17 Break even

"Hahahahaha…"

Liu Qing's honest reply caused Xiao Wen to burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that even Liu Qing's heart trembled.

"You're so funny…" Xiao Wen laughed so hard that she was out of breath. She pointed at him and waved her finger around. "Of all the dreams you can have, you dream of being a rich second generation… To be a rich second generation, you have to have a rich first generation father. Have you fulfilled that condition?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Liu Qing shook his head and sighed. "In this world, no one believes the truth. Why is it so difficult for people to trust each other?"

"Mainly it's because you're being too ridiculous," Xiao Wen said. "I'd believe you if you said you won five million in the lottery draw."

Liu Qing slapped his thigh. "I didn't expect you to see through me! Alright, I admit it. I won five million dollars from the lottery."

"Damn you!" Wen glared at him. "Can't you be more believable when you lie? Do you think I'm three years old?"

Liu Qing felt wronged. "Just now, you clearly said that you would believe me if I said that I won five million dollars from the lottery. Then when I really said that, you said that I was lying to you. You women are all like this. You're all so lame."

"It's mostly because your lie is too patronizing," Xiao Wen said.

She grinned at Liu Qing. "If you don't have a legitimate reason, I'll just assume that you're trying to woo me."

Liu Qing said helplessly, "Actually, the real reason is that I'm going to be a rich second generation."

"Oh," Xiao Wen said. "You are indeed courting me."

Liu Qing spread out his hands. "We are unable to communicate."

He finally understood that this young lady was planning to cling on to him.

It was a little unbelievable that she would do that just for that small air conditioner.

However, this small matter did not affect his happy mood. As long as he could control himself and did not start any relationship with this girl, he would be fine.

Although this girl was very casual about her relationships with men, she was not annoying.

Having her as a girlfriend was out of the question, but having her as a friend was fine.

After the ingredients were all brought over, both of them took out their phones to take photos and then posted them on their WeChat Moments.

Liu Qing posted six photos and Xiao Wen posted nine.

After completing this pre-meal ritual, they started to put the ingredients into the boiling pot.

The hotpot meal lasted for about an hour and they added a few more dishes during that time. The bill came up to more than 300 dollars and both of them were stuffed.

After the meal, Xiao Wen patted her bulging stomach and spoke shyly to Liu Qing.

"Brother Qing, look at how you have made my belly so big. You have to be responsible for me."

Liu Qing glared at her. "Get lost! Other people can give birth to a child from their big belly. What can you give birth to with your big belly?"

" **."

Xiao Wen said something foul, very very foul.

However, from a metabolic perspective, she was not wrong.

Liu Qing quickly covered her mouth. "You're so crazy. There are people eating hotpot in the shop. Aren't you afraid that others will beat you to death?"

After this hotpot meal, Liu Qing saw Xiao Wen in a different light. He did not expect a 1.5-meter-tall girl who was quite thin to eat so much.

Xiao Wen was unimpressed with his sentiment. "Am I thin because I can't eat? I'm thin because I don't have anything to eat! If I have money, I will eat until I turn into a 100-pound fatty!"

For her height, she would be a fatty if she weighed 100 pounds.

At the moment, she looked like she weighed about 70 pounds, but Liu Qing had never carried her before so he could not be sure.

Liu Qing was a little astonished. "You stay in the dormitory and you don't even have to pay for rent or utilities. You get three to four thousand dollars a month. It can't be that you don't even have money for food, right? I don't see you buying expensive clothes or good skincare products."

"I don't have any skincare products at all, okay?" Xiao Wen said. "Do you think I'm like you, not needing to send money home? Out of my salary of slightly more than 3,000 dollars, I have to send 3,000 dollars home every month. What can I do with the remainder?"

Liu Qing was a little surprised and gave her a thumbs up. "Then you're really quite filial."

There were really not many young people who were willing to send money back home nowadays. There were even people who, despite working away from their hometowns, still asked their families to send them money.

Liu Qing had met young people like that.

He did not expect a young lady born in the 00s to send most of her salary home. It was really rare.

Xiao Wen sneered. "I'm not filial! It's just that after my parents brought me up, they have to break even, right?"

Liu Qing said, "Eh? Break even?"

"Yeah, I have to let them break even," Xiao Wen said sulkily. "The moment I graduated from high school, they wanted me to get married. They've agreed on a betrothal gift of 200,000 dollars to marry me off to a divorced middle-aged man. Their reasoning was that they have to break even after raising me until I'm grown and spending so much money on me."

Liu Qing was stunned. "No, you're not even 20 yet. You can't even get a marriage certificate. How can they let you get married?"

"We'll just cohabit first," Xiao Wen said. "Where I come from, we're considered married once we hold the wedding dinner. It doesn't matter if we have a certificate or not."

"That's a little too much," Liu Qing said.

"Isn't it?" Xiao Wen was furious. "Even if they want me to get married, at least find me someone my own age. They found someone older, divorced and with a child. I was an 18-year-old girl getting married and becoming someone's stepmother. What is this?"

Liu Qing nodded. He thought that the whole situation was indeed a little sleazy. "Is that why you came out to work?"

"Yes, that's right. I told them, so you just want to break even? You just want 200,000 dollars? You don't need to take betrothal money from anyone. I'll earn the money to redeem myself. After I return you 200,000 dollars, we'll have nothing to do with one another. I'll marry whoever I want. I won't marry anyone if I don't want to. We'll be even!"

As she recounted the story, it appeared to hit a sore spot and Xiao Wen got a little agitated, with her eyes getting a little moist.

Liu Qing did not expect such a cheerful girl to be under such pressure.

It was easy to give birth. It was easy to just stay alive. It was not easy to make a living.

Being an adult, there was no such thing as easy.

Everyone had their own difficulties.

There was silence for a moment, then he patted her shoulder.

"It's okay. It'll pass."

Xiao Wen said, "It's still better to be a man. You don't even need to send money home. My brother is 10 years older than me and he has been out working for years, but he has never sent any money home. He's still counting on my betrothal money to get married. Hehe, as if it's not enough that his mother and father have to support him. He still expects his sister, who's 10 years younger, to support him."

Liu Qing was suddenly in a bad mood. He looked up at the night sky of the city.

It was pitch dark and there was nothing to be seen.

In a low voice, he said, "I don't have to send money home because I haven't had a home since I was a teenager. I am all alone."

Xiao Wen froze. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know anything about your past."