CH 21

Chapter 21 – Ally +1!

“So what exactly are you working as?” Luo Bei saw that he didn’t mind and asked, “I’m just a little curious. If you don’t want to, you don’t need to answer.”

Jiang Sihan was actually not as fragile as Luo Bei imagined. Either that, or his self-esteem was too high. What’s more, he was also self-aware. Now that he found himself in his current predicament, did he have to lose his temper when people asked him a few things out of curiosity? He didn’t have an explosive temper, nor was his heart that sensitive.

“Sometimes I help hand out flyers, sometimes I go to the bar and become a substitute singer for the night…” Jiang Sihan hesitated and said, “To be honest, I don’t know if I’m going on the right path. My classmates and friends are all telling me to give up, my family has no backing nor do we have money. I don’t have connections either. It’s really difficult to get myself out there. Idling my time like this and having a hard time to put food on the table every day, maybe I’m just too stubborn.”

Maybe before he still wanted to put up a front, but the moment he started talking, he thought he finally found someone he could talk to. Those hesitations he was too embarrassed to mention, these dilemmas that made him unable to lift his head, could all be said out loud.

Luo Bei thought that Jiang Sihan was quite cool. There weren’t many people who persisted in their dreams in this day and age. Of course, him being able to face his plights and failures and being able to speak openly about them wasn’t something everyone could do.

Yet, Luo Bei didn’t know how to comfort him or talk sense into him,

She couldn’t tell him that there would be someone looking for him soon. She couldn’t tell him that he would definitely succeed in the future.

Every successful person, especially those who rose from this kind of predicament, would inevitably be at a loss and doubt themselves at some point. Only by experiencing this could things click in their head and their mindset change. And she should not interfere and make him skip this process.

Just like how Zhao Pianpian would have times when she was suffering and lonely, she would not tell her that she would become the CEO’s wife one day, that she would have a wholesome family and that she would be happy.

Because only after going through this process could Zhao Pianpian become more independent and stronger. She knew how their futures would pan out, but she wasn’t the protagonist. Changing the plot might actually change someone’s life. She couldn’t do it.

Then, she could only play the role of a good passerby, because except for themselves, everyone else might just be passersby in other people’s lives.

Looking at Jiang Sihan’s defeated expression, Luo Bei could only say, “Don’t think too much. Fill your stomach first, then drink the medicine and get a good night’s sleep. Won’t everything be better then?”

Jiang Sihan was a little surprised. If it had been his parents, they would only tell him not to latch on to his unrealistic dreams. Some friends of his would tell him to persevere, it was possible that he could realize his dreams.

As a matter of fact, Jiang Sihan had already reached his limits. As he was talking just now, he even thought that if this girl in front of him who wasn’t familiar with him advised him to give up, he would definitely give up.

He didn’t expect that she didn’t say anything; she didn’t encourage him to persevere nor did she subtly tell him to be a bit more realistic.

Jiang Sihan thought as he ate his dumplings. She was right to do so, this was his own m-atters. What did other people’s opinions have to do with it? The person ultimately making the decision was him.

Even if it was difficult, since he insisted on it for so long, let’s endure a little more.

***

Jiang Sihan ate all the dumplings in the food container. He ate himself full, his spirit was also temporarily replenished.

Luo Bei took the food container and prepared to leave.

“Miss Luo, if you need any help later on, you can contact me at any time.” Jiang Sihan laughed at himself, “Although I may not be of much help, but I’m grateful to you and Grandma Luo.”

This bowl of dumplings allowed him to persist a little bit longer.

Luo Bei smiled and said, “You don’t have to be so polite, just call me by my name. We’re all neighbors here, we live under the same roof. If you have any difficulties, you can also come to us. Who doesn’t go through tough times, life isn’t easy.”

“Okay.”

Returning to her apartment, after Luo Bei washed the container, she saw Grandma coming in from outside, telling her, “Take out the lease for our next door neighbor. They want to break the lease.”

Luo Bei recalled, “They still have half a year left, though.”

“There’s nothing we can do. The elder in that family seems to have gotten cancer. The couple is planning to go back to look after them. Let’s not keep the penalty, return the deposit to them. They’ll move out next week. Go print out the listing tomorrow, I’ll go stick them nearby. There are a lot of people looking to rent recently.”

Luo Bei nodded, “Maybe they’re lying to you to not have to pay the penalty.”

Over the years, she had seen too many tenants like this. The reasons were ever-changing but most of them said something happened to someone at home. There must be tenants telling the truth among them, but there were also tenants who lied to avoid paying the damages because Grandma was nice. She was no stranger to them.

Grandma said calmly, “Doesn’t matter if they’re lying to me, but to use their own family’s elder as an excuse, and to even go as far as saying they have cancer, even if they’re lying, they’re jinxing themselves. If karma comes back to bite them, they would still be the ones getting retribution.”