Volume One, Chapter Nine: The Cotton-Padded Jacket in the Howling Wind
The next morning, Li Yan was still asleep when suddenly there was a knock at the door.
He groggily opened his eyes; it was barely dawn.
Could it be someone telling him to check out already?
Sure enough, a fifty-yuan-a-night motel wasn’t reliable at all.
He was about to confront the owner properly—who even starts bothering guests so early in the morning? Wasn’t there any respect for a good night's sleep?
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Luo Jiashuang standing right there.
He had to admit, the high school version of Luo Jiashuang was truly beautiful. Today, she wore a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of slim-fitting jeans that accentuated her tall and well-proportioned figure even more strikingly.
Since they were so close, the faint, delicate scent unique to young girls wafted into Li Yan’s nose.
No wonder his past self was so infatuated with her.
“What are you doing here?” Li Yan didn’t expect Luo Jiashuang to come find him so early.
Luo Jiashuang tiptoed, glanced inside the room as if checking whether anyone else was there.
Li Yan sighed, “Hey, what are you looking at? There’s no one here.”
“Here, this is for you. Tell me if it’s enough. If not, I’ll go get more,” Luo Jiashuang said, meaning she would steal a little more.
Last night, Li Yan had said he needed to borrow money from her. After returning home, she pooled together the money she had—only a few thousand yuan. She guessed Li Yan wanted to use the money to start a business, and a few thousand wouldn’t be nearly enough, so she turned to her father’s bankbook for funds.
Taking the bag Luo Jiashuang handed him, Li Yan opened it and found a thick stack of red hundred-yuan notes inside.
“So much… at least fifty thousand yuan, right? Where did you get this much money?” Li Yan was stunned. He had only expected her to lend him a thousand or so to get by for a week.
Luo Jiashuang chuckled, but her gaze involuntarily drifted elsewhere. “Don’t worry about that. Just tell me if it’s enough. If not, I’ll get more.”
Li Yan looked at her suspiciously, sensing something was off.
“Come in first. Standing at the door isn’t appropriate.”
With that, he pulled Luo Jiashuang into the room.
Even with memories from two lifetimes, Luo Jiashuang’s cheeks flushed red.
In the previous life, she had used every trick in the book to win over Li Yan.
But Li Yan never fell for it. Besides, back then, he was surrounded by many beautiful women, some even more gorgeous than her.
Once, she had even mustered the courage to book a hotel room, take a shower, and message Li Yan saying she was waiting for him there.
His reply was simply “Get some rest early,” and then nothing more.
She never imagined that in this life, she would so soon share a room with Li Yan.
---
The environment of the room, however, was far inferior.
After counting, Li Yan confirmed there was a full fifty-two thousand yuan.
Even though Luo Jiashuang’s family was well-off, it seemed unlikely she could withdraw such a large sum all at once.
Fifty thousand yuan—that would still be a considerable amount even ten years later.
Li Yan gave her a scrutinizing look. “Luo Jiashuang, be honest. Where did this money come from?”
A flicker of panic flashed in Luo Jiashuang’s beautiful eyes. No wonder her past self’s Li Yan had been so successful starting his business—he noticed the money problem so quickly.
She hurriedly masked her anxiety and changed the subject. “Ah, just use it for now. My money is your money. Come on, let’s go have breakfast. I know a place with really good food.”
Seeing her like this, Li Yan became even more certain of his suspicion.
Most likely, this money was taken from her family without permission.
Li Yan’s face darkened. “If you don’t tell me the truth, I won’t take the money.”
Luo Jiashuang’s heart pounded.
She wanted to invest in Li Yan early, acting as an angel investor. She never expected a freshly graduated high schooler like Li Yan to be so cautious—her questioning flustered her instantly.
She stammered, “You said you needed money, and I thought the more, the better, so I took some from my dad’s bankbook. Don’t worry, he rarely checks it; he won’t find out.”
Li Yan mentally groaned.
Sure enough, she had taken the money from home.
“I can’t accept that. Return it immediately.”
Seeing Li Yan so serious, Luo Jiashuang grew nervous.
She secretly hoped Li Yan would borrow even more, so he would owe her more and she would become increasingly important to him over time.
Realizing she couldn’t fool him, she began to act coquettish. “Come on, just use it first. I trust you’ll pay me back later. Don’t you want the money?” She threw the question back to Li Yan.
Li Yan rolled his eyes. “Of course I’ll pay you back. At the earliest in a week, at the latest in a month.”
“See? That’s all I want. Just pay me back later.”
Ha! Fifty thousand yuan? She thought she had given too little.
Once she had completely won Li Yan over, he’d give her back both his heart and his money.
That deal would never be a loss.
Li Yan had no idea of the scheming thoughts swirling in Luo Jiashuang’s mind. To him, this money just shouldn’t be accepted.
“I think only these two thousand yuan are really yours. I’ll take this two thousand; that’s enough. You’d better return the fifty thousand quickly before you get scolded.” Li Yan insisted she return the money.
---
Seeing Li Yan so resolute in rejecting her angel investment, Luo Jiashuang wasn’t willing to give in.
She immediately began to throw a tantrum. “Fine, if you don’t want it, I’ll tell everyone Li Yan is a scumbag who cheated me out of money and affection and won’t admit it.”
“What?” Li Yan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Listen to what you’re saying! When have I ever been a scumbag? Besides, I haven’t even done anything bad yet, so how could I have cheated you out of money and affection?”
Luo Jiashuang turned her head, pretending to be angry and ignoring Li Yan.
But she muttered softly, “You should’ve been the scumbag. In the past life, you didn’t cheat me, but still told me to rest early. What a dog of a man.”
Li Yan felt the Luo Jiashuang in front of him was completely different from the one in his memory. Could it be that even personalities changed when reborn into a parallel world?
It was possible.
He said helplessly, “Does your dad know his beloved little darling is already leaking secrets like a sieve?”
Luo Jiashuang huffed in response, signaling she was angry and didn’t want to talk to Li Yan now.
Knowing it would be difficult to make her return the money immediately, Li Yan decided to wait a bit before mentioning it again.
He softened his tone. “Come on, we can’t sleep now anyway. Let’s have breakfast, and then in the afternoon, we’ll find a better place to stay.”
Returning to 2012, he wanted to take a good look at Lin City at this time.
In the past life, he had left in a rush after graduating high school, and when he returned to Lin City later, it had changed dramatically.
Hearing that Li Yan was no longer worried about the money, Luo Jiashuang sprang up from her chair with a grin. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to a delicious place. Their rice noodles and chicken legs are amazing.”
Luo Jiashuang linked her arm with Li Yan’s, looking every bit like a couple deeply in love.
The two of them weaved through the streets until they arrived at a somewhat old-fashioned breakfast shop.
By now, a long line had formed outside, proving the place was quite popular.
Just as they prepared to join the queue, they spotted two familiar faces.
Fu Hantao and Qin Ligang, who had been drinking all night, were sitting at a table eating rice noodles, planning to go home and get some good rest afterward.
Fu Hantao looked up and immediately saw Luo Jiashuang holding Li Yan’s arm intimately. His expression darkened instantly.
His face flushed red—whether from anger or jealousy, no one could tell.
“Jiashuang, you...”