"Naidong, take your money back. Let's just stay classmates,"
Su Sheng pushed the Lazy Susan, spinning the money over to Li Naidong. He had been tempted to just walk away, but then he thought that Li might not understand the burdens of ordinary life.
What if he hadn't joined the army after middle school, hadn't acquired his skills, and hadn't been so handsome?
He too might have struggled daily to survive, might have had moments of compromising his integrity; no, not chastity—his principles.
So, if Li Naidong took the money back, he would pretend nothing happened. They would continue the meal and keep their classmate relationship simple and pure.
Li Naidong paused, unsure where the problem lay. Did Su Sheng really reach such dire straits that he was still prideful, truly indifferent to money?
