Diary of Getting Rich Quick in the South

Listening to the joking noises outside, I sat in my chair, feeling a mix of emotions.

Ruan Dong's frankness and straightforwardness are genuine, but I can never get over the hurdle of defensiveness in my heart.

I'm currently embroiled in trouble, and I have neither the right nor the inclination to accept her passionate and straightforward feelings.

I can only keep this to myself for now and decide to take it one step at a time.

I couldn't stay still for most of the night shift, and I fell asleep several times.

I simply went up to the private room on the second floor to work, which was basically delivering fruit platters and the like.

Ruan Dong came over twice more during the trip. Every time she entered the corridor, she would take my arm and chat with me whenever she bumped into my colleagues.

No matter how others teased or joked with her, she accepted it all with a smile, without feeling embarrassed at all.

The number of people increased rather than decreased at night, with waves of customers entering the private rooms.

I busied myself in the assigned private rooms, serving drinks, cleaning up trash, and tidying up the tables.

By 1 a.m., all the customers had left the store.

After tidying up the tools in the private room, I returned to the lounge, opened the drawer, and sure enough, I saw the ointment she had left behind, along with an unopened bottle of milk.

The note was written in her messy handwriting, saying to wait for me at the back door after I finished my work.

I stared at the note for two minutes, then casually stuffed it into my pocket, not intending to go to the back door to find her.

Liu Ming's messy debt is still unresolved, and I have absolutely no interest in getting involved in anything romantic with Ruan Dong.

Just as he was about to change his work clothes and leave, the door to the break room was pushed open, and Ruan Dong barged in, carrying a plastic bag of barbecue and two bottles of drinks.

Several cleaning staff members happened to be passing by in the corridor, peeked inside, and deliberately started whistling.

"Sister Dong, Chen An wouldn't go with you, so you just delivered midnight snacks to his door!"

Any other woman would have run away long ago, but Ruan Dong leaned against me instead, wrapping her arm tightly around mine, her voice so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire corridor.

"What's wrong with giving him a gift? Chen An almost lost his life because of me, it's only right that I serve him. I'll stay here with him tonight, let whoever wants to watch."

The onlookers laughed and joked a few times before dispersing.

I tried to pull my arm away, but couldn't. Helpless, I said, "Don't go spreading rumors. Everyone in the shop is making fun of us."

Ruan Dong raised an eyebrow and poked the bruise on my back: "What's wrong with joking? I'm not ashamed. I like you and I'm good to you. It's all open and aboveboard. Hiding it would only make me look guilty."

She placed the barbecue on the table, pulled out a chair and pulled me to sit down, then took apart disposable chopsticks and stuffed them into my hand.

"I know you're wary and think I'm too calculating in public service. I won't force you to accept me right away, but you can't ignore your injuries. Eat something to tide you over, and I'll change your dressings again later."

I silently shoveled a couple of bites of grilled skewers into my mouth without saying a word.

She didn't force me to chat; she just unwrapped the ointment and gestured for me to lift up my clothes.

"Bear with it, it's anti-inflammatory, apply it and the swelling will go down tomorrow."

She continued working with her hands: "I know you don't want to talk about relationships right now, so I won't bother you. But if you ever want to talk to someone or have someone to keep you company, just call me anytime. I'll be there for you, and I won't charge you a penny."

Just after I finished applying the medicine, Zhang Qiang pushed the door open to get his tools. He saw the two of us standing close together and burst out laughing.

"Wow, Chen An, Ruan Dong is really in your hands now. Everyone in the store knows she's got her eye on you."

Ruan Dong wasn't shy at all, and put his arm around my shoulder with a smile: "Brother Qiang, I'm doing this willingly. Chen Anren is righteous, a million times more reliable than those customers who just take money and act like big shots."

Zhang Qiang waved his hand, took his things, and tactfully left, not forgetting to jokingly say before he left that he wouldn't disturb our time alone.

It was just the two of us left in the house. Ruan Dong finished cleaning up the trash, looked up at me and saw that I looked preoccupied, so she stopped joking around.

"Still worried about Liu Ming? That guy is petty. He definitely won't let this go after he's been taken advantage of. Be more careful around you when you go out. If you run into trouble, call me immediately. I know a lot of people in this area. Although I can't help much, I can at least help you find a place to run away."

I was speechless at what they said.

I replied casually, "Thanks, I'll be careful."

Ruan Dong noticed that I was still keeping my distance from her, but she wasn't angry. She just reached out and rubbed the gauze on my forehead.

"I won't force you to give me an answer. Take your time to think about it. I'll go back and pack my things first. I'll leave the ointment here with you. If it hurts in the middle of the night, you can apply it yourself. I'll come to you first thing tomorrow morning to change the dressing."

After saying that, she picked up the empty plastic bag and walked out.

He paused at the door, turned back, grinned at me, and said, "Whether you accept me or not, I've set my sights on you, and you can't escape me."

Once the door closed, the lounge became completely quiet.

I sat in the chair, looking at the remaining skewers on the table, my mind a jumbled mess.

Just then, Zhang Dongting called.

"Little brother, why aren't you home yet? Did you work overtime this long today? Are you exhausted from being so busy at the store?"

Hearing that soft voice, I felt a sudden warmth in my heart.

"Sister Ting, I just got off work, which is why I'm so late. I'm heading back now."

"Then hurry up!"

Zhang Dongting's voice was filled with joy, yet tinged with a hint of grievance: "I've been waiting for you at home for so long, keeping an eye on the time, just hoping you'd come back!"

"Okay, I'll be right back, I'll be there in ten minutes."

After hanging up the phone, I took a taxi straight to my rented apartment complex.

When I got to my front door, I had only turned the key half a turn when I heard hurried footsteps coming from inside.

The next second, the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside with a "click".

Zhang Dongting wore a black lace slip dress with a very short hem, revealing her two long, slender, white legs. She looked both innocent and alluring.

She had obviously been waiting for me to come home in the living room for a while.

She was about to pounce on me, but when her gaze fell on the gauze wrapped around my forehead, she froze instantly.

"You...how did you get hurt on your head?"

She instinctively reached out and gently hovered her hand next to the gauze on my forehead, afraid to touch it for fear of hurting me.

"Did you get into another fight? I've told you before to stay out of trouble, why don't you listen?"

Seeing the worry in her eyes, my heart warmed, and I gently comforted her, "There was no fight, Sister Ting, don't overthink it."

"How come you have a cut on your head if you weren't fighting? And it's wrapped in gauze!"

Zhang Dongting frowned, staring intently at my forehead: "Are you deliberately hiding this from me because you're afraid I'll worry? Tell me the truth!"

I took her hand and led her into the house, closing the door behind me, and explained softly.

"I didn't fight anyone. I was ambushed and kidnapped on the road. I jumped out of the car halfway to escape and got hurt. It wasn't from a fight."

Zhang Dongting panicked after hearing the whole story. She grabbed my hand tightly with her other hand, unconsciously increasing the pressure, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Kidnapping? You've been kidnapped? What happened? Did you offend someone? How serious are your injuries? Besides your head, do you have any other wounds?"