Chapter 5: Actually, I Have Money
1538 Words
“Hey, when you see Qiao XiaoQiao, what gift are you planning to give her?” Su Beibei asked.
“Gift? I am the best gift!” Xia Tian thought for a moment.
“Do you even understand girls’ hearts?” Su Beibei fumed, wanting to throttle him. “You haven’t seen Qiao XiaoQiao in ages, right? You don’t have to give her a car or diamonds, but at least bring her some flowers!”
“That’s true… she does seem to like flowers,” Xia Tian muttered to himself. “Back then, I gave her a rare snow lotus, and she was so happy!”
A rare snow lotus?
Su Beibei waved her fists, wanting to pummel him. Couldn’t this i***t stop bragging for once?
“Forget the snow lotus. Just get her ninety-nine roses,” Su Beibei gritted her teeth.
“Roses, huh… where do you pick those?” Xia Tian frowned, clearly no one had told him before.
“You i***t! You don’t pick them—you buy them at a flower shop!” Su Beibei had had enough.
“Oh, you can buy them? That’s easy,” Xia Tian relaxed.
“Hmph. Do you have money?” Su Beibei snapped. “A normal rose costs ten bucks each. Ninety-nine roses are nine hundred ninety! You can’t even afford a car, how can you buy flowers?”
“Actually, I have money,” Xia Tian said seriously, looking at her. “According to Second Master, I have a lot of money.”
“Hmph. How much do you have?” Su Beibei didn’t believe him.
“Second Master said the money I have now is tens of thousands of times more than what he carried when he went out,” Xia Tian answered.
“Cut to the point! How much do you have?” Su Beibei demanded.
Xia Tian thought for a moment and pulled a single coin from his pocket.
“That’s all the money you have?” Su Beibei stared, dumbfounded.
“Yes,” Xia Tian nodded.
“That’s your ‘tens of thousands of times more than your master’s money’?” Su Beibei clenched her fists, wanting to strangle him, but she knew she couldn’t beat him.
“Xia Tian, how much money did your Second Master have back then?” Ye Mengying asked, curious.
“Second Master started from nothing. He had nothing when he went out,” Xia Tian replied, leaving both girls speechless.
“Anyway, the point is, you only have one coin. You can’t even buy a single rose. If you want to get flowers for Qiao XiaoQiao, you need to earn some money first, right?” Su Beibei asked weakly.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Xia Tian nodded thoughtfully.
“You’re good at fighting. How about being my personal assistant? I’ll pay you ten thousand a month.” Su Beibei finally got to the point. This guy was so broke, and this pay was generous. Once he became her assistant, she could manage him however she wanted.
“I’m not being an assistant,” Xia Tian refused outright.
“Why not?” Su Beibei was surprised. “Is it because the pay is too low? That’s negotiable.”
“It’s not about the money,” Xia Tian shook his head. “Second Master doesn’t like personal assistants. So I won’t be one.”
“Why would your Second Master dislike assistants?” Su Beibei was annoyed.
“Because he’s… highly skilled in combat,” Xia Tian said casually.
“What?” Su Beibei shouted. Could he be a disciple of a skilled fighter? That would explain so much…
“Hey… you’re not a fighter yourself, are you?” Su Beibei asked, recalling how he dealt with Tiger earlier.
“Well… not officially yet,” Xia Tian said thoughtfully.
“Not officially? What does that even mean?” Su Beibei pressed.
“Because I’ve never had to fight in a real battle!” Xia Tian said matter-of-factly, then, for once, comforted Su Beibei. “Don’t worry. Even if I were a fighter, I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“Wh-why not?” Su Beibei asked.
“Second Master said he only takes serious jobs. You’re definitely not worth that, so I won’t harm you,” Xia Tian replied. Su Beibei groaned in frustration.
“Now I understand why you love bragging—it’s just like your Master!” Su Beibei fumed.
“Can’t help it. Second Master doesn’t care about small tasks. Back then, he earned ten million dollars in a single day,” Xia Tian said with a grin.
“Keep bragging, I’ll make you stop!” Su Beibei ground her teeth.
“My Master’s even more impressive. He earned a hundred million in an hour… in Hong Kong dollars,” Xia Tian continued, unabashed.
“Xia Tian, what does your Master do?” Ye Mengying asked, always cutting to the key question.
“He’s a doctor,” Xia Tian answered immediately.
“You also have a Third Master, right? Is he powerful too?” Ye Mengying asked.
“My Third Master? He said my Master and Second Master’s earnings were ill-gotten and confiscated it,” Xia Tian winked at Ye Mengying. “Beauty, if you want to know more about me, you should be my partner.”
Ye Mengying blushed, realizing Xia Tian had read her intentions, and stopped asking, focusing on driving.
Su Beibei finally gave up trying to talk sense into him. This guy had been bragging nonstop; hardly a word of truth had come from him. Talking to him was exhausting. Better save her energy.
The drive went smoothly. Two hours later, they reached the city center of Jianghai and stopped in front of Jianghai University.
“This is Jianghai University,” Ye Mengying said to Xia Tian.
“Thanks, Beauty!” Xia Tian said excitedly, opening the car door.
“Wait!” Ye Mengying handed him a business card. “Here’s my number. Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay!” Xia Tian took it and walked toward the university gate.
“Cousin, why didn’t you tell him the university’s on break?” Su Beibei asked from the car. “Qiao XiaoQiao isn’t even here. How could he find her?”
“I didn’t want him to find her too quickly,” Ye Mengying said calmly.
“Eh?” Su Beibei was stunned. “Why? You don’t mean… you want to repay him by doing favors?”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Ye Mengying rolled her eyes, her cheeks slightly red. “Beibei, don’t you think Xia Tian is mysterious?”
“I don’t. He’s just good at fighting and bragging,” Su Beibei replied indifferently.
“Beibei, have you considered that maybe everything he said is true?” Ye Mengying asked slowly.
“That’s impossible,” Su Beibei was stunned. If it were all true, this guy was no ordinary person.
“If it’s true, I don’t want him finding Qiao XiaoQiao too quickly,” Ye Mengying said with a faint smile. “He’s broke, with no connections here. If he can’t find her, he’ll definitely call me.”
“But couldn’t he just call Qiao XiaoQiao directly?” Su Beibei was still confused.
“Maybe he doesn’t know her number. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be unaware she’s not at Jianghai University,” Ye Mengying reasoned.
“Cousin, if he calls you, will you help him find her?” Su Beibei asked.
“Of course,” Ye Mengying nodded. “Though we’re not close to Qiao XiaoQiao, Xia Tian saved me today. I, Ye Mengying, never forget a favor.”
Shaking her head, Ye Mengying continued: “Beibei, enough talking. Let’s head to the hospital.”
She pressed the accelerator, driving onto the main avenue.
Unlike many universities located in remote areas, Jianghai University was in the city center. Just outside the gate was the bustling main road. Despite the heat, traffic was heavy—Jianghai City had over ten million residents just in the urban area.
Renowned as a century-old prestigious university, Jianghai University consistently ranked among the top five nationwide. Among dozens of universities in Jianghai City, it was the undisputed leader.
“This gate is really plain,” Xia Tian muttered. The famous university had a modest, almost unnoticeable entrance. Without careful attention, one could easily miss the four slightly weathered characters: Jianghai University.
Xia Tian entered the campus, looking around for someone to ask about Qiao XiaoQiao, and spotted a flower shop.
“Xinxin Flower Shop?” Xia Tian’s eyes lit up. He recalled Su Beibei’s advice about getting flowers for Qiao XiaoQiao.
Three years ago, when he parted with Qiao XiaoQiao, he promised to come down from the mountain within a year. Now, after so long, he had finally descended, breaking his promise.
“I’ll buy her flowers. That should keep her from being upset,” Xia Tian decided quickly.
For most men, buying flowers would be easy. But with only one coin in his pocket, Xia Tian needed to earn some money first.
“Excuse me, miss, can I ask you something about flowers…” Xia Tian stopped a young woman in her twenties.
- Writer
