Chapter 55: Yu Qian Borrows Money
Nanye City.
The main hallway of the passenger terminal.
A man, with a crutch tucked under his right arm, walked slowly toward the exit.
“Brother-in-law—”
A pleasant female voice called from not far away. The young woman wore her hair in a simple ponytail and had delicate, refined features.
She hurried over to Ma Cheng’s side, immediately reaching out to steady his right arm.
In Qin Yao’s heart, her brother-in-law, the squad captain of the Investigation Bureau, was a true hero.
She had grown up with her sister, relying on each other, and back when her sister was still alive, Qin Yao often stayed at Ma Cheng’s house.
...
“Hey, did that girl just call him brother-in-law?”
“Now she’s even holding on to him?”
The passenger terminal was always a place where people from all walks of life mingled—a true cross-section of society.
Someone had noticed Ma Cheng and Qin Yao.
“Heh—”
“Gotta admit, that girl’s pretty cute. What’s she doing with a cripple?”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“Calling him brother-in-law, you know, that’s a thrill for some.”
...
Ignoring the gossip around him, Ma Cheng turned to Qin Yao, his voice deliberately cold. “You’re a young lady; be mindful of appearances.”
“And from now on, don’t call me brother-in-law. Your sister’s been gone nearly three years.”
As he spoke, Ma Cheng’s expression darkened. He pulled his right hand from Qin Yao’s grasp and strode forward.
She stared after his retreating figure, stunned, but mumbled under her breath, “Brother-in-law is so cool—”
...
The model officer of the Investigation Bureau had left the team, carrying the loneliness in his heart.
Meanwhile, two others were in high spirits.
“I’m telling you, Peng, isn’t this apartment great?” Zhang Ze said, feigning earnestness to Peng Fei, not noticing the dark look on his friend’s face.
“Come on, tell me—if we buy this place, is there any kind of discount?”
As soon as Peng Fei opened his mouth, the sales agent picked up on their interest.
With a trademark smile plastered on his face, he scooted closer to Peng Fei and began, “Buddy, let me tell you, this apartment is simply top-tier in the whole of Heyue City.”
“If you’re talking price, though—”
Peng Fei muttered with a deadpan expression, but the sales agent wasn’t fazed. He edged even closer, smiling, “Our apartment is surrounded by water on all sides, next to a prestigious university, and it’s only two bus stops to the Anqing Martial Bureau.”
“And that’s not all...”
Knowing just how glib these salespeople were, Peng Fei wasn’t in the mood for a drawn-out haggle.
He looked the man over, then suddenly asked, “You’re pretty slick with words. Do you enjoy talking that much?”
The young salesman was momentarily thrown off.
This guy is definitely not one of us!
With an awkward chuckle, Peng Fei said, “Just tell me what kind of discount you can get us on this place.”
“Heh heh—”
“Look, the apartment’s top-quality.”
“I won’t waste your time—if you can put down more than half for the down payment, I’ll let you have it at 66,000 per square meter.”
The guy grinned, and Peng Fei had to restrain himself from smacking him.
“So after all this back-and-forth, you’re just dropping the price from 66,100 to 66,000?”
“Hey, there’s no need to get upset.” The salesperson quickly continued, “How about this: you name your price. If it works for me, I’ll do the paperwork for you.”
Zhang Ze, having just finished his free lunch, finally couldn’t listen anymore.
He cut in, “My buddy’s not short on cash. 65,000 a square meter, he’ll pay in full.”
“Deal!”
The salesperson jumped at Zhang Ze’s offer.
“Damn—”
“You gave him too much!”
After another round of haggling, the two finally bought their first apartment together.
Only, when it came time to pay the 7.12 million yuan, Zhang Ze just sent Peng Fei a token sum.
“Brother Ze, you’re so damn ruthless.”
“You said a token—wasn’t that supposed to be 120,000?”
As they left the real estate office, Peng Fei shouted after Zhang Ze.
“Come on—”
“Two grand isn’t enough for you?”
“If it’s not, go buy a lottery ticket with it.”
...
Even though the money was paid and the apartment would soon be in their names, there was still a process to go through.
Plus, it needed to be renovated, so they couldn’t move in right away.
As they left the office, Zhang Ze was thinking about calling Jinlong and the others to celebrate that evening, but then Peng Fei’s phone rang.
“What’s up?” Zhang Ze asked quietly after he hung up.
“Pretty interesting—it was Yu Qian from our team.”
“You mean the guy who’s always smoking and getting perms?”
The mention of Yu Qian brought an immediate reaction from Zhang Ze.
“Perms?”
“I had no idea,” Peng Fei said, puzzled.
“It’s nothing. What’d he want?”
“He said he wants to meet, talk something over.”
Peng Fei slipped his phone into his pocket and explained quietly to Zhang Ze.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Come on—”
“Brother Ze, you’re not seriously interested in me, are you?”
...
The two bickered all the way, taking over half an hour to reach the café Yu Qian had mentioned.
“Feifei, you know, riding the bus every day just isn’t going to cut it—”
...
Having already guessed what Zhang Ze was about to say, Peng Fei ignored him.
Passing through the corridor, they soon spotted Yu Qian sitting in a corner.
“Brother Yu, what did you want to see me about?” Peng Fei asked directly as he sat down opposite Yu Qian.
...
It turned out that Yu Qian, due to his age, had parents at home constantly urging him to go on blind dates and settle down.
But he was deeply devoted to martial arts, and for years, he’d poured nearly all his earnings into his training.
Perhaps age was catching up with him, or maybe he simply lacked the talent.
Despite spending so long at various martial arts academies, his cell strength had plateaued at around 100S—neither improving nor declining.
It was worth noting that, as a lawyer, Yu Qian actually had a stable job.
With his parents pressuring him and his martial arts prospects looking dim, he’d recently agreed to meet a few women.
Surprisingly, he’d hit it off with someone, and after just a few weeks, things had already progressed to talk of marriage.
But after devoting himself to martial arts for so long, he was now completely broke—he hadn’t a cent to his name for wedding expenses.
...
Zhang Ze and Peng Fei stayed silent until Yu Qian finished explaining his situation.
“So, Brother Yu, you’re asking to borrow some money?” Zhang Ze put down his coffee and asked softly.
“I... Yes, that’s what I’m hoping.” Now that Zhang Ze had brought it up, Yu Qian didn’t feel awkward about it anymore. “Don’t worry—once the upcoming martial arts academy competition is over, I’ll be leaving the academy. I’ll pay you back as soon as possible.”
Yu Qian understood well enough—though Zhang Ze and Peng Fei looked like they were barely in their twenties, anyone who could train at the academy and had achieved such skill at their age clearly came from wealthy families.
Still nursing his wounds over the recent financial blow from buying a house, Peng Fei suddenly heard the sound of a rooster crowing beside him.
“Brother Yu, whatever you need for the wedding, I’m absolutely behind you!” Zhang Ze declared generously, while Peng Fei secretly sneered in his heart.