Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Before formally getting to know Jing Rui, Chi Jia had assumed she was just a nouveau riche chef who owned a restaurant. After all, what she heard most from colleagues was that the owner of Number Nine wasn't just beautiful but also a culinary genius.
It was said that dishes personally cooked by Miss Jing weren't readily available to ordinary people.
"Returning money."
Jing Rui smiled faintly. "No need."
"Why not?!" Although she came to return the money, Chi Jia spoke with the气势 of demanding payment, feeling something wasn't right. She stubbornly added, "I don't like owing favors, especially to you."
Chi Jia emphasized the last three words.
She looked rather cute when she was being serious.
Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia's features, suddenly intrigued. Ignoring the money issue, she asked, "Do you dislike me that much?"
Chi Jia hadn't expected such a question. She didn't give face. "Yes."
"Why?" Jing Rui continued to question, then added slowly, "If it's because of your boyfriend, from a certain perspective, you should thank me. I helped you cut your losses in time."
What a way to put it, "cut your losses in time." It sounded quite reasonable.
"I said he's not my boyfriend anymore!!!" Chi Jia bristled at the mention of this.
"Oh, sorry." Jing Rui couldn't suppress her smile.
This smile, which might appear breathtakingly beautiful to others, felt like "mockery" to Chi Jia. Chi Jia rolled her eyes. Although she had only met Miss Jing three times, Miss Jing was the recipient of most of her eye rolls. "I'm not here to chat with you. How much is it?"
"Six thousand." Actually, six thousand eight hundred. Jing Rui generously rounded down.
"Six..." Chi Jia's tongue seemed to twist. For the first time in her twenty-something years, her native language failed her, losing all her previous composure. "Six thousand..."
Those tests last night cost six thousand? Chi Jia had anticipated that the hospital's pricing wouldn't be pretty, but not this outrageous. If she had bought medicine from the pharmacy herself, it would have cost a few hundred at most.
"Yes."
But then again, for someone who drove a limited edition sports car, spending a few thousand on a minor stomach problem was probably nothing, likely less than the cost of a single meal.
Six thousand it was then. Paying for a lesson. She would avoid anyone surnamed Jing in the future.
As Chi Jia said, "I'll transfer the money to you…," her heart bled. How much was her monthly salary? She had just become a full-time employee at AS; what she lacked most now was money.
After a year of internship, she had saved up six thousand.
Her hand trembled as she entered 6,000 as the transfer amount.
Transfer complete. The bank immediately sent a thoughtful text message to add insult to injury.
Account balance: 0.25.
Chi Jia considered it a blessing that she hadn't fainted.
"Grumble—" Chi Jia's stomach, empty all afternoon, growled.
The office's soundproofing was too good, eerily quiet, so even such a small sound was noticeable. Embarrassing.
Just as Chi Jia was about to leave, "Grumble—"
"Didn't have dinner?" Jing Rui asked, raising an eyebrow.
Having just lost a substantial amount of money, Chi Jia was in a bad mood and didn't want to talk to her.
Jing Rui, looking at Chi Jia's tall and slender figure as she turned, suddenly called out, "Miss Chi."
Chi Jia turned around nervously, fearing Jing Rui would say she miscalculated and ask for more money.
Jing Rui gazed at Chi Jia's delicate face. "Would you like to have dinner together? My treat."
"Thank you." Chi Jia mimicked Jing Rui's charming smile, then abruptly stopped, delivering a harsh line, "But I'm not interested."
Every word was barbed. Jing Rui's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Goodbye."
Chi Jia wanted to say, "Goodbye forever."
She truly didn't want to see Jing Rui's face ever again. Miss Jing must be her nemesis. Much later, Chi Jia became even more convinced of this.
The first time she met Jing Rui, her boyfriend of one year cheated on her.
The second time she met Jing Rui, she ended up in the hospital after a meal.
The third time she met Jing Rui, heartbreakingly, the surnamed Jing emptied her coffers.
AS's payday was the 15th of every month. It was only the 20th now, and Chi Jia only had fifty yuan in cash left. She had originally planned to treat Jian Yi to dinner, but thanks to her best friend, she wouldn't go hungry.
Weekend afternoon, the sun was scorching.
In nearly 40-degree weather, meeting clients was torture.
But there was no helping it. Everyone was a "yes-man" in the face of survival.
哈巴狗 (hā bā gǒu)
Literally "pug," figuratively used to describe someone who is overly eager to please or subservient, similar to a "yes-man."
After finishing her work, Chi Jia immediately called Jian Yi. "Dear, I'm done. Where are you? I'll come find you."
"No rush, I'll send you my location."
In the interior design industry, September and October were the busiest months, and they were almost there.
Other people's rest days were always her workdays.
Except for the Spring Festival, there was almost no public holiday without overtime.
It was a luxury for Chi Jia to have half a day off on a weekend afternoon.
Half an hour later, Chi Jia arrived at a small, fresh-looking coffee shop.
LEFT COFFEE, the sign on the window read, but with an "Closed" notice hanging below.
Just as Chi Jia thought she had gone to the wrong place, she saw Jian Yi by the window, daydreaming and smiling as she stared at something.
"Xiao Yi?" Chi Jia pushed open the glass door and walked towards Jian Yi.
Jian Yi came back to her senses. "It's hot outside, you're all sweaty."
"Exhausted." Chi Jia plopped down on the single sofa, enjoying the air conditioning, finally feeling half alive. "What were you looking at just now, smiling like a fool?"
Jian Yi paused. "Nothing..."
Chi Jia turned her head, following Jian Yi's gaze. By the counter, a tall, elegant woman was lowering her head, making coffee. She didn't look closely, instead teasing Jian Yi, "I thought you were looking at a handsome guy."
"I'm not you."
"Isn't this place closed?" Chi Jia wondered.
Jian Yi smiled, a bit shyly. "I know the owner here."
Chi Jia looked at Jian Yi suspiciously. Lately, whenever she wanted to have dinner with Jian Yi after work, Jian Yi always had various excuses and kept going to coffee shops. This made Chi Jia suspect that her best friend might have something going on.
"Xiao Yi, I remember..."
"What?"
"You don't like coffee, do you? Why do you keep going to coffee shops?"
Jian Yi winked at Chi Jia, warning her in a low voice, "Don't say anything..."
"Every time I ask you to dinner, you say you're busy. I thought you were secretly dating someone." Chi Jia's voice was clear, amplified by the quietness of the coffee shop. "Why are you blushing? I must be right!"
Having her thoughts exposed, Jian Yi's cheeks burned. She frequently visited LEFT precisely because she wanted to see someone—the owner, Yun Xin.
Yun Xin, holding two iced coffees, stood behind them, having heard everything clearly. She stared at Jian Yi's flushed cheeks, amused. She blushed so easily.
Jian Yi met Yun Xin's gaze, becoming even more embarrassed.
"Iced coffee," a gentle female voice sounded.
Chi Jia looked closely; it was the beautiful woman who was making coffee at the counter earlier. Her attire screamed mature woman, and she didn't look like a waitress.
"This is my best friend, Xiao Jia." Jian Yi introduced Chi Jia to Yun Xin, then said to Chi Jia, "This is Yun Xin, the owner of LEFT."
"Hello," Yun Xin greeted with a light smile.
"Hello, hello." Chi Jia was very enthusiastic, seizing the opportunity to network. This Boss Yun clearly looked well-off, so Chi Jia immediately took out a business card from her pocket. "This is my card."
Yun Xin looked down: AS, Interior Designer, Chi Jia.
Jian Yi sweated, knowing Chi Jia's occupational habit had kicked in again.
"Take your time. It's on me today." Yun Xin accepted the business card.
Jian Yi immediately said, "That's so kind of you, you always treat me."
Yun Xin smiled at Jian Yi, her voice soft. "Then how about you treat me to dinner tomorrow night?"
"Okay!" Jian Yi beamed.
Chi Jia didn't understand Jian Yi's reaction. Being so happy to pay for someone else's dinner? She had never been this happy when Chi Jia offered to treat her.
Again, were all business owners this beautiful nowadays? Involuntarily, Chi Jia thought of Jing Rui's face.
5:00 PM.
Chi Jia had arranged to have dinner with Jian Yi today, so after their coffee and a short break, they didn't stay at LEFT for too long, heading to a nearby mall to browse.
Summer days were long.
It wasn't until nearly seven o'clock that the sun began to set, casting a golden glow.
Jing Rui pushed open the door of LEFT. In the large café, only one person was sitting. She sat down opposite Yun Xin. "Come to my place for dinner tonight."
Yun Xin put down the picture book she was reading. "Sure, it's been a while since we had drinks together."
Jing Rui and Yun Xin were old friends, and their families had business dealings. In fact, this coffee shop was entrusted to Yun Xin by Jing Rui.
Jing Rui: "When are you returning to S City?"
"Next month, it's settled. My father's health is declining, he needs me."
"After a three-year break, Miss Yun should go back and manage the business. If you need any help, just let me know."
"What are you planning to do with this shop?"
Jing Rui looked around. "Convert it into a book café and restaurant, what do you think?"
"Not bad, there are many university students around here." Yun Xin knew that running a restaurant was just a hobby for Jing Rui; she never intended to make a profit from it.
"The decor is too old, and the design is mediocre. I want to change the layout and style."
Renovate? Yun Xin suddenly remembered something and took out the business card Chi Jia gave her that afternoon. "I actually know someone in this field, do you want to talk to her?"
Because Chi Jia was Jian Yi's friend, Yun Xin subconsciously thought of her, and the business card happened to be at hand.
Jing Rui casually took the business card. She was a bit surprised when she saw the designer's name. "Chi Jia..."
Could it be such a coincidence? The same name, and the surname Chi wasn't common.
Yun Xin explained, "She's Xiao Yi's friend."
"Oh~ So it's your little lover's friend~" Jing Rui gave Yun Xin a meaningful smile. "No wonder you're so eager to recommend her."
Hmm, everyone knows each other, lol
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