Chapter 16 - Chapter 16 - 16: Moral Kidnapping (1/2)
Chapter 16 – 16: Moral Kidnapping
“What are you thinking about?” Tong Ya crept up behind Chen Yu and asked softly.
Chen Yu then realized, “The number of customers we’re serving daily has already exceeded this food cart’s capacity. I’ve been thinking whether I should switch to a larger venue!”
Upon hearing this, Tong Ya didn’t even think twice before pulling out her phone.
“Actually, if you need it, I could invest. I do have some spare cash!”
Chen Yu repeatedly waved his hands, “No need! In fact, you’ve already troubled yourself enough. You’ve been coming here to help out these past few days, and I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s okay. As a teacher, I should care about my students’ family situations too!”
Just then, Tuan Tuan suddenly popped out.
“Dad, why don’t you just marry Ms. Tong Ya as a thank-you!”
Chen Yu had a head full of black lines, this little girl just wouldn’t quit!
Tong Ya also coughed twice to ease the embarrassment.
“I saw you have a used battery over there; I can take it back and charge it for you if you need!”
A weight finally lifted from Chen Yu’s heart, “Really? That would be great!”
Tong Ya didn’t say much, just went ahead and picked up the battery, placing it in the trunk of her car.
“Hold on, Ms. Tong Ya, this one is also about to run out of charge!” Tuan Tuan pointed at the nearly empty electric meter of the car.
“Then let’s take it down, and I’ll bring it back with me as well!”
Chen Yu felt a bit embarrassed as he took down the battery and replaced it with the last spare one.
“A single battery can only last for a day, right?” Tong Ya quickly grasped the food cart’s battery consumption.
“That’s right. I was just worried about how to charge them!”
Tong Ya leaned back with her hands behind her and unconsciously lifted one foot, “Actually, you can tell me directly if there’s anything I can help with in the future. If possible, I’ll do my best to help.”
Chen Yu was taken aback, “Ms. Tong Ya, if you’re just coming over to help out of kindness because I am a single father with a child, there’s really no need. That would make me feel…”
Before he could finish, Tong Ya immediately understood Chen Yu’s implication.
As a man, especially someone like Chen Yu with considerable responsibilities and a strong sense of pride,
her unsolicited, day-to-day help would only add psychological pressure to him.
“You’ve misunderstood, Chen Yu! Actually, I’m helping you entirely out of gratitude!”
Chen Yu was utterly confused, “Gratitude? But you’ve been the one helping me all along! And you’ve even taken such good care of Tuan Tuan in her dance classes. I feel like I’ve done nothing!”
“No! It’s from back in college!” Tong Ya hurried to explain.
She was truly afraid that Chen Yu would stop her from coming here because of this.
“College?”
Chen Yu was even more puzzled, “We knew each other in college?”
“I thought you remembered!”
Tong Ya suddenly felt a bit aggrieved, “In your junior year, at the end of summer when the freshmen were enrolling, you performed CPR on a student who had heat stroke and took her to the hospital. The hospital fees were paid by you!”
Chen Yu opened his mouth slightly, instinctively stepping back to look Tong Ya up and down.
“That person was you?”
On the side, Tuan Tuan also jumped up excitedly, “Dad, you knew Ms. Tong Ya that early on!”
Chen Yu let out a light sigh, “That was just something I did on a whim! Plus, that year I completed my credits and went on to the graduate department, so I never saw Ms. Tong Ya again!”
“But I have always seen you! At the orientation party, you played the guitar on stage. Then there was the advanced math competition, thesis defenses; I was in the audience every time! I always wanted to pay you back the hospital fees, but I could never find you after the events!”
Chen Yu suddenly felt an unexpected sense of relief.
“I was enrolled in two graduate programs at the time, so I was very busy with coursework. I didn’t even recognize all my classmates!”