Chapter 73: "You Can Pamper and Never Get Used to It" (First Order)
Seeing his ex-girlfriend in distress, Fang Hong placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's all right," he reassured her, "as long as it's something that can be solved with money, it's not a big deal. Even though we're no longer together, you can still come to me. Now, stop crying."
While comforting her, Fang Hong handed her two tissue papers to wipe away her tears. But then, Lin Ruoshui suddenly threw herself into his arms, crying softly with the intensity of someone who had no other option. The tears fell like raindrops on a pear blossom.
She had nowhere else to turn, so in her desperation, she came to Fang Hong.
After going home and undergoing medical tests, Lin Ruoshui found out that she and her younger sister, Lin Ruoxi, were not compatible for a bone marrow transplant. The good news was that a suitable donor had been found, but the cost of the procedure was over 500,000 yuan—an amount her family simply could not afford.
It was at this moment that Lin Ruoshui truly understood the value of money and how it could save lives. But the harsh reality was that her family didn't have the resources to cover such an expense.
Fang Hong continued to comfort her, "Don't worry, the sky isn't falling. There's no need to be so heartbroken. Your ex-boyfriend can still help with this."
At this point, Lin Ruoshui came to her senses. They had broken up, so throwing herself into his arms like this felt wrong. She pulled away and took the tissue he handed her, silently wiping her tears.
---
Meanwhile, across the street, Yun Xiaoli and Zhong Xue were walking after school, heading to a snack bar for lunch. As they passed by the restaurant, Zhong Xue stopped in her tracks when she saw something through the glass wall. She grabbed Yun Xiaoli's arm in surprise. "Look over there, Xiao Li. Isn't that Lin Ruoshui with Fang Hong? Why are they together? And they were hugging just now!"
Yun Xiaoli looked over in disbelief, "It really is them. Didn't Lin Ruoshui drop out of school and go home? Why is she in Xincheng? Wait, didn't they break up?"
Zhong Xue shook her head, confused. "I don't know. He Xuan said they broke up a long time ago."
Yun Xiaoli immediately suggested, "Let's ask He Xuan."
Taking out her phone, she snapped a blurry picture of the two of them. Although the photo was unclear, it was enough to make out who they were. She sent it to He Xuan with the message: "He Xuan, I just ran into the two of them eating together. Didn't you say they broke up a long time ago?"
After sending the message, they waited, but there was no immediate reply. Yun Xiaoli turned back to look at the restaurant, and Zhong Xue suddenly asked, "Should we go say hello to them?"
Yun Xiaoli rolled her eyes and said, "They're dating privately, why should we be light bulbs? Let's go eat too."
---
Inside the restaurant, Fang Hong noticed that Lin Ruoshui's emotions had calmed down a bit, so he stood up and sat across from her. The dishes were already set, and they began eating while talking. Lin Ruoshui explained her family's situation, and Fang Hong realized that the money would be used to save her sister's life.
Suddenly, Lin Ruoshui looked up at Fang Hong and said, "Don't worry, I will pay you back slowly, including the interest."
At her earnest promise, Fang Hong smiled, glancing down at his bowl of food before eating. After chewing for a while, he looked back up at her, his expression nonchalant. "Pay me back with interest? Let's be realistic. After you graduate and start working, maybe two years will pass. With your monthly income of 5,000 yuan—optimistically speaking—it will take you about ten years to pay off 500,000 yuan, and that's if you don't eat or drink. The current loan interest rate is 6.66%, which would make it about 300,000 yuan in interest. How long will it take to repay all of that? You'll spend most of your life paying it back."
Lin Ruoshui stubbornly stared at him. "I know, but I will definitely repay you, even if I have to sell everything. I'll never break my promise or rely on you."
Fang Hong remained calm. He raised his head, met her gaze, and said with a shrug, "If saving a life means taking another, I won't do it. I won't engage in a losing business. Adding 570,000 yuan on top of it, that's not something I would support."
Lin Ruoshui was confused. "I don't understand what you mean."
Fang Hong turned his gaze back to the dishes and placed some braised pork into his bowl. He then looked up and calmly said, "What I mean is, you don't need to repay the money. That's all."
He continued to eat, unfazed.
Lin Ruoshui sat quietly, her emotions swirling. She wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words.
After a long pause, Lin Ruoshui sighed, her voice soft. "You're making me look naive for breaking up with you. Now, I regret it. I wasn't asking for charity, I was just hoping for your help."
Fang Hong smiled calmly and said, "I'll take the first part of that sentence as a compliment to me. But your decision might not have been wrong. I'm not a saint, and this isn't some kind of love story. If my total wealth was just 570,000 yuan, I probably wouldn't give it to you. But in reality, that's just a hypothetical scenario. The truth is, I can afford it, and it's not going to cause me any hardship. But it's also true that the money doesn't mean much to me."
He paused for a moment, then added, "To you, 570,000 yuan is a life-saving amount, a debt you might not be able to pay back for 30 or 40 years. But to me, 570,000 yuan and 57 yuan are just the same. It's all the same to me."
Fang Hong remained calm and continued, "If this gets out, people will criticize me. They'll say I ruined your life, that I'm rich but unkind, that I'm not a man. It's a moral dilemma, rooted in our society's cultural norms. The law doesn't always work, but love and public opinion do."
"Between you and me, if I were very wealthy, asking you to repay the debt would be legal but unreasonable. But if I were in the same financial situation as you, it would be reasonable. That's the difference. Either I wouldn't help, or I would help to the fullest, ensuring that the whole situation doesn't end with public backlash."
Fang Hong smiled and added, "So, I don't want you to repay the money. It's not charity. It's a necessary risk mitigation for myself. It's the best solution I could think of."
Lin Ruoshui listened in silence, absorbing every word. She realized, despite everything, she still had feelings for him. It wasn't just his wealth, though that was a factor—it was his strong and calm demeanor, his masculine confidence in his words and actions that made him so irresistible.
She couldn't help but compare the Fang Hong of now to the one she knew before their breakup. The man in front of her seemed like a completely different person, and at that moment, she found him more attractive than before.
Lin Ruoshui almost blurted out the words "Let's get back together" but hesitated, fearing he might say something she didn't want to hear.
Fang Hong, unaware of the turmoil in her heart, finished his meal. Setting his bowl and chopsticks aside, he took out a tissue. "Give me your bank account details. I'll transfer the money to you later."
As they left the restaurant and stood at the intersection waiting for the bus, Lin Ruoshui hesitated. Then, she softly said, "Thank you."
Fang Hong smiled, and after a brief silence, he asked, "Are you planning to go back to school during this visit to Xincheng?"
"I have to go back; I'll buy a ticket later," Lin Ruoshui replied, shaking her head. She then turned to Fang Hong and said with a smile, "If you're in a hurry, it should take about a week, or at most half a month before I can return to school."
Fang Hong nodded in acknowledgment.
After a while, a car stopped at the intersection near them. The driver got out and approached Fang Hong. This was the special driver arranged for him by Cao Chenghui. The car wasn't a high-end luxury model, which aligned with Fang Hong's preference for low-key appearances.
"This is my classmate. Take her to the station," Fang Hong instructed.
"Understood, Mr. Fang," the driver replied promptly. He opened the back door of the car. Fang Hong glanced at Lin Ruoshui and smiled. "You can go now."
"I..." Lin Ruoshui hesitated, looked at him, and finally said, "See you later."
Fang Hong smiled but didn't respond, merely nodding.
Lin Ruoshui turned and got into the car. The driver closed the door and took his seat. Shortly after, they drove toward the station.
Fang Hong stood still, watching the car disappear from view. Once the car was out of sight, he retrieved his phone from his pocket and made a call to his bank. As one of the bank's major clients, his requests were promptly processed. Without delay, he transferred 570,000 yuan to the account Lin Ruoshui had designated.
After completing the transfer, Fang Hong hailed a taxi and left the area.
---
The next day, Wednesday, November 26th.
In the Binhu community, Fang Hong and He Xuan were sitting at the dining table, having breakfast together.
Fang Hong was eating his meal but noticed that He Xuan hadn't touched her food. He glanced at her and asked, "What's going on? You've been acting down since yesterday afternoon. What's wrong?"
He Xuan didn't respond immediately.
Her mood had been affected by the message Yun Xiaoli sent her the day before, especially the photo attached.
Finally, He Xuan fixed her gaze on Fang Hong and asked, "When did you two rekindle your relationship?"
Fang Hong looked up from the egg he was peeling and asked, "What do you mean by rekindling an old relationship?"
He Xuan took out her phone, opened the photo, and showed it to him with a cold expression. "How do you explain this?"
Fang Hong glanced at the phone screen for a moment, then returned his attention to the egg he was peeling and nonchalantly replied, "What exactly do you want me to explain?"
He Xuan, feeling irritated by his indifferent response, said angrily, "So you two secretly met behind my back, and you don't even feel the need to explain?"
Fang Hong stopped peeling the egg. He stared at it for a moment, then looked up at He Xuan, his expression calm but slightly amused. "Isn't that a joke? You really think so little of me, Fang Hong? Why would I need to secretly meet with any woman like a thief? If I want to be with someone, I'll make it clear."
He chuckled at his own words, then continued peeling the egg.
He Xuan's frustration grew. "So is it fake that she dropped out of school? Was it because of you, Mr. Charming? No wonder she never told me the reason for quitting school and returning home."
Fang Hong was almost done peeling the egg. He took a bite and chewed slowly before looking at her again. "Don't you enjoy the benefits? You follow me around without worrying about your food or clothing. You live a life of luxury, shopping whenever you want, eating, drinking, dressing, and playing, buying whatever you desire."
He Xuan interrupted, still upset. "When did you two rekindle your old relationship?"
Fang Hong raised his eyes slightly, looked at the egg in his hand, and said, "What old relationship?"
He Xuan once again showed him the photo and demanded an explanation. Fang Hong glanced at it, paused for a second, then returned to peeling the egg, replying, "What do you want me to explain?"
Seeing his dismissive attitude, He Xuan was enraged. "You two secretly met behind my back, and you don't want to explain it?"
Fang Hong's expression changed, and he stopped peeling the egg. He stared at it for a moment, then sighed and looked at He Xuan with a calm gaze. "Can you stop?"
He Xuan looked at him with cold eyes before finally standing up, grabbing her bag, and walking out of the room, slamming the door as she left.
The house fell silent.
Fang Hong remained seated at the dining table, finishing his breakfast in peace. He ate the remaining eggs, drank some water, wiped his hands with a napkin, and then went over to the couch to find his phone.
He sat down on the sofa and dialed a special line at the bank. After a brief wait, the call was answered. "Freeze my diamond credit card immediately," Fang Hong instructed clearly. "Yes, I mean freeze it. Immediately. Thank you."
Once the call ended, Fang Hong hung up and tossed his phone aside onto the sofa.
During his time as He Xuan's boyfriend, Fang Hong had played his part perfectly. He made it seem like the kind of romantic love story only seen in TV dramas—one that He Xuan took for granted. She had become proud of his affection and gradually began to expect more.
Fang Hong knew how to pamper her, even lowering himself to her level when needed. He could act the part of a college student madly in love, willing to indulge her as long as it didn't interfere with his work. But when it came to women, Fang Hong had his limits—he could spoil them, but he would never let them spoil him.
---
(End of chapter)
---