Xu Xinchen placed her hand against his chest, frantically trying to stop his face from pressing down on her, but she wasn't strong enough. Just as his face was about to touch her skin, with a "slap," she raised her hand and slapped him down.
The air froze for a moment. The three men in the room were stunned. One of them covered his face and stared at her blankly. Xu Xinchen pushed him away, opened the door, and ran out.
The man realized what was happening and angrily cursed, pulling open the door and chasing after her, "You bitch, where are you going?" Two other men followed behind.
Xu Xinchen bumped into someone in her haste. She stopped and saw the shopkeeper's surprised expression.
........
In the backyard, the proprietress sat at the table with a livid face; the tea on the table had gone cold.
"Are you here to cause trouble on purpose?"
Her gaze kept darting over Xu Xinchen. She rattled off a string of words, "Do you even know who those guests were? You offended them today and just walked away. But you've really messed me up!"
"I'm sorry." Xu Xinchen knew it was her fault, so she didn't argue and just kept apologizing.
"Didn't you say you'd done this before?" The proprietress's sharp gaze seemed to pierce through her, a look of disdain on her face. "You..."
Why pretend to be innocent?
"I...that's not what I meant." Her face flushed red and then turned pale.
Just then, a noisy commotion arose at the entrance. Several girls walked into the courtyard, chatting and laughing. When they reached the landlady, one of the girls asked with a smile, "Landlady, is everything finished over there? Where's the payment?"
Xu Xinchen noticed several gazes directed at her.
"Oh dear, what's wrong with this little sister?"
The proprietress sat motionless in her chair and said sarcastically, "People say they've never done this before, but today, on their first day, they come and cause trouble. Do you believe they're here to wash dishes?"
After a moment of silence, several girls around her burst into laughter, some even bending over with exaggerated laughter. "You must be joking, right? How much money can you make washing dishes?"
"Playing dumb to fool others, boss lady, you'll have to play along."
"Alright, alright." The proprietress, exasperated by the commotion, frowned, pulled out a few bills from somewhere, and waved her hand impatiently. "Get out."
Once the room was quiet, she lifted her eyelids to look at the person in front of her. She sipped her tea slowly, her eyes lowered, and said casually, "I'll assume for now that you haven't done this before, but... would you like to join us? I'll give you time to think it over. As for the price, don't worry."
She held up her hand to indicate a number.
Xu Xinchen stared at the number, momentarily stunned and bewildered. "I can't do it... and I've already messed it up, why are you still doing it...?"
"You're more valuable than them," the landlady said, looking at her with a half-smile. "So, how about it? Would you like to consider it?"
"I'm sorry." Xu Xinchen clenched her fists tightly, but still managed to utter those two words with difficulty.
Then she saw the proprietress's expression change.
"You're really asking for it! Besides your face, what else do you think you have that's worth anything? What are you pretending to be, this pure and virtuous woman? You're such an arrogant and ignorant brat!"
As Xu Xinchen left the restaurant, the proprietress's angry voice still echoed behind her, "You jinx, don't let me see you again!"
She walked briskly, and before she knew it, she had circled back to the restaurant she had been to before.
The intense sunlight made her dizzy. She squinted at the locked door, and suddenly a figure seemed to appear in front of her. The figure was dressed in a sharp suit, with a straight back and a cool aura that made him stand out in the crowd.
She blinked in disbelief. There were pedestrians coming and going all around her, but where was that person?
Xu Xinchen wandered around several streets, visiting all the restaurants in the city, but she couldn't find a suitable one. Every time she explained her purpose, the person would look her over several times and then stammer and refuse.
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