming console for Fu Zhi than use it to save my mother’s life? You’re so unreasonable!”
Then, without waiting for Lu Yumo to respond, she stashed the card into her pocket and left.