Phone Bill Boyfriend
-1-
February 26, Saturday.
Today is Qu Xuan's birthday.
She's looking forward to it - her boyfriend said he'd give her a good celebration.
Just a few days after school started, she originally wanted to have cake with her roommate at noon and go out on a date in the afternoon, but Lu Shibei asked her to set aside the whole day.
Qu Xuan got up early and was taken to an indoor ice skating rink by Lu Shibei.
On New Year's Eve, she told Lu Shibei that she wanted to learn ice skating, and he arranged everything so quickly.
She felt complicated, touched and happy. Lu Shibei was a very competent boyfriend.
"Will you teach me?" she asked knowingly.
"certainly."
Lu Shibei bought two pairs of couple's ice skates and took her to the side to change shoes.
He handed over the unpacked women's shoes and said, "You're always worried about falling and embarrassing yourself. Don't worry today. I've booked the whole place. Are you happy?"
Qu Xuan happily opened the gift and immediately said, "Of course I'm happy."
She took out the pair of white and pink shoes and changed them while sitting on a stool nearby.
Lu Shibei moved faster and stood beside the stool waiting for her.
After she changed, he stretched out his right hand and held her left hand tightly.
"Shall I take you for a row to help you get used to it?" he asked.
Qu Xuan quickly shook her head. She felt she couldn't handle the thin ice skates. "How about I hold onto the railing for a while?"
"Hold on to the railing and walk slowly."
Seeing her clinging to the railing without moving, Lu Shibei encouraged her, "Walk forward a little, it won't be that easy for you to fall."
Afraid that she wouldn't believe him, he even gave her a demonstration.
He slid forward a little, his speed very fast and his figure light and graceful.
Qu Xuan stared at him enviously, but still didn't dare to let go.
The next moment, Lu Shibei slid back and said, "Leave your left hand to me."
She hardened her heart, interlocked her left hand with Lu Shibei's fingers, and slowly moved her right hand away from the railing.
"Take me skating for a while."
Lu Shibei agreed and took her sliding.
When Qu Xuan felt the start, he slowed down.
Before he knew it, he had already led her on a small circle.
When they were about to reach the bend, she noticed that he was speeding up.
Qu Xuan was so nervous that she leaned to the side without noticing, and her center of gravity shifted.
She screamed in fright, and then found that she did not fall - Lu Shibei held her tightly.
"Don't be nervous, I'm here and won't let you fall." Lu Shibei comforted.
She couldn't put her finger on the feeling. She felt relieved, but still terrified of falling.
After two laps, the same thing happened several times.
The feeling of being on the verge of falling but being saved by Lu Shibei made Qu Xuan's heart beat faster.
She covered her chest and said in resistance, "Let me rest for a while. I'm so nervous that I'm sweating all over."
The Lantern Festival had just passed, the weather was still cold, and there was sufficient heating supply.
She was wearing a knee-length down jacket, wrapped up like a small cake, and after exercising for a while, she was indeed hot.
"Open your down jacket first." Lu Shibei felt that she was wearing too few clothes underneath and suggested, "Don't take it off yet."
As he spoke, he took off his down jacket, revealing a black turtleneck sweater.
Qu Xuan asked, "Whose birthday is it today? I should be the one taking care of you, not you taking care of me."
"It's not a question of who's in charge of whom. You'll catch a cold."
After staring at Lu Shibei for a long time, she surrendered first, "Okay, then I won't take it off."
She held onto the railing, walked a little further, and then turned back to ask, "Do you think I can learn it today?"
"It's hard to say." Lu Shibei folded his down jacket and placed it on a stool nearby. "But if you're always afraid of falling, you'll never learn."
He thought about it, slid out from the starting point, and rushed to the other side of the venue like an arrow.
Qu Xuan took a tentative step forward and subconsciously shivered when she was blown by the wind brought by his passing.
She pursed her lips, loosened her hands, and stood on the ice.
Born in the south, she has never tried ice skating or learned roller skating.
Her parents used to say she was easy to raise, but now she feels like she's a bit spoiled. If she weren't spoiled, why would she be afraid of falling?
After skating a circle, Lu Shibei stopped beside her and encouraged her, "Very good, little Qu Xuan has taken the first brave step."
Qu Xuan slid forward with a stern face and suffered her first fall.
She tried to get up, but found that she couldn't get up!
"Help me." She asked for help decisively.
Lu Shibei pulled her up and asked, "Actually, it doesn't hurt if you fall, right?"
She humphed, "I'll learn it eventually."
At this point, Qu Xuan curiously asked, "When did you learn to skate?"
She remembered that he had said before that he could skateboard, something she had never dared to learn.
Lu Shibei tried hard to recall: "When I was very young, I can't remember clearly."
He grabbed her hand again and took her for a while, "Let me take you a little longer to get a feel for it."
After practicing for a whole morning, with considerable success, Qu Xuan now dares to skate slowly by herself.
Seeing this, Lu Shibei told her to change her shoes and go have lunch.
We had lunch at a nearby Hunan restaurant.
It was cold, and Qu Xuan wanted to eat something spicy to warm herself up—even though she could only tolerate slightly spicy food.
"No cake?"
After all the dishes were served, she looked around for a long time, but no surprise was served on the table.
Lu Shibei picked up some beef for her and said, "Eat it tonight."
"What are your plans for the afternoon?" she asked.
"Go practice skating again. It's almost 2:30, and then we'll go to the suburbs."
"The suburbs?" Qu Xuan understood that he didn't want to reveal it, so she jokingly said, "Okay, just don't sell me out."
It was not until she arrived at her destination in the afternoon that she learned that Lu Shibei planned to take her to a hot spring.
"Hot spring hotel? Indoor or outdoor?" she asked quietly.
"I've made a reservation for a private indoor bath."
"The two of us together?" Qu Xuan was silent before asking.
Lu Shibei was drinking water and was startled by her words. The water rushed into his throat and he coughed loudly.
He paused for a moment before denying it with a red face: "Of course not!"
Qu Xuan questioned, "It's my birthday, and you're going to let me soak in the hot springs alone?"
"Yes, you can make a voice call." Lu Shibei proposed a solution.
She wasn't very satisfied, but that was the only way.
"Why do you suddenly want to take me to the hot springs?"
"Didn't you feel bad that you couldn't go during the Chinese New Year? Jingcheng only has the low-end version. I hope you'll be satisfied." Lu Shibei said.
Qu Xuan was deeply touched, and couldn't help but worry about his money—he was starting a business, and every penny had to be spent wisely. She asked, "Is it expensive?"
Lu Shibei placed the room card in front of her.
Seeing the familiar logo, Qu Xuan laughed: "Oh yes, a hot spring hotel is also a hotel. It's our own business, not bad."
She felt very comfortable.
Lu Shibei was short of money to develop a new game, but he gave her every penny he owed her.
In fact, she also told Lu Shibei that she could pay the bill, but she didn't know what he was insisting on and didn't let her pay the bulk of the bill.
After parting with Lu Shibei, she changed into the new swimsuit placed in the room.
After soaking in the hot spring, Qu Xuan felt drowsy.
She brought in her cell phone, patted her face, and called Lu Shibei.
In fact, she wanted to make a video call, but she felt that the other party would not answer.
"How is it? Are you comfortable?"
Hearing Lu Shibei's voice on the phone, Qu Xuan replied, "It feels good. Did you specifically ask me to learn ice skating today? Afterwards, I'll soak in the hot springs to relieve my fatigue."
Lu Shibei also answered readily: "Yes. It just so happens that you want to do both things, so why not arrange them together."
Qu Xuan leaned against the bank and chatted with him. They talked about everything, from their studies to the food of their hometown.
She struck a pose as comfortable as she pleased, letting her mind wander.
After soaking intermittently for an hour, Lu Shibei reminded her that it was time for dinner.
She changed her clothes and went to the restaurant, where she first grabbed a few plates of fruit to replenish her water.
This hotel offers a variety of buffet styles, including barbecue, seafood, hot pot, and stir-fried dishes.
Qu Xuan put some food on the table and prepared to eat first. Lu Shibei told her that he would come later.
After a while, she waited for him to come with a cake box.
Lu Shibei placed the cake box steadily in front of her and said, "I drove to get it, so I was a little slow."
She followed up on his words and asked, "Why don't you let them send it?"
"I'm afraid they'll break them." Lu Shibei helped to remove the candles and tableware, "You take them down first."
Qu Xuan unwrapped it expectantly. It was a flower cake, tender and pink.
She was in a good mood and took the silver candle handed to her by Lu Shibei and lit it.
Lu Shibei took out a lighter and helped to light it.
She made a wish facing the candlelight. She really hoped to celebrate her birthday with Lu Shibei every year.
Ever since the National Day talk, she felt like she was in love every day - Lu Shibei tried his best to show his charm.
He arranged everything perfectly. The more they spent time together, the more Qu Xuan noticed his thoughtfulness, and she gradually realized that his words of "not breaking up" were not empty words.
After making the wish, Qu Xuan picked up her phone to take a photo and prepared to post it on WeChat Moments.
After posting it on Moments, messages from best friends followed closely.
[You have time to celebrate my brother's birthday and even post to Moments, but you don't have time to reply to me, right?]
She quickly replied to her bestie, claiming she hadn't received the gift yet. She felt a little guilty, but then she thought again, she had gone out with Lu Shibei right after getting up today, so she really had no time to pick up the package.
"Who is it?" Lu Shibei asked.
Qu Xuan replied without even looking up: "It's not the opposite sex, it's your sister."
She felt somewhat helpless. Ever since last New Year's Day, when Lu Shibei saw many boys sending her New Year's greetings, he had been like a frightened bird, constantly on guard against outsiders.
She said she was face-blind and couldn't remember many people's faces, but he was still jealous.
After chatting with Qingxia, Qu Xuan put away his phone and changed the subject.
"It's quite a coincidence. If it weren't for the wrong phone credit, we might not be together now."
Lu Shibei placed the barbecue he had just brought back and replied, "Don't assume something that didn't happen. We were brought together by fate."
After listening to him, Qu Xuan saw him take out his cell phone and fiddle with it.
Immediately afterwards, her text message alert sounded. She clicked on it and found that another phone bill recharge had arrived.
In the past few months, Lu Shibei often topped up her phone bill, and she was used to having enough money.
This was not enough, Lu Shibei insisted on seriously emphasizing to her: "I still remember what you and Qingxia said, I am a true boyfriend with phone bills."
"knew."
After saying that, she buried her face in her palms, not very willing to face it.
After recovering, she deliberately scooped a large spoonful of cream from the edge of the cake and fed it to Lu Shibei's lips, ordering: "You have to eat it all."
Lu Shibei lowered his head and put her spoon in his mouth.
Qu Xuan's original intention was to check and not let him escape the punishment, but who would have thought that the inspection would make her cheeks flush red.
After eating the cream, Lu Shibei handed over another long box.
"This is a birthday present, happy birthday."
She took it and opened it, revealing a gold bracelet.
"I thought the ice skates in the morning and the hot springs in the afternoon were the gifts, but I didn't expect there was more."
"These aren't serious gifts." Lu Shibei asked, "Are you happy?"
Qu Xuan decisively put the bracelet on her hand and showed him her wrist. "Of course I'm happy that you're with me on my birthday and so thoughtful."
Her birthday ended perfectly.
-2-
The candlelight of the cake flickered, pulling Qu Xuan to the third year.
Another year passed, and her relationship with Lu Shibei faced the biggest crisis in history.
The story begins with the withdrawal of investment by the largest investment company.
Lu Shibei's company is in danger, and he devotes himself to his career even more than before.
He was busy with his career, so Qu Xuan was naturally neglected.
Even though Lu Shibei spent a happy birthday with her this year, she still felt unhappy.
But after seeing his exhaustion with her own eyes, she softened her heart.
She asked, but Lu Shibei only said a few words in front of her and was unwilling to reveal more details.
Qu Xuan could only learn from others.
Liu Siling's boyfriend is still in Lu Shibei's team, and she secretly asked the two of them to go out for dinner.
At the dinner table, Qu Xuan asked directly, "How much money do you estimate Lu Shibei will need during this crisis?"
"At least three million. Don't worry, Qu Xuan. God Lu said that if we don't raise the funds by next month, he will ask for some money from our family."
After knowing the exact amount, she couldn't eat at all.
She said hello to Liu Siling and returned to school alone.
The first thing Qu Xuan did when she returned to the dormitory was to count her savings.
The dividend money cannot be touched. The profits from the milk tea shop, other scattered New Year's money, funds, stocks, etc. add up to a total of 1.6 million.
She set her sights on several of her unused bags. If she sold them, she could probably get two million.
There is still a shortfall of one million. Where can I raise the money from?
She couldn't think of anything for the time being, so she put the bag up for sale on a second-hand software platform.
Worried that the second-hand software was slow, she also contacted several salesgirls she had added and asked them for help.
The bags she was going to sell were not often used and were 90% new, so they should still be good to sell, right?
Because we are in a hurry to sell it, we can’t raise the price, but there is nothing we can do.
After ten days or so, many people came to inquire about the second-hand software, but no one bought it.
The salesgirl brought a lot of good news.
Because she was a customer who needed maintenance, the price they helped her sell it to was much higher than Qu Xuan's desired price.
However, it is still a drop in the bucket.
A total of 2.2 million has been raised so far, with a shortfall of 800,000.
Qu Xuan originally wanted to sell some unused luxury goods at home, but the noise she made was so loud that it reached her mother's ears.
Her mother called her.
"Nannan, are you short of money lately? I heard you sold several new bags?"
She quickly replied, "No, I just don't like those bags and I just bought them, so I want to sell them to get a better price-performance ratio."
Qu Xuan quickly said a few words and sent her mother away.
After hanging up the phone, she knew she couldn't take anything out anymore.
Her parents both knew that she was in love with Lu Shibei, and she dared not reveal that she was raising money for Lu Shibei.
If you say it, they will definitely stop you in the future.
But she didn't want this to happen.
If she had to watch Lu Shibei fail, her conscience would be uneasy. She was willing to raise money for Lu Shibei because she really liked him, and the money she used was her own, and she didn't ask her parents for it, so she felt at ease.
On March 16th, Qu Xuan brought a bank card to the company that Lu Shibei rented outside the school.
At first, when she accompanied Lu Shibei to look at the house, it was empty. Now, it has several desks, computers, and employees, and it is full of people.
She walked straight into Lu Shibei's office and closed the door.
Taking a deep breath, she placed the card on his desk. "This is all the cash I have on hand. Here you go."
Lu Shibei was busy, his fingers moving non-stop on the keyboard. Hearing this, he was stunned for several seconds.
He closed his eyes for a long time before opening them and pushing the card back. "No, how can I take your money?"
Qu Xuan grabbed his hand to stop him, her eyes filled with heartache. He'd been so busy lately, he hadn't even had time to shave. He'd lost a lot of weight, and his shirts, which used to fit him well, were now a little baggy.
"Why are you being so polite to me? It's not much, not enough to fill the hole. It's only 2.2 million. I've saved enough for living expenses for this semester, don't worry."
Lu Shibei was stunned for a moment, but still refused: "Qu Xuan, this is not 10,000 or 20,000, nor is it 100,000 or 200,000, it's more than 2 million. Aren't you afraid of wasting money?"
"I'm not afraid." She said firmly, "I believe you. Lu Shibei, listen to me, instead of investing in someone with unknown background, I'd rather invest in you. Right?"
"That's not right." Lu Shibei didn't listen to her. "I have another idea. You should save this money well."
Qu Xuan was cornered and provoked, "We're going to get married in the future. You don't even need my money now. If we run into trouble after we're married, won't you want my help? If you don't let me help, what's the point?"
She stared at Lu Shibei with burning eyes, demanding an explanation from him before she would leave.
Lu Shibei stood up and gave her a hug across the desk.
She heard him whisper in her ear, "Give me some time to think about it. I'm mainly worried that you'll lose everything."
"Lu Shibei, even if the company goes bankrupt, you're still here, aren't you? I invested in you because I like you."
In the end, Qu Xuan was no match for Lu Shibei, and she returned to the dormitory with her bank card.
For this, she and her best friend criticized Lu Shibei.
What kind of person is this! She offered money but refused to accept it!
Although she was angry, after calming down, she realized that Lu Shibei was thinking about her.
This person is so selfless and giving... Never mind.
Two days later, Lu Shibei asked her to go to his company to sign a contract.
He took out a "selling oneself" contract with extremely harsh conditions for Party B and asked Qu Xuan to sign it.
Lu Shibei explained to her: "I accept your investment. If it succeeds, I will give you dividends. But if you lose money and go bankrupt, I will work for you until I pay back the debt."
"It's all for my benefit," she asked. "Why don't you think about yourself?"
Lu Shibei shook his head. "Being with me has already wronged you. I can't treat you unfairly even more so on this matter. Yes, send the contract to your lawyer to see if there are any omissions. I'll add them."
Qu Xuan obediently sent the contract to the lawyer, but asked the lawyer to appropriately transfer some rights to Party B and reduce some obligations.
After being together for a long time, she certainly knew what the "mistreatment" in his words meant.
Lu Shibei had already told her that he didn't want to inherit the Lu family company. He had said that his parents hadn't raised Qingxia well, and he wanted to give the inheritance rights to Qingxia while he started his own business.
Over the past year, she watched from the side and found that he was indeed working very hard.
Moreover, this goody-goody would think about Haruka and her, but put himself last.
In Qu Xuan's entire life, she has only met such a "selfless and dedicated" person among her peers.
His company was just starting to pick up, and she didn't want him to suffer any setbacks.
But she also had some complaints about him. He was very stubborn and it took a lot of effort to convince him.
There are some things that can obviously be discussed by two people, but he insists on making the decision alone and bearing the consequences alone.
After signing the contract, Lu Shibei finally accepted the money.
He smiled, looked at Qu Xuan with bright eyes, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Qu, for your trust."
Qu Xuan coughed twice and stretched out her hand for an official handshake with him.
"Mr. Lu, you're too polite. I'll have to rely on you to make money for me in the future."
She thought she would get through this crisis.
However, less than a week later, Lu Shibei called her.
When she received the call, she called Lu Shibei several times, but there was no response from the other end.
"Strange, is it broken?"
Just as she was about to hang up the phone, she finally heard Lu Shibei's voice.
His voice sounded dry, "Qu Xuan, I'm sorry."
Qu Xuan had never heard him sound so apologetic before, and her mind was in a mess. She thought he had done something emotionally unfair to her.
She grabbed her phone and asked, "Are you cheating?"
"No." Lu Shibei paused and said, "It's about investment. I still failed."
Then, he carefully explained that the PC game they were developing was ready to be launched, but the capital chain was broken after the investors withdrew their investment. The PC game is still in the testing phase and cannot be launched in the short term.
After accepting the funds provided by Qu Xuan, the situation improved and was sufficient to maintain the basic operations of the PC game.
But other small investors somehow learned that the largest investor had withdrawn his investment, saying that there was no return, and they also withdrew their investment one after another.
But how could the game be profitable before it even launched? With so many investors pulling out, he'd tried his best to retain them, but to no avail. Lu Shibei could only exploit the terms of the contract to limit his losses.
Although some of the small games developed by Lu Shibei in the early stage had considerable profits, it was a drop in the bucket.
Seeing that the funds in the company's account were decreasing and were about to have a gap, he could not bear such great pressure.
"Am I being too ambitious?" he asked, bewildered. "Perhaps it would be safer to make a few more small games before moving on to PC gaming, but I really want to improve. I feel bad for you and my team."
Qu Xuan quickly comforted him and finally asked, "Are there any remedial measures?"
Lu Shibei didn't answer. He told her that he still needed to comfort his companions and hung up the phone in a hurry.
She was also worried and sorry for him.
She watched him build this game. He and his classmates toiled day and night for over two years. He personally took care of every step, from planning and engine development to modeling and testing.
She could also understand his feelings.
It would have made more sense for the PC game to launch later, but she knew her family was also putting pressure on Lu Shibei. He didn't want to fall behind, so he worked so hard.
Not to mention that Lu Shibei couldn't accept the current result, Qu Xuan couldn't accept this situation either.
How to help him? She was in a panic.
She had just sold the bag, and her mother must still be watching her, so she didn't dare use this method again.
If she doesn’t sell bags, what else can she do? Qu Xuan flipped through the messages and her eyes fixed on the message from the store manager.
She set her sights on her own milk tea shop.
She was going to sell it after graduating from her senior year anyway, it was just a year earlier now.
Besides, this money can also help Lu Shibei, so it's worth it. Qu Xuan comforted herself in this way.
After making this decision, she immediately contacted the store manager.
She wants to transfer the entire store.
When she first opened the store, she discussed the possibility of transferring the business in the future with the store manager, who also stated that he would take over if it was convenient for her at that time.
The deal was concluded quickly, but the transfer of ownership documents would take time. Other matters were fine; the store manager was already managing the business on her behalf, so the landlord, employees, and suppliers could all remain as they were.
A month later, Qu Xuan received the cash and transfer contract paid by the store manager.
She went to see Lu Shibei with the contract and cash.
Lu Shibei was also making his final effort. After counting his assets this month, he still fell short.
The PC game he developed is a medium-sized 3DRPG game. The initial development cost was more than three million. It is still in testing. As it is about to be launched, he is reluctant to let his efforts go to waste.
Testing, launching, operating and maintaining all require money.
Lu Shibei had sold a sports car without telling his family in the early days, but he didn't expect that the funding gap would become bigger and bigger. He was holding back his anger and couldn't express it for a long time.
When Qu Xuan saw him, she touched the dark shadow under his eyes with heartache.
"I've raised some more money. I've already collected 2.2 million, so this 800,000 won't be a big deal."
Lu Shibei firmly refused. "I've already told my dad about this. I...was too naive before, thinking I could succeed without relying on my family. But there are so many hardships on the road to success. No one can have a smooth sailing life."
After knowing his plan, Qu Xuan took the money back.
Finally, she encouraged Lu Shibei: "I'm waiting for your game to go online and make money for me. Make a lot of money."
"Of course." Lu Shibei promised solemnly, "Boss Qu, I'm working for you now."
Later, Qu Xuan heard from Lu Shibei that the funding gap had been resolved.
His father lent him 5 million yuan to continue making games, and after he survived that period, he was able to secure another round of investment. This time, the investment company was a veteran in the industry and much more reliable than the ones he had previously signed contracts with.
As for the two huge debts, Lu Shibei said that they can only be repaid slowly after a few months after the PC game is launched.
Qu Xuan didn't care, since she still had money.
Seeing him working hard for his goal, she naturally thought of herself.
She is her parents' only child and will take over the company in the future. She originally planned to study management abroad as an undergraduate, but now she can only pursue postgraduate studies abroad.
She had to go. What she learned in undergraduate studies was just some superficial theories.
The only practical activities are buying stocks and opening a store, and at most I will go to my own company to work and study this summer.
It is definitely not enough to control a listed company with this experience. She is still a long way from being a successor that her father would be satisfied with. She needs to work hard.
She had mentioned this to Lu Shibei, but she wasn't very determined at first. She planned to go back home during the summer vacation, visit the Mazu Temple, and then finalize the matter.
After the summer vacation, she would come back and talk to Lu Shibei in detail about her career plan and her relationship.
To be honest, it was only after selling the milk tea shop to help Lu Shibei overcome the crisis that Qu Xuan realized that she loved Lu Shibei very much.
I used to think it was liking, now I think it is love.
If she just liked it, she wouldn't be willing to spend so much money.
Unconsciously, Qu Xuan was also full of confidence in their future.
She decided to get engaged to Lu Shibei when she returned from studying abroad.
But let’s not tell him this news for now, it’s still too early.
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