Chapter 116: Squeezed Dry

Long dresses were 8.8 yuan each, skirts were 5.8 yuan each—Su Qinghu mentally calculated the prices. Adding in the shipping fee at the train station, it would pretty much use up all the money she had on hand.

The young woman’s aunt looked at the stylish and beautiful Su Qinghu, torn with indecision. But when Su Qinghu said, “If possible, let’s do cash on delivery right now,” she finally took a deep breath and agreed.

She could tell Su Qinghu wasn’t going to give her a single cent more.

Su Qinghu smiled, asked for the clothes to be packed, then placed her women’s handbag directly on the glass counter. She unzipped it, pulled out a thick stack of cash, counted out another twenty yuan, and handed it all to the young woman’s aunt.

The move startled not only the aunt, but also Sister Li and Yuan Hang, who were drinking tea nearby. Both stared at Su Qinghu in disbelief.

Yuan Hang gaped, “You—you carry that much cash around with you?”

From the capital to Hangzhou, and then from Hangzhou to Jinling—she’d been carrying over a thousand yuan the whole time?!

That’s almost a year’s salary for a department head, for heaven’s sake!

“Yesterday, when that thing happened, you used this bag to hit those people, didn’t you?” Sister Li sucked in a breath, stammering, “You—you really are… really are…”

Su Qinghu chuckled, her slender white fingers tapping the glass counter. “Check if the money’s real. If it is, write me a receipt.”

The aunt’s heart was trembling, but she still picked up the cash and checked each note. Finally, she wrote the receipt and helped pack up the clothes.

“Yuan Hang, help me call a taxi,” Su Qinghu said, pointing outside the alley. She turned to the aunt, “Do you have a handcart?”

After the aunt helped load the clothes onto a cart and wheeled it out, she couldn’t help but ask, “If I have any more designs in the future, can I contact you?”

Su Qinghu thought for a moment, then gave her an address and the phone number of a nearby convenience store. “You can call, write, or send a telegram—any way is fine.”

After they’d shipped everything at the train station and returned, Yuan Hang and Sister Li still looked incredulous.

“Are you going into business?” Yuan Hang asked. “Are you planning to quit your job and go into private enterprise?”

Even Sister Li looked at her seriously, waiting for her answer.

“I’m not planning to quit my job,” Su Qinghu replied, baffled. “This was just a coincidence.”

“Really?” Sister Li was reluctant to see such a capable and delightful colleague leave. The thought of Su Qinghu quitting made her feel sad.

Su Qinghu couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, I actually like this job a lot. Unless something unexpected happens, I’m not leaving. Today was just a side hustle to make a little extra money. You guys have known me long enough—you must’ve noticed I spend money pretty… well, pretty freely.”

When she first got out of the hospital, Da Dan was lively, but her spending habits left him speechless. Even now, whenever she teased him about how much she’d spent, he’d keep a straight face, but his eyes would always darken a shade—ha!

Even Er Dan nearly got led astray by his brother.

Sister Li and Yuan Hang burst out laughing. “So you know people say you’re a big spender, huh?”

“Not only do I know, I’ve overheard it,” Su Qinghu wiped the sweat from her forehead and pushed back some stray hair, chuckling. “To be honest, I’ve heard it plenty of times in the restroom.”

Sister Li grinned, “I’ve heard it in the restroom and at the office entrance.”

Yuan Hang admitted, “Haha, even our camera crew talks about how long it would take you to buy a camera with what you spend on clothes.”

Su Qinghu raised an eyebrow. “I thought only the thrifty women would gossip about that—not you guys!”

“When you wear those clothes, whether it’s soft and feminine or bright and bold, you just stand out. Anyone with eyes would take a second look,” Yuan Hang grinned. “Honestly, if you ever said you were divorced, there’d be a line of guys chasing after you.”

Su Qinghu’s lips curled into a dazzling smile. “Unless something drastic happens, they’ll be waiting in vain.”

Chen Lie, that charming little devil, was always dancing through her heart~

Yuan Hang thought of Chen Lie’s looks and physique and clicked his tongue. With a guy like that, if he were a woman, he’d shamelessly chase after him too.

“Just now, when you opened your bag so boldly, I saw there was only thirty yuan left. Are you sure you can treat us to authentic Su cuisine?” Yuan Hang asked.

Su Qinghu pulled an envelope from a hidden pocket in her bag and waved it, her eyes curving into a smile that dazzled. “My man gave me this—said it’s for shopping during the day.”

Sister Li shook her head in admiration. “Your man really treats you well.”

“He does,” Yuan Hang blurted, “but why do I feel like Xiao Su is a little vixen? Aren’t you afraid you’ll squeeze your man dry?”

Sister Li: “…”

That sounded a little inappropriate…

Su Qinghu narrowed her eyes at Yuan Hang, wondering if he was making a dirty joke.

Yuan Hang froze, quickly raising his hand in protest. “No! Ever since I accidentally made a risqué joke and you got me last time, I’ve been super careful. I swear, I didn’t mean anything dirty!”

Heh. Su Qinghu gave him a fake smile and looked away.

Crisis averted, Yuan Hang breathed a sigh of relief. “I really respect women now. I even read books on how to be a gentleman.”

The three of them joked around, finished shopping, had dinner, and went back to the guesthouse to rest.

At 6:50 in the evening, Chen Lie showed up at the guesthouse in casual clothes—shirt and trousers—stunning the receptionist so much she stammered, “I’ll go call her down for you.”

She ran upstairs.

Bringing Su Qinghu and the others down, the girl pointed at Chen Lie and said to Su Qinghu, “Your husband’s here for you.”

“Thank you.” Su Qinghu’s eyes sparkled as she smiled at the girl, then turned to Chen Lie. “You’re here.”

Chen Lie nodded slightly. “Mm.”

The moment their eyes met, the receptionist gasped, her heart pounding—this was more exciting than a movie!

“I’ve already booked the restaurant,” Chen Lie said to Su Qinghu, then turned to Yuan Hang and Sister Li. “Thank you both for looking after my wife these past few days.”

Su Qinghu’s heart raced—hearing that old-fashioned term from his lips was just so thrilling!

It sounded so good~

Sister Li and Yuan Hang waved their hands. After these few days, they’d realized it wasn’t them looking after Su Qinghu, but the other way around—whether at work or in life, she was a real pro.

Behind the counter, the receptionist was practically biting her handkerchief—so sweet!

(A little note from the clickbait title crowd? Hahahahahaha~~~)"