Film and Television World Life Record

The only options are to take the bus or the subway.

However, for Princess Jiang, who was unaware of the hardships of life, this emotion came and went quickly. Her long-established way of thinking and behavior soon made her put the matter behind her.

It's difficult to change a person's mindset and habits without truly experiencing hardship and setbacks.

That day, Zhang Anren invited Jiang Nansun to go shopping. The two had dinner, watched a movie, and then went into a well-known shopping mall nearby.

Zhang Anren knew that Jiang Nansun's card had been suspended, but he also knew how much Jiang's mother doted on her and would never let her lack money. After that day, he didn't ask about it anymore.

Since it was a rare occasion to go shopping at the mall, I followed my usual habit of accompanying Jiang Nansun and took the initiative to lead her around to buy things and try on clothes.

It's difficult to change a person's way of thinking and habits in such a short time. Although Jiang Nansun had no money, she still didn't think money was important. For her, the most important thing was love.

Zhang Anren offered to accompany her to buy clothes and go shopping at the mall. She accepted without much thought. It wasn't until the two of them were carrying large bags to the checkout that Jiang Nansun realized how much she had bought.

Thinking of the flat purse, Jiang Nansun's heart tightened, but then she relaxed. There was still Zhang Anren!

Having grown up in a privileged environment without experiencing the harsh realities of society, Jiang Nansun never valued money highly. During her relationship with Zhang Anren, knowing that he was struggling financially and had a mortgage to pay, she always covered the majority of their expenses.

Just like when the two of them go to a high-end restaurant, Nan Sun usually pays the bill. She doesn't care at all; money is nothing compared to feelings. She thinks Zhang Anren thinks the same way.

Given their relationship and her financial situation, she could let Zhang Anren pay, and she could pay him back slowly in the future.

However:

"Sir/Madam, the total bill is 8123 yuan. Will you be paying by card or...?"

Zhang Anren didn't offer to pay the bill; instead, he looked at Jiang Nansun. Jiang Nansun knew his financial situation; he still had a mortgage to pay. In the past, she had always paid by card for such large sums of money, and it had become a habit.

Jiang Nansun didn't think much of it.

"Anren, my card is still suspended and cannot be used..."

Zhang Anren understood what she meant, took out his wallet, but didn't immediately take out his own card. Instead, he turned around and asked, "Nan Sun, your aunt loves you so much, how could Uncle Jiang bear to suspend your card for so long?"

Jiang Nansun said dejectedly, "Don't even think about it for a while. My dad somehow convinced my mom to limit my allowance. From now on, I'll only have two thousand a month."

Zhang Anren hesitated as he reached for his card, then said, "Nan Sun, you don't have much living expenses each month, and I don't have much left after paying off my mortgage. Why don't we stop buying so much stuff and save the money for later?"

Jiang Nansun looked at him in surprise. Zhang Anren had always been very obedient to her and had never objected to her buying anything. This was the first time.

Remembering her parents' words, she couldn't help but overthink it, but insisted, "It wasn't easy to pick this out, so let's buy it. I really like it."

Zhang Anren smiled gently, took Nan Sun's hand, and said softly, "Nan Sun, your living expenses are now limited, and my income isn't high either. We have a long road ahead of us, and we still have to pay the mortgage. We need to be frugal. It's not good to be so extravagant."

"In addition, after paying off the mortgage, I plan to set aside a fixed amount of money each month as an emergency fund and also as a family reserve. For the sake of our future quality of life, some unnecessary expenses can actually be cut."

"Like these clothes, I remember we used to buy a lot every time we went shopping together. Actually, there's no need to buy so many things so often, which could save a lot of money!"

These words, though sounding off, also made some sense and sounded like something a person would say in everyday life; but for Princess Jiang, it was clearly difficult to accept his attitude.

In her heart, feelings were more important than money. Zhang Anren had always been obedient to her, yet now, just because her credit card was suspended and she wanted him to pay a bill, he came up with so many excuses. For the first time, Zhang Anren's image began to waver in her eyes. Was money really more important than feelings?

Jiang Nansun said no more, staring intently at Zhang Anren. Seeing him standing there hesitant, holding his wallet, she felt even more disappointed.

"Buy it or not is up to you!"

Saying that, he turned around and left.

"Nan Sun, Nan Sun... don't be angry, let's talk things over."

Nan Sun wouldn't listen at all. Seeing how determined she was to leave, Zhang Anren panicked a little. He looked at the card in his hand, then at the bags and packages, gritted his teeth, and handed the card to the cashier.

He truly loves Nansun and cannot let a small matter cause him to lose sight of the bigger picture.

Chapter 195 Seeds of Doubt

Zhang Anren realized that his hesitation and indecisiveness had hurt and disappointed Jiang Nansun. After returning to school, he hurriedly took his belongings to apologize again. With his eloquence and attitude, he pleaded with Jiang Nansun until she softened.

After three days of cold war, relations returned to normal.

However, cracks have already appeared, and seeds of doubt have been sown.

In addition, Jiang Nansun's surroundings were also affected. Her family, including her parents and aunt, did not like Zhang Anren. Her only best friend, Zhu Suosuo, also had a bad opinion of Zhang Anren and felt that he was not good enough for Nansun.

Being in such an environment all day, coupled with what she had just experienced, had a significant impact on Nan Sun, making it difficult for her to return to her carefree romantic mindset.

Her heart gradually became more sensitive. When she was with Zhang Anren, she was no longer naive and thoughtless. She began to consider why he did what he did and whether he truly loved her.

No one is perfect. Once you start to have a skeptical mindset and look at a person with an inquisitive eye, you will eventually discover many flaws.

Jiang Nansun, too, stripped away the filter and halo of love and re-examined Zhang Anren, discovering that he also had many flaws and things she disliked, quite different from how he appeared under the filter of love.

I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed and frustrated.

However, she is not one to give up easily. Although their relationship has cooled considerably compared to before, she still tries to maintain it with Zhang Anren and adjusts her mindset.

However, reality is cruel. While the relationship could be maintained and repaired slowly, the lack of money exposed her to the harsh realities of society.

Jiang Nansun used to live a carefree life, spending money extravagantly. Among her classmates, she was the image of a rich girl, living the life that everyone envied.

In addition, she was generous and often bought snacks and fruits to share with her classmates and roommates. Although some people might be envious and jealous in private, they would greet her with smiles on the surface.

Although she hadn't made any close friends among her classmates over the years, Zhu Suosuo had always been her best friend and confidante, and she maintained a pretty good relationship with her classmates.

Originally, this situation could have continued indefinitely, but then Nan Sun encountered a problem and only had two thousand yuan left for living expenses, so she could no longer spend money lavishly.

I used to buy snacks and fruit for everyone often, but not anymore; I used to eat out every few days, but now I can only eat in the cafeteria every meal; I used to be generous, but now I have no money to spend and seem stingy…

These circumstances were naturally easy to notice, and some even speculated that her family had changed, although most of her classmates still treated Nan Sun fairly well and there was no significant change in their attitude towards her.

There are always some people with bad character who look down on the poor and are jealous of the rich.

Previously, Nan Sun, as a wealthy and beautiful woman, was high and mighty, and because she was indebted to others, she could only suppress her sour remarks.

Nowadays, they have no scruples and can say all sorts of unpleasant things without hesitation.

This was the first time Nan Sun had witnessed the cruel side of society. In the ivory tower, her classmate was still there. Heartbroken, she could only keep her grievances to herself.

Her predicament didn't end there. On one hand, there were rumors and slander from her classmates behind her back. On the other hand, she simply didn't have enough money to spend.

Two days ago, she ran out of cosmetics. A set of her usual brand costs several thousand yuan, which is simply unaffordable for her current living expenses.

But she was already used to using this brand, and whether switching to a mid-to-low-end brand would have a good or bad impact on her skin was another matter, but the psychological gap was also hard for her to accept in a short time.

Zhang Anren also knew about this, but for some reason, he didn't react. Perhaps, for him, Jiang Nansun spending several thousand yuan on a set of cosmetics was incomprehensible and exceeded his consumption concept.

Even if I had the spare money, I wouldn't be willing to spend it on this.

However, he did not remain silent; two days later, he invited Jiang Nansun out.

“Nan Sun, my current income isn’t high. After paying off the mortgage, there’s not much left. If I save some, I can still give you 1,500 a month.”

He then handed over an envelope containing money.

"The amount of money isn't much. If you add your living expenses and don't have too many extra expenses, it should be manageable."

Jiang Nansun looked at the envelope with mixed feelings. She had defied her father's arrangements and was determined to be with Zhang Anren, which resulted in all her cards being suspended and her monthly living expenses being only two thousand.

At that time, she was full of confidence and made a solemn vow in front of her father. So what if she left home? She had Zhang Anren, who would definitely not let her suffer any grievances and would allow her to live a more wonderful life.

She thought that because she had disregarded everything for Zhang Anren, argued fiercely with her father, and come to this point, Zhang Anren would surely reciprocate, spoiling her like a princess and doing everything in his power for her sake, all for her courage and perseverance.

In retrospect, she had been overthinking things; the other person loved her with great restraint and clarity.

Indeed, there are countless people in the world like her, full of ideals, only caring about love and ignoring reality.

With a soft sigh, Jiang Nansun felt a pang of disappointment and pushed the money back.

"No need, Anren. You still have a mortgage to pay and plenty of other expenses. You can keep it."

Zhang Anren naturally disagreed and handed the money over again.

"Nan Sun, this money isn't much, it's something I can afford. Besides, it's a token of my appreciation, so please accept it."

Jiang Nansun shook his head: "Thank you, Anren! I just took a lot from Suosuo, and I have money on hand now, so I don't need it."

He firmly pushed the money back.

Looking at Jiang Nansun's resolute face, Zhang Anren suddenly felt a little disappointed. He didn't know if what he was doing was right, or what kind of image he would leave in Nansun's mind.

However, he simply cannot bring himself to spend tens of thousands of dollars on his girlfriend.

Firstly, he didn't have much savings, and he also had to pay off his mortgage. Living in a big city like Shanghai, he had to have some reserve funds to deal with emergencies.

Secondly, there's his personality; he always plans things out, is unwilling to take risks, and can be described as cautious and prudent.

This kind of personality is appreciated by some and disliked by others. It stems from being overly calculating and rigidly rule-abiding.

But Zhang Anren didn't want to take any risks. He had finally managed to get out of his small town and establish himself in Shanghai, an international metropolis. His primary goal was to gain a foothold here.

He wouldn't take any risks until he achieved this goal. Even if it seemed petty or calculating, he didn't care.

Love is important to him, but it's not everything; his personality makes it impossible for him to disregard everything for love.

His love is indeed very restrained and rational, and his commitment is also very controlled. Even if things change in the future, there won't be much loss.

However, this kind of restraint and rationality is difficult for Nan Sun, who has a fantasy of perfect love, to understand and accept.

Watching Zhang Anren leave somewhat dejectedly, Jiang Nansun also felt complicated, her mind racing. Finally, she sighed softly and dialed Zhu Suosuo's number.

She had only given Zhang Anren an excuse; she hadn't actually asked Suo Suo for money. But now, she had no choice but to ask.

Having arranged to go shopping together, Jiang Nansun composed herself and went to class.

The two met in the afternoon. Jiang Nansun briefly introduced the recent situation without going into too much detail. Zhu Suosuo's eyes were red, and she hugged Nansun with heartache.