Chapter 53: He’s Doing This to Humiliate Her!

Her best friend, Liu Lingqing, had long since lost her patience. Stepping forward to shield Huang Yuwei behind her, she stood directly in front of Xie Zhao.

“I was wondering who it was! So it’s you, Xie Zhao? What, couldn’t hack it in the countryside, so you’re begging to come back?”

Liu Lingqing shouted, “The Chen Family ignores you, so now you’re here cornering Yuwei. You’re nothing but a toad trying to eat swan meat!”

Her voice was shrill and loud, instantly drawing the attention of many bystanders.

A somewhat strange silence fell over the air.

Who didn’t love watching a good spectacle?

Xie Zhao was taken aback.

He stood in front of Liu Lingqing, staring at her for a moment, and only spoke after a long while: “…Who are you?”

Liu Lingqing’s eyes widened in shock.

She had confronted him so aggressively, yet he didn’t even recognize her?

They had been classmates for a whole year, after all!

He was definitely going out of his way to humiliate her!

In truth, however, Xie Zhao genuinely did not recognize her.

After all, when the college entrance examinations resumed in 1977, a crowd of people desperate to change their destinies had poured into the schools during those chaotic times.

The students’ ages, occupations, and backgrounds varied wildly. In his class, some were high-spirited young men, while others already had children and were supported by their entire families, occasionally leaving toy pinwheels bought for their babies in their desk drawers.

In short, it was a complete mixed bag.

Even Xie Zhao had been seventeen when he started high school.

Back then, his mind had been entirely set on studying hard, getting into college, and making something of himself. How could he have had the time to pay attention to any young female classmates?

On top of that, Liu Lingqing was incredibly plain-looking, the kind of person who would instantly blend into a crowd, so he had no memory of her whatsoever.

Sure enough, someone in the crowd burst out laughing.

“Haha! How hilarious! He doesn’t even know her!”

“True, what do you call that? Flattering oneself!”

“Hard to say, but it looks like the man really doesn’t recognize her.”

…

As the whispers of the crowd reached her ears, Liu Lingqing’s face flushed red, then turned pale.

Embarrassed and enraged, she pointed a finger at Xie Zhao and shouted, “Don’t let him fool you, everyone! He’s no good! He likes my friend and came here specifically to corner her. He must be trying to take advantage of her soft heart to ask her for money!”

Asking for money?

My goodness!

The onlookers immediately looked as though they had heard some major news. Moreover, since Xie Zhao’s face was exceptionally striking, a crowd gathered in no time, pointing and whispering among themselves.

Someone couldn’t help but call out, “Asking for money? He doesn’t even know you, and we didn’t hear him ask for money! Young comrade, you need proof before you make such claims!”

Liu Lingqing’s face turned red and white with embarrassment.

She took an angry step to the side, revealing Huang Yuwei behind her. “He’s asking my friend! He’s taking advantage of her kind heart and cornering her here on purpose! Otherwise, how could a poor farmer like him afford anything in this place?”

Liu Lingqing glanced at Huang Yuwei, snorted, and snapped at Xie Zhao, “Stop pestering Yuwei! The two of you aren’t suited for each other! You don’t deserve her at all!”

Huang Yuwei also finally looked at Xie Zhao, whose expression remained calm.

Her lips trembled slightly, but her expression was resolute, and her eyes were even slightly red.

She said softly, “Xie Zhao, I know saying this will hurt you, but we really aren’t suited for each other.”

Xie Zhao: “…”

How did I never notice before that Huang Yuwei is such a drama queen?

The crowd looked like they were eating up the gossip.

Tsk!

What did this look like?

Unrequited love?

Looking at Xie Zhao, he was clearly dressed like a poor man. Then looking at the girl, her cashmere coat alone was worth several months of expenses for an ordinary family!

It seemed he had failed to win her heart and was now trying to get some money out of her!

Xie Zhao felt a headache coming on.

He truly had no feelings for Huang Yuwei. Years ago, she had written him a few poems. They weren’t particularly well-written, and he had only found them cloying.

Back then, Xie Zhao’s mind had been entirely focused on his studies.

How could he have cared about dating?

It was only out of classmate solidarity that he had occasionally lent a hand when she either had a headache or tripped in front of him.

And as for looks, how could she possibly compare to his wife?

“I came here to buy something. Please step aside.”

Xie Zhao’s tone was calm. He glanced at Huang Yuwei and Liu Lingqing, then added, “If you two hadn’t been blocking my way, I would have finished buying it by now.”

Huang Yuwei froze.

She looked back and realized she was indeed standing right in front of the counter.

With the crowd’s eyes on her, her face burned with embarrassment. She could only grit her teeth and take a few steps to the side.

“Go ahead and buy it then!” she said.

Huang Yuwei knew that behind her was the counter for vanishing cream and clam shell balm.

Clam shell balm cost one yuan a tin, while vanishing cream was three yuan a box!

They were tiny, not even the size of a palm, and ordinary people couldn’t bear to spend that kind of money on them.

Besides, she had heard from Chen Qiming that the Xie Family was dirt poor, often struggling to even put food on the table. How could Xie Zhao possibly have the money to buy this?

He must be making excuses for himself!

Xie Zhao paid no attention to Huang Yuwei’s petty thoughts.

He walked straight to the counter and said to the salesclerk, who was still eagerly watching the drama, “One box of vanishing cream and two tins of clam shell balm.”

“Ah, what?”

The salesclerk blinked, snapping out of it. “Comrade, are you really buying them? They aren’t cheap!”

Xie Zhao nodded.

“Five yuan, right?”

He reached into the blue cloth bag at his side and pulled out a small stack of Da Tuanjie bills.

There was a hundred yuan here.

He would buy the vanishing cream and clam shell balm first, and the rest could go toward the cashmere vest.

“Here you go, comrade. Please make it quick, I’m in a hurry.”

Xie Zhao handed over a single Da Tuanjie, which was a ten-yuan bill.

The salesclerk froze for a second before reacting. Her mouth parted slightly in surprise as she hurriedly reached out to take it.

“Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll wrap them up for you!”

With that, she pulled out a five-yuan bill and handed it back to Xie Zhao. “Here you go, this is your change.”

Xie Zhao took it and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

And at that moment.

The surrounding crowd fell dead silent.

What did they just see?!

So many Da Tuanjie!

That small bundle was a full hundred yuan!

That was nearly three months’ salary for an ordinary worker!

And he had just pulled it out just like that?

Besides, if they weren’t mistaken, the young man’s blue cloth bag was bulging, and it didn’t look like it held only that much. Could it be…

…that it was completely filled with money?

The moment that thought crossed their minds, everyone gasped.

Heavens!

If it was all money, wouldn’t that be several hundred yuan?

That kind of money could buy a small shop in the county seat!

And he was supposed to have no money? Cornering a girl here just to beg for money?

Wasn’t that a joke!

Suddenly, the way everyone looked at Huang Yuwei changed. What was wrong with this girl? Was she lying through her teeth?

“Someone else must have left that money with him!”

Liu Lingqing shouted, “Otherwise, where would you get that kind of money? You must have stolen it!”

Xie Zhao’s expression finally turned cold.