By around five in the afternoon, everything was tidied up. It was nearing the peak hour of the end of the workday. Seeing that time was almost up, Lin Shu returned to the shop.
The photo studio is located on the street, with a flower shed erected at the entrance. It was a three-story commercial property. The first floor was the clothing area, equipped with changing rooms and lockers for belongings. Half of the second and third floors were outfitted with various themed backgrounds complete with lighting and curtains.
There was even a darkroom for developing film downstairs. Although it had hardly been used since most photos now were digital.
When Lin Shu arrived, Yu Duoduo was helping a customer pick out clothes in the clothing area. Seeing Lin Shu, she waved over a sales associate to continue assisting the customer and pulled Lin Shu towards the third floor, "You didn't have a class today? You came so early."
"Yes, I took the day off for moving. In the afternoon, I didn't go back to school, I came straight here."
Yu Duoduo couldn't help exclaiming, "My God, you finally decided to move out of that money-burning furnace?"
It's often said that with a stepmother comes a stepfather. That saying was not an overstatement for Lin Shu.
Over the years, her stepmother always found excuses to get Lin Shu to contribute financially, and her father would turn a blind eye, as if it was Lin Shu's obligation to clean up after her good-for-nothing brother.
The most outrageous part was this little bastard, not only was he useless, but he was also ungrateful. Back when Lin Shu was being pursued in school, he almost sold his own sister for money!
Thinking about this, Yu Duoduo turned to Lin Shu in alarm, "Wait a minute, how could they agree to let you move out? You didn't give away all your savings to them, did you?"
The Lin Family was like a pack of vampires; she was really afraid that the Lin Family would take Lin Shu's money and then kick her out.
"I didn't tell them about my secret stash, and isn't all my money in your office? Don't worry, I won't give it all to them."
The Lin Family only knew that Lin Shu's teaching salary was low, and that she had been carrying the mortgage for the house they were living in. They had no idea that the mortgage had already been paid off, or that she had started a business with her best friend.
Only after hearing this did Yu Duoduo sigh in relief. However, Lin Shu then dropped a bombshell.
"Duoduo, I'm married."
"Huh, as long as you are not being exploited by them, you're married...so...you're married?"
Yu Duoduo's eyes popped wide open, her voice jumped two octaves in disbelief, "Who did you marry? You don't even have a boyfriend!"
"I married my childhood betrothed; we just got our marriage license this morning."
"Childhood betrothed? What era is this, and we are still talking about childhood betrothals!" Yu Duoduo was nearly jumping up and down, "Were you forced by them? How much betrothal gift did they receive? Gosh, this is human trafficking! No! I'll confront them right away! Divorce! You divorce that bastard at once!"
"I just got married; if I divorce now, I'll be on my second marriage."
"What's wrong with a second marriage! As long as you're willing, I'll introduce you to my elder brother. However much betrothal gift they gave, I'll ask my brother to double it! How great it would be for you to come live with me afterwards."
Lin Shu had no doubt that if Yu Duoduo were a man, she would have immediately proposed to her, not even letting her own brother have a chance.
To be honest, having such a good friend made her happy from the bottom of her heart.
Lin Shu pursed her lips and joked, "Forget about it, I can't climb high enough to join the Lin Family."
"You always use this line," Yu Duoduo rolled her eyes. She knew in her heart that Lin Shu was a person who had a sense of discretion, she wouldn't act rashly. But she couldn't help but gossip, "So, what does your betrothed do? What's he like? Is he handsome?"
"He's a lawyer, he bought his own house in Fuchun Garden and also has a car, although he's still paying off the mortgage. In terms of appearance…"
Lin Shu recalled Fang Zhi's looks and commented objectively, "He's quite handsome."
Yu Duoduo's eyes lit up immediately, "Fuchun Garden is not a place where you can buy a house just because you have money. And he is handsome? Are you sure he's not a godsend from the matchmaking temple?"
But when she thought about his profession as a lawyer, Yu Duoduo also reminded Lin Shu, "However, Xiao Shu, he's a lawyer! Be careful about everything, and if he asks you to sign any agreement, make sure to read it clearly, or else you could end up losing everything without knowing it!"
Lin Shu nodded, she wasn't too worried about this. Firstly, they didn't have any financial disputes yet, and besides, based on Fang Zhi's income, it was unlikely that he married her for money, considering her savings were probably not even equal to three or four months of his salary.
But the house where her father lived was in her brother's name. She thought she should remind her father to add his name to the title as well.
As Lin Shu and Yu Duoduo chatted until dinner time, her phone suddenly rang in her pocket. It was Fang Zhi.
She did not expect Fang Zhi to call and hastily gestured to Yu Duoduo to keep quiet.
"This is Fang Zhi."
Fang Zhi's tone was cool, even his opening line was typically unique.
Lin Shu responded, "Yes, what's the matter?"
"I have to work all night, won't be coming home, you don't need to wait up for me."
"Okay."
"Also, grandfather asked me to bring you home for dinner tomorrow night. Are you free?"
In fact, she didn't have time since it was the end of the school term and the school was quite busy. However, considering she used Fang Zhi's name to move out, she felt a bit guilty that she hadn't done anything for Fang Zhi in return yet.
She pursed her lips and said, "I am."
"Then, I'll pick you up tomorrow night. That's it."
After saying that, Fang Zhi hung up.
"What happened?" Yu Duoduo asked curiously.
"Fang Zhi wants me to go home for dinner with him tomorrow night," Lin Shu said with a helpless smile, "Suddenly having to deal with these family affairs, I'm quite not used to it."
"What are you afraid of! The ship will straighten itself out when it comes to the bridgehead!" Yu Duoduo took her turn to speak, "However, it's not polite to go to someone's home empty-handed, you must buy something, right?"
"What should I buy?" Lin Shu had no idea.
"Do you want me to accompany you to have a look and give you some advice?"
Lin Shu thought about it and realized that Fang Zhi would not be coming home tonight anyway, so she agreed.
...
On the other side, Fang Zhi picked up his mobile phone, tucked it away neatly, and hit the internal line, "He Mo, book a hotel for me, I'm not going home tonight."
Actually, he wasn't working overtime. He just didn't want to go home.
One reason was the awkwardness, and the other was that he didn't want to give Lin Shu the impression that he was easy to talk to, lest she start getting greedy ideas.
"By the way, my card, any transaction alerts?"
Fang Zhi asked.
That card was the so-called "salary card" he gave to Lin Shu.
He Mo checked quickly, "Nothing for now."
"Understood, keep a close eye on it, and let me know any transaction alerts."
"Yes."
Fang Zhi hung up the phone, his eyes narrowed slightly. She was really patient.
But he wasn't in a hurry. There was plenty of time, and he was sure Lin Shu would slip up sooner or later.