Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Chi Jia leaned her head comfortably against the seat and quieted down.
The hot summer wind blew past, the night view outside the car window was dazzling, but she wasn't in the mood to appreciate it, feeling drowsy.
Whether in work or life, Chi Jia was more tolerant and hardworking than the average person.
She was incredibly strong-willed, so even if she was in pain, she wouldn't utter a single complaint.
When her professor recommended her for an internship at AS, he said that with this girl's stubbornness, she would definitely achieve something in the future.
Now, in the talent-filled AS, Chi Jia was indeed one of the outstanding new designers.
At the company, Chi Jia also had the nickname "Hokage."
The design industry was a service industry, and encountering picky and difficult clients was commonplace. If tolerance could be graded, Chi Jia would definitely be at the max level.
No matter how hard or tiring the work was, Chi Jia never complained, leaving many of her male colleagues feeling inferior.
Chi Jia could tolerate all sorts of strange clients, but there was one exception.
And that was Jing Rui.
This was all for later, and Chi Jia couldn't have imagined that she would continue to be entangled with this vixen...
After a stylish fifteen-minute drive, they reached their destination.
This area was L City's famous affluent district.
Driving a luxury car to a luxury hospital—made perfect sense.
When Chi Jia, still with a stomach ache, got out of the luxury car, honestly, she had never been the center of so much attention. The heads turning to look at her were three times more than usual.
Especially with a gorgeous beauty holding her shoulder.
This treatment attracted envious glances from many.
If the person beside her were a man, she would definitely be mistaken as someone's kept woman.
Mid-August in L City, the temperature was rising.
Like a giant steamer, the heat was suffocating.
"I can walk myself," Chi Jia's bangs were damp with sweat. She stubbornly shrugged her shoulder, wanting to keep her distance from Jing Rui. "I don't need your help."
"Miss, my time is limited, I don't have time to waste with you."
"I didn't ask you to take me to the hospital."
"I need to know if this is my responsibility." Jing Rui was still concise. Although it didn't look like food poisoning, she always had her own principles in handling matters, seeking only clarity.
Now Chi Jia was speechless. She hadn't expected the vixen to have a conscience. If it were anyone else, they would avoid such incidents in their restaurant, let alone take responsibility.
Being pulled into L City's most expensive private hospital, Miss Chi's lips twitched slightly.
She went in with a stomachache, she might come out with a financial one as well.
Having just transitioned from a poor student to a poor office worker, if she felt slightly unwell, she would usually just buy some medicine from the pharmacy instead of going to the hospital for an IV drip.
Tonight...
It was probably time to spend money to avoid disaster.
At this point, she couldn't possibly say, "This place is too expensive, let's go to another hospital."
How embarrassing!
Jing Rui was obviously much calmer than Chi Jia. She took out her phone, made a call, and directly led Chi Jia through the VIP passage.
VIP treatment all the way.
Chi Jia was taken to the gastroenterology department for a checkup and ended up receiving her IV drip in a VIP ward, an environment much more comfortable than her expensively rented studio apartment.
It truly proved the saying: money can make anything happen.
The diagnosis was acute gastritis, not serious, and unrelated to the food she ate that night. If there was any connection, it was that the food was too delicious, and Chi Jia ate too much.
Her stomach was already sensitive, further aggravated by overeating.
Chi Jia made several trips to the restroom throughout the night, and the pain gradually subsided. Now, she was leaning against the hospital bed, receiving her IV drip, bored.
Tick-tock, time crawled by incredibly slowly.
After entering the ward, Chi Jia hadn't seen Jing Rui.
She had probably left. Chi Jia thought, since the matter had nothing to do with her, would she stay and accompany her for the IV? It didn't make sense.
When the last bottle of the IV drip was almost finished, a knock came from outside the ward.
"Come in," Chi Jia responded.
It was a young nurse with two bags of medicine in her hand, smiling brightly.
Chi Jia raised an eyebrow, her heart tightening. It must be the bill, she thought.
Taking a deep breath, she composed herself, fearing the hefty sum on the bill would be too much to bear.
"Miss Chi, this is your prescribed medication. The instructions are inside."
As expected of a VIP ward in a prestigious hospital, the medical staff's attitude was impeccable. Chi Jia stopped the nurse who was about to leave. "Excuse me... where do I pay?"
"Oh, Miss Jing has already paid for you."
"Miss Jing?"
The nurse smiled and repeated, "The beautiful lady who came with you has paid."
Chi Jia only then learned her surname was Jing. "Where is she?"
"Seeing that you were alright, she left."
"Thank you."
What was this about? Chi Jia leaned against the headboard, pondering. Since the matter had nothing to do with her, why did she pay for her medical expenses? And she left without a word, without leaving any contact information. How was she supposed to return the money?
While Chi Jia was feeling troubled, another set of light footsteps approached. "Xiao Jia, are you feeling better?"
At the door stood a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair, light makeup, delicate features, and around the same age as Chi Jia. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
She looked like she had rushed over.
Having someone to accompany her, Chi Jia felt much better, although she still said stubbornly, "Didn't I tell you not to come?"
"I was afraid you'd be bored, so I came to keep you company." Jian Yi sat by the bed. Having known Chi Jia for over four years, she knew her temper well. Chi Jia liked being around people and hated being alone.
"You're so good to me… Did you just get off work?"
"Yes, I've been a bit busy lately."
"I think they're taking advantage of your good nature, giving you all the hard work." Chi Jia began to give Jian Yi advice in an experienced tone. "I'm not criticizing you, but sometimes you need to be a bit more assertive, you know?"
Jian Yi's personality was the complete opposite of Chi Jia's. She always spoke softly and gently, and when she smiled, two gentle dimples appeared on her cheeks. "It's not as exaggerated as you say..."
Chi Jia and Jian Yi met in a university club during their freshman year. They were in the same class and both recognized goddesses of L University's class of '12.
One from the design department, the other from the Chinese literature department.
Chi Jia was boisterous, Jian Yi quiet, yet they got along surprisingly well, eventually becoming close confidantes.
After graduation, both Chi Jia and Jian Yi stayed in L City to work, conveniently looking out for each other.
"Does it still hurt?"
"No, the doctor said it's fine. I just need to watch what I eat for the next few days."
"I've told you so many times to eat properly, but you never listen, and now you have gastritis again. Also, you can't drink alcohol every day, it's bad for your health, and staying up late isn't good either..."
Chi Jia covered her ears, looking helplessly at the ceiling. Her best friend was great in every way except that despite her young age, she sounded like an old cadre. Once she started nagging, it was like Tang Sanzang possessing her, going on and on.
Tang Sanzang (εδΈθ)
A famous Buddhist monk from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. He is known for his piety and also for being somewhat of a nagging and repetitive character.
"Don't be like that." Jian Yi pulled Chi Jia's hands away, speaking seriously, "You might not have the chance to hear this in the future. Next month, I might be going to S City for work."
"To S City? Why so suddenly?" Chi Jia and Jian Yi had originally agreed to work in L City together, striving towards their ultimate goal of buying a house.
"I received an interview invitation from the company's headquarters. I want to try for the opportunity."
S City was a first-tier city and also the company's headquarters, naturally offering better career prospects than L City. If Jian Yi could seize this opportunity, Chi Jia felt she should be happy for her best friend.
Besides, the two cities weren't that far apart; it would still be convenient to meet in the future.
"You go for it. I'll be waiting for you to take care of me in the future," Chi Jia said jokingly.
Jian Yi smiled helplessly, already used to Chi Jia's nonsense.
"I'll treat you to dinner this weekend. I got promoted; you promised to celebrate with me."
"Okay."
The next day, for the first time, Chi Jia didn't work overtime, leaving the company at 5:30.
After a twenty-minute subway ride, she finally arrived back at her apartment.
Shower, makeup, blow-drying her hair, and then another half an hour trying on clothes in front of the mirror.
Finally, Chi Jia chose a slightly sexy dress and put on her sky-high heels that she hadn't worn in ages. Her slender waist and long, slim, white legs were particularly eye-catching.
Facing the mirror, Chi Jia applied bright red lipstick, exuding confidence. She then picked up the perfume from her dressing table and lightly sprayed it on the back of her neck and collarbone. She gritted her teeth and bought this perfume at graduation, spending a few thousand, and had only used it twice, reluctantly.
Chi Jia wasn't dressing up so meticulously tonight to meet a male admirer, but to meet the vixen at Number Nine. It was funny; she had never put this much effort into her appearance, not even for her first date with Jiang Shen.
Whenever she thought of Jing Rui's face, Chi Jia couldn't help but feel competitive.
She still owed the vixen money from last night's hospital visit, and she couldn't simply not repay it. Although Chi Jia was money-minded, she never took advantage of others.
Especially not that woman. Chi Jia didn't want to have any further involvement with her, let alone owe her a favor.
7 PM, dusk.
The third floor of Number Nine was a spacious and bright office area, well soundproofed.
"Ms. Jing, there's a Miss downstairs who wants to see you."
Jing Rui didn't even look up, continuing to write on paper with a pen in her hand, her tone gentle, "Not seeing anyone today."
Assistant Wu hesitated, then added, "That Miss said she's here to return money."
A ray of setting sun shone through the French window, falling on the floor.
Jing Rui finally put down her pen and looked up. She wore a pair of delicate gold-rimmed glasses on her high nose bridge and a smart black and white business suit. She curved her lips into a smile. "What's her last name?"
"Last… last name Chi." Assistant Wu's breathing quickened. In other words, she was captivated by the smile.
Ever since Assistant Wu learned that her boss was a lesbian, every time she made eye contact with her boss, she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter, even blushing slightly.
There was no helping it; her boss was too alluring, especially with that bright red lipstick and captivating smile.
Last name Chi, who else could it be? Jing Rui continued with her work. "Tell her she doesn't need to return the money."
Assistant Wu understood. "Okay."
Half an hour later, Assistant Wu knocked on the office door again, looking troubled. "Ms. Jing, that Miss refuses to leave, insisting on seeing you. She also said… she said if you don't see her, she'll spread the word about getting a stomachache and going to the hospital after eating at the restaurant last night."
Thinking of Chi Jia's face, Jing Rui felt she was indeed capable of such a thing. For the first time in so many years, she was being threatened, and by a young girl, no less. Having just finished her work, Jing Rui capped her pen. "Bring her up. I'll talk to her."
Chi Jia wasn't particularly brilliant, but she had some cleverness.
Although she knew the vixen wouldn't care about such a small amount of money, she had to return it. It was a matter of principle.
Assistant Wu couldn't persuade her otherwise. "Miss Chi, it's here."
The office area?
Chi Jia thought she had found the wrong person. She explained to Assistant Wu, "Miss, you must have made a mistake. I'm looking for the female owner of the restaurant downstairs."
"The restaurant downstairs is also owned by Ms. Jing."
Ms. Jing? Chi Jia thought to herself, it was trendy these days to use such titles even for small restaurant owners.
Chi Jia knocked on the door.
"Come in."
She faintly heard the vixen's voice.
The postmodern design and decor were impressive.
Completely different from the style downstairs.
Chi Jia walked into the office in her high heels. The originally quiet environment was broken by the clicking sound of her heels against the floor.
It seemed abrupt.
From her ankles, to her legs, to her waist, to her chest, and finally to her face, Jing Rui took in everything with a simple glance upward. At first, she almost didn't recognize this as the Miss Chi from yesterday.
Dressed maturely, she exuded a feminine allure.
Jing Rui admitted, she was beautiful. Her gaze lingered on Chi Jia for a bit, wanting to continue admiring her.
Chi Jia also stared at Jing Rui for a while. Some women's sexiness and charm came from makeup and clothing, like herself; while others had a natural, innate allure, like this vixen in front of her.
Jing Rui rose from her leather chair, also in high heels, and slowly walked over to Chi Jia. Her captivating peach blossom eyes looked directly at her as she lifted the corners of her lips and asked, "Miss Chi, what do you mean by this?"
That smile, as provocative as ever.
Did a cook need such a large office? Chi Jia suppressed her urge to make a sarcastic remark, coldly uttering two words: "Returning money."
Hmm
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