Faced with Lina’s disdain, Xia Anxin stared at her in confusion. “…”
Ulterior motives?
Was it because she’d brought her son to the office on her very first day of work?
That really wasn’t appropriate.
Thinking this, Xia Anxin hurried to apologize, her expression sincere. “Sister Lina, I’m truly sorry. This was my mistake, and I’ll be more careful. Don’t worry—it won’t happen again.”
Lina had been about to make a few more snide remarks, but when she saw how sincere Xia Anxin looked, the words died on her lips.
She opened her mouth, then finally turned and walked away, looking as if she were constipated.
Xia Anxin had no time to guess what Lina was thinking. It was getting late, so she hurried to the area where employees’ family members waited.
But after searching everywhere, she still couldn’t find Nuonuo.
She called his watch, but no one answered.
In the end, she had no choice but to call Wen Li.
Thankfully, Wen Li picked up quickly.
“Lili, are you with Nuonuo?” Xia Anxin asked anxiously.
Wen Li sounded cheerful. “We are, we are! We’re having a great time. You just focus on work and don’t worry!”
Xia Anxin let out a sigh of relief, though she was a little puzzled that Wen Li had taken the child away without telling her.
Remembering how Wen Li had suddenly brought Nuonuo to the company, she couldn’t help asking with concern, “Lili, is something wrong?”
Wen Li sounded baffled. “What could be wrong?”
Seeing that Wen Li seemed to think nothing had happened, Xia Anxin guessed she probably didn’t want to talk about it. “As long as you’re all right. If anything’s wrong, tell me.”
Wen Li cheerfully agreed, then reminded her, “Oh, right. I’ve already talked to Jinse for you. Seven thirty tonight—make sure you’re not late.”
Xia Anxin nodded repeatedly. “Don’t worry.”
Xia Anxin had been born with a birthmark on her face that left her disfigured. Though Heaven hadn’t given her a pretty face, it had given her a beautiful voice.
She was a decent singer.
Wen Li knew Xia Anxin was short on money. A friend of hers also sang at Jinse two days a week and earned a good wage, so she’d recommended Xia Anxin for a part-time job there after work.
……
As soon as Leng Shaoting entered Jinse, a somewhat ethereal, drifting voice reached his ears.
He looked toward the source of the singing, and his gaze was immediately drawn to the woman onstage.
She was slender, dressed in a simple white dress, her smooth hair falling over her shoulders as she sang softly.
A veil covered her face, obscuring her true appearance, but the glimpse of her features was already captivating.
She was like a spirit who had accidentally wandered down into the mortal world. Her unexpected presence seemed to cleanse and purify what had once felt like a den of indulgence.
As Leng Shaoting watched, fragmented images suddenly surfaced in his mind.
It seemed that once, too, a woman had stood before him, laughing sweetly as she sang for him.
But he couldn’t make out her face at all.
His headache gradually grew worse. Leng Shaoting pressed his thin lips together, his expression turning cold.
Beside him, his friend Si Jingyang, who had dragged him there, listened with rapt attention. Only after the song ended did he turn to Leng Shaoting with an admiring sigh. “What do you think? Not bad, right? You can’t see her face, but I bet she’s a beauty!”
Leng Shaoting shot him a cold glance.
Si Jingyang clicked his tongue. “Boring. You really are boring!”
Leng Shaoting ignored him and headed first for the private room where they usually got together.
At the same time, Xia Anxin finished singing and stepped off the stage. The manager of Jinse had been waiting below.
As soon as he saw her come down, he smiled several times more warmly than before. “An’an, you sang beautifully! The response from the audience was great. Several customers tipped you just now, so you’ll make quite a bit tonight.”
Xia Anxin had been a little nervous, but hearing that from the manager put her at ease. She smiled. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Manager.”
The manager beamed at her. “Don’t mention it. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. A customer asked us to invite you to have a drink with them. What do you say?”
Xia Anxin froze, then firmly replied, “Manager, we already agreed that I’m only here to sing. I won’t take part in anything else.”
She thought for a moment, then added, “Manager, I know you’re in a difficult position. How about you keep all the tips from tonight? You don’t have to give me any of them. I’ll just take my wages.”
The manager sighed. “An’an, you’re a smart woman. I don’t want to make things difficult for you. But this customer… he really does have powerful connections. I can’t afford to offend him. Don’t worry—it’s only a drink.”