Chapter 1 01 Getting Used to It

He Peiru pulled open the iron gate, rendering the remaining rickety wooden door useless. Yellowish light shone through the cracks inside. Pushing it in, dozens of crooked glass bottles were scattered on the old tiled floor.

Next to it, in the old, weathered red plastic beer crate, only a few carelessly discarded bottle caps remained.

He Zhong lay on the worn-out sofa, half asleep, but he still tightly gripped the half-finished beer bottle in his hand.

He Peiru was used to this scene.

The cluttered room made it impossible for her to find a place to step, so she could only start cleaning from the entryway area while carrying her schoolbag.

The process inevitably caused some noise, and He Zhong, who had been frowning, woke up and threw the thing he was holding at me.

Clang—

The wine bottle landed precisely at He Peiru's feet.

She remained expressionless, bent down to pick up the wine bottle and put it in the plastic bin, and continued to clean up the remaining trash.

He Zhong showed no kindness to He Peiru for taking the initiative to clean, but instead glared at her with hatred and cursed, "What's the use of reading so many books? I expect you to come back and cook, and now you've woken me up again by cleaning. You..."

He Peiru had heard similar remarks countless times, all of which were the same. Over time, this had cultivated her stoic character, and she did not intend to utter a single word in rebuttal.

He Peiru put all the beer bottles back into the plastic box, then picked up a mop and cleaned up the beer foam that had splashed on the floor tiles, finally restoring the living room to its tidy state.

She didn't say anything, washed the mop, and went straight back to her room, not caring about He Zhong's attitude or thoughts.

In He Zhong's eyes, even her breathing was wrong.

He Peiru turned on the light and subconsciously picked up the photo frame on the desk. She stroked the face in the photo through the glass, feeling exhausted and unable to breathe.

She was a young girl who lived in this room with her parents. She vaguely remembered the happy life they had together. However, on the way to the amusement park, they were involved in a car accident. As one of the lucky ones, she was separated from her parents forever.

Her kind and gentle grandfather was gone, replaced by disdain and disgust, as if she were the one who had caused the trouble.

Every time her grandfather scolded her, He Peiru would imagine that if her parents were still alive, her life would be completely different.

Her current experience is like a constant reminder that the beauty of the past is like an illusion in a soap bubble, which disappears without a trace once it is popped.

The only fortunate thing is that her grandfather didn't kick her out of the house, and she still has a room of her own in this public housing unit of less than 20 square meters.

He Peiru put down the photo frame, her current situation making her worried. She took out her phone, and the screen lit up at that moment.

He was her classmate and also her good friend.

Feng Shiqi: [Did you tell your grandfather that you need to pay for next semester's textbooks?]

Feng Shiqi: [If he's still unwilling to give you money, I can lend it to you first.]

These two sentences brought a bitter feeling to He Peiru's heart. Feng Shiqi was sincere to her, so she naturally spoke the truth.

He Peiru: [He wasn't in a good mood today; I didn't say a word to him when he came back.]

He Peiru: [After calculating, I still have some time before I have to pay for the books, so I'd better hurry up and find a new part-time job.]

He Peiru had been working part-time at a tea restaurant near the school, but because business had been getting worse and worse lately, the boss told her today when settling wages that he no longer needed part-time employees.

The incident happened suddenly, and coupled with He Peiru's heavy academic workload, she had no idea that this would happen, so she could only find another part-time job as soon as possible.

Feng Shiqi: [That's true, I'll also help you look for suitable part-time jobs.]

He Peiru: [I was just about to look for that too, thanks Shiqi.]

He Peiru cannot expect others to solve her problems, nor can she relax her efforts because of this. She must cherish the kindness that Feng Shiqi shows her.

She changed into her pajamas, lay on her side on the bed, and began browsing job postings on social media.

Most of the job postings she saw required full-time positions, which made He Peiru dizzy, but she was afraid of missing out on a suitable job, so she carefully selected some.

Even if she contacts the recruiter now, she can only go for the interview after school tomorrow, and she doesn't know how many of these positions are still available.

He Peiru could only keep taking screenshots of the job postings until she couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep.

When she woke up early in the morning, she was still holding her phone. He Zhong's snoring came through the door and into the room. Although it was still early, her sleepiness had already dissipated along with the noise.

She tiptoed out of the room. He Zhong was still lying on the sofa, in the same position she had seen him in when she returned last night. His clothes indicated that he had been like that all night.

He Peiru was not surprised. After quickly and carefully washing up, she picked up her packed schoolbag and prepared to go out.

She doesn't have a big appetite in the morning. She usually buys a piece of bread or pastry from a roadside shop on her way to school to fill her stomach. She then tries to use the time she saves to memorize as many words or texts as possible.

Before leaving, He Peiru turned around and looked at He Zhong one last time, then opened the door and went to school.

After two consecutive classes, it was finally time for the break.

After the teacher turned and left the classroom, Feng Shiqi immediately walked towards He Peiru. She leaned against the edge of the table, took out her phone from her school uniform pocket, and said, "Last night, my mom and I sorted out some job postings. I sent you all the screenshots."

Feng Shiqi's actions were so meticulous that He Peiru couldn't help but be moved by this friendship. She quickly took out her phone and replied, "Thank you and Auntie for your help."

“We’re friends, so of course I’ll help you as much as I can.” Before she could answer, Feng Shiqi quickly explained, “If it’s a tourist area in Yau Tsim Mong, the salary will be higher, but you’ll be busy all day and won’t have as much freedom in your schedule.”

He Peiru agreed with her statement and nodded, saying, "If it's suitable, I can go there immediately after school."

Feng Shiqi continued, "There are also a few restaurants in Central or Sheung Wan. Although they are a bit far away, the part-time wages are higher overall."

Upon hearing that the salary was higher, He Peiru's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said, "I'll go over there after school and see if any restaurants are willing to hire me, then my money for buying books will be taken care of."

He Peiru opened the map, which showed that it would take at least half an hour by bus. In her current situation, time was the least valuable thing, and even though there was a possibility of making a wasted trip, she decided to try her luck, prepared for the worst.

For her, the roughly doubled salary was more attractive than nearby part-time jobs.

Moreover, she could use the time she spends commuting to do a lot of studying.

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Feng Shiqi asked, "Shall I go with you to take a look after school?"

"No need, I can manage." She clasped her hands together and thanked Feng Shiqi again, "You must thank Auntie for me."

Feng Shiqi patted her hand lightly and muttered, "My mom doesn't want you to say thank you. She'll just come over for dinner whenever you're free."

She nodded several times and agreed, "Okay, I'll go once I've saved up enough money for the books."

"However, your grandfather..." Feng Shiqi was still worried and looked at her anxiously, "If he calls you after school, don't let him affect your interview!"

He Zhong had always disagreed with He Peiru continuing her studies and never inquired about her affairs, but he was quite clear about the school dismissal time. Several times, as soon as she stepped out of the school gate, her cell phone would ring.

As soon as the call connected, all I heard was He Zhong's barrage of insults.

She learned to block out He Zhong's words.

He Peiru took advantage of the few minutes left during the break between classes to quickly check the recruitment information sent by Feng Shiqi. When the school bell rang, she put on her schoolbag, signaled to Feng Shiqi, changed out of her school uniform at the public toilet outside the school, and hurriedly ran to the bus stop to wait for the bus.

As soon as she stopped, He Zhong's call popped up on her silent phone screen. He Peiru hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

Before she could speak, He Zhong began to scold her: "Hurry home and cook dinner after school! I don't know what you've been doing coming home so late every day!"

He Peiru took a light breath and said, "I don't have money to pay for the books, so I need to do a part-time job."

"Ha, what's the point of studying if you don't have money?" She could imagine He Zhong's sneer even through the screen. "Anyway, I'm not giving you a single penny."

Unable to continue the conversation with He Zhong, she simply hung up the phone.

A few minutes later, the double-decker bus that He Peiru was going to take came towards her, and she found a seat on the upper deck.

The bus sped along the highway, the dazzling scenery outside the window completely distracting her from studying. She followed the flow of traffic into the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. She saw an advertisement for a Hong Kong Coliseum concert at the tunnel entrance.

The highest-priced ticket on the huge poster was exactly half the cost of books for the new semester. She looked away in a daze, just as her phone rang again.

It's He Zhong again.

She didn't answer, letting He Zhong's name remain displayed on the screen.

Most likely, they called to urge her to come home since she hadn't returned yet.

After the bus emerged from the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, Ho Pui-yu had only set foot on Hong Kong Island a handful of times. The area was filled with towering buildings and mountains, interspersed with reclaimed flatlands, creating a scene reminiscent of another world.

The bus stop was very close to the restaurant she planned to go to. He Peiru arrived at her destination in two or three minutes. Fortunately, even in unfamiliar places, she could find her way using navigation.

The restaurant is called Wu Yang, and it opens at noon.

Menus were placed on the shelf outside the door. He Peiru stopped and started looking through them. It seemed that the same food could be two to three times more expensive on Hong Kong Island than on Kowloon Peninsula.

The exorbitant prices, often reaching three figures, made her hesitant.

He Peiru looked up and saw a woman standing by the entrance to the restaurant. She knew she definitely didn't look like a customer. After making eye contact with the woman, she felt a little awkward and hesitated about how to start a conversation.

The other person seemed to notice her confusion and smiled, "How can I help you?"

Looking at that youthful face, Yu Yin could easily tell her age.

He Peiru mustered her courage and asked, "I saw your job posting online, have you filled any positions yet?"

"Not yet." Yu Yin turned to the side and gestured, "There are no customers right now. If you'd like to do part-time work, come in and we can chat?"

Hearing the other person say that, He Peiru was glad she had spoken up and followed them into the restaurant.

Yu Yin pulled out a chair in front of the bar for her to sit down, poured her a glass of water, and said, "My name is Yu Yin, you can call me Sister Yin. It looks like you're still a middle school student?"

He Peiru was embarrassed to drink the water, so she held the cup with both hands and replied, "Yes, my name is He Peiru, and I'm currently in Form Four..."

She briefly told Yu Yin about her current situation, but to be on the safe side, she didn't mention He Zhong.

Yu Yin listened patiently until she stopped, then continued, "You should know that minors can only work until 7 PM every day? Aside from holidays and evenings, we're not very busy at other times, and we have a wide variety of customers. Your main job is..."

He Peiru's phone suddenly vibrated, the sound amplified in the quiet environment.

She hung up hastily, and despite feeling desperate, she forced herself to remain calm and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry."

Her mind went blank; this part-time job was probably going to fall through.

Yu Yin didn't show any dissatisfaction, but considerately asked, "Should you answer this call?"

He Peiru replied, "No need, it's not an important call."

Yu Yin noticed that her expression had become tense and her refusal was decisive, but since she was unwilling to talk about it, she did not press the matter and continued, "Your main job is to greet guests. Sometimes the kitchen may need your help. The hourly wage you are paid will not be more than three digits, no matter how high it is."

“However…” Seeing that she was so nervous that she was completely stunned, Yu Yin simply got up and led her to a place with better air circulation outside. “The surrounding shops are mainly bars, while Wu Yang is a Western-style restaurant. Some customers will come here to have a quick bite before going to the bars.”

He Peiru was so focused on following the navigation that she didn't notice the graffiti on the other side of the road. The vibrant colors directly invaded the dark world in her heart.

She was engrossed in watching, and Yu Yin continued, "I won't take the tips that guests give to the staff. Famous wealthy families like the Gu family and the Jiang family also patronize us occasionally. You can consider it."

With the hourly wage from part-time work plus potential tips, He Peiru felt there was no need for her to try other restaurants, but she was also worried that she wouldn't do well.

She pursed her lips and asked, "I'd like to do it, but could you give me some time to think about it?"

“No problem,” Yu Yin agreed. “I’ll wait three days. Call or text me when you’ve made up your mind, but…”

She paused for a moment and then said, "I'm quite curious why you'd rather spend more time doing part-time work here. Once you've made up your mind, let me know when you have the chance."

He Peiru and Yu Yin had known each other for less than an hour, but the kindness emanating from her was enough to bring tears to Yu Yin's eyes: "Okay, I will think about it carefully, thank you."

She confirmed Yu Yin's phone number with her before leaving.

Just as I turned around, a black supercar sped past like lightning, kicking up the ashes hidden by the roadside, its exhaust roaring through the sky.

He Peiru couldn't tell the car model or the model number; she only knew that it was something she could never afford, even if she spent her entire life buying it.

A note from the author:

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Finally, it's time for this long-awaited reunion and redemption story. I hope you all enjoy it.

They have a seven-year age gap; when they meet again, the female lead is 21 and the male lead is 28.

The story is set in Hong Kong, and some of the different regulations and rules are not noted separately.

This chapter will randomly select winners for red envelopes.

-

Next book: "The Uselessness of Words"

[Movie mogul x up-and-coming screenwriter / Stubborn x reserved / Long-awaited reunion / Wife-chasing drama]

In the eyes of others, Shen Chongyan, a directing major, and Qi Guiluo, a dramatic literature major, are a perfect couple, a match made in heaven.

Films made by them are guaranteed to sweep awards.

Unexpectedly, on the day Shen Chongyan took his master's graduation photo, he was alone and searched everywhere but could not find Qi Guiluo.

-

At Shen Chongyan's graduation dinner, Qi Guiluo was late because of his busy schedule. Outside the private room, he overheard someone inside saying confidently, "Don't forget to invite us when you and Qi Guiluo get married."

She stopped at the doorway, wanting to hear Shen Chongyan's answer—

"We are partners."

The private room was silent. Qi Guiluo no longer hesitated and turned to leave without looking back.

These seven words seem to indirectly confirm that all the hard work she had put in over the past year was worthless, and that her precarious relationship had been completely shattered.

-

later--

Shen Chongyan is a recognized film investor with discerning eyes, while Qi Guiluo is a promising new screenwriter.

One has a discerning and demanding eye for scripts, while the other is reserved and meticulous in disguise.

After much effort, Shen Chongyan finally contacted the creator of his desired script and extended an offer.

To reassure Qi Guiluo, an investor familiar with the industry told her, "Rumor has it that President Shen is not interested in women, so Miss Qi can rest assured."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious, and the cooperation was agreed upon in a few words.

Unexpectedly, when Qi Guiluo went out to answer the phone and turned around, Shen Chongyan, who had followed her out, grabbed her wrist.

Before Shen Chongyan could speak, she shook him off and said, "We are business partners, Mr. Shen, please have some self-respect."

-

sc, three-year age difference

*Book title adapted from Juno Mak/Karena Lam's *Dictionary and Bible*