Su He’s late shifts resulted in a cycle of coming home only to sleep and waking up just to head back to work. She decided she couldn’t take it anymore. She set her alarm for 7:30 AM, washed her face, changed into a tracksuit, and headed out for a run.
The morning air was mild and free, brimming with life. After stretching her “old” limbs at the building entrance, she began a slow jog. Most people out at this hour were the elderly. Su He watched them with envy as they exercised peacefully and ate breakfast at a leisurely pace, enjoying a tranquil life.
She shook her head. Man, I really want to retire right now…
There was a neighborhood breakfast stall nearby. People were milling about, and steam billowed out from the shop, carrying the fragrant scent of fresh food in white clouds visible from a distance. Su He’s mouth watered. The restaurant where she worked provided meals, but she usually arrived too late to catch breakfast. Given her empty pockets, she decided to endure the craving.
As she passed the breakfast stall, she sped up, determined to resist temptation. This neighborhood was actually quite nice. Outside the complex was a wet market; to the west was a park, and to the east were two schools—an elementary and a middle school. Living here was incredibly convenient. Seeing the crowds flowing in and out of the gates, Su He felt a spark of inspiration.
Su He ran for over an hour and made it back home by 9:00 AM. Since she started work at 10:00, she had plenty of time. Despite the physical exertion, she felt more energized than if she had slept in.
When she passed the breakfast stall again on her way back, she couldn’t hold out. She bought three sticks of fried dough (youtiao), a bowl of tofu pudding, and an egg. She wasn’t buying it for herself; she was bringing it for Shen Juanzhou.
She told herself she was just being kind. Who told her roommate to be so good-looking? She always had a bit more patience and care for attractive people. Shen Juanzhou’s pale face from the night before flashed in her mind.
This guy works really hard, she thought. When she first moved in, the original Su He had come out for water at 3:00 AM and saw that Shen Juanzhou was still livestreaming. He rarely went out, spent all his time streaming, and ate instant noodles when he was hungry. It wasn’t an easy life. Then again, making money is never easy.
She placed the breakfast on the table outside Shen Juanzhou’s door and went to her room to get ready.
Su He arrived early today. It was only 9:40 AM when she reached the restaurant. Before she even got close, she spotted a man standing at the entrance. He looked familiar—likely someone the original owner knew, though she couldn’t quite place him yet.
Before she could confirm his identity, the man saw her and stared intently. He had a buzz cut, a round face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He was decent-looking and of a fair height, but his shoes were caked in mud and his clothes were wrinkled, instantly ruining his image.
“Su He, you’re crossing the line. I called you so many times yesterday and you didn’t pick up once.”
Su He confirmed it: this was the original owner’s boyfriend, Zhang Chi. Her expression turned cold. She stopped in her tracks and said, “Wait a moment. Let me go clock in first. We’ll talk after.”
Nothing was more important than her paycheck. If they talked too long and she got delayed, her early arrival would be for nothing.
Zhang Chi frowned as he watched her. In his memory, Su He was always the submissive, gentle type. When he had tested the waters by asking her for money before, she seemed reluctant, but she never refused after a moment of hesitation. He had figured then that she was easy to manipulate.
He had been right; she wasn’t bossy like other women. When he was short on cash, she’d even spot him a bit. Aside from her being a bit “conservative”—which annoyed him—he felt it was only a matter of time before he got his way.
But the Su He standing before him today felt like a stranger. The sharpness in her eyes and the coldness in her voice made him feel, for a fleeting moment, like he was looking at Zhang Duoduo. They all knew Zhang Duoduo looked down on them, but she had the skills to become a store manager. He frowned, sensing that today’s encounter wouldn’t be so easy.
Su He came back out after clocking in. She got straight to the point: “I told you yesterday to pay me back. Did you bring the money?”
Anger flared in Zhang Chi’s eyes. “Su He, why is it all about ‘money, money, money’ with you lately? Isn’t it normal for a couple to spend money on each other?”
Su He looked at him lazily. “It’s normal for a couple to spend money on each other. But have you ever spent a single cent on me? Other guys buy their girlfriends bags; what about you? Have you even bought me a ten-yuan pair of insoles?”
Zhang Chi opened his mouth to argue just as Su He’s colleagues arrived. Sensing the tension, they kept glancing over at the pair.
“Let’s go somewhere else to talk,” Zhang Chi said, reaching out to pull Su He aside.
Su He dodged him. “Speak right here. I have to work.”
“I don’t have time to haggle with you. We’ve broken up. Either you give me the money now and we part ways peacefully, or I’ll go to your shop at lunchtime to find you.”
“I’m sure you don’t want everyone to know about this little situation, right?”
Zhang Chi narrowed his eyes. He spat out a curse and raised a fist. “You bitch, are you looking for a beating? Go ahead and try telling people!”
Su He suppressed the rising anger in her chest. In her past life, she had many boyfriends, and they always parted on good terms, even speaking well of each other afterward. Then look at this animal in front of her. This was a matter of character. There was no point in reasoning with a beast.
“So, you’re saying you don’t want to pay me back?” Su He asked. She started walking toward the neighboring shop. “Let’s test it out then. See if I dare to speak up.”
“Zhang Chi! What are you doing? Are we eating or what?” a man shouted from the shop next door.
Zhang Chi tried to grab Su He, but she shook him off like he was something filthy. Fearing the eyes of the staff from both shops, Zhang Chi relented. “I’ll give it to you tonight.”
“Noon! If I don’t see the money by noon, I’m coming for you.”
“And don’t bother doing the math. I gave you a total of 1,050 yuan. I’ll drop the change—give me 1,000!”
“You can test me and see if I’m bluffing!”
Zhang Chi needed this job. He had younger siblings back home in school waiting for his money to pay their tuition. He couldn’t afford to lose it.
Su He turned and walked away. As soon as she entered the restaurant, she saw several colleagues huddled by the window watching. She hadn’t done anything wrong, so she let them watch. She had simply been unlucky enough to date a piece of trash.
How disgusting!