“Your phone.”
“Th-thank you.”
Wen Xing’an bowed several times, looking tense and embarrassed. “I’m really sorry about that just now.”
Xie Shijin waved it off and watched the man ride away on his electric scooter.
Jiang Zimo teased him. “Pretty girls usually fall right into your arms. You, on the other hand, get hit by some middle-aged guy. Xie Shijin, you should go pray at a temple sometime. Your luck with romance can’t stay this bad.”
Li Xiuchi said, “What do you know? Maybe this guy has a daughter as beautiful as a fairy who’ll insist on marrying Xie Shijin one day.”
Jiang Zimo finished his coffee in a few gulps, tossed the cup into the trash, and went on, “Speaking of girls as beautiful as fairies, that Aunt Luo Yan’s chasing is absolutely stunning. She’s practically ethereal—just like a fairy.”
He nudged Xie Shijin’s shoulder. “I bet Luo Yan won’t be able to win her over. Why don’t you go for her instead? With a face like yours, what girl couldn’t you win over?”
Xie Shijin didn’t even react. “I have a girlfriend.”
Jiang Zimo said, “Come on, Brother. You’ve never even met her. What do you like about her, anyway?”
Xie Shijin replied casually, “I like that she lets me have the mid lane.”
Jiang Zimo: “…”
Fine. You win.
Li Xiuchi said, “Come to think of it, why hasn’t your Puff Girl called you today? Doesn’t she make you call her as soon as it’s ten?”
Xie Shijin paused. “She said she was going to bed.”
“Hahahaha!” Jiang Zimo mocked him mercilessly. “She’s already tired of you, Xie Shijin. Two months of enthusiasm have just about run out. You’re about to get dumped.”
Xie Shijin’s face remained expressionless.
Li Xiuchi said, “If she really dumps him, Xie Shijin will be free at last. He won’t have to soothe that little demon every day.”
Xie Shijin thought it over. If she broke up with him, he’d have repaid her for saving his life. “Mm.”
…
Tian Wanrou had gone to the county town early that morning. Her health was poor, and she couldn’t do heavy work, so the only job she could manage was working as a cashier at a supermarket. It meant rotating shifts, but the work itself was easy.
Before she left, she had made two dishes for Wen Xiao: tomato and egg stir-fry, and pork stir-fried with chili peppers. Ordinary home cooking, but delicious.
Wen Xiao couldn’t stomach anything greasy in the morning, so she cooked congee in the rice cooker and steamed an egg for herself.
After thinking it over, she found a good angle, took a photo of her breakfast, and sent it to Xie Shijin.
Naiyou Paofu: Good morning! I made congee myself. Anyone want to praise me? If not, I’ll praise myself.
Naiyou Paofu: Great job!
It was eight in the morning. She had no idea whether Xie Shijin was awake yet.
Just as Wen Xiao was about to put down her phone, the screen showed that he was typing.
She waited a few minutes before Xie Shijin sent an emoji of two hands clapping together.
“…”
What kind of bot was he? Even Momo was better at making her feel appreciated.
Xie Shijin: [Transfer: 1,000]
Xie Shijin: A reward for making your own congee.
Well, he’d brought out the power of money. What more could she say?
Naiyou Paofu: What did you have for breakfast?
After a little while, Xie Shijin sent her a picture.
French Gillardeau oysters with white sturgeon caviar, a bottle of chilled Dom Pérignon beside them, hand-peeled crab-meat shumai, matsutake soup dumplings…
One breakfast could buy her life.
Wen Xiao was so envious her eyes nearly turned red.
She jabbed angrily at her phone.
Naiyou Paofu: You’re eating oysters too? You must be really weak.
The other end went silent.
Feeling as if she’d finally won a round, Wen Xiao smugly continued sipping her plain congee.
The next second, a message from Xie Shijin popped up.
Xie Shijin: Want to try?
“Cough, cough—”
Wen Xiao choked without warning and started coughing violently. Her cheeks turned red, and a wave of heat washed over her.
It took a good while for her to recover.
Male lead, you’re breaking character!
Wasn’t Xie Shijin the kind of man who barely said a word even if you beat him with a stick? How could he possibly say something like that? He must have been possessed!
Wen Xiao replied, huffily: No way. In your dreams!
This time, he sent a voice message.
There was some noise in the background. It sounded like he was out on the street.
His voice was languid. “I meant try the oysters. What were you thinking?”
Wen Xiao: …
Her cheeks burned. She shoved her phone into her pocket, got up, and went to wash the bowls.
She looked very busy, though she had no idea what she was busy doing.
There was a vegetable plot of more than thirty square meters behind the original owner’s house. Tian Wanrou hadn’t had time to plant anything, so it had gone to waste.
Farther back were ten mu of fields that the original owner’s grandfather had left to her family. But her eldest uncle’s family had taken them, saying that since the family wasn’t around, they might as well use the land to grow crops.
The original owner’s parents were kindhearted. They figured they were all relatives, and they had no use for the land themselves, so they let them have it.
Wen Xiao planned to grow some vegetables and film a vlog while she was at it. She’d title it: “A Day in the Life of an Unemployed College Girl in the Countryside.”
Before she transmigrated, she had worked as a video editor, so she was very experienced.
She’d also just sent out some résumés to see if she could find online editing work.
“Xiaoxiao, are you home?”
A loud woman’s voice came from outside.
Wen Xiao opened the front gate. A pretty girl with platinum-blond hair walked in, dressed head to toe in designer labels and chewing gum. “Why’d you shut the gate if you were home?”
This was Fang Ruman, the original owner’s good friend.
“I was washing dishes in the kitchen. I hadn’t opened the gate at all today.”
“Oh. You know Ruan Zhiqin’s back, right? Want to go mess with her?” Fang Ruman said with a grin. “The way she acts all high and mighty annoys me.”
Mm. She was a villain too, just like the original owner.
The original owner had been sent to Myanmar to feed the dogs; Fang Ruman had been sent off to “eat the state’s food.”
Anyway, the two besties, each a Sis in her own way, had each had their own kind of misery.
Wen Xiao grabbed her hand. “Don’t. Absolutely not.”
Fang Ruman looked suspicious. “Why not?”
Because nothing good ever came of going against the female lead.
Obviously, she couldn’t put it like that, so Wen Xiao said, “She’s studying in Beijing now. She must know a lot of powerful people. If we bully her again, we’ll be in deep trouble.”
Fang Ruman considered it. “That’s true. She’s a big deal in Beijing. The guys chasing her could line up all the way from the capital to here.”
Fang Ruman’s boyfriend was rich, so she knew all too well how much power wealthy people had.
“Fine. Since you don’t want to, I’ll reluctantly let her off this time.”
Fang Ruman’s train of thought changed quickly. “Look at this bag. My boyfriend gave it to me. Guess how much it cost?”
Wen Xiao had noticed it as soon as Fang Ruman arrived. It was an LV Baguette, worth around 19,000 yuan.
Wen Xiao had once had a rich friend, and through her she’d learned quite a bit about luxury brands.
Fang Ruman made a gesture. “You’d never guess. I looked it up online and nearly died when I saw the price.”
Then she draped an arm over Wen Xiao’s shoulder. “Xiaoxiao, you’re so pretty. Want me to introduce you to a boyfriend? My boyfriend has several single rich friends.”
Wen Xiao refused without a second thought. All she wanted right now was to keep herself alive. “No. Have you forgotten I already have a boyfriend?”
“Pfft. Online dating’s unreliable. In real life, you wouldn’t even look twice at each other, but online you’re madly in love.” Fang Ruman lowered her voice. “And your boyfriend plays jungle. Don’t you know jungle mains like that are usually hideous?”
It wasn’t that bad. He was the male lead, after all. He couldn’t be unattractive.
Fang Ruman was still trying to persuade her when her phone rang in her pocket.
She smiled sweetly. “My boyfriend’s video-calling me.”
“Baby,” Fang Ruman said, her eyes curving into a smile. “I’m at my best friend’s place.”
As she spoke, she turned the camera. Wen Xiao met the gaze of the man on the other end of the call and gave a slight nod. “Hello.”
Wei Yu caught sight of Wen Xiao’s pure, pretty face, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
One of the guys beside him leaned over for a look, then turned to the young man nearby. “Holy shit, she’s gorgeous. Li Xiuchi, come look.”