Chapter 4: Fortunately, you are here

A Misunderstood Moment

“What are you thinking? This is from a mall raffle. I’m selling it to a local buyer later. If you broke it, how am I supposed to sell it? What if it tears and the buyer’s husband ends up with an unexpected kid?”

Lin Lu carefully picked up his day’s meal money, treating it like treasure.

“It’s because you said we should sleep together! I thought you meant…”

“I meant a nap. Don’t you nap?”

Lately, Lin Lu felt age creeping up. Afternoons made him drowsy, especially after carb-heavy meals.

Su Keke knew she’d overreacted but refused to back down.
“Typical pervert scumbag! Only a scumbag would win such vulgar stuff in a raffle!”

“Condoms are vulgar now? Guess you’ll never use them then.”

“Hmph, of course not! I don’t need those filthy things!”
Su Keke crossed her arms, turning away haughtily.

“Then you’re really something else!”

Seeing Lin Lu’s exaggerated admiration, Su Keke’s face flushed again.
She scrambled to clarify, “I didn’t mean that kind of ‘something’!”

An unpublishable word slipped from her cute mouth, stunning them both.

“Three days apart, and I’m seeing you in a new light, Senior…”

She used to be so innocent. How much effort had she put into secretly studying “extra materials” over the years?

“Anyway, I’d never do something so gross with anyone, so I don’t need those dirty things! Use them yourself. I’m off to shoot a movie.”

Su Keke couldn’t stand another second in Lin Lu’s presence. One more moment, and she’d die of embarrassment.

“You’re a singer, aren’t you?”

“My company’s expanding my career into acting. It’s normal in the entertainment industry.”

Reflecting on Past and Present

By comparison, Lin Lu felt he’d squandered his youth.
Su Keke had worked hard on her talents since childhood, while he’d wasted his privileged days.
Now, he barely scraped by with a degree, destined to toil in the workforce, while she shone as a star.

He sighed, “Back then, I didn’t realize how amazing you were. I grew up with a golden spoon, but without my parents, I’m nothing.
Now, I see you—beautiful, a celebrity, truly incredible—while I’m stressing over daily meals…”

Caught off guard by Lin Lu’s candid praise, Su Keke felt a mix of shyness and joy.
Friends and family had praised her forever, but hearing it from Lin Lu, who’d been surrounded by beautiful women, hit differently.

Yet, seeing him belittle himself stirred an unexpected pang of sympathy.
The old Lin Lu was arrogant, sure, but his confident, roguish charm—acting like he owned the world—was kind of cool.
‘I’m the king, and you’re all trash,’ he’d seemed to say.

Oddly, she didn’t hate that vibe.

“You probably forgot…”
Su Keke turned to face him, her voice soft.

“Forgot what?”

“Of course, a scumbag like you with so many women wouldn’t remember my stuff…”
She shook her head.
“Do you recall the singing competition I joined in my senior year?”

“I watched every episode! You won the championship, didn’t you? That’s how you debuted.”

“Then do you remember the quarterfinals?”
Su Keke stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his.

A Forgotten Favor

Lin Lu thought back.
In the quarterfinals, Su Keke faced a connected contestant.
Her original song clearly outshone the opponent’s cover, and online support leaned heavily toward her.
Yet, due to the show’s shady dealings, the connected contestant edged her out by ten votes.

Everyone saw talent lose to money.
Fans raged online, but it changed nothing.
Su Keke, unwilling but powerless, came from a modest family that couldn’t challenge the show’s clout.

To her surprise, Lin Lu stepped in.
He begged his father for help, who scolded him for chasing women.
The cost? Six months without allowance.
Reluctantly, his father used his own influence to counter the show’s rigging.
The organizers admitted a “vote miscount,” and Su Keke soared through the quarterfinals.
With three stellar original songs, she clinched the championship, launching her career.

Sure, it was just six months’ allowance, but Su Keke knew that money fueled Lin Lu’s lavish life—his crew, his status among rich kids.
Losing it cost him face.

“Your talent won the votes,” Lin Lu said.
“You just got what you deserved.”
To him, money solved problems easily—a small favor, nothing more.
He couldn’t grasp the helplessness of ordinary families against wealth’s power.

Su Keke bit her lip, her gaze dropping.
“Maybe to you, it was a tiny favor.
But if I’d lost then, I might’ve given up.
There’d be no me today…”

“I thought you were tough,” Lin Lu said.
“Even when I forced you into things you hated, you never gave up.
You kept pushing in music, going further than ever.”

“Not everything was bad…”
Su Keke mumbled, then quickly added, “Actually, it was because of you, you jerk.
You pushed me to work harder, to rise above, so I wouldn’t be bullied by you anymore.”

“So you’ve endured and triumphed.”

“Exactly! Now you’ll be the one suffering.
Crying and calling me ‘Senior’ won’t help!”

A Shift in Dynamics

Su Keke stood on tiptoes, trying to level her gaze with Lin Lu’s to boost her presence.
Nearly 1.7 meters tall, she still fell short of him.

Then, she delivered a light chop to his head.

Lin Lu’s face screamed, ‘I’m behaving, please spare me.’

“I’m saying this because, even though I… hate you, you scumbag, I hate seeing you so spineless and unmotivated even more.
You need to work hard, or I’ll keep you under my thumb forever…”

Suddenly, Su Keke turned away, hands twisting behind her back, head lowered, her expression hidden.
“Maybe even… for a lifetime, if the state forces us to marry…”

Her last word, “marry,” came out as a faint whisper.