Chapter 86: Where Are the Things I Spent Money On?

Chapter 86: Where Are the Things I Paid For?

But this time, the situation was completely different.

Meeting again and spending time together made it impossible to suppress the love he had buried while placing all the blame on Xu Moxing.

Xu Moxing was still the same Xu Moxing, and he was still the same person, but he deliberately taught Xu Moxing how to handle those negative emotions, so Xu Moxing wasn’t endlessly complaining like he had a year ago.

Over the past six months or so, they solved difficulties together, comforted each other, and offered each other emotional support.

Xu Moxing’s struggles with the wheelchair and rehabilitation, the job-hunting issues from memory loss, and Su Lichen’s own frustrations at work with his boss and relatives, plus minor family troubles—all this made him realize that if he had just tweaked things a little, they wouldn't have ended up where they were before.

He knew Xu Moxing’s family situation was rough, and the experiences before age eighteen would basically stick with you for life; he knew this, yet he still didn’t lend him a helping hand.

"Your trauma wasn't caused by me; I'm not obliged to tolerate you." From a logical, independent adult perspective, there's nothing wrong with that statement.

But if, as his lover, he also adhered to this principle, coldly looking on and ignoring Xu Moxing’s pain and even finding it a nuisance, then losing Xu Moxing was on him.

Everyone must take responsibility for their own emotions and cannot turn their trauma into a tool to hold others hostage. People who just wallow in their trauma and never make changes when they see a problem, blaming everything on their trauma—yeah, they’re not worth dealing with.

But Xu Moxing didn’t remain stuck in his trauma; he was trying to dig himself out too. He just didn’t know what to do.

All of this boiled down to "I could have," and those four words became what Su Lichen hated himself for.

Su Lichen appeared smooth and affable, getting along with everyone, but inwardly he was somewhat arrogant. His life had been smooth sailing right up until he broke up with Xu Moxing.

He did well in school, came from a good family, his parents, though busy with work, still loved him, and he was good at his job and made decent money.

He had the capital to be proud, but he tripped when it came to Xu Moxing.

During this period, he tasted all the bitterness on the road of love.

People's feelings don't depend on "objective sweetness or bitterness" but on "habitual frames of reference."

Someone who has always had an easy time will find even a little bitterness hard to bear.

He didn't want to break up. He realized that although love was a seasoning for him, it wasn't the kind that could be done without. It was more like soy sauce—without it, the dish would become bland and tasteless.

Especially after having had it and losing it, every meal became tasteless.

After Xu Moxing left, Su Lichen stroked the ID card he had stolen from Xu Moxing's wallet and thought about what to do.

On the other side, Xu Moxing had already arrived at his new rented little place. He cleaned up huffing and puffing, put everything in its place, placed his succulents on the balcony, and made a list of household items he needed to buy.

Towels, trash can, trash bags, cleaning supplies...

Xu Moxing jotted them down in his notes, planning to buy them later at the nearby supermarket.

At around five in the afternoon, Xu Moxing got hungry and thought about cooking something, only to remember that he had forgotten to ask Su Lichen about the appliances he bought after the breakup.

Xu Moxing put his hands on his hips, hesitating whether to contact Su Lichen.

To be honest, he really didn't want to contact Su Lichen. "How did this happen? A one-in-a-million oversight!"

Xu Moxing paced around the room, muttering to himself, "Maybe I should just buy new ones? Given his spending habits—financially comfortable, quality-focused, and not caring about wasting a little cash—I bet he probably had the landlord throw them out."

But Xu Moxing couldn't bear to waste the money. His induction cooktop, his rice cooker, his pots and pans, his electric fan, his hair dryer...

Individually, none were very expensive, but he had picked each one carefully. Now, to buy so many things again would cost a lot!

"Maybe I should just ask, just in case they weren't thrown away. If they're still there, I'd save some money."

Xu Moxing avoided the issue. He didn't want to ask now. "I'll ask when I really need them. I can put it off as long as possible. So there, settled."

Xu Moxing headed downstairs without a second thought to find food and buy the missing household items.

Xu Moxing wandered around near his rental place to check out the neighborhood—what food places there were, what kind of shops there were, how far the market was, and where the nearest supermarket was.

At night, Xu Moxing got thirsty and wanted a drink, but he didn't even have a kettle, so he had to make do with bottled water for now.

"Tsk, better to rip the Band-Aid off than keep dragging it out and torturing myself."

Looking at the empty kitchen, Xu Moxing forced himself to send a message to Su Lichen.

—Are you there? I forgot to ask earlier. Did you handle the appliances I bought at the rental in Yangcheng? Can I ask if you threw them away or put them somewhere?

Su Lichen had just finished his takeout dinner. When he heard the special ringtone for Xu Moxing's messages, he quickly unlocked his phone and opened WeChat.

"They're at Xiao Peng's place. Want me to take you to Yangcheng to pick them up tomorrow?"

Xu Moxing was a little relieved but still said no.

"No need, I don't want to trouble you. I'll contact Xiao Peng myself. But thanks anyway."

"It's no trouble. A round trip by ride-hailing would cost you a few hundred kuai. If you feel bad, just cover the highway toll."

Xu Moxing was a bit speechless, but he was tempted, wasn't he? For the first time, he felt like hating himself for being so cheap!

He used to take pride in being frugal and good with money.

But stingy as he was, Xu Moxing’s rationality was still intact. He refused Su Lichen again.

"No, thanks. I’ll just call a cab."

"Come on, Mo. I actually need to go to Yangcheng to see Mai Cong for something. It's on the way. This way we both save money. It’s a win-win. No need to feel guilty."

Xu Moxing didn't reply.

Su Lichen was still typing a long message trying to convince him.

"Really, Mo. Let me break it down for you. Taking a cab round trip would cost you at least three hundred yuan, maybe plus the toll. With all your luggage, you can't carpool. The driver might say no, and even if they say yes, other riders might give you dirty looks.

I'm going to Yangcheng anyway, and I have to pay the toll and gas. Going together is a win-win for both of us. Three hundred kuai could cover at least a week of groceries for you."

Half an hour later, Xu Moxing replied with an ellipsis.

"......"

Su Lichen was still racking his brain to convince him. "Really, aren't you coming with me? I really am going to Yangcheng. You can ask Mai Cong if you don't believe me. It's just that I can go any time. You gave me a good reason to get it done early. I like to help people out."

Xu Moxing wasn't going to actually ask Mai Cong. After weighing his options, he finally said, "Fine. We'll go together tomorrow. I'll pay the toll."

After all, once he got his appliances back, he wouldn't contact Su Lichen again. Saving some money was a good deal. Win-win. It’s not like Su Lichen was gonna eat him. What was there to be afraid of?

"Great! See you tomorrow!"

Su Lichen put down his phone, unable to suppress the smile on his face.