Chapter 20: It Serves Her Right! (1/2)
Translator: Sissy That Walk
After returning to campus, He Bai had Yang Fu's photographs sketchily retouched. Then he asked Niu Junjie out for a late-night snack. ”Have you bumped into Liu Huanhuan?” Niu Junjie stopped gnawing chicken wings and emerged grim-faced while asking it. He dropped his eyes and said evasively, ”Well, it doesn't matter. What you need to do is nothing but pretend unacquaintance.”
”I wish I could, but she herself accosted me.” He Bai bought him a bottle of orange juice, took the beer in front of him away and gave a brief account of what had happened today, persuading him, ”You hope to have no entanglement with her, while she should bear no grudge and try to strike up conversation with your friend. Today she came across me, and maybe tomorrow she would meet another friend of yours? Your dad has a wide range of business interests, and many of your friends are of great ability. Be on the alert for her, and you can't go wrong.”
In the previous incarnation, when Liu Huanhuan was reduced to dire straits, she came back to seek Niu Junjie's help. Good-hearted, Niu asked one of his friends to give her a hand. However, both he and his friend who had a fiancée then were all entangled by Liu Huanhuan, which almost led to the martial breakdown of the two. Therefore, person like Liu Huanhuan was definitely a bomb that would explode at any time, and it's better to be far away from her.
Niu Junjie frowned on hearing it, and then nodded after some thinking. Giving a self-deprecating smile, he replied, ”I get it, thank you for reminding me. As for Liu Huanhuan, I'll handle her myself. My mind wasn't in the right place before. Judging from her character, she wouldn't behave herself until she came to grief and learned a lesson. When she was in a relationship with me, she had two-timed me for many times… Well, let's drop it. How's your part-time job? Was she spoiling your work?
”No, she wasn't.” He Bai narrowed his eyes, smiling, and continued the topic, ”I messed her scheme up instead, and her plot to spoil another girl's photographing had fallen through.” Niu Junjie looked stunned and then burst out laughing, patting He Bai's shoulder hard, ”Good job, my bro! Help yourself and order whatever you'd like--my treat!”
The shooting took two days. Next day He Bai went to the park again and offered his help. This time he got no opportunity to take photographs himself but kept running errands all the while. Standing at the periphery of the crowd, he had been watching Ma Xingtong and his nephew put on an act by displaying their attachment to each other. Ma Xingtong taught Ma Qun something, and the latter flattered his uncle.
Afterwards, he went straight back to campus and hurried a meal. Then he sorted out the pictures he snapped, sent them to Xu Yinrong's mailbox as his homework, and searched Yang Fu's photos out for final retouching. At eleven o'clock in the evening, the work was eventually done. Rubbing his eyes, He Bai sent the photographs to Li Ru's mailbox, climbed into the top of the bunk and reclined on the bed.
As a new week began, the Department of Journalism entered the period of exam preparation. After rebirth, He Bai became poor at study, so he had no other choice but to make every effort to review his lessons, during which he was almost completely unplugged except answering the calls. Throughout the day he buried himself in the reference books to revise for his lessons like crazy.
Di Qiuhe checked his WeChat message for countless times, but still received no reply from He Bai. Subsequently, his excitement and astonishment at the word ”blow you a kiss” were all replaced by a feeling of anger.
”I'll be damned if I send MORNING to you again!” Di Qiuhe stuffed his phone into the pants pocket with a scowl, took out his schedule under the script and circled a variety show. Since the previous contract was rescinded and the lead-up to his film had begun, it's time to make relevant information public and lay a trap for his step-mother.
A busy week passed. On Saturday, He Bai, with deep shadows under his eyes, was summoned to Shengxiang by Li Ru who returned from a business trip.
”There were two pieces of news, one good and the other bad. Which one do you want to hear first?” Li Ru poured a cup of tea for him and seated herself opposite him.
”Thank you.” He Bai took a sip, feeling him sober-minded a little, and replied, ”Bad one, please.”
”I guess so.” Li Ru leaned back into the chair, with a faint smile on her face, ”You have received two complaints, one from our customer and the other from a colleague. The customer's complaint was sent to our group leader Ma Qun, and the latter bypassed me and went to my superior.” Complaints?
It was quite unexpected. He Bai raised his hand to massage his puffy eyes, thought for a while and asked, ”Let me guess. The customer complaining about me is Liu Huanhuan, isn't she? And the colleague… Ma Xingtong?”
”You guess out only half the story.” Li Ru shook her finger and replied, ”The colleague who made a complaint of you is indeed Ma Xingtong. He said you were too self-assertive to conform to the rules and regulations of our company as well as to the requirements of the television station and conduct the shooting in the appropriate scenes. He also said you are lacking in team spirit.”
It was quite a groundless countercharge. He Bai completely did not expect Ma Xingtong, a skilled photographer, should spare no efforts to push him aside.
”What shall I do with the complaints?” He asked, with his face hardening.
Li Ru found his childish expression amusing. Shaking her head, she said, ”The regulations stipulate that a regular employee, when receiving a complaint from his customer, must apologize to the customer in person, and make every effort to compensate his client for his losses after finding reasons out; when complained of by a colleague, the employee would face dismissal (if his error is of a serious nature) or wage deduction (if his error causes no considerable consequences) plus demerit recording. One who has three demerits shall be forced out.”
It was indeed an undeserved catastrophe. He Bai was neither willing to make apology to Liu Huanhuan nor expecting wage deduction. After all, that's his hard-earned money ... He Bai was getting desperate.
Li Ru couldn't help laughing eventually, ”But you're not a regular employee and work on a part-time basis. So it's me, your supervisor, who needs to make an apology and inquires about the cause. Besides, given that you work part-time and that your superior considers the complaint from your co-worker may be a slander, so the complaint is overruled and you'll receive two hundred yuan as consolation prize.”
He Bai sat up in a flash and stared at her with joy, ”Sister Li ...”
”Don't look at me this way. It's too sappy.” Li Ru waved her hand and teased him, ”Are you in the mood to hear the good news now?”
One dimple appeared on He Bai's left face as he smiled. Then he gave a nod, and poured a glass of water for Li Ru attentively.
Li Ru enjoyed his service, and spoke slowly, ”As for the good news ... The station personnel were quite satisfied with those refined pictures you had taken. The person in charge happened to hear that you also snapped some pictures of other hostesses to good effect, so he decided to make a sidelight collection with those snaps so as to boost the online publicity of the station's commemorative activities. You can get a good price for each photo.” She stuck a finger while speaking.