To make up for the debt owed to Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

The restaurant was lit by an old-fashioned orange light bulb, the warm light pouring down from above, enveloping the entire restaurant in a cozy atmosphere.

Lin Qingping cut out the checkered fabric herself, hemmed it, and laid it on the dining table.

In the middle of the dining table, there was an empty glass bottle containing malted milk powder, with a few roses inserted inside.

Gu Juncheng poured her a glass of red wine, using a cheap glass he bought from a convenience store. The glass was decorated with festive patterns, which was completely different from the stemmed glass that Lin Qingping used to drink red wine in her previous life. However, those days of clinking glasses and elegant attire were no more heartwarming than this moment.

Gu Juncheng picked up his glass and gently clinked it against hers.

Lin Qingping pressed down on his cup. "There's something I need to tell you first, so you won't go back on your word the next day after you've gotten drunk."

He chuckled. "Do you think I'm the same as you after drinking?"

"What do I look like when I've been drinking?" Lin Qingping couldn't help but retort.

His gaze was fixed on her face, his eyes shimmering with a half-smile, as if he were searching for an adjective. In the end, he only said "cute".

Lin Qingping glared at him. Well, she remembered her drunken incident in Gujia Village. Was that cute? It was making a complete fool of herself, okay?

He smiled, afraid of revealing her shortcomings and making her angry, and then said, "What is it? Tell me."

"We originally agreed to rent this house for a year, right? We only paid half a year's rent at the time. I suddenly decided not to rent it anymore. I felt very apologetic to the landlord and planned to compensate him. But now he says no. He was originally planning to sell the house, but since we had been renting it, he planned to wait until the lease expired. Now that we have decided not to renew the lease, he plans to sell it now."

Gu Juncheng understood immediately. "So, you're planning to buy it?"

Gu Juncheng realized that his wife had a penchant for buying houses, especially houses in the capital. He had heard that she wanted to buy a house in their hometown or the provincial capital.

“Yes!” Lin Qingping nodded quickly.

"What's the big deal? Buy it if you want. If you don't have enough money..."

“Gu Juncheng,” Lin Qingping interrupted him.

"Hmm?" Gu Juncheng looked at her.

Lin Qingping thought for a moment, "Indeed, we don't have enough money..."

Gu Juncheng silently calculated in his mind that he roughly knew the price of the house because he knew the process of Lin Qingping buying the house next door. It must have cost her all her family's savings. She was living in Beijing with Zhiyuan, and her second sister, his older sister, and Xiaomai all depended on her. He didn't know how difficult her life was. His salary was probably only enough to cover her expenses...

In Gu Juncheng's calculations, he successfully overlooked the fact that Lin Qingping was a money-maker...

"Lin Qingping," he said, "it's alright, I'll figure something out. I'll give you the money tomorrow, you just need to talk to the landlord."

"Didn't you give all your salary to me? Where did the money come from?" Lin Qingping deliberately teased him, but she was also genuinely surprised.

"Don't worry, I'll figure something out. Don't fret. Cheers, let's have a new house!" Gu Juncheng raised his glass.

Lin Qingping, however, kept her hand on his cup. "Gu Juncheng, I haven't finished speaking..."

"Hmm?" He waited patiently for her to speak.

"What if I said I wanted to buy this house for my second sister?" Lin Qingping stared at him, watching his reaction.

He suddenly realized, slapping his head. "How could I be so forgetful? I forgot about my second sister! That's right, in a big city like the capital, my second sister has her own house and a home. No one can bully her anymore. She can go anywhere and be with anyone without any fear!"

After saying that, he realized, "So that's why you were afraid I'd change my mind?"

“Hmm…” Lin Qingping nodded.

He chuckled, "How many houses can the two of us live in? You really are... Is that how you see me? Alright, I'll give you the money tomorrow. You can invite the landlord over. The paperwork will have to be done the day after tomorrow, right? I'm not working tomorrow, so you and your second sister can handle it yourselves."

Lin Qingping smiled. Yes, how could she have thought of him like that? In her past life, she practically emptied the Gu family's coffers for her own family, and he didn't say anything. All those valuable gifts he gave her ended up in her family's hands, didn't they? Next time she wants something, he'll still give it to her…

How can there be such a stupid man in the world?

What was so special about her unreasonable behavior in her past life?

"Gu Juncheng..." she called to him in a small voice.

"Hmm?" he chuckled. "This wine isn't ready to be drunk yet."

"Yes!" She nodded vigorously. "You haven't asked me how much money I'm short yet!"

"How much short?" he asked casually, but in his heart he still wanted to pay for the entire house himself. Even if she had some savings, she should keep them for herself.

"Hmm..." Lin Qingping's eyes darted around, "I've calculated it, it's two hundred yuan short..."

Gu Juncheng: ...

Seeing Gu Juncheng's dazed look, Lin Qingping couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Do you think you're short the entire house payment?"

Gu Juncheng: ...

That's exactly what he thought. Now he realizes that his wife was teasing him. Buying a house, being short two hundred yuan, is that really a problem?

"Gu Juncheng, this is where you went wrong!" Lin Qingping looked like she was about to give him a severe scolding.

Gu Juncheng had a rather innocent expression. She was the one teasing him, so why was he the one in the wrong?

Lin Qingping pointed out to him, "You have absolutely no faith in your wife's earning power!"

Gu Juncheng: ...

Gu Juncheng was speechless. It wasn't that he didn't believe in his wife's earning ability, but rather that he had never thought that the family would have to rely on his wife when they needed to spend a lot of money. He was a man, and it was his responsibility to support the family.

Lin Qingping knew what he was thinking, but she was just teasing him. After saying that, she laughed again, "Gu Juncheng, based on my daily reading of the newspaper and comparison with the history of economic development at home and abroad, I have come to a conclusion: the real estate industry will develop rapidly in the future. Our house may be worth a lot of money, more than we can imagine in our entire lives. At that time, this money will belong to Second Sister. Are you sure you won't regret it?"

Gu Juncheng was never a petty person, nor was he someone who cared much about money. Hearing her say this, he simply said, "I only know one thing: if you keep nagging and don't drink this wine, you'll regret it later!"

Lin Qingping: ...

The glass gleamed, and Lin Qingping, holding her glass, stole a glance at his face through the red wine. She saw him tilt his head back, drink the wine in one gulp, and swallow it, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. The mouthful of wine in Lin Qingping's mouth burned in her heart as she swallowed it.

Is it because of the atmosphere?

In her past life, she could drink a whole bottle of red wine without any problems. But today, after just two glasses, her vision started spinning. Gu Juncheng appeared as two double images, but in both of them, stars twinkled in his dark eyes…