Chapter 12

After spending the night in the nearest hotel, having used up all of her sisters' inheritance, Chi Xia went to school with a heavy heart. Oh no, even her most secret basement hideout had been disturbed. Where would she sleep from now on?

Chi Xia hesitated all morning, and at noon she went to Lin Keli to ask about the staff dormitory.

It might be hard to believe, but a top assassin who once held the power of life and death in his hands is now struggling to find food and lodging. Unemployment is truly rampant. Thinking about it, it's probably because his boss died too early; otherwise, things wouldn't be like this.

The key issue is that her boss still owes her two commissions. Those two commissions combined are enough for her to buy a two-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood next to her small basement apartment outright, and move from the basement to the ground floor.

I didn't think much of it before, but the boss would occasionally delay paying commissions, and he would pretend that it was nothing, that there was no rush, and that the money would be in my account next time.

Looking back now, it's absolutely unforgivable to default on commissions. As long as the money isn't in my hands, it's at risk of not being my own. There's no point in pretending; I should have just turned my empty pockets inside out and shown the boss that I couldn't even afford to eat.

But how could the boss have died out of the blue?

The assassin organization is so secretive, how could it have been exposed unless by mistake?

Who did the boss offend?

Taking on side jobs, did you stir up a hornet's nest?

Chi Xia was lost in thought, and Lin Keli thought she was embarrassed, so she immediately replied, "How about this, the director will take leave today, and when he comes back to work, I'll apply for leave for you along with the car. You and Xiao Xin can stay in the ward for a couple of days? The special care ward has individual rooms for the caregivers, and the conditions aren't bad."

However, Chi Xia was very grateful and thanked Lin Keli repeatedly while holding her hand.

"Don't worry, I hired you, and I will definitely fight for all the rights you deserve!"

Lin Keli patted Chi Xia on the shoulder, her sympathy for her sister evident. If it weren't for the pressure of life, who would want to take over a terrible class like Class 3 and put up with the humiliation of a bunch of unruly kids?

Chi Xia nodded, surprised that Lin Keli was so loyal, which reminded her of her sister whose fate was unknown.

Today, several classmates of Chi Xia, including Ye Feng, Cheng Mo, and Feng Xiao, still did not come to school or ask for leave. Their parents were all unreachable, and Chi Xia called several times but no one answered.

Fortunately, the troublemaker wasn't there, and the other students didn't cause any trouble. The great task of teaching went smoothly, and Chi Xia listed the recent policies and their advantages for the students of the Magic Fishing Academy.

Moreover, apart from the few who were not present, the list of people to be visited was also successfully obtained.

Li Yao was the first one, which didn't surprise Chi Xia. This girl hadn't shown any hostility towards her from the first day, probably because they had signed up and arranged the order themselves.

Chi Xia casually promoted Li Yao to be the class monitor of Class 3, asking her to help manage the class, and Li Yao did not refuse.

Given Xin Ran's patient status, a home visit couldn't be initiated yet. Even if he pretended to be sick, he couldn't recover too quickly; it would take at least half a month, otherwise he wouldn't be able to eat the special care ward meals.

Lin Keli tactfully explained Chi Xia's condition to Xin Ran. Xin Ran drove his hospital car, receiving preferential treatment from other vehicles all the way to the hospital. After parking, he turned to look at Chi Xia and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Chi Xia didn't know how Lin Keli had told Xin Ran, so she just repeated what she had told Lin Keli: "The lease on the apartment has expired, and the landlord said he wants to renovate it, so we're not renting it anymore."

Xin Ran was completely bewildered, her eyes filled with disbelief. "They just kicked people out like that, without telling you beforehand?"

Chi Xia shook her head, looking pitiful as if to say, "I don't know anything."

How much is the rent?

"3000 a month, one month's deposit and five months' rent in advance."

Xin Ran looked at Chi Xia as if he were looking at a free robot vacuum cleaner that could spit out money. He frowned and thought for a moment with a serious expression, "I have a friend who is looking for someone to rent a house, but he has some high requirements for the tenants. No one is allowed to bring people home, no cooking is allowed, and the tenants must clean the house. The rent is about the same as yours. Do you want me to ask around for you?"

There are quite a few requirements, but having more options is not a bad thing. In case the staff dormitory is not available, Chi Xia nodded, "Then please ask around for me."

Xin Ran instantly became very enthusiastic, "Okay!"

In the intensive care unit, Xun Jiang brought Xiao Di to eat, and the four of them enjoyed a sumptuous meal.

After finishing her meal, Chi Xia got up and said, "I'm going on a home visit. I'll be back later."

Xun Jiang also stood up, "I'll see you out."

Chi Xia glanced at the remaining two. Xiao Di was playing obediently with his toys, while Xin Ran was keeping him company. "Doesn't Dr. Xun have to be on duty?"

Xun Jiang had already taken off his white coat. While straightening his suit, he smiled and said, "It's alright. At my level, I don't need to be with the patients all the time. They only need to call me when the patient is about to need an oxygen tube."

Xin Ran rolled her eyes. She was willing to lose all sense of shame just to pursue someone.

Chi Xia smiled slightly, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

As the car set off, a doctor surnamed Xun was overjoyed; his opportunity had arrived.

"Is Ms. Xia a local from the New Territories?"

“Not really.”

"Does Ms. Xia's family pressure her to get married?"

"No rush."

"Xia Xia—"

"Dr. Xun, it seems we should have taken that intersection." Chi Xia pointed to the road sign they had missed, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked at the road they should have taken.

"Oh, sorry, well, I'm looking for a place to turn around."

"Dr. Xun, this is the ring road, and it seems to be a single lane."

"...I'm sorry, Ms. Xia. My intention was to help, but it seems I've made things worse and taken up your time."

Chi Xia lowered the car window. The towering ring road, like vines entwined around the towering buildings, lifted tiny humans off the ground, allowing them to admire the magnificent steel-framed structures of humankind up close, like flying insects.

The breeze after sunset is the most pleasant, carrying the sun's lingering warmth and painting the earth with a protective layer of color. But soon, this protective layer is replaced by dazzling neon lights; the city seems more suited to the night, for only the night can sustain its vibrant splendor.

Chi Xia took off her disguised oversized glasses, her sharp features softening inch by inch in the gentle breeze. "Thank you, it's been so long since anyone took me for a drive."

Xun Jiang smiled warmly; this Teacher Xia seemed quite easy to get along with.

Knowing that the homeroom teacher was coming to visit, Li Yao's family made preparations for the reception well in advance. They originally wanted to invite Chi Xia to have dinner together, but Chi Xia declined. Instead, they prepared a sumptuous tea and snacks, and they would chat over tea for a while.

Unexpectedly, Chi Xia was an hour late, all because of the winding ring road. Xun Jiang kept apologizing, "It's all my fault. To express my apology, I'll accompany you on your home visit. I'll take you back to the hospital later, since I have to go back to the hospital anyway."

Chi Xia had no reason to refuse. She couldn't very well let Xun Jiang drive back first and then take a taxi herself later, especially since she didn't have the money for a taxi.

If she hadn't found this job in time, and before her enemies even came knocking, she would have truly faced the risk of starving to death. Therefore, Chi Xia took this job very seriously, after all, it was for survival, and it was also the clear path her sister had shown her before she died.

Before getting off the bus, Chi Xia took her large-framed glasses back with her. Xun Jiang glanced at her unintentionally and noticed that Teacher Xia looked completely different with and without her glasses on. This scene was surprisingly familiar.

"Teacher Xia is here, please come in."