hotmtlnovel Chapter 032 How should I address you?
Chapter 032 How should I address you?
"The police officers I know are never as mean as you."
At the same time, in the windy and sandy area.
Yu himself was driving the pickup truck, which had already passed through the sandstorm belt and was heading south along the eastern wall of the City of Time.
Once you reach the southeast corner of the wall, turn west and travel a full 100 kilometers to return to the city gate.
—The four walls of the City of Time are all 200 kilometers wide.
The four city gates are all located in the exact center of each wall.
From any point in the city, the distance to the two nearest city gates is only 100 kilometers.
Driving with a relaxed expression and an uncontrollable smile on her lips, Yu even had the energy to complain about Lu Chen.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, and a blessing from Lady Luck!"
"I hope you like it," and best wishes...
Yu was in a good mood.
very good.
After all, on each of their last two trips out of the city, they brought back a hibernation pod.
The next time I leave the city, I'll most likely bring one back with me.
Although this one and the next will be shared with Lu Chen, it is still a considerable amount of profit.
Yu Kaixin is the joy that comes from substantial profits.
Lu Chen, however, seemed to have forgotten about the 'profits' and was laughing heartily.
"How is that offensive?"
"Which sentence I wrote wasn't the truth?"
"—Did you leave him a hibernation pod?"
"—They didn't even bury it properly, as if they were afraid he wouldn't be able to dig it out!"
"But he just won't believe it, so whose fault is it?!"
In just a few words, Lu Chen couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter again.
Yu, who was driving, also covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head repeatedly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
This trip out of the city was very fruitful!
The two chatted and laughed, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Taking this opportunity, Lu Chen asked the question he had been too embarrassed to ask before.
"Your hair, and your skin color..."
As he spoke, Lu Chen raised his hand and roughly gestured on his face.
Then he said, "Albinism?"
I thought that talking about Yu's sad moments would break the light and cheerful atmosphere.
Unexpectedly, Yu Qian nodded with a smile, her face showing no sadness or loneliness whatsoever.
"Yes."
"Therefore, my debts after my recovery are heavier than yours."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen's eyes widened slightly: "You have debts too?"
But Yu smiled and shook her head: "I have."
"But it's all paid off."
...
A casual remark only piqued Lu Chen's curiosity.
After much deliberation, he ultimately refrained from asking further questions.
—On the day of his recovery, when Lu Chen first met Yu, Yu gave him the impression of being a quiet and reserved person…
Yeah, female assassins or something.
Mysterious, dangerous, strangers keep out.
After leaving the city, the two became more familiar with each other, and Yu answered Lu Chen's questions almost every time.
But at the same time, Yu also showed an unusual—even obsessive—security awareness in just two days.
After leaving the city, although Yu intentionally or unintentionally moved closer to the "hibernation silo area", she never revealed its existence.
In the end, it was Lu Chen who persuaded Yu to make up her mind: to go and take a look, provided it was safe to do so.
Lu Chen was certain that if it weren't for his presence, which prevented Yu from being "alone," Yu would likely have eventually abandoned that hibernation silo for safety reasons.
Lu Chen couldn't say whether such an obsessive sense of security was right or wrong.
But Lu Chen understood that someone who was so focused on "safety" would most likely be resistant to others trying to find out about him.
Especially in the past.
He sat sideways in the passenger seat and stared at Yu for a long while without saying a word.
Lu Chen, having waited in vain for Yu to speak, assumed that Yu was unwilling to talk and turned around.
Just as I was pondering what topic to use to lighten the mood, Yu's deep and melodious voice suddenly rang out in the carriage.
"Albinism, and other complications."
"—Vasculitis, kidney failure, recurrent myocarditis, pulmonary fibrosis."
...
"You and Zhao Jie woke up from the hibernation pod."
"And I was on the operating table."
As she spoke, Yu seemed to be lost in memories, and her gaze toward the distance became unfocused.
After a long silence, he tossed the cigarette case and matches to Lu Chen with one hand.
Once Lu Chen understood, he handed a cigarette to Yu's lips, lit a match, and then handed it to her. Yu then took a deep drag.
"Phew~"
...
"Lung and kidney transplants, blood vessel replacement, and hemodialysis."
"Plus chromosome correction—the total medical costs for [18 years]."
"Even excluding the 5 years of discounts on the hibernation pods, I still owe bank debts for 13 years."
"-Monthly interest rate [650 days], which is [285 days per year]."
At this point, Yu Shao turned to look at Lu Chen and gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Aren't you even more desperate than you?"
"After the recovery, the [one-year] loan I had wasn't even enough to cover the first interest payment."
"In just over twenty days, I need to earn enough to cover the interest for the first time in at least 310 days."
"Then, penniless, I entered the second month to collect the second round of interest, which amounted to a staggering [1 year and 285 days]..."
Yu Yu spoke with a self-deprecating tone, while Lu Chen listened in silence.
Just hearing it makes you feel suffocated.
—Earning interest of up to [1 year 285 days] per month!
Including the naturally passing 30 days and necessary living expenses, it's almost been 2 years!
In other words, you have to pick up a hibernation pod every month and successfully receive the reward for 2 years in order to pay off the interest!
To pay off the 13-year debt, you need to retrieve seven hibernation pods within a month!
It's worth noting that in the past 294 years, only 9528 hibernation pods have been salvaged from outside the city by scavengers.
On average, that's 32.4 per year;
2.7 per month—less than 3...
"Then... how did you...?"
To pay off the debts?
As he spoke, Lu Chen felt a tightness in his chest, and he couldn't bring himself to ask the second half of the question.
Upon hearing this, Yu was taken aback once again.
After a long silence, he forced a smile and shook his head.
"That's all in the past."
"Now that we've made it through, we should look forward."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen felt a pang of sadness.
A moment later, he suddenly spoke up: "You said before that most scavengers carry a grenade to save their lives."
"You must have experienced that too, right?"
Her words caused Yu's face to freeze again, followed by another long silence.
After a long while, he forced a smile, but it was tinged with emotion as he said, "No matter what, we're 'brothers' who've been through thick and thin together and made a fortune together."
"I can't keep calling you 'Officer Lu' all the time, can I?"
...
"How should I address you?"
"Xiao Lu, Xiao Chen?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen remained silent for a moment.
He finally grinned.
My friends call me Lao Lu.
...
"And you?"
"What should I call you?"
Yu turned her head away and quickly wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
Then, forcing a smile, he looked ahead and gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands.
"Call me 'sister' and let me hear it."