Chapter 7

Hearing these words, I finally understood - the one who reported me wasn't Elen, but Luciano!

Yesterday it was him who reported me.

Today it was still him!

No wonder Elen hadn't mentioned anything about reporting me today.

This woman had no idea at all!

Everything was orchestrated by Luciano behind the scenes.

This guy clearly wants to ruin me.

Two reports in succession reduced my salary from 600 to 120!

And I have to work at the hotpot restaurant for forty months before I can change jobs!

He's literally trying to drive me to my death!

That's bad enough, but more importantly, this guy never intended to commit to Elen - he just wants to play with her!

Elen has already been hurt by me once.

She finally managed to stand up again - does she have to be hurt a second time by a scumbag like Luciano?

Back when I hadn't broken up with Elen, I already regretted not protecting her every moment.

Now that I know Luciano just wants to play with Elen, how can I remain indifferent?

I can't watch Elen get hurt a second time!

I can accept the reality that I'm about to die, but I cannot accept Elen being hurt by that scumbag!

One last time...

I must stop her from being with Luciano!

I must protect her!

Let this be one of my few acts of redemption in life!

Ring ring!

Just as I was thinking this, the hotpot restaurant called.

"Where did you park the car? The owner is here to pick it up," the manager said.

I quickly said: "The owner just called me, asking me to deliver the car. She doesn't have time to pick it up."

The manager grunted in acknowledgment.

I hung up and crouched at the complex entrance.

What I just said was obviously a lie.

I must tell Elen she can't date Luciano.

Delivering the car is probably my only chance.

I have to make good use of this opportunity.

Soon, I saw Luciano come out of the complex cursing.

Then he got into the Maserati and disappeared from my sight.

I hurried back to the complex and got into Elen's car.

Ring ring!

At this time, the manager called again, saying sternly:

"Where exactly did you take the car? The owner just called - they never asked you to deliver it!"

"You better park the car where the owner specified right now, or you'll regret it."

I frowned slightly and said: "Manager, what's the owner's number? Let me talk to her directly."

The manager laughed mockingly: "If the owner chose to contact our restaurant instead of you, obviously they don't want to know you. Who do you think you are to have a chance to contact the owner? Hurry up and deliver the car!"

I said: "Manager, I have the car. If you won't give me the number, fine - if I accidentally drive the car into the river, the restaurant can deal with paying for it tomorrow."

What do I have to be afraid of?

After all, this car is worth several hundred thousand.

Since the car is in my hands, how can I not handle a mere manager?

If you're not afraid of the restaurant paying for the car, then keep putting on airs.

Let's see if your restaurant dares deny responsibility when I drive the car into the river.

Hearing my words, the manager was clearly frightened and quickly softened his tone:

"Marco, don't get angry. I'm just respecting the owner's privacy. If they don't want to give you their number, and I give it to you, they'll definitely be unhappy."

I said: "If I accidentally drive the car into the river, the owner will be even more unhappy! Not only will the owner be unhappy, our restaurant owner won't be happy either."

"If the owner finds out you let the restaurant pay for a car worth hundreds of thousands just because you wouldn't give me a phone number, you probably won't keep your job - at the very least you'll be dumping waste with me!"

Amateur.

Think you can push me around?

I could handle Elen, that pampered princess, back then.

Much less a mere hotpot restaurant manager?

If I wasn't trying to earn money for my sister's treatment, I would have handled you countless times already.

I laughed inwardly at the manager's naivety.

Sure enough, hearing my words, the manager immediately started apologizing:

"Marco, don't be angry. Let's talk about this - we're all from the same restaurant, why be so impulsive?"

"It's just a phone number, right? I'll give you the owner's number right away."

"But you have to promise not to say I gave it to you."

I was amused and said: "Then how should I explain getting it? Say I got it through psychic powers?"

The manager said: "I don't know how you should explain it, but you absolutely cannot say I gave it to you. If the owner reports me, I'll be in trouble."

I stayed silent.

The manager immediately said to me: "How about this - I'll give you tomorrow off, and you handle the phone number situation yourself. How's that?"

Of course I won't refuse a day off.

Plus my sister needs to go to the hospital for a checkup these days anyway.

Since the manager wants to trade a day off for keeping the phone number secret, I'm not losing out. I don't mind agreeing, so I said: "Alright then, I'll think about how to explain it to the owner."

The manager sighed in relief, then sent me the number.

I immediately contacted Elen.

I originally wanted to call her, but thinking again, this woman still hates me - she might not answer my call.

So I changed to sending a text message.

Seeing it was my message, Elen took over ten minutes to reply, giving me an address.

I immediately drove there.

At the meeting point, I saw Elen standing under a streetlight wearing a white French dress, her black hair like clouds falling on her shoulders.

The dim streetlight fell down, enveloping her like a fairy from the moon palace, clear as water, pure as snow, just like years ago when she would wait for me under the streetlight after school.

But... that was four years ago!

Memories flooded back, feeling like another lifetime. I felt my eyes growing wet and quickly wiped them before driving down.

"I already sent Luciano to get the car because I didn't want to see you. Don't you even have that much emotional intelligence?"

"How did you get my number? And sending me messages, wanting to deliver the car personally - I don't want to see you, I'll say it again. Give me the keys."

Elen held out her hand for the car keys.

I handed her the keys.

Elen took the keys without a word, her pretty face stern, brushing past me to go to the car.

"I know I have no right to ask anything of you now, but I still want to request one thing - don't date Luciano," I quickly gathered my courage and said what I wanted to say.

Elen laughed angrily, turned back with a cold smile, staring at me, and said:

"If I don't date him, who should I date? You? Are you worthy?"

"Back when I was with you, I thought it was a fairy tale, but in the end I realized it was just a joke."

"What right do you have to meddle in my affairs? What right do you have to criticize my choices!"

"I don't want to see you, don't want to hear you speak, don't want to hear your advice - I hate you! Because you only know how to hurt me!"

With that, Elen went straight to the car.