Fatty didn’t even have the time to stop her. Fatty carried his basket and jogged up the stairs. As he entered the office, he was stunned by what he saw. Jiang Cheng and a woman who was in her 50s sat on the couch together. They were hugging each other. Jiang Cheng occasionally patted her back and whispered into her ears. At that moment, Fatty felt his world collpase.
Due to his focus, Jiang Cheng didn’t notice the woman in the qipao and Fatty walk in at first. It was fine when Jiang Cheng saw Fatty, but when he saw the woman in the qipao, his expression shifted, and he immediately let go of the auntie who was weeping in his arms. However, he forgot about one thing. The auntie needed his comfort and refused to let go. The situation was quite awkward.
After sending away the emotional auntie, Jiang Cheng jogged back. Throughout this whole incident, the woman in the qipao and Fatty didn’t move. The former was unfazed, and the latter was stunned.
Jiang Cheng pouted and finally squeezed out the question, “Have you… just arrived?”
“I’ve been here awhile.” The woman’s voice was as clear as spring water. “Since you were so busy, I didn’t interrupt you.”
Fatty sucked in a cold breath. This tone… felt so strange.
Jiang Cheng shot Fatty a gaze. The latter understood the meaning. He carried the basket into the kitchen. Then, loud noises of cutting came out as if saying that you guys could say whatever you wished because I couldn’t hear you over the commotion. Even so, Fatty perked his ears high, worried that he might miss anything interesting.
The situation couldn’t be clearer. This impossibly beautiful woman was the Doctor’s GIRLFRIEND!
It would be a lie to say that Fatty was not jealous, but for the most part, Fatty was happy for him. The Doctor had a good job and was handsome and clever. Other than his need to ramble about nonsense, he was a good man. Fatty could admit that if he were a girl, he’d choose someone like the Doctor.
Then, he saw the beauty sitting at the office table, and Jiang Cheng pulled over the chair to sit across from her. Fatty was familiar with this scene. When he was being lectured by his superior in his former company, it was about the same.
Fatty saw the neatly arranged stacks of money on the office table.
“This month’s income is lower than before,” Jiang Cheng admitted.
The woman nodded. “Why?”
Jiang Cheng thought about it. “A few of the rich clients went on a group trip to South East Asia. They might be back next month.”
“Names?” The woman picked up a pen and grabbed the notebook that Jiang Cheng viewed as his treasure. She jotted down the names on a random blank page.
“Qian Zhenmei, Sun Youcai…”
The beauty wrote the names down expressionlessly. It was clear that she treated this as work. Could it be… Fatty’s eyes shuddered.
He was reminded of the words Brother Pi Wan said when he came by the second time that day, “Is Boss Lin here? I saw her car outside.”
Boss Lin! This woman in the qipao was the Doctor’s boss!
Fatty instantly connected the clues. Hadn’t he found many female qipaos in the office before? How could he forget about that? So those qipaos… Fatty looked at the beauty and felt like they matched.
Regardless, it was true that Boss Lin and the Doctor were a good match. They both had striking appearances.
Fatty carefully placed the dishes on the table before the couch. This was the place he and the Doctor used for dinner when they were alone. Just as he wondered if he should call them for dinner, Jiang Cheng noticed him and said, “The food is ready.”
Fatty added, “Yes. Should… should we eat first? And then…” Before Fatty could finish, the beauty and Jiang Cheng moved to the table, picked up the chopsticks and started to eat. They were so in rhythm that it felt like they were of the same brain.
Fatty looked awkward. He only brought two sets of utensils, so he ran back into the kitchen to grab another set for himself.
This meal was the quietest meal Fatty ever had in his life. The doctor and the beauty didn’t speak and he was too flummoxed and afraid to start any topic. Throughout the dinner, zero words were said.
After dinner, Fatty cooped up in the kitchen to wash the dishes.
The dinner started late, so when they finished, it was already 10 pm. The sky outside was as dark as ink.
As Fatty wiped his hands, he wondered what was the relationship between the Doctor and Boss Lin. They had to be more than employees and employers. How else would he explain the harsh living situation of the Doctor, considering how stingy he was? Fatty was suddenly reminded of the first time he met the Doctor. It was their first nightmare mission together at the lavish bungalow in the forest.
The family was a bunch of lunatics who liked to capture and detain people, especially the two girls who were just over twenty. Fatty shivered as he remembered the shadows that crawled out from under the bed.
Was the Doctor detained there by Boss Lin too?
As ludicrous as it was, the idea implanted itself in Fatty’s mind. Perhaps this was a trade… A strange conclusion took over his mind. He was reminded of the clothes Boss Lin left at the office. Some of them were intimates…
Fatty shivered even harder.
“Fatty!” Jiang Cheng’s voice came over from upstairs.
Fatty dropped the towel and hurried upstairs. His eyes coloured with suspicion when he saw the Doctor and Boss Lin in the bedroom.
“Fatty,” Jiang Cheng began, “Tonight, you shouldn’t sleep in the upstairs living room. You…”
“Understood, Doctor. I’ll sleep downstairs.” Fatty nodded vehemently. He was not as dumb as that.
“No.” Jiang Cheng shook his head. “I’ll sleep downstairs. You two can sleep in the bedroom together.” He added, “My neck feels a bit stiff lately. I think sleeping on the couch can help fix that.”