Chapter 9 An Incredulous Story

• "It's none of my business if she stays in the States or comes back here. When she decided to leave on our wedding eve, I already made myself clear that if she left, we would be over. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. She can apply for her American citizenship, and I'll continue selling my barbeque skewers. Jamie, honestly speaking, I don't care that you are friends with her, but please don't tell her my address and my phone number. Otherwise, don't consider us friends," he warned sternly.
• "What is this for? Do you have to be so ruthless? Ask yourself, Benny, have you completely moved on from her? If so, why were you so indifferent toward the other girls I've introduced? She's always been on your mind, and you have never forgotten her. If that's the case, why are you giving yourself such a hard time now?" Jamie asked.
• "Stop being so dramatic. This is reality, not some rom-com. There's no such thing as true love in this world. Money is the most reliable thing in this world. Love is just b*llshit." With that, he cussed and lit another cigarette. However, just as he was about to turn around to leave, he walked back to the dining table.
• "What's up now?" Calvin asked.
• Ben hesitated, taking a puff of his cigarette, asking, "Do… you guys…. have extra money on your hands?"
• "Why? Are you in need of money? How much do you want?" Jamie asked.
• "Uhm… yeah. I need some money for some reason. Is it okay if you give me the 8000 that I returned a few days ago? I'll return it to you another time," he asked after giving the matter some thought. He did not ask for anymore, knowing that Calvin and Jamie were not rich either. On top of that, he had already borrowed a lot of money from them. He could not bring himself to borrow more.
• "Sure. I'll get it." Jamie walked straight to the bedroom without asking any other questions.
• Meanwhile, Calvin asked in a small voice, "Why? What happened?"
• "Would you believe me if I told you that I saved someone from a fire, but I lost a diamond ring entrusted by another woman? And now I have to pay back the diamond ring I lost." Ben looked at Calvin.
• "W-What… the hell is this? How did this happen?" Calvin was incredulous to hear that.
• "I know, right? I'm still dumbfounded as well." With that, he smiled bitterly.
• At this moment, Jamie walked out of the room with money in her hands. After passing it to Ben, she said, "You gave it to us a few days ago, but we haven't used it yet. I already told you last time we are not in a hurry to get the money back, so take it easy. Get your life together first, and don't work so hard at your skewer stall anymore. We can recommend an office job for you. Look at how tired you are now!"
• "How much can an office job earn? 3000? 4000? In that case, there's no hope to pay back all my debt." After taking the money over, he pulled out a small notebook and wrote '8000' under a column labeled 'Cal'.
• "We are not asking you to pay us back immediately. It's okay if you don't want to change jobs, but can you at least take care of your health? You can start by moving to a better neighborhood, enjoying some delicious food, and buying some nicer clothes for yourself."
• "I should pay back my debt, especially the money I owe you guys. How can I splurge on myself when I still haven't paid you back what I've borrowed? I can't bring myself to do something like that. Also, please don't speak of me in such a pitiful manner. My life is pretty good, and I can earn money from my skewers. I will slowly pay back what I owe you, and I hope this won't affect your future in starting a family. I can't help you if your family line stops here, you know," he said thoughtfully.
• "Go away," Calvin said.
• "Alright, alright. I'll leave now. I'm already quite tired anyway; I'm going back to sleep now." He smiled and waved to both Calvin and Jamie as he walked away.
• "Benny, think about Mia. She regrets her decision back then and is serious about starting a new life with you." Jamie ran outside to continue to speak to him about Mia, but as soon as she reached the door, she heard a loud thud – Ben had slammed the door shut from outside.
• Ben slowly walked out of Calvin and Jamie's place with a cigarette in his mouth. Even though Mia had not appeared in his life for a while, her name was etched in his mind. Yet, he could only smoke one cigarette after another at this moment.
• She was the prettiest girl in Ben's university, and they were deeply in love back when they were still in university, making other people envious of them. In their final year, when they were about to graduate, Mia was sexually harassed by one of the professors, most likely because of her beautiful appearance. After sobbing her heart out to Ben about this matter, he charged into the professor's office and punched the well-revered man even though there was no evidence. In the end, he was detained in the police office for fifteen days and was expelled from the university a day before his graduation, making him unable to get his degree.
• Because of that, he had been doing odd jobs like delivering parcels and food. It was a tough job with a low social position. On the other hand, Mia was the top student in a prestigious university, and she even learned two foreign languages. Ultimately, she was hired by a Fortune 500 international company that paid her well, giving her outstanding future prospects. Even though they were still together at this point, the gap between their social and financial status slowly increased and changed their perspectives on life.
• A year after their graduation, Ben's family started pushing the couple to get married. He came from the countryside, and his family was not wealthy. Nevertheless, his parents took out their life savings for him to prepare for the wedding. Right when everything was well-prepared – Ben's relatives even arrived at Hillwood City – Mia told him the day before their wedding that she was about to be transferred to the headquarters in the United States. She had known the news for half a month, but she was deliberating whether or not to tell Ben, and she had not decided yet. However, she finally decided to leave because she wanted a better life. With a better option, she did not want to lead a simple and uninteresting life.