Rebirth: CEO's Sweetheart Reaches the Life Pinnacle!-Chapter 35 - 33 Farce

"Classmates, is that enough for everyone?" Sun What’s-his-name shouted, stirring up the crowd again.

"Not enough, not enough! We want to see a kiss with tongue, a kiss with tongue!" one of the boys yelled loudly.

"Alright, that’s enough. Girls are more reserved, don’t you guys know that?" Zhang Weicheng jokingly scolded the group and pulled the blushing Wang Man to sit on the sofa.

Bai Shasha leaned toward Li Si, a bit puzzled, and whispered, "What do you think Zhang Weicheng meant by glancing over at us just now?"

"Who knows?" Li Si also felt something was off. She remembered they didn’t have much of a relationship back in school.

"Zhou Rou, when are you free? Let’s go shopping together," Li Si suggested.

Zhou Rou drank her wine in silence. Hearing this, she smiled faintly, her eyes curving. "Sure, I’ll give you guys a call when I’m free. By the way, what’s your phone number? Let me save it," she said, pulling out her mobile phone from her bag. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Li Si noticed it was a pink flip phone with a color screen, probably brand new. She had seen it when shopping for a phone previously—it was 500 yuan more expensive than the one she had bought.

"13932453678," Li Si recited her number. On the other side, Bai Shasha also gave her number. Zhou Rou dialed them one by one and hung up, ensuring the numbers were saved before casually glancing at Li Si’s phone.

"Li Si, I’ve heard about what’s going on with your family," Zhou Rou whispered in her ear. "Being on your own is better—no burdens, no one to control you. I envy you!"

Li Si looked at her with slight concern. "Zhou Rou, are you okay?"

"I’m great, what could be wrong? But look at you, Li Si. You’re doing so well now—using the latest phone, wearing brand-new mall attire, and no one cares when you come home after hanging out late. I heard your dad left you a good amount of money, didn’t he?"

"Are you drunk? Who told you all this nonsense?" Bai Shasha glared at Zhou Rou, feeling both angry and confused. How could someone talk to a friend like that?

"I’m sorry, Li Si, don’t be mad at me. I’m under so much pressure I feel like I’m suffocating! Look, your dad passed away and still left you money. But my dad? He left us with so much debt when he died. And my mom? She keeps saying I’m a burden, that my brother will have to take care of her in old age. I even got into college, but she tore up my admission letter just to stop me from going. Tell me, what kind of mom does that?" Zhou Rou’s words spilled out uncontrollably, perhaps from drinking too much, as she shared her distress with them.

Li Si and Bai Shasha fell silent. Everyone had their own struggles, and no one truly knew the cracks hidden beneath a seemingly perfect life.

"Forget it. Why am I even telling you two all this? It’s pointless!" Zhou Rou laughed bitterly. "Li Si, I apologize for what I said earlier. We were desk mates for years—you know I have no bad intentions. Life’s just too overwhelming! Oh, by the way, your second aunt mentioned your family’s situation to my mom once," Zhou Rou said with reddened eyes.

Li Si shook her head. "It’s fine. I won’t take your words to heart. How much debt does your family still owe?" Damn that second aunt, always poking her nose into everything.

"Over 180,000 yuan. I’ve already managed to pay some of it back since I started working." Zhou Rou raised her wine glass and sipped.

"That’s a lot of money. How long will it take for you to pay it off all by yourself?" Li Si suddenly thought about the reasons Zhou Rou might have been involving herself with older wealthy men—maybe they were helping her pay off her debts.

"What else can I do? I’ll pay it back slowly. Debts to relatives are easier; they don’t rush me. But the money borrowed from private lenders...the interest keeps piling up," Zhou Rou sighed helplessly.

Li Si and Bai Shasha were both stunned. "Private lenders? Seriously?"

"I couldn’t borrow money any other way. My only option was to mortgage the house," Zhou Rou said nonchalantly.

Li Si felt conflicted. She wanted to help her but didn’t know the best way to go about it. Giving her money directly would raise questions she couldn’t answer, and considering Zhou Rou’s strong personality, she might not even accept it.

After opening her store, she still had a few hundred thousand yuan left. She needed to rent out the adjacent two storefronts soon. And she had to hurry up and have those remaining uncut jade stones appraised—maybe they’d yield good jade to sell at a high price.

As Li Si pondered all this, Wang Man walked over with a wine glass in hand. "Hey, you three beauties, don’t just sit there. Come join the fun!"

Seeing that no one responded, Wang Man casually glanced at Zhou Rou and said, "Zhou Rou, this is your turf, isn’t it? Give us first-timers a proper introduction!"

Zhou Rou’s face immediately turned pale, her hand holding the glass trembling, spilling some of the wine.

Li Si and Bai Shasha froze. Zhou Rou’s unusual reaction revealed something to them.

"Wang Man, I haven’t wronged you, have I? Why are you trying to slander me?" Zhou Rou composed herself after a moment and spoke in a low voice.

"Oh, Zhou Rou, drop the weak act. It works on men but not on me. Or am I lying?" Wang Man sneered.

"You’re lying! None of it is true!" Zhou Rou said with agitation, her clenched fists betraying her anger.

"Wang Man, what are you doing?" Zhang Weicheng stepped in quickly, noticing the crowd, and forcefully grabbed Wang Man’s arm.

"What am I doing? You think I can’t see what’s going on? I’ve noticed the little winks between you two, Zhang Weicheng. Let me tell you, Zhou Rou is nothing but a tramp, and here you are treating her like a treasure. You’re my boyfriend now, so you better stay loyal to me, got it?" Wang Man shouted furiously as Zhang Weicheng’s grip hurt her.

"You’d better apologize right now! Wang Man, what’s wrong with you?" Zhang Weicheng’s face twisted with anger. With all the classmates watching, his dignity was thoroughly crushed.

"Why should I apologize? Zhang Weicheng, do you know why I came here today? Because Zhou Rou works here. What exactly she does, well, let her say it herself," Wang Man said, pointing forcefully at Zhou Rou. "Zhou Rou, why are you still pretending? Only Zhang Weicheng is clueless. Aren’t you just a hostess here? Acting all pure and dignified?"

Zhang Weicheng froze, staring hard at Zhou Rou. "Is it true?" he asked.

Zhou Rou let out a bitter laugh. "Does it even matter if it’s true? My first time was with you!" With that, tears streamed down her face as she pushed through the crowd and ran out.

Li Si and Bai Shasha quickly chased after her. Zhou Rou ran frantically, as if heedless of her own safety. They finally managed to catch her on a street behind the nightclub’s back entrance.

"Zhou Rou, what’s going on? Huh?" Li Si tightly gripped Zhou Rou’s struggling arms.

"Calm down. Let’s find somewhere to sit and talk," Bai Shasha looked around at the sporadically passing pedestrians, aware this wasn’t the place to have such a discussion.

They found a nearby ice cream shop, ordered three hot milk teas, and sat in a private room, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Alright, I’m sorry. I lied to you guys. I’m not selling clothes at a boutique. I really do work at that nightclub, but it’s not like what Wang Man said. I’m just a karaoke hostess. I swear I haven’t done anything bad!" Zhou Rou cradled her milk tea, staring at the rising steam from the strawberry-flavored drink, tears rolling down her cheeks as she spoke.

"Then what’s going on between you and Zhang Weicheng?" Li Si handed her a tissue, frowning as she asked.