Chapter 119: Su Liang's Money Was Stolen

It wasn’t until Qin Fang and the other woman sat down beside Xu Lin that they noticed Xu Lin was watching the scene unfold nearby. Qin Fang’s expression immediately darkened.

She could afford to lose face in front of anyone else, but never in front of Xu Lin. So Qin Fang stopped her pleasantries and ceased her flattering words.

With this cold demeanor, Su Liang's favorability rating dropped by two points, falling from eighty to seventy-four, and now down to seventy-two.

The more Su Liang thought about it, the more wronged he felt. His favorability score plummeted another point, down to seventy-one.

He had put in so much effort, yet Qin Fang didn’t understand him at all. She even played hide-and-seek with him, causing him to go hungry and exhausted all day.

After only a short time of coaxing him, she turned cold again. Su Liang suddenly longed for his life back in the capital.

Back then in the capital, who didn’t pamper him?

Recalling the past and comparing it to now, Su Liang’s favorability rating dropped swiftly by another point, marking seventy.

Hearing the system’s notification about the further drop, Qin Fang was nearly furious enough to spit blood, unable to understand why the score kept falling.

In just one day, it had dropped ten points—ten points! It had taken her months to raise it that high.

Was Su Liang doomed?

Xu Lin, overhearing Qin Fang’s inner thoughts, struggled to hold back her laughter several times but eventually couldn’t help it. A sly smile crept across her lips as she ate with relish.

Seeing her ambiguous smile, Qin Fang was too angry to utter any coaxing words.

The atmosphere between Qin Fang and Su Liang was dismally tense, and Su Liang’s expression grew increasingly sour.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xu Lin left the restaurant in high spirits, hopping on her bicycle and heading back to the village, completely indifferent to the situation between the two.

Back at the youth commune, as soon as she opened the door, Qian Li poked her head out, delighted to see Xu Lin return, and hurried over.

“You’re back! Did you go to the county seat?”

She stepped forward to take Xu Lin’s large burlap sack, feeling its weight and grinning, “What did you buy? It’s so heavy.”

“A few food items and daily necessities, plus a few pounds of pork,” Xu Lin replied as she leaned her bicycle against the wall and went to take the bag.

“Did you really get meat?” Qian Li’s eyes shone brightly, nearly drooling.

Wu Siyu and Fu Yaqin also came over, gasping at the mention of meat.

Xu Lin’s gaze swept over the three of them, and she whispered, “I bought it on the black market—got lucky running into it.”

“Really? I went to the black market two or three times and never saw anyone selling meat,” Wu Siyu said enviously. “You’re just lucky.”

Fu Yaqin nodded in agreement. Meat was incredibly hard to come by now, and even with money, there was no guarantee.

Thinking back to the letter burned last night, Fu Yaqin pondered carefully and cast a suspicious glance at Xu Lin.

She guessed Xu Lin was the most likely to have gotten hold of the letter yesterday.

Moreover, if Xu Lin hadn’t led the disturbance, she might still be under Hu Changming’s blackmail.

Fu Yaqin wanted to thank Xu Lin but found no proper reason, so she could only send a grateful look with her eyes.

Seeing Xu Lin had just returned, and the kang bed-stove inside hadn’t been lit yet, she quickly helped start the fire.

“Linlin, your firewood isn’t much left. If you don’t have enough, come get some from me—I have plenty.”

“Thanks, but I told Huzi and the others that they’d bring some over tomorrow,” Xu Lin smiled in response, neither rejecting Wu Siyu’s kindness nor taking advantage.

The four chatted as Xu Lin took out a large piece of pork. Qian Li and the others’ eyes lit up.

“Do you want some? I can share, but the price will be a bit higher.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Qian Li licked her lips. “Can I have a pound?”

“Sure. I also bought quite a bit of bones.” Xu Lin pulled out over ten pounds of pork ribs from the sack.

She truly wasn’t picky, having bought all the meat and bones from the stall owner.

Thinking of the vendor’s expression, Xu Lin felt a sense of accomplishment—after all, not every woman had the means to be a spendthrift.

Qian Li thought of braised ribs. Though the meat was scarce, the flavor was excellent.

And the rib soup was delicious too.

No more words needed—just buy!

Qian Li bought a pound of meat and a pound of ribs; Wu Siyu bought half a pound more since she ate with Han Hong and Zhang Qiang, two big eaters.

Fu Yaqin, like Qian Li, bought a pound each.

Despite being extorted for so much money by Hu Changming, Fu Yaqin showed no hesitation in spending, proving she was truly favored.

But Xu Lin’s focus wasn’t on them—it was on Qian Li.

Although Qin Fang and her dog system hadn’t mentioned Qian Li today, Xu Lin knew they wouldn’t let her off easily.

Qian Li was a fortunate person, blessed with strong luck.

One could say her fortune ranked high within the youth commune.

Compared to when Xu Lin first saw Qian Li, it was clear her luck had diminished somewhat—had the system absorbed some of it?

Xu Lin was slightly surprised; this meant Qian Li’s favorability toward Qin Fang had actually increased.

As long as the favorability didn’t rise, Qian Li’s luck wouldn’t decrease.

Indeed, Xu Lin was at a loss for words—complaining about Qin Fang’s behavior while simultaneously growing fond of her.

Qian Li was a contradictory character.

No one knew how Qian Li had developed fondness for Qin Fang.

Making a mental note of this, Xu Lin changed the subject and asked, “Did you all go to the commune today?”

The three nodded. Qian Li said, “We weren’t planning to go, but then Su Liang came back and said Qin Fang had disappeared. Sigh.”

Fu Yaqin and Wu Siyu sighed along with her, “We were all guilt-tripped by Su Liang into going to the commune to look for her.

We searched for a long time but found nothing. Later, we suggested checking the county seat, but when we asked Su Liang to cover the transportation costs, he stubbornly refused.”

Xu Lin’s face showed shock, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t he offer to treat you to a meal?”

“No.” Wu Siyu shook her head. She also thought Su Liang was inconsiderate.

Whether or not they found Qin Fang, they deserved at least a drink or a meal—not to help for nothing.

“I heard Su Liang’s money was stolen, so he probably doesn’t have much left,” Qian Li revealed.

Xu Lin suddenly perked up. Su Liang losing his money was truly good news!

Without money, how could he compete for the team leader position?

“Did he really lose it? When did it happen?” Fu Yaqin asked eagerly, her interest in gossip shining through.

Feeling a weight lift from her heart, she brightened considerably.

“Soon after he and Qin Fang argued and separated, I heard he borrowed money from Han Hong.”

Qian Li didn’t hold back, recounting everything she had heard in detail.

Han Hong disapproved of Su Liang, thinking he was a disgrace to the young masters from the capital, chasing after a woman like a spineless fool.

But since they all came from the capital, they might run into each other again someday, so Han Hong lent Su Liang ten yuan.

Unexpectedly, Su Liang thought it wasn’t enough.