Chapter 15 Misread Promises
For- Revise "Bad news/Worse news" to "My bank account barely grew, but the scale kept rising steadily" for natural flow.
the next long stretch of time, I lived under the Creditor’s relentless feeding.
My phone would light up.
Creditor: Meal today? Beer duck, spicy crayfish.
Me: Eat! Wait for me!
Creditor: Meal? Spicy beef, Boston lobster.
Me: Eat! Wait for me!
Creditor: Meal?
Me: Eat!
Creditor: ?
Me: !
After more than a month of this, I hadn’t earned a single yuan of overtime pay, had spent four or five hundred just on rides, and had gained five full pounds.
I stared at my softening belly and flattened my mouth.
Jiang Si, Jiang Si—how could you let food corrupt you so easily?
How could a person give up money for the sake of eating?
That bad Sheng Yi. It seemed like his ulterior motives were finally showing. Maybe he didn’t want me to pay him back quickly. Maybe he wanted to keep being my Creditor a little longer.
I thought I saw it clearly now.
Tonight, I was definitely working late.
And every night after this.
I pinched the soft flesh on my stomach and made a firm resolution.
Me: Working late tonight, won’t be back for dinner.
The typing bubble appeared and stayed for a long time.
Ten minutes passed.
Creditor: Tired of Braised Pork?
No, not really.
It was just…
I wiped the corner of my eye, hesitated, and finally typed back.
Me: Sheng Yi, listen, the way we’re doing this feels a little too… intimate.
Which creditor cooks every day for the person who owes him money?
But he completely missed my point.
Creditor: My dad used to do exactly this for my mom. What’s wrong with it?
Creditor: I’ve seen their old chat logs. They were just like this. Or do you feel uncomfortable?
Creditor: You don’t have to feel pressured. If my way isn’t right, tell me. I can change.
Did your mom ever smash your dad’s pot?
I’d never heard that story.
If they still got together after a smashed pot, then your parents must have been true love.
I thought about it for a second and figured he was probably just trying to ease the pressure from the debt.
I thought carefully before replying.
Me: Sorry, I’m not ready yet. When I am, I’ll let you know, okay?
Me: Don’t worry, I definitely won’t run away.
Genius.
I was absolutely the most responsible debtor in the world.
A moment later, he answered.
Creditor: Really…? I’ll wait for you. I’ll keep waiting until the day you’re ready.
My Creditor was too kind.
He never pushed for repayment, never demanded anything.
Me: Good. So we keep things as they are for now?
After friendly negotiation, both parties reached an agreement.
I patted my belly, clocked out, and left work.
I felt great.
No wonder we used to be a couple. Sheng Yi and I still had some kind of connection.