The landlady was indeed efficient. No sooner had he asked her than someone knocked on his door. Had the housekeeper been found so quickly?
Pei Jiale ran excitedly to open the door, only to be disappointed to find not the housekeeper he was expecting, but a seven or eight-year-old girl standing outside.
The girl was extraordinarily beautiful, wearing a white dress with green dots, cute like a doll.
”Brother,” she called sweetly, holding out a beautiful lunch box, “Catch this, it’s so heavy!”
”Little girl, who are you?” Pei Jiale hurriedly caught the lunch box, asking in surprise.
”I’m your new neighbor. My name is Xiao Tong,” she answered with a smile.
“Want to be a maid? Why?”
“Because she recently became obsessed with cleaning rooms, cooking, as if she can’t stop.”
“How could that be?”
“She says when she stops, she’ll remember sad things, so she keeps working. Now our floor is almost worn out from her scrubbing! There’s so much food we can’t finish, throwing away big pots every day… She says she’d better go out and work as a maid to spare our home from her.”
“I see,” Pei Jiale nodded knowingly, “but why is your sister so sad? What unfortunate thing happened to her?”
“She used to have a boyfriend, now she doesn’t, this is called… called…” The little girl scratched her head, unable to find the right word for a long time.
“Called ‘heartbreak’,” Pei Jiale answered for her.
“Oh, right, that’s the word. My sister said it many times, but I never remembered.” The little girl was delighted by her memory’s revival.
No wonder that bad woman’s face looked cold as ice – it was because of heartbreak, so she had no smile, right?
A woman who keeps doing housework to numb her pain from heartbreak, like a bird without feet that can only keep flying, unable to land… Such a woman made Pei Jiale’s usually cynical heart slightly tremble.
He had never truly been in love, but every time he saw someone hurt by love, he always felt immense sympathy, and even a bit of respect.
At this moment, whether because of the delicious pastry or his usual compassion, he suddenly felt that the “bad woman” wasn’t so bad after all.
“Brother, will you hire my sister as your maid?” the little girl tugged at his sleeve.
“Uh…”
Sympathy was one thing, facing the bad woman’s sour expression every day was another… He estimated that she, currently in heartbreak’s pain, wouldn’t have a smile for now.
He thought he probably wouldn’t deliberately cause himself trouble by hiring such a cold maid.
Green Qiao’s “The CEO’s Cola Lover”
Chapter 2
“Libeja, come back to work when you’re feeling better! That advertisement has been waiting for you, the client specifically wants you as the lead, and we have no choice.”
After two days without turning on her phone, as soon as she opened it, messages flooded in – all with the same content: the company urging her to return.
Libeja was the name she used when modeling. Back home, taking off her high heels, she became her mother’s obedient daughter again, named Qiu Yuting.
She never knew she was so famous until one day when walking on the street, fans recognized her, crowding around for autographs, almost causing a traffic jam. Only then did she discover that many people loved her.
All of this, eight years ago, she absolutely hadn’t anticipated.
But… her heart’s medicine could never be obtained, so what could she use to treat it? Was this strange illness destined to be terminal, impossible to ever recover from?
As a “laughing” model, how could she not smile?
She had always been a dedicated person who would not avoid work just because of her mood. Only when absolutely necessary did she hide in this suburban area, hoping that the fresh air and fragrant grass could heal her wounds. But the company kept calling her to come back every day, so what should she do?
At six in the afternoon, it was Xiao Tong’s piano lesson time. After sending her sister to school, she wandered around the nearby streets.
Since her mother remarried, she had been traveling with her dear husband for more than half the year. A few days ago, she said something about making up for their honeymoon and flew to Japan again. Her honeymoon was so strange, how could she keep making up for it? She clearly remembered that during their wedding, they had already spent a good while in Hawaii – didn’t that count?
It was a pity for the sisters, left unattended at home. As the older sister, she was burdened with maternal responsibilities, truly suffering.
A elegant coffee shop caught Qiu Yuting’s eye. Pushing open the door, she decided to sit quietly for a few minutes, flip through a magazine, and have a drink.
There weren’t many customers inside. In a quick glance, she unexpectedly saw a familiar figure sitting not far away.
Jia De!
She almost called out, but in the instant before shouting, she realized she had recognized the wrong person.
No, this wasn’t the person she had been thinking about day and night. This was just a similar silhouette.
Moreover, her Jia De had always been impeccably dressed in a suit, while the person before her was wearing only a casual sweatshirt.
This person was on a date with a glamorously dressed girl, chatting and laughing. When he slightly turned his face, Qiu Yuting was startled.
Wasn’t he… that annoying neighbor who always played music too loudly?
Heh, she missed Jia De so much that she had actually mistaken this annoying guy for him.
This guy could have been considered handsome, but unfortunately, his clothing was too casual. Those dirty jeans looked like they hadn’t been changed in days. He didn’t even sit properly, looking lazy and sloppy. Compared to the noble and upright Jia De, he seemed like he was from a completely different world.
What was most unbearable was how he would laugh loudly while looking around, with a completely irreverent attitude.
Look, he was laughing again, looking around, completely disregarding the focused expression of the girl dating him.
As Qiu Yuting observed him, their eyes accidentally met…
Is it her?
Pei Jiale was stunned, unexpectedly encountering this girl whose extraordinary culinary skills had once moved his heart.
Today, he had come out for a blind date following his mother’s instructions, not out of compromise, but to avoid her daily harassing phone calls.
As for blind dates, he had always treated them as ordinary social activities. With his wit, he could easily discourage the other party’s interest within a few sentences, part ways after half an hour, and never see each other again.
Now a wealthy man is like this, if I don’t have a mistress, people will say you’re stingy, say I’m useless.” Pei Jiale said calmly, “So, to prevent people from gossiping, I must keep seven or eight mistresses outside…”
“What?!” Miss He jumped up, momentarily furious, but having come from a good family, she was well-mannered. After taking two deep breaths, she rationally analyzed, “Brother Jiale, you… you’re not trying to scare me away because you don’t want to date me, are you?”
Hmm, this pure girl isn’t so stupid after all, able to guess his intentions.
However, in front of this cunning veteran, counterattacking is useless, because for every foot of virtue, there’s an extra foot of devilry.
“Don’t you believe what I just said?” Pei Jiale blinked.
“Brother Jiale, everyone says you’re a playboy, but I’ve always thought you’re a good person.” The young girl remained steadfast in her belief.
“Want proof?”
“Proof of what?”
“If I walk over and talk to that woman now, what reaction do you think she’ll have?”
“If what you said is true, she might angrily hit you.”
Pei Jiale summarized, “If she hits me, it means what I said was true, right?”
“Right.” Miss He nodded naively.
“Okay, just wait and see.”
