Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 74 - 73: Drank Too Much
"A relationship?"
Hearing those words, Zhao Jianing’s interest was immediately piqued, and she chirped excitedly.
"I’m going! I have to go! See you at the usual spot tonight!"
"Okay."
After hanging up, Qin Yuenan walked out of her office, took the elevator to the B1 level, and drove her Volvo S90 away from the company.
She then went to ZB Fitness. After looking around for a bit, she couldn’t find any sign of Lin Shen.
’This guy is slacking off on the second day.’
Qin Yuenan muttered to herself, her longing for Lin Shen transforming into a WeChat message.
[Qin Yuenan: Why didn’t you come to the gym today?]
[Lin Shen: I had something to do today.]
’Something to do?’
The first thing that popped into Qin Yuenan’s head was that Lin Shen had gone on a date with another girl.
After all, he’d already quit his job, and she hadn’t arranged any new work for him. What else would he be doing with all his free time?
As all sorts of suspicions raced through her mind, Qin Yuenan pinched her own cheek hard.
’What am I thinking?!’
’When did I become so insecure?’
’Lin Shen is his own person. Isn’t it perfectly normal for him to have his own things to do?’
Qin Yuenan took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, and went to the third floor for her personal training session.
Although she was quite satisfied with her healthy physique, consistency was always more important than a momentary whim.
Especially after becoming more intimate with Lin Shen, she had started paying more and more attention to her figure.
8:30 PM.
Qin Yuenan left the gym and headed to the place she had agreed to meet Zhao Jianing.
M1NT Club.
It was their usual spot, and Qin Yuenan saw her best friend right away.
Zhao Jianing saw her at the same time and waved a greeting.
"Over here!"
Qin Yuenan walked over, dropped her bag on the chair next to her, and had just sat down when Zhao Jianing eagerly started questioning her.
"What’s the relationship gossip? Did you make some progress with that little assistant of yours?"
"..."
Qin Yuenan didn’t answer directly, deliberately keeping Zhao Jianing in suspense.
She first ordered a Mojito from the waiter. After it arrived, she took a light sip of the refreshingly sweet and sour cocktail before speaking softly.
"I kissed him."
???
Hearing the word "kissed" come out of Qin Yuenan’s mouth, Zhao Jianing was filled with confusion, thinking she must have misheard.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I kissed Lin Shen."
Qin Yuenan said with perfect composure, as if stating a simple fact.
"It was the night before last."
"No way! Things are moving that fast!?"
Zhao Jianing was completely stunned, her eyes filled with curiosity about Qin Yuenan’s love life.
"What happened between you two? Didn’t you just deny liking him a little while ago?"
"I did deny it, but..."
Qin Yuenan felt a little lost, facing these complex emotions she had never experienced before. She slowly recounted the story of taking care of Lin Shen the other night when he was drunk, including the kiss at the end.
After listening, Zhao Jianing scratched her hair, a frantic look on her face. She just couldn’t understand.
"So you’re saying, you haven’t defined the relationship, you haven’t held hands, you haven’t hugged, and then he said he wanted to kiss you, and you just went along with it?"
"I wasn’t really sure why I agreed at the time..."
Qin Yuenan pressed her forehead against the rim of her glass, her beautiful eyes squeezed shut, looking completely tormented.
"My mind went completely blank, and the atmosphere was just too good, so I just..."
"Tsk tsk, I really didn’t expect this."
Zhao Jianing clicked her tongue twice, then a mischievous smile spread across her face.
"I never thought my dear Nannan would be so bold when it comes to relationships!"
In Zhao Jianing’s mind, since Qin Yuenan was twenty-eight and still not looking for a boyfriend, she must be frigid.
But now it seemed the internet was right!
Being ’frigid’ just means you haven’t met the right person yet. The moment you do, you instantly turn into a love-struck fool!
At that moment, Zhao Jianing’s impression of Qin Yuenan changed drastically. She rested her elbow on the table, cupped her cheek, and said with a grin.
"No wonder you were asking me about outfits a while back, and even had me recommend brands of black stockings. It was all for your little boyfriend."
"He’s not my boyfriend."
"..."
Qin Yuenan’s words completely confused Zhao Jianing.
"Don’t tell me you registered your marriage and are husband and wife now?"
"That’s not it."
Qin Yuenan briefly summarized Lin Shen’s relationship history, adding her own thoughts and frustrations, and asked Zhao Jianing for advice.
"What do you think he’s really thinking?"
"It’s simple. He’s scared."
Zhao Jianing shrugged, speaking with the confidence of a relationship expert.
"A guy only truly believes in love once in his life: his first love. That’s the real reason why guys can never seem to forget their first love."
"After that, no matter what happens, if they break up—even if it’s the girl’s fault—they’ll always look for reasons within themselves first, wondering if there was something they didn’t do well enough."
"Through this process of self-analysis, they develop a new understanding of themselves and of love. They become cautious, no longer so brave."
"Of course, during this time, they might still be driven by lust or actively pursue girls, but they won’t put in one hundred percent of their heart like the first time—that passionate, reckless devotion."
"So, it’s highly unlikely that Lin Shen will be the one to confess his feelings to you."
Zhao Jianing shook her head helplessly, which made Qin Yuenan bite her lip, her expression conflicted.
"Are you saying I have to be the one to tell him how I feel first?"
"Can you do that?"
"I..."
Qin Yuenan’s red lips parted as if to speak, but she stopped herself. Instead, she took another sip of her cocktail and said softly.
"I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t know how."
"There you have it."
Zhao Jianing took a small sip of her drink through the straw, then offered some comfort.
"But you don’t need to worry so much. These things happen naturally when the time is right. Sometimes you don’t even need a confession; you can get together just by locking eyes."
"..."
Qin Yuenan cupped the glass with both hands as countless worries flooded her mind all at once.
Setbacks with her promotion at work, the uncertainty of her love life.
It all washed over her like a tide, drowning her, and she began to gulp down her Mojito.
Seeing this, Zhao Jianing asked curiously.
"You didn’t drive here today?"
"I did."
Qin Yuenan slammed her empty glass on the table with a THUD, then called the waiter over and ordered a Tequila Sunrise.
Zhao Jianing seemed to notice something was off with her mood and asked with concern.
"Nannan, is there something else bothering you?"
"It’s that thing I always complain to you about."
Qin Yuenan was looking a little tipsy from the alcohol, her pretty face flushed a faint, rosy red.
Shedding her usual cold and aloof image, she started frantically ranting and complaining about her troubles at work.
Zhao Jianing listened intently, nodding from time to time in agreement.
Soon, Qin Yuenan had finished her Tequila Sunrise.
Just as she was about to order a third drink, Zhao Jianing quickly stopped her.
"Don’t drink any more. The cocktails here are pretty strong."
"Who are you to tell me what to do?"
Numbed by the alcohol, Qin Yuenan’s mind was already a bit fuzzy, and even her usual cool tone had taken on a petulant, flirtatious quality.
She let out a small hiccup, rubbing the empty glass in her hands as she murmured.
"Do you think Lin Shen will turn into a scumbag because he’s been hurt before?"
"Uh, well..."
Actually, Zhao Jianing had originally planned to just fudge an answer to get by, but Qin Yuenan’s narrowed eyes, though a bit hazy, were incredibly sincere.
It made her feel bad about lying.
"I think he will."
Zhao Jianing said softly, swirling the cocktail in her glass.
"After a guy gets hurt emotionally, he enters a self-protection phase for a while and stops actively looking for love."
"Because during that time, he usually can’t tell which girl’s feelings for him are real and which are fake."
"However, if multiple girls like him during this period, he most likely won’t choose just one of them. Instead, he’ll keep things ambiguous with all of them—becoming a so-called ’scumbag’."
"Is that so."
A hint of resentment colored Qin Yuenan’s expression as she muttered under her breath.
"Lin Shen is so handsome. Of course, a lot of girls will like him."
"Then you should be more obvious about your feelings for him, so he gets the hint."
"I gave him a million yuan. Isn’t that obvious enough?"
PFFT—!
"COUGH! COUGH!"
As soon as Qin Yuenan said this, Zhao Jianing, who had been taking a sip of her drink, choked violently. After a few harsh coughs, she stared at her in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I gave him a million yuan to invest."
"Are you crazy!?"
Zhao Jianing slammed her hand on the table and shot up, a chill running straight from her tailbone to the top of her skull.
"How long have you known him to give him a million yuan? Do you even know him? Do you know anything about his family background, his education, his living situation, his past?"
"I know a little, I guess."
"You need to know the details!"
Zhao Jianing was starting to panic.
She had thought Qin Yuenan was frigid and always handled things with a calm and cool head, certain that she would never lose her mind over a relationship.
But she’d let her guard down for just a moment, hadn’t kept an eye on her for a few days, and she’d just handed over a million yuan?
’Oh my god!’
’Being love-struck is terrifying!’
The alcohol in Zhao Jianing’s system vanished instantly, and a deeply ominous premonition flooded her mind.
’Nannan couldn’t have been scammed, could she?’
’A handsome, gentle, and talented perfect man... kissing before the relationship is even confirmed... taking a million yuan under the guise of an investment...’
’When you put all these pieces together, nothing about it seems right!’
"Get Lin Shen over here!"
Zhao Jianing walked up to Qin Yuenan, grabbed her by the shoulders, and stressed seriously.
"Now! Immediately! Right away!"
"But he said he had something to do..."
"You have to call him anyway!"
Seeing Qin Yuenan’s conflicted expression, Zhao Jianing came up with an idea.
"Just tell him you’ve been drinking and ask him to come drive for you."
"Won’t that sound a bit too demanding?"
"Then add one more sentence at the end."
A mischievous smile played on Zhao Jianing’s lips.
"I guarantee that as soon as he sees it, he’ll drop everything he’s doing."
*
*
9:30 PM.
「Min’an District, Building 5, master bedroom of apartment 403.」
After the two-hour effects of the Concentration Pill wore off, Lin Shen, sitting at his desk, stretched lazily. He picked up his water glass for a sip while checking over the "Cat Cafe Promotional Strategy" he had just organized to see if there were any issues.
Looking it over, every aspect was quite thorough, and the feasibility was extremely high.
’Not bad at all!’
Lin Shen leaned back in his gaming chair, marveling inwardly.
He realized the Concentration Pill not only helped him focus on one thing but also ensured that the work he produced was 100% accurate!
Whether that was actually true remained to be seen, but at the very least, it wouldn’t lead him astray.
’Time to take a shower.’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
As Lin Shen stood up to leave the master bedroom, his phone suddenly buzzed with a message from Qin Yuenan.
[Qin Yuenan: Are you done with your work? I’ve been drinking, can you come drive for me? I’ll give you a reward after you take me home.]
