After Being Scummed – Chapter 35

She’s the Boss’s Little Fox!

The opera they were going to see this time, 《The Marriage of Figaro》 , was being performed at the Royal Opera House. Yin Bai had arranged for seats and flights long in advance, just waiting to take Zuo Jingyou out for some fun.

Usually, she would depart two days before the performance. This time, to accommodate Zuo Jingyou and worrying about her jet lag, Yin Bai moved it up by three days, having Zuo Jingyou travel with her to the airport.

            

On the appointed day, Yin Bai had Zhang Yu pack her luggage early and send her to the airport. She started waiting for Zuo Jingyou in the VIP lounge a full two hours ahead of schedule.

The flight was scheduled to take off around two in the afternoon, but Yin Bai had been waiting since eleven in the morning. She waited and waited, frequently checking her watch, anxiously tapping her cane—tok, tok, tok—in the lounge.

She wondered why Zuo Jingyou hadn’t arrived yet. Not wanting to contact her too frequently, she started to let her imagination run wild. It’s already this late, and she still isn’t here. Had her good friend run into traffic, or had something happened on the way? Or perhaps, Zuo Jingyou had something urgent come up and was going to stand her up​¹?

            

Ever since the day they’d agreed on this, she had been waiting and looking forward to it every single day, just hoping Zuo Jingyou could go out and have fun with her. If Zuo Jingyou abandoned her today, she would definitely be devastated!

The more she thought this way, the faster her cane tapped, giving Zhang Yu, who was playing on her phone opposite her, a headache. Zhang Yu sighed, tore her gaze from her phone screen, and suggested with utmost sincerity, “BOSS, why don’t I give Assistant Yang another call?”

Yin Bai glanced at her and snorted coldly. “Call for what? Didn’t she say half an hour ago that they were almost here? Maybe she’ll arrive any second now.”

            

Zhang Yu said helplessly, “I’m just saying this because I see you’re anxious.”

“Nonsense!” Yin Bai would die before admitting it. “I’m not anxious at all! If she wants to be late, then let her be late!”

Zhang Yu grumbled inwardly, It’s not that she’s late, it’s that you arrived way too early! Besides, if you’re not anxious, why are you so agitated that you keep tapping your cane? Your cane is about to break, okay!

            

Zhang Yu softened her tone and said gently to Yin Bai, “Boss, I’m a little worried. Let’s just call Assistant Yang. Logically, half an hour has passed, so they should have arrived. If they were delayed on the road, we can deal with it promptly, right?”

Yin Bai thought that made a lot of sense. She hummed and hawed for a while before reluctantly saying, “Then go ahead and call.”

“Alrighty!”

            

Zhang Yu pressed the call button and dialed Assistant Yang Yi. Once connected, Zhang Yu quickly asked where they were. Yin Bai, sitting beside her, immediately perked up her ears to listen. Catching this curious look out of the corner of her eye, Zhang Yu quickly put the call on speaker.

Soon, Assistant Yang’s voice filled the entire lounge: “We just got out of the car and are heading to the lounge now. Sorry to keep you waiting a little longer.”

Hearing this, Yin Bai breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, thank goodness, nothing happened, and she didn’t stand me up!

            

Seeing that she had finally relaxed, Zhang Yu said to the person on the phone, “Then you and Teacher Zuo be careful. Take your time, don’t rush. The BOSS and I will wait for you in the lounge.”

Yang Yi said, “See you soon.”

Zhang Yu then hung up the phone.

            

She looked up at Yin Bai, who had finally stopped tapping her cane, and said with some exasperation, “BOSS, you can finally rest assured now, right!”

Yin Bai caressed her cane and hmphed softly. “They are both adults. What’s there for me to worry about?”

Then why were you rushing me just now!

            

Zhang Yu tutted lightly. “You were clearly very worried…”

Yin Bai rolled her eyes at her, too lazy to bother. Seeing this, Zhang Yu sighed and, as if struck by a profound thought, said with great emotion, “BOSS, you’ve changed a lot these past few years.”

Yin Bai tilted her head, looking at Zhang Yu with some confusion. “Why do you say that? Have I changed in any way?” Yin Bai felt that ever since the later years of her acquaintance with Xiao Nian, she had always been like this.

            

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said to her, “It’s just a feeling. Before, BOSS was also cheerful in front of us, but not like how you are with Teacher Zuo.”

“In front of Teacher Xiao, you always put on airs, saying one thing but meaning another. To outsiders, you always had a stern face, almost like an ice sculpture…”

Zhang Yu ticked off Yin Bai’s bad habits one by one on her fingers. The moment Yin Bai heard this, she immediately raised her cane, feigning to strike her. “Hey! You’re right here in front of me, can’t you say something nice for a change? Believe it or not, I’ll whack you!”

            

Yin Bai waved her cane in the air a couple of times. Zhang Yu immediately dodged to the side, saying with a grin, “I’m just kidding! BOSS, calm down, calm down!”

Yin Bai hmphed, lowered her cane, and propped it in front of her. After a moment’s thought, she said somewhat reluctantly, “What else? Continue.”

Having received the imperial decree, Zhang Yu started chattering again, “Anyway, the previous BOSS felt like she had a huge idol burden​², like she was made of lapis lazuli or glass​³, needing to be carefully protected, easily shattered.”

            

“But perhaps it was after breaking up with Teacher Xiao… To be precise, the blow Teacher Xiao dealt you was too great. It directly shattered that outer layer of your idol-like glass shell, revealing the soft cotton stuffing inside…”

Zhang Yu mimed the action of threading a needle, making a vivid analogy: “And the two children from next door, along with Teacher Zuo, used their kindness, thoughtfulness, and love to weave a piece of fabric, wrap up your cotton stuffing, and sew it all together into an adorable rag doll.”

After finishing, Zhang Yu clapped her hands together and said very seriously, “The current BOSS is no longer an ice sculpture. She’s an adorable rag doll, the kind everyone loves.”

            

Yin Bai hissed lightly, raising a hand to rub her arm. “Why do I feel like you’re being exceptionally mushy today? Do you think flattering me​⁴ will get you a raise?”

Zhang Yu winked at her and said with a smile, “BOSS, how could you think of me that way? I genuinely think you’re adorable! It’s not about the salary at all!”

“Besides, according to our group’s regulations, I’m due for a raise this year anyway.”

            

Yin Bai looked at her and sneered, “Heh! So it really is about the salary! Superficial!”

Zhang Yu sighed. “You’re a capitalist; you don’t understand the pain of us working stiffs. Salary is certainly important. But setting aside the employer-employee relationship, as just a very ordinary friend of yours, I’m very happy to see you like this.”

“Last night, when you asked me to pack your luggage, you were as excited as an elementary school student about to go on an autumn outing with friends.”

            

Yin Bai felt a little uncomfortable, tapped her cane, and mumbled, “Was I that obvious?”

Zhang Yu sighed. “It couldn’t have been more obvious! Although I haven’t been by your side for too long, it’s still been several years. Apart from Teacher Xiao, I’ve never seen you act like this with anyone else. So, Teacher Zuo is a very special friend to you.”

“I think it’s really great for you, BOSS, to have a friend.”

            

“If Teacher Xiao Nian was your little rose, then Teacher Zuo must be the little fox who brought you friendship.”

“Seriously, BOSS, you’re so wonderful. We’re all very happy that you have someone who genuinely cares about you.”

Little fox?

            

Yin Bai felt increasingly uncomfortable listening to this. She raised her hand to stop Zhang Yu’s mushy speech. “Stop, stop, stop… Have you been reading Shakespeare lately? I’m getting goosebumps all over!”

“Alright, I won’t say anymore.”

After speaking, Zhang Yu made a zipping motion across her lips and didn’t utter another word.

            

Yin Bai glanced at her, wanting to say something, then stopping, then wanting to speak again. After a good while, she tapped her cane and said to Zhang Yu, “I know what you mean. You’re saying my condition has improved, and you’re happy. I also know you care a lot about me, so thank you too.”

“Teacher Zuo is a very good person. I will cherish her.”

Zhang Yu nodded with great satisfaction. “I believe Teacher Zuo will also understand your feelings, BOSS. Friendship requires tacit understanding. You don’t need to be so deeply worried​⁵ or so impatient. You have to trust Teacher Zuo; if she said she’ll come, she definitely will.”

            

Yin Bai was a bit choked up by her words and lowered her head, muttering, “It’s not that I’m worried she’ll stand me up, I’m just afraid she… might have an accident.”

This was, after all, her first time traveling alone with such an important friend, and she was full of anticipation. Who wouldn’t feel apprehensive on their first trip with someone important to them?

Zhang Yu saw through her thoughts, smiled, and said no more. “Alright, just wait a little longer, Teacher Zuo will be here soon.”

            

Sure enough, after a short while, footsteps sounded outside the lounge. Hearing them, Yin Bai quickly turned her head towards the door and exclaimed in pleasant surprise, “Teacher Zuo!”

Just then, Zuo Jingyou’s figure entered her line of sight. When their eyes met, Zuo Jingyou smiled at her and said in a hoarse voice, “Sorry, I’m five minutes late.”

Her voice sounded hoarse and weary. Yin Bai froze for a moment. She stood up, leaning on her cane, and watched Zuo Jingyou approach her in high heels, her steps a little unsteady. Frowning, she asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”

            

Zuo Jingyou’s current state was very off, as if she had drunk fake alcohol; she looked dazed and muddled.

Even with makeup concealing it, Yin Bai could still see a trace of fatigue on Zuo Jingyou’s face. Zuo Jingyou shook her head, walked to Yin Bai’s side, and explained, “I have a bit of a cold, but it’s nothing serious. I’ve already been to the hospital, got some medicine. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”

Yin Bai was suspicious. She leaned closer to Zuo Jingyou, scrutinizing her carefully. “Your eyes are all red and a bit dark. Are you really okay?”

            

Yin Bai reached out, placing her palm on Zuo Jingyou’s forehead to check her temperature. Her brow furrowed deeply. “Your forehead is so hot. You have a fever.”

Zuo Jingyou took a step back, her gaze evasive as she looked down. “No, really, it’s just a cold. Okay, aren’t we supposed to board soon? Let’s get going.”

Zuo Jingyou sidestepped the issue, reached out to grab Yin Bai’s wrist, and said with a smile, “I can just rest on the plane. Let’s hurry up and go, don’t delay.”

            

Seeing how hoarse her voice was, Yin Bai grabbed her hand back and said very seriously, “No way. In your condition, flying for so long on a plane, and then having to deal with jet lag, your illness will definitely get worse when we arrive.”

“Zhang Yu, cancel the flights. We’re not going this time.”

As Yin Bai spoke, she grabbed Zuo Jingyou and started walking out, her voice firm as she leaned on her cane. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the hospital. Your health is more important.”

            

Zuo Jingyou’s head was spinning. She looked down at Yin Bai’s hand gripping her wrist and blinked, uncomprehending. “We’re not going anymore?”

Yin Bai nodded, her voice firm. “We’re not going.” Her friend’s health was more important!

Zuo Jingyou might have been muddled from the fever. She stumbled slightly as she followed Yin Bai, asking dazedly, “But didn’t you say you’d only forgive me if I went to see the opera with you? If we don’t go this time, does that mean you won’t forgive me?”

            

Hearing this, Yin Bai turned to look at Zuo Jingyou, utterly surprised.

Zuo Jingyou met her gaze, blinked, and smiled, her eyes soft. “Let’s still go see the opera.”

Seeing her in this state, Yin Bai turned to Yang Yi, asking in shock, “Is your boss delirious from the fever?”

            

Yang Yi nodded. “When she gets sick, she’s always like this, completely dazed and confused.”

After saying that, Yang Yi added with a bit of embellishment, “She had gastroenteritis last night and was on an IV drip at the hospital. She felt a bit better this morning and insisted on catching the flight to come find you.”

“I couldn’t persuade her, so I had no choice but to come along.”

            

It wasn’t just that she couldn’t be persuaded; when Zuo Jingyou got sick, her combat effectiveness was comparable to that of a little terror​⁶, incredibly willful. At the hospital, Yang Yi had tried to convince her to explain things to Yin Bai and cancel the trip.

But Zuo Jingyou, still on the IV drip, lay in bed whining that she couldn’t, that she had to go find Yin Bai. Because she had promised her friend, she absolutely had to go.

Yang Yi thought, Sis, are you an elementary school student? Your whole personality changes when you get sick! But that was just how it was. A shrewd person like Zuo Jingyou, once captured by illness, once taken hostage by pain, would become as childish as a little kid, no different at all.

            

Yang Yi had no other choice. In the end, she helped her change clothes, put on makeup, and brought her over.

Hearing all this, Yin Bai’s eyes widened in shock. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Yang Yi shrugged. “Our boss is stubborn. We couldn’t stop her, and we couldn’t go against her wishes. Besides, she’s a woman of her word. If she made an agreement with you, she would definitely come.”

            

So she’d come even if she was sick?

Yin Bai was speechless. She grabbed Zuo Jingyou, pulled her towards the exit, and said through gritted teeth, leaning on her cane, “Zhang Yu, quickly find the nearest hospital! Get her to the hospital!”

“YES, BOSS.”

            

And so, the group marched towards the hospital with great fanfare.

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LP: Re-translated on June 02, 2025

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