Xia Chuyi intentionally patted her chest, putting on a scared face, yet her expression was all smiles.
"Wow, so scary, I can't dare to sleep with you tonight, how about you book another room?"
She rambled on and walked straight to the counter, speaking to the female attendant who was pretending to be busy cracking melon seeds but actually watched the drama unfold for quite some time:
"Dear beautiful comrade, please open another room for her. She has a condition and isn't used to staying with others. Oh, and put it on that officer He Qing's tab, the room I was staying in was registered under his military ID, so there should be a record."
The female attendant almost sprayed out her melon seeds when she heard the words "beautiful comrade."
This was an era where everyone was a "comrade" in love, advocating to engage in the revolutionary cause together; pursuing beauty was capitalist style, and complimenting someone's beauty was considered hooliganism.
Suddenly hearing such a blatant "beautiful," Xia Chuyi saw that although the attendant tried to pretend she wasn't happy, the corners of her mouth were already turning upward.
"Strictly speaking, we shouldn't," the attendant glanced at Xia Lan and stifled her laughter, "but since this comrade has a condition, we'll make an exception."
"Thanks, beautiful comrade!"
In a trice, they managed to book another room for Xia Lan, still charging it to He Qing's account.
Xia Lan was utterly taken aback and by the time she realized what had happened, the attendant was already handing over the keys.
"Chuyi, I didn't... We don't need to book another room!"
Xia Lan finally caught on and hastily objected, but Xia Chuyi couldn't be bothered with her and took the keys from the attendant.
"You don't need it? But the room is already booked!" Xia Chuyi feigned surprise, following her lead.
"In that case, you stay in the previous room and I'll take this one." She waved the keys in her hand, smiled openly, and tucked them into her pocket.
Xia Lan bit her lip, wanting to say more, but Xia Chuyi had already turned and walked away.
Let Xia Lan be disgusted to death!
She certainly did not want to live with her "kind-hearted sister" who had the heart of a serpent and scorpion.
And the bed Xia Lan had slept in, it made her feel sick.
Carrying her luggage, Xia Chuyi ignored Xia Lan's lip-biting, pitiable "sorrowful" expression and entered the newly booked room.
She threw her bag onto the bed and lay down at once, closing her eyes and subconsciously started to stroke the jade pendant around her neck.
The pendant radiated a familiar warmth, and the corners of her eyes moistened slightly.
Thankfully, this life wasn't unfolding as before.
In this life, Huo Shiqian wouldn't be demoted for his behavior, wouldn't waste several years because of her. And she... she wouldn't be slandered for a chastity issue that led to the death of her uncle and mother...
In the future, no matter how great the obstacles ahead, she would march forward valiantly.
After calming her emotions for a while, she opened her eyes.
Her gaze was confused for a moment, and her pupils suddenly dilated.
No, something was wrong with the scene around her!
The pristine ceiling, the tall cabinets, the workbench... this was the kitchen in the back of her shop, the place where she had died!
She was lying on the hard ground; how could this be? Could it be that she had not been reborn, but had experienced a beautiful dream just before death?
Her complexion turned instantaneously pale, and she got up with a struggle.
Wait, something was different...
She tried to maintain her composure and analyzed the situation clearly.
If it had just been a dream, there should've been a wound on the back of her head; she immediately reached back to feel for it, but there was no pain and no injury.
Looking around carefully, everything in the cabinets was neatly placed, with no blood or debris on the floor.
This was what her kitchen looked like before the incident.
The refrigerator's metallic surface was polished like a mirror, reflecting her image: dressed in a red flowered coat, her hair tied into two thick pig-tails, and her petite face full of collagen...
The one standing there, it really was the eighteen-year-old her.
Her rebirth was real, so what was going on with this shop?