Chapter 29 He sleeps with you and enjoys your benefits. What is this called? It's called freeloading.

"We agreed on this time, why did you go to see him first without contacting me?" Gu Weiyi asked.

"Because I'm an hour late for the time I gave you." Li Wenjing said, "It was my fault before. You didn't want to see him, and I forced you to do it for the benefit he gave me. Okay, I don't owe you anything this time."

After making everything clear, Li Wenjing felt relieved and looked up at him. He smiled at her and said, "You have no money, and he is my father. How can I let you handle such a thing and make you lose your job? What are you going to do in the future?"

"It's not like I'll lose my job, it's just..." She sighed, "As long as the project is not lost, I won't lose my job. It's just that Gustav doesn't like me. I'll be bullied at work. They are very smart."

"sorry."

"I said it, I know the consequences, you have done nothing wrong to me."

"If you can't stay here any longer, do you really want to go back home?"

"Let's talk about it later. Maybe I can go to a cheaper place to study. Or I can continue to save money. I can't starve to death."

"I'm just worried about you. I feel like you're tired every day. You have to work, study, and deal with a lot of messy things. I want to help you, but you never come and tell me."

Li Wenjing buried her head in his chest, silent. Even if she told him about such trivial matters, what would it matter? She could only try not to mention the mismatch between them. At least his heart was beating now. The future was all empty; only the feeling in this moment was real.

"I have nothing to worry about. Take care of yourself first."

She evaded him a few times, and Gu Weiyi stroked her hair and said, "I'm going on a business trip to Congo this week, so I might not be able to contact you. Please take care of yourself. I might not be able to help you with anything else, but if you have any problems with learning English or applying to schools, I'll come back to help you, okay?"

"What kind of job is it?"

"Hmm... malaria, it's prevalent every year."

Li Wenjing's first reaction to having someone help her with her enrollment was that she'd saved a fortune in agency fees. She nodded, feeling a little better, but then she realized he was leaving soon and couldn't bear to let him go. He held an umbrella for her, and she leaned against him, his warmth from that night shining through his coat. He hooked his arm around her waist, and a passerby glanced at him, only to have him drop his hand as if embarrassed. After sending her back to work, Yu Di was working overtime that night, so she ordered takeout and met Li Wenjing for dinner. They chatted about Gu Weiyi at the stairs.

"So… you and Charles were together over the weekend? Are you talking now?"

"No, I don't know what the connection is."

When she mentioned Gu Weiyi, her nose felt sore and her eyes ached. She thought she had cried. She was afraid that her gossipy nature would flare up and she would ask, so she tried to evade explanations. However, she gave her an "I see" look and took her hand to comfort her.

"It doesn't matter. Foreign men are all like that, especially the French. They're the most unreliable. I thought he was a good guy. He was very gentlemanly when dating girls, handsome and sweet-talking, just like he was in love. But in the end, they slept together and the relationship is still uncertain. This is called situationship. Foreigners just want to play around, they won't commit to a confirmed relationship with you."

"What's all this? Where do all these ships come from?"

"Oh, men are so cunning. They think you are good in some way, but they think you can't meet their expectations, so they treat you like a sex partner. When they find someone better, they will break up with you."

"Oh, no, Doctor Gu..." Li Wenjing bit her lip. "This matter is a bit complicated. I can't explain it clearly."

"Is it the sick mother, the lecherous father, the repressed family, the broken him?"

"This—" Li Wenjing couldn't explain it clearly. It seemed like Yu Di had hit on every one of her points, and she couldn't think of any words to refute her. Yu Di's eyes widened. "Really? I can't believe Dr. Gu is such a jerk. I was always wondering how a handsome guy could be without a girlfriend? With so many red flags for dating, no matter how handsome he is, he's not worth it! How could you be so obsessed with love?"

Li Wenjing had a lot of things to say, but she couldn't find anyone to talk to. Yu Di's words, as if they had hit the nail on the head, made her turn to the window and couldn't help but smoke, dropping one cigarette after another into the trash can. She stubbed out her cigarette and turned around. Yu Di was still on the sofa, packing up their lunch boxes. She saw her finish her cigarette and stand up from the sofa.

"Actually...we haven't known each other for long. I'm sorry. Are you angry?"

"No, you're right."

The more Li Wenjing spoke, the more she seemed to be suppressing her anger. Yu Di said, "Even if you're angry, I have to say this. Although I was just assigned here this year to work on the French language project, we girls have to be more careful when we're out there."

"Did you hear something?"

"I deal with the French every day, and I haven't heard of this?" She hesitated, "Are you no longer capable of being in charge? I heard the French want to replace you because they say you're too young."

Li Wenjing spread her hands. "Just change it. I was relying on Gustav originally. He was very kind of me not to cancel the project and let me get fired. After this incident, I've seen clearly that if it's not mine, I can't rely on others."

"Oh, Wenjing, what's the point of relying on someone? Being able to rely on the CEO is a skill. Others won't even have a chance." She advised earnestly, "If you really change, those people in the company are as cunning as a shrew. They will treat you badly as soon as they see something wrong. Are you really going to get yourself into this state for that scumbag? Don't be so love-minded. He's just playing with you..."

Li Wenjing's face darkened, and Yu Di pursed her lips, "Okay, okay, it's okay to play around. He's quite handsome, but don't get too caught up in it."

"I know what I'm doing."

"What's wrong with you? Why don't you be as handsome as before and just take the position of person in charge?"

"I was also wondering what's wrong with you. Why do you keep asking me to be the person in charge? Isn't it the same if Brother Chuan is the person in charge?"

Yu Di touched the jade Buddha necklace on the front of her white shirt and frowned. "It's different! There are not many girls in the company to begin with. With you as my leader, I've never felt so comfortable at work. The men don't dare to make dirty jokes anymore, and they smoke outside. I just want you to keep doing this. It's better for both of us."

Li Wenjing deeply understood Yu Di's words. She could only apologize. If possible, she would also like to continue, but now her relationship with Gustav has reached a freezing point, there is really no other way. Yu Di drank a large bottle of water, and then exhaled the bitterness with a "ah" sound as if drinking wine. She was very discouraged and said nothing more.

"You two should get your relationship confirmed right away. Don't believe him when he says he's not ready. That's all bullshit. If you want to talk, talk it over properly. Saying you're not ready just means you're ready to run away at any moment. I think the more unstable it is, the more you need to commit. You've given up your job for him, and he's sleeping with you and enjoying your benefits. What do you call that? It's called freeloading."

"We don't have that kind of relationship."

Yu Di looked at Li Wenjing from head to toe as if she had seen a ghost. "Sister, what do you like about him? He's handsome, but you can only look at him and not eat him. Does he really like you?"

"No... This is really complicated. We'll talk about it next time."

Yu Di probably thinks she's the stupidest person in the world, Li Wenjing thought. After working for a while, her eyes sore, and she couldn't help but feel a little regretful. She didn't know Gu Weiyi well enough. Had she really given up too much for him? Or was it as the saying goes, "Those involved are often confused, but those who observe clearly can see clearly"? She was completely in love. But that night, the rain and fog were hazy. His eyes were like stars in the night, and the scent of his clothes in the musty room led her to determine her coordinates in the universe in this darkness. She did exist somewhere on Earth, in a small room, by his side.

Her love and affection for him also satisfied the desire in her heart, that kind of indescribable desire, not the desire for love, appetite, or desire for money. In front of Gustav, relying on her feelings for him, this desire seemed to finally have a legitimate outlet, and she couldn't explain it.