Liu Xian dared not look up.
"Look at me when you speak to me," Zhang Yan commanded sternly.
Liu Xian's body trembled involuntarily. He raised his face and said to Zhang Yan, "Boss, I was wrong."
"I didn't say you were wrong," Zhang Yan replied.
Liu Xian hurriedly said, "Boss, I think I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken Fan Yan to eat such expensive steak. If I hadn't eaten that steak, I wouldn't have been out of money. If I had money, I wouldn't have been so stingy as to not bring you along. So, I was wrong."
"How much did you borrow from your parents?" Zhang Yan asked.
Liu Xian swallowed and cautiously held up three fingers.
"Three thousand?" Zhang Yan exclaimed.
Liu Xian shook his head.
"Thirty thousand?" Zhang Yan asked again.
Liu Xian closed his eyes in exasperation and said, "Three hundred."
"If I recall correctly, aren't your parents quite wealthy? Is it a bit stingy for them to only give you three hundred?" Zhang Yan said intentionally.
Liu Xian awkwardly touched the back of his head and said, "Boss, you think too highly of me. How dare I ask my parents for so much money? Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to repay it."
"You want to repay money your parents give you?" Mu Anxiao asked, voicing what Feng Qishi wanted to ask.
Liu Xian said, "I'm this old now and I have a job. If I take money and don't repay it, it might not look good. Of course, even if my parents don't want it back, I will repay it because I am capable of earning it."
"Alright," Mu Anxiao nodded.
Then, Zhang Yan said, "I'll advance you the money, and you can return it to your parents."
"Huh?" Liu Xian looked surprised.
"If I remember correctly, you often borrow money from your parents. I suspect they are starting to seriously question the reliability of what you're doing. So, to put their minds at ease, I'll give it to you." Saying this, he took out three hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to Liu Xian.
Liu Xian took the three hundred yuan and said, "Is that all?"
"How much do you want from your parents? I'll give you that much, is that not enough?" Zhang Yan asked.
Liu Xian shook his head. "No, it's very good, very good." He then put the money away.
"Can I go now?" Zhang Yan asked.
Liu Xian nodded.
"Good, you go ahead and be busy," Zhang Yan said with a smile.
Liu Xian bid him farewell and walked away.
Returning to the room, Liu Xian excitedly walked to the table and looked down at Fan Yan, who was reading. "Look," he said, placing the three hundred yuan on the table.
"You just pocketed three hundred yuan yourself, what's there to brag about?" Fan Yan put down his book and said.
"This is from the boss," Liu Xian raised an eyebrow and sat down at the table.
"Why did the boss give you money?" Fan Yan asked, confused.
"It's like this, just now I was planning to sell the handkerchief my parents brought back from their trip to Mu Anxiao. But then, I thought about treating the boss to a meal, so I gave it as a gift. Afterwards, when we were talking about dinner, the boss suddenly came out. I then had a sudden inspiration and said that the three hundred yuan was borrowed from my parents. After saying a series of pitiful things, the boss advanced me..." Liu Xian gestured to the three hundred yuan, "...this much."
"Now you have six hundred," Fan Yan said.
"Yeah, that's enough for dinner. What about you?" Liu Xian pointed at Fan Yan, "Remember to pay me back next month."
"Got it. But speaking of which, you can't get six hundred yuan, can you? With our appetites, and not drinking, it's only..." Fan Yan thought for a moment and said, "Less than three hundred and fifty."
"I wasn't talking to you," Liu Xian suddenly became serious.
"What?" Fan Yan asked.
Liu Xian cleared his throat and whispered, "I'm going on a blind date."
"A blind date?" Fan Yan repeated, looking around. "Didn't you say you weren't going on blind dates?"
"I'm this age already, and I haven't really interacted with many normal opposite-sex friends. So, I thought I'd give it a try and see if there's fate. Most importantly," Liu Xian smiled, "Since that time, my parents have always made me happy. This time, I should make them happy too."
"You're truly filial," Fan Yan gave a thumbs up.
"You say," Liu Xian rested his chin on his hand, "why am I so filial?"
"Heh," Fan Yan gave two fake laughs, picked up his book, and said, "Did your parents buy you a house?"
"How did you know?" Liu Xian was startled.
"You said that if your parents bought you a house, you would listen to them and go on a blind date," Fan Yan said, looking at his book.
"Your memory is really good," Liu Xian said, sighing. "They've spent so much money. If I don't do something, I'll be a really bad son."
"Blind dates aren't fun," Fan Yan said.
"I know. At least, I have to present myself as a gentleman. Even if the other person doesn't like me, she won't be able to criticize me. She'll just say," Liu Xian removed his hand from his chin, "You're a good person, but we're not a match."
"Do you think you'll succeed?" Fan Yan asked, raising his chin.
Liu Xian's lips curled. "I don't know. I feel the chances of success are quite low. Because, besides having a degree, a job, a house, and a new car that I've never driven, I have nothing else. So, it's not much." He shook his head.
"You're really being overly modest," Fan Yan said helplessly.
"Oh, really?" Liu Xian smiled.
"Then when are you going on the blind date?" Fan Yan asked curiously.
"I have leave tomorrow, and I'm going on a blind date," Liu Xian said calmly.
"Good luck," Fan Yan smiled.
"Thanks. By the way," Liu Xian leaned forward, looking at Fan Yan's face, and smiled, "What's this? I've never heard you say that your parents are pushing you to get married?"
"My older brother is still unmarried, so they don't bother me," Fan Yan said calmly.
"Envious," Liu Xian pouted, then looked at Fan Yan's book and asked, "What book are you reading?"
"Inspirational," Fan Yan replied.
"I used to love reading these books too, but for some reason, the more I read, the more confused I became. You're amazing, you've already finished several," Liu Xian said, glancing at the books on Fan Yan's bedside table.
"Everyone likes different books. I just like reading these. I feel like when I read them, it's like getting a shot of adrenaline, and I have great hope for the future," Fan Yan said enthusiastically.
"As expected, I'm different from you. I still prefer romance and palace intrigue," Liu Xian said, opening his phone.
Seeing Liu Xian's serious expression, Fan Yan couldn't help but smile and continued reading.
Zhang Yan's room...
"Did you give him too little?" Mu Anxiao asked.
"He always uses the excuse of borrowing money from his parents to gain my sympathy. I've been used to that for a long time," Zhang Yan said, sitting at the dining table and picking up his teacup.
"Why didn't you expose him?" Feng Qishi asked.
"If I expose him, it won't be fun anymore," Zhang Yan said, taking a sip of tea. "Are you coming with us?"
Feng Qishi shook his head. "No, I won't."