Little Bodyguard(GL) 70

Chapter 70

Aijia wanted to bake some pastries for lunch, but she didn’t have the right tools at home, so she went to the bar early.

After working in the kitchen for a while, she put the pastries in the oven and, armed with a watering can, went around watering the plants, humming a tune.

She reached the last private room on the second floor and, without hesitation, pushed the door open. The sight before her made her jump.

A figure lay sprawled on the sofa, lifeless. The air didn’t smell strongly of alcohol, but the overturned ashtray had spilled ashes everywhere.

Aijia frowned. If it weren’t for the familiar clothes, she would have probably doused the person with the watering can.

She walked over and checked Li Qinyue’s breathing.

Steady and slow, she was alive.

Aijia lifted her foot and kicked Li Qinyue’s leg, “Wake up!”

Li Qinyue’s leg instinctively shot up, their bones colliding with a loud thud. Aijia bent over in pain, rubbing her leg.

Li Qinyue opened her eyes slightly, her voice hoarse, “What’s wrong with you?”

“I was checking if you were still alive,” Aijia said after the pain subsided, “Why are you sleeping here?”

“I can sleep wherever I want,” Li Qinyue rolled over, facing the back of the sofa, ignoring her.

Aijia stared at her for a moment, then asked, “Are you hungry?”

Li Qinyue kicked her legs again.

“I baked some pastries, want some?”

Three seconds later, Li Qinyue sat up, “Yes.”

After Li Qinyue went to wash up, Aijia cleaned up the room and continued watering the plants.

Before she could finish, Li Qinyue followed her around, watching her intently.

“It’ll take a while,” Aijia said, “Go sit down and rest.”

“You woke me up and now you’re telling me to rest,” Li Qinyue yawned, “You should have just let me sleep.”

“Heh, acting like a princess,” Aijia said, turning to her, “Are you my boss or my employee now?”

Li Qinyue chuckled, asking the obvious, “Is there a difference?”

“If you’re my boss, I’ll make you tea. If you’re my employee, get lost.”

Li Qinyue leaned against the railing, thought for a moment, and said, “Employee.”

Aijia was surprised.

Li Qinyue said proudly, “Don’t look at me like that, I’m a woman of my word, I’ll bounce back.”

“You haven’t lost everything, have you?” Aijia couldn’t help but ask, “Your accounts are fine, right? So your father didn’t do anything to you?”

“No, I took preemptive measures, I chose an unconventional path,” Li Qinyue said.

“It’s almost New Year’s,” Aijia put down the watering can, “I’m planning to give everyone a few extra days off this year.”

Li Qinyue frowned, “When?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“The day after tomorrow?” Li Qinyue’s eyes widened, “But there are still ten days…”

“Not ten days,” Aijia said, “I’m going on a trip.”

“Where to?”

“Northern Europe,” Aijia raised an eyebrow, “Employee Li Qinyue’s current financial situation probably can’t afford that, right?”

“Right,” Li Qinyue stretched, looking worried, “Forget about traveling, I won’t even have a place to sleep once the bar closes.”

“That bad?” Aijia walked downstairs.

Li Qinyue followed her, “Yeah, a sweet burden.”

“A sweet burden that prevents you from even going home?” Aijia paused and asked, “What happened last night? Did you two fight?”

“No, we don’t fight, we’re very affectionate,” Li Qinyue answered quickly.

But she didn’t elaborate on what had actually happened.

Aijia wasn’t one to pry. If Li Qinyue wanted to talk, she was willing to listen. But since Li Qinyue didn’t seem to want to talk about it, she didn’t ask any further questions.

However, when she was baking the second batch of pastries, she considered Li Qinyue’s taste and made half of them with blueberry filling.

Li Qinyue ate them with gusto, seemingly fine.

So, as planned, Boss Ai closed the bar on the third afternoon, and “Shengge” started its New Year’s holiday early.

Li Qinyue, carrying a small bag containing all her current assets, stood at the entrance of the hotel, staring at it for half a minute, then turned and left.

She would usually stay in a hotel when she went out, but now, with no home to return to, she didn’t want to stay in a hotel.

The thought of the empty white bedsheets made her feel lonely.

She wandered around the streets for a while, then Zhuo Zhi called her.

They had been in contact every day, Zhuo Zhi calling her three times a day, as regular as meals.

But her text messages were slow to be answered. The girl wasn’t addicted to her phone, and she was probably being watched closely by her master.

Li Qinyue didn’t blame her. She was an adult, she understood, and she really wasn’t angry at all.

But now, hearing Zhuo Zhi’s voice on the phone, she suddenly felt a little aggrieved.

She sniffled, and Zhuo Zhi immediately asked, “Are you feeling unwell, Sister? Do you have a cold?”

“No, the air is bad,” Li Qinyue waved her hand in front of her face. The air was indeed bad, she was standing near a perfume counter in the mall, the scent overwhelming.

“Are you outside?” Zhuo Zhi asked, “It’s so quiet.”

Li Qinyue hummed in response, not wanting to say too much, because that would require lying.

But Zhuo Zhi’s next words forced her to be truthful, “I can go back to work tonight!”

Her voice was filled with excitement. Before Li Qinyue could respond, she added, “I can finally see you again, Sister!”

“Hmm,” Li Qinyue’s heart ached.

Zhuo Zhi said, “I miss you so much, Sister.”

Li Qinyue couldn’t help but say, “You said you missed your master a few days ago, who knows if you’re being sincere.”

“I really miss Master, and I really miss you too,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Don’t you miss me, Sister?”

Li Qinyue didn’t answer, she just said, “You don’t need to come to ‘Shengge’, it’s closed for the holidays.”

“Huh?” Zhuo Zhi was stunned.

“Aren’t you in the staff group chat?” Li Qinyue said, “With your work ethic, don’t even bother coming back after the New Year, Boss Ai fired you.”

“Huh?” That was the only sound Zhuo Zhi could make.

“Huh what? I’m hanging up,” Li Qinyue felt a little annoyed.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” Zhuo Zhi shouted, “Where are you now, Sister?”

“Why do you need to know?”

“I’m your girlfriend, of course I need to know!” Zhuo Zhi shouted, “Send me your location, now!”

Li Qinyue pursed her lips and sent her location.

“Don’t move!” Zhuo Zhi said, “Stay right there!”

“You want me to stand here until my legs break?”

“Find a milk tea shop and wait for me, I’ll be there soon,” Zhuo Zhi hung up the phone.

Li Qinyue stared at her phone, replaying their conversation in her mind. She frowned.

This wasn’t like her at all. Normally, she would have just bought a plane ticket and gone on vacation.

It was mainly because she was broke, she thought.

She put her phone away, looked around, found the nearest milk tea shop, ordered a drink, and sat by the window.

As she waited for Zhuo Zhi, second by second, Li Qinyue had to admit, she missed her too.

Tsk, they had only been apart for two and a half days.

When Zhuo Zhi rushed out, her Master was still in the kitchen.

By the time she reached the door, her hand on the handle, her Master had already caught up to her, grabbing the hood of her jacket.

“Where are you going?” the Master asked.

Zhuo Zhi, feeling anxious, didn’t bother hiding it, “‘Shengge’ is closed for the holidays, I’m going to pick up Sister Qinyue.”

The Master looked at her, silent, but didn’t let go of her hood.

Zhuo Zhi said, “Master, it’s Sister Qinyue’s home.”

“We can stay somewhere else,” the Master said.

“No,” Zhuo Zhi shook her head vehemently, “It’s my home too.”

“Then I’ll stay somewhere else,” the Master said.

“My home is your home, no one’s going anywhere,” Zhuo Zhi looked at her master, then added, “It’s been three days, you should learn to accept it.”

The Master’s voice was full of disbelief, “When we came down the mountain, I told you to stay away from men, I was afraid that the cabbage I had carefully raised for so many years would be eaten by a pig, and you’re telling me that you’ve been eaten by a cabbage, and I should accept it in three days? I can’t accept it! I won’t!”

“That’s why I’m asking you to learn to accept it,” Zhuo Zhi patted her master’s arm, “You’ll gradually come to terms with it, just like I did.”

“What did you come to terms with?” The Master said, “Were you forced to be with her?!”

“I accepted the fact that I like Li Qinyue,” Zhuo Zhi said, blushing, “I never thought I would have a girlfriend like her. She’s so amazing, I never thought she would like me.”

“Aren’t you amazing too?!” The Master was angry, “She’s just prettier and richer than you! What makes you think you’re not good enough for her?! If she dares to look down on you…”

“No, no, no, what are you talking about, Master? She’s never looked down on me. You’re the one looking down on her, preventing her from even entering her own home,” Zhuo Zhi pouted, “Think about how pitiful she is, all the staff at the bar are home celebrating with their families, and she didn’t even tell me, just wandering around the mall by herself…”

The Master fell silent.

Zhuo Zhi pressed her advantage, “And she’s broke now. She’s even willing to cut ties with her family to be with me.”

The Master: “Are you going to cut ties with me?”

Zhuo Zhi shook her head vehemently, “There’s no need, Master. You’re different from those parents, you’re always open to new things, you have a young and open mind. Remember last year, when you went to that anime convention? You even made the local news, everyone was envious that I had such a cool parent.”

“Flatterer,” the Master said.

Zhuo Zhi leaned closer, “Then can I go out now, Master?”

“You’re still young,” The Master took off her apron, “I’m not letting you go out alone.”

“But Master, it’s broad daylight,” Zhuo Zhi said.

“That cabbage spirit can kiss you in public! And you’re telling me I can’t even go out with you?!” The Master slapped the cabinet beside her, making it rattle. “What?! You’re ashamed of me? Am I too ugly and old for you?”

“No, no, Master, you’re the most beautiful!” Zhuo Zhi opened the door. “Let’s go, let’s go together!”

“Who’s more beautiful, that cabbage spirit or me?” The Master pointed at her own face.

Zhuo Zhi: “She just dresses better than you.”

“You think I don’t dress well?!”

“You’d look beautiful even in a sack,” Zhuo Zhi said.

As they rode the taxi to the mall, Zhuo Zhi felt nervous.

She knew her master’s personality. Although she was usually hot-tempered, she respected Zhuo Zhi’s decisions.

In this way, she was actually quite similar to Li Qinyue, both tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Zhuo Zhi realized that this might be the reason why she hadn’t been intimidated by Li Qinyue at the beginning.

She was experienced in dealing with this type of person. As long as she acted cute and spoke from the heart, there wouldn’t be any problems.

But now that these two fiery individuals, with their different roles but similar personalities, were together, Zhuo Zhi didn’t know what to expect.

She had been startled when her master had suddenly appeared that night, afraid that she would attack Li Qinyue on the spot. If that happened, even if she fought with all her might, Zhuo Zhi might not be able to protect Li Qinyue.

So, she had changed the subject, spoken softly, and led her master away without mentioning Li Qinyue.

She had thought that she would calm her master down first, then deal with the situation slowly.

Over the past few days, she had subtly mentioned Li Qinyue’s good qualities and recounted their experiences. Her master’s reaction had exceeded her expectations.

To be precise, she had never seen her master like this before.

A person who had never expressed her emotions openly was now constantly comparing herself to Li Qinyue.

Even comparing their beauty? Was that even comparable?

Zhuo Zhi glanced at her master. In all these years, she had never thought about how her master looked.

Her master herself didn’t care about appearances. She always dressed casually and scoffed at the beauty regimen of the nuns next door.

And now she was asking who was more beautiful, her or the “cabbage spirit”…

It was baffling, unsettling, and nerve-wracking.

Sensing her gaze, the Master turned to her, “What are you looking at?”

“Looking at you, Master,” Zhuo Zhi’s mind raced, “I haven’t had a good look at you for a long time since I came down the mountain.”

“Do you even have me in your eyes anymore?” The Master glared at her, “All I see in your eyes are two cabbages.”

“No,” Zhuo Zhi chuckled, “Her name is Li Qinyue.”

“Don’t I know her name?!” The Master yelled, slapping Zhuo Zhi’s leg. “I even changed her diapers when she was a baby, did you?!”

Zhuo Zhi closed her mouth. She couldn’t answer that question.

She would need a time machine to go back and meet a baby Li Qinyue.

She was surprised to learn that her master and the Li family had such a deep connection.

The taxi drove on silently. Zhuo Zhi thought she had found an alternative way to soften her master’s heart.

She asked, “Did Li Qinyue look the same as a child, Master?”

The Master answered immediately, “No, she was quite ugly as a child.”

“Girls change a lot as they grow up,” Zhuo Zhi said with a smile, “But you watched her grow up, Master.”

“I saw her a few times,” the Master said.

“Li Qinyue, she…” Zhuo Zhi paused, her heart pounding, “She hasn’t had a good relationship with her family. I think it’s because of a lack of communication. But her family is mostly male, her father, grandfather, and brother. It’s not easy for girls to express their feelings…”

“Hmm,” The Master looked out the window, humming in agreement.

“She’s envious that I have you, Master,” Zhuo Zhi looked at her master’s profile, “After moving to the apartment at White Birch Lane, there were many times when she would stare at the furniture, lost in thought. She didn’t say anything, but I knew she was missing her mother.”