Under pressure from Su You Yan’s warning that anyone who failed to hand over their share of the club expenses within two weeks would be kicked out, Ke Bu had no choice but to grit his teeth and find the money. It wasn’t that he particularly cared about the club itself; the club building was simply far too useful. With a headache, Ke Bu worked on his homework while trying to think of a quick way to get some money. He had only just acted all cool in front of his dad and said those things, so he couldn’t bring himself to go ask him for money now. For a student with no ability to support himself, dreaming of living some refined, artsy life was pure fantasy. Only people who were never short of money could boldly claim that money wasn’t important.
The more absorbed he became in his thoughts, the messier his handwriting grew. Would making money off Zhi Li be a good idea? Come to think of it, does he actually count as rich? Lan Yin, who spoiled him, was dirt poor, while the wealthy Zhi Zuo Si certainly wasn’t going to spoil him. Zhou Xin He normally took care of all three of Zhi Li’s meals, and Zhi Li never shopped online either. Thinking about it, Ke Bu could barely remember ever seeing Zhi Li spend money.
“Zhi Li, let me ask you a sensitive question. How much do you get for living expenses every month?”
“My living expenses are given to me yearly.”
“Yearly? Your dad really trusts you. If someone gave me an entire year’s living expenses in advance, I’d probably spend it all in the first three months. So how much do you have left for this year? I’m not after your money. We’ve got nothing else to do, so I’m just analyzing your financial situation.”
“I don’t know. Lan Yin steals some of it sometimes.”
A mother stealing her son’s living expenses. Like mother, like son—they truly had no idea what shame was. Then Ke Bu thought about it again and realized something was wrong. “If you don’t tell her your bank card PIN, how can she steal it?”
“The ATM is a snob. I tried to withdraw fifteen yuan and it wouldn’t give it to me, so we had a little disagreement.”
“It’s just a machine! The minimum withdrawal is a hundred yuan. Stop slandering it by calling it a snob!” As Ke Bu spoke, he suddenly remembered something from the beginning of their first year. There wasn’t a bank on campus, only an ATM. At one point, he had heard that the ATM had been maliciously damaged, and although the school had searched for ages, they never found the culprit. Why am I suddenly thinking about that? Ke Bu stared unblinkingly at Zhi Li’s innocent face. “Zhi Li, when was the last time you used the ATM?”
Zhi Li thought for a moment before answering, “At the beginning of our first year.”
“So you really were the culprit.” Ke Bu grabbed Zhi Li by the collar with both hands. “I had to go all the way somewhere else to withdraw money during that time. So it was all because of you!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ve already forgotten every bad thing you’ve done?”
“If I do something bad, you throw yourself into my arms?” Only after Zhi Li said that did Ke Bu realize he was standing between Zhi Li’s legs. By the time he tried to retreat, it was already too late. Zhi Li closed his legs around him, trapping him there. “You came right to me. How could I let you get away?”
“What are you trying to do?”
“I want to see whether you’ll fall.” As he spoke, Zhi Li gave Ke Bu a push. Ke Bu’s upper body tipped backward while his lower body remained firmly pinned in place. Suddenly, the legs holding him loosened. With nothing left supporting him, Ke Bu nearly hit the floor before Zhi Li pulled him back up. “Fun?”
“Not. Fun. At. All.”
Without warning, Zhi Li lightly kissed Ke Bu’s chin. “What about this? Is this fun?” Ke Bu’s gaze, which had been fixed on Zhi Li, immediately began darting elsewhere. “N-No. Not fun either.”
The kisses moved upward until they reached his lips. “And this?” With their lips pressed together, every word they spoke could only fall into the other person’s mouth. Ke Bu didn’t pull away. “Even less fun.”
“Ah, am I interrupting you two?” Chu Hao Yu, completely incapable of reading the room, stood there without making any attempt to leave. Ke Bu turned around and glared at him. “Normally, in a situation like this, you’re supposed to pretend you didn’t see anything and quietly close the door.” Chu Hao Yu quietly closed the door behind him. “There. I closed it. You’ve got no complaints now, right?”
“I meant get the hell out and close the door behind you!”
“If you’re doing it, why are you afraid of someone seeing?”
“Doing what? I was asking Zhi Li about his living expenses.”
Chu Hao Yu pursed his lips and said in an incredibly punchable tone, “That’s how you ask?”
“I’m going to tear that mouth off your face.” Ke Bu turned back toward Zhi Li. “Where were we? Right. Your yearly living expenses are in cash, aren’t they? Where do you usually keep the money?” Zhi Li lifted the mattress. Ke Bu immediately used his body to block Chu Hao Yu’s view. “That is the least imaginative hiding place for money I’ve ever seen. From now on, please remember to lock your door properly, just in case—”
The look Ke Bu gave him infuriated Chu Hao Yu. “What is that look supposed to mean? You think I’d tell other people where Zhi Li hides his money? What kind of friend would that make me? Are you questioning my integrity? This is infuriating. I’m leaving.” The moment Chu Hao Yu stepped outside, he immediately pulled out his phone. “Xiu Jie, Zhi Li keeps money under his mattress.”
Ke Bu sprang into action just as quickly. “Hurry up and move the money somewhere else.”
“You keep it for me.” Zhi Li clearly had no interest in the activity of hiding money. Ke Bu shook his head furiously. “No, no. There’s a monster living inside me too. I’ll start having evil thoughts. Have you seen The Lord of the Rings? Money is basically the One Ring.” He covered his eyes. “Hurry up and hide it. Don’t let me see.” He silently repeated unrelated things in his head, trying to stop himself from peeking through the gaps between his fingers.
“Hidden.”
“Really?” Ke Bu immediately walked over and lifted the mattress. The money was still sitting underneath it, completely unmoved. “I worked so hard to control myself and not peek, and that’s how seriously you hide it? No, wait. You didn’t hide it at all.”
“I moved it one centimeter to the left.”
“What the hell is that supposed to accomplish?! Forget it. I’ll tell You Yan. She’ll help you deal with it properly. While I’m still thinking clearly, I’m giving you a serious warning: from now on, no matter how I ask you where your money is, never tell me. My integrity cannot be trusted. You absolutely, absolutely have to remember that.”
Ke Bu dialed the number and put the phone to his ear. “You Yan, there’s something involving Zhi Li that I need to discuss with you. Mm, it’s like this…” Zhi Li interrupted, “Then what about the monster inside you?” Ke Bu covered the phone’s microphone. “If the monster ever does something to wrong you, I won’t forgive it either.” After casually giving that answer, he went right back to seriously talking to Su You Yan.
The next day, Su You Yan took out her notebook in the club building. “Chu Hao Yu, your points are full. Come with me.” Chu Hao Yu loudly protested his innocence. “What did I even do this month?! How did I fill up my points so quickly? Don’t tell me it was because last night I told someone where Zhi Li keeps his money—”
“That wasn’t counted.”
“Then what was it? If I’m going to die, at least let me die knowing exactly what killed me.”
“What else did you do last night?”
“I didn’t do anything. I just—” His eyes suddenly widened. So barging into Zhi Li’s dorm and ruining his fun was the real land mine?!
“You Yan, um… could you give me another two days for my club fee?” Ke Bu asked with an ingratiating grin.
“You don’t have to pay yours.”
“What did I do?” Just like Chu Hao Yu a moment ago, he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
“How would I know what you did?”
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