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nChapter 45: The Bet Between the Two Women

nAfter Xu Cheng left the factory, he received a call from the instructor.

n“You have to come to work early tonight, come at 7.”

nXu Cheng was curious. “What happened?”

n“Tonight, Lin Chuxue will be holding a signing event for her new album at that shopping square in the North Gate area. Even you should know that she’s very popular, so the organizer asked our bureau for some assistance, and we have to go help out with the security in that area.”

n“Aren’t there security companies? Why would they suddenly ask us to go too?”

n“Lin Chuxue’s different of course, she’s not called the blue-eyed elf princess for nothing. Her fans are crazy, and the officials are afraid that there might be an accident so they dispatched us to go help out. Otherwise, if something happens, it will be our problem anyways.”

nXu Cheng was speechless. Oh well, since his supervisor already said that, he could only go back, take a shower, and go to work early.

nRan Jing and Shen Yao saw him getting into his uniform this early, so they asked curiously as well, “Are you on the day shift now?”

n“Lin Chuxue’s holding a signing event in Shangcheng, and the people from the security companies might not be able to maintain control of her crazy fans, so we are being dispatched now to help maintain order.”

nShen Yao could sympathize. “Then you should be prepared.”

nXu Cheng asked curiously, “Is it going to be very tiring?”

nShen Yao nodded. “When you are faced with a bunch of brain-dead fans, you really can’t communicate with them with logic. Oh right, you should get some earplugs, maybe it will be useful for your ears.”

nXu Cheng’s ears were his treasures now. He went to his room, found some earplugs, and carefully placed them into his ears. Then, he was ready to head out.

nSeeing his ears plugged up, Shen Yao still didn’t believe that Xu Cheng’s hearing was that powerful, so she tried to test his hearing again by whispering, “Xu Cheng, you gay.”

nThen, Shen Yao tentatively looked at Xu Cheng to check for any reactions. After Xu Cheng went out of the door, Shen Yao immediately snorted, “Humph, it’s not so powerful after all. I told you his ears aren’t that capable.”

nJust as she finished, Xu Cheng came back and opened the door. “Shen Yao, maybe after I get off work, we can investigate my sexual orientation more thoroughly. Remember~”

nShen Yao immediately choked on her spit and blushed.

nXu Cheng smiled proudly and closed the door and left.

nShen Yao felt like her understanding of the world was about to collapse. “This isn’t going to work, Ran Jing, we have to think of something and move out. His ears are too sensitive, how are we going to talk behind his back anymore?”

nSpeaking of that, Ran Jing curiously asked Shen Yao, “You have the option of not living here, I’m just puzzled about why you are so adamant about living here, even if that means being under the same roof with a guy. Don’t tell me that you don’t have the money, I won’t believe it even if you beat me to death. I also don’t believe that you like Xu Cheng, and your excuse of being picky about your bed is a bit far-fetched.”

n“Why? Do you like him? Are you concerned that my presence is affecting your sweet time alone with him?” Shen Yao shifted over and said with a smug smile.

nRan Jing calmly replied, “Nope. The reason I came to Shangcheng was to focus on my career, and I currently don’t have any plans of dating or finding a boyfriend. Don’t blame me for being suspicious, unless you like Xu Cheng. Otherwise, it’s really hard for me to understand why someone as beautiful and rich as you would insist on staying here. Logically speaking, you could’ve easily found a high-end private unit. Can it be that you also want to study this guy, like me?”

n“You think I’m that bored?’ Shen Yao snorted, “Even if he was the only man left on Earth, I wouldn’t waste my time studying a creature like him with a negative EQ.”

n“Don’t change the topic. Come on, just tell me what’s the real reason you want to live here?”

n“Don’t overthink it,” Shen Yao replied. “I’m not here for either of you. You can go and check at the property management office, I’ve already been here for three years.”

n“Already checked,” Ran Jing replied.

nThen, Shen Yao slowly said, “Four years ago, my brother died.”

nRan Jing’s eyelids slightly raised.

n“His dream was to be a pilot. Do you see how this unit’s balcony faces the runway over there? Every time he took off, I would come here to see him soar into the sky. Over time, I got used to it. Habit is a b*tch, you will feel uncomfortable if you break it.”

n“So you being a flight attendant also has something to do with your brother?”

nShen Yao nodded. “Kind of. I also wanted to cheer myself up by traveling. You know how I don’t like to go back home? Because I have quite a big conflict with my dad. That night, when I saw Xu Cheng willing to contribute both time and money for a family he just met, I was quite touched.”

n“I saw both of your files.” Ran Jing slowly said, “Your dad’s quite famous, and it’s not much of a secret that he married a new woman. Your change in personality is also related to this, right?”

nShen Yao leaned on the sofa, looked at the ceiling, and nodded. “To tell the truth, we were poor when we were little, so I’m not quite like those second-gen rich heirs who were wealthy and treated like royalty since the day they were born. During that time, my mom and him worked day and night and struggled and created the big business we have today, but he abandoned his love for my mom and married another woman after she died. If he spent more attention on educating my brother and I instead of flirting with his young wife, then my brother wouldn’t have taken a rebellious path and never returned. In my eyes, this so-called family had lost its meaning to me a long time ago.”

nShe looked out the window, saw an aircraft soaring across the sky, and said, “Only my brother understood me, and only this place can give me peace. Every time when I’m not on duty, I would come here and look at the airplanes flying past.”

nRan Jing slowly said, “Then at least you had a loving family before. I did my research on Xu Cheng and found that he was brought up by just his dad who later died in an accident when Xu Cheng was still in junior high school. Strictly speaking, he lacks familial love, especially maternal love. Maybe that was what touched his heartstrings and convinced him to help out that family at the hospital.”

nShen Yao’s eyes became a bit watery; she was a bit surprised about how rough Xu Cheng’s childhood was.

nRan Jing faintly smiled and continued, “At first, I also didn’t like Xu Cheng because he wasn’t a fun guy at all. However, after I researched into his background, I was more calm. Maybe he actually feels quite alone, and his personality right now was caused by his childhood.”

nShen Yao pouted and looked at Ran Jing. “You should just go and be a detective and quit being a criminal police officer. Let me tell you, from the psychological point of view, a woman becoming curious about a man often indicates the beginning of a wonderful relationship, and by the current look of it, you are already curious about Xu Cheng.”

nRan Jing dryly laughed. “You should also quit being a flight attendant and go be a relationship consultant.”

n“Sure, I will charge by the hour. Let me analyze for you, it’s going to be very difficult if you fall in love with a man like Xu Cheng. He won’t take the initiative to learn more about you or cheer you up, and that’s why I said he’s destined to be forever alone. You can’t clap with one hand, and likewise, you need two people working together to have a good relationship. If you fall in love with him, then you are done. You will be chasing after him forever, yet his heart will never belong to you.”

nRan Jing started laughing. “Shen Yao, why do I feel like Xu Cheng’s more of your type?”

nShen Yao stopped for a second. “What do you mean?”

nRan Jing joking said, “Aren’t you always claiming that you can make any man fall under your skirt? Then why don’t you try and make Xu Cheng fall in love with you, if you are capable? Won’t you feel a great sense of accomplishment to make even a man like Xu Cheng fall in love with you?”

nShen Yao batted her slender eyelashes. “What you said makes sense, but I don’t see it as a challenge at all.”

nRan Jing stood up and left after leaving behind a mocking smile.

nShen Yao couldn’t digest that smile at all, and she immediately stood up and said, “Just watch, I will make Xu Cheng propose to me in front of this building and a whole crowd.”

nRan Jing: “When?”

nShen Yao: “Within a month!”

nRan Jing curiously asked her, “If he really proposes, would you agree?

nShen Yao arrogantly replied with just one word, “Never.”

nIn fact, in the later years, Shen Yao would long for Xu Cheng to really propose to her. But of course, that’s a later story.

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