Chapter 289 - 287: Clarity

Chapter 289: Chapter 287: Clarity

"Of course it is."

Gu Nuan Nuan retorted, "There are direct bus routes that stop right at my school and my front door. Why would I go out of my way to bother my parents or my uncle for a ride?"

"Of course, it’s so people don’t look down on you," Lin Qiao said, her eyes wide with confusion. "Isn’t that why all those other students have their families drive them? If you don’t show people your family’s status, they’ll just look down on you. Just like they did before."

"What does it matter if they look down on me or look up to me? I don’t have to care about any of that," Gu Nuan Nuan said, shaking her head.

"...You’re right..." Lin Qiao sighed. "You can certainly afford to be that proud."

"You’re wrong. It’s not pride, it’s confidence—and it’s something you can have too. It doesn’t come from whether your family is poor or rich, but from within yourself," Gu Nuan Nuan said, shaking her head. "As long as you believe in yourself and work hard enough, a day will come when no one in this world can look down on you."

"I do work hard enough..." Lin Qiao was quiet for a long moment, then her expression turned even more sullen. "But I have to admit, I still don’t believe in myself enough. So what am I supposed to do? I just can’t feel confident."

"..." Gu Nuan Nuan watched her for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "It’s fine. In any case, you’ve already sold yourself to me. So all you need to do is keep working hard. If you can’t believe in yourself yet, then you can start by believing in me."

"Yes, yes! Nuannuan, that’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say! It’s just what I was thinking~~ From now on, I’m going to have to hold on tight to a benefactor like you." Lin Qiao nodded eagerly, then gave her a shameless, cheeky grin.

Gu Nuan Nuan looked at her, surprised at first, but then she keenly spotted the anxiety and caution hidden beneath the grin. She couldn’t help but tease, "Is that all the ambition you have?"

"You can’t blame me. Riding on your coattails just feels too good." Lin Qiao snuck a glance at Gu Nuan Nuan’s expression. Seeing she wasn’t angry, Lin Qiao breathed a sigh of relief, stuck out her tongue, and continued to grin. "When has Chen Laosan ever been that polite to me before? Believe me, if it weren’t for you, I would never have dared to speak to him like that. If I did, I bet the whole village would be spreading gossip about me by tomorrow. Plus, you said you’d lend our family money. What if I stop clinging to my powerful benefactor and you go back on your word?"

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll feel like you’re using me when you’re being so blunt about it?" Gu Nuan Nuan was speechless.

"Nope. You said it yourself—I have an indenture contract. I’ve decided: in life I’m your person, and in death I’ll be your ghost. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do," Lin Qiao said with a carefree grin.

"..." Gu Nuan Nuan said, amused, "Then what if I told you to go kill someone and commit arson? Would you do it?"

"You wouldn’t," Lin Qiao stated with conviction, a sudden confidence bubbling up from nowhere. "My intuition is really good. You’re just not that kind of person."

"Heh." Gu Nuan Nuan chuckled. "What if I suddenly want to get a refund?"

"No, you can’t! All sales are final, no returns or exchanges." Lin Qiao immediately grew anxious and pouted. "When I first found out about your identity, I was honestly shocked. My first instinct was that you were probably pitying me. But after thinking it over, I figured it couldn’t be just pity. We have our long-standing revolutionary friendship, after all. You’re the ’cold on the outside, warm on the inside’ type. You might act like you don’t care about anything, but who was it that shamelessly stuck to you all this time? Me! Plus, I’ve signed the indenture contract now. I’m one of your own people, right?"

After saying her piece, she licked her lips. "Nuannuan, the reason you had me sign that indenture contract... it’s because you already have a plan for the future, isn’t it? Something you need me to do?"

"Yes. Your guess is correct. I do have a plan for the future, and it’s not something I can do alone. I need someone to help me see it through. Having you sign the ’indenture contract’ wasn’t planned. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision today after we interacted more. I think you’re interesting and smart enough, so I decided to give you a chance." Since Lin Qiao had guessed, Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t hide it from her anymore. In fact, she was even more satisfied with Lin Qiao’s intelligence and insight. "But whether you want to take this chance is up to you; I won’t actually force you. Even if you say no right now, I won’t go back on my word about lending you the money."

"I’m willing," Lin Qiao nodded without a hint of hesitation.

"You’re agreeing before you even know what I want you to do? Aren’t you afraid you’ll regret it later?"

"I don’t really have any special plans for what to do when I grow up. Well... that’s not entirely true. I do want to make money. Lots and lots of money, so my parents can live a good life and be envied by others. But I don’t want to do anything illegal or immoral. Mmm, I haven’t really thought much beyond that." Lin Qiao blinked, looking at Gu Nuan Nuan expectantly. "Nuannuan, if I stick with you, you can help me earn a lot of money without having to do anything illegal, right?"

"If your definition of ’lots and lots of money’ isn’t ridiculously high, then I believe so," Gu Nuan Nuan nodded. "You don’t have to choose right now. You can wait until you’re a little older. I’ll give you another chance to decide then. You should know, that ’indenture contract’ you wrote has no real legal effect. Whether or not it can bind you depends on whether you are willing to be bound by it."

"I’m willing. I don’t need to think about it anymore. I’ve thought it through clearly enough. Don’t worry, Nuannuan, my expectations for money won’t be too high. My mother always said people can’t be overly greedy, otherwise it’s like a snake trying to swallow an elephant." Lin Qiao shook her head, smiling proudly. "My mother also said that when you get a chance, you have to seize it firmly, because opportunities are fleeting and won’t wait for you to think things through before slipping away. And once you’ve decided to do something, thinking too much isn’t necessarily a good thing. The more you think, the more you hesitate, and you might end up accomplishing nothing at all. So Nuannuan, I’ve really decided. Just tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do my absolute best to get it done."

Gu Nuan Nuan finally felt at ease. While she wouldn’t have been overly bothered if Lin Qiao had decided to distance herself after learning her identity, it still would have been a small shame. Now, seeing Lin Qiao speak this way, she finally revealed a genuine, sincere smile and said, "You have a good mother. I don’t think you will regret the decision you’ve made today."

"What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing," Lin Qiao said, relaxing completely as she let out a happy laugh.