The one who hired her was Zhao San’s Skewer Food Stall on Jixing Street.

As the year-end approached, the restaurant was short-staffed. The workload for servers was intense, the hours long, and most college students hadn’t started their winter break yet. Thus, Ji Fanling successfully secured the position and was set to start work the following Monday.

Her working hours were from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a short lunch break. She would then resume from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m., staying until all the customers had cleared out.

The salary was 2,500 yuan, with a 200-yuan full attendance bonus, but during the first month’s probation period, it was only 1,800 yuan.

The pay wasn’t great, but at least she could take Bus Route 3 directly from the entrance of Fu Yingcheng’s residential area to Jixing Street, saving on commuting costs. Plus, both lunch and dinner were included.

Ji Fanling felt there wasn’t much to complain about. After all, the only real qualification she had was a middle school diploma. Her fake university student ID from A University might fool others, but not herself.

After officially starting work, Ji Fanling realized things weren’t as simple as she had imagined.

Every day, she had to endlessly repeat tasks: serving peanuts, pouring tea, waiting for customers to order, handwriting menus, serving dishes, packing up leftovers, clearing plates, bidding farewell to guests, resetting tables, sweeping the floor whenever she found a moment, and cleaning up trash… She was so busy that she didn’t even have time to use the restroom.

During work hours, she never got to sit down, and she ended up walking a full 20,000 steps a day.

Carrying one dish wasn’t a problem, but doing it repeatedly left her arms trembling, especially with the soup pots, which were as heavy as iron hammers.

Since starting work, she barely saw Fu Yingcheng anymore. Their schedules were completely misaligned.

Previously, most of their interactions happened during meal times, but now she was working through those hours. When Fu Yingcheng left the house, she was still asleep, and when she returned, it was already very late. The two of them seemed to have become housemates with no overlap in their lives, only occasionally crossing paths late at night.

That night, Fu Yingcheng stepped out of his study and saw Ji Fanling just coming home. She changed her shoes, her eyelids drooping as she walked toward her side of the hallway. He frowned slightly. “It’s almost 1 a.m.”

“Aren’t you still up?” Ji Fanling yawned, her exhaustion visible to the naked eye.

“It’s better than being woken up after I’ve already gone to sleep,” he replied.

Ji Fanling stopped in her tracks, turning back as her sluggish brain processed his words.

It seemed Fu Yingcheng meant that he hadn’t gone to sleep because he was waiting for her.

“How could that be?” Ji Fanling said. “I don’t make a sound at all.”

“Are you sure?” Fu Yingcheng’s leisurely tone rose slightly at the end.

Ji Fanling suddenly felt less certain.

Could it be that she had often disturbed Fu Yingcheng before?

“There was a group of customers having a dinner party and drinking. It ended late. The last Route 3 bus is around 10:20 p.m., and I missed it,” she explained.

Ji Fanling explained, “So I had to take Route 19 and transfer to Route 7. If I’m not home by 11 p.m., it means I missed the last bus, so just lock the door and go to bed… is that okay?” Her voice faltered slightly, as if it was difficult for her to say.

Living in Fu Yingcheng’s home while asking him to accommodate her schedule felt somewhat unreasonable.

Fu Yingcheng’s gaze darkened, his expression unreadable.

Previously, Fu Yingcheng had thought this job was relatively safe and barely tolerable, based on the assumption that Ji Fanling could take Route 3 directly from Jixing Street to the entrance of his residential area.

But at this hour, she was transferring buses and walking alone at night?

“I have experience,” Ji Fanling continued, trying to reassure him, even putting on a small performance. She held her slippers in one hand and tiptoed silently in just her socks, demonstrating her ability to move without making a sound.

The girl tiptoed a few steps and then lifted her dark, sparkling eyes. “Can you still hear me like this?”

Fu Yingcheng’s gaze fell on her white socks stepping on the cold tiles. His eyes flickered slightly before he looked away. “It’s better than walking barefoot in shoes.”

“That’s impossible,” Ji Fanling muttered, her expression skeptical.

“Instead of worrying about this,” the man interrupted her calmly,

“…you’d be better off getting back before I go to sleep.”

*

It was said to be “before bed,” but Ji Fanling felt that Fu Yingcheng actually went to bed quite late. Every time she came home, Fu Yingcheng was always working.

Even so, she still tried her best to come home a little earlier.

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and Ji Fanling gradually became more adept at her work.

At work, she was the type to keep to herself, rarely interacting with others.

Among this group of staff, the only person she talked to occasionally was a girl named Lu Yan. Lu Yan was in her sophomore year of college, working part-time to support herself. She was dark-skinned, thin, a head taller than her, and had been working there for six months longer.

Lu Yan assumed they were the same age and often joined Ji Fanling during lunch breaks, saying, “You look like a high schooler. Are you really nineteen?”

Ji Fanling asked, “What year were you born?”

“2003.”

Ji Fanling couldn’t help but chuckle, “A little brat from the 2000s.”

Lu Yan was speechless: “…You’re talking like you’re from the ‘90s!”

The two of them were eating the boxed meals provided by the company when a sharp-voiced girl with upturned eyes, a ponytail, and streaked yellow-dyed hair walked into the room. “The new one hasn’t finished eating yet? The kitchen is short on staff for skewers; you go help out.”

Ji Fanling’s chopsticks paused mid-air as she coldly lifted her gaze.

The newcomer was the supervisor, Huang Lili. Her position was above Ji Fanling and the other servers. Her main role was to oversee their work and make sure no one was slacking off.

But kitchen duties were not within Ji Fanling’s responsibilities.

Moreover, it was still lunch break.

“Lili, we just started eating,” Lu Yan said with a forced smile.

“I’m not talking to you,” Huang Lili shot her a glare before turning to address Ji Fanling directly. “Ji Fanling, what are you standing there for?”

Ji Fanling didn’t say a word. She put away her lunchbox and went straight to the kitchen.

Lu Yan sat on the side, struggling to eat, glancing at Huang Lili’s expression. “Lili, did Fanling do something you didn’t like?”

“Do you think everyone is as simple-minded as you?”

Huang Lili rolled her eyes. “Can’t you tell that the clothes she’s wearing are the same brand as mine?”

“Lin…d… Lindberg,” Lu Yan stammered as she spelled it out. “H-how much does that cost?”

Huang Lili smugly held up a number with her fingers.

Lu Yan was shocked. “What? She’s that rich!”

“That’s why you’re dumb. It’s obviously a knockoff! If she could afford the real thing, would she be here waiting tables?”

Huang Lili sneered. “A wild chicken sticking a couple of feathers in its tail and thinking it’s a phoenix. I just can’t stand her flaunting fake stuff and acting all high and mighty in front of me!”

Lu Yan fell silent.

*

Ji Fanling knew that Huang Lili disliked her. She didn’t know why and didn’t care either.

Just like some dogs are naturally inclined to bite, there are people in this world who act despicably for no reason. Besides, the division of labor in a roadside eatery was inherently vague, with every worker being fully exploited. Servers not only had to clean but sometimes even washed dishes and prepped vegetables.

Doing a bit more work wouldn’t kill her. Huang Lili could only make things unpleasant for her but didn’t have the authority to kick her out.

Moreover, Lu Yan had quietly told her that Huang Lili was the niece of Zhao, the owner of the eatery.

…Complaining wouldn’t help; the only one who would end up leaving would be her.

Although she had promised Fu Yingcheng to come home earlier, sometimes Ji Fanling couldn’t help it.

Two days later, at 10:30 p.m., when she was supposed to get off work, the girl stood by the stall, watching helplessly as the last bus departed from the station.

At the table next to her sat six or seven foul-smelling men, drinking, chatting, slinging their arms around each other, and acting like they were the best of friends.

In principle, she couldn’t force customers to leave, and reasoning with drunkards was pointless. Forcibly shutting down the stall could easily cause a scene, there had been such incidents before. All the servers could do was gently remind the customers and then endure the wait.

It wasn’t until 11:30 p.m. that the customers finally staggered away, reeking of alcohol.

Ji Fanling and Lu Yan quickly tallied the accounts, cleaned the tables, and tidied up the place.

The glass door was securely locked, and the only remaining light came from the cold white glow of the “Zhao San’s Skewer Food Stall” signboard. The empty street was eerily quiet, and the howling wind of late December filled the night as fine, and snow-like rain began to drift from the sky.

Lu Yan’s rental place was nearby. After walking just a short distance, she bid Ji Fanling farewell and left.

Ji Fanling’s hands, frozen like ice blocks after washing the cleaning cloths, were tucked into the pockets of her down jacket. Her feet, sore from standing all day, throbbed painfully. Thinking about how she now had to walk a long way to catch the bus because of a few drunkards, an irritable frustration simmered in her heart.

She pulled her hood down and had barely taken two steps when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a black car quietly slicing through the night, its hazard lights blinking as it slowly cruised along the roadside.

In that instant, Ji Fanling thought of Fu Yingcheng.

Then she found it laughable.

She’d really picked up a bad habit, whenever she felt too tired to walk, she’d start thinking about Fu Yingcheng’s car.

Ji Fanling tightened her collar, kept her gaze straight ahead, and braced against the wind as she walked on. Suddenly, she heard a honk from the black car.

She turned her head and saw the driver’s side window rolling down.

The night was dense, and the wind was fierce, accompanied by the accelerating thrum of her heartbeat. 

The cold light outlined the man’s sharp and distinct features.

For a moment, Ji Fanling thought she must be so exhausted that she was imagining things.

Fu Yingcheng was looking at the road, with one hand resting on the steering wheel.

Seeing that she hadn’t moved for a long time, he turned his head impatiently. Tapping his bent fingers lightly against the wheel, he seemed a bit annoyed:

“…You’ve ridden in my car so many times, and you still don’t recognize it?”

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Author’s Note:

What he says: “Get in or don’t, I don’t care.”

What he does: Restless at home at 11 PM because his wife hasn’t returned, eagerly rushing out to pick her up.

P.S. The part-time job is temporary. Later, she’ll go back to complete her senior year of high school. The storyline will cover this—our girl is bound for college and has a bright future ahead.

As for who she’ll end up being classmates with, you’ve all guessed it by now, haven’t you?

Red envelopes in the comments section today, and more tomorrow~

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