The Poor School Heartthrob Was Secretly a Financial Titan - Chapter 8

Those neighborhood committee aunties are incredibly enthusiastic about their work. They report even the smallest things – who’s having a fight between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, which stranger is visiting the neighborhood, or even which husband is drinking and beating his wife. They can find out all of this immediately and then relay it to Luo Diandian’s father.

Luo Diandian complained to her a lot, saying that when she opened the door at night, there would be a group of middle-aged women sitting on the sofa, and she didn’t even have a place to do her homework.

Later, when Luo Diandian was in her senior year of high school, her mother finally snapped and kicked the older women out, and things calmed down a bit. Now that the college entrance exam is over, it’s estimated that the older women, who have been holding back their words for so long, have finally “blown out.”

“Let’s go!” Li Man said into the microphone, her voice trembling with anger. “Let’s go to the mahjong parlor right now and drag him out!”

Luo Diandian paused for a moment, then said, “Now? He’s already gone. My dad said he saw him in the afternoon, there’s no one here now.”

Li Man held the microphone and thought for a moment: “What about tomorrow? Will he still go tomorrow?”

“How would I know?” Luo Diandian said. “How about I ask my dad to keep an eye on things for me tomorrow?”

“No need,” Li Man said. “He will definitely go again.”

How did you know?

“Once someone does something wrong, there will be a second time,” Li Man said. “That’s the rule.”

Luo Diandian secretly stuck out her tongue on the other end of the phone—this sounded just like Li Man’s father giving a report at work.

“But,” Luo Diandian said softly, “we’ve already graduated. Even though you’re the class monitor, it’s not really appropriate for you to manage things, is it?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Li Man raised her voice a little. “I’m fighting against bad influences! I can’t just watch the negative trends in society affect our classmates, can I?”

She paused, then added, “Besides, Han Xuetao has good grades and is very likely to get into university this time. What if he does something illegal during the summer vacation and can’t get into university? Our class’s college entrance rate and reputation will be affected!”

Luo Diandian was silent for two seconds, probably processing what she had just said.

“Then… what do you want to do?”

“Just tell me which mahjong parlor,” Li Man said, “I’ll go in and drag him out myself.”

“By yourself?” Luo Diandian said, “You’re a girl, going to a place like that?”

“What are you afraid of? What can they do to me in broad daylight?”

Luo Diandian hesitated for a moment: “Should I tell my dad? Ask him to find some people to help us?”

“No need.” Li Man refused without even thinking. “If this gets out of hand, it will damage Han Xuetao’s reputation. And if word gets out, it will affect our school and our class.”

Luo Diandian responded with a soft “Mmm”.

“Then it’s settled,” Li Man said. “You’ll show me the place tomorrow, and I’ll go in by myself.”

“I’ll go in with you!”

“No need, you can just wait outside.”

The two girls whispered a few more words, agreed on a time to meet the next day, and then hung up the phone.

Li Man walked back to the kitchen and looked at the dough she had kneaded into a mess. Suddenly, she lost her appetite.

She washed her hands, wrapped the dough in plastic wrap, put it in the refrigerator, went back to her room, closed the door, lay on the bed, stared at the ceiling, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

When Han Xuetao got home, it was already dark.

As soon as he turned into the stairwell, he saw a familiar figure emerge from his own door, looking rather unwell—his uncle.

When Zhao Guangrong saw him, the slight displeasure on his face disappeared.

“Xiao Tao, you’re back just in time.” He pulled a bulging brown paper bag from his bag and handed it to him. “Here, three thousand yuan. It’s their deposit.”

Han Xuetao took it, squeezed it, and said nothing.

“After the college entrance exam scores come out,” Zhao Guangrong said, “they’ll give you another five thousand. Eight thousand in total! How about that? Your uncle didn’t treat you unfairly, did he?”

He glanced into the room: “Your dad only got eight thousand after decades of service at the factory. You’re getting eight thousand right now, which is more than your dad earned in his entire life!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure flashed by at the door.

Han Defu came out, stood at the door, looked at the brown paper bag in his son’s hand, and his lips moved.

“Xiao Tao,” his voice was somewhat heavy, “think about this again. Don’t regret it later. It’s not worth ruining your future and prospects for a few thousand yuan.”

Zhao Guangrong’s face darkened, and he turned to glare at Han Defu: “Han Defu, you’ve lived your whole life like this, what do you know about future prospects and career paths?”

He took a step forward, pointed at Han Defu, and raised his voice: “If you really knew anything, how could you have made it this far? Back then, I thought you were a blockhead and didn’t agree to my sister marrying you! And what happened? My sister suffered so much hardship and torment following you!”

Han Defu stood still, without moving or saying a word.

Zhao Guangrong got more and more excited as he spoke: “You’re talking to me about the future now? It’s good that your son got into university. But can he afford it? Where will the tuition come from? Where will the living expenses come from? How will you support him?”

Han Defu raised his head, looked at his brother-in-law, and said in a low but deliberate voice, “I can afford to support him.”

He paused, then said, “Even if I have to sell everything I own and work as a construction worker, I will still support my son’s education. I won’t have to beg anyone.”

Zhao Guangrong was stunned for a moment, then his face turned bright red: “No need to ask for help? If it’s no problem, you just ask me for money? If it’s no problem, you let me come up with a solution for you?”

He took a deep breath and sneered, “Han Defu, you’re only worth eight thousand yuan in your life. At most, you can support Xiao Tao’s education for two years. What will you do after two years? With your lousy workplace, won’t you just be dragging my sister down with you?”

He pointed into the house, his voice rising a few decibels: “My sister is so unlucky to have followed you! Xiao Tao is also unlucky to have such a useless father like you!”

Low sobs could be heard coming from inside the room.

Zhao Xiurong stood inside the doorway, leaning against the wall, her hand covering her mouth, her shoulders trembling. Han Xuetao heard his mother crying, and the brown paper bag in his hand was squeezed out of shape.

Zhao Xiurong came out, saw her son, and wiped her eyes: “Tao Tao… your uncle meant well. But you should also think about what your father said.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guangrong immediately turned around and cursed, “Are you blind too? I can’t reason with you!”

He turned back and stared at Han Xuetao: “Xiao Tao, what do you think? Give me an answer.”

Han Xuetao glanced down at the brown paper bag in his hand, then looked up at his father and his mother wiping away tears. He stuffed the bag into his arms.

“I’ll take the money.”

Zhao Guangrong’s expression relaxed.

Han Xuetao looked at him and said, “Uncle, you should say less.”

Zhao Guangrong was taken aback.

“Everyone faces their share of misfortunes,” Han Xuetao said calmly. “You might still need our family’s help someday in the future.”

Zhao Guangrong was stunned. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn’t know what to say.

He stood there, looking at his nephew, and suddenly felt like he didn’t recognize him—his eyes, his tone, didn’t seem like those of an eighteen-year-old.

The lights in the hallway were broken, making it dimly lit. The young face was half-hidden in the shadows, and looking at him made him feel inexplicably uneasy.

Zhao Guangrong waved his hand and turned to walk downstairs.

“I’ll come back after I get my college entrance exam scores!”