Chapter 21: Why Does It Always End Up Hitting the Love Rival Right There Again?
Around 11:30 in the morning, there was a break in the event.
It wouldn’t start again until 2:00 in the afternoon. That’s exactly why Lin Yibai wanted to take this part-time job, even after turning into a girl.
The pay was good, and the job wasn’t tiring. And the best part? It ended on time.
At most, there might be some hotel training in the evening.
“If being a girl is always this easy, I honestly don’t want to change back,” Lin Yibai said during the break, feeling a bit emotional.
All she had to do was stand at the entrance, help at the front desk, and act as a guide for the expo.
Was it really that hard?
Compared to when she was a guy and was treated like a slave by her boss—
All he could say was... This is amazing.
Of course, there were still some problems. Or maybe, just maybe, the problem was something that only affected Lin Yibai personally.
She had been walking for hours in high heels.
Now, as she sat down on a chair to rest, she finally realized how much her feet were hurting.
Especially her toes, it felt like needles were stabbing them. Pure pain.
“Wearing heels is like foot binding, it’s crazy. I can’t keep doing this, or my feet are going to be ruined,” Lin Yibai thought, starting to look for a way out of this little crisis.
The heels and uniform were given out by the company.
Since Lin Yibai really can't get used to wearing it, she might as well just not wear it.
Or at least find a similar-looking pair of shoes?
She pulled out her phone and started searching locally.
The type of heels she was wearing were commonly used in hotel service jobs, so they weren’t hard to find.
But she wasn’t about to do something silly like replace one pair of painful heels with another.
Instead, he ordered a pair of wedge heels. They looked similar, but were way more comfortable.
“Just a little rule-breaking… should be fine, right?” Lin Yibai shrugged, happy with her decision.
Although the wedges were a bit pricey, over 60 yuan a pair.
Still, she was making decent money from this part-time job. Why not use a bit of it to treat himself to a pair of comfy shoes?
…………………………………
Meanwhile, at the restaurant provided by the expo—
Most of the people eating here were company employees or business owners taking part in the event.
Xia Changyu sat there with his head down, full of regret.
He could feel the bad vibes coming from Gu Xiaoxue and her roommates, but the girls cheerfully said,
"Xia Changyu, don't think that just because we ordered so much, we'll actually be able to eat all of it. We've already found out that everyone who dines here is either the boss or an employee or something. Now you can proudly tell others that we're your employees, and you'll earn the reputation of being a generous boss!”
“We’re risking gaining weight just to help build your image as a great boss and entrepreneur!”
“We’re being so good to you!”
So… I’m supposed to thank you all now?
I’m supposed to be proud of this?
Proud your a**!
Xia Changyu couldn’t eat another bite. He had totally lost his appetite.
It’s not like he couldn’t afford to treat them. But at least take reasonable portions based on what you’ll actually eat, okay?
And this is all “for my own good”?
No. You’re just being shameless.
As he noticed people nearby glancing over, Xia Changyu finally couldn’t take it anymore.
He quickly stood up and said, “I just remembered I have something to take care of at the booth. I’ll go now.”
As long as he could get far enough away from them, then no one would know he was even associated with these girls.
But life isn’t always that kind. The girls suddenly shouted.
“We’re from Booth E-39!”
“Yep yep! Our boss is the best!”
"With a boss like him, what more could we ask for?"
They were pretending to be Xia Changyu’s employees, just to help him build a good reputation?
Xia Changyu: Should I say thank you or what?
Anyway, he was close to crying.
Seriously?! He can’t even escape from this?!
He thought that once he had time, he really needed to have a proper talk with his girlfriend, Gu Xiaoxue. If nothing else, she at least needed to keep some distance from those weird roommates.
He walked toward Area E with no clear destination. It was break time, so there weren’t many people around.
Then, he heard a soft, peaceful humming that caught his attention.
“Right now, I suddenly miss you”
“The bell of Laguna Bay sounds like a memory”
“Judy in the neon city is crying”
“......”
Following the sound, he walked over.
Finally, under an air conditioning vent, he saw a girl quietly sitting there.
Xia Changyu’s eyes lit up. “Ah, it’s that pretty girl again.”
It definitely wasn’t some planned meeting, she was just cooling off under the AC during break time. That’s totally normal, right?
He wanted to say hi, but he also wanted to hear the rest of the song she was humming.
But soon, that small worry went away.
Lin Yibai opened the lunchbox she’d received.
“Braised pork, Mapo tofu, seasonal greens, and seaweed egg drop soup. Nice...!”
This was way better than the food at the school cafeteria. And it was free!
For guys like them, if it’s free and not poisoned, we can eat it no problem. But even without that, this boxed meal was actually really good.
She took out a plastic spoon and poured the pork sauce over the rice.
Then scooped some Mapo tofu and took a big bite of the rice soaked in sauce. Maybe it wasn’t the best food in the world. But right now, it felt amazing.
The only issue was that the Mapo tofu was a bit too spicy.
It made Lin Yibai stick out her tongue and fan her mouth with her hand.
“Whoa whoa whoa, chef! That’s too much! Mapo tofu is supposed to be numbing, not just spicy!”
Watching from behind a pillar, Xia Changyu was enjoying the show, especially the part where Lin Yibai stuck out her tongue because it was too spicy, it made him want to laugh.
He suddenly felt a strange "sting" again.
Anyway, Lin Yibai would never know. She has managed to poke her love rival's sore spot for the second time.
Compared to Gu Xiaoxue and her chaotic roommates back in the dining hall, Xia Changyu felt way more relaxed here.
Not only was he standing under a giant central air vent, but there was also a pretty girl in front of him, making everything feel much better.
He looked at Lin Yibai’s lunch and nodded with approval. “Now that looks like a normal portion size for a girl. I mean, for anyone!”
Just thinking about Gu Xiaoxue’s roommates gave him a headache.
That standard one-meat-two-vegetable meal tray. They somehow managed to stuff it with three meats and three vegetables. He had to admit, he was impressed.
With this kind of comparison...
His impression of Lin Yibai just got even better.
He thought about stepping out from behind the pillar and starting a conversation with her.
“Would that be too sudden? What if she thinks I’m weird? And after what happened this morning, she probably has a bad impression of me anyway...”
“But still... It would be nice to talk to her. I really want to talk to her.”
Just then, a delivery guy showed up and handed Lin Yibai a pair of shoes, her lifesaving shoes.
Xia Changyu still hadn’t made up his mind about going over to talk.
He didn’t think of himself as socially awkward. So why did he feel so nervous around this one girl?
It was like he was afraid of making her mad or upsetting her.
And that... just didn’t feel normal at all.