Chapter 78

Zhou Xiaoli placed a piece of beef from her bowl into Buck's, then cut straight to the chase: "What do you think our relationship is now?"

Buck simplified it: "Friends? If you consider me a friend."

Zhou Xiaoli laughed bitterly: "As long as it's not a tenant-landlord relationship. I discussed with my mom, and she doesn't need to go to the mall anymore. Without the rent, your mom still buys rice and vegetables, and I got a raise, so there's less pressure. I let my mom rest, and taking care of the two younger sisters is just a side task. Don't mention money."

Buck was also carefree: "That's right. Otherwise, just for this motorcycle, how much would I owe you?"

Zhou Xiaoli slurped a bit of noodles: "You say we're so entangled, I live in your house, you ride my motorcycle, and both stores think we're dating?"

Buck actually wasn't too resistant: "If you think so, then let's give it a try." Since he had already lost a relationship, using a new one to heal or treat the pain and post-breakup trauma was a good idea, of course, on the condition that he didn't hurt this kind-hearted girl. Buck wasn't that unrighteous.

Zhou Xiaoli glanced at him quickly: "But the key is, I have a sense of unreality, I can't explain why, but it's not what I imagined..."

Buck was curious: "What do you think it should be? Not romantic enough?"

Zhou Xiaoli shook her head: "It's thrilling enough, romantic... I never expected it, but I feel like you're not fully engaged or indifferent, different from others. The key is, if you have any shadows from the past, I don't want to be a substitute."

Her attitude was genuinely sincere.

Buck gave her a thumbs up: "That's right, thinking like that is correct. I'm still adjusting myself and haven't thought about these things. Explaining too much doesn't seem meaningful, right? I'm not at the stage where I can put on airs in front of a pretty girl like you."

The pretty girl's face was half-smiling, half-not: "So... let it be natural?"

Buck gave another thumbs up: "Right! Now, you should naturally finish this bowl of noodles quickly, or they'll get mushy."

Zhou Xiaoli finally smiled: "Actually, I'm already very satisfied with how things are now. I'm very happy."

Buck shrugged: "I'm not sad either."

The black-haired girl decided to take a natural step further: "Shall we invite your dad over for dinner this weekend?"

Buck agreed; his dad hadn't seen the new house yet, which had now become a girls' dorm. The key was that Liu Shufen was really enjoying her new life and had no nostalgia for the old dorm, making Buck feel that his plan to get his parents out of the courtyard was half successful.

But Ba Dacheng didn't care about the idea of seeing the new house: "I need to practice driving!"

The old man was very enthusiastic about learning to drive, and he was specifically using the old Santana from the driving school: "Yours is an automatic, completely different from a manual. What will you do during the exam? To master a skill, you need to grind an iron rod into a needle."

Buck had no choice but to accompany his dad to get a motorcycle license, which was simple. For 300 yuan, he got the license in just two days. Registering the motorcycle was even cheaper, but due to city regulations, it had to be registered elsewhere. By the weekend, the helmets Buck ordered arrived: one pure black and one white with a flame pattern. He thought the latter suited Zhou Xiaoli, the fiery girl.

But when Zhou Xiaoli, who was off work, initially felt surprised, her face changed as soon as she held them: "So heavy?! How much?!" Just by the craftsmanship, she knew they weren't cheap.

Buck was familiar with a few international brands: "Pretty cheap, over 2,000 yuan."

Zhou Xiaoli was almost grinding her teeth: "Ba Zhiming! This is exactly what's wrong! Over 2,000 yuan for a helmet! The key is, how much do you earn in a month, and how much do I earn?" She immediately started a rapid-fire criticism, almost wanting to hit Buck with the helmet.

Buck smiled and watched the black-haired girl flail, finding it quite pleasing to the eye.

This was Buck's standard mercenary consumption view. For safety equipment like bulletproof vests, military helmets, gun holsters, and tactical vests, the better the quality, the better. If not for Zhou Xiaoli's feelings and his confidence in his driving skills, he would have bought the most expensive ones, around 10,000 yuan. But that would have made the two helmets almost as expensive as the motorcycle, which seemed a bit excessive, right?

So when Zhou Xiaoli, with a sense of frustration, brought up the Passat, a car that wasn't at Buck's current consumption level, and reminded him to understand his current situation, Buck didn't stop her, just smiling as she raged.

He sat sideways on the white motorcycle, the weather gradually cooling. The girl had changed into straight-legged pants, not a brand name, but her mother, who had worked in a clothing store for years, could tailor them perfectly, making her legs look very long. Of course, Zhou Xiaoli didn't say it was for the convenience of riding the motorcycle.

Her blazer was the same, but the white shirt inside was no longer tucked into her skirt; it now hung naturally, adding a touch of femininity to her professional look and making her waist appear longer. It looked casual, but she had carefully chosen the best option after much deliberation.

The bandages had been removed a few days ago, and now her medium-length hair flowed over her shoulders, though not yet dyed, it was much neater and smoother. She wore a green manager's badge around her neck, different from the regular employees, which now bounced with her hair as she gestured and criticized!

"You're still smiling, what are you smiling about! Life needs planning, what do you plan to do in the future, what kind of family do you want to build, and even the education and growth of your children... all these need planning! The key is, you're not young anymore, why are you still so carefree and irresponsible? Can you just spend money like this?"

The girl's face didn't twist in anger but had a serious and lively charm. Only someone who truly cared would show such emotions, like a little tigress full of energy, especially with one hand holding a large, high-end helmet, looking like a cheerleader's pom-poms, waving them like doing aerobics!

Buck, being bold, dared to touch the tiger's tail: "Didn't you use the 20,000 yuan the company gave you to buy me a motorcycle?"

Zhou Xiaoli, as if pouring oil on the fire: "Isn't that what you like? I can't stand seeing you drive a car. You work washing cars, what's the point of driving a sedan? Your salary can't even cover the fuel and maintenance costs, so I've always said, I'd rather you ride a motorcycle!" That was the reason.

This girl was frugal and lived within her means, a mindset deeply ingrained.

People who have experienced poverty are like this, truly a good girl.

PS: There's another chapter tonight, quietly.