Troublesome – Chapter 17

Proper

Her boss is anything but.

After sending the private message, the steel-straight Lu Zhenqiu felt she should have explained things clearly. However, her boss had spent far too much tonight, so she decided to wait until the platform paid out her share and then refund a portion of it back to her.

Jin Shuilan was chuckling at the message that read, I’m straight, when Lu Zhenqiu sent another: 【Boss, can I add you on WeChat?】

The platform didn’t allow for sending red envelopes, so they had to use WeChat.

Seeing the word “WeChat,” Jin Shuilan pursed her lips. She switched to the app. She had three accounts: the one she was currently using, a side account from long ago, and another she hadn’t logged into for two years.

After a long moment, Jin Shuilan finally tapped on the account she hadn’t used. After she entered the verification code, the screen flashed. The avatar was both familiar and strange. It was the one she had spent two days choosing, before finally asking Lu Zhenqiu: 【Which one do you like?】

Lu Zhenqiu had replied: 【Are you indecisive or something?】

She wasn’t. She just wanted to pick one that Lu Zhenqiu would like, so that Lu Zhenqiu would be happy seeing the avatar when they chatted. As it turned out, relying on just a liked avatar was useless.

Jin Shuilan tapped into the account. The contact list was sparse, but she saw Lu Zhenqiu’s avatar at a glance. She clicked on it. The chat history from two years ago had already been cleared by the system, leaving the page completely blank, but she still remembered their final conversation.

Lu Zhenqiu had said she was in a relationship.

At that moment, she only remembered her mind going blank. She couldn’t recall what they talked about, only that when they got to the topic of why she fell for that person, Lu Zhenqiu had said it was probably because that person took care of her and was very thoughtful. Even before they got together, that person had prepared ginger tea for her when she had a cold. She also said their first real interaction was in the apartment, where that person had a thermos and ginger tea ready.

Jin Shuilan’s face had gone pale, her emotions suddenly turning agitated and anxious. In her haste, she made many typos. There was so much she wanted to say, but in the end, she saw Lu Zhenqiu type: 【That’s so wonderful. I like her too.】

With trembling hands, she deleted her own words, character by character, suppressing all those feelings along with the confession she had yet to make. A bitter and unclear emotion washed over her. In the end, she asked Lu Zhenqiu: 【If she hadn’t made you ginger tea in the apartment, would you still have liked her?】

Lu Zhenqiu replied without much hesitation: 【I think so.】

Two words shattered her only lingering fantasy. She remained silent for a long time before typing: 【That’s great. I wish you happiness.】

Lu Zhenqiu replied: 【Thanks.】

After that, they never contacted each other again, disappearing from each other’s worlds, becoming like online strangers who had never met. Ji Zibo had called her a f#cking idiot more than once. She’d never been a model student in school and hadn’t done many good deeds in her life, but now she was making a wedding dress for her love rival¹.

Yes, even she couldn’t help but call herself a f#cking idiot.

But no matter how much of an idiot she was, it couldn’t stand up against a single “I like it” from Lu Zhenqiu.

She had said she liked Tang Yingxia.

That sentence was the sharpest blade, the most painful weapon, tearing apart the only connection between them.

From then on, she turned down any collaboration that involved Tang Yingxia, simply because she didn’t want to hear news of Lu Zhenqiu from others. Even if it was just a possibility, she didn’t want it.

Jin Shuilan returned to her senses, saved the avatar, and logged out. She then logged into her side account, changed the avatar, and added the WeChat ID Lu Zhenqiu had provided. The friend request was sent.

Lu Zhenqiu was singing when she heard her phone vibrate. She took a moment to drink some water and picked it up. She was stunned for a moment when she saw the avatar, and only after confirming several times that it wasn’t the same account did she accept the request. She asked: 【Boss?】

Jin Shuilan: 【Mhm, it’s me.】

Lu Zhenqiu stared at her avatar and typed dazedly: 【Your avatar looks so familiar.】

The familiar avatar reminded her of an online friend from before she switched platforms two years ago. That person was also a boss, but she was different from this new one. She was more easygoing and very talkative in her stream chat. She had showered her with gifts for half a month and later became a room moderator². They had also exchanged contact information. That boss was a bit indecisive.

She was somewhat similar to her new landlord, Jin Shuilan.

Seeing that message, Jin Shuilan’s hands paused before she typed: 【What’s wrong with the avatar?】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【Nothing, an old friend of mine used this avatar too. It’s very cute.】

It was a chibi³ version of a character from an anime that had come out several years ago. The anime had recently become popular again, so many people were using this avatar. Lu Zhenqiu didn’t think much of it, but her words sent ripples through the lake of Jin Shuilan’s heart.

So, she still remembered.

Jin Shuilan’s mood improved considerably, and her expression was pleasant even as Zhao Siran walked in. Zhao Siran, however, was terrified by her look. Jin Shuilan was already in a bad mood over the four-point reduction, and now she couldn’t even contact her own boss. She had gone to her boss’s house to wait for her, but was told she was out for a meeting. She had suppressed her temper on the phone and asked, “Then what about Teacher Jin?”

Her boss had said, “She won’t agree to four points. Ask her if two points will work.”

What was this? A slap in the face followed by a piece of dubious candy?

Did they think Jin Shuilan was some debut author who could be fooled so easily?

She really didn’t dare to bring up the two-point reduction, especially after making Jin Shuilan wait all day. Zhao Siran gave a dry laugh. “Teacher Jin, have you rested well? How about I treat you to dinner tonight?”

Jin Shuilan glanced at her. “Still haven’t gotten in touch?”

Zhao Siran said, “She went to the neighboring province for a meeting.”

Jin Shuilan understood and nodded. “Then let’s talk about it next time.”

Zhao Siran looked at her with some guilt and said, “Let me treat you to dinner tonight. I can drive you back afterward?”

Jin Shuilan’s eyes swept around the room, then landed back on her. She smiled. “No need to trouble yourself.”

Zhao Siran froze. Jin Shuilan had already brushed past her and walked out. Zhao Siran wanted to chase after her, but she saw Jin Shuilan exit the magazine publisher’s main door and get into a car. The fading sunlight illuminated her profile, making her look cold and aloof. She vaguely remembered that the first time she met Jin Shuilan was also at the company entrance. Jin Shuilan was sitting in her car; they had just finished discussing their first collaboration. She had said to Jin Shuilan, “Teacher Jin, rest assured, I will be responsible for all matters regarding your publications from now on.”

Jin Shuilan had turned to her with a smile and said, “I’ll be troubling you then.”

From that one “troubling you,” they had collaborated for several years. And now, Jin Shuilan was saying, “No need to trouble yourself.” From those words, Zhao Siran somehow heard an underlying meaning of there’s no need to trouble yourself in the future either. She quickly called out, “Teacher Jin!”

Jin Shuilan had already started the engine and driven away from her. Zhao Siran sighed lightly. Her assistant came forward and asked, “Editor-in-Chief, is Teacher Jin angry?”

“Angry?” Zhao Siran gave a self-deprecating smile. “We don’t even have the right to make her angry.”

The assistant asked, “What is the boss thinking? Why the sudden four-point reduction?”

Zhao Siran frowned and asked in return, “Do you think one can have both fish and a bear’s paw⁴?”

The assistant was confused.

Zhao Siran didn’t explain. Even if Jin Shuilan agreed to a two-point reduction, what about Tang Yingxia? Just because she wasn’t causing trouble now didn’t mean she wouldn’t in the next two years, especially since Tang Yingxia’s pen name was becoming more and more popular. Would she really be content with this kind of buyout? Seeing Jin Shuilan’s excellent terms, wouldn’t Tang Yingxia be tempted? She hoped this wouldn’t turn into a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on one’s own foot.

Then they would end up empty-handed, with neither the fish nor the bear’s paw.

But their boss was currently bewitched, her head clouded by short-term profits.

Zhao Siran said, “Help me keep an eye on which magazine publishers Teacher Jin meets with recently.”

The assistant nodded. “Understood.”

The two of them silently watched the direction Jin Shuilan had left in. Jin Shuilan, however, was in a great mood. She turned on her car’s Bluetooth, and Lu Zhenqiu’s voice immediately filled the car. “What song does everyone want to hear next?”

“PK? The PKs for today are over. Maybe tomorrow.”

“A game? You can request a game, but I’m not very good. A match with Xiao Yu? Xiao Yu isn’t online yet.”

Jin Shuilan turned her car into a restaurant’s parking lot, ordered two dinners to go, and placed them in her car. She glanced at her phone and saw a message from Ji Zibo: 【I received Lu Zhenqiu’s voice audition. Do you want to listen?】

【I’ve finished listening. Her emotion and vocal quality are excellent.】

Jin Shuilan accepted the file and played it. It was still connected to the car’s Bluetooth, and the sound came from the car speakers.

“Ah Shui!” a voice burst out. Jin Shuilan’s ears buzzed for a few seconds before she heard the voice from the speakers continue: “Grab on to me! Quickly, grab me! Ah Shui! They’re coming from the front! I’ll take you to the back!”

The atmosphere was instantly tinged with tension. Invisible blades flashed and clashed. Jin Shuilan subconsciously held her breath. After a brief silence, the voice spoke again: “Ah Shui, listen to me. In a moment, you’ll follow Vice General Yao⁵ and leave through that side door. Be good, listen to me. This isn’t like home. You must stay by Vice General Yao’s side at all times. Remember what I said, you have to take this letter back to your father.”

“Vice General Yao, take Ah Shui back. I’ll cover our retreat!”

The voice audition was only a few short lines, but Jin Shuilan’s thoughts were drawn into the scene. It was as if a blood-soaked general had truly appeared before her, prepared for death, leaving her only softness for the girl named Ah Shui.

Lu Zhenqiu’s voice was deeper than usual, filled with resolve. Even without post-production, it already carried the tense air of a life hanging by a thread. Ji Zibo was very satisfied. She asked Jin Shuilan: 【OK?】

Jin Shuilan listened to it several times. Each time, the preceding “Ah Shui” made her eardrums vibrate. She replied to Ji Zibo: 【OK.】

Ji Zibo: 【As long as you’re satisfied. I’ll start discussing the details of joining the production team with Qiuqiu. I’ll pull her into the group chat later tonight.】

Jin Shuilan replied with an “Mhm” and put down her phone.

When she got home, Lu Zhenqiu was still livestreaming. Her door was closed, and it seemed she was keeping her voice down so as not to disturb anyone. Jin Shuilan turned on the living room light and sat on the sofa. She heard Lu Zhenqiu’s door open and turned her head. “Finished?”

Lu Zhenqiu was holding a cup. She was startled to see Jin Shuilan, then smiled. “Teacher Jin, when did you get back?”

“Just got home,” Jin Shuilan said. “You haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you? I brought some takeout.”

Lu Zhenqiu said gratefully, “Thank you, Teacher Jin.”

She had originally planned to come out for a glass of water and then order takeout. She hadn’t expected Jin Shuilan to have already brought some for her. Lu Zhenqiu said, “How much was it, Teacher Jin? I’ll transfer it to you?”

Jin Shuilan looked at her for a couple of seconds, then came to her senses. “No need. I don’t pay you when you cook and buy groceries.”

Lu Zhenqiu laughed in spite of herself. “That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“There’s no ‘supposed to.’ We have to live under the same roof for so long, there’s no need to be so formal.”

Lu Zhenqiu thought about it and agreed. They would be interacting for a long time to come. Being overly polite back and forth would indeed be uncomfortable. She nodded. “Alright then. Thank you, Teacher Jin.”

This time, her smile held more sincerity. Her eyes sparkled, exceptionally beautiful. Jin Shuilan’s gaze met that shimmering light. She also raised her lips into a smile and asked, “How was the stream today?”

Lu Zhenqiu had been bottling up a lot with no one to tell. Hearing Jin Shuilan ask, she began, “It was great, but a boss showed up who was really strange.”

Jin Shuilan nonchalantly looked down and opened the food container. Inside the large container were four smaller, exquisite ones. The food looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful. There were also two bowls of chicken soup on the side. Jin Shuilan opened the lid of one soup bowl, pushed it toward Lu Zhenqiu, and asked, “How so?”

Lu Zhenqiu dipped her spoon into the chicken soup and took it out a few seconds later. She replied to Jin Shuilan, “She showered me with tons of gifts.”

Jin Shuilan was puzzled. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is, it is.” After all, the more gifts she received during a stream, the larger her share of the revenue. Lu Zhenqiu pursed her lips and added, “But she gave way too much.”

It was almost in the hundreds of thousands.

And whenever they chatted, she always felt that this boss said the weirdest things.

Jin Shuilan lowered her eyes. “If it’s a lot, just accept it. It’s not like you stole it.”

Lu Zhenqiu’s face paled slightly. She said, “I’m just worried…”

Jin Shuilan ate her meal and asked casually, “What are you worried about?”

Lu Zhenqiu replied, “I’m worried that this boss’s money might not be from a proper source.”

Jin Shuilan’s movements paused. She slowly turned her head to look at Lu Zhenqiu, meeting a pair of confused eyes. She desperately held back her laughter.

She didn’t know if the money was proper or not.

But the boss, she was definitely not proper.

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, mwah mwah.

Jin Shuilan: The boss is definitely not proper.

Lu Zhenqiu: How is she not proper?

Jin Shuilan: The kind of not proper that wants to be picked up by you.

Lu Zhenqiu: …

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