"…Are you alright?" Xia Shiyu bit her lip as she looked at Jiang Chen walking toward her, unsure what to say. In the end, she could only squeeze out this one line.
"Not really. Got a little scratch," Jiang Chen shamelessly pointed at the tiny cut on his cheek. If he hadn't pointed it out, no one would've noticed such a small wound.
"I… I'll help you treat it," Xia Shiyu lowered her head in guilt. She had never owed anyone, and now she owed this man far too much.
"Here? Saliva has antibacterial properties," Jiang Chen quipped instinctively, surprising even himself.
Whoa… when did I become such a flirt?
"…I have alcohol and gauze at home," Xia Shiyu responded coldly, unamused by his teasing.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm your new creditor, after all," Jiang Chen grinned, waving the IOU in his fingers. "See? I'm a kind guy though—I won't charge interest."
Can anyone be more self-absorbed than this guy? Xia Shiyu looked at the smug Jiang Chen, speechless. And confused—was this really the same loser who used to be too timid to meet her eyes? What the hell happened to him?
"I'll repay you. With interest," Xia Shiyu said firmly, lowering her head in gratitude, though she hesitated before continuing, "But based on a legal interest rate."
She really wasn't confident she could pay off high-interest loan shark rates.
Jiang Chen shrugged and said nothing. He knew her well—once she made up her mind, nothing would change it.
"Hey, Xia Shiyu."
"Yes?" She turned quickly at the shop owner's call.
"That's your half-month pay… I'm really sorry, but I just can't afford to cross those people. Please, understand… You don't have to come in tomorrow."
The boss spoke with difficulty, biting his lip as he forced out those heartless words. Practically begging.
Xia Shiyu took the envelope of cash, nodded numbly, and looked back at the flower shop now closing up for the day. The shifting, wary gazes of those around her… This place where she had worked for half a month… For some reason, she wanted to cry.
How many times had it been today? She had never felt this fragile before.
"You got fired?" Jiang Chen teased. Watching his former boss get fired again was surprisingly satisfying.
Xia Shiyu didn't respond to the mockery. She bit her lip, cast a complicated glance at him, and turned to head home. Jiang Chen followed naturally—after all, she had said she'd treat his wound.
Even though the cut had likely stopped bleeding by now, curiosity about where his former boss lived was stronger. Besides, he had nothing better to do.
Heh… Jiang Chen chuckled inwardly. He felt like such a jerk. Almost on par with that little devil Sun Jiao.
Climbing the moss-covered stairs, Jiang Chen frowned. That such an old building still existed in Shanghai surprised him. The cracked walls didn't look habitable at all.
When Xia Shiyu turned the key in the rusty iron door, Jiang Chen gave a wry smile.
This girl was really tough. Any other girl would've broken by now.
Especially someone this pretty—if she just batted her lashes a little, fifty grand wouldn't be a problem at all.
Such a lovely face, wasted by that bad temper… Heh.
So much personality… totally useless!
...
A faint moldy smell lingered at the doorway, though inside it improved. The strong scent of air freshener was evident—she'd sprayed a lot. A band-aid solution, really, but showed she tried.
The apartment was tiny—much smaller than the low-rent place Jiang Chen lived in. The kitchen and living room were conjoined, and there was only a narrow bedroom. No TV, just an old wooden table and worn-out chairs that might fetch some coin as antiques. Forget about sofas or a coffee table.
No ceiling fan, no air conditioning. Just a wall plug fan. The most valuable appliance might be the stainless steel kettle—probably brought from home when she fled her creditors.
There was a laptop on the table, presumably hers. But clearly no Wi-Fi. What use was a computer?
Jiang Chen noticed two pairs of women's shoes at the door. No way a woman only owned two pairs of shoes—she must've fled here in a hurry.
The place was simple, but clearly cleaned with care.
"Sorry it's a bit shabby. Have a seat anywhere," Xia Shiyu said stiffly. Letting a man she barely knew into her home—this was a first.
She felt uneasy being alone with someone. Maybe that excess of self-protection was exactly why she had no one to rely on now.
Then she went into the tiny bedroom.
Jiang Chen pulled over a chair and sat down, almost tipping over.
Damn, one leg's busted… He cursed silently and changed chairs.
Soon, Xia Shiyu returned with alcohol and a cotton swab.
"Where?" she asked mechanically. Her movements and expression were stiff.
"Here… You're seriously doing this?" Jiang Chen gave a wry smile. He'd only meant to tease her, but she actually brought alcohol.
"I said I'd treat your wound," she said, leaning close to his face.
Now it was Jiang Chen who felt awkward. He didn't know where to put his hands as this icy beauty dabbed his "injury" with alcohol.
"Don't move," she frowned slightly, glaring at him.
"Okay…" Jiang Chen smiled awkwardly again.
She smelled nice—like gardenias. Her bare neck had no jewelry, but he remembered she used to wear a necklace. Her summer dress, leaning forward like this, revealed just a hint of cleavage. Probably a B-cup, no match for Sun Jiao's 36D, but paired with her slim waist, it gave her a refreshing allure.
She was a goddess in both face and body. Embarrassingly, Jiang Chen had even fantasized about her in black stockings once… ahem.
Her long black hair used to be pinned up, but today it was tied in a clean ponytail. It gave her a youthful, almost college-girl appearance.
"…What are you staring at?" she asked, catching his eyes lingering. Her expression was cold, but there was a flicker of unease.
"Nothing," Jiang Chen scratched his nose awkwardly.
The wound was treated, but their eyes met—
Time seemed to freeze…
Awkward.
"You… smell really nice. Haha…" Jiang Chen forced a laugh and scratched his head to break the silence.
Xia Shiyu blinked, her cheeks reddening faintly. Her icy demeanor softened briefly—but then her gaze grew even frostier.
"...It's gardenia. Probably picked it up from work," she mumbled quickly, sniffed her sleeve, and rushed back to her room, arms full of supplies.
Her heart was racing. Standing by the nightstand, she breathed deeply, confused by her own reaction.
Why was she so shaken?
Jiang Chen touched his chest.
Am I falling for this girl?
He quickly dismissed the thought. Just hormones.
He preferred girls like Sun Jiao—bubbly, busty, bold yet tender… though maybe a little less bold would be better.
Xia Shiyu emerged and sat opposite him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Silence settled between them again, broken only by the ticking of the clock—and the thump of their own hearts.
"…Thank you," she finally said.
"No need. I was just passing by," Jiang Chen lied. He had actually come looking for her earlier but left when he heard she'd been fired.
Still, he hadn't expected this proud woman to thank him.
"You…" she hesitated, biting her lip, "Don't you hate me?"
He'd expected that question.
"I did," Jiang Chen said after a pause, meeting her eyes.
Then why save me?
She didn't ask, but he could see it in her eyes.
Jiang Chen had hated her. She fired him, nearly drove him to the streets. He cursed her, insulted her…
But that was the past.
Yeah, once you vent, things stop feeling so heavy. Life goes on. And right now, Jiang Chen was doing just fine.
"No real reason," Jiang Chen sighed. "Honestly, I was happy to hear you got fired. This outfit? Bought it from the same store. But then… I realized how childish that was."
"Childish?" Xia Shiyu repeated softly, puzzled.
If he had humiliated her, slapped her, it might've been easier to process. But instead, the man she once pushed into the abyss had reached out to help her.
Why?
"Even if I got revenge, what would I gain?" Jiang Chen shook his head. "Sure, revenge feels great. But if I just stood there and watched a woman get forced into selling herself to repay debt—especially someone I know—guilt would outweigh the satisfaction."
"It's not like we had some blood feud. It was just a job… And even if you gave it back to me now, I wouldn't want it."
Losing that job led him to where he was now—wealthy beyond imagination thanks to the chance discovery of the dimensional wristband.
As they say, a blessing in disguise.
"After I fired you… I thought about it a lot," Xia Shiyu said quietly. "Maybe, as it turned out, I wasn't a good manager."
"You've got talent," Jiang Chen said. "But you don't understand people."
"People? You mean psychology?"
"No, not the kind you read in textbooks… Human nature. Even a lifetime isn't enough to fully grasp it."
They sat there like old friends reunited, reminiscing. No tea, no fancy setting—but Jiang Chen felt more at peace here than anywhere else all day.
Yes, spending money felt good. Dining like a king was fun.
But it was… lonely.
In this massive, overwhelming city, he didn't even have someone to share a drink with. His dorm mates had scattered after graduation, his secret crush got married and moved back home, even his advisor was busy with new students…
Yet here, in this tiny, rundown apartment, he found rare peace.
Maybe this… was life's reward for a moment of kindness.