Chapter 6, Complain_1

The West Gate is closest to the night market, teeming with people, especially couples every evening.

Yang Yi stood outside the West Gate, watching as four girls approached him. Among them was his girlfriend, animatedly engrossed in an interesting conversation.

"Meng Xiao," Yang Yi called out. She seemed in good spirits after a few days of not seeing her. The earlier distress had apparently faded away, allowing his anxiety to ease slightly.

Ye Siyu was the first to notice Yang Yi. She nudged Meng Xiao with her shoulder and tilted her chin to get Meng Xiao's attention towards Yang Yi. Restoring Meng Xiao's shopping bag back to her, she, along with Li Ran and Zhou Yao, walked past Yang Yi without any acknowledgment, as if they didn't know him at all, and Yang Yi did likewise.

Li Ran and Zhou Yao also followed suit. Meng Xiao had never officially introduced Yang Yi to them, and when several times she had invited him to join them for a meal, he always made excuses for being busy. They didn't mind missing a meal with him, and it was better to pretend they didn't know him at this moment.

"The guy is good-looking, but why would he behave like such a dog? We're not asking him for a fortune. How much does a meal cost?" They lamented, knowing there were numerous small food stores around the Art University campus. They usually went there together, so was it really that expensive for Yang Yi to treat them just once?

As they walked away, they discussed how Yang Yi and Meng Xiao were dating, yet he never treated them once. Li Ran couldn't resist her annoyance, and Zhou Yao unwittingly agreed.

Ye Siyu laughed, mockingly saying, "Perhaps, he's not broke. He just doesn't like us. He only frequents high-end restaurants."

"If he doesn't value us, why is he dating a college girl? He should have gone for a princess, he could have become a prince consort," Li Ran grumbled, "Meng Xiao is just too naive to accept such ordinary birthday gifts. Any other girl would have thrown a fuss about breaking up."

Ye Siyu didn't deign to reply, and just kept belittling Meng Xiao for accepting such a mediocre gift without a fuss.

Li Ran was confused, and Ye Siyu had no intention to clarify. She was itching to catch up on her favorite TV drama.

If he disregarded her roommates, he disregarded Meng Xiao too, and both Li Ran and Zhou Yao could clearly see that.

Regardless of how well Meng Xiao acted or how brilliant her academic achievements were, her humble background and lack of support were her biggest weaknesses.

Such a waste for a girl as good as Meng Xiao.

The dormitory was quiet; everyone was busy with their own affairs.

...

Deeply affected by the episode involving the perfume bottle, Meng Xiao had treated herself to several new dresses. The bags in her hand were all from her shopping spree that afternoon.

She strode towards Yang Yi, unapologetically, ready to face any accusations he threw at her about her spending habits.

Yang Yi, now out of his business attire, was in a black hoodie, his hair sleek and tidy, much like a student who hadn't yet graduated.

Seeing her approach, he smiled warmly, his eyes sparkling. He cheerfully took the shopping bags from her, expressing no discontent about the money she had spent.

Yang Yi asked, "Why didn't you answer my call? I was worried about you."

The dormitory's housemother was quite strict about male visitors lingering around, and to avoid her interrogations, Yang Yi preferred to wait outside the campus entrance.

He had been busy with official work from his recent business trip and hadn't been able to spare time for her. When he did manage to call her today, she hadn't answered.

Meng Xiao checked her phone. Yang Yi had messaged her via WeChat at 3 p.m., asking what she was doing and expressing his desire to eat the food she cooked. She hadn't replied, and soon, several calls had followed, unnoticed due to her silent phone.

At that time, she was browsing through stores with her roommates, and hadn't checked her phone.

"I was out shopping with my roommates and didn't check my phone," Meng Xiao explained.

"You can't do that anymore. Check your phone regularly. I'll worry otherwise," Yang Yi replied, and shrugging it off, he took Meng Xiao's shopping bags and held her hand as they walked outside the gate. "You spent today with your roommates. Tomorrow is the weekend, so it can be my turn, right? Since I returned from my trip, we haven't had a proper meal together. I will spend the whole day with you tomorrow."

The main reason was that the soup cooked by his housekeeper didn't taste as good as hers.

On hearing the phrase "business trip," Meng Xiao froze.

"I have a night shift tonight. I can't come over."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yi looked vexed, "Why have you started working again? I'm earning now, aren't I meant to take care of you?"

After Yang Yi was promoted, he felt for Meng Xiao's hardship from her time working and also didn't want her studies to suffer due to her jobs. Since then, he had forbidden her to work outside of school hours. For the past six months, Meng Xiao had indeed been focusing on her studies, spending her free time painting in the studio and improving her professional skills.

'Taking care' only meant providing for basic needs, and the money she spent on clothes that day came from her savings.

"The night shift isn't long, just four hours for two hundred yuan. That means I can earn six thousand a month. I think it's not a bad deal," Meng Xiao reasoned. In her mind, she was calculating the difference between six thousand and one hundred thousand. She was reluctant to buy even the cheapest eyebrow pencil from a luxury brand.

Fortunately, she had dark eyebrows and didn't need to use an eyebrow pencil.

"Is the money I give you not enough? I can give you more," Yang Yi asked when he sensed something was wrong.

"No, it's enough for living expenses," Meng Xiao refused. Among college couples, boyfriends who provided living expenses were rare, and it was impressive enough that he thought to do so.

However, the money he gave was only enough for regular meals and buying groceries for cooking, and there wasn't a cent extra for her to spend on anything else. Accustomed to hiding her financial hardships, Meng Xiao accepted only the essentials, leading Yang Yi to believe the money sufficed.

No, it was enough for a poor college student but inadequate for an art student like her. Costs for painting materials quickly add up, and after living frugally for a while, Meng Xiao's savings dwindled drastically. After the shocking "one hundred thousand" incident, she was planning to start working again.

She had called the 24-hour convenience store where she used to work part-time earlier today, and they were short a cashier for the night shift. So, she agreed to cover it. Tonight was her first night.

"Working the night shift is dangerous for girls, believe me, you shouldn't go," said Yang Yi, quite concerned. He genuinely felt sorry for her, as he knew how she used to work two jobs, earning and saving to pay off his debts, even to the point of fainting due to anemia.

Meng Xiao shook her head, "I have no classes, no commitments. I might as well keep myself busy. Besides, I've already promised them, so I can't back down."

By mid-June, the campus would host their annual job fair. She needed to save some money to be able to present herself well at the interviews.

She used to rely on Yang Yi, but now it seemed safer to rely on herself.

Yang Yi asked, "Is this about what your roommates bought while shopping today? Do you want the same things?"

Thanks to his princess-like younger sister, he was well aware of what girls his age used. On glancing earlier, he could tell the difference between what Meng Xiao and her roommates had bought. And the disdain one of the girls had shown towards Meng Xiao was all too clear.

The shopping bags the roommates were carrying were of a different league compared to those currently in his hand.

In the past, Meng Xiao would have instantly denied desiring such things and assured him that she was not envious. She indeed was not, believing she was not destined for such luxury and not coveting what she could not get.

But this time, she didn't deny it. She reached into her pocket and tightened her grasp around the birthday gift she'd received that afternoon, which she had been clutching till it was crumpled.

Pulling it out as though it was nothing, she removed the lipstick from its crumpled box and tossed the box into a trash bin. Instead of answering directly, she asked him, "I was shopping at the mall today, and the saleswoman said that every girl has one of these. What do you think, Is it nice?"