Chapter 7: Spending My Money While Playing the Generous Benefactor!

Clang, clang, clang.

It sounded like the tolling of a bell, dancing right in the center of her chest, urging her heart to beat in a synchronized rhythm.

Yue Chengqi looked at her and thought, How… how can she be this cute? And how is she so good at reading people’s expressions?

A smile of curiosity hung on the girl’s adorable, round face. She looked like a kitten, as if at any moment she might pounce forward to hug and squeeze her.

Was this meticulous power of observation part of her innate talent for business, or… had she been watching her all along?

The sudden thought gave Yue Chengqi a start. She finally caught her breath and shook her head.

What are you thinking, Yue Chengqi? Stop letting your imagination run wild.

She is your mother’s future best friend. She’s your Auntie!

She pressed a finger against the top of Su Ye’s forehead, pushing her back as she drawled, “…You’re too close!”

“I assume you aren’t trying to steal the cucumbers from my bowl? Did we have a poor harvest this year?”

Su Ye rolled her eyes at the remark. With a chuckle, she clutched her bowl and sat back down. “Talk about a dog biting Lu Dongbin—totally ungrateful for my good intentions.”

It was rare for her to feel like showing a bit of concern, only to be pushed away like that. Su Ye let out a cold snort and twisted her body away, clutching her rice as if she intended to ignore this person forever.

And yet, she couldn’t help but peek back through a tiny gap, her eyes brimming with curiosity and concern.

Those peeking, rolling eyes made Yue Chengqi laugh uncontrollably. But the more she laughed, the more Su Ye withdrew her gaze in anger. She huffed and puffed, refusing to acknowledge her, even rejecting any food Yue Chengqi tried to place in her bowl.

It was as if she had grown a pair of eyes on her back; she skillfully dodged every pair of chopsticks. Her agility was truly something to behold.

Seeing that coaxing wouldn’t work, Yue Chengqi set down her chopsticks and cleared her throat. “I bought something for you too.”

“What?!” The ‘kitten’s’ interest was piqued instantly. She spun around in a flash. “What did you buy me?”

“Finish those last few bites first.”

“Threats won’t work. Are you giving it to me or not?”

“Then I won’t. You probably won’t like it anyway.”

Yue Chengqi retreated to her spot, keeping her head down as she silently stuffed rice into her mouth. She deliberately avoided looking at Su Ye, though she watched her movements through her peripheral vision.

The girl braced her hands in front of her, narrowing her eyes like a cat. If she really were a feline, she likely would have pounced by now, biting Yue Chengqi’s sleeve and swinging from it, demanding her gift until she could curl up with it in her nest.

Perhaps it couldn’t even be considered a gift.

Yue Chengqi fell silent for a moment. The girl clinging to her arm grew even more dissatisfied; with a slap, she flung Yue Chengqi’s hand aside and huffed as she sat back in her seat.

“Fine, keep it then,” Su Ye muttered, her lip pouting. “It was bought with my money anyway, so it’s not really a gift. At most, it’s just you trying to curry favor! And you won’t even do that properly…” She poked at the few grains of rice left in her bowl. “Keep it then. I’ll kick you out tomorrow. Hmph, as soon as my leg is better, you’re gone…”

Yue Chengqi found the situation even more ridiculous.

She could hear these complaints and see the willful indulgence of Su Ye’s childish temper. Two stray locks of hair had somehow escaped and were swaying in front of Su Ye’s face as she moved.

How can she be this cute?

And… how did she change so much later on?

Yue Chengqi sighed softly, stood up slowly, and walked into the inner room without looking back.

When she emerged with her bag, the person who had been staring at her expectantly suddenly changed her expression. “You’re actually leaving?! I was joking! I’m not kicking you out!”

Instead of leaving, a book was placed in front of her.

“A gift,” Yue Chengqi said succinctly.

Su Ye picked up the book in disbelief, flipping through it back and forth. She seemed to be searching for some hidden message or a treasure map between the pages. At the very least, there should have been something tucked inside, right? Even a pressed flower would do!

Yue Chengqi touched her burning cheek and said, “There’s nothing hidden inside. The book itself is the gift.”

Su Ye: “…”

She bit her lower lip and flipped open a page, finally losing her patience. “Yue Huan!! Who tries to suck up to someone by giving them a book?!”

“I originally wanted to find something related to English or Mathematics, or maybe Management, but the bookstall didn’t have any. They only had newspapers and pirated novels. I looked around, and this was the only thing I thought you could understand.”

Su Ye narrowed her eyes, grinding her back teeth. She wanted nothing more than to slam the book into the other woman’s face. “I can understand Lu Xun?? You have way too much faith in me! I barely even graduated middle school!!”

“But they only had pirated copies of One Hundred Years of Solitude and War and Peace, or some terrible ‘Young Adult’ versions of the Four Great Classical Novels. I thought this was the most suitable for you. Use it to build an interest in reading first. I’ll keep an eye out for management books; they should exist in this era too.”

Su Ye was stunned.

Of that long rambling list, she only understood “Young Adult versions of the Four Great Classical Novels,” and even those were dismissed as “terrible” by this person. As for math, English, or management books, she had never even heard of them.

Help! I don’t want to study! She had spent her middle school years cutting class. If it hadn’t been for the orphanage director’s influence, she might not have even gotten her diploma. Five years had passed since then… her head was empty. She didn’t want to study.

But the other woman was clearly serious. Her beautiful, slender eyes were slightly downcast at the corners, looking somewhat troubled as she continued nagging. “Many books haven’t been written yet. I’ll go to the provincial capital to check if I get the chance. For now, read this. Reading builds interest and a way of thinking. It doesn’t matter what the subject is; this will actually help your thought process more.”

“Yue Huan!” A sharp, angry shout interrupted her.

Smack.

With a light thud, Su Ye slapped the book against the other woman’s mouth. Feeling both angry and helpless, she said, “I’ll read it, okay? I’ll read it! Just stop talking!”

If she kept talking, Su Ye really would want to throw this girl out of her house.

Unexpectedly, the person who had been hit with the book wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she grinned and reached out to pat Su Ye’s head. “I know. You’ll read it. After all, this was the book you kept in the most prominent place.”

Su Ye froze, blinking. “What did you say?”

Yue Chengqi suddenly realized she had accidentally let slip another detail about the future. Although her interference and accidental words hadn’t caused a reaction yet, she was still afraid to directly interfere with Su Ye’s life.

If she triggered a Butterfly Effect that caused the future Su Ye to lose something important, it would be disastrous.

The worst part was that she had no way to verify if her actions were helping or hurting. She had to be extremely cautious, working only within reasonable bounds to keep the Butterfly Effect as small as possible.

If only she had more time. If she had returned a hundred or two hundred years into the past—or even like those time-travel dramas to the Qin, Han, Tang, or Song dynasties—she wouldn’t be so afraid. After all, the wheels of history roll forward; the ripples caused by a speck of dust like her would soon be smoothed over by time. But not now. It had only been twenty-some years. Time wouldn’t be able to mend the ripples she caused; it would inevitably lead to complications.

If only I had a system to verify things. Don’t all those transmigration books have one? Why couldn’t I get a ‘Golden Finger’ like that?

The knowledge she carried felt more like a set of shackles at this moment.

Yue Chengqi shook off the thought and turned her head. “Nothing. I was just praising your love for reading. I’ll go do the dishes; you start reading.”

Su Ye pouted. “Right now? Today?”

Yue Chengqi nodded. “Today. Once I find some professional books, we’ll study together.”

“…You’re so annoying.” Su Ye was gloomy, puffing out her cheeks like a fish.

Clutching the book, she stomped into the inner room, kicking at tables, chairs, and loose stones along the way. She switched on the light. “Look at this light! You can’t even read by this!” she pointed at the dim bulb, thoroughly displeased.

Yue Chengqi smiled. She walked into the house, bypassed the girl, and entered the other room. Click. She switched on a desk lamp.

The light was instantly much brighter.

Su Ye was stunned. “How did you know this room had a desk lamp?”

Because for a very long time, this was my study.

But Yue Chengqi wouldn’t say that. She simply shrugged. “I saw it when I walked past. No more excuses. Read, read. You’ve worked hard~ Should I buy you some chocolate tomorrow?”

“I want White Rabbit Creamy Candy!”

Yue Chengqi nodded with a smile. “Alright, alright. I’ll buy you White Rabbit.”

“It’s my money anyway. Don’t act like such a big spender,” Su Ye muttered, ignoring her.

Now that things had reached this point and she was already sitting down, it would be unreasonable not to open the book. As she flipped the pages, the smell of low-quality ink didn’t refresh her spirit, nor did the dense clusters of text make her immediately drowsy.

Her mind wasn’t on the book at all.

Su Ye numbly flipped through two pages. As the sound of footsteps faded into the other courtyard, she stared at the black ink on white paper. The words seemed to be spinning in circles, swaying like flickering points of light merging together.

She stared at the swirling words for a while and sighed softly.

She might be expressive and emotional, but she wasn’t stupid. She had been surviving in society for several years since finishing middle school and had saved up a fair amount of money… how could she not notice Yue Huan’s abnormalities?

Calling her “Auntie,” knowing her name the moment they met, knowing her birthday, and all those secrets hidden in her words—it was obvious. There was even more hidden beneath her tongue, things she wanted to say but couldn’t.

Where did this person come from? And why did she come here?

Is she truly an opportunity sent to me by the heavens?

She didn’t know. She didn’t even know how to handle everything this person brought with her. She could only test the waters slowly, hoping to uncover the so-called truth.

But… do I really have to study?

The young girl let out a groan and collapsed face-first onto the book.

I’m an adult! I don’t want to study!

Then she pushed herself back up, staring wide-eyed at the pages.

I have to learn. This book cost money!