Chapter 39 Lin Chaoyue, as if seeing a ghost…
Living together?
Are you kidding me?!
In the airport waiting room, Pei Shuwen could take quizzes anytime, anywhere. If they stayed together every day on a business trip, she felt like she wouldn't need to sleep at night.
The fear of being dominated by exams made Lin Chaoyue shudder involuntarily.
No, no, that won't do.
Absolutely not.
Lin Chaoyue: "I'd rather sleep on the street for one night than share a room with you."
She spoke with great bravado, but Lin Chaoyue regretted it as soon as she finished, after all, she didn't really want to sleep on the street.
Pei Shuwen glanced at her thoughtfully.
Lin Chaoyue didn't understand what his expression meant.
He could only cough lightly to try and salvage the situation: "Well, it's not that absolute. I was just thinking that even if the diva Zhao Ran comes to hold a concert, there shouldn't be a shortage of rooms nearby. I don't need to stay in anything too fancy, just give me any room."
"Mr. Pei, our manager is here. If you have any further questions, you can speak with him, and he will make the necessary arrangements for you."
Pei Shuwen checked in, and the manager immediately informed her that a VIC customer would be checking in that evening.
He rushed over and nodded respectfully: "Hello Mr. Pei, welcome back to the Grand Hyatt. I found that your presidential suite was booked by Mu's Construction. Although it wasn't booked by you, you can still enjoy the VIC benefits at our hotel. You can check in with peace of mind."
Pei Shuwen nodded: "Has General Manager Zhu from Mu's Construction arrived?"
Manager: "Mr. Zhu Qian has already checked in, but left half an hour ago."
"I see."
Manager: "Tea and meals have been prepared in advance. Please feel free to call room service if you need anything else. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Lin Chaoyue raised her hand immediately: "Manager, do you know of any vacant rooms nearby?"
Manager: "Rooms are indeed in short supply lately. I know there's one nearby, but it's very basic. I don't know if you can accept that."
“I can,” Lin Chaoyue said.
"Shall I take you there now?"
Knowing that Lin Chaoyue was Pei Shuwen's assistant, the manager asked Lin Chaoyue a question, but looked at Pei Shuwen instead.
Pei Shuwen: "No need, just write down the address for me. Where are the women's shoe stores nearby?"
Manager: "There's a collaboration store between Rankako and Yubb across the street, which would be perfect for Ms. Lin."
Pei Shuwen looked at Lin Chaoyue: "Shall we go buy shoes first?"
"purchase!"
If she walks a few more steps in these ill-fitting high heels, her feet will rot.
Fortunately, Pei Shuwen still remembered.
She briefly forgave him for another five minutes.
She had bought shoes from both rankako and yubb, but this was the first time she had seen a collaboration store.
Pei Shuwen sat there waiting, trying on shoes one by one, and she particularly liked two pairs.
A pair of nude patent leather low-heeled shoes. The sales assistant saw that she was dressed in a business style and strongly recommended them. These shoes were indeed more suitable for her to wear to work. They suited her skin tone very well, and although they had heels, they were comfortable and did not tire her feet.
There was another pair with delicate shimmering straps around the edges. The white silk ribbons looked ethereal, and she fell in love with them at first sight. However, they weren't very practical for everyday wear and weren't suitable for business trips.
I want to buy them all.
But after glancing at the price, her wallet only allowed her to take one pair home.
Can I get a discount if I buy two pairs?
She seemed to have overheard the sales assistant and the customer talking about today's discounts.
The sales assistant said softly, "I'm sorry, ma'am, no, these are both new styles from our store. The discount section is on the other side, but you can try them on if you like them."
I don't like any of them, except for these two pairs.
The sales assistant smiled and said, "Both of these shoes really suit you. If you can't decide, you can ask your boyfriend to take a look."
The sales consultant is well-versed in the art of sales.
From the moment he entered, Pei Shuwen appeared to be handling work, but his gaze kept drifting towards Lin Chaoyue.
The man looks like a business elite, and he seems to really like his girlfriend. Based on her sales experience, she'll probably close two more deals today.
He couldn't help but feel a thrill inside, but on the surface he remained calm and composed.
Lin Chaoyue glanced at Pei Shuwen, who was still on the phone: "He's not, he's my boss."
"Oh, your boss is really nice." She had seen employees accompany their bosses shopping before, but this was the first time she had ever seen a boss accompany an employee shopping.
The sales assistant overheard that the two people weren't in a close relationship.
Then they started strongly recommending the more expensive nude-colored patent leather shoes.
"Didn't choose one? Or didn't you like any?" Pei Shuwen hung up the phone and came over immediately.
Fearing she might lose the sale, the sales assistant preemptively said, "Ms. Lin likes both pairs, but I think the nude color one suits her better..."
"You like them both?" Pei Shuwen handed over a card. "Then wrap up both pairs. Is there anything else you like?"
Lin Chaoyue didn't want to spend Pei Shuwen's money: "No need, I'll pay for it myself. I'll take these nude-colored ones."
"Pack everything up." Pei Shuwen: "I've asked about the hotel. It was a mistake by the logistics staff of our partner. Consider the shoes as compensation for you."
"Oh well."
This reasoning successfully persuaded Lin Chaoyue.
She bought shoes, and Pei Shuwen swiped her card.
She threw the pair of shoes that rubbed her feet into the trash can. Stepping on the comfortable, soft soles, Lin Chaoyue felt refreshed when she went out again, completely forgetting that the other pair of shoes was still being carried by Pei Shuwen.
The sales assistant stood at the cashier recording sales figures, waiting to hand over her shift. She closed two deals before leaving get off work, feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Even through the glass window, I would occasionally sneak a peek outside.
"This young couple is such a perfect match, they're both so good-looking, and the guy is so generous, he didn't even blink when he swiped his card... Could you sign your name here?" Cashier Sister Liu remarked.
The sales assistant bowed her head and signed: "They're not a couple, they said it was the boss and his subordinate."
Sister Liu: "Tsk, you don't understand. This is the kind of fun these young people have these days. Real bosses don't have the time to go shopping with people. The new young guy the owner of the bag shop next door hired came to buy a bag yesterday, but he accidentally bumped into the owner's wife and got recognized. They ended up fighting quite a bit..."
After hearing the gossip, the sales assistant looked at Lin Chaoyue with a hint of envy.
She's beautiful, her husband is rich, and he's her own boss.
That means you can even slack off at work...
Lin Chaoyue, happy to have saved herself another sum of money, was unaware that she had become the envy of others.
She was reaching out to Pei Shuwen, not out of a sudden pang of conscience to carry the shoebox herself, but to ask for his address.
"Didn't the hotel manager just give you the address? Where is it? I'll go take a look."
Pei Shuwen: "Are you sure you want to go? The living conditions there are terrible."
Lin Chaoyue said: "I'll go, no matter how bad it is, I'll go!"
But what I was really thinking was: how bad can a hotel be?
Then, just across the street, Lin Chaoyue witnessed what a 'world of difference' truly meant.
Ahead lies a bustling commercial district.
Behind it was a dilapidated alleyway with hardly any streetlights.
"Are you sure the hotel manager told you this is the address? Pei Shuwen, you're kidding me."
"This is it."
Lin Chaoyue didn't believe it, so she turned on her phone's location services and searched for nearby hotels.
Without exception, all the other hotels were fully booked and closed, except for the 'Red Cherry Blossom Inn' in front of us.
It's very popular.
The neon signs, glowing red, were almost blinding.
The lights in the hotel's sign were dim, flickering only every few seconds.
The glass door is old and in disrepair, half of it is broken, and occasionally when someone goes in to ask, it makes a jarring 'creak' sound if they open the wrong door.
It's called a hotel, but it's more like a haunted house.
Lin Chaoyue swallowed.
Pei Shuwen: "You can leave now after you've looked around. I've asked the hotel manager to book a room for three days from now, so you can move out then."
Pei Shuwen's expression clearly indicated that she would acquiesce.
She didn't know where that stubbornness came from.
But I just don't want to do what he says.
Although they essentially lived together in Ningcheng, and although she was 'coerced, lured, and tricked' into signing a cohabitation agreement, but...
"No, not here... I can stay here too! I'll stay here for the next three days."
Pei Shuwen had been keeping his head down replying to messages, but now he finally lifted his eyelids and glanced at Lin Chaoyue.
Lin Chaoyue gritted her teeth and took the gift bag from his hand.
"You can go back now, I'm going in."
The hotel had glass doors, and after entering, Lin Chaoyue could even feel Pei Shuwen's obvious gaze behind her, but she never turned around and stood stiffly in front of the simple counter to check in.
Small hotels are very efficient at checking guests in.
Simply put, you pay money to get a room key, two sets of disposable toothbrushes, and a mini tube of toothpaste.
The room was on the third floor. Lin Chaoyue picked up her things and went up the stairs.
Yes, stairs.
This little hotel doesn't even have an elevator, but luckily it's not on a very high floor.
As the gazes behind her disappeared into the stairwell, Lin Chaoyue finally relaxed.
Although strange thoughts occasionally flashed through her mind, she wasn't sure if she had really fallen for Pei Shuwen, or if it was just a habitual dependence.
It's okay if it's just dependence.
If that subtle feeling is liking...
Lin Chaoyue shook her head, unwilling to think too deeply about it. She was always somewhat timid about things that she had to face herself.
I just want to shrink into my protective shell and become a little turtle.
Lin Chaoyue took a breath and began to climb the stairs at a snail's pace.
The lights in the hallway have unstable voltage, and the lights are flickering intermittently.
Before opening the door, Lin Chaoyue did some mental preparation, but it was clearly not 'sufficient' enough.
"No, this is way too shabby..."
Peeling wallpaper, a dirty ceiling light, a leaky bathroom, a small bed 1.2 meters wide pressed tightly against the wall, and on the other side, only a small table and a plastic chair could be squeezed in.
It took me a whole day to get things done.
Lin Chaoyue was actually very tired.
But looking at the yellowed sheets, she couldn't bring herself to lie down, no matter how tired she was.
After going around in circles, I ended up just sitting in the chair with a tissue under my hand, lost in thought.
--
Pei Shuwen's phone received a call.
Before even answering the call, he had already guessed the other party's intentions.
"General Manager Zhu."
"Pei Lu, I'm so sorry, it was our oversight."
The opening line was an apology.
Zhu Qian: "The hotel issue was due to negligence on the part of our staff. My assistant is also staying at the Grand Hyatt tonight, and it happens to be a double room. If Attorney Tang doesn't mind, he can come and squeeze in."
Zhu Qian had worked with Pei Shuwen before, and Pei Shuwen's assistant at the time was Tang Chenbin.
"It's not very convenient." Pei Shuwen looked up at the room on the third floor with the lights on and declined Zhu Qian's suggestion.
Zhu Qian: "My apartment in the city is still vacant, if..."
Pei Shuwen interrupted, "I brought a female assistant this time."
That's really inconvenient.
Pei Shuwen was an outside helper that their company had gone to great lengths to recruit. Zhu Qian started making preparations as soon as he learned that Pei Shuwen was coming in place of Zhao Huai'an, fearing that he would not be able to entertain him properly.
I didn't expect this kind of mistake to still happen.
He's now thinking about starting his own company's logistics department.
Pei Shuwen glanced at his watch; Lin Chaoyue had lasted longer than he had expected. "President Zhu, there's no need to make things so difficult. My assistant is quite adaptable and has already found herself a place to stay."
"Really? Then I'm relieved."
After exchanging a few more polite words, Pei Shuwen hung up the phone.
At the same time, the only light on the third floor went out.
Pei Shuwen raised an eyebrow in surprise, preparing to go inside and take a look.
But soon, he heard the sound of footsteps coming downstairs.
Looking up again, Lin Chaoyue's small figure had already darted down from upstairs as if she'd seen a ghost...
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