Chapter 17: Late-night shopping and encountering a cash owner

The cash Bai Lu stuffed into her hand was about two thousand yuan.  

Holding the money, walking along the midnight streets, Lu Weizhu inexplicably felt a sense of loneliness.  

How long would these days of being alone last?  

“So, tell me, how do those two manage to stay together when they’re both so awful?”  

Unable to understand the relationship between Bai Lu and Ning Wan, Lu Weizhu wandered aimlessly. 

“I don’t want to go back so early.”  

Lu Weizhu looked up at the sky.  

There were no stars above; thick clouds blocked the moon.  

“Looks like it’s going to rain tomorrow, huh, guess so.”  

She glanced at the Weather Forecast and fell silent.  

“Hoo…I’ll go buy a Mobile Phone for Wei Yu.”  

Now that she had money in hand, she shouldn’t live as frugally as when she was strapped for cash.  

When she wasn’t around, Lu Weiyu should at least have something to entertain herself.  

With this thought, Lu Weizhu headed for the Commercial Street she remembered.  

She hadn’t been here in a long time. 

With no interest in window-shopping, Lu Weizhu went straight to the Mobile Phone store.  

She bought a two-thousand-yuan Mobile Phone, got a SIM Card while she was at it, put everything into her Bag, and left the store.  

“Sigh…let’s head back.”  

She hadn’t wanted to go back too early, but Lu Weizhu realized she really didn’t have anywhere else to go.  

Walking along the Commercial Street toward the Hospital, Lu Weizhu passed by a Barbecue Stall and ran into the person she disliked most.  

Ning Wan.  

Wearing a shirt and long pants, no jewelry to speak of, her outfit was utterly ordinary, yet her beautiful face made her stand out in the crowd. 

Even from dozens of meters away, Lu Weizhu could spot her.  

Huh?  

What a coincidence.  

Having just had a secret meeting with Bai Lu not long ago, Lu Weizhu felt guilty.  

She squeezed the Bag in her hand and quickened her pace.  

“Hey.”  

Just as she was about to slip into the crowd, Ning Wan called out to her.  

“…Miss Ning.”  

Lu Weizhu turned stiffly.  

Beneath the city’s neon lights, the white shirt on Ning Wan was tinted with colorful light, blending her into the crowd of ordinary people.  

Lu Weizhu stood still, head slightly lowered.  

“What a coincidence, tsk.”  

Ning Wan shook her head, holding a bottle of Beer in her hand.  

“Good evening, Miss Ning.”  

Lu Weizhu gave a brief smile, not wanting to linger. 

She was ready to slip away.  

“Since we’ve met, let’s hang out together.”  

Ning Wan’s tone was indifferent.  

Lu Weizhu had a terrible impression of Ning Wan, and the idea of “hanging out” with her sounded nothing short of terrifying.  

Clenching her fingers, Lu Weizhu pressed her lips together.  

She wanted to run away.  

But, would running away really solve anything? 

Wouldn’t it just be worse the next time they met?  

After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Weizhu reluctantly walked over to Ning Wan.  

Once she got closer, Lu Weizhu noticed the folding table in front of Ning Wan was covered with bottles of Beer.  

“Miss Ning……”  

“Just call me Ning Wan when we’re outside.”  

Glancing at the ordinary people nearby, Ning Wan shrugged.  

She didn’t want to draw attention.  

“…”  

Picking up a Beer from the table, Ning Wan took a long swig and exhaled a breath of stale air.  

“Uh, Ning Wan.”  

Lu Weizhu sat down carefully, unable to read the sponsor before her.  

“What are you doing here? I thought…”  

“You thought I wouldn’t show up in a place like this?”  

Ning Wan interrupted Lu Weizhu once again.  

Under the neon lights, her appearance was less overbearing, but her disrespectful personality remained unchanged.  

Lu Weizhu lowered her eyes.  

“Yeah.”  

She nodded.  

It was hard to imagine a wealthy heiress showing up at an utterly ordinary Barbecue Stall.  

“Don’t judge me by traditional standards.”  

Ning Wan waved her hand, grabbed a handful of skewers from the iron plate, and bit into the meat.  

Ning Wan was, without a doubt, rebellious and abnormal. 

No normal person would tolerate their beloved finding a stand-in, or even keeping a mistress.  

She liked to control others, enjoyed seeing people submit before her, and also longed to live as freely and unrestrained as the heroes of old—this was another side of Ning Wan.  

“Got it.”  

There wasn’t much to talk about with Ning Wan, so Lu Weizhu sat in silence.  

Her relationship with Ning Wan was truly awful.  

Ning Wan understood this as well, so she didn’t expect Lu Weizhu to keep her company for long.  

“…”  

Catching a glimpse of the Bag with the Mobile Phone in Lu Weizhu’s hand, Ning Wan let out a mocking laugh.  

“First thing you do with money is buy a Mobile Phone, huh?”  

In Ning Wan’s mind, the image of Lu Weizhu as a gold-digger became even more solidified.  

From her perspective, if Lu Weizhu really had no choice but to do shameful things for money, there’s no way the first thing she’d buy would be an electronic device, right?  

Ning Wan was now somewhat interested in Lu Weizhu, but not enough to investigate her background.  

“Mm.”  

With her head down, Lu Weizhu had no intention of explaining.  

Anyway, even if she tried, Ning Wan wouldn’t listen.  

Looking at the quiet, submissive girl before her, Ning Wan suddenly felt irritable.  

She didn’t like this look on Lu Weizhu’s face.  

“You know what? You’re really boring today.”  

Ning Wan casually tossed the empty Beer bottle into the trash can.  

Who knows how many beers she’d had—

Ning Wan’s face was flushed red, her bangs plastered to her forehead. 

A beautiful woman drunk, truly a sight to behold. 

Too bad she was a femme fatale; Lu Weizhu had no interest in admiring the view.  

She remained silent.  

“Tsk, what a drag. If Bai Lu hadn’t said she was busy with work, I wouldn’t have come out alone and run into a bore like you. What a bummer.” 

Ning Wan pouted, leaving Lu Weizhu a bit confused.  

Bai Lu was busy with work? 

Then who was it who treated her like a Cat just a while ago? 

She quickly realized Bai Lu had lied to Ning Wan.  

“Hmph.”  

With a cold snort, Ning Wan said nothing more, slumping over the table, her gaze hazy—she was clearly drunk.  

“Ning Wan, I’m heading out first.”  

The events of tonight left Lu Weizhu feeling baffled.  

She glanced at the sponsor slumped over the table, hiccuping from the Beer, and kept her distance.  

She got up and left.  

After walking about a dozen meters, she looked back—

Ning Wan was still slumped over the table, motionless.  

“…Sigh, what a weird night. Why do I keep running into strange things?”  

Whether it was being treated like a Cat by Bai Lu or running into Ning Wan at the Commercial Street, it all left Lu Weizhu at a loss.  

She sighed, took out her own Mobile Phone, and after a moment, dialed Bai Lu’s number.  

“Lu Weizhu? What’s up?”  

The call connected quickly, Bai Lu’s voice coming through, tinged with fatigue.  

“Proprietress Bai, um, I saw Miss Ning at the Commercial Street. She seems drunk. Could you come pick her up?”  

After another glance at Ning Wan in the distance, Lu Weizhu sent Bai Lu the specific address and a photo.  

“So why am I sticking my nose in other people’s business?”  

As she walked farther away, leaving the Commercial Street behind, the crowd thinned out.  

Lu Weizhu patted her own face.  

“That woman’s so awful…whatever. If I just leave her there all night, she’ll come after me when she wakes up anyway, right?”  

Comforting herself, Lu Weizhu carried the new Mobile Phone back to the Hospital.  

Outside Lu Weiyu’s hospital room, seeing the light spilling through the crack in the door, Lu Weizhu finally felt at ease.  

No matter how late she came home, there would always be a light left on just for her.  

She suddenly regretted coming back so late.  

“Weiyu, I’m back.”  

With a knowing smile, Lu Weizhu pushed open the door and entered the hospital room.