Chapter 17: I’m Even More Pitiful Than You

“Relax. I don’t have that kind of idea.”

Lin Cheng studied Ye Weixi’s body.

The dark shadows under her eyes, the pallor of her skin—
The way her bones seemed to jut out with the slightest movement—
The blood she coughed up from time to time—
She looked like she might shatter at a touch.

She was like a life-sized, ultra-fragile figurine.

“You’re helping me because that’s what you want, right? Nurse the sick girl back to health, and she’ll fall for you… Don’t all guys fantasize about that?”

Ye Weixi looked puzzled.

“That’s your fantasy.”

Lin Cheng shook his head.

This sickly young lady’s imagination was admittedly… vivid.

Who wouldn’t want to take care of a silver-haired, heterochromatic-eyed, fragile beauty until she became their girlfriend?

But right now, that wasn’t what was on his mind at all.

Lin Cheng’s focus was more practical—what to eat for dinner.

He glanced around the kitchen, which had plenty of medicine but no food.

“Ye Weixi, is there anything edible in your house?”

Ye Weixi blinked blankly and shook her head.

“No. We’ve never used the stove. Mom and Dad only pay the driver’s salary and my medical bills. If I want to buy anything else, I have to call them, take pictures, and submit receipts.”

Unbelievable.

Lin Cheng had braced himself for something bad, but this was still beyond reason.

Their daughter, sick to the brink of death, couldn’t even eat without calling her parents for money, photographing the purchase, and submitting an invoice.

These parents clearly never expected Ye Weixi to survive. The fact that she was still alive was practically a miracle.

Su Wanqing looked at Ye Weixi, and all her earlier anger vanished.

How could this girl be so pitiful?

Her parents wouldn’t even give her money.

No, no, no.

Su Wanqing shook her head furiously.

No matter how pitiful she was, it had nothing to do with her.

And this pitiful girl was even trying to take the chance to become Lin Cheng’s girlfriend? What a joke! I’m the one who deserves pity the most! Whether it’s waiting in line or a competition of tragedies, I should be the winner!

Nyeh nyeh nyeh.
Hmph.

Su Wanqing sorted out her feelings a bit and felt slightly better.

Lin Cheng patted his empty pockets and sighed helplessly.

He was broke too.

[System, can I add some details with my writing ability? Like, suddenly have money in my pocket? Or maybe Ye Weixi has some cash under her bed?]

[System Notice: Writing ability applies to narrative segments. Detail additions possible, but will dilute energy, lowering the success rate of primary objectives (environmental improvement and Ye Weixi’s physical and mental stability). Directly writing in sudden monetary gain or discovery of valuables violates core world rules (creating something from nothing). Success rate: extremely low (near 0%).]

Lin Cheng thought for a moment. It seemed the only solution was…

He took out his phone and scrolled through his WeChat contact list, finally stopping at Li Xiaoran’s name.

“Xiaoran, are you there?…”

Before sending the message, he deleted it and rewrote it.

After all, starting with “Are you there?” was a dead end.

[Xiaoran, can I borrow some money?]

It was exactly 6:30 p.m.

Evening study had just ended, and the first night class was starting. Li Xiaoran should be sneaking a look at her phone about now.

She liked to steal moments of idleness amid the chaos.

Sure enough, the reply came quickly.

[Eh? Lin Cheng, you’re out of money for food?]
A second later, the message was retracted.
[Lin Cheng, how much do you need?]

[One hundred fifty.]

[Okay.]

A few seconds later, Li Xiaoran’s transfer arrived.

Lin Cheng was deeply moved.

What a kind and gentle girl. He asked to borrow money, and she didn’t even ask why. She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t ask when he’d pay it back—she just transferred the money.

[Here, take the money first. I get a monthly allowance from my family, and I still have some New Year’s gift money on me. I’m not short on cash right now. Just pay me back when you can.]

[Okay.]

Lin Cheng felt even more touched.

Girls willing to lend money to guys these days—there weren’t many.

[Writing Ability Activated Again!]
[Writing Segment: Lin Cheng visits a lottery shop and purchases five scratch-off tickets at 10 yuan each. Under the faint influence of the writing ability, these tickets will yield a total prize of over 500 yuan.]

[Writing Logic: Matches character behavior (urgent need for small funds), conforms to basic world rules (lottery winnings are probabilistic), fits setting (lottery shop nearby). Detail added: scratch-offs purchased. Outcome: gain 500 yuan cash. Cost: Slight decrease in success rate of primary objective (Ye Weixi’s physical and mental improvement). Current estimated success rate: medium → medium minus 5%. Confirm execution?]

A five percent drop—acceptable.

[Execute.]

Lin Cheng tossed a casual “wait for me” at Ye Weixi and quickly left, heading for the lottery shop beside the complex.

Su Wanqing was very curious why Lin Cheng borrowed money from Li Xiaoran and followed closely behind him.

Sure enough, there was a small lottery shop near the gate.

Lin Cheng walked in and pointed to a row of 10 yuan scratch-offs behind the counter.

“Five of those.”

The shopkeeper casually handed him five tickets.

Su Wanqing floated beside him, peeking over his shoulder curiously.

“Scratch-offs? You’re trying to make money with those? Forget it.”

Lin Cheng scratched nervously.

First one… nothing.
Second… nothing.
Third… a win!

He quickly checked the symbols.

500 yuan.

The shopkeeper leaned over and raised his brows in surprise.

“Hey! Kid’s got good luck—500 yuan! Want to cash it or keep playing?”

“Cash it,” Lin Cheng replied.

Winning 500 with just three tickets probably meant he’d drained that batch’s prize pool. It was enough for today—no need to push it.

Su Wanqing blinked rapidly in disbelief.

How was Lin Cheng this lucky? He actually won 500 yuan from some roadside scratch-offs?

Afterwards,
Lin Cheng went to the nearby fruit store and bought fresh apples and bananas, plus some oranges and grapes.

Then he ducked into a small supermarket and picked up rice, eggs, vegetables, and some beef and pork.

He had over 300 yuan left—enough to repay the debt and cover his living expenses for now.

Su Wanqing floated at his side the whole time, still trying to figure out how on earth that scratch-off had won 500 yuan.

Back at Apartment 444,
Lin Cheng placed the fruit on the freshly cleaned coffee table.

“Have some fruit first.”

Then he carried the groceries into the kitchen.

Soon, the hum of the range hood filled the apartment.

The rich aroma of home-cooked food began to spread through the cold room.

Ye Weixi curled up on the sofa, holding the apple Lin Cheng had casually handed her.

She looked down at the shiny red apple, then up at the busy figure in the kitchen.

The sun had long since set, and dusk had settled outside.

But the warm yellow light spilling through the kitchen doorway and the increasingly strong smell of cooking brought a faint trace of warmth to the apartment.

Ye Weixi gently squeezed the smooth apple.

Mmm…

“I don’t like apples.”

Su Wanqing floated in the air.

She kicked the apple.

“You don’t like it? Eat my foot!”