C13 Work

Only after calming down did Zhou Pu realize their skin was in contact. The smoothness of her skin electrified him. He had never even held a girl's hand before, and this intimate contact made his palms sweat. His gaze was drawn to her exposed abdomen. Did she work out often? There were even hints of abs. Her slender waist drew a seductive line, leading up to a black lace bra. His blood seemed to rush to his head, and he found himself wanting to get closer, his nose filled with her faint scent. Was it perfume or shampoo?

He slapped his face hard to snap out of it. He carried Yun'er to the bed and tucked her in, finally letting out a long sigh of relief. He berated himself for having such inappropriate thoughts, for wanting to take advantage of her vulnerability.

After taking two cold showers, he felt slightly better. He rummaged through his belongings, searching for something, but eventually gave up. The system seemed unreliable; the promised reward had vanished. He had hoped that using the marriage string on Lin Yun'er might improve their relationship. Was its disappearance a punishment for not acting in time?

Lying in bed, he couldn't sleep, her scent still lingering in his arms. He inhaled deeply a couple more times, then chastised himself for his thoughts. Yet, he couldn't help but think of her lying there, defenseless, just a meter away. They were legally married, after all. What if something happened? But another voice reminded him that Yun'er didn't like him, that she was looking for a way out of their marriage. Any advance would only hurt her. If they were meant to part ways, it was best to avoid further entanglement. It would only make the eventual separation harder for both of them.

Morning came quickly, and Zhou Pu rose with dark circles under his eyes. He noticed the blanket had slipped, revealing Yun'er's feet. He gently tucked them back in and straightened the blanket around her collar.

As he was about to leave, Yun'er woke up. Their eyes met, and there was Zhou Pu, kneeling with one leg on the bed, hands adjusting the blanket at her collar.

In a panic, Lin Yun'er clutched the blanket. "You... You... You jerk, what are you doing?"

Startled, Zhou Pu leapt away.

"Where are my clothes? You freak, what did you do to me?" Yun'er felt exposed as she tugged at the blanket, only to discover she wasn't wearing her pajamas, just her underwear. Feeling violated, she wrapped her arms around her chest and began to scream.

"Shh..." Zhou Pu gestured with his hand, trying to soothe her. "Don't yell. I swear I didn't do anything. I was just trying to help you..."

"You creep, I'll kill you!" Lin Yun'er was livid, unable to believe she had been taken advantage of by such a wimp. How could she face anyone after this? She was so enraged that she didn't hear his explanation and grabbed a wine bottle from beside the bed, hurling it at Zhou Pu.

Zhou Pu caught it quickly, knowing that causing a scene would bring his grandfather and the need for an awkward explanation.

"Hey, watch out!" Zhou Pu didn't realize just how fierce she was, or maybe she was too angry to think straight. When the wine bottle missed, she charged at him with another, her shapely figure on full display.

"Pervert, haven't you seen enough? I'm fighting you to the end!" she yelled as she swung the bottle at Zhou Pu's head.

Zhou Pu, thinking she had lost her mind, dodged frantically, but his arm was still struck, causing him to wince in pain. She relentlessly pursued him. In the confined space of the room, he had little room to hide and was hit several times, each blow making him gasp in pain.

If this continued, he feared this furious woman would indeed beat him to death.

In a moment of quick thinking, he grabbed the blanket and tossed it over her, seizing the opportunity to embrace her and prevent her from escaping. They grappled fiercely, separated only by the blanket.

After a while, Zhou Pu was breathless and hoped she was too exhausted to continue, lest she suffocate. As he eased his grip slightly, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Lin Yun'er had managed to poke her head out from under the blanket, her hair a wild mess, looking utterly deranged. She bit down on his arm and refused to let go.

Zhou Pu winced in agony, his attempts at persuasion utterly futile. As blood began to flow, he wondered if this girl had the tenacity of a dog. Angered beyond measure, he saw her pale shoulder before him and, throwing caution to the wind, he bit down hard. "Come on, let's inflict pain on each other!"

...

It was only upon hearing his grandfather's voice from outside that they both released their grips.

"Grandfather, everything's alright. I just dropped a bottle by accident," Lin Yun'er called out, feigning nonchalance. Yet Zhou Pu noticed the blood still lingering at the corner of her mouth—his blood. Her eyes were red, possibly glistening with unshed tears. It was only when he heard her speak that Zhou Pu breathed a sigh of relief; she seemed to have come back to her senses.

After the elder offered a few words of caution, he departed. The room fell silent, leaving Zhou Pu feeling uneasy.

"I really didn't do anything to you. You're still dressed," Zhou Pu said, catching the lethal glare she shot him and noticing the red bite mark on her shoulder—a mark he'd left. Overcome with remorse, he stammered, "I'm sorry..."

"Get out!" Yun'er hissed, her voice low and fierce like an angry leopard.

Unable to find the words to explain himself, Zhou Pu hastily exited. He had intended to head straight to work, but his grandfather insisted on having breakfast together. As he struggled to find an explanation for Yun'er's condition, he was surprised to see Lin Yun'er join them at the table, looking as if nothing had happened, now donning a high-necked sweater, presumably to conceal the bite mark. Zhou Pu sensed her attitude toward him had turned icy, as she avoided his gaze entirely.

Zhou Pu left quickly after breakfast, not wanting to be late on his first day of work. Watching him rush off, Lin Yun'er was inwardly baffled—where could such an unemployed drifter be hurrying to?

Reflecting on the morning's events, she realized there were no signs of mistreatment. She might have indeed misjudged him. Her plan to get him drunk had backfired, leaving her embarrassed instead. Staring at the prominent bite mark in the mirror, any previous feelings of guilt were washed away by a surge of anger. How petty of him to resort to biting a woman—he was no gentleman at all.

Zhong Qian, who had given her a bad piece of advice, was also on her hit list. She called Zhong Qian, insisting that she accompany her on a shopping spree today to "bleed" her wallet as a form of retribution and to alleviate her own frustration.

...

Upon arriving at the Royal Palace Hotel, Zhou Pu was handed a waiter's uniform and, under the supervision of the head waiter, he began his duties. Initially, he thought his job would be limited to carrying plates, but he was soon tasked with a variety of physically demanding tasks. The large hall, set up for a company's annual meeting, required the moving of tables, chairs, stage equipment, and decorative props—all of which fell to the temporary workers like him.

Some of the more savvy temps quickly ingratiated themselves with the head waiter, leaving the more grueling and dirty tasks to the newbies who looked too timid to object. Zhou Pu, familiar with these unspoken workplace rules, took it in stride as a chance to get some exercise.

After finally finishing the setup and looking forward to a brief rest, it was time to serve the dishes. The group of seven or eight temporary workers crowded at the kitchen door, where the head waiter would instruct them on which rooms to deliver the food to. Although they lacked formal contracts, there were plenty of rules to follow, including a warning from their peers that any broken plates would result in paying double the cost. Zhou Pu, nursing a sore back, carefully balanced the plates in his hands, knowing that a single slip could mean walking away with less money than he came in with—or worse, owing money.

The hard work had left Zhou Pu famished, and the aroma wafting from the plates made his stomach grumble audibly.

Cleaning up was also part of their job. Zhou Pu noticed a fellow temp worker stealthily snatch a shrimp and pop it into his mouth. Caught in the act by Zhou Pu, the worker chuckled and said, "You must be new. These leftovers are just going to waste anyway. If you're hungry, help yourself."

Selecting a golden-brown piece of fried chicken that had been barely touched by the guests, Zhou Pu savored the crispy, delicious bite, its flavor lingering pleasantly. He silently praised the top-notch culinary skills of the chef at one of the city's premier restaurants. However, before he could enjoy more, the head waiter came by to hurry them along. Reluctantly, Zhou Pu resumed his work, his heart aching a little as he watched plate after plate of barely-touched food get tossed into the trash.