Chapter 7 Ribs Entangled Without End

It was another hot noon. Fang Chuning, who had just finished playing ball and was still sweaty, pushed away Gao Qiong who was leaning close with a look of disgust.

“It’s too hot, don’t come close.”

Gao Qiong waved her phone in front of her, “The owner of Tianyou City said they got new game consoles, do you want to go play?”

“Maybe another day, I have something to do today.”

…

As night fell, in the night market filled with the atmosphere of fireworks, Fang Chuning was sitting in a street food stall, relishing beef offal. The stall was located in a corner, and a few female hooligans were leaning against the entrance of a small alley, smoking.

They would whistle and tease any male passerby.

Fang Chuning watched as a young man was surrounded by them, with teasing laughter incessant. She didn’t want to meddle at all, just focused on eating her beef offal, planning to leave after finishing.

However, just because she didn’t want to meddle doesn’t mean trouble wouldn’t find her.

“Classmate, please help me!”

Actually, she wasn’t the only one eating beef offal there. The reason he approached her was probably because she looked a bit more kind-hearted? Fang Chuning glanced at him, then realized this guy looked a bit familiar.

“It’s you!?” The young man also recognized her. Amidst his joy, he quickly looked back at the female hooligans slowly approaching, and pleadingly grabbed her hand, “Can you help me? I don’t know them!”

Fang Chuning shook him off, “If you have something to say, say it. Don’t get handsy.”

The young man was a bit embarrassed. The female hooligans behind him were already standing in front of their table. The leader, a woman with red and green dyed hair in a mullet style, spoke casually: “Pretty boy, don’t be ungrateful. It’s your good fortune from several lifetimes that I, Hong Jie, have taken a liking to you. Don’t take your blessings for granted. If you become my boyfriend, you’ll be able to strut around this street, you know?”

“No,” the young man refused without appreciation, “I don’t know you, and I don’t want to be your boyfriend!”

His stubborn personality made the mullet woman more interested in him, “I just love pretty boys like you. The more stubborn, the more flavorful. Conquering you will be even more satisfying! I know which school you’re from. I’ll definitely move you and make you fall in love with me.”

After saying a string of sickeningly narcissistic words, the mullet woman left with her followers, blowing a kiss to him before leaving.

Fang Chuning felt so full she was a bit nauseous.

“Thank you.”

The young man looked at her with sincere gratitude.

Fang Chuning, who had maintained a well-behaved sitting posture throughout, showed a confused expression.

Then the young man took out a somewhat faded wallet from his school uniform pants pocket, and gave her all the red notes inside, “This is seven hundred yuan. It’s all I have right now. I’ll pay you back the rest gradually.”

Fang Chuning didn’t expect him to actually remember this. She stared at the red notes in his hand for a while, then asked, “Did you ask your family for this?”

“Of course not!” The young man’s tone was a bit urgent, “I earned all of this working part-time jobs myself.”

“Oh, then forget it. I don’t need you to compensate me.”

“No, we agreed that I would compensate you. I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t keep their word!”

This development couldn’t help but remind Fang Chuning of a novel she had read before. The naive, poor male protagonist stubbornly insisted on working part-time jobs to repay the debt to the rich, domineering female protagonist. In the end, he successfully caught the attention of the domineering CEO female lead, who took him into her home as her personal male servant. Under the male lead’s attitude of feigned reluctance, the domineering CEO female lead fell deeply in love with him. While having to drive away the fickle suitors attracted by the naive boy, she also had to persuade her family to accept him. Finally, they entered the grave of marriage, with the naive boy manipulating her in the palm of his hand.

Ending her imagination, Fang Chuning fearfully took the money, “It’s fine, I’m leaving now.”

Just as she turned around, the young man blocked her way again. His delicate face still had traces of youthfulness, “My name is Song Ruoyi. You can give me your contact information. I’ll pay you back bit by bit as I save up.”

See, this is how the trap begins.

“You can pay me back when you see me. If you don’t see me, just keep it. I have things to do, so I’m leaving now.”

The girl suddenly seemed to avoid him like the plague. Song Ruoyi felt a bit unwilling, but since she had already run far away, he had no choice but to silently sulk.

…

Fang Chuning, who thought she had escaped, saw Song Ruoyi waiting at the school gate again two days later when school ended. It wasn’t that she had sharp eyes, but his school uniform really stood out among their uniforms.

Many people who passed by couldn’t help but look at him curiously.

Almost as soon as she exited the school gate, Song Ruoyi saw her. His smile was as bright as a positive, sunny boy.

Gao Qiong, walking beside Fang Chuning, gossiped and nudged her with her elbow, “Looks like he’s here for you, huh?”

As they were speaking, the young man was already walking towards the two of them.

Gao Qiong was still quietly teasing: “Wow, he’s quite cute. You’re something else, not even sparing boys from other schools. Radiating charm, aren’t you!”

Fang Chuning watched as he got closer and closer, her eyelids twitching.

People around them unconsciously stopped in their tracks, discussing this person who was so out of place among them.

Xu Muzhou’s foot injury hadn’t completely healed yet, and he was being supported by Qin Shaoqing as they walked behind. When he saw the scene at the school gate, his brows furrowed slightly.

“Who’s that? Seems like he knows the Fang girl,” Qin Shaoqing said curiously beside him. He examined the school uniform on the boy and sneered contemptuously: “How did someone from the slums get here? Doesn’t he feel ashamed with so many people watching?”

Xu Muzhou coldly withdrew his gaze, “Let’s go.”

Fang Chuning was unaware of this little episode. She was now passively accepting what the young man had stuffed into her hands, “What’s this?”

“I made this myself. Consider it a thank you gift for helping me last night. That’s all, I’m leaving now.”

Song Ruoyi tried hard to maintain what he considered a non-bothersome distance. After speaking, he didn’t give her a chance to refuse, turning around and leaving stylishly.

“He’s got character, I like it!” Gao Qiong leaned in, “What did he give you? Quick, open it and see.”

With so many people coming and going, Fang Chuning was already tired of being the center of attention. She said as she walked, “I’ll look when we get in the car.”

Fang Chuning thought that what he sent would be nothing more than the little things boys usually like to give, like handkerchiefs or scarves that are completely useless in summer, or some exquisite snacks. She had received so many of these things that she had become numb to them, feeling no excitement at all.

When the box was opened, an appetite-inducing aroma spread throughout the car. Seeing what was inside, Fang Chuning was a bit surprised.

“Ribs?” Gao Qiong’s mouth corner curled up with interest, “This is the first time I’ve seen someone give ribs as a gift.”

The rich aroma made Fang Chuning swallow. The delicious food made her forget about schemes and traps. She picked up the chopsticks provided in the box and put a piece in her mouth. The spicy flavor of the ribs was similar to what she ate at the night market, completely to her taste.

Gao Qiong watched enviously, “Hey, pick one for me to taste too.”

Fang Chuning glanced at her with an indescribable expression, picked one for her, and asked, “How is it? Tasty?”

At first, Gao Qiong didn’t react, but after chewing a couple of times, her face instantly turned red from the spiciness. She wanted to spit it out but didn’t know where to spit. Her flustered appearance was quite a mess.

Fang Chuning couldn’t stop laughing. Finally, she kindly gave her two tissues, rescuing her.

“Damn! How could you give me something so spicy to eat!” Gao Qiong took a bottle of water from the car’s mini-fridge and drank furiously, raising her foot to kick at the still laughing person.

“Hahaha, you asked to eat it yourself, what does it have to do with me? Don’t kick me and dirty my clothes, or I’ll make you wash them by hand!”

The two of them roughhoused in the car. Not long after, the car arrived at their destination, Tianyou City. This was the largest game center in Z city, and the Gao family was a major shareholder. The two of them were regular customers here. As soon as they entered, someone came to invite them to play on the new machines.

Fang Chuning wasn’t in high spirits. After playing two rounds, she sat there playing with her phone.

Gao Qiong finished a game and peeked over, “Who are you chatting with?”

“Just the one I often play games with.”

She was referring to mobile games.

“That handsome guy you often team up with?”

“Mm.”

Gao Qiong looked at her strangely: “You’re not having an online romance, are you?”

Fang Chuning couldn’t be bothered to respond to her. The next second, her phone was snatched away. Gao Qiong quickly scrolled through their chat history. It was nothing more than the handsome guy not wanting to play alone and asking her to come online to play together.

“I have his WeChat too, why didn’t he ask me to come online and only asked you?”

Fang Chuning took back her phone, “Don’t you know your own skill level, you noob?”

Then she lowered her head to reply: Not playing

Gao Qiong played for a while longer, felt it was boring, sat on the sofa by the bed and lit a cigarette. As she looked down at the floor below, she seemed to see something and exclaimed with curiosity: “Isn’t that Aunt Fang?” Then she turned her head and called out to the person playing with her phone: “Your mom is downstairs.”

Fang Chuning walked over and indeed saw her mother outside the game center, with a man standing beside her.

Gao Qiong: “Who’s that man?”

“Don’t know, probably someone from work.”

Just as she finished speaking, they saw Fang Hong raise her hand to gently stroke the man’s hair, and even thoughtfully help him adjust his clothes, with an intimacy that wouldn’t let anyone mistake them for having no relationship.

Fang Chuning’s mouth, which had been slightly upturned, instantly dropped. She stared intently at them as the man skillfully and intimately linked arms with the woman, and the two walked away chatting and laughing.

Gao Qiong sensed the change in atmosphere and secretly glanced at the person who looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She patted her shoulder comfortingly, sighed, and went back to playing games.

From that minute on, Fang Chuning never smiled again. She wore a gloomy face, as if her mother had died, all the way home and through dinner, her eyes fixed on Fang Hong in the main seat.

Who could eat with someone staring like that? Fang Hong looked at her, not understanding: “If you’re not eating, why are you glaring at me?”

Fang Chuning asked expressionlessly: “Where did you go today?”

“At the company, of course. What’s wrong?”

“Heh”

Fang Hong frowned, “Why are you being so strange today?”

Mr. Fang, who was eating, also felt something was off. He asked with concern: “Ningning, did something happen? If there’s anything, tell Dad. Don’t keep it bottled up inside and make yourself ill.”

Fang Chuning’s eyes welled up, and she shook her head sympathetically: “It’s nothing, Dad.”

Mr. Fang felt there must be something wrong, but since his daughter was already so grown up and didn’t want to say, he didn’t press further.

The scene from the day kept replaying in Fang Chuning’s mind. This matter was hard for her to accept, causing her to spend the next few days in a daze, without much memory of what happened.