62: Shen Qing's troubles

Shen Qing had been entangled in a massive amount of trouble recently, and it all started three months ago.

At that time, her boyfriend of two years had described a bright entrepreneurial project to her.

He persuaded her to use her status as a university teacher to take out a one million yuan Loan from the Bank as startup capital.

But just last week, when she went to her boyfriend's so-called company again, she was met only by locked glass doors and an empty Office.

Through the dust-covered glass, she could see a few discarded documents scattered inside; even the most basic Office equipment had vanished.

The property management staff told her that the Office was already two months behind on rent, and the tenant had quietly moved everything out last week.

Hearing this news, Shen Qing felt her world spin—the man who said 'I love you' to her every day...

...had actually disappeared without a trace, taking the one million yuan she had braved immense pressure to Loan.

Now, this heavy debt rested entirely on her shoulders alone.

The monthly repayment amount was more than double her salary.

With this month's repayment date approaching, she had searched through all her Bank cards but couldn't even scrape together the minimum payment.

Her family was even less of a help—her parents were honest, simple farmers who had already emptied their savings to put her through school over the years.

Now her younger brother was still in school, counting on her to help the family after she started working.

She was the pride of the family; from her studies to becoming a university teacher, every step she took made her parents feel honored in front of their fellow villagers.

Her name was the best proof in that region that 'education changes fate'.

Originally, she had planned to build a new house for her family once her boyfriend's career stabilized, letting her hardworking parents enjoy their later years in peace.

Who would have thought she'd encounter such a scumbag? Not only were her dreams shattered, but she was also burdened with such a heavy debt.

If she couldn't repay the Loan and the Bank came knocking, or if word reached the school... she simply didn't dare to imagine it.

When that time came, forget about her reputation—she might not even be able to keep this decent job.

Over the past few days, she had tried to borrow from everyone she could, but her former classmates and current colleagues all found various excuses to refuse the moment they heard she needed money.

The only one who expressed a willingness to lend a hand was an older so-called 'friend' from her ex-boyfriend's circle.

That man was quite blunt, saying he could lend her fifty thousand on the condition that she 'accompany' him for a month.

This proposal made her feel a wave of nausea.

She thought of that greasy face and the bloated beer belly that made his shirt buttons look ready to burst; the man was like a bloated hippo.

Just imagining being in the same room as such a man gave her goosebumps from disgust.

Until just now during class, her gaze had inadvertently landed on Chen Li, and a thought suddenly flashed—maybe this student had the ability to help her through this crisis.

But as soon as the idea surfaced, new worries followed: would Chen Li be willing to help her?

Even if he was willing, would he be like that man and propose conditions that were hard for her to speak of?

She gripped her lesson plan tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Asking her own student for help was embarrassing enough; if she couldn't even keep the last bit of her dignity... she didn't dare think further.

But this matter was urgent—if she couldn't raise the money, the repayment date would be her judgment day.

She didn't even dare to think about the consequences of defaulting: the Bank's collection calls would go straight to the school.

Her colleagues would all know she owed a massive amount, her image as a teacher would be ruined, and she might even lose this hard-won job.

The bell rang, and she looked at the still-sleeping Chen Li, her nails digging deep into her palms.

After struggling for a moment, she eventually packed up her lesson plan and silently left the Classroom.

"A Li, wake up, it's time to go."

Guo Zihong walked to Chen Li's desk and gently nudged the still-sleeping boy.

Zhang Yixi teased as he packed his things, "You're really something, sleeping so soundly even in Teacher Shen Qing's class."

At the mention of the goddess teacher in his heart, his eyes brightened a bit.

Chen Li stretched lazily; this nap had indeed restored some of his energy.

He followed his roommates toward the Cafeteria, but he still didn't have much of an appetite, putting down his chopsticks after just a few bites.

Thinking about how he, a young guy, had been worn out like this by two girls...

It seemed he had to complete the system tasks as soon as possible to get that reward for physical enhancement.

When the time came, he would definitely have to show them what he was made of.

Deciding it was better to just take action, he took out his phone and sent a message to Gu Qingcheng: "Qingcheng, do you have class this afternoon?"

"Yes, what's wrong, Brother Chen Li?"

"Ask for leave now and come out with me this afternoon."

"Okay, I'll go ask for leave right now."

Although she didn't know what Chen Li wanted to take her to do, Gu Qingcheng was already used to following his arrangements.

In her heart, as long as her Chen Li said it, she just had to do it.

At two in the afternoon, Chen Li took the graceful Gu Qingcheng and drove to a luxury car showroom in the city center.

His goal was clear, heading straight for the Rolls-Royce 4S dealership.

The Phantom—this ride he had dreamed of, he would buy it directly for Gu Qingcheng today.

Gu Qingcheng hadn't even taken her driver's license test yet, but that didn't stop Chen Li from deciding to register the car in her name.

With a price of over ten million for the top-spec version, it should just about finish off her spending quota.

The moment they walked into the showroom, a sharp-eyed salesman noticed the expensive watch on Chen Li's wrist and the impossibly beautiful girl leaning beside him.

Having been in this industry for a long time, he had already developed a keen eye for identifying real customers.

"Good afternoon, Sir and Miss. I am the sales consultant here, Xiao Li."

He stepped forward quickly and bowed respectfully, "How may I be of service to you?"

"Hello, give us an introduction to the highest configuration of the Phantom."

Chen Li got straight to the point; he didn't want to waste a single moment right now.

"Alright, please follow me, you two."

Xiao Li suppressed his inner excitement, knowing he had encountered a truly major client today.

As they followed the salesman deeper into the showroom, Chen Li suddenly saw two familiar figures ahead.

He subconsciously looked at Gu Qingcheng beside him and found that she also showed a slight expression of surprise.

Does this girl have a natural constitution for attracting these two?

Standing not far ahead of them were precisely his High School classmates Chen Shimei and Zhong Lili.

The couple seemed to be looking at cars as well; he hadn't expected to run into them here.

Chen Li couldn't help but complain in his heart: Talk about a small world.

Chen Shimei looked up and also spotted Chen Li and his companion, an undisguised look of contempt instantly flashing in his eyes.

The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, as if he were seeing something that shouldn't appear here.

In his eyes, a poor loser like Chen Li formed a laughable contrast with the gleaming luxury cars in the showroom.

He sneered inwardly; this old classmate who had to budget carefully for even his tuition fees now actually dared to step into a Rolls-Royce showroom with his girlfriend.

He probably couldn't even afford a single thread of the handmade wool carpet in the showroom.