Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 494 - 476 Various Thoughts

Chapter 494: Chapter 476 Various Thoughts

"How much of the twenty thousand I just gave you do you have left?" Baili Chengye’s voice was heavy with exhaustion.

Qi Xinrou’s heart "thumped," but she responded with the same sweet, soft voice she always used with Baili Chengye, "What’s the matter? Did something happen?"

"How much is left?" Baili Chengye had no patience to beat around the bush and asked again, his voice tinged with impatience.

"About a little over a thousand." Qi Xinrou didn’t dare to beat around the bush. She had a premonition that she wouldn’t be able to keep the rest of the money, so she reported less than she actually had, which was in fact seven or eight thousand. However, most of it was hidden at home, and she really only had a little over a thousand on her.

"Why so little? How did you spend it all in just one day?" Baili Chengye’s brow furrowed deeply, his displeasure evident in his tone.

"I bought a platinum necklace and a few clothes. My mom’s birthday is coming up in a few days, so I also bought her clothes and jewelry as gifts, and yesterday I took them out for a nice meal."

Qi Xinrou felt uneasy inside. It was unprecedented for Chengye to suddenly care about how she spent the money he had given her. Had the Bai Family encountered another financial crisis?

Thinking back to their last economic crisis and how she helped to trick Zhao Xuan, the silly one, it didn’t seem reasonable for the Bai Family to have problems so soon again, especially with the support of the Zhao Family’s substantial wealth.

Could it be that something had been exposed?

Although Qi Xinrou didn’t know the specifics, her instincts told her it wasn’t anything good. Even if they got through this time smoothly, what about the next? The Bai Family’s repeated troubles suggested that they probably weren’t cut out for business.

Luckily, over the years, she had managed to save up a little money while being with Baili Chengye—it hadn’t been all for naught.

As she mulled over this, she started considering leaving, and her responses grew more ambiguous. The things she had bought for herself were all traceable, but surely Baili Chengye wouldn’t interrogate her about the gifts for her own mother, right?

She did indeed buy her mom some jewelry yesterday, just a small pair of gold earrings, and she also did take her parents out for a meal, but the expense wasn’t significant—it was less than a thousand in total.

Although it was only a thousand, even if she inflated the amount to six or seven thousand, was Baili Chengye really going to confront her parents about it?

Suddenly, she remembered the deposit slip for a hundred thousand she had just saved and had left in the small apartment they had off-campus, which she had forgotten to bring home. She began to feel an inexplicable sense of anxiety and regret for not remembering to take the deposit slip home with her yesterday.

"A thousand it is, then. Return the things you bought yesterday, and however much cash you can get back, that’s how much it is. The company’s account has some issues, and I’m running short on cash. Xinrou, you’ll have to bear with it for now. Once the company’s issues are resolved, I’ll compensate you double," Baili Chengye said, patiently coaxing Qi Xinrou.

"But..."

I’ve already worn the necklace, and also the most expensive dress—the tags are cut off and it’s on me, how can I return them?

Qi Xinrou swallowed these words before they reached her lips. She had no intention of giving up anything she had gotten. Paying double in the future? Hmph, if men’s words were reliable, pigs could climb trees. But she didn’t need to pick a fight right at this moment. She could gather some information first. If it didn’t seem too serious, why not play the part of a "virtuous" wife?

The things she bought couldn’t be returned. At worst, she would face him later and use that as an excuse. Right, she could also say that she had already washed all those clothes and couldn’t return them.

Having made up her mind, Qi Xinrou steadied her heart and changed to a worried tone, "Mmm, Chengye, I’ll listen to you. What happened all of a sudden? Is it very serious? It’s a shame I can’t be of any help to you."

"It’s nothing serious, just the usual cash flow issues in business. Don’t ask too much, you wouldn’t understand. Hurry up and return those things and bring the money back tonight, I’ll wait for you."

Hearing Qi Xinrou agree so readily and with a tone of concern, Baili Chengye felt a bit relieved. Before hanging up, he suddenly added, "Oh, and the 100,000 yuan savings certificate you had in the wardrobe, the one you just deposited not long ago, I’ve already taken it out for emergency use. I’ll pay you back double in the future. You should also take out the money you’ve saved before and give it to me for the emergency. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down later."

In Baili Chengye’s mind, Qi Xinrou had been with him since high school. He had spent quite a bit on her over the years, and now she could secretly save money, which meant she must have saved a lot before too. That money, he reasoned, was rightfully his, so he had no qualms about asking her for it.

"Ah, you’ve taken out that 100,000 yuan?" Qi Xinrou’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but scream.

"What’s wrong?" Baili Chengye turned unpleasant suddenly.

"That money isn’t what I saved. I spent all the money you gave me. How could I have any left? That money is actually my parents’."

In a flash, Qi Xinrou didn’t want to reveal her hand just yet, but she also couldn’t stomach the thought of her hard-earned "savings" no longer being hers. Thus, she put on a sad face and explained, "It’s my parents’ life savings, including the severance package from my dad’s factory. They had asked me to deposit it in the bank for them recently since I am an only child, so I put it under my name. Just yesterday, my parents asked for the savings certificate, and when I told them I forgot to bring it, my mom even scolded me for my forgetfulness."

So that was it.

Baili Chengye immediately dismissed his displeasure about Qi Xinrou saving money on the side.

Baili Chengye was aware of Qi Xinrou’s father taking a lump-sum payment retirement. He had even comforted her when she complained that her father had worked in the factory all his life, only to walk away with so little money. Thus, Baili Chengye softened his voice a bit, "So it’s like that. But Rourou, this money you..."

"Chengye, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. You’ve been so good to me, I’d spare anything for you in my heart. But you know how my mom is, a true penny-pincher. She’ll argue with people in the market over a dime, a penny even. If I don’t bring that savings certificate back, I’m afraid she’ll make a scene, and it’ll be embarrassing for both of us."

Qi Xinrou began to whimper, inwardly mourning for the platinum necklace she’d barely had a chance to enjoy, and for the clothes she’d yet to wear.