Please Be More Serious

Chapter 2

Qiu Zheng Qing glanced at Mao Hui Zhu. She sits in a dignified, solemn silence. Sensing his glance, she stares back and smiles a little. The moment a new person appears in their car, indeed the atmosphere has become odd. She no longer has the mood to find conversation topics, she only wants to get to the destination as soon as possible. He clears his throat and asks Yin Ting, “It is okay to just drop you at the repair shop?” She can probably go home after fixing her bicycle. “Ah right, Director Qiu. Can you lend me some money?” The moment Yin Ting mentions the issue of money, Mao Hui Zhu stares at her. 

 “Why?” he asks, frowning. “Did you lose your purse?” “I didn’t bring.” Her answer is matter-of-fact. His eyebrows knit even closer together. “You didn’t bring your phone, didn’t bring your purse, where are you planning to go on your bicycle?” “Nowhere, it’s just that the weather is very nice, I thought that it must be comfortable to enjoy the breeze. I originally planned to come out for five minutes and then go home, so I didn’t bring my bag. But who knows the cloud is very pretty today, I ended up chasing them around. The cloud ends up running rather quickly, so I accidentally came quite far.” He is left speechless. Mao Hui Zhu tucks her hair into her ear, also quiet. Yin Ting is silent for five seconds before asking, “You won’t mind lending me the money then? If not I won’t have any money to repair the bicycle.” Once the bicycle is repaired, she would be able to go home. “No problem.” He readily agrees. He thinks it over a few moments before saying, “You couldn’t possibly have not brought your house key as well, could you?” “Eh?” Yin Ting starts searching in her pockets. “Ah.” It appears that she forgot them. “Oh.” Yin Ting’s string of sounds makes him want to rub his temples.  “Never mind, my brother is definitely at home. When I left, he’s still asleep.” Yin Ting has no worries whatsoever but she makes him want to sigh. He really wants to ask her to be please be more serious about such carelessness. But she is not his subordinate so he holds it in! He is unable to restrain himself after a moment and decides to educate her. “Next time you must be more careful. In this situation, if I didn’t show up, what will happen to you?”

 “It’ll be alright.”  Yin Ting interrupts with eagerness. He chokes a little. He is not asking a question, alright? He is adjusting his tone before beginning his lecture, this is called opening speech. But Yin Ting appears to have no knowledge of such art whatsoever. She goes on, “Director Qiu, don’t worry. Earlier I’m just a little depressed that my bicycle broke down, and in such a tragic manner too. That’s why I stopped to rest a little.” She obviously rested for close to twenty minutes. He mentally calculates the time it takes to cover the distance back and forth. Not long after he saw her, her bicycle broke down. Therefore she must have been sat there helplessly for quite some time. “I was just about to call a taxi to pick up the bicycle. I plan to leave the bicycle at the repair shop and then take the taxi home. When I get home, I will have money to pay the driver. And then, I will have money to pay for the repair fee. You see, it’s an easily solvable problem.” He chokes a little. Luckily he did not reprimand her earlier, or else he will be looking like an idiot. But wait a second, the main point is not how she will solve the problem, it is her att.i.tude. It is important to have a solution but it is her erroneous att.i.tude that will lead to a vicious cycle of creating more problems and looking for more solutions. Right, this is what he wants to lecture about. Yin Ting continues, “Even if I can’t manage to get a taxi, that’s also fine. I can push the bike to the repair shop. I work out a lot, my stamina is good. When I reach the repair shop, I can ask the boss to lend me his phone and call my brother. Then everything’s solved.” Very good, she even has a Plan B. She even manages to demonstrate a female warrior’s spirit. He pursues his lips, asking, “Do you still have more?” “There’s still a simpler plan, that is, I will stop any pa.s.serby and borrow their phone to call my brother. Then everything’s solved. I can just sit there and wait for him.” His lips twitch even more. Plan C is out. But he is not asking questions, he is obviously lecturing her in a patronizing tone. Usually when his subordinates hear this, they would immediately wait for his lecture. Fine then, she is not her subordinate so he holds it in! But he ends up not being able to hold it in. He still wants to reprimand her. “Have you ever thought if you brought your phone when you left home, didn’t be lazy and brought your bag, wasn’t so carefree and careless, paid attention to your safety, you probably wouldn’t suffer all these terrible luck?” He looks at Yin Ting in the rearview mirror as he lectures on. Yin Ting blinks once. With an innocent face, she says, “Director Qiu, don’t you worry. These are all just small problems.” He is close to suffocating. He is not worrying, he is obviously criticizing her. When he is about speak, Yin Ting calls, “Oh we’ve reached! It’s the shop with the green sign.” How did they end up here so fast? He frowns, he is a little regretful that he is unable to finish his lecture. But never mind, she is not his subordinate. He stops his car on the roadside and then helps Yin Ting to move her bicycle. Business at the repair shop is good, there is even a queue. The boss tells Yin Ting that she needs to wait at least an hour. “Alright, then I’ll place the bike here. You repair it first, I’ll come back later,” she answers. She turns around to say, “Director Qiu, I don’t need to borrow money anymore. I will take a taxi home.” He quietly hands over his phone. She looks a little bewildered staring at the phone. “First call your brother, make sure he’s at home and will open the door for you.” “Oh.” Yin Ting takes the phone. She thinks for quite some time before being able to list her brother’s phone number. She then dials it. “Ge! Ah sorry, wrong number.” Yin Ting’s first phone call is a failure. Qiu Zheng Qing who is standing beside her cannot help but frown. If he is her brother, he would definitely force her to memorize her whole family’s phone numbers. Yin Ting’s second phone call is correct. But his eyebrows are still knitted together. That is because before Yin Ting is able to explain her situation, she is already saying, “What? When I left home, you are still sleeping. How did you fly to the suburbs in a flash? You’re going hiking with your friends? Oh, is that so, that’s good too. You really should be doing some healthy activities. You tend to sleep late and not exercise, that is not good for your body. Hiking is very good, you can take in a lot of fresh air. Don’t smoke, okay. Fine, I will stop nagging you, I will hang up now. You must hike properly, you must definitely reach the summit, okay.” Yin Ting hangs up, looking a little out of it. Qiu Zheng Qing feels like he really is a calm person. Even in such situation, he is able to stop himself from strangling her, asking what exactly her brain is made of. She does not have money or keys, cannot enter her house, and then she still has the nerve to tell her brother to hike properly and that he really should be doing some exercise. Has she lost her mind? “Do you still have other family members?” He is patient, very patient. “My father went out fishing with his friends, he’s not in the city.” Good, very good. He lightly grips his hair. She did not mention her mother but from her tone, it appears that she has no other family members. “Why don’t you call Qin Yu Fei, you can go to her place.” Mao Hui Zhu gets down the car after sensing that there is something wrong. The moment she steps down, she hears Yin Ting asking, “Director Qiu, can you lend me 400 yuan?” “What for?” he asks. 400 yuan is just a small matter but he cannot think of how she will spend the money. Could it be that she will ask a locksmith to change her house’s locks? Could it be that she really does not have plans to seek shelter from Qin Yu Fei? Other friends are also fine. “I’m hungry.” Yin Ting’s reply makes him split his sides laughing. “Hungry?” This girl definitely has an out-of-ordinary mind. She nods, pointing at the only high-end restaurant in the opposite street. “That place has a 358 yuan beef steak set that is pretty decent. I’m hungry, plus the bike is not done repaired, I cannot enter the house. It’s better if I first eat something. The repair fee needs 45 yuan. After eating, I’ll go pay for my bike, and then I can go play at a welfare house nearby. I’ll just wait for my father to come back before returning. Like this, it’s just exactly right.” “But you’re still missing 3 yuan.” He has a stern expression. “What?” She looks a little bewildered. “358 yuan beef steak set plus 45 yuan repair fee, altogether it’s 403 yuan. You only asked for 400 yuan from me, you’re still missing 3 yuan.” “Ah?” Yin Ting blinks. She holds up her hand and begins to count. “And here I thought I will have extra 7 yuan.” He totally has no desire to reply her. Her maths level is too poor, it is impossible to talk to her. He hints for her to get on the car, “Let’s go. I coincidentally booked a table at that restaurant, we can go together.” Ah, doesn’t this mean she is being the third wheel? Giving her such a chance to gossip is not too good, isn’t it. She worries that she will not be able to bear the temptation. Yin Ting is a little excited, she stares from Qiu Zheng Qing to Mao Hui Zhu. Then she feels like kindly reminding him that other than the beef steak set, the rest of the restaurant’s menu is just ordinary but very expensive. The performance-to-price ratio is not too good. Furthermore the business-like atmosphere is too heavy and the environment is too quiet. The restaurant is completely unsuitable for a date. If not for the fact she unfortunately has no other choice today, she will definitely not force herself to eat at this restaurant. She knows quite a few restaurants suitable for dating, she can make him some recommendations. But she is not that tactless. Furthermore he is willing to lend her money, she better not say anything or make any recommendations. Mao Hui Zhu’s heart is a little uncomfortable. Today’s date is very important for her. But unfortunately they meet Yin Ting this interruption. Furthermore, this girl seems to be quite tactless. She even chooses a 300-something yuan meal. The moment she opens her mouth, she is asking for money. She definitely feels like she is trying to take advantage of others. When Qiu Zheng Qing offers to bring her to dinner, her eyes immediately flashes. This makes Mao Hui Zhu even more certain that the girl is a disappointment. She is only his colleague’s friend, they are not even close. How can she not feel embarra.s.sed? Mao Hui Zhu glances at Qiu Zheng Qing. When she sees that his expression is normal, as if he is not bothered, she also keeps her silence. Presently her relationship with him is not at that level yet, she also does not know Yin Ting. Therefore she refrains from commenting her opinions. The three of them quickly reaches the restaurant. Mao Hui Zhu excuses herself to the washroom. Yin Ting stands before their table, contemplating. He asks, “What’s wrong?” She answers, “I’m thinking which is more manner-less, sitting at another table or sitting between you two, being the third wheel.” “Sit.” He cannot be bothered to humour her. Yin Ting immediately sits down. Having someone helping her make decisions is the best. She will just be the third wheel then. Since they do not mind, she also does not mind.
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