20 Xia Shiyu in Despair (1/2)
Chapter 20: Xia Shiyu in Despair
Translator: _Min_Editor: Lis_, Rundi
”… Are you alright?” As she stared at Jiang Chen, who approached her, she bit her lips and ran out of words to say.
”Not exactly okay, a minor injury.” Jiang Chen had the audacity to point at the small cut on his cheek. If he didn’t point it out, it would have gone unnoticed.
”I, I’ll treat it for you.” Xia Shiyu lowered her head, full of guilt. She had never owed favors to anyone, but now she owed this person so much.
”Here? Saliva can disinfect it.” Jiang Chen joked carelessly. It even surprised himself a little.
[Hmm? When did I get so flirty?]
”… I have bandage and alcohol at my place.” Xia Shiyu coldly answered Jiang Chen’s mockery
”Don’t look at me like that. At least I am your new creditor.” Jiang Chen waved the agreement between his fingers. ”Look. Though since I am a nice person, I won’t charge you any interest.”
[Is there anyone more narcissistic than him?] Xia Shiyu stared at the smiling Jiang Chen with a look of defeat. She was confused. This was the same guy that was afraid to make eye contact with her?
”I’ll repay you, including interest.” Xia Shiyu expressed her gratitude with certainty in her voice. And then more hesitantly, she said ”With normal interest rate.” She wasn’t confident in repaying the high interest on her debt.
Jiang Chen shrugged as he knew this girl too well. She would not back down from her goal.
”Xia Shiyu.”
”Yeah?” Xia Shiyu turned her head after the store owner called.
”This is your salary for half of the month. I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do about the thugs. Also, you don’t have to come to work tomorrow,” the store owner said laboriously as he finally said the disheartening statement in an almost pleading tone.
After she had taken the envelope of money, she nodded her head emotionlessly. She gazed at the flower shop that was about to close. Evading and doubtful looks surrounded her as people looked away when she tried to make eye contact. She didn’t know why she wanted to cry.
She couldn’t remember the number of times she almost broke down, but this was the first time in her life that she felt so fragile.
”Fired?” Jiang Chen said mockingly. He felt so joyful seeing his manager got fired again.
She didn’t answer Jiang Chen's mockery. She bit her lips, full of emotions. She turned around and headed home as Jiang Chen followed. Xia Shiyu did say that she was going to help him with the wound.
By now, the wound had already scarred up, but Jiang Chen was curious about where his ex-boss lived. He had nothing better to do anyways.
Jiang Chen chuckled to himself as he thought that he was a terrible person. Almost as mischievous as Sun Jiao.
Jiang Chen stepped onto the moldy stairs, and a frown appeared on his face. He was surprised that Wanghai City even had a building this old. The crack- filled walls indicated that this place was not pleasant.
Xia Shiyu pulled out her keys and opened the rusted door. A bitter smile emerged on Jiang Chen's face. [This girl is almost too resilient and independent. Any other girls would not be able to handle these living conditions. Especially with her charming looks, if she wanted her problems solved, a lot of people would be willing to pay 500,000 for her.]
But her attractiveness was completely undermined by her terrible attitude.
There was a hint of a moldy odor when Jiang Chen first entered the room, but the scented air freshener quickly filled his nostrils. It was clear that Xia Shiyu used it in an attempt to solve the problem.
The room was tiny and cluttered with furniture. It was even smaller than Jiang Chen’s cheap apartment. There was no TV in the living room. Only an old wooden desk with even older chairs. Maybe they would be worth something if she sold them as artifacts.
There was no air conditioning in sight either, only a fan placed in the corner of the room. The most expensive electronic was the stainless steel kettle which she had most likely brought with her when she fled from her home.
A laptop was on the table, but there was no wifi here. What would be the use of it?
He noticed that two pairs of shoes were placed neatly in front of the door. There was no way she only owned two pairs of shoes. She must have been in a rush when she escaped. Although the condition of the apartment was not the best, it did look like she spent a considerable amount of time cleaning the place.
”Sorry, it’s pretty crappy here. Sit,” Xia Shiyu awkwardly said. It was her first time bringing a not-so-familiar man to her place. Even for her ex, she always asked him to stop in front of her door. The idea of spending time alone with the opposite gender made her extremely uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because of her overprotective mindset that she was friendless, especially at this time, when she needed someone the most. She walked into the tiny bedroom.
Jiang Chen pulled out a chair and sat down on it. However, to his surprise, it almost made him fall. [F*ck, the chair is missing a piece of its leg.]
Soon, Xia Shiyu walked out with rubbing alcohol and q-tips.
”Where?” Her tone was mechanical. She examined the wound as she tried to place her hand awkwardly.
”Here. Are you going to...?” Jiang Chen forced a smile. He only wanted to mock the ex-manager, but she did bring out the rubbing alcohol.
”I said I would treat it for you.” Xia Shiyu took in a deep breath as she advanced toward his face.
Jiang Chen felt uncomfortable as well. His hands wiggled back and forth not knowing where to place them.
”Don’t move.” Xia Shiyu frowned slightly and gave the restless Jiang Chen a hard stare.
”Okay.” Jiang Chen forced a smile again.
It was a delightful fragrance. The lilac aroma twirled around Jiang Chen’s nose. Her flawless neck was decorated with jewelry. Jiang Chen remembered there was a necklace when they worked together. When she leaned forward, the light summer shirt flashed a glimpse of her beautiful cleavage. It was probably only a B, which was nothing compared to Sun Jiao's. But with her serene figure, she seemed like a delightful breeze in the summer day.