**Chapter 10: Income**

**Chapter 10: Income**

Moshi University of Technology.

"Finally, it's the weekend..."

Du Guoguo sighed with relief and plopped down in the computer chair in front of her desk.

"It's the weekend now... By the way, Qianli, do you have any plans?"

Her roommate Yang Zhihan glanced over at Gu Qianli.

"You're not planning to go visit Lin Qingshan and see Pochita again, are you?"

Another roommate, Li Zhiqiu, asked suspiciously.

Gu Qianli's cheeks flushed, but she nodded, "Yes, I'm planning to visit Qingshan tomorrow to check on Pochita. You know, although he takes good care of Pochita, he..."

"Is poor..."

Du Guoguo's eyes flashed with disdain.

"It's just temporary..."

Gu Qianli had become more familiar with Lin Qingshan recently and had spoken up for him.

It wasn't purely out of help, as Lin Qingshan was a manga artist, and Gu Qianli had seen that "Edge Runners" was now serialized in Comic World magazine.

She assumed Lin Qingshan would soon be earning money.

But she wasn't concerned about whether Lin Qingshan had money or not.

"I really don't know what kind of spell he's cast on you... Helping him buy dog food, deworming medicine, paying for vaccinations, and even treating him to meals! What man does that?"

Du Guoguo said discontentedly.

"If the boys in the college knew that the beautiful Gu Qianli was treating a guy to dinner, they'd probably be envious."

Gu Qianli wasn't bothered at all. She smiled and said, "So what? There's no rule against a woman treating a man to dinner, is there?"

It was better than Lin Qingshan eating Pochita's dog food.

She remembered the first time she visited Lin Qingshan and found him eating Pochita's dog food.

It had shocked her.

Though eating dog food once or twice might not be a big deal, too much could cause problems. After all, dog food isn't held to the same hygiene standards as human food, and excessive consumption could lead to digestive issues and might not meet nutritional needs.

Knowing Lin Qingshan couldn't afford meals, Gu Qianli occasionally supported him, buying bread and instant noodles.

Lin Qingshan was deeply touched and promised to repay her generously in the future.

However, Gu Qianli had a strange feeling, as if she was raising two dogs.

But she didn't mind the small expenses.

Yang Zhihan quickly added, "Yes, and he did save you once, right?"

"I mean, if it weren't for you trying to save him, you wouldn't have fallen into the water and needed him to rescue you," Du Guoguo said with a hint of irritation.

She looked worriedly at Gu Qianli, "By the way, Qianli… You're not falling for this kind of man, are you?"

Gu Qianli's face turned red, and she recalled Lin Qingshan's handsome jawline when he saved her, and his focused expression when drawing recently.

But she quickly said, "Of course not! Why are you suddenly talking about this?"

"That's good..."

Du Guoguo sighed with relief for some reason.

"By the way, I saw the captain of the basketball team from the Management College. He's quite handsome and seems to be pursuing you, right?"

She suddenly said.

"What do you think of him, Qianli?"

Gu Qianli thought for a moment and then recalled, "You mean Lin You'an? He's okay. He's a nice person, but..."

"Nice person? I think he's quite handsome, and I've heard his family is well-off. It's a perfect match for you!"

Du Guoguo said with a grin.

"Well-off? That makes sense... Management College students are usually quite affluent."

Li Zhiqiu agreed.

"Forget it, I'm not thinking about this right now."

Gu Qianli smiled slightly and said.

She had no strong feelings about Lin You'an. He might be excellent, but she didn't feel anything for him.

"Okay, I'll head to Qingshan's place to see Pochita. I'll be back tonight."

She grabbed her bag, put a magazine inside, and headed out of the dorm.

"Eh? Eh? Eh?"

Du Guoguo and the others watched Gu Qianli hurry out, puzzled.

"She could go tomorrow. Is she in such a rush?"

...

"Moshi Moshi..."

Ito Ayumi knocked carefully on the door of the modest rental apartment, calling out.

It was her first visit to Lin Qingshan's reported address, and she was surprised to find that he lived in a less than 20-square-meter room.

Though the area didn't look run-down, the cramped space made Ito Ayumi feel a bit sorry for Lin Qingshan.

Hearing the knock, Lin Qingshan snapped out of his drawing focus.

"Pochita~ go open the door!"

He called out.

Pochita barked twice in response, leaping from the desk and grabbing the door's rope, which unlocked the door.

It tugged the rope, opening the door.

Ito Ayumi appeared in front of Lin Qingshan, and she saw him apparently working on some artwork, which startled her.

"Sorry! Mr. Qingshan, I didn't mean to disturb you! I'm very sorry!"

She quickly bowed deeply.

Lin Qingshan waved his hand, "Ah, it's nothing..."

He looked around and said, "Please come in."

...

Inside Lin Qingshan's rental apartment, Ito Ayumi felt a bit awkward.

The room was tiny, with the bed and desk taking up almost all the space. What was once a corner was now occupied by Pochita's bed and food bowl.

So, Lin Qingshan had to sit on the bed while Ito Ayumi took the desk chair.

"Sorry, I don't have any tea or water."

Lin Qingshan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine... I'm the one who's intruding," Ito Ayumi said nervously.

"Cough cough... By the way, Ito-san, did you come here for something?"

Lin Qingshan cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness and asked.

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot!"

Ito Ayumi quickly pulled out an envelope from her briefcase.

The envelope was thick and heavy, unlike ordinary envelopes.

She handed it to Lin Qingshan with both hands.

"This is the payment for the first chapter of your serialization. The first chapter was 18 pages. According to the contract, each page is 400 yuan, and after taxes, the total is 6,800 yuan."

Lin Qingshan's eyes lit up as he took the envelope and pulled out a thick stack of cash.

Since electronic transfers weren't common yet, cash payments were standard practice.

"Please check to see if it's the right amount."

Ito Ayumi said.

Lin Qingshan counted carefully and then smiled, "It's correct, just right!"

"That's a relief."

Ito Ayumi sighed in relief.

(End of Chapter)