Chapter 9

4:20 p.m.

Tang Yiling left the company early with Li Lan.

5:50 p.m.

Tang Yiling stepped out of the supermarket alone, carrying two plastic bags.

It was a little hot today.

She set the bags down and rolled both sleeves up to her elbows.

Tang Yiling pursed her lips.

It was all Li Lan’s fault!

Why didn’t Li Lan know people were supposed to keep a tote bag in the car for everyday errands?

Now she’d had to pay extra for plastic bags. Even if it was only a few cents, it was still money wasted.

Wasteful, and not eco-friendly either!

And maybe it was because she hadn’t gone grocery shopping in too long.

Tang Yiling was shocked that all these ingredients cost more than two hundred yuan.

Li Lan kept her word.

At checkout, she stood off to the side with complete peace of mind, waiting for Tang Yiling to scan and pay.

A ruthless capitalist.

Even their meal expenses had to be split so clearly!

The supermarket was right by the neighborhood entrance, so it wasn’t far.

But the things in her hands somehow felt heavier and heavier; Tang Yiling had no choice but to stop and rest for a moment in the shade of a tree.

Originally, she and Li Lan were supposed to each carry half.

But as they were leaving the supermarket, Li Lan suddenly took a call.

Tang Yiling accidentally caught a glimpse of the contact.

The screen showed a string of numbers; there wasn’t even a saved name.

When Li Lan was expressionless, she already looked serious and cold.

After answering that call, her face grew even darker.

She said, “I’ll be there right away,” then turned and left.

As if she’d suddenly remembered someone was still beside her, Li Lan stopped and looked at Tang Yiling. “Sorry. Can you go home and start cooking first?”

Tang Yiling was very understanding.

“It’s fine. Go take care of your business first.”

Li Lan gradually disappeared from sight.

Only then did Tang Yiling suddenly realize that when Li Lan had mentioned “cooking” at the company, she’d really meant cooking.

The house was empty and spotless.

Since she was going to stay here tonight anyway, Tang Yiling simply changed into the home clothes Li Lan had prepared for her.

It was a soft pink nightdress with a bit of lace trim.

The fabric was comfortable, and the hem fell below her knees.

Tang Yiling quite liked this work uniform.

It even gave her more energy for cooking.

She took the ingredients out of the bags and sorted them into groups.

Braised prawns in oil, cumin beef, a stir-fried green vegetable, and a cold dish; it would be a very tasty dinner.

Cooking alone in the kitchen was a little boring.

Tang Yiling opened her phone, found a few videos about renovations and home styling, and played them in the background while she learned a little.

7:40 p.m.

The dishes were brought to the table one after another.

Tang Yiling sat by the table for a while.

Then she took out her phone and called Li Lan.

But Li Lan didn’t pick up.

Since she had nothing else to do, she went to the living room, quickly organized Zheng Lexin’s requirements, and sent them to a colleague in the design department.

8:30 p.m.

Tang Yiling called Li Lan again; still no answer.

The living room lights weren’t on, and with only the dining room light spilling over, the space looked dim.

Tang Yiling leaned back on the sofa and tilted her head up, working the stiffness out of her neck.

She was a little hungry.

She regretted not buying any snacks at the supermarket.

Li Lan was really something.

They’d clearly agreed to eat together, so why did it feel like she’d forgotten all about her?

The place was much bigger than her rental room.

Outside the window, the city lights glittered; the view was lovely too.

But maybe because she hadn’t been quite so busy lately, she’d had more time to think.

Tang Yiling suddenly felt a long-lost sense of loneliness.

She kind of wanted to go back to the dorm.

At least with her roommates, it was crowded and lively.

At a quarter past nine, the door finally clicked open.

Li Lan came in; Tang Yiling didn’t know where she’d been, but there was actually mud on her trouser leg.

“You’re back.”

Tang Yiling’s expression cooled slightly as she stood up. “I’ll go heat up the food.”

“No need—”

Before Li Lan could finish, she saw the table full of untouched dishes. “You haven’t eaten yet?”

Tang Yiling shook her head. “I was waiting for you.”

A little aggrieved, she added, “I called you, but you didn’t answer. Otherwise, I could’ve reheated it earlier.”

Li Lan, who had been about to go into the bedroom, stopped.

She looked at Tang Yiling. “Sorry.”

Tang Yiling didn’t catch it clearly. “Huh?”

“Sorry. I didn’t know you were waiting for me.” Li Lan cleared her throat. “I was too busy just now and didn’t notice my phone.”

“It’s, it’s fine.”

Seeing the seriousness in the other woman’s expression, Tang Yiling hadn’t expected Li Lan to apologize to her.

She slipped back into the kitchen.

To soften Li Lan’s guilt, she spoke gently.

“You’re the boss, and I’m the employee.”

“That’s what I should be doing. You paid me.”

Li Lan stood in the living room, watching Tang Yiling bustle around.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether Tang Yiling was being polite to her or subtly mocking her.

The food was reheated quickly.

Li Lan really hadn’t eaten dinner yet either.

She changed into her pajamas and sat down at the dining table.

Tang Yiling placed the bowl and chopsticks in front of her.

Mm.

Just moments ago she’d felt lonely; now that someone was sitting across from her, she actually felt a little awkward.

Tang Yiling ate a couple of bites, then took out her phone and set it on the table.

She secretly opened a video about soft furnishings and materials and continued learning in silence.

She was watching so intently that she didn’t notice Li Lan glancing at her many times.

As if she’d finally had enough, Li Lan reached out and pressed Tang Yiling’s phone face-down on the table.

“Turn off the video.”

“Home is home. When you eat, focus on eating; don’t think about work.”

Tang Yiling said “oh” and obediently did as she was told.

No boss disliked hardworking employees; if Li Lan was like this, then most likely she just felt Tang Yiling wasn’t providing enough emotional value.

Tang Yiling picked up a piece of beef and put it into Li Lan’s bowl. “Sis, you’ve worked hard. Eat more and make up for it.”

“You’re so young and you’ve already achieved this much. You’re just too outstanding!”

“You have to take care of yourself even when you’re busy. What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you tomorrow.”

Tang Yiling tried even harder to act submissive. “Want some shrimp? I’ll peel them for you.”

Li Lan seemed immune to it all; she only lifted her eyes calmly at those words.

Until she saw Tang Yiling put the shrimp she’d peeled for herself into her own mouth.

“Oh dear, my hand slipped.”

Tang Yiling paused. “I’ll peel more for you.”

“No need.”

Li Lan picked up the fruit juice beside her hand. “By the way, tomorrow come with me to a home-furnishings store; we’ll take a look at the soft furnishings for Zheng Lexin.”

“Okay!” Tang Yiling agreed enthusiastically. That was definitely better than the two of them staying home.

She also reported her progress: “I just sent the records to a colleague in the design department.”

Li Lan seemed a little surprised, and Tang Yiling thought she was about to be praised.

Instead, she heard, “Don’t work after you clock out in the future. Besides, it’s already so late.”

Late?

In her previous world, even after midnight, her phone would still be pinging nonstop.

Just as she was about to explain, Li Lan’s phone rang again.

This time, the screen didn’t show a string of numbers; it showed two words.

Gu Feng.

The male lead of this novel, Gu Feng.

Li Lan glanced at the phone screen and slowly wiped her hands.

Because she still hadn’t finished eating, she turned on speakerphone and tossed the phone onto the dining table.

Tang Yiling lowered her head, but her ears were alert.

She was very curious what Li Lan was like when she interacted with Gu Feng.

A bright male voice came from the phone. “Sister Lan, what are you doing?”

“Still busy? Are you free now?”

Tang Yiling almost rolled her eyes on the spot.

If you already know she might be busy, why are you calling?

Li Lan didn’t answer directly. She only asked, “What is it?”

After a pause, Gu Feng said, “I went home today. Auntie asked me to bring something over for you.”

Tang Yiling looked up.

So that was the advantage of childhood sweethearts; both families knew each other, and they were close.

But Li Lan’s expression didn’t change much. “All right, thank you.”

With that, she seemed ready to hang up.

Gu Feng must have sensed it, because he hurriedly said, “I’m going back tomorrow. Should I bring it straight to you?”

“Fine.” After Li Lan said that, her movements were crisp and efficient.

Tang Yiling stared in shock at the exchange.

She had always thought she simply wasn’t familiar with Li Lan; it turned out Li Lan treated everyone like this.

Compared with that, she was even a little warmer toward Tang Yiling.

Tang Yiling really wanted to know how those two had become friends.

Could it be that the plot had forcibly paired them up?

She held a chopstickful of greens for a long time without bringing it to her mouth.

Li Lan glanced over. “What are you spacing out for?”

Tang Yiling shook her head and steadily finished the late dinner.

After the meal, Li Lan took the initiative to carry the bowls and plates into the kitchen.

When she saw Tang Yiling wiping the table, she reached out and turned on the tap.

Hearing the water running, Tang Yiling hurried over and almost bumped into her.

“Sis, you don’t need to; this is my job.”

Li Lan pulled on gloves and turned her head to look at her.

“No need to separate things so clearly.”

That said, Li Lan’s phone rang again.

Tang Yiling took the gloves and motioned for her to take the call first.

Li Lan went back to the bedroom.

Tang Yiling finished clearing the table, then went to clean the kitchen.

Her phone rang too.

It was a video call from Zheng Lexin.

The two had exchanged contact information in the afternoon.

When Tang Yiling sent the requirements to her colleague in the design department, she also sent a copy to Zheng Lexin and asked whether she had anything else to add.

It was already ten o’clock at night.

One of them was busy in the kitchen; the other was walking on the street.

Tang Yiling felt she should explain. “I’m doing a part-time job, housekeeping services.”

Zheng Lexin said she understood. “Didn’t I ask for leave this afternoon? I’m going back to the company to work overtime.”

They were both miserable office drones.

If they were standing face-to-face, they’d definitely be able to comfort each other with a hug.

Zheng Lexin didn’t have much that needed adjusting; she just noticed that Tang Yiling had marked some optional items.

She was thinking of just choosing them directly, so they wouldn’t need to be changed later.

Tang Yiling recorded everything one by one.

Watching Zheng Lexin return to her rental room, she couldn’t help sympathizing. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“I’m going to boil some instant noodles.”

The rental room on the screen was rather simple and old; it really did need renovating.

Life and work were already hard enough; there should be something that could make a person happy.

Tang Yiling suddenly thought of her former self.

“Lexin, don’t set such high standards for yourself at work.”

“You need to balance work and rest; take it a little easier.”

Zheng Lexin laughed. “Why do you sound more like the older sister?”

“You’re clearly still just a student; don’t wear yourself out. There’ll be plenty of chances to work after graduation!”

Tang Yiling smiled and said, “Okay.”

Zheng Lexin didn’t know her current situation; if she could rest, who would want to work?

The call ended.

Tang Yiling took a few kinds of fruit out of the fridge, washed them, and cut them into a platter.

She felt she really was the chosen one of the working class.

She just didn’t know whether, after seeing how hard she was working, her boss would be willing to give her a raise.

Carrying the fruit platter, Tang Yiling knocked on Li Lan’s door.

There was no response from inside; she guessed the call still hadn’t ended.

Anyway, it was just dropping off some fruit; that should be fine, right?

Tang Yiling paced back and forth at the door twice, then decided to go straight in.

A light push was enough to open the door.

She slipped inside quietly, but after looking around, she still didn’t see Li Lan anywhere.

Tang Yiling set the fruit on the table and looked around the room again in disbelief.

She’d clearly seen Li Lan come in; how could she just be gone?

Her heart began to pound more and more.

Her first thought was whether something was wrong with this world and they’d somehow lost the female lead.

Tang Yiling searched the room twice.

Finally, she found the hidden door on the wardrobe.

Standing there, she gathered herself.

She thought maybe Li Lan had awakened; maybe there was a connection to another world back there; she even considered that Li Lan might be doing some kind of unspeakable research.

Tang Yiling softened her movements and cautiously pushed the door open a crack.

She planned to sneak a quick look and then leave, reporting the situation so the Character Management Bureau could handle it.

Unfortunately, she had overthought everything.

It was just an ordinary bathroom.

Li Lan was soaking in the bathtub, her face faintly flushed.

Through the bath towel, the position of her hand and its movements could be vaguely seen.

Tang Yiling’s own face went red too.

“Sis, are you...”

Li Lan looked at her; almost instinctively, Tang Yiling chose to play dumb. “What are you doing?”