novelslam Chapter 257 The Bet
Chapter 257 The Bet
When Song Huan pushed open the dormitory door, all three of her roommates were awake.
Li Yang lay on the top bunk, holding his phone, but he wasn't looking at it; the screen was dark.
Zhang Li sat in the chair, his hands empty, without any sunflower seeds in them.
Wang Gang leaned against the headboard, his book open, but his eyes weren't on it.
The three people watched him put on his shoes and tie his shoelaces. He did it very slowly, tying them once, then untying them, then tying them again.
"Song Huan..." Wang Gang began.
Li Yang reached out to stop him and said calmly, "Let him face it himself."
Song Huan didn't turn around, opened the door, and walked out.
The corridor was long and dark, with the lights off.
His footsteps echoed in the empty stairwell, one after another, like stepping on cotton.
After going downstairs and leaving the school gate, the sunlight shone down from above, so bright and white that it made him squint.
He stood at the school gate, watching the cars come and go, for a while.
Then take a step and walk forward.
Tianxia KTV is located in the Nanjiang East District, about a 30-minute taxi ride away.
He didn't take a taxi; he walked.
I walked through two streets, then walked through two more streets.
He passed by the milk tea shop where he used to work.
Through the glass, you could see people inside making drinks, busily working away.
He didn't stop, passing by the restaurant where he had carried the plate.
The job posting on the door was the same one he had seen before.
He didn't stop, passing by the convenience store where he used to work the night shift.
The automatic door opened briefly and then closed again.
He still didn't stop.
He walked for more than an hour.
His T-shirt was soaked and stuck to his back.
The soles of my shoes are burning hot, and my heels hurt.
He didn't stop.
He was afraid that if he stopped, he wouldn't dare to move anymore.
Tianxia KTV is located in the heart of Nanjiang East District. It is a three-story building with glass exterior walls and a red carpet at the entrance.
It doesn't seem that noisy during the day, but there are still a lot of cars parked in front.
Black, white, and silver cars are all good cars.
One of them was particularly long, shiny black, and had an "M" logo on the front.
Maybach 62S.
He had seen it in a magazine; it was said that the top-of-the-line model cost 3.52 million.
He could never afford a car worth 3.52 million in his lifetime.
He stared at the car for a long time.
His mind was racing.
I imagine her wearing that silver sequined dress, her hair styled in big waves, and her face covered in heavy makeup.
He imagined her standing at the alley entrance, the streetlights shining on her, smiling at him.
She wanted to say, "After meeting you, I quit smoking."
I imagine her dancing under the sycamore tree, her skirt blooming in the night.
She imagined herself standing on tiptoe, kissing him on the cheek, and saying, "Song Huan, my silly Song Huan."
I want to text her saying, "Baby, I'm going to work now. I love you."
He stood across the street, looking at the glass door.
The door was brown, and you couldn't see inside.
Someone came out, wearing a suit and tie, got into a car, and drove away.
Someone went in, put his arm around the woman next to him, and laughed.
He stood there, watching the people coming and going.
His hands were shaking, and his legs were shaking too.
He put his hands in his pockets and clenched his fists.
His fingernails dug into his palm, it hurt, but he didn't let go.
He felt like a balloon about to burst; if it inflated any more, it would explode.
……
Lin Yue sat in the private room with a glass of wine in front of her.
Chen Tianren leaned back on the sofa, holding a wine glass in his hand, looking at her.
"Mr. Chen, thank you so much for taking care of me, but I will be resigning after this month."
Lin Yue's voice wasn't loud, but it was very earnest.
Chen Tianren put the wine glass down to his lips, but didn't drink it, and then put it down.
Why?
Lin Yue smiled but did not answer.
Chen Tianren's gaze fell on her wrist, on the gold bracelet, which was bright yellow.
It wasn't the one he gave me.
The one he gave me had a dragon and phoenix engraved on it, but this one has a different pattern.
"What about the one I bought for you?"
Lin Yue made no attempt to hide it, openly raising her wrist. The bracelet flashed under the light. "I sold the one you gave me."
Chen Tianren paused for a moment, then asked, "Who gave this to you? Your suitor?"
Lin Yue shook her head. "My boyfriend bought it."
Chen Tianren paused for a moment, then leaned back on the sofa and looked into her eyes.
"Is this why you resigned?"
Lin Yue nodded readily, "Yes."
Chen Tianren's heart skipped a beat.
He picked up his glass, took a sip, and put it down.
He quickly calmed down again.
He looked at her, his tone flat.
"Does your boyfriend know you work here?"
Lin Yue's eyes flickered. "He doesn't know, and I don't intend to let him know."
"So you plan to keep this from him forever?"
Lin Yue didn't speak, and Chen Tianren leaned back on the sofa.
"Boys at this age generally can't accept the idea of having a girlfriend. If you keep it from him now, he'll only be angrier when he finds out later."
Lin Yue blushed. "He won't."
Chen Tianren looked at her. "How do you know he won't?"
Lin Yue bit her lip. "I just knew it."
Chen Tianren sighed, "Lin Yue, I'm so much older than you, I've seen more of the world than you've ever known. Take my advice, you two aren't a good match."
Lin Yue looked up at him. "Why isn't it suitable?"
Chen Tianren picked up his glass, took a sip, and said, "You know your family's situation well. Your mother has a mental illness, and her medical expenses are high every month. Your father is also heavily in debt, and many creditors are looking for you. And your student loans are still outstanding."
Lin Yue fell silent.
Chen Tianren looked at her and softened his tone, "Come with me. Given your situation, you're simply not suited to marry an ordinary person."
Lin Yue's face flushed red.
"Mr. Chen, what do you mean by that?"
Chen Tianren shook his head. "It doesn't mean anything. I just think you deserve better."
Lin Yue sneered, "Better? What do you mean by better? Rich? Driving a Maybach?"
Chen Tianren remained silent.
Lin Yue's voice grew louder.
"Mr. Chen, have you been too high and mighty for too long, and now you look down on the love lives of ordinary people like us?"
Chen Tianren shook his head. "That's not what I meant."
She gritted her teeth and asked again.
"Mr. Chen, thank you so much for sponsoring me for a month, which allows my mother to have the money for medical treatment. But as much as I'm grateful, I have a question, and I wonder if I can ask it?"
"ask."
Why did you fall for me of all people?
Chen Tianren looked at her.
She sat there with her hair in big waves, her face heavily made up, and her lips painted red.
But her eyes were bright, and there was fire in them.
He suddenly remembered that person from many years ago.
Those are the same eyes, that is the same fire.
"You look like my ex. You have the same personality, and you have the same body type."
He paused for a moment, then said, "And you're a good girl."
Lin Yue gave a cold laugh and crossed her arms.
"I'm sorry, if someone had said this to me before, I would have been incredibly moved. But you're too late now; someone else has already told me. And he was a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times more serious than you!"
Chen Tianren looked at her for several seconds, then said, "Your relationship won't last."
Lin Yue gritted her teeth, "You think you can just say you can't? What makes you think you can?"
Chen Tianren picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and put it down.
"Let's make a bet."
"What are we betting on?"
"I'm betting on whether you'll break up with him within three months."
Lin Yue squinted at him.
"Alright, who's afraid of who?"
Chen Tianren smiled faintly, "If you break up with him within three months, you will marry me."
Lin Yue's eyes widened.
"And what if you lose?"
Chen Tianren poured himself a glass of wine, crossed his legs, and said, "If I lose, I'll cover all your mother's medical expenses for her mental illness."
Lin Yue thought for a moment, nodded, picked up the wine glass on the table, and clinked glasses with him.
"Mr. Chen is so generous, he's even doing charity work now. I thank you on behalf of my mother."
Chen Tianren chuckled.
This girl's personality is just like hers...
Lin Yue glanced at her phone and stood up.
"Excuse me, I have to go out for dinner."
Chen Tianren stood up and straightened his suit. "I'll go with you. I know a Western restaurant nearby that's pretty good. You should like it."
Lin Yue thought for a moment, "Alright, since you're treating, Mr. Chen, it would be rude of me to refuse."
Song Huan stood across the street.
His eyes were fixed on the glass door. The door opened.
Lin Yue walked out, wearing a silver sequined dress with a short hem that revealed her two long, white legs.
Her hair was styled in large waves, her face was covered in heavy makeup, and her lips were painted bright red.
Beside her was a man in his fifties, wearing a dark suit, with neatly combed hair and an excellent demeanor.
The man walked to the Maybach parked by the roadside, opened the car door, and politely gestured for it to enter.
Song Huan's face turned pale.
My lips were trembling, my hands were trembling, and my legs were trembling.
He looked at her.
She stood there, her skirt fluttering in the wind, the gold bracelet she had given herself glittering on her wrist.
She was about to get into the car.
He walked over.
The pace was fast, faster and faster, until finally it was almost running.
Lin Yue looked up and met his gaze.
Her smile froze on her face.
"Song Huan?" She was stunned.
He stood in front of her, looking at her.
She was wearing that outfit, standing next to the luxury car, with a man in a suit standing beside her.
His mind was buzzing.
He wanted to say a lot and ask a lot of questions, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't say a single word.
"Who is he?" he finally managed to squeeze out, his voice hoarse.
Lin Yue opened her mouth.
"He is me..."
"You work here?"
"Song Huan, let me explain..."
He looked at the gold bracelet on her wrist, and at the gold bracelet he had given her.
She was wearing the gold bracelet he had given her, and the clothes she was wearing, standing next to the man.
He suddenly found it very funny.
He laughed. "I look like an idiot."
His voice trembled. "I work three jobs a day, get beaten up until my face is covered in blood, and pawned the family heirloom my grandmother gave me to buy you a gold bracelet. And what do you do? You're here drinking with other men."
Lin Yue's tears fell. "Song Huan, it's not what you think*"
"What is it?" His voice suddenly rose.
"Tell me, what are you doing here? Dressed like that, you're drinking with him, and he's paying you, isn't that right?"
Lin Yue's face turned pale.
"Song Huan, I..."
Chen Tianren stood to the side, watching this scene, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He took half a step forward.
"Young man, let's talk this out, don't..."
Song Huan abruptly turned to look at him, "Shut up!"
His eyes reddened. "Who the hell are you? What right do you have to stand next to her? What right do you have to open the car door for her?"
Chen Tianren didn't speak, but took a step back.
Song Huan turned back and looked at Lin Yue.
Tears were streaming down her face as she reached out to pull him away.
"Song Huan, listen to me, I..."
He shook off her hand.
The movement was so forceful that her hand was flung aside and hit the car door.
She flinched but didn't cry out in pain.
"What? Tell me. Say you're not a hostess, say you're not drinking with other people, say you're not doing it for the money..." He suddenly couldn't continue.
His eyes reddened.
Tears welled up in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and didn't let them fall.
He looked at Lin Yue.
She stood in front of him, crying like a child.
He had never seen her cry like that before.
She had cried in front of him, but it was different.
He suddenly felt ridiculous.
He turned around and ran away.
He walked quickly, running across the road, across the sidewalk, across the road he had walked countless times.
He didn't turn around.
Lin Yue stood there, watching his back.
She wanted to chase after him, but her legs were too weak to move.
Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision.
She wiped it with the back of her hand, then wiped it again, but it wasn't clean.
Chen Tianren walked over, stood next to her, and handed her a tissue.
She didn't answer.
"Are you satisfied?" Her voice was very soft.
Chen Tianren remained silent.
She squatted down, buried her face in her knees, and cried.
Chen Tianren stood there, watching her shoulders tremble.