Chapter 13

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The noise outside continued unabated.

Chi Yin quietly retreated, no longer feeling the urge to eavesdrop. With Qiao Ziman’s personality, she was sure she wouldn’t come out on the losing end of any confrontation, so there was really nothing to worry about.

Chi Yin changed into the dry clothes, dried her hair, and began to take in the details of Qiao Ziman’s bedroom.

The room, about ten square meters, was simply furnished with a creaky wooden bed and a wooden desk with a worn and uneven finish, showing the marks of time. On the desk was a yellowed photograph, a picture of a young Qiao Ziman with her parents.Her father, gentle and refined; her mother, fiery and strong-willed; and little Qiao Ziman nestled between them.

In the photo, Qiao Ziman was tightly held in her mother’s arms, her little brows furrowed in defiance, but her eyes were filled with happiness. A stark contrast to the present, where life and work had worn her down, leaving her exhausted and struggling to breathe.

Chi Yin gently ran her finger over the face of young Qiao Ziman in the photo, repeatedly and patiently, until the sound of the door opening startled her. She quickly set the photo down, but the movement didn’t escape the notice of Qiao Ziman, who had just walked in.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your privacy,” Chi Yin quickly apologized.

Qiao Ziman kept a stern expression, saying nothing as her gaze slowly moved from Chi Yin’s face downward. When her eyes landed on the cartoon bear t-shirt that Chi Yin had changed into, she paused for a moment. Finally, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she softly complimented, “Not bad.”

Chi Yin was momentarily taken aback, but when she looked up, her eyes were filled with undisguised delight. “Do you like seeing me dressed like this?”

At that moment, Qiao Ziman suddenly let out a cold laugh and turned her back to Chi Yin. “Why is it that you always manage to witness the most awkward moments? You heard everything just now, didn’t you?”

Chi Yin’s gaze dimmed slightly, and she responded with a quiet “Mm.”

“Forget it, it doesn’t matter. Let’s go,” Qiao Ziman said, her mood visibly gloomy, her whole demeanor exuding a heavy, oppressive air. She turned around, grabbed Chi Yin’s hand, and started leading her out. “I’ll take you to get something to eat first, and then we’ll head back.”

She then added an explanation, almost as if talking to herself, “There are no hotels here, and the accommodations are pretty rough. I know you’re a bit of a neat freak. Besides—”

“Besides, you’re still not over it, right?” Chi Yin mentally finished the sentence that Qiao Ziman had left hanging.

As they stepped outside, they found that the nosy neighbors had already dispersed, leaving behind a mess of clutter on the ground.

He Cuizhen, knowing she had crossed the line this time, sat silently on the kang, her eyes faintly red. Meanwhile, Qiao Ziman’s elderly grandmother, who had signs of dementia, was happily watching TV. Out of nowhere, after seeing something on the screen, she suddenly raised her arms and shouted, “Such a grown woman, and she doesn’t even know how to be a proper mother!”

He Cuizhen’s face stiffened, and tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing this, Qiao Ziman frowned slightly, then turned her head away. “We’re leaving. I have work tomorrow.He Cuizhen… Take some time to reflect on yourself.”

In the brief moment it took her to say those words, Qiao Ziman noticed Chi Yin had disappeared from her side. When she turned around, she saw that Chi Yin had already started cleaning up the mess. First, she set the table upright, then gathered the scattered mahjong tiles. Swiftly, she picked up a broom and began sweeping up the sunflower seed shells on the floor.

Both Qiao Ziman and He Cuizhen were momentarily stunned.

Qiao Ziman quickly realized what Chi Yin was doing—likely her neat-freak tendencies kicking in. However, He Cuizhen saw it differently, finding the whole scene oddly out of place.

Qiao Ziman rarely smiled, but she did this time. “Boss Chi, being a driver isn’t enough? Now you’re the maid too?”

Chi Yin finished tidying up, wiped her hands, and said casually, “It’s not like it’s the first time.” Then, she slipped her hand back into Qiao Ziman’s palm. Before Qiao Ziman could react, Chi Yin bowed slightly to He Cuizhen, saying, “Goodbye, Auntie,” and quickly led Qiao Ziman out the door.

He Cuizhen’s eyes narrowed with increasing suspicion as she watched Chi Yin.

Once they were out of the house, the two headed to a nearby restaurant in the small town. The entire drive, Qiao Ziman remained silent, staring out the window with a gloomy expression. Chi Yin followed the directions Qiao Ziman had given earlier, pulling up to a small, nondescript eatery with no signboard.

“We’re here.”

Qiao Ziman slowly turned her head to look at the place, and a glimmer of light appeared in her previously dull eyes. She unbuckled her seatbelt with a touch of impatience, “This place is a hidden gem. Economic, delicious, and the prices haven’t gone up in over ten years.”

Though the little eatery was simple and unpretentious, it was relatively clean. By seven or eight in the evening, it was already packed with people. Fortunately, as soon as they arrived, a table opened up as some customers were leaving. Qiao Ziman quickly grabbed the seats and waved to the proprietress, “Auntie Xu, ready to order!”

Aunt Xu spotted Qiao Ziman from afar and came over with a towel in hand, smiling warmly. “Qiao Qiao, how many years has it been since you last came? I’ve missed you! Order whatever you want today, it’s on me.”

Qiao Ziman smiled and skillfully declined Aunt Xu’s offer. “Maybe next time, Auntie. Today, I’m treating a friend to dinner. If you treat us, what would I owe you in return?”

“Alright then, next time it is,” Aunt Xu agreed, wiping down the table and handing over the menu.

Qiao Ziman turned to Chi Yin, “Take a look and see what you’d like to eat.”

Chi Yin took the menu and studied it carefully, her brow furrowing slightly. The restaurant specialized in barbecued dishes, with many of the offerings being rich, fatty meats, while she usually preferred lighter, more bland foods.

Not wanting to dampen the mood, she randomly selected a few vegetable dishes that seemed acceptable and handed the menu back to Qiao Ziman.

Qiao Ziman picked out a few of the restaurant’s specialty skewers and instructed Aunt Xu, “Make them low-oil and no spicy, and add a bottle of chilled Snow Beer.” She then carefully placed two layers of napkins on the table in front of Chi Yin, adding, “She’ll just have hot water.”

Chi Yin: “…” She really wanted to refuse.

Aunt Xu let out a surprised “Oh,” and remarked, “Little Qiao, how has your taste changed over the years? Weren’t you always a fan of spicy food?”

Upon hearing this, Chi Yin’s fingers curled slightly, and she looked at Qiao Ziman with a mix of disbelief and curiosity.

Propping her chin on her hand, Qiao Ziman slowly replied, “Some people can’t handle spicy food, right? If they don’t say anything and then get a stomachache, they blame me for poisoning them. Clearly, they don’t have good intentions.”

“Some people,” Chi Yin thought to herself, feeling slightly exasperated: “…”

“Here comes the food,” Aunt Xu called out as she brought over a tray full of skewers and set down a bottle of beer.

“Give it a try,” Qiao Ziman said, pouring herself a glass of beer and downing it in one go. She then handed a skewer with a bit of crispy edge to Chi Yin. “Give me some face.”

Chi Yin took the skewer and tried a small bite. It wasn’t as greasy as she had expected, so she genuinely complimented, “It tastes pretty good.”

In that brief moment, Qiao Ziman had already finished another glass of beer. She looked at Chi Yin seriously and said, “Thank you for today.”

Qiao Ziman filled another glass, the cold beer emitting a faint chill. As she downed it in one gulp, she couldn’t help but shiver. “And thank you for indulging me with this food today. I’ll treat you to something better when we get back.”

Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect, but a hazy mist clouded Qiao Ziman’s eyes, and beneath that mist, tears seemed to be welling up. Her grip on the glass unconsciously tightened, and after a moment, she let out an awkward laugh. “Sorry, I must look ridiculous. But if I hadn’t acted that way, those people would have just pushed further.”

Chi Yin knew exactly what Qiao Ziman meant by “that way”—it was the outburst of anger she had shown earlier.

Qiao Ziman continued, “When I was in high school, my dad got into an accident while picking me up from school. He was in the ICU for half a month, but he didn’t make it. We ended up owing a lot of money.”

Chi Yin thought to herself, So that’s why she gave up on pursuing art school after the college entrance exams?

“After that, it was just my mom and me, depending on each other to get by. People are a mix of good and bad—some kicked us when we were down, while others offered help in our time of need. Like Aunt Xu, she really looked after me back then. When I was working part-time during college, she made sure I had three meals a day and even paid me a high wage. Meanwhile, the neighbors, who had always gossiped about us, used their little acts of kindness from back then to try to morally blackmail us, always under the guise of ‘doing what’s best for me,’ while they enjoyed watching our struggles.”

Qiao Ziman let out a bitter laugh, her voice thick with suppressed emotion. “Like today’s fake illness—those people put that rotten idea in her head.”

“They don’t realize how terrified I’ve been of something happening to my mom ever since my dad died.” Finally, a tear that had been teetering on the edge of her eye slowly rolled down her cheek.

Realizing she was about to lose control of her emotions, Qiao Ziman turned her head and wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, trying to awkwardly shift the conversation. “What about you?”

“When I first met you, based on your clothes and style, I thought you were the type who never lifted a finger around the house. How come you’re so good at cooking?” Qiao Ziman asked, then added, “And you can even fix cars.”

Chi Yin calmly picked up a piece of cucumber salad with her chopsticks and replied, “I’ve been living abroad on my own since I was twelve, so I’ve picked up a little bit of everything.”

Qiao Ziman was taken aback and blurted out, “What about your parents?”

“They divorced when I was very young. To them, I was just a burden, a nuisance, an unwanted responsibility,” Chi Yin said, her tone indifferent.

Qiao Ziman slammed her hand on the table in righteous indignation. “How could parents be so selfish?”

Seeing Chi Yin’s nonchalant expression, Qiao Ziman suddenly realized something. “Wait, are you trying to comfort me?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone use a ‘who’s had it worse’ story to comfort someone, but you win,” Qiao Ziman admitted, her mood gradually lightening.

“Alright, I still need your help to head back home with me,” Qiao Ziman said, gently stopping Chi Yin’s hand as she reached to pour more beer. “We can’t drink too much before going back. Otherwise, my mom will worry.”

Chi Yin asked, “Do you want to take a few days off to spend some time with her?”

“No, I may have forgiven her, but she still needs to learn a lesson. Otherwise, she’ll come up with some new nonsense in a few days,” Qiao Ziman replied.

Twenty minutes later, the two of them returned to Qiao Ziman’s old house.

This time, Chi Yin waited in the car. Bored, she scrolled through short videos on her phone. After some time, the mother and daughter finally emerged from the house, arms linked, looking like they had made peace. As they approached the car, Qiao Ziman was still giving her mother instructions, “Take care of yourself.”

She opened the passenger door but then hesitated, adding another reminder, “And stop pulling stunts like that. Don’t ever fake being sick to scare people, okay?”

With a sigh, she reluctantly added, “If it comes to it, I’ll make time to go on some blind dates like you want.”

Overhearing this, Chi Yin’s internal alarm bells went off, and a strong sense of crisis washed over her.

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