Lin Xiangyang called to ask whether she had resolved the matter. After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, Shi Nianhuan understood.
It was Lin Xiangyang who had told Jiang Chenyu.
So the person who had helped solve the problem was Jiang Chenyu, not Lin Xiangyang.
Whenever Shi Nianhuan imagined Jiang Chenyu putting on a sour face while pretending to be familiar with the school leaders, she found the image incredibly vivid.
However, Shi Nianhuan had also learned her lesson. She became even more cautious. As long as she did not go home and did not cause trouble, she could disappear from Jiang Chenyu’s world.
Uncle Jiang and Auntie were truly wonderful to her, treating her even better than their own daughter.
Even while she was living at school, they called once every few days. Even when Uncle and Auntie went abroad on vacation, they would still call at a set time to ask how she was doing.
Whenever Shi Nianhuan chatted with Uncle and Auntie, the atmosphere was pleasant, never awkward, and very relaxed.
That day was the same as usual. They chatted for about ten minutes before Auntie seemed to have something to attend to.
“Nianhuan, just ask your Gege for your spending money next month. Your uncle and I won’t transfer any money to you anymore.”
Auntie spoke casually and naturally.
Yet Shi Nianhuan’s eyes widened. The word “okay” caught in her throat, and she stammered for quite a while without managing to say it.
“What’s wrong? Nianhuan, is something the matter on your end?”
Shi Nianhuan hurriedly shook her head. “Nothing, nothing.”
“Since nothing’s wrong, Auntie will hang up the phone. Take care of yourself.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up the phone, Shi Nianhuan collapsed completely into her chair.
She really should have anticipated this. How could she have failed to consider that Jiang Chenyu, whom she had tried every possible way to avoid, actually held the capital on which her life depended?
Shi Nianhuan immediately checked how much money remained in her account. The result broke her heart. Uncle and Auntie had always been generous with money, and she had never had much concept of spending money since childhood. When she saw that her bank card held only two hundred yuan, she even felt her scalp grow numb as she spent quite some time wondering how long it could last.
“Xiao Huanhuan, what’s wrong? Why are you so down?” Bi Tiantian would occasionally come out to remind her of her presence.
Shi Nianhuan turned her head and glanced at Bi Tiantian, and a bold idea flashed through her mind.
“Tiantian, do you know where near the school I could find a part-time job?” Shi Nianhuan asked, looking at Bi Tiantian with delight.
Bi Tiantian glanced sideways at her and took another look. “You want a part-time job?”
After sharing a dormitory for more than two years, Bi Tiantian had always thought Shi Nianhuan was the kind of second-generation rich person who was particular about everything she ate and wore. Did a second-generation rich person need a part-time job?
Shi Nianhuan smiled until the corners of her eyes curved. She slowly said, “Yes, yes, yes. I want to earn some spending money.”
“All right, I’ll send you a part-time job group. People post information there every day, and you can screen it yourself.” Bi Tiantian was very straightforward.
Shi Nianhuan was delighted. If she could earn money herself, that would undoubtedly be a good thing. She would not have to ask Jiang Chenyu for money, and therefore would not have to face his sour face.
Shi Nianhuan thought she had grown up and could solve all her problems herself. But she had forgotten that Uncle and Auntie had protected her for more than a decade. She was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper—how could she have had any contact with people from society?
After joining the group, Shi Nianhuan spent an entire night weighing and considering all the information in it. In the end, she settled on a waiter job with high pay and working hours that would not conflict with her classes.
She contacted the person who had posted the information. The Woman told her to go to the third floor of some Mingyue Club tomorrow afternoon at six o’clock for an interview.
After receiving the information, Shi Nianhuan happily went to sleep.
Aside from the interview for the student union when she entered her first year, Shi Nianhuan truly had never attended a formal interview. She deliberately chose a dress that looked dignified and generous, with a hem reaching her calves.
Although the weather was somewhat cold, wearing a coat over it would make it bearable.
The club was not far from the school, just three bus stops away.
Shi Nianhuan calculated the time and left fifteen minutes early.
Standing at the entrance of the club, Shi Nianhuan felt somewhat dazed. She was very nervous.
The sky gradually darkened, and the streetlights had already come on. Traffic flowed constantly, and voices filled the air, yet her heart was like a vast ocean, pounding wildly as her thoughts drifted aimlessly.
She hesitated at the entrance for quite a while, took a deep breath, then took another deep breath. Patting her chest, she told herself, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”
Following behind a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, Shi Nianhuan lowered her head and hurried inside.
The interior decor was gaudy, filled with dazzling colors, yet it gave people a very oppressive feeling.
On the third floor, room after room made Shi Nianhuan’s head spin.
Shi Nianhuan took out her mobile phone and called that person.
“Hello, I’m the one who agreed yesterday to come for the job interview. I’m on the third floor, but I do not know where the interview is.”
“The room at the end of the corridor, around the corner on the third floor. There’s a sign hanging above it.”
“Okay, okay, okay.”
Shi Nianhuan hung up the phone and walked forward uneasily.
At the end, there was a room with its door wide open. A very crude sign was indeed hanging outside, with several large words written beneath it: Human Resources office.
Shi Nianhuan stuck out her tongue and cautiously walked in.
There were three people in the office: a Woman wearing a tight-fitting suit who looked to be in her thirties, and two girls about the same age as Shi Nianhuan, dressed somewhat revealingly and wearing heavy makeup.
When the Woman saw Shi Nianhuan enter, she merely looked her over once. A flash of delighted light passed through her eyes, and she waved at the two girls. “All right, all right, hurry up and go to work.”
The two girls glanced at Shi Nianhuan, their eyes carrying a trace of contempt and disdain, then promptly disappeared from her view.
Shi Nianhuan did not mind. She smiled. “Hello, I’m here for an interview.”
“Sit down.” The Woman pointed to a chair in front of the desk and spoke indifferently.
Shi Nianhuan sat down. The office was truly very shabby, containing only a cabinet, a desk, and two chairs, though the items were arranged in a chaotic mess.
Shi Nianhuan continued to smile. She was nervous, and a smile was the best weapon for concealing her nervousness.
“I’m the manager here. You can call me Sister Huang.”
“Nice to meet you, Sister Huang.” Shi Nianhuan knew how to make a good impression.
Sister Huang had a thick layer of powder on her face. Wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes when she spoke. Her suit seemed to be a size too small, and the buttons across her chest were stretched tightly. The sight startled Shi Nianhuan; she was truly afraid the woman’s clothes might burst open if she was not careful.
“All right, your name is Shi Nianhuan?”
“Yes.”
“The work here is all at night, starting at seven and ending at eleven. Can you accept those hours?”
Although Shi Nianhuan had always gone to sleep at eleven before, she was forced by the need to make a living. Besides, this was the only job that would not interfere with her classes, so she nodded forcefully.