Chapter 71: “Why Did You Transfer So Much Money to Me…?”

Ning Shuang had secretly gone to the store to learn about couple rings.

The several pairs he had his eye on were all priced at seven or eight thousand yuan—and those were just the affordable options at that shop.

The price wasn’t exorbitant. After all, in Ning Shuang’s eyes, Ji Huaizhi deserved something a little pricier.

With his scholarships and earlier savings, Ning Shuang figured he could save up enough by working at the coffee shop for about a week.

But he had no intention of letting Ji Huaizhi know ahead of time.

Otherwise, where would the surprise be?

~~~

Ning Shuang had started acting off after the weekend.

Ji Huaizhi knew Ning Shuang’s entire class schedule, down to when he had free periods and when his regular meetings were.

In the past, whenever Ning Shuang had no classes or wasn’t busy, he would come straight home early or wait for Ji Huaizhi at the library after his lectures ended.

Lately, though, Ning Shuang seemed to be lying.

First, he claimed the school had rescheduled classes and that he had an evening lecture on Monday.

Then it was a Student Union meeting, or some other excuse. In any case, Ning Shuang had returned home after ten at night for three nights straight.

Ji Huaizhi had known from the very first lie.

He had done some checking: Ning Shuang’s major classes hadn’t been rescheduled at all. There was no meeting for him on Tuesday, nor on Wednesday…

Gazing at Ning Shuang, who slept peacefully on the bed, Ji Huaizhi tightened his embrace around Ning Shuang’s waist and nestled closer into his arms.

Ning Shuang stirred groggily in his sleep and lifted a hand to pat Ji Huaizhi’s back, as if soothing a fussy infant. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Huaizhi murmured, “Nothing…”

He badly wanted to press for more details, but he could sense how exhausted Ning Shuang was. He didn’t have the heart to disturb his rest.

In the end, he lay awake almost the entire night.

Only as dawn crept near did he finally drift off.

When he awoke, Ning Shuang had already left for school.

Ji Huaizhi had no morning classes, so Ning Shuang hadn’t woken him—but Ning Shuang had no early class either. Why had he gone to school so early?

Ning Shuang’s message claimed he was handling Student Union business.

Ji Huaizhi stared at the text, his fingers brushing the cold bedsheet beside him. Uneasy vines wrapped tightly around his heart once more.

So suffocating.

Was Ning Shuang going to be with someone else?

And what about him?

He really shouldn’t have undone the Forbidden Gu.

Kneeling on the bed, he scooped up Ning Shuang’s discarded pajamas from the side, bowed his head, and buried his face in the soft fabric. He inhaled deeply, several times.

No—he couldn’t suspect Ning Shuang like this.

Perhaps someone was tempting him. Ning Shuang would never do anything wrong. He just needed to figure out who was doing the tempting.

Ji Huaizhi lifted his head slowly, a shadowy glint flickering in his eyes.

~~~

“Achoo.” In the coffee shop’s storeroom, Ning Shuang let out a massive sneeze.

A coworker passed by and took the cardboard box from his hands. “What happened? Someone thinking about you?”

Ning Shuang chuckled. “Or maybe cursing me.”

He bent to grab another box and followed his coworker out of the storeroom.

Ji Huaizhi disliked bustling places like this, so Ning Shuang wasn’t worried about him spotting him while working part-time here.

“Ning Shuang, latte for table four’s ready. Mind delivering it?”

“Sure thing!” Ning Shuang stacked his box with the others up front, cinched his apron, headed to the counter, picked up the coffee, and made for table four.

“Senior!” The voice rang out in delighted surprise. Before Ning Shuang could make out the face, the customer spoke up from his seat.

Ning Shuang peered closer and grinned. “Hey, it’s you, Chen Lu.”

Chen Lu scratched his head. “Senior, you work part-time here?”

“Yep.”

After a brief pause, Ning Shuang added, “Take your time with it, then. Gotta help in the back.”

Chen Lu grabbed his sleeve in a hurry. “Senior, uh… could you recommend something? I don’t come here much and have no clue about the menu.”

Ning Shuang fished the drink menu from his apron pocket and nodded. “Of course.”

He slid into the seat across from Chen Lu and pointed out a few signature items. “These two are solid, and this one—eight parts sugar hits just right.”

Chen Lu asked, “What does Senior like?”

“Me?”

“Mm-hmm!” Chen Lu nodded eagerly.

Ning Shuang pondered. “The caramel macchiato. I’m partial to it.”

“Then, Senior, make it a caramel macchiato for me too!” Chen Lu looked up, his eyes sparkling as they met Ning Shuang’s.

Ning Shuang replied, “Got it. I’ll put the order in—be right out.”

“Thanks, Senior.”

“No sweat.” Ning Shuang turned toward the counter and conferred briefly with the barista.

Less than ten minutes later, Chen Lu’s new coffee was ready.

Ning Shuang brought it over himself, setting it before Chen Lu with a smile. “Give it a taste.”

Chen Lu blurted, “Senior, this one’s for you. Wanna… have a coffee with me?”

Ning Shuang tilted his head. “For me? This one’s not cheap!”

Chen Lu insisted, “It’s fine, really. I can cover the coffee.”

Seeing Chen Lu’s tentative expression softened Ning Shuang’s resolve. He untied his apron and took the seat opposite. “Alright. Swing by the café again in a couple days—my treat.”

“Yeah! Sounds good! I will! Definitely!” Chen Lu rattled off a string of affirmatives.

Ning Shuang sipped his coffee. “How’s school going lately? Settling in with the new roommates?”

At the start of term, Chen Lu had sought Ning Shuang’s help swapping dorms—frictions had piled up with his old roommates. Ning Shuang had pulled strings with the counselor to get him relocated.

Chen Lu said, “Great. The new guys are all cool.”

“Good to hear. Hit me up anytime you need something. No hesitation.” Ning Shuang’s protectiveness toward Chen Lu felt more like a big brother’s than anything else.

“Got it. Thanks, Senior.” Chen Lu’s cheeks colored faintly, his voice subdued.

Ning Shuang laughed.

All at once, he sensed eyes on him from outside.

He glanced up and looked out.

The glass window revealed nothing but emptiness—no passersby in sight. Shaking it off as a trick of the mind, Ning Shuang turned back to chat with Chen Lu.

~~~

The café wrapped up at nine-thirty.

Yawning, Ning Shuang stepped out into the night.

The breeze was mild, crisp and cooling—perfect for clearing his head.

He had texted Ji Huaizhi that Student Union duties would keep him late.

Unlike before, Ji Huaizhi’s replies were sparse. He used to pepper him with detailed follow-ups, but today it was just a single question about arrival time, capped with a note to stay safe.

Ning Shuang didn’t mind the lack of his usual barrage of texts. What worried him was that whenever Ji Huaizhi went quiet like this, trouble was brewing.

There was that old saying: When the kid’s too quiet, they’re definitely up to mischief.

The thought made Ning Shuang dial Ji Huaizhi without delay.

The call connected at once. “Senior.”

“You home?” Ning Shuang flagged a cab curbside, murmured the address to the driver, and asked.

Ji Huaizhi sat at the window, eyes fixed on Xuan Que before him. In a measured tone, he replied, “Yes. Home, waiting for you.”

A beat later, he added, “Senior, when are you getting back? I miss you.”

Ning Shuang swallowed hard. He knew he’d been shortchanging Ji Huaizhi these past couple days—but it was all in service of a bigger payoff down the line.

“Honey…” Ning Shuang cooed softly. “On my way home now. Hang tight just a bit longer.”

Ji Huaizhi’s distant gaze held a chill, though his voice stayed gentle. “Okay. I’ll be right here waiting.”

Ning Shuang ended the call.

Ji Huaizhi draped an arm over the railing.

He stared at Xuan Que for several seconds. Coffee shop gig…

Why the job?

Money troubles?

Fair enough. Since they’d gotten together, Ning Shuang had refused his rent contributions. No wonder he was strapped for cash.

All his fault.

The moment Ning Shuang pushed open the door and stepped inside, Alipay pinged with transfer alerts.

【[Darling] transferred 800,000 to you】

【[Darling] transferred 690,000 to you】

【[Darling] transferred 290,000 to you】

【[Darling] transferred 76,331.27 to you】

Then WeChat chimed: 【[Darling] transferred 4,287.46 to you】

Ning Shuang: ?

Ning Shuang: ????

His eyes widened in an instant.

Before he could even call out Ji Huaizhi’s name, someone threw themselves into his arms. Ning Shuang instinctively hugged the other person tight.

“I missed you so much,” Ji Huaizhi murmured.

In the past, Ning Shuang would have kissed him and said he missed him too. But right now, Ning Shuang had something far more pressing on his mind.

“Why did you transfer so much money to me? It’s an exact amount down to the last cent—did you just empty out all your savings?” Ning Shuang asked.

Ji Huaizhi buried his face in the crook of Ning Shuang’s neck and took several deep breaths. No wonder he’d kept smelling coffee on Ning Shuang lately. He’d thought maybe someone had invited him to a café, but it turned out Ning Shuang had gone out to work.

The realization made Ji Huaizhi’s heart ache.

He’d been so wrapped up in his own happiness at being with Ning Shuang that he’d completely neglected to check in on him. He hadn’t even noticed that Ning Shuang had run out of living expenses. He wasn’t a good boyfriend at all.

Thank goodness he’d found out now.

Otherwise, Ning Shuang might have dumped him.

“I’m sorry. I’m not a good boyfriend,” Ji Huaizhi apologized, his tone utterly sincere.

Ning Shuang: ?

“What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s nothing, Senior. Just keep the money. From now on, all my money will be yours.” Ji Huaizhi couldn’t admit that he knew about Ning Shuang’s part-time job at the café due to a lack of living expenses. Ning Shuang would realize he’d been keeping tabs on him in secret.

“Huh?” Ning Shuang’s head throbbed. “Did you go reading some sappy internet advice again?”

Ning Shuang had been wanting to call him out on this for ages. Ji Huaizhi probably didn’t spend much time on his phone before—or if he did, he only used it as a basic communication tool.

But ever since they’d gotten together, Ji Huaizhi had started scrolling through short videos. And with that came the downsides.

Sometimes, Ji Huaizhi took those cheesy online posts way too seriously.

His video feed was filled with so-called “wisdom” for couples.

【Three Things Couples Must Always Pay Attention To!】

【When You’re With Your Boyfriend, Never Do This…】

【These Three Things Are the Biggest Turn-Offs on Dates With Your Boyfriend!】

…

Ning Shuang had blocked those videos for him on his phone more than once, but it wouldn’t be long before Ji Huaizhi’s home page filled up with them again.

So naturally, Ning Shuang suspected that Ji Huaizhi had fallen for yet another one of those “couple advice” posts.