The woman didn't leave after hearing Fu Dehan's words.
"This little money, how can it be enough for the child's living expenses? Do you know that milk powder alone costs two to three hundred!" the woman questioned.
"Li Feilin! I'm telling you, stop making a scene here! I've already told you, take it home first, and we'll talk about it when we get home!" Fu Dehan forcefully shoved the five hundred yuan in his hand into Li Feilin's. This was all the money he had on him, and his salary wasn't due for another week. No matter what, he had to resolve the immediate crisis.
Li Feilin finally took the money, her eyes filled with anger and helplessness. Five hundred yuan wouldn't last three days. These days, the family had been relying on borrowing money from everywhere. Fu Dehan paid no attention to the family, neglecting himself and the children. With the children still young, the elder just over three years old and the younger just over one, she had to be a full-time caregiver and had no income. The family relied entirely on Fu Dehan's salary, but he hadn't given any money to the family for the past month or two. Li Feilin had inquired among friends and found out where he worked. Initially, she went to Fu Dehan's workplace, but the security guard informed her they didn't work on weekends. His phone calls always went unanswered. She was idly wandering around when, by chance, she spotted Fu Dehan in his car at the entrance of this residential compound. And so, the previous scene unfolded.
Fu Dehan worked at Zuogang World, a building of over ten stories, with a shopping mall on the lower four or five floors. It was only four to five hundred meters away from Feitian Huafu. It was precisely because of its proximity to his workplace that Zhang Fuchun accepted her father's gift. Fu Dehan and she had actually established their relationship a long time ago, about two or three months. To further deepen their bond, she agreed to Fu Dehan's request to move in.
They sat in the car for about ten minutes. Although Zhang Fuchun was anxious, she was also worried that Fu Dehan might get into some trouble. However, the cars were lining up to enter the compound, and she couldn't abandon her car, or else the cars behind her wouldn't be able to enter. While her family was well-off, those who lived in Feitian Huafu were either incredibly wealthy or held high positions. Therefore, she could only wait in the car. She had a feeling that the woman was Fu Dehan's wife, but she kept reassuring herself: she wasn't.
Soon, Fu Dehan came running back from not far away, looking flustered. The woman hadn't followed him; it seemed she had left.
"Bang!"
As soon as Fu Dehan closed the car door, Zhang Fuchun asked, "Who was that woman, and why was she looking for you?"
This was a topic that couldn't be avoided. Fu Dehan had been thinking about how to answer Zhang Fuchun's question on his way back to the car after sending Li Feilin away.
"That's my cousin. I owed her family one or two thousand yuan a few months ago, so she came looking for it!" Fu Dehan said. Seeing Zhang Fuchun's silence, which suggested disbelief, he continued, "A crazy woman, she hasn't seen much of the world. Tell me, for this little bit of money, is it worth coming to my workplace to cause such a scene? I already told her I'd pay her back when I get my salary this month, but she wouldn't believe me. I had no choice but to give her some of it to appease her!"
"So that's how it is. There really are all sorts of people! It's not like me to say this, but for one or two thousand yuan, have you owed it for so long?" Zhang Fuchun, relieved by his explanation, complained a little.
"I couldn't help it. If my mother hadn't fallen ill and needed money urgently, I wouldn't have had to ask. You know our company's payday. It wasn't time yet, and I needed the money urgently!" Fu Dehan said casually, his expression becoming more relaxed. Since everything was proceeding as planned, Zhang Fuchun didn't press further about the woman's identity, and he began to talk and laugh animatedly.
At this moment, the line of cars moved, and Zhang Fuchun stepped on the accelerator, driving into the compound. Accompanying them home was Soul Eleven. This was a very luxurious apartment with automated facilities. Before Zhang Fuchun even got upstairs, she had already set up the programs via voice call. The bathwater was ready, the floor-cleaning robot had started working, and even the window-cleaning robot had begun its task. As a soul, Eleven didn't need to take any elevators. It could easily find Zhang Fuchun's room by following her scent. Upon arriving at this high-end apartment building, Eleven realized that the conditions it had never experienced in its human life were all available here. No wonder people always said that reincarnation was a skill. Indeed, being born into a wealthy family provided a thousand or even ten thousand times more than what ordinary people had.
However, for Eleven, who was now a soul, these things held no attraction. It was merely curious and found them novel. It wasn't just Eleven; Fu Dehan also truly yearned for such a life. That's why he tried so hard to please Zhang Fuchun. One was an innocent girl, and the other was an experienced socialite who was already married. Although Zhang Fuchun's father had warned her to choose wisely, amidst Fu Dehan's sweet talk, how could Zhang Fuchun possibly discern the truth?
As soon as they entered the apartment, Fu Dehan changed into his slippers and rushed to the large sofa in the living room, sprawling on his back in a "four-legged facing the sky" pose.
"Come here, my dear, lie down! Let me hug you!" Fu Dehan said to Zhang Fuchun as soon as he lay down.
"Don't you start! Go take a shower quickly! You stink, what kind of impression is that!" Zhang Fuchun said coquettishly.
"Okay, okay, I'll go right now, and later I'll definitely..." Before Fu Dehan could finish speaking, Zhang Fuchun reached out, pulled him up, and pushed him towards the bathroom.
"I told my dad about us!" Fu Dehan heard Zhang Fuchun say as soon as he finished showering and came out.
"Ah?" Fu Dehan tensed up initially, then quickly regained his composure. An ugly bride must eventually meet her in-laws; a poor boy must eventually meet his father-in-law! This was a hurdle that had to be crossed on the road to marriage.
"Uh, he, what did he say?" Fu Dehan asked tentatively. If his image didn't impress his future father-in-law, this matter would be difficult to handle.
"He... he..." Zhang Fuchun had a look of wanting to speak but hesitating. This made Fu Dehan extremely nervous. While drying his hair with a towel, he walked quickly towards Zhang Fuchun. "What did he say? Tell me quickly!"
Seeing Fu Dehan's nervous and flustered expression, Zhang Fuchun suddenly smiled. "Heh heh heh! He didn't object, he just said I should make my own decision!" Fu Dehan's excitement was beyond words. At this moment, his heart was in turmoil.