Chapter 616: Chapter 616: Thank You
Li Yufei finally let go of his hand.
The driver immediately got out and opened the car door.
Li Yufei said, “Get in the car first.”
The most urgent task at hand was to leave this place filled with trouble.
Rong Ling got in the car silently—even though his change of clothes and phone were still in the backstage closet.
Though the phone and clothes were quite cheap.
Li Yufei followed him into the car.
The car slowly started moving.
In the silent car, Li Yufei glanced out the window.
Outside, it started to drizzle again.
It had been continuously rainy lately.
She looked at Rong Ling, only to find him staring at her. Her expression turned slightly unnatural as she tucked her somewhat messy hair behind her ear, her gaze gradually dropping to his bandaged hand, her voice slightly hoarse: “Is your hand… any better?”
Rong Ling actually found it somewhat amusing: “Are you concerned about me?”
A person who knocked someone to the ground without a word of apology would actually be “concerned” about his injury.
Li Yufei said, “I was just asking. You don’t have to answer.”
Rong Ling said, “It’s fine, this little injury won’t kill me.”
Li Yufei: “…”
She furrowed her brows, recalling Rong Ling’s earlier actions, her mood complicated: “Earlier… you didn’t have to intervene.”
Rong Ling lowered his head, not saying a word.
He also thought he shouldn’t have intervened.
But…
Perhaps he had a visceral aversion to drunk men, which made the next actions beyond his control.
Li Yufei explained, “I know you meant well, but actually, I travel with bodyguards; they’re all outside. If the situation escalated, they would have rushed over immediately…”
She paused, seeing that Rong Ling’s face was still cold and indifferent, and changed her tone: “But… thank you anyway.”
Rong Ling’s eyes held a subtle shift: “It’s hard to believe that someone like you would actually say ‘thank you’ to me.”
Li Yufei said, “It’s what I owe you. Besides a thank you, I also owe you an ‘I’m sorry.’
Rong Ling raised an eyebrow slightly: “Why say sorry?”
Li Yufei said, “That day… I was too tired and didn’t pay attention while driving and knocked you down. I didn’t apologize immediately, and after that… I also did something discourteous to you.”
Rong Ling said, “No need to apologize, you already gave me money.”
He paused and said, “I heard the male host’s fee starts from 2000.”
Li Yufei looked at him: “What was your job at that club?”
Rong Ling: “Waiter, temp worker. Tonight was my first and also last time as a male host.”
He knew Li Yufei was generous; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been willing to take the job—perhaps because he urgently needed money now, a lot of it.
Li Yufei said to the secretary sitting in the front passenger seat, “Give him 5000.”
The secretary nodded: “Okay, President Li.”
The secretary took out 5000 in cash from the glove compartment, put it in an envelope, and handed it to Li Yufei, who then directly gave the money to him.
Rong Ling took it and said, “Thank you.”
Li Yufei said, “This is what you deserve.”
Originally, she held some prejudice against Rong Ling, but… from what had just happened, perhaps he wasn’t that bad.
It’s just that he might have some unavoidable difficulties—it was clear he was in desperate need of money.
She suddenly thought of that little girl…
Li Yufei massaged her brow: “With what happened, you probably can’t continue working at the club, right.”
Rong Ling said, “It was always a temp job, it wasn’t going to last.”
Li Yufei said, “Sorry for causing you to lose the job.”
She paused, took out a refined wallet, pulled out a business card, and handed it to him: “If you need a job, I can offer you one. What’s your educational background?”
Rong Ling said, “I dropped out of college due to some changes and didn’t finish.”
If it weren’t for the good pay at the club, he wouldn’t have considered working in such a chaotic place.
It was filled with indulgence and materialism; those who came here were either wealthy tycoons or rich young men, with a clear hierarchy dividing people into high and low strata—those with wealth are the elites, those without are the lower classes.
He didn’t like catering to others’ whims, but capital and assets were the rules for surviving in society.
He had tried to find other jobs…
But once settled, debt collectors would always catch up with him; if it weren’t for being chased by loan sharks, he wouldn’t be living so miserably.
Li Yufei didn’t ask much more nor did she say much more.
There needs to be a proper sense of boundaries between people.
For tonight’s matter, she owed him a favor, but it was something she could repay.
Li Yufei said, “Consider this my debt to you.”
The car stopped at a quiet corner, slowing to a halt.
Rong Ling looked out the window, as if confirming something, until he saw an empty, deserted alleyway, and then he opened the car door and got out.
In the darkness of night, he turned back to glance at Li Yufei, casually tucking the business card she had given him into his pocket, and walked into the night, braving the rain.
Li Yufei looked at his figure, and unexpectedly, the secretary next to her asked in a probing tone, “President Li, who is that kid?”
Li Yufei said, “A waiter from the club.”
The secretary said, “But his outfit looks like a male host.”
Li Yufei looked at the secretary.
The secretary knew he shouldn’t talk too much, so he sheepishly lowered his head.
…
Rong Ling wandered around the alley a few times, making sure no debt collectors were lurking nearby, before heading into a small alley, walking down some steps, and around a corner, an old residential house came into view.
This residence was a one-bedroom apartment, with a total of 20 square meters, and a rent of 500 per month.
In a place like Beijing, finding such a cheap apartment wasn’t easy; the drawback was… this place was a converted car storage space from an old neighborhood building, effectively a semi-basement, with poor lighting, dark and damp.
Rong Ling always wanted to rent a more decent place—at least somewhere where sunlight could reach.
Xiaoyi’s health wasn’t good.
Due to long-term abuse and malnutrition, she had a severe corneal perforation that needed immediate surgery.
Rent was an expense, and surgery for her cornea was another.
The $50,000 compensation from Li Yufei alleviated the immediate crisis.
However, for now, moving out wasn’t an option.
He planned to take some time in the upcoming days to look for a more suitable place, and once they moved to a new home, save up for Xiaoyi’s corneal surgery.
Xiaoyi didn’t have the same mother as him.
His mother passed away very early, causing his father to suffer a significant emotional shock and start drinking heavily.
Originally, his father was a decent, upstanding man, but once he got addicted to alcohol, he completely changed, living in a constant state of indulgence.
Until later, he met a woman, a factory worker; Mr. Rong’s looks were above-average, and she fell in love with him at first sight.