Rebirth Counterattack with Space
Chapter 495 - 477: Face is a Big Deal

Chapter 495: Chapter 477: Face is a Big Deal

Qi Xinrou wasn’t foolish. Faced with choosing between those clothes, the necklace, and the hundred thousand yuan, she resolutely picked the latter. Before knowing the specifics of the situation, she couldn’t yet give up on Baili Chengye. What if this was all just a test from him?

Determined, Qi Xinrou held back her heartache and regret as she spoke, "Chengye, I really need to take that money back to my mom... sob sob sob, am I useless? I know this is when you need help, but I just can’t help you. It’s not my fault I have such bad luck, and it’s not like I wanted to have that kind of mom. No matter how bad she is, she gave birth to me and raised me..."

She gritted her teeth and steeled her heart to say, "Chengye, many of my pieces of jewelry are still quite new. If you really need it, why don’t we pawn them for now? I’ve kept almost all the receipts, what do you think about that?"

Fortunately, the more valuable pieces of jewelry had been kept at home because she was afraid of them getting stolen if left in the rarely occupied apartment. Baili Chengye had managed to unearth her hidden savings certificates, so he surely must have seen those pieces of jewelry as well.

Pfft, what kind of face does a man have to resort to looking at a woman’s jewelry and private money when in trouble?

Qi Xinrou felt an overwhelming sense of frustration and irritation but had to patiently placate Baili Chengye. She became more convinced that the Bai Family was indeed facing a serious crisis. At the first sign of trouble, Baili Chengye’s first thought was to consider women’s jewelry and private savings.

Suddenly, her confidence in the Bai Family’s ability to recover dissipated. It seemed too difficult for someone with Chengye’s mentality to achieve great things. Not to mention creating wealth, he probably would even struggle to maintain it. How could she still dream of living a life of immense wealth with him? Besides, what would he amount to without his family’s business?

While Qi Xinrou was utterly disappointed in Baili Chengye, he felt the exact opposite about her. Her words deeply moved him, "Rourou, don’t blame yourself. You, rest assured—"

Clenching his teeth, he remembered some money and items he managed to gather from home the day before. The saying that even a starving camel is bigger than a horse held true. In truth, those hundred thousand yuan and Rourou’s jewelry were like a drop in a bucket, something that could be put aside and utilized when most needed.

He knew all too well what kind of person Qi Xinrou’s mother was, just like Rourou had said, a petty bourgeois, fussing over every penny. A few thousand yuan would make her turn heaven and earth upside down.

Unless necessary, it was best not to provoke her. After all, Rourou’s name was on that savings certificate. If it truly became necessary, considering Rourou’s sincerity towards him, asking her to sneak it out wouldn’t be difficult.

Thus, Baili Chengye spoke softly, "I’ll bring the money to you tonight and you can deposit it into your own name then. As for the necklace and clothes, let’s return them. I might not be able to give you money for a while, but keeping half of it with you should keep you from being too strapped for cash.

"As for those gifts you already bought for your parents, just leave them be. Gather the receipts for your jewelry at home and keep them with me for now. This is just a temporary hardship for you, but I won’t let you suffer for long."

"Mm, Chengye..."

Qi Xinrou began to cry, touched that Baili Chengye was willing to return the hundred thousand yuan. She would have to accept the other losses. Though the words she bit out were filled with a sweetness that could bring tears to one’s eyes, "I’m just happy you don’t blame me for not being able to help you more. Chengye, no matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side. We’ll get through this together forever."

"...Rourou, I love you. Rest assured, once we get past this tough period, I’ll marry you properly with a grand ceremony," Baili Chengye declared with his precious "thousand-gold" tears, making a solemn promise.

"Alright, I believe you."

After hanging up the call, Qi Xinrou thought back to her response delivered in earnest. If the Bai Family could indeed weather this storm and Baili Chengye was willing to marry her, how could she possibly refuse? She had heard Chengye complain more than once about how his mother could spend so lavishly, with expenses amounting to hundreds of thousands each month.

For that kind of life, Qi Xinrou had long been yearning. Compared to the "hardship" of secretly saving up a mere hundred thousand over several months, handling hundreds of thousands in a month...

Qi Xinrou sneered secretly at how naive Cheng Ping was with her calculations. If it were her, she could at least skim off a third to tuck away into her own private stash. Blood is thicker than water, but money speaks louder than relatives; when it comes down to it, parents and men are slightly more reliable.

She was not Zhao Xuan, that fool who could be swayed by a few harsh words and actually be wholeheartedly loyal to Baili Chengye.

"Xinrou, what’s happened? Didn’t I hear you mention something about ten thousand yuan, returning clothes and jewelry, and your dad’s early retirement or something?" Tian Lili, seeing Qi Xinrou end the call with a somewhat uncertain expression, moved closer with a guise of concern that barely concealed the gleam of gossip in her eyes.

"Isn’t it just that my mom saw those things when I went back yesterday? She thought they were too expensive and couldn’t bear it, insisting that I return them and give her the money. Of course, I refused, but she actually called Chengye and said my grandfather was ill and needed money. She asked for too much all at once, and Chengye had trouble asking his parents for it on short notice, so he also suggested that I return the necklace and those unworn clothes first, to help cover my grandfather’s medical expenses."

Qi Xinrou glanced at Tian Lili, feeling quite irritated inside. If only she had just left and not let her overhear such vexing matters. Now, after showing off the necklace and new clothes to her, if she returned the items immediately, what would she say when Tian Lili asked about it afterwards?

To tell the truth would simply be too embarrassing.

With a shifty eye, Qi Xinrou touched the necklace on her neck and sighed, "You know what my mom is like. I can’t win against her; she’s someone who won’t give up until she gets her way. But what can I do since she’s my mom? It’s lucky Chengye often advises me not to mind her too much, to be filial and respect my elders. He also promised to compensate me doubly afterward."

"Your mom is really something. But then, we don’t get to choose our parents, do we? Are you actually going to return all this stuff?" Tian Lili showed a look of pity. She had known Qi Xinrou for a long time, and given that her grandmother’s house was in the same area as Qi Xinrou’s family, she had heard about Qi Xinrou’s domineering and abrasive mother.

"What else can I do?" Qi Xinrou’s annoyance and helplessness were not feigned; her face showed shades of gloom as she replied half-truth and half-lie, "Chengye has already spoken, how can I contradict him? You may think they’re wealthy, but his family keeps a tight rein on finances. His monthly allowance is also limited to just a few tens of thousands. Plus, he has his own hobbies like that pricey sound system and home cinema installation, each costing tens of thousands. His mother might surreptitiously subsidize him, but it’s only so much."

Just a few tens of thousands a month for pocket money? Hobbies that cost tens of thousands?!

Tian Lili swallowed hard, rendered speechless by Qi Xinrou’s casual tone. The world of the rich was indeed incomparable to that of ordinary folks like them; her mother had worked at the company for decades and only made five to six hundred a month. Her sister, who didn’t get into college, now earned merely over three hundred a month from working.

Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands—perhaps she would have to save for many years, or even a lifetime, without spending on anything else?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.