“I only have one thousand pesos left for my allowance, and that is just a drop in the bucket. Let my brother stay on the roof; the breeze will do him good and help clear his head!” Cheng Luo’s hands were shaking as she spoke. She hung up immediately, and the angry shouting from the other end was cut short.
Compared to any misunderstanding about her clothes, Cheng Luo was now more concerned about where she would sleep tonight. She certainly could not go back home, the school was closed for the holidays, and hotels were too expensive.
Was she really going to sleep on the streets? I should not have been so bold with my words just now, Cheng Luo thought, leaning dejectedly against the cold wall. She scrolled through her phone contacts but could not find a single friend she could stay with. Then, she remembered where she had slept the night before. At worst, she could offer to rent that place for a few days; it was better than the street.
Lunch Break
Cheng Luo placed the delivery bag on the desk and looked at Zhai Qing, hesitating to speak.
Zhai Qing took off the glasses she had been wearing all morning and massaged the bridge of her nose. Without looking up, she said, “What is it? Is there something you want to say? You have been off since you took that call this morning.”
Seeing the opening, Cheng Luo immediately took the chance. “Boss, can I rent the place I stayed last night for a few days?”
Zhai Qing tapped her fingers on the desk twice. “What for? Do you have nowhere else to live?”
Cheng Luo was surprised by her insight and nodded. “I had a fight with my family. I do not want to go back there.”
Zhai Qing looked into her eyes for a few seconds. Just as Cheng Luo’s heart began to race with nervousness, Zhai Qing spoke.
“That place is far from the office and has very few supplies. You are coming home to stay with me tonight.”
“That is too much trouble for you, Boss.”
“I have been meaning to ask since yesterday, why did you suddenly switch from calling me Senior to Boss? Besides, my mother asked me to look after you. It is settled.”
Seeing Cheng Luo remain silent, Zhai Qing took it as an agreement. “Do you have things to pack? I do not have extra daily necessities at home.”
It felt a bit surreal when Cheng Luo eventually found herself pushing a shopping cart alongside Zhai Qing at a store.
“Go check the towels and toothbrushes. See which ones you like,” Zhai Qing told her.
Cheng Luo gave a soft “oh” and began picking obediently.
“This one, it feels quite comfortable.”
“As long as you like it.”
Hearing those words, Cheng Luo’s face turned slightly red. As she reached out to put the towel into the cart, she suddenly felt a weight on her arm. Her distance from Zhai Qing vanished instantly, and the two of them were practically pressed against each other.
“I am so sorry! My child pushed the cart a bit too hard just now. Are you hurt? I am truly sorry.” A quiet-looking young woman looked at them apologetically.
“Ah,” Cheng Luo reacted by reflexively pushing Zhai Qing away. “Cough, I am fine. It is just dangerous; you should keep an eye on the child.”
“Definitely. Her mother is scolding her right now.”
Cheng Luo looked back and saw a pretty little girl with a face covered in tears, clinging piteously to a woman’s leg. If she listened closely, she could hear their conversation.
“Mommy, Mommy, I was wrong. I do not want to sleep alone tonight, boohoo!”
“No. You are sleeping alone for a month, and all your snacks are confiscated. You are in no position to bargain. Go apologize to the sisters.” A woman wearing a leather jacket stood with her arms crossed, looking completely unyielding.
“Sisters, boohoo, I am sorry. I should not have pushed the cart recklessly. I am sorry, I know I was wrong.”
Cheng Luo glanced at Zhai Qing and then said, “I forgive you. It is alright.”
The quiet woman breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and wiped the tears from the girl’s face. The little girl finally could not help but dive into her arms for comfort, crying “Mommy!”
Before leaving, the quiet woman looked between Zhai Qing and Cheng Luo with a smile that was a mix of bitterness and happiness. “This is how it is once you have children. You two should wait a bit before having kids; enjoy yourselves for a few more years while you are young.”
“…”
For the rest of the shopping trip, Cheng Luo did not dare get too close to Zhai Qing, fearing another misunderstanding. Furthermore, Zhai Qing had remained silent since the encounter, and the low pressure surrounding her was very noticeable.
She probably does not like being misunderstood like that, Cheng Luo guessed.
“Alright, I have everything I need. Should we buy some groceries to cook? I am actually a pretty good cook,” Cheng Luo said. She did not know what else to do to cheer her up; this was her only real skill.
“Sure.”
Cheng Luo did not know what Zhai Qing liked to eat, so she just bought ingredients for a few of her best dishes. When it came time to pay, Cheng Luo tried to volunteer to foot the bill, but Zhai Qing held her arm and would not let her take out her phone.
Unable to win the struggle, Cheng Luo watched Zhai Qing pay. As they walked out with the bags, Zhai Qing suddenly pulled something out of a bag and handed it to Cheng Luo. “Have a candy. When you are out with the boss, you do not have to pay.”
The rich milky flavor melted on her tongue, and Cheng Luo’s lips curled into a smile.
When she arrived at Zhai Qing’s home, Cheng Luo realized her mental preparations were woefully inadequate. She had assumed Zhai Qing lived in a minimalist, impersonal high-rise apartment in the city center, like an elite professional in a TV drama.
Instead, Zhai Qing brought her to a villa. The moment she entered, the immense wealth of the owner was evident everywhere. Cheng Luo tried her best to stop her eyes from wandering.
“Come to the second floor. I just had the housekeeper clean a room for you.” Zhai Qing wore a pair of coffee-colored slippers and moved almost silently across the floor.
Zhai Qing pushed open a door, and a large bed immediately caught Cheng Luo’s eye.
“There is not much furniture here. Tell me if you need anything, and we will get more later.”
Cheng Luo waved her hands repeatedly. “No, this is already perfect. This bed is almost twice the size of mine!” The surprise in her voice was hard to hide.
Zhai Qing raised an eyebrow. “Get settled in first. I am going to take a shower.”
Cheng Luo saw her out with a very helpful attitude. As soon as the door closed, she dove onto the soft, large bed. Spreading her arms was not enough; she rolled back and forth in excitement.
How can a bed be this comfortable!
With water still dripping from the tips of her hair, Zhai Qing wrapped herself in a white bathrobe and walked silently to the kitchen. She saw the person inside smiling sillily at a pot, her eyes crinkling until they almost disappeared. Zhai Qing did not say a word; she watched for a long while before leaving.
“Quick, come and see how my cooking is!” Cheng Luo asked Zhai Qing eagerly before she had even taken off her apron.
Zhai Qing scanned the table: four dishes and a soup, all neatly arranged. It was obvious that Cheng Luo had put a lot of effort into some of them. She took a bite.
Cheng Luo watched her expectantly. “How is it? How is it?”
“Delicious.”
“Yeah!”
Cheng Luo made a victory gesture. Zhai Qing was rarely amused by such silly actions and laughed. The distance felt in the office vanished; they seemed like ordinary friends.
Zhai Qing guiltily ate two large bowls of rice that night. To help with digestion, she insisted on doing the dishes.
Cheng Luo’s clothes smelled of cooking oil and smoke. Seeing that she was not needed for the dishes, she hurried upstairs to shower. She had noticed earlier that the bathroom had a bathtub, something she had never experienced before.
As the warm water enveloped her body, Cheng Luo sighed with contentment. It does not get better than this.
However, after her bath, she was stunned. She had no pajamas, and her dirty clothes had just been thrown into the washing machine.
[cl: Boss, do you have any extra pajamas? Praying emoji]
Zhai Qing was in the study when her phone lit up on the desk.
Knock, knock. The glass door of the bathroom was tapped. Soon, Zhai Qing’s voice came from outside.
“I have placed them on the bed for you. There are no new pajamas, but everything else is new.”
“Thank you!”
Cheng Luo waited until she heard the door close before she felt safe enough to come out wrapped in a towel. She picked up a bundle of pink clothes on the bed and gently shook them out. Suddenly, something fell out that made her face turn bright red instantly.
She hit her head hard with her hand.
Am I stupid! I actually forgot something so important at the supermarket!
Cheng Luo touched the fabric gently; it was very soft. But at the thought that these belonged to Zhai Qing, she felt a deep sense of shame. To avoid any further awkwardness, she put them on anyway. When she lay in bed, she stayed perfectly still, as if the clothes were a literal cage.
The next morning, before the sun had even risen, Cheng Luo opened her eyes. She made a breakfast and left it warming in a pot, then put on her coat and went out.
She decided to head home and check things while no one was paying attention. Not a single call had come in since the day before, and she was still uneasy. Plus, she needed to pack some more clothes.
She slipped into her room but was startled the moment she entered. A person was lying on her single bed, with one foot dangling off the side. She calmed herself and realized it was her brother.
Seeing that he is able to sleep like that, he must be mostly fine, Cheng Luo thought.
She grabbed a few pieces of undergarments and some clothes for work. Just as she was about to close the wardrobe door, a sharp grating sound rang out. This was an old problem with the door; it acted up randomly. She did not expect to be so unlucky today.
“Ah!”
The person on the bed sat up with a start. With a click, the room light came on. It took the man a long time to adjust before he recognized her.
“Cheng Luo? You brat, what are you doing sneaking around?”
“None of your business.” There was a large age gap between them, and Cheng Luo had never been close to her brother. As she grew up and witnessed his various failures, she avoided him almost entirely unless absolutely necessary. Even when they did meet, they acted like strangers.
With the light on, she noticed her brother looked much more haggard. He had not tended to his hair, which he usually cared about most, and his beard had grown long. When he spoke, there was a heavy smell of alcohol and cigarettes.
Cheng Luo, carrying her bag, took a few steps back.
“Heh,” the dejected man on the bed let out a light laugh. “You know I have been short on money lately. As my sister, you should naturally lend a hand.”
Cheng Luo looked at him warily. He continued.
“I know you work at that Qingfeng Technology. I heard it is a big company. You must have a lot of money, and your boss must be rich too.”