Chapter 548 Why Are You So Good to Me?

Chapter 548: Why Are You So Good to Me?

Zuo Zuying wasn’t actually teasing Su An. Seeing her determination to lose weight, he got serious.

When the weather was nice, he accompanied Su An to play badminton on the schoolyard. On windy days, they'd jump rope or go jogging together. When it rained, he taught her to dance in the living room—though his sarcastic remarks often made Su An stomp her feet in frustration.

Every time after exercising, he’d act like a wise master, instructing Su An on stretching, warning that otherwise her legs would end up like Bruce Lee’s—with huge knots.

He made her a diet list, telling her to eat two tea-leaf eggs or hard-boiled eggs daily—nutritious yet not fattening. Sweet potatoes counted as good carbs, and she should remove the skin from duck legs. If she got hungry, she could snack on a piece of unseasoned beef jerky...

When Su An got frustrated and wanted to quit, he coaxed her by promising a really cool gift once she lost ten pounds.

Finally, after two months, Su An’s weight was down to 107 pounds.

Zuo Zuying secretively brought her the promised gift.

“What’s this?” Su An looked at the box being offered to her.

Zuo Zuying raised an eyebrow. “Open it and see.”

Following his cue, Su An eagerly opened the box to find a black pager.

She recognized it—Zhao Daxing had owned one in her past life. But weren’t these supposed to appear in the early 1990s? Why was it here in the late 1980s?

“A pager? Where’d you get this?” Su An’s voice was full of excitement.

Zuo Zuying looked surprised. “You know what it is?”

Su An nodded. “I do.”

“It can receive messages, right? You carry it around, and if you need to reach me, you send a message. I’ll get it and call you back. That’s how it works, yeah?”

Zuo Zuying’s gaze turned complicated. “Yeah.”

“It cost a fortune, and I had to pull strings to get it. Do you like it?”

Su An couldn’t put it down, nodding eagerly. “Mhm, I love it.”

Zuo Zuying continued, “Activation fee: 50. Monthly service: 30. Premium number selection: 200. Pager and network fee: 1500. Total: 1780 yuan.”

Su An’s eyes widened. “It's that expensive?”

Zuo Zuying scoffed. “What do you think? These digital pagers are rare. Mostly just those Hong Kong and Taiwan bosses carry them. Not many people use them here yet, but that’ll change.”

“You’re pretty much a business owner now—don't worry about the cost. With this thing, whether it’s Chu Shuyu in City A, Aunt Wang, or Ren Shan looking for you, it’ll be easy. If your magazine needs you, you’ll get the message right away, won’t you?”

Su An chuckled awkwardly. “It would be convenient. 1780, right? I don’t have that much cash on me—I’d need to go to the bank—”

Before she could finish, Zuo Zuying waved a hand. “It’s a gift.”

“I said I’d give you a present when you lost ten pounds. I keep my promises.”

Su An quickly refused. “No way, this is too expensive—almost two thousand! Some people don’t even earn that in a year.”

Zuo Zuying shrugged. “It’s fine. I can earn it. I can make that in one night. Just take it—no need to be polite. If you feel bad, get me a gift later. Call it returning the favor!”

Su An hesitated, then asked hesitantly, “Why are you so good to me? Do you...?”

Zuo Zuying's ears turned slightly red as he avoided direct eye contact with Su An. "Hey, of course I'd treat you well! Let's not even mention the relationship between your mom and mine, or between you and my second brother, or even Mr. Luo. Just think about how you picked me up off the street and took me to the hospital when I was being chased by that goddamn Lu Jin'an—you saved my life!"

"And before that, you guys also saved my second brother. Forget about just a pager—you deserve far more valuable things," Zuo Zuying added, his gaze flickering as he avoided Su An's eyes.

Su An's nervousness faded, leaving behind a strange disappointment. "Huh... I thought—"

Zuo Zuying's heart tightened. "Thought what?" he asked softly.

Su An's voice grew quieter. "Nothing."

Zuo Zuying pulled a notebook from his back pocket and handed it to Su An. "This is the digital codebook. Each number corresponds to a different meaning. Do you know how to use the pager? Here, let me show you. This part can be pulled out—the battery goes inside..."

Su An obediently watched as Zuo Zuying showed her the pager's functions.

Their eyes met briefly before both quickly looked away.

.......