Rebirth: Super Banking System Chapter 3 - 1: No One Cares _3

Wang Qiang enjoyed a substantial salary, pulling in at least tens of thousands monthly. In order to support Tang Qing, he shouldered most of their living costs. On the flip side, Tang Qing handled the household tasks and prepared the meals.

Through years of solo living...

his cooking abilities had been honed to a fine edge, even though they started out fairly average. Complex gourmet recipes were beyond him, yet for everyday home fare, his dishes turned out flavorful enough to draw constant compliments from Wang Qiang, who often teased that he ought to quit and take up cooking professionally.

Wang Qiang still hadn't come home.

Considering the hour, though, his return was imminent.

Tang Qing adeptly began rinsing the rice and chopping veggies for the evening meal.

Wang Qiang stuck strictly to his schedule at work. As a diligent employee, he seldom lingered past closing time. He'd wrap up his duties efficiently within office hours and then dive headlong into video games once off the clock.

Occasionally, social obligations pulled him away.

Roughly twenty minutes passed,

The click of the key in the lock echoed through the room. Tang Qing recognized it—Wang Qiang had arrived.

"Old Tang, I'm wiped out. The boss dumped coffee everywhere today... Wait, Suancai Fish? What's the special event? You're cooking that one." Wang Qiang entered, ready to vent about his superior,

but a comforting scent drifted toward him.

Suancai Fish.

An everyday staple.

Still, he understood its deep importance to Tang Qing.

Typically, Tang Qing reserved this recipe for meaningful occasions. It marked the initial dish Lin Jiaxue had shown him to make, right before her tragic end in a traffic collision. Wang Yan had shared that it was her favorite among his creations.

Wang Yan shared all three years of high school with Tang Qing as a classmate.

The once lively and positive Tang Qing grew reserved and withdrawn after a devastating car crash that claimed the lives of his closest loved ones.

That tragedy accounted for his heavy reliance on gaming throughout college, treating it as an escape from painful memories. Only during his master's program did he start healing, abandoning games to concentrate on academics.

His advisor recommended doctoral studies, but Tang Qing politely refused.

Witnessing Tang Qing's shift from a spirited soul to someone lost in self-ruin,

Wang Yan, who had quietly loved him for ages and wound up at the same school in another department, finally poured out her heart to him.

Yet back then, Tang Qing believed that someone as attractive, from a solid background, and with such a warm demeanor as Wang Yan merited far brighter prospects. Plus, his heart remained anchored to Lin Jiaxue.

Tang Qing rejected her outright.

Wang Yan refused to back down.

Masking it as mere companionship,

she made regular trips to see Tang Qing in their college days. They'd share meals, hit the books in the library, and engage in... countless... endless... activities. From an outside view, they acted every bit the pair over those three university years.

But

Tang Qing always regarded Wang Yan just as a close friend.

By their senior year, as Tang Qing began accepting Wang Yan's presence in his world, he pondered taking a chance on romance. Sadly, one particular event prompted him to pull away from her once more.

Tang Qing deliberately uttered cutting words that brought Wang Yan to sobs.

From then on, their meetings dwindled, and conversations grew scarce.

Such an uneasy, oddly tangled bond lingered right up to their college commencement.

Post-graduation,

their exchanges thinned out further.

Wang Yan, per her family's plans, headed to the UK for further education.

Meanwhile, he threw himself into grad school pursuits. They swapped occasional messages, usually superficial ones such as 'How's life treating you lately?', 'How's the job?', and so on. Later, through her close friend, he learned Wang Yan had stayed single.

Naturally, Tang Qing realized Wang Yan's affections endured.

Even so, he couldn't surmount his own emotional barrier.

"It's no big deal, Wang Yan tied the knot today." Tang Qing mustered a grin.

Only a week prior,

Wang Yan posted her wedding invite on 'Moments'.

The venue sat in the Magic City.

Still, attending wasn't on his agenda. That morning before heading out, after some internal debate, he fired off a WeChat note saying 'Happy Wedding', paired with a 3,000-yuan red envelope.

However,

Come nightfall,

he saw that Wang Yan hadn't claimed the funds.

Maybe the day's chaos kept her occupied!

Tang Qing had to reassure himself that way.

"Ah, got it." Wang Qiang held back,

since words failed him beyond that.

Wang Qiang was familiar with Wang Yan and their backstory. During college, she dropped by Tang Qing's place often. He'd gleaned details of Tang's hardships via her too.

Though he lacked her phone number.

Shortly after,

dinner hit the table.

Altogether three courses,

Braised Eggplant, Twice-Cooked Pork, plus Suancai Fish, with a beer for each.