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Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Who doesn’t want to climb high branches?
Si Chen’s brows furrowed slightly, and he reminded her, lips pressed thin, "Your arm isn’t fully healed yet."
Tong Yao moved her injured arm slightly to show him, "It’s already scabbing over, there won’t be any major issues by next week. It’s pretty boring to stay at home all day, plus the possible gossiping. If I find a job, it won’t be boring."
Seeing her stubborn resolve, Si Chen didn’t continue to object, he casually asked, "What kind of job?"
"Serving food in the school canteen." Tong Yao pulled out her pre-prepared explanation. It’s more or less the same as her selling milk tea to students, either way, she would be working at a school.
Si Chen looked surprised, "Why don’t you find an easier job?"
Though Tong Yao being a university student isn’t anything special in Kyoto, in a place like Li City, having one student brings glory to the entire village, a very prestigious thing. It would be easy for her to find a good job. As Tong Yao was born privileged and grew up pampered by Tong Yaohui, her first job after college being in a canteen was indeed beyond Si Chen’s expectations.
It’s not that he looked down on this kind of work, but anyone who knew Tong Yao would find it unbelievable.
"Are you feeling embarrassed about me serving food in the canteen?" Tong Yao looked at Si Chen with wide blinking eyes, thinking that if he ever admitted it, she would start saving up her earned money and not give Si Chen a single cent, let’s see if he still dares to belittle her then.
There is no distinction between noble and lowly jobs. As long as it’s not illegal or unethical, all labor deserves respect.
"No." Si Chen answered seriously, "If you chose this job because you are unfamiliar with Li City, I can make time to help you find another one."
"No need." Tong Yao vehemently shook her head, "I quite like this job. The school is great! It’s filled with excellent students who are sunny, confident, and energetic. It’s much better than sitting in an office getting lectured by a bunch of elders."
Knowing she was joking, Si Chen didn’t take it seriously, he only said, "If you find the job uncomfortable, you can resign and find another one. Don’t force yourself."
Actually, what Tong Yao said was not only a joke but also her real thoughts. She truly liked being around vibrant young people. It made her feel energetic.
She cheerfully said while biting her chopsticks: "There’s no way I would mistreat myself."
"That’s good." Si Chen nodded.
After spending a few days together, Si Chen came to understand Tong Yao’s temperament a little bit better. Once she had made up her mind, there was a high chance that she would not change. If he insisted on opposing her, they could end up arguing and Tong Yao might even threaten to go back to her parent’s house. So he figured he’d let her be. If she didn’t feel comfortable doing the job, she wouldn’t force herself to continue.
As before, Tong Yao finished her meal first and Si Chen was responsible for eating the remaining dishes and tidying up the kitchen. When he returned to the room, he found Tong Yao sitting on the bed reading a book. Seeing her peaceful demeanor was like watching a beautiful painting, a sight that involuntarily deepened the color of Si Chen’s gaze.
He walked into the room and gently closed the door behind him. He walked over to the cabinet to pick up a change of clothes and casually asked, "Why haven’t you taken a shower yet?"
Without lifting her head from her book, Tong Yao answered, "There are too many people taking showers at this time. I am not used to it. I will go when there are fewer people."
The idea of everyone showering in one shower room was too strange for her. She couldn’t get used to it, nor did she want to. As far as she knew, Si Chen would likely be recruited by the Kyoto hospital and wouldn’t be in Li City for more than two years.
By that time, whether they were divorced or not, she had to go to Kyoto. Subsequently, she could save up money to buy several more houses in Kyoto. After twenty or thirty years, she would become the envied landlord of Beijing.
Sigh! It was all because of Tong Yaohui’s stubborn temper. If he hadn’t insisted on her marrying Si Chen and otherwise let her marry a local man from Kyoto, she wouldn’t have had to struggle so much, and her small life would still be affluent.
"The books on the table are medical books I brought back from the hospital. Let me know after you finish them, and I can find a few more for you to read."
Si Chen didn’t know what was going on in Tong Yao’s mind. He understood her discomfort with the public bath, so he picked up his spare clothes and basin and went to bathe first.
"..."
By the time Tong Yao lifted her head, Si Chen had already left the room. She pursed her lips, one book alone was enough for her to read for a month. And if a few more were brought back, she wouldn’t be able to finish them all by next year!
Moreover, when she started selling milk tea, there wouldn’t be much time left for reading. However, Si Chen was a man of his word. He mentioned fetching them yesterday, and she thought he was just saying it, she hadn’t expected him to bring them back today.
A buzzing of mosquitoes reached her ears, distracting her with their annoyances. With a casual wave of a medical book in the air, she scared the mosquitoes, causing them to flit about.
[Oh my! I was almost hit, thank goodness for my quick reaction]
[Don’t worry! This woman won’t be here for long. I heard a man named Liu Haisheng discussing a divorce with her husband and marrying the Dean’s daughter]
[Humans are so complicated, marrying, and divorcing, why bother with such troublesome affairs?]
Two mosquitoes buzzed around the room, which usually would’ve simply annoyed Tong Yao, but upon suddenly hearing gossip about herself, her temper flared like a volcanic eruption. Waving the medical book around wildly again, she managed to scare the mosquitoes into flying chaotically.
Tong Yao was fuming. She nearly couldn’t resist rushing into the bathroom to drag Si Chen out and question him. So, it turned Liu Haisheng was here to convince the couple to divorce and play matchmaker all along, no wonder Si Chen was not fully open about his intentions before.
Shameless the two of them for even being doctors. She was furious.
Tong Yao paced back and forth through the rooms several times, her waist clenched with frustration, however, she had an epiphany, why should she be angry?
If both of them don’t have romantic feelings and don’t like each other, then so be it! If they want to divorce, they can go ahead!
It’s definitely better than developing feelings after two or three years and having children, then encountering such problems, right?
Sigh! Fortunately, she had known of this news in advance, otherwise, if she stays with Si Chen, an outstanding man, for a long time, it’s hard to avoid feelings from growing.
Thinking about it this way, Tong Yao felt clear. But, thinking that Si Chen is a social climber, she felt uncomfortable again. Thinking of Si Chen’s face, it no longer appeared handsome to her, instead making her feel like he needed a good punch. The people in her past life had praised Si Chen so much, it turns out it was all a packaged online persona. She was so unlucky to have run into this kind of person in this lifetime.
Initially, she had thought that Si Chen was treating her well, but it turns out it was all for show. His purpose was to taint her good name so when they divorced, he wouldn’t be seen as the jerk.
Realizing the reason behind it all, Tong Yao was no longer able to concentrate on her book. She sat on the bed in irritation, pondering whether she should give Si Chen a taste of his own medicine. However, after some thought, she decided against it. After all, his father died because he tried to save her own father, plus he hadn’t touched her. All in all, he was not too bad, it was just human nature.
After all, who wouldn’t want to climb the social ladder?
