Chapter 199 — The Wallet He Found

She had to make things clear with Wei Zhao — otherwise, what was it supposed to mean, him turning up at her home all the time?

If Wei Zhao was just playing around, then he had better keep his distance and stop pestering her.

If he was serious, then Tang Zhi had set a deadline of her own: after the college entrance exams. For one thing, she could focus on her revision without letting all this outside business drag down her marks. For another, it would serve as a test for Wei Zhao — if he was only toying with her, he would never have the patience to wait several months until after the exams; he would have moved on long before.

But if Wei Zhao truly did wait until after her exams, then giving him a chance was not out of the question... University, after all, was a paradise for romance; and though Tang Zhi was a good girl, she harbored a certain longing for moonlit trysts and flowers in the dusk.

Wei Zhao had not expected Tang Zhi to say anything of the sort. Was this a refusal, or an acceptance?

A coy retreat that beckoned him on? Wei Zhao had just opened his mouth to speak when Tang Zhi had already turned and drifted away in the direction of Kang [**].

Wei Zhao hurried after her. Tang Zhi had regained her usual calm, as though the words just spoken had never been uttered — she was still the same Tang Zhi as before, except for a faint trace of shyness about her brows and eyes that made her whole person seem the more delicate and lovely, and set Wei Zhao's heart pounding.

Reaching the hospital's payment window, they found Kang [**] standing there like a fool, staring blankly at the form in his hand. Wei Zhao asked, "[**]? Have you finished the paperwork?"

"Boss, the deposit is ten thousand yuan, and I don't have enough..." Kang [**] looked a little embarrassed; he had been the one to rush over with the payment slip, and in the end he had no money at all.

"Oh?" Wei Zhao blinked, then looked at Tang Zhi. "Isn't Xiao Fen's mother here?"

"Xiao Fen's family is hardly any better off than mine. All these years of treating her illness have cost a great deal, and they're in debt — where would they find spare money?" Tang Zhi sighed. "Would you be willing to cover it for now? I promise her family will pay you back later."

"Me?" Wei Zhao was not one to meddle; people who had nothing to do with him, he never bothered with. But Xiao Fen was different — she was, after all, the girl Kang [**] had fallen for, and if Wei Zhao could help, then of course he would.

The credit card Uncle Qing had given him, though, Wei Zhao had not brought out with him at all. He scarcely spent money anyway, so the card had been tossed carelessly into a drawer at home.

In his pocket now there was nothing but the thousand yuan fee he had collected from Sun Jingyan, and Wu Chengtian's wallet.

Wei Zhao first handed the thousand yuan to Kang [**], then opened Wu Chengtian's wallet. Inside were perhaps three to five thousand renminbi, and the rest was American dollars — though the notes were of rather large denominations, some five hundred and some a thousand. Such dollars had long since ceased to circulate and were no longer issued, yet they remained valid.

They existed, however, only as collector's items, for a single note was worth more than its face value, and no one would take such dollars out to spend.

That Wu Chengtian kept these large American bills in his wallet was plainly not for spending but for showing off. Wei Zhao had seen a few such people before, and from this he could also tell that this so-called Wu family was a force to be reckoned with. Wei Zhao handed all the renminbi in the wallet to Kang [**]. "Ask them whether American dollars will do."

Kang [**] took the notes from Wei Zhao gratefully, then turned and ran to the payment window. "Excuse me, will American dollars do?" "They will, but they can only be used for the deposit, not to settle the final bill. The final payment must be in renminbi," said the clerk.

"All right, thank you." Kang [**] breathed a sigh of relief and ran back to Wei Zhao's side. "Boss, American dollars are fine, but only for the deposit — not to settle the bill." "Mm, then go and pay it." Wei Zhao handed Kang [**] all the hundred-dollar bills in the wallet; as for the five-hundred and thousand-dollar notes, the cashier might not even recognize them, and might well take them for counterfeits. "You never can tell — you're quite the rich man, with American dollars too." Tang Zhi gave Wei Zhao a teasing look. So he still would not admit he was a rich young master? Who but a rich young master would carry so much money?

"Oh, this wallet? I found it," Wei Zhao said with a shrug.

"Found it?" Tang Zhi was taken aback, then rather annoyed. Did he take her for a fool? Where did one go to find such a thing? Why had she never found one? "If you don't believe me, look at the ID inside." Wei Zhao drew out Wu Chengtian's identity card and waved it before Tang Zhi's eyes.

"Ah?" Tang Zhi's eyes went wide with disbelief. The wallet really was not Wei Zhao's? He really had found it? "You really found it? Then... you still dare to spend the money inside?"

"Didn't you tell me to cover it for now..." Wei Zhao stuffed the ID card back and casually shoved the wallet into his trouser pocket.

"I..." Tang Zhi did not know what to say. "If you don't return it to its owner, how anxious he must be!"

"Ha, the owner isn't anxious at all." Wei Zhao smiled. "He gave it to me."

Would Wu Chengtian be anxious? Let him be anxious, then! Wei Zhao was not the least bit afraid of what Wu Chengtian might do; when all was said and done, Wu Chengtian could only swallow his loss in silence.

He had stolen his own wallet first, and only then had Wei Zhao taken his wallet; even if he called the police, he would gain nothing from it — and besides, would he dare call the police? The Wu family he belonged to was probably a great clan, wasn't it? Could they afford to lose face like that?

So Wei Zhao simply did not care. So what if he had spent his money? He was already being generous by not shaking him down for a hush payment on top of it.

"For me?" Tang Zhi clearly did not quite believe Wei Zhao's words, but since he had said so, she could not say anything more. Though she disapproved of what Wei Zhao had done, there was a reason behind it — Xiao Fen truly did need the hospital fees urgently.

Tang Zhi understood very well that if the medical fees were not paid in full today, Xiao Fen would likely be driven straight out of the hospital once her IV drip was finished. After all, a hospital was not a charity; without money, they would not let you stay for free.

"Boss, thank you! I will definitely pay this money back!" Kang came running back clutching the payment receipt, overflowing with gratitude toward Wei Zhao. Kang was truly moved; he felt that calling this man "boss" had not been in vain. So much money — who else could have produced it without the slightest hesitation?

"Pay back what? This little bit of money — forget it." Wei Zhao had never expected Kang to repay him, still less Xiao Fen's family. If something really did develop between Xiao Fen and Kang, then how could Wei Zhao, as their "boss," begrudge a sum like this?

"Boss..." Kang still wanted to say something, but Wei Zhao cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Let's go. Let's hurry to the ward and have a look," Wei Zhao said.

"Right! Right! To the ward, quickly." Kang nodded, casting Wei Zhao a grateful glance.