TFRLTOP Chapter 46 Part 2

She looked puzzled.

“Who told you to dump all these sunflower seed shells here? You’re trying to make them sprout into baby sunflowers?!” His voice shook with suppressed irritation.

Ming Ming: !!!

“Spare them—” She dashed over, only to see his broom scrape against something solid under the shells.

They both froze.

Junsheng pushed the shells aside. Beneath them lay a snakeskin sack wrapped around a brick-shaped lump.

Expressionless, Ming Ming said, “A sudden disaster—these sunflower seed shells have lost their homeland.”

Junsheng fell silent, then asked in a strained voice, “Did I just stumble onto a crime scene?”

“What?” Ming Ming blinked.

His brow furrowed, his voice tinged with sorrow. “Is that the murder weapon?”

“Huh??”

He looked down, dejected. “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me. I won’t report you. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me forever.”

Unbelievable!

Ming Ming wordlessly picked up the “brick” and smacked him with it. “Keep your damn secrets to yourself, Yan Junsheng! You could at least open it before calling it a murder weapon!”

Junsheng couldn’t help laughing, breaking character. He took it from her, opened it up—and out came the stash of cash he’d once given her, along with… a gold bar.

“You really know how to hide things, Chen Chuanjuan.” He turned the gold bar over, weighing it—about two ounces. Shaking his head in admiration, he said, “I figured you’d saved some money, but I didn’t think it was this much.” He held it up. “This bar must weigh at least a hundred grams. You actually dropped close to a thousand yuan on gold?”

“And the money I gave you—what an honor, tucked away with your gold bar, wrapped in a snakeskin bag like you were worried about rain soaking it.”

Ming Ming smacked her lips, hearing the sarcasm. “Why do you sound so damn snide?”

“I don’t mean it like that. I just wonder…” He made a little pinching gesture, genuinely curious. “If you can use that brain of yours to scheme about investments, why not spare a little for politics? Would it kill you?”

Ming Ming ignored him, turned her head, and kept chanting “abandon abandon abandon.”

Junsheng: “…”

Coldly, he said, “I’m heading out later. When I’m back, I’ll quiz you on pages one through five. Be ready.”

“What?”

Ming Ming stared at him in shock. He was serious.

“You’re really… really going to test me?”

“What do you think?”

For the first time, Ming Ming truly felt despair. In this strange world, she had no friends, no family, no lover. Just a useless system that wanted her to suffer. And this man—he looked decent enough, acted like he cared, but in reality? Aside from sleeping with her, all he wanted was to make her memorize politics.

Wuuu wuuu wuuu…

“Oh, little cabbage~ yellowing in the field~ three years old and already motherless—” She sang mournfully, giving Junsheng such a pitiful look that he almost lost control.

But he held firm, replying uprightly, “If I’m going to take responsibility for you, I’ve got to do it in every way. If you can’t pass my quiz, I’ll make you copy it out by hand.”

Ming Ming’s eyes went wide. She swayed slightly. “Yan Junsheng, I misjudged you…”

She raised a trembling hand, pointing at him with tears in her eyes. “I thought—you were different from other men.”

“Heh.” Junsheng snorted. “What man would push you to study politics? That bastard Wang? Can he even read?”

Ming Ming thought to herself, That bastard Wang…

There was no way she was letting Yan Junsheng drag her along. “I’m going to find my dad. You go deal with your politics!” She stomped her foot in anger, spun around, and ran out.

Yan Junsheng didn’t bother chasing after her. From the way she acted, he knew she was faking it.

Sure enough, once she stepped outside, every trace of sadness vanished from her face. She was secretly pleased with her cleverness, relieved to have dodged a bullet.

“Juanzi, where are you headed so early?” someone greeted her. Ming Ming froze for a second, then realized it was Xiwazi.

“Haven’t been drinking lately?”

“Ha, I quit.”

“Quitting’s good. Booze isn’t something you should overdo.”

The two exchanged a few pleasantries.

By her count, it had been almost two months now. Since she wasn’t dead yet, that meant she really had rewritten her fate.

Ming Ming felt smug. See? I was right not to listen to that system’s nonsense. Who says things can’t be changed? Isn’t it all up to people? I’m going to live well—no one’s going to torment me that easily.

She strolled over to Chen Weiguo’s place. At this hour, he was still in bed, which surprised her. She pushed the door open. “Dad? Dad? Still asleep?”

From the inner room came his groggy voice as he woke. “Aiya, it’s already this late? Must’ve caught a bit of a cold these past two days, so I’ve been sleeping more.”

“Then keep sleeping. I’ll make you something to eat.”

“You don’t. You can’t cook. I’ll get up and make it myself in a bit.”

“…No, let me try.”

Chen Weiguo sat up with difficulty, slid the spittoon under the bed, and burst into heavy, bellows-like coughing.

“Did you go see a doctor? You’re coughing so bad. I’ll go buy you some medicine.”

Covering his mouth, he waved her off between coughs. “No… cough, cough… no need. It’s nothing serious.”

He asked, “Junsheng didn’t come with you? How are things between you two lately?”

“Pretty good. We went to town yesterday to buy some stuff. The guy’s terrible at managing money, though, spends like crazy.” Ming Ming wrinkled her nose, seizing the chance to badmouth him.