Chapter Eighteen: No Heart
During the three days without signal on the yacht, her aunt made seventeen missed calls. After returning to suite 3306 in Jiapu, Cheng Yin sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and called back each one.
When the call connected, my aunt's voice sounded like a rusty saw, cutting through the night in Haojiang.
"Your cousin is getting married next month, and he's still 50,000 yuan short for the bride price," my aunt said bluntly, without any greetings or explanations. "Could you help him out?"
Cheng Yin gave a soft "hmm," as if her aunt was merely informing her that it would rain tomorrow.
"By Friday at the latest," the aunt added. "The woman can be difficult to deal with."
Cheng Yin hummed in agreement again.
After hanging up the phone, she opened her mobile banking app, and her balance showed 31,000 yuan.
The laptop screen was lit, displaying unfinished accounting reports. Cheng Yin put down her phone and continued working.
The next day, Cheng Yin appeared in her office in the Golden City Center on time.
Li Yaodong didn't reply to 3306, ever since the "paid class time" incident at the swimming lesson. She wasn't worried; the debt relationship wouldn't disappear just because the creditor was angry.
During her lunch break, Cheng Yin knocked on Lin Shirong's office door. As the financial director, his office was twice the size of Cheng Yin's, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the Haojiang Peninsula.
Lin Shirong was eating a salad, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses narrowing slightly: "What is it?"
Cheng Yin stood at the door: "Can I get an advance on my salary?"
Lin Shirong's fork stopped in mid-air: "Short of money?"
"Um."
"How many?"
"Twenty thousand."
Lin Shirong put down his fork, took a tissue to wipe his mouth, and said, "You've only been working for two weeks." He adjusted his glasses, "And your salary was specially approved by Brother Dong; it required a special process."
Cheng Yin nodded: "I understand."
Lin Shirong looked her over and suddenly asked, "Why are you short of money?"
"For personal reasons."
"Is it related to Dong Ge?"
Cheng Yin shook her head: "Family matters."
Lin Shirong leaned back in his chair: "Do you know that your request is considered bypassing your superiors?" He spoke with a pointed remark, "After all, your...special relationship with Brother Dong."
Lin Shirong stood up and walked over to her. "I suggest you go directly to Brother Dong." He lowered his voice. "A few tuition fees are nothing to him."
She wasn't sure if he was willing to see her now.
"I understand," she said softly, and left the office.
After get off work, Cheng Yin returned to apartment 3306.
Each item had a label on it, and some were still in their original packaging.
Cheng Yin took out her tablet and began searching for secondhand luxury goods recycling shops. She took photos of each item, recorded the brand, model, and purchase date, and then estimated its depreciated value.
Working until midnight, the list showed that the total value of these items was about 48,000, enough to raise the 50,000 that his aunt wanted.
The next day during lunch break, Cheng Yin took two large bags to a secondhand shop on the Haojiang Peninsula. The shop owner was a lean, middle-aged man with a huge jade ring on his finger.
He inspected each of Cheng Yin's items one by one, occasionally clicking his tongue in approval. "Well-maintained," he said, picking up the Cartier necklace, "but the style is a bit outdated."
Cheng Yin nodded: "Just calculate it based on the market price."
The transaction went smoothly. Forty-six thousand was transferred into Cheng Yin's account, which, combined with what she already had, was more than enough. She walked out of the secondhand shop; the midday sun in Haojiang was so bright it was blinding.
After transferring the money to her aunt, her phone remained silent as usual, without any reply, not even a "received." Cheng Yin wasn't surprised; her aunt never thanked her for money.
Back at the company, Cheng Yin continued to work on the accounts.
"Is the economic crisis resolved?" Lin Shirong suddenly appeared at her office door, holding a document in his hand.
Cheng Yin nodded: "Mm."
Lin Shirong walked in and placed the documents on her desk: "How was it resolved?"
"I sold the things Li Yaodong gave me."
Lin Shirong's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses widening slightly: "What?"
"It was taken in by a secondhand store."
Lin Shirong looked as if he had been punched in the chest. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, finally taking off his glasses and wiping them vigorously, as if he doubted that he had misheard.
"You..." He put his glasses back on, "You sold the things Dong Ge gave you?"
Cheng Yin nodded: "It's calculated based on depreciation."
"You know those are gifts, right?" Lin Shirong's voice began to tremble. "Gifts!"
Cheng Yin looked at him, puzzled: "Once a gift is given to someone, doesn't the recipient have the right to decide ownership and decision?"
Lin Shirong took a deep breath and suddenly grabbed Cheng Yin: "Let's go."
Where to?
"Redeem the goods," Lin Shirong gritted his teeth, "before Brother Dong finds out."
The secondhand shop owner smiled shrewdly when he saw them return. Lin Shirong pushed Cheng Yin forward: "Bring out everything that was sold this morning."
The shop owner rubbed his hands together: "Well... someone has already made a reservation..."
Lin Shirong pulled a wad of banknotes from his wallet and slammed them on the counter: "Ten percent increase."
Ten minutes later, Cheng Yin put her items back into the bag.
Lin Shirong escorted her back to the company like a prisoner, stuffing the bag into her arms. He spoke to Cheng Yin, word by word, as if teaching a child, "These are gifts. Gifts, and from Li Yaodong..."
Cheng Yin, holding the Chanel handbag, asked, "Is it very precious?"
"certainly!"
"Because they're designer brands," Cheng Yin countered, "or because they were a gift from Li Yaodong?"
Lin Shirong was speechless: "Is...there's a difference?"
Cheng Yin nodded: "If it's the former, it means they have intrinsic value; if it's the latter, it means the value comes from the giver." She calmly analyzed, "If it's the latter, then essentially what's being worshipped isn't the object itself, but Li Yaodong's power."
Lin Shirong opened his mouth again, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out, "It's the sentiment! The sentiment is the most precious!"
Cheng Yin shook her head: "You're wrong. Li Yaodong isn't giving these things to express his feelings; he's doing it to increase my value." She looked down at the handbag, "It's like putting a designer label on a product so it can be sold at a higher price."
Lin Shirong looked like he was about to break down: "How could you think that?"
"He said it himself," Cheng Yin recalled calmly, "'To adorn' me, until the day I'm 'worth' 870,000..."
Lin Shirong suddenly grabbed her wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he was about to crush her bones: "Cheng Yin, you have no heart."
Cheng Yin asked, puzzled, "What?"
Lin Shirong's expression was unusually serious: "A gift is a gift, not a debt." He pointed to the shopping bags. "When Dong-ge gave these things away, he never expected you to repay them."
Cheng Yin looked at him quietly, her eyes as calm as if she were listening to a story that had nothing to do with her.
"Forget it," Lin Shirong finally gave up. "Go back and pack your things."
After the door closed, Cheng Yin continued working. She didn't understand why Lin Shirong was angry, just as she didn't understand why Li Yaodong was angry.
This is contradictory. If she is required to redeem the gifts, why was an advance payment approved?
Cheng Yin shut down her computer and walked out of the company building. The night in Haojiang was just beginning to awaken, and the neon lights, like greedy tongues, licked every inch of the darkness.
Cheng Yin replied, "Okay." Then she continued to wait for the car.
The wind tousled her hair, and the neon lights cast shifting colors on her pale face.
Back in room 3306, Cheng Yin took out the redeemed items and hung them back in the dressing room one by one. The dark green velvet dress and the black gown each carried the distinctive scent of a secondhand shop, as if they had experienced a brief escape only to be captured again.
After taking a shower and changing into her pajamas, she sat on the bed and worked.
The sound of the door lock turning startled her.
Li Yaodong walked in, his suit jacket draped over his arm, his tie loose, and his eyes tired. He glanced at Cheng Yin, said nothing, and went straight to the bathroom.
The sound of running water filled the air, and steam seeped out from the cracks in the door, carrying the scent of ambergris shower gel.
Cheng Yin continued working until Li Yaodong came out of the shower. He was wearing a bathrobe, his hair still dripping wet, and he sat down on the bed with his back to her.
He suddenly spoke up: "I heard you sold gifts."
Cheng Yin put down her laptop: "It's back."
Why sell it?
"My aunt is asking for a dowry of 50,000 yuan."
Li Yaodong turned to look at her: "So?"
"I don't have enough money."
Why didn't you contact me?
"You're angry."
Lai Yiu-tung's expression became complex: "My anger doesn't affect the debt relationship."
"But it will affect your decision-making," Cheng Yin said realistically. "People are more prone to making wrong judgments when they are emotionally unstable."
"Cheng Yin, do you know what a normal person would do?"
Cheng Yin shook her head.
"They'll lie," Li Yaodong leaned closer, his breath on her face. "They'll say 'I accidentally lost it' or 'It was stolen,' instead of 'I sold it because I needed money to pay my aunt.'"
Cheng Yin thought for a moment: "But that's dishonest."
"Honesty?" Li Yaodong sneered. "You sold the gift and you're talking about honesty?"
Cheng Yin didn't understand his logic. In her view, honestly selling the goods to pay off the debt was far more justifiable than lying to cover it up.
But she didn't explain further, she just looked at Li Yaodong quietly, waiting for his next question.
"Did Lin Shirong help you redeem it?" Li Yaodong asked.
Cheng Yin nodded: "He paid for it himself."
"And then they approved your salary advance?"
"Um."
Li Yaodong's expression became even more complex: "Do you know why he did that?"
Cheng Yin shook her head.
"Because he's afraid of me," Li Yaodong said softly, "afraid that he'll do something terrible if he finds out you sold the gifts."
Cheng Yin frowned: "Can you?"
Li Yaodong didn't answer. He reached out and gently touched Cheng Yin's cheek with his fingertips, the movement incredibly tender: "Do you know what a normal person would do when they receive a gift?"
Cheng Yin shook her head again.
"They'll cherish it. They'll be happy, grateful, and... keep it in their hearts." Li Yaodong's fingers slid to her collarbone, "But all you do is keep track of the expenses, ask about the tuition fees, and then politely say 'thank you'..."
"I'm not normal," she said softly.
Li Yaodong's hand paused. He withdrew it, stood up, and walked to the window, his back looking particularly lonely against the backdrop of the Haojiang night view: "Sleep."
Cheng Yin turned off her laptop and lay down. Li Yaodong stood by the window for a long time, so long that she almost fell asleep.
In a daze, she felt the mattress sink, and Li Yaodong lay down next to her, his back to her, with an invisible boundary between them.
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