Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Uncle, what are you doing here?
"Wow, so I should be praising you for your selfless dedication now?" Sun Dasheng teased.
My cousin’s words... do they sound like he disapproves of what I did?
"Although she tends to spend money lavishly and without a plan, she’s not a bad person. She’s borrowed money from me before and has always paid it back," Wang Xin explained quickly.
"How much does she usually borrow?" Sun Dasheng asked.
"Tens, sometimes hundreds," Wang Xin answered. "Even though she often asks to borrow money, she always pays it back."
"And this time?" Sun Dasheng pressed.
"This time I lent her fifteen thousand."
As Wang Xin said the number, she also felt something was wrong. Why did the amount jump so high all of a sudden? What on earth possessed me to lend her the money?
"What did she buy that cost over ten thousand?" Sun Dasheng inquired.
"She said her birthday expenses went over budget, and she’d overdrawn quite a bit from a lending app," Wang Xin said, her voice losing its earlier confidence.
"Was it a huge birthday party?"
"Not really. She just treated a few of us roommates to a meal at a small restaurant."
"Right over there," Wang Xin said, pointing to the Hunan restaurant across the street.
Sun Dasheng was speechless. A meal for a few people at that restaurant wouldn’t cost even a thousand yuan, tops.
You’ve been duped, you naive girl.
He had been through something similar himself, which was why he was so vigilant. It was a college classmate he’d been on good terms with. They had met on the basketball court and played together for four years. In the months leading up to graduation, the classmate frequently borrowed money from him. It was never a lot each time, so Sun Dasheng lent it to him.
The guy was always quick to repay. Sometimes, after paying the money back, he would even treat Sun Dasheng to a meal, playing the part perfectly. Naturally, it became very easy for him to borrow money again. Through these back-and-forth transactions, he built up a perfect sense of trust.
Then, he borrowed a large sum all at once. Although Sun Dasheng had been hesitant, inertia led him to choose to trust him again. And then, well, the person vanished. Ten years had passed, and there was still no word from him. Later, Sun Dasheng heard from others that this guy had used the same trick on many people, all of whom had been good friends in college.
Some people were truly capable of anything for money. Four years of friendship, tossed aside just like that.
"So what should I do? Should I go ask her for the money now?" Wang Xin asked nervously.
That was her hard-earned cash, after all. Okay, so most of it was from my cousin’s tips... but it’s still my money, right?
Just then, a familiar face appeared to say hello.
"Wang Xin, what are you doing here?"
It was a chubby girl wearing glasses.
"If I’m not here, where should I be?" Wang Xin asked, finding the question odd. The girl was in her class and lived in the neighboring dorm room.
"Isn’t your roommate, Feng Tiantian, treating everyone for her birthday today? Why didn’t you go with them?" the chubby girl with glasses asked curiously.
Not noticing Wang Xin’s rising fury, she continued, "The other two from your dorm went. I heard they’re having a feast at Yun Jing Tower."
"Oh my! It’s almost seven o’clock now. They’ve probably finished, so it’s too late for you to go."
Without waiting for a reply, she hurried off, clutching her milk tea.
"That girl has a grudge against your roommate, doesn’t she?" Sun Dasheng asked, looking at his indignant cousin.
"How did you know?" Wang Xin asked, surprised.
Isn’t that obvious? If there were no conflict between them, she wouldn’t have deliberately come over to stir things up. He slapped his forehead, wondering how his cousin, who seemed a bit slow on the uptake, had managed to get into Shanghai Normal University.
"Let’s go!" He stood up and pulled his cousin to her feet.
"Where are we going?" Wang Xin’s face was long, clearly not having recovered from the blow.
"To help you collect your debt, of course."
He ushered her into the passenger seat and drove toward the location the girl with glasses had mentioned.
"Bro, why are you helping me?"
To an outsider, Wang Xin’s question might have seemed nonsensical, but Sun Dasheng understood what she meant. In the past, he had buried himself in work in the big city. As for his relatives back home, it wasn’t that they were completely out of touch, but they rarely saw each other, sometimes going years without a visit. With such infrequent contact, their relationships naturally weren’t very close. He hadn’t even picked his cousin up when she first came to the city for university. It was similar to the modern trend of young people drifting away from their extended families. Without the social networks of their parents’ generation, it was doubtful they could even fill a single table if they tried to host a dinner.
After his divorce, he was out of a job but had money. He naturally began to value his family ties more. It was a shift from material pursuits to spiritual ones.
"You said it yourself. I’m your brother."
After that, Sun Dasheng fell silent and focused on driving.
Yun Jing Tower was a Cantonese seafood restaurant where a meal was anything but cheap. The information from the girl with glasses was accurate; they were indeed here. One detail was inaccurate, though—the party wasn’t over.
Inside the private room, the dishes on the table had been swept clean, but many people were still challenging each other to drinks. Amid the boisterous atmosphere, the door was pushed open.
"Huh! Who’s coming in now? Is it your friend, Tiantian?" someone asked the birthday girl, Feng Tiantian.
"Young Master Hua, you’ve misunderstood. They must have the wrong room. I’ll go check."
"You and your friends have to eat and drink your fill. We have another round later when we go to KTV. I’ll make sure you all have a blast!"
With a sweet smile, Feng Tiantian hurried to the door and blocked the way.
She lowered her voice. "What are you doing here? Go back for now. I’ll explain later. There are important guests here today."
Wang Xin laughed with anger. "You have the nerve to ask me what I’m doing here? Don’t say another word. Just give me back my money."
At that moment, she finally saw her so-called "good sister’s" true colors.
Feng Tiantian’s expression darkened. "I only borrowed a little money from you. I’ll pay you back when I have it, alright? Are you really going to chase me down for such a small amount? Are you afraid I won’t pay you back?"
After her harsh words, she switched to a softer tone. "Xin Xin, have I ever not paid you back? It was my fault for not inviting you today, and I’ll explain everything later. Can you please not make a scene right now? Today is really important to me."
Young and inexperienced, Wang Xin’s resolve wavered at this combination of hard and soft tactics. Maybe she really does have a reason she can’t talk about? And she will definitely pay me back?
"What’s her monthly living allowance?" Sun Dasheng, who had been standing to the side, asked.
"Three thousand," Wang Xin answered, puzzled by her cousin’s question.
"And how much does she spend a month?" Sun Dasheng asked again.
"Four or five thousand?" Wang Xin said uncertainly. But it’s definitely more than three thousand, because she has to borrow money every single month just to get by. She’s probably just paying off old debts with new ones... she must owe a lot of people money.
It finally dawned on her that Feng Tiantian was just using stall tactics. "Pay me back!" she demanded.
Seeing her ruse exposed, Feng Tiantian went for broke. "I got this money through my own wits, so why should I pay it back?"
"And who are you, anyway? What does our business have to do with you?" she challenged, pointing at Sun Dasheng.
Before Wang Xin could say, "He’s my brother," a surprised voice cut in.
"Uncle, what are you doing here?"
An elegant girl with an impressive figure and long legs walked out of the private room. It was Fang Sihan, one of the three girls.