Chapter 14:
The next day, Qi SiJia woke up at 6:15 AM, after the alarm had been ringing for a while.
After a restless night, she groggily went through her morning routine.
She rushed out the door, forgetting even her hair tie.
Late autumn in Ning Cheng was getting colder by the day.
With her gas mask on, Qi SiJia didn’t feel the chill, except for the exposed skin on her neck, despite the high-collared sweater.
She’d been in a hurry and forgotten her scarf.
Qi SiJia pulled her long hair forward, using it as a makeshift scarf, tucking the exposed skin beneath the warmth of her hair.
Just as she reached the first floor,
In the dim light of the stairwell, Gui XiaoLian, even earlier than Qi SiJia, seemed to be waiting by the door.
The door opened with a click.
Gui XiaoLian offered Qi SiJia a faded, rectangular metal lunchbox.
Qi SiJia didn’t take it, pulling down her cap and looking at her hesitantly.
“My mom asked me to give this to you. It’s Aiqing Jiao, glutinous rice dumplings with celery and pork filling. The pork is from Uncle Mo’s butcher shop this morning, and the celery is from Auntie Fang on the second floor.”
“Heat it in the microwave for three minutes during your lunch break. It’s much better than the instant noodles you had yesterday.”
Qi SiJia was about to say she’d brought her own lunch,
when Gui XiaoLian, perhaps still embarrassed about yesterday, quickly closed the door.
Through the rusty door, Qi SiJia heard a violent coughing fit.
And Gui XiaoLian’s exclamation: “Mom!”
“I told you I’d deliver it. Why did you get up?”
“Nannan, we have to be reasonable. Miss Qi… cough, cough… she and her grandmother were so kind to us, our benefactors all these years. How many times have I told you? We may be poor and unable to repay their kindness, but we can’t take advantage of their generosity. You have to be polite to her.”
“She’s already gone.”
“Alright, alright.”
“I give up. I’ll apologize to her myself when I go to work later, okay?”
Another coughing fit followed, racking her lungs.
Qi SiJia hesitated, then transferred the lunchbox to her right hand. In the dim light, Qi SiJia’s own lunchbox was a three-layered, insulated container, brand new, with a cute cat on the beige lid.
Much more elegant than the faded, single-layered one in her left hand.
It contained the food she’d prepared yesterday. With her social anxiety, she avoided eating in public and always cooked for herself.
This was the first time she’d accepted a homemade meal from someone else.
Qi SiJia paused for a moment, then left the building, carrying both lunchboxes.
7 AM, staff room.
Qi SiJia was startled by the heated discussion inside.
“Why? She just started yesterday and she’s getting a raise!”
“A newbie?”
“Do you think the penthouse owner likes her?”
“My daughter told me girls can like girls now. The marriage law is about to change. Do you think the penthouse owner has taken a fancy to her?”
“No wonder…”
…
Gui XiaoLian had arrived a minute earlier.
“Aunties, you can’t say that. None of us wanted to clean Building 8. She worked hard, impressed the owner, and earned a raise. She deserves it.”
“If we work hard, we might get the same opportunity.”
Gui XiaoLian’s words were well-received. Seeing the aunties nod in agreement, she waved to Qi SiJia, “Miss Qi—you got a raise!”
Qi SiJia wasn’t particularly thrilled about the raise,
but the envious stares from the aunties were unsettling.
She thanked Gui XiaoLian for her intervention and quickly retreated to the locker room, ignoring the glares.
As she came out, Supervisor Cai returned from a meeting, her expression complex as she called Qi SiJia over.
“You got a raise. The penthouse owner personally approved it.”
“Do you know how much?”
The supervisor didn’t know, so Qi SiJia certainly didn’t. She wasn’t interested in the money, but there was no such thing as a free lunch.
What was the penthouse owner’s intention?
“Does she like you?” Supervisor Cai suddenly asked, leaning closer.
Qi SiJia stepped back, replying impassively, “I don’t know.”
She wasn’t one to believe rumors. But recalling the cherries and the prolonged stares yesterday,
Qi SiJia wasn’t so sure anymore.
She decided to ask the penthouse owner directly. If there was something there…
She was looking for a new relationship, a way to overcome her social anxiety. If it seemed suitable, she could give it a try.
The cleaning work was repetitive and monotonous, confined to a specific area within the building.
Mopping, sweeping, watering, a constant cycle.
The novelty had worn off.
While watering the plants in the morning, Qi SiJia encountered Gui XiaoLian again.
Gui XiaoLian hesitated for a while before approaching, “I’m sorry about yesterday…”
Qi SiJia, understanding what she wanted to say, and remembering her help earlier,
said softly, “It’s okay.”
Gui XiaoLian was good at finding joy. Despite her initial reservations about Qi SiJia, she now considered her a kindred spirit.
She chatted with Qi SiJia in the garden, helping her with the watering, talking incessantly.
Qi SiJia listened patiently while working.
Perhaps because Qi SiJia was such a good listener, Gui XiaoLian talked about everything, from family gossip to entertainment news.
“Hey, did you see the trending topics last night?”
Qi SiJia shook her head. Meng Jiang’s mention of Miss Q had put Qi SiJia in a precarious position.
But Meng Jiang kept her word. If she said she’d remove all speculation about Miss Q’s identity, she would.
Qi SiJia trusted her on that. She didn’t think she’d be trending and finished pruning the last branch, uninterested.
Gui XiaoLian, waiting, was impatient, “Really? You didn’t see it?”
Qi SiJia said, “I don’t use Weibo much.”
Gui XiaoLian was surprised, then quickly accepted it. After all, Qi SiJia didn’t even like showing her face to collect rent. What else would she care about?
She said patiently, “Okay, even if you don’t use Weibo, you must have heard of Meng Jiang, the movie queen.”
Qi SiJia looked down, hiding her surprise, asking casually, “What about her?”
Gui XiaoLian pulled out her phone excitedly, showing Qi SiJia a Weibo post.
“Someone found Meng Jiang’s alt account.”
“Here. See? I mean, fans always brag about their idols being top-tier, but after this first love confession, Meng Jiang is the real deal. No one can compare. Even her dormant alt account is trending.”
Meng Jiang’s name was a sensitive topic for Qi SiJia. She instinctively leaned closer, her heart sinking.
She swallowed her question about how Gui XiaoLian was sure it was Meng Jiang’s account. The profile picture was the same as Meng Jiang’s main WeChat account.
This was almost certainly Meng Jiang’s Weibo.
“White background, red lips, tsk, a ‘Q’-shaped luxury lipstick,” Gui XiaoLian said with a dreamy smile, nudging Qi SiJia, “It’s a brand she endorsed early in her career. Nothing special, but there’s a ‘Q’ on it. The ‘Q’ from Miss Q.”
She giggled knowingly.
Qi SiJia glanced at the picture and looked away.
What was there to speculate about? Even as Miss Q herself, Qi SiJia had initially misinterpreted the image. But Meng Jiang had made it clear that reconciliation was out of the question.
It was just a brand logo.
As some of Meng Jiang’s rational fans had commented, her willingness to talk about Miss Q after five years meant she had moved on. Besides, she’d only mentioned it while drunk.
She clearly didn’t care.
“Hey, aren’t you even a little curious?”
Gui XiaoLian was puzzled by Qi SiJia’s indifference, continuing her chatter.
Finding it slightly annoying, Qi SiJia put down her tools and asked, “So, what useful information did you find on her alt account?”
Meeting Qi SiJia’s gaze through the goggles, Gui XiaoLian opened her mouth, then said awkwardly, “Uh… there are no posts. No likes or follows either.”
Qi SiJia’s tone was indifferent: “Then let’s not talk about her.”
Gui XiaoLian was unconvinced, muttering, “Aren’t you even a little curious?”
“She voted in a poll about relationship problems for a small-time author. There has to be something there.”
Now it was Qi SiJia’s turn to be silent.
Gui XiaoLian opened the Weibo post about Meng Jiang’s advice to the author, and a familiar orange cat, the same one Qi SiJia had held just yesterday, appeared on the screen.
“The author’s name is Ji Liu. Netizens have dug up everything about her online persona.”
Qi SiJia narrowed her eyes: “And?”
“And that’s it.” Gui XiaoLian’s voice was dejected. “The author’s initial is J, not Q. And this author is a player, countless girlfriends, always jumping from one relationship to another, according to her readers. Completely different from our Jiang Jiang. There’s no way she’s Miss Q.”
The implication: someone as stunning and desirable as Meng Jiang, even if she liked women, wouldn’t lower her standards for a player.
Qi SiJia froze, her fingers stiffening. Fortunately, her rubber gloves hid her reaction from Gui XiaoLian.
After a moment of silence, Qi SiJia asked, “Why don’t you think she is Miss Q?”
“Why would I? Jiang Jiang has high standards for relationships. She’s even posted her personality test results, showing she’s monogamous and expects the same from her partner. All her fans know this.”
In other words, Miss Q could be anyone, but not the promiscuous Ji Liu.
Qi SiJia didn’t correct her. A player’s first love was still a first love.
Who said a first love had to remain pure for Meng Jiang?
Regardless, relieved she hadn’t been exposed, Qi SiJia packed up her tools.
Her gardening duties were done; it was time to clean the building.
The Ji Liu account had no dirt to dig up. Let the netizens speculate.
Qi SiJia had carefully protected her real-life identity, even using a VPN.
…
She’d even used Wei YunFang’s connections to encrypt her account.
So no one could connect Ji Liu to Qi SiJia.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Don’t believe or spread rumors,” Qi SiJia returned Gui XiaoLian’s phone, seeing her unconvinced expression.
“You also think the rumors about Meng Jiang being hung up on Miss Q are absurd, right? They broke up, they’re from different worlds. Meng Jiang’s confession means she’s moved on. And for you fans, isn’t it better that Meng Jiang is single? Not every love story has a happy ending.”
Qi SiJia turned to enter Building 8, bumping into the penthouse owner.
She didn’t know how much the owner had overheard. Her eyes, narrowed, were unreadable.
They stared at Qi SiJia’s moving lips behind the goggles.
Though Qi SiJia didn’t feel anxious around the penthouse owner, being stared at was still uncomfortable. She averted her gaze, unsure how to address her.
Just as she was about to speak,
Meng Jiang’s eyes crinkled with amusement, her tone sarcastic: “Aren’t you tired?”
Qi SiJia was confused: “What?”
Meng Jiang glanced at her mouth,
then looked away.
This was the first time someone had commented on her talkativeness, and she took it as a compliment.
Only Gui XiaoLian sensed the tension. Meng Jiang, a master of social graces, was always composed, rarely showing her emotions.
She never gave anyone ammunition against her.
Everyone thought she was elegant, aloof, and impeccably polite.
But her social finesse often masked her decisive nature.
Meng Jiang’s casual glance didn’t faze Qi SiJia. She was about to ask about her raise,
when Meng Jiang gave her a long look and walked away without a word.
Gui XiaoLian beside her held her breath.
Even masked, the woman exuded an intimidating aura. Her eyes, devoid of amusement, sent a chill down Gui XiaoLian’s spine.
After Meng Jiang left, Gui XiaoLian exhaled, asking, “Is she…?”
She gestured towards Building 8.
Qi SiJia nodded: “The penthouse owner.”
Gui XiaoLian slapped her forehead, muttering, “As expected, reputation precedes her.”
Qi SiJia chuckled, “She’s actually quite nice.”
Gui XiaoLian: “…”
“Of course she is. She likes you. Have you ever seen her give anyone else a raise?”
Hearing multiple people say the penthouse owner liked her that day made Qi SiJia wonder if it was true.
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