Chapter 4: Paying Off the Debt

Seven o'clock. They pulled up outside Highgate Residences.

Claire parked, killed the engine, unbuckled her belt, and turned to the man dozing in the back seat.

"Sir, we're here."

Nathaniel's eyes opened, red-rimmed with exhaustion.

"It's late. Drive the car home."

"That's not necessary, sir I'll just take a cab. The company covers it, it's no trouble."

"The car sits idle otherwise. You might as well use it for the commute."

"Really, sir, I couldn't." Claire pushed her glasses up her nose. "There's nowhere to park where I live."

"Then buy a spot."

"...There aren't any spots to buy. The streets are narrow, cars everywhere it's genuinely impossible."

Is he serious? A car worth millions, parked on a street where half the lamps don't even work? I'd have to sit up all night guarding it.

"I can just nap in the cab," she offered instead, steering the conversation away.

Nathaniel exhaled. "...Fine. Get home safe."

"You too, sir. Get some rest."

Claire made it back to her neighborhood by eight. The market had vegetables on sale, so she picked up ingredients for that night's video before heading up.

The kitchen was the one thing about this cramped rental she genuinely loved. She hadn't spent much, but the wallpaper was warm and cheerful, the dishware carefully chosen enough to make the small space feel like hers.

She set up her phone, adjusted the lighting, and started chopping.

Her face never appeared on camera just her hands, pale and steady, moving through the quiet clatter of cooking.

After she'd washed up, her eyes landed on the pharmacy bag still sitting on the coffee table. Her fever had broken days ago. She swept the leftover medicine into a drawer and pulled out her laptop instead.

By 1 a.m., the video was edited and uploaded.

She ran three separate channels, over fifty thousand followers combined. Scrolling through comments this is so soothing, please post more, tried this, it's amazing she let herself smile, tired as she was.

The next day carried a strange, electric energy.

Claire had been in an unusually good mood all morning.

At 3 p.m., a text came in from Megan.

"Claire your paycheck just hit!"

Claire exhaled. A second later, her banking app pinged.

Deposit received: ¥28,325.

She let out a long breath, then fired off a message to the group chat.

[Dinner's on me tonight! Hot pot!]

Megan, Zoe, and Derek all responded instantly, delighted everyone in that chat knew exactly what this meal meant.

"Miss Bennett." The intercom buzzed again.

Claire tucked her phone away, smile still lingering, and pushed open the office door.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Nathaniel had just finished signing off on a document. He glanced up and paused.

"What's got you so pleased with yourself?"

Claire blinked, touched her own face self-consciously, then admitted, "It's payday, sir."

Nathaniel stared at her.

That's all it takes?

He watched her fail to hide the grin tugging at her mouth and found it, against all reason, kind of endearing.

"Cute." He scoffed, dropping his eyes back to the paperwork. "Get me a coffee."

"Right away." Claire ducked out.

Once the door shut behind her, Nathaniel sat there twirling his pen, thinking.

She's this happy over twenty-eight thousand?

If it's that easy to make her smile...

He picked up the intercom and dialed HR.

"Bump Miss Bennett's salary grade up two levels, starting next month."

He hung up, looking unreasonably pleased with himself.

Claire returned with the coffee, sat back at her desk, and pulled up her banking app with shaking fingers.

Balance: ¥37,215.08.

Everything she had in the world.

Transfer amount: ¥35,000.

Her thumb hovered over "Confirm." The moment she pressed it, her balance dropped to almost nothing and relief flooded through her like she'd never felt before.

She sent a screenshot to Zoe.

Zoe replied *"ok"* and forwarded it along.

Almost immediately, her phone rang. Ryan.

"Zoe, can you just give me Claire's number?"

"You know exactly how she feels about this. You should've thought about that before you lent money to her father."

"I lent it because I love her"

"It's over, Ryan. Stop looking for her." Zoe hung up before he could answer.

After work, the four of them met at The Jade Garden.

Calling it a hot pot restaurant undersold it was more of a private estate tucked away behind the noise of the city, staff in traditional robes standing at the entrance with their hands folded.

"Claire, did you win the lottery or something?" Derek hovered outside the door, hesitant to even step in. The place reeked of money.

Zoe pulled up the restaurant on her phone and nearly dropped it. "This place is *a thousand yuan a head.*"

Megan grabbed Claire's wrist, panicking. "Let's go somewhere else hot pot's hot pot anywhere, no need to burn money here."

"Relax, it's covered." Claire pulled five thousand-yuan vouchers from her bag, smiling. "A friend of my boss owns this place. Eat whatever you want."

"You could've led with that! You scared me half to death"

The second "free" registered, all three straightened up and practically dragged Claire inside.

Stepping through the doors, they all froze again.

A towering rock garden greeted them first, water threading down through the crevices into a misty pool below. No trace of cooking oil in the air just a faint hint of sandalwood.

It felt less like a restaurant and more like some secluded garden retreat.

A host led them to their table. Megan, still nervous, quietly confirmed the vouchers would actually work and once she got a yes, everyone ordered without a shred of hesitation.

Once the staff stepped away, the four of them raised their teacups together.

For once, the mood turned serious.

"Let's do this properly," Zoe said, eyes already glassy, voice unsteady. "To Claire. Debt-free."

"You made it. You actually made it."

"Thank you really, thank you all."

Looking around at the friends who'd stuck with her through all of it, Claire felt her throat tighten, tears threatening.

No one understood what that number meant to her better than the three of them.

How does a girl with an ordinary job dig herself out from under a debt that swallowed her family whole for two and a half years?

Megan piled a thick slice of meat into Claire's bowl.

"It's over now. That hole is finally filled. Every yuan you make from here on out it's yours."

Claire stared down at the steam rising off her bowl, vision blurring.

Zoe spoke up. "Ryan's still asking around about you."

Megan nodded. "Even I heard about it, and I'm not even in your department."

Claire shook her head slowly. "Don't tell him anything."

Megan sighed she'd always liked Ryan.

"He really does still care about you, you know. Heard he hasn't dated anyone since."

"He's a good man." Claire shook her head again. "I'm just not right for him."

She was living a whole new life behind a borrowed face now, every hour accounted for. Love was a luxury she couldn't afford.

Honestly, she thought, she could live like this quietly, alone for the rest of her life, and be fine with it.

Derek wasn't having it. "You deserve someone great! Dating's not a punishment don't let the past box you in. I know plenty of good guys, I'll set you up."

Zoe shot him a look. "Do you know a single straight man who's stayed straight after meeting you?"

"Tsk" Derek rubbed his nose. "There are a few... not many, but a few..."

Everyone laughed. Claire laughed with them.

I don't want a relationship, she thought. Not right now.