See You Again (Time Already Knows) - Chapter 18
Chapter 18 - “Do You Have A Reason That Won't Harm Me?”
Yesterday, Shi Jian was even thinking about life changing events.
She had less than a hundred yuan left for her living expenses this month. She’d never been this poor before. She’d already asked Auntie for help once, and found it too embarrassing to ask again. As for Yi Mao’s internship stipend, she still hadn’t had a proper job, so how was that little bit enough? It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. She didn’t even spend money carelessly, but she only spent on high quality items, so the money easily went down the drain. Ye Jiacheng had already provided her with the accustomed rice, oil, and salt.1
Finally at the point where she was poor to no end, she could only let Lai Qiao use tarot to predict this month’s fortune. See, she was already living more and more like an unmarried young woman.
“Yes, yes…… Shi Jian, your material fortune this month is very good; you might become wealthy through accidental means…… Additionally, the cards show that you still have money in other people’s pockets, is that true?”
Sure, she still had a hundred bucks living with Ye Jiacheng. As for accidentally becoming wealthy, an “accident” truly turned up!
Shi Jian stared at the cellphone. To have that much money, her reasoning told her that the accountant must’ve made a typo. She stood up and went to look for Zhang Kai.
Zhang Kai had just come out from the restroom, and was currently roasting his hands in the air dryer, from top to bottom, then flipping them over evenly. Zhang Kai spoke up: “The money was processed already? That was fast……”
Shi Jian was speechless. Zhang Kai’s reaction told her that the money really was for her?! What the fuck!
Zhang Kai nonchalantly continued that he and Yi Pei had been around for a long time, steadily increasing his share price by 70%. In spite of Shi Jian’s eyes that were widened in curiosity, Zhang Kai asked with a smile: “Shi Jian, do you have hand cream? Let me use some.”
“Nope.”
“No? Are you even a woman?” Zhang Kai couldn’t comprehend this, and told her, “Emily has some, go steal it from her.”
Oh, Shi Jian confidently borrowed some hand cream from Emily. When she handed Shi Jian the hand cream, Emily couldn’t help but to say: “Zhang Kai is such a damned pervert!”
Zhang Kai was standing nearby. He heard Emily’s assessment of him, and smiled even more radiantly. His face was lively, as if he was enjoying it.
He really was a bit of a pervert.
Emily’s hand cream was also bought in Nanwan. It was a french brand, and had a pleasant fragrance. Zhang Kai wiped his hands, and suddenly said with feeling, “Domestic branded hand cream only costs a few yuan, and international branded ones cost a few hundred, but I don’t feel that they are that much better.”
Shi Jian reminded Zhang Kai. Can he talk about what that money was about now?
Zhang Kai arrived at his office, and casually took the spray bottle to spray the succulent in front of his computer. Then he said: “I borrowed that money from Yi Pei in your place.”
What. Shi Jian was silent. She sucked in a breath: “I’ve…… never borrowed money from you all.”
“Yes, wasn’t this considerately considered by me?” Zhang Kai laughed, and told her, “The poor task of accompanying Vivi shopping was handed to you, and you can’t just window shop and not buy anything. If you and Vivi buy things together, only then can that be considered shopping with friends. Otherwise, you would just follow her around like a personal assistant; how boring.”
So, merrily, he directly sent her money! Isn’t this just a different way to practice usury?!
Shi Jian gawked at Zhang Kai. Zhang Kai sat down and checked his emails. As he worked, he told her: “Don’t worry, it’s interest free.”
Shi Jian brought a hand to her forehead, and sincerely asked: “Can I decline it?”
“Why?” Zhang Kai frowned, not understanding. Normal people would faint out of joy at this kind of good thing.
Shi Jian didn’t want to speak.
“How can you not have a shred of financial responsibility…… If you can’t spend it all, investing it would still be a good choice,” Zhang Kai advised. Not gaining a reaction, he looked up, “Forget it, forget it. Go ask President Yi yourself. This money comes from President Yi’s personal account after all.”
Shi Jian: “……en.”
Yi Pei was in a meeting until 10. Zhang Kai found an empty timeslot for her to enter his office. Yi Pei seemed like he didn’t get a good rest last night. He sat on the sofa inside with his eyes closed. Incense smoke spiraled up from a burner on the table, giving off a faint aroma, seemingly there and not at the same time. This Yi Pei indeed seemed like the cold yet mysterious, aloof yet dignified man that Zhao Yilin had written about. Shi Jian obtained permission to enter, then she bluntly said her reason for coming.
First, Yi Pei turned his eyes towards her. Then, he asked: “Why?”
Yi Pei also asked her why she didn’t accept it. Did this still need a reason? Shi Jian felt like in the past, she had been considered a wealthy person…… ‘s wife. But she still couldn’t understand the thought process of wealthy people like Yi Pei. She forced out a rhetorical question: “……do I need to return the money?” Since it needed to be returned, why would she accept it?
Yi Pei looked at her with his head raised, and also asked rhetorically: “Do you have a reason to not return it?”
Of course not. She shook her head.
So, Yi Pei let out a laugh. As if he was joking with her, he said: “Thus, borrowed money must be returned.”
Yes, it is only proper to return borrowed money, but did she ever borrow it?! The more Shi Jian thought about it, the more unhappy she felt. If she spent this money, wouldn’t she be in an even bigger hole afterwards? Her life was about to turn into a book of debts. If a person could only afford to eat rice noodles, why would they borrow money to eat shark fin? It was meaningless and also bad for the environment.
She didn’t speak for a while. Yi Pei also didn’t say anything. Just as Shi Jian thought about leaving first, Yi Pei spoke up, as if he was bored with the happenings of the mortal world: “Shi Jian, you will have to interact with Vivi soon. You can’t do it if you have no money.”
Shi Jian blinked. So, the reason Yi Pei lended money to her was to let her make friends with his fianceé. He wasn’t wrong. How could one make friends with a rich person without any money? Shi Jian gazed towards Yi Pei, seeming embarrassed: “Can I just work in peace?”
“Isn’t your accompanying Vivi also considered working for me?” Yi Pei refuted her, as if he had a plan all along, “Since the money was already given to you, just use it for now. Shouldn’t you women know how to spend money? If you don’t, then just observe Vivi and spend it like she does.”
He spoke these words using a tone that a loan shark would use. Shi Jian nearly fell to her knees: “President Yi, there’s too much money, I can’t possibly return it all.”
Can’t return it all?
[Found on jeytranslations.blogspot.com | Do not repost to other sites. ]
“There’s really no interest. You’re only twenty-one years old and this money has scared you already.” Yi Pei looked at Shi Jian askance. His tone was even, yet it revealed a hint of humor, “I even thought you were very brave.”
“President Yi could’ve assumed wrongly.” Shi Jian lowered her head, “I’ve always been very cowardly.”
“En…… but you still have to accompany Vivi shopping, and you can’t not have money.” Yi Pei said again. His words finally returned to the original topic.
Damn, it was a pity that Yi Pei didn’t become a loan shark.
Shi Jian thought about it, and basically understood. Going around in a big loop, Yi Pei wanted her to put on a show to entertain Vivi. Then, Yi Pei sent her money. To Yi Pei, that amount was akin to a drop of water in an ocean, but could awaken someone’s lust and greed for riches. If she really accepted it, then she would become a fish under the knife in the future, and be taken advantage of.
How was Yi Pei a foolish but wealthy tyrannical business leader? He was a capitalist that only accepted profitable deals from the beginning.
The money wasn’t originally hers. Shi Jian understood the situation, but didn’t feel hurt. On the contrary, she let out a breath. She followed Yi Pei’s words: “Since President Yi gave me money to go shopping with Lady Zhao, I will definitely complete my task well. When we are shopping, I will pick items to buy along with her……”
Yi Pei: “En.”
Shi Jian lowered her head, and finished her sentence, “I can buy it first and then return it. I can get a direct refund from most big brands.”
“……en.” Yi Pei stood and tossed her a sentence: “Do as you wish.”
When Shi Jian left Yi Pei’s office, the gears in her mind suddenly turned a bit. Should she buy a few stocks? But which stocks should she buy in these years?
Then, she thought of Ye Jiacheng again. He was the expert on matters like investing.
There wasn’t much going on in the general office today, so Shi Jian directly requested to observe the construction site of the Gelan City Project. The construction of the Gelan City Project was still managed by the Yang Group. Yang Jiantao grumbled that he didn’t understand why she was so invested in the Gelan City Project, but still gave the construction team captain there a call and arranged for her to go.
At the construction site, Shi Jian wore a yellow safety helmet. She chatted with the construction team captain about topics revolving around worker safety. Human life was beyond value. She still wasn’t reassured, and wanted to verify that the accident wouldn’t happen again.
The construction team captain’s surname was Dou. Yang Jiantao called him Old Dou. Everytime Old Dou was brought up, the same sentence always appeared—— “That Old Dou is a pretty good person.”
Old Dou had been in the construction industry for nearly two decades. Commercial building development had only been around for between twenty to thirty years. Concerning the construction safety that she brought up, Old Dou didn’t rely on his seniority to be standoffish. On the contrary, he earnestly mulled it over. He tossed away his cigarette butt, and seriously said: “Miss Shi, I’ve noted down the ideas you mentioned. Thank you for specifically coming here today.”
Shi Jian shook her head, she’d specifically found a reason to come: “I should be the one to thank you. My graduation thesis is related to project safety; I learned a lot from you today.”
“No need for thanks; it’s what I should do.” Old Dou laughed, then said, “The Gelan City Project has been dragged out for so long. It’s almost New Years. Who knows if the boss will give us time off.”
She didn’t know about this. Shi Jian looked up. In front of her, a towering crane emitted a whirring sound. She comforted Old Dou: “No matter what, construction site safety comes first. Rushed construction is not good construction.”
Old Dou agreed, and praised her: “Miss Shi, you are much more conscientious than those old bosses.”
Is that right? Shi Jian didn’t accept the compliment. If it was the past, she might have agreed. But conscience was a fickle thing to talk about. It could only be said that everyone stood on a different level, and their hearts faced different directions. These words were said to her by Ye Jiacheng. At that time, she even followed along and asked him, “Then which direction do you face?” Ye Jiacheng replied to her after a while: “I didn’t know in the past, I only wanted a good, lively one. Now, it’s with you.”
……
Shi Jian was trapped at the Gelan City construction site by a sudden torrent of rain.
Shi Jian hid inside a shipping container that the construction workers used as temporary housing, feeling anxious. She watched the gale of wind outside, estimating that she wouldn’t be able to head back for a while.
Old Dou ran over and brought her a piece of news. The head architect of Junwei Park, which was opposite of Gelan City, had also come to see the project’s progress today, and was about to head back. “I already asked for you, you can take his car to the city together.”
The rain and wind fell in gusts. Shi Jian watched half her trousers get soaked, and hurriedly thanked Old Dou with a nod: “Thank you, Old Dou.”
Junwei Park and Gelan City were two competing projects, but it didn’t affect the construction team captain Old Dou’s relationship with the other. In any case, construction teams just worked for who paid them. Old Dou had something to do so he didn’t see her off. He pointed to the front and told her: “I had him stop the car at the main road at the exit. When you see it, just get in.”
Shi Jian accepted, then raised up the advertisement umbrella that Old Dou gave her and rushed into the pouring rain.
The whole world was like a large and thick curtain of rain. The rainwater flooded, veiling the sky and the earth. In front of her was a screen of white that obscured her vision. Shi Jian saw two headlights blinking in the distance.
That should be it.
Shi Jian quickened her steps. Sure enough, she saw a white SUV with its headlights on waiting by the road. The driver seemed to be very lazy; the horn didn’t even sound once, only the headlights blinked endlessly to hurry her into the car. Not having enough time to see clearly, she just quickly opened the shotgun seat door, shut the advertisement umbrella, and stooped inside.
“Thank you, you’ve waited a long time……” Before she even finished speaking, a familiar nostalgic feeling immediately made her pause. Following that, there was also a warm stream of air.
The heater inside the car was turned on quite high.
Shi Jian turned her head, looking at the man in the driver’s seat. Unexpectedly, it was indeed Ye Jiacheng. She and he seemed to not have contact for a time.
“The rain today.” Ye Jiacheng also looked at her, then opened his mouth, as if there was nothing wrong, and unhurriedly added an adjective to the end, “is really heavy——”
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