Qiao Jing gnashed his teeth: “I just hate that I didn’t buy a place earlier, letting him snatch up this ‘close to the water’ opportunity! It’s killing me.” [近水楼台: literally “close to the water pavilion,” idiom meaning gaining advantage from being near.]
Qiao Ling fell silent: “……”
Right, Chen Kuang is still his imaginary love rival now.
Suddenly felt he was really pitiful, like a silly dog.
Qiao Jing spoke more and more energetically, freely elaborating: “Don’t I know what kind of behavior men have? He says it’s for them to live there, but today he brings them something, tomorrow sends some food, the day after who knows, might just find an excuse to stay and directly start acting out a three-person family!”
“I haven’t gone to the shop yet.” Qiao Ling rubbed her eyes, mumbling: “Didn’t he sleep in the bar’s rest room? You can just go check yourself.”
“No use asking me…”
From the other end of the call came a suspicious weird noise, “Who told you that?”
“My bar’s rest room is currently being lived in by another worker, Chen Kuang rolled out long ago.”
“I was just about to ask where he slept last night, he hasn’t replied to my WeChat.”
Qiao Ling suddenly opened her eyes, half of her sleepiness waking up, her brain magnifying the same question.
What??? Chen Kuang isn’t living in the bar anymore??
“When did this happen?”
This was something coordinated by Xie Rouyin, so Qiao Jing only knew bits and pieces, “Uh, about a week ago?”
Almost a week, then wasn’t it right around the time Chen Kuang rejected her suggestion?
So that means before last night, Chen Kuang should have been living in the apartment downstairs from her all along, sleeping every day listening to noise.
Didn’t even have the bar rest room to stay in, yet still wouldn’t come over to her place to crash for a bit?
Qiao Ling for no reason gave birth to a kind of blocked-up anger.
What, is she some kind of jackal, tiger, or leopard? For him to avoid her like this!
“…Serves him right.” She couldn’t hold back the words from her heart.
Qiao Jing froze for a second, although he didn’t understand why she suddenly cursed that person, he still agreed very much: “Well said, I also think he deserves it.”
“If you don’t know then forget it, I’ll go ask around more.”
“You hurry up and open the shop, look what time it is already, even if business isn’t good you still have to actively work at it.”
After saying that, he hung up the call.
Qiao Ling clenched her fists, wishing she could tear the pillow apart, waving her fists in the air a few times.
Already angry because of Chen Kuang, now getting lectured by you, this street-roaming cousin.
Who did I even offend!
Why are men all so annoying and hateful! All of you get far away from me!
Never want to bother with these people again.
…………
The little shop’s business proceeded as usual. At night it started raining again—not as heavy as the day before, but drizzling non-stop.
The little couple making jewelry in the shop had been whispering secretly, but suddenly got startled by loud bang bang bang hammering silver sounds, turning their heads to look—
Staring at that small figure sitting at the shop manager’s work station.
Qiao Ling was wearing an apron, all her stifled mood written across her gloomy face, gripping the hammer and banging bang bang on the silver strip, the noise startling.
She looked weak, but when hammering silver, she was fast and fierce. The thick silver strip was quickly pressed into a thin, flat sheet.
Qiao Ling listened—there was no movement from the customers’ side for quite a while. She turned her head, meeting that couple’s astonished yet not daring to speak faces, and smiled: “Do you need help?”
The couple quickly shook their heads, “No need, we haven’t finished this step yet.”
Better not ask anything, just from looking, her mood already seemed very bad…
Qiao Ling checked the thickness of the silver sheet in her hand, her cheeks puffed up like a balloon, her stomach growling with hunger.
All because of that annoying person, feeling upset all day long, didn’t even eat lunch, starving to death.
At this moment, the phone placed beside the heat insulation counter lit up. A new message displayed its content.
【Gum: Are you free tonight? I’ll go to your place to get my clothes.】
Seeing Chen Kuang’s profile picture, Qiao Ling’s heart skipped a beat without warning, followed by an even stronger surge of grievance and stifled anger.
Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives [说曹操曹操就到: speak of the devil], really has to show up and hit the muzzle of the gun right now!
Qiao Ling glanced at the time and replied with a counter-question.
【L.ing: It’s just nine thirty, you’re not working?】
【L.ing: If you want to get your clothes, then wait. I haven’t closed shop yet. I’m not at home.】
【Gum: I’ll wait for you at your shop? Then take a cab back.】
The reply came very fast, as if he hadn’t noticed any difference in her tone from usual at all.
That made Qiao Ling even angrier.
Was it that he didn’t notice she wasn’t happy, or was it that he didn’t care whether her attitude was different from before?
Qiao Ling heavily tapped on her phone, sent her reply, then directly placed the screen face down on the table, continuing to hammer the silver, her strength heavier than just now.
【L.ing: Don’t come, I’ll tell you when I get home.】
…………
There were more customers tonight. Qiao Ling didn’t send off the last customer until ten o’clock. After cleaning up and closing the shop, it was already close to eleven when she got home.
Qiao Ling had almost forgotten, but seeing the men’s trousers drying on the balcony, she remembered again that man still waiting on his phone for notification.
Hmph, might as well leave him hanging. Just one set of clothes.
Qiao Ling went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet to wash her face, but didn’t splash the water up for a long time.
She stared at the stream of flowing water for more than ten seconds, finally cursed harshly—“Annoying!”—picked up her phone again, and sent Chen Kuang a message: “I’m home. You can come now.”
Annoying, annoying, why is he so annoying.
No matter which way she chose, it felt against her heart.
Chen Kuang still replied very quickly, telling her he was nearby and would come up in five minutes.
Qiao Ling folded his clothes neatly into a bag. At this moment, WeChat messages started buzzing again.
She picked up the phone irritably.
Why are there so many messages tonight?
【Qiao Jing: Share a good piece of news with your brother, I’m dying laughing, Chen Kuang is really unlucky, serves him right.】
【Qiao Jing: Yesterday he miserably lay on the bar table sleeping all night, caught a bit of rain and even caught a cold, really delicate.】
Qiao Ling paused and sent back a question mark.
Caught a cold?
Qiao Jing sent three more voice messages.
【Around seven this morning when I was about to open the shop, I went there and saw his face pale like paper. I used a temperature gun on him, damn, it was over thirty-eight degrees, and he still dared to go up to the bar counter. I directly sent him away.】
【Even though these days his shift can only be covered by Xia Tian, at least with him sick, he won’t be bothering Rouyin and her daughter. Tch.】
【Weren’t you really annoyed with him? Doesn’t hearing this feel good?】
Hearing this, Qiao Ling couldn’t help pressing her lips tightly together. Right at that moment, the doorbell rang.
Her breath felt like it was being squeezed shut. Qiao Ling sharply turned to look toward the door, running over almost without hesitation.
Qiao Ling pulled open the door. The man standing there cast a gray shadow across her face.
Seeing Chen Kuang’s bluish face and dry, chapped lips, all her previous emotions disappeared completely.
Chen Kuang met her worried and helpless gaze, his Adam’s apple rolling.
His usual indifferent expression now mixed with a bit of discomfort, pulling his burning throat: “I’m here to get my clothes.”
His voice was both hoarse and dry, making Qiao Ling’s back tense up.
Qiao Ling stared fixedly at him, “You have a fever.”
“Probably.” Chen Kuang figured she must have already contacted Qiao Jing, so he didn’t ask further, extending his hand: “I’m not going in, just give me my clothes.”
“I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
Qiao Ling didn’t care about that at all, “Did you take medicine?”
Chen Kuang froze slightly, his hand pausing in mid-air, “I’ll take it when I get back.”
Her brows furrowed, her temper gradually rising again, “Get back? Go where? The bar doesn’t let you stay anymore.”
This time, he didn’t answer.
Chen Kuang’s throat hurt terribly, forcing himself to answer her: “I’ll stay at a hotel tonight.”
“If you wanted to stay at a hotel, you would have gone last night.” Qiao Ling refused to back down an inch, her chest rising and falling more and more intensely, eyes glaring like peach pits, as if like this she could dig out what he was really thinking inside.
“I guess you still plan to make do at the bar tonight.”
“A person with a fever sleeping in a food service place, isn’t that just a little too unethical?”
He was tired, really didn’t want to argue about this kind of thing, raising a faint smile that hinted at the edge of his patience.
“Qiao Ling, just give me the clothes…”
“What if I don’t.” She pushed her temper, reaching out to grab his sleeve, her eyes growing hot.
Qiao Ling was almost crying from being angry with him, both hands pulling on him hard, dragging him toward herself, “I already know, Chen Kuang, you clearly know the bar won’t let you stay anymore, yet you still insist on rejecting me.”
“Are you afraid of me? Where am I so annoying to you.”
Her cheeks and teeth ached sourly, she spoke messily, completely saying whatever came out: “Didn’t I already say I usually go back to my parents’ place? Didn’t I already say during the day there’s no one at home at all? Didn’t I already say even if you came to sleep we wouldn’t even run into each other…”
Speaking up to here, she caught her breath, yet didn’t dare look at him again, staring fixedly at her own hand that was grabbing onto him and trembling nonstop.
“You even have a fever…”
Chen Kuang caught sight of a transparent drop falling down her cheek, and couldn’t say a single word of argument.
Suddenly his head felt dizzy, the taut string inside his body snapped, muscles and nerves all collapsing and falling apart.
“No.” Chen Kuang supported himself on her doorway, dryly spitting out that word.
One “no,” answered many of her questions.
“No what? Then say it clearly.”
The person holding the answer was right in front of her, Qiao Ling couldn’t endure the suffocating feeling in her chest anymore.
No matter what it was, she just wanted it made clear, didn’t want to keep being swayed by his words and actions.
“I don’t hate you.” Chen Kuang forced himself upright with the last bit of strength, lifting his eyes, yet the person in front of him was already turning into a double image. Before he could say the next sentence, he couldn’t hold on anymore and leaned toward her.
Qiao Ling was startled, quickly reaching out both hands to catch him, but hadn’t expected that though he looked thin, he was actually this heavy. She staggered back a full step before steadying herself.
“Eh? Chen Kuang, are you okay?!”
He rested against her shoulder, as if feeling it was offensive, struggling to turn his head aside, the burning heat of his forehead brushing past the side of her neck.
Qiao Ling’s heart trembled from the heat.
Chen Kuang’s hands propped on both sides of the doorframe, his upper body collapsing into her arms.
His breathing carried an abnormal heaviness.
A rusty taste rising in his throat, his strength only enough to support saying one more sentence.
Chen Kuang’s eyelids drooped heavily, and in the end, he chose to say to her—
“Don’t cry anymore, I was wrong.”