Chapter 11: Believe That You Can Do It Well

In the second half of the night, the only light left in the corridor was the green glow from the emergency exit sign.

At the counter, the red indicator light flickered along with a chime, and the on-duty Nurse took two IV bags from the Storeroom and headed toward the Ward.

In the Corridor, the Nurse noticed Yudong.

There was a faint patch of water on the floor, and when she saw the Nurse approaching, Yudong hurriedly got up and slipped into the Ward.

Later, crying turned into biting. Yudong kept biting her own wrist, or sometimes her fingers, over and over again.

Her already pale skin was now streaked with blood after all the biting. If anyone saw Yudong at that moment, they would have taken her for a madwoman gnawing at herself.

But so what?

At least pain was the only thing Yudong could truly feel for now.

How she wished all of this was just a dream.

If only crying could help.

If only tomorrow never came.

If only none of this had ever happened.

The sun won’t stop turning just because someone disappears, and life won’t slow down just because of one person’s misfortune.

The world won’t change all this just because Yudong is pitiful.

In the end, when she had nowhere else to turn, Yudong chose to work part-time.

After returning from the Hospital, Yudong crumpled the Admission Letter into a ball.

That Admission Letter she’d been longing for, the one she kept on the desk, now wrinkled and crumpled, was thrown away by her own hand.

There was nothing left.

Future Dream, Life Expectation—gone, all gone.

All she knew was that she needed money, a lot of money.

Crowdfunding eased Yudong’s immediate crisis, but for the rest, she could only rely on her own hands to earn it.

It was after that, on a certain day, that Yudong met Yezhe.

……

The sound of cicadas wrapped in waves of heat swept down the street again and again.

The smell of the asphalt, baked in the sun, was a little pungent.

Yuling’s bangs stuck to her forehead, sweat trickling slowly down her neck.

The rare heatwave had turned the usually cool breeze into a blast of hot air, pressing on the face like a layer of steaming towel, making one’s mood restless.

There were pitifully few pedestrians on the street, and hardly any cars. Even the once-crowded intersection now had only a few electric scooters scattered at the red light.

There was no air conditioning. In the Store, only a fan buzzed away. From the second floor came the occasional clink of glasses or a shout.

Aside from that, the only other noise was the sound of a middle-aged man’s phone playing videos on speaker as he lay on a lounge chair at the Store’s entrance.

Deep breath…

It’s fine. I’ve already failed before. At worst, I’ll just find another place.

Don’t panic…

If I fail, I fail. As long as I keep looking, I’ll find something.

Besides, at this point, what is there left to be afraid of?

Tidying her sweat-soaked hair, Yudong made up her mind and walked toward the Store she’d seen online that was currently hiring.

“Hello?”

The Store was an old one. Dust had gathered atop the sign above the door, and the wallpaper on the walls was so old it had turned yellow, with some edges curled up to reveal the putty underneath.

But the floor tiles had been scrubbed until they shone.

At the entrance, in a patch of shade, there was a woven rattan lounge chair, its armrests polished smooth from years of use.

At that moment, a middle-aged man was lying on it, playing short videos on his phone with the volume up.

Her Adam’s apple bobbed as she swallowed nervously.

Yudong tried to calm herself and, trying her best to look relaxed, greeted the man softly.

“Hmm?”

Hearing someone greet him, the man lifted his heavy eyelids lazily, and with a creak, got up from the lounge chair.

“Hello, um…are you the Boss here? I’m here to apply for the Waiter job.”

“Oh, alright, come on in.”

After sizing Yudong up a bit, the man led her into the Store.

“Have a seat.”

He pulled out a chair for Yudong, then sat down himself.

“Here to be a Waiter?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your name?”

“Yudong.”

“Education?”

“High school graduate.”

“Just graduated?”

“Yeah…but I’m looking for a long-term job, not just a summer one.”

“That’s fine, then.”

“It can get a bit busy here, can you handle it?”

The man looked Yudong up and down, a little dissatisfied.

Yudong was indeed rather thin.

“I can do it, really! I just look a little skinny, but I’m used to hard work.”

Seeing his reaction, Yudong became visibly anxious, even her voice trembled.

“Worked before?”

“Before…yes, I have, I have worked.”

“Hmm…wages and holidays are just as posted at the door. Any questions?”

“No.”

“Alright, get familiar this afternoon, and start work tomorrow.”

“Okay, okay…”

Huh?

Wait a minute?

Was it really this easy?

It was almost scarily smooth—especially since the last few places all rejected her…

To be honest, even Yudong herself could hardly believe it.

“Boss, um…so, you’re hiring me?”

Her voice trembled, the success came so suddenly she thought she might have misheard.

“Of course, otherwise why would I have you get familiar with the place?”

“Thank you, Boss!”

Unable to hide her excitement, Yudong kept repeating her thanks.

“Alright, alright, I’ll find someone to show you around for a couple days. Work hard.”

Waving his hand at Yudong, the middle-aged man got up and went back to the lounge chair at the entrance to play on his phone.

“Zhe! New hire—show her around and help her get familiar!”

“Zhe!?”

With a face not exactly friendly, the middle-aged man called a couple times toward the inside, then ignored everything else and lay back down to his phone.

“Yeah, I’m coming!”

“Show the new hire around, okay?”

“Okay.”

The curtain at the kitchen entrance was pulled aside, and a teenage boy in an apron came out.

“Hello, I’m Yezhe. And you are?”

His dark hair, warmed by the kitchen steam, curled slightly at the ends, a few loose strands falling over his forehead, making his features stand out even more sharply.

Yezhe’s nose was straight, his eyes seemed to be veiled in a cold mist, giving him a somewhat chilly air.

“Yudong.”

At first sight of the boy, Yudong felt a little flustered.

Years of struggle had stripped any trace of childishness from Yezhe; now, he looked like someone not easy to get along with…

Sensing her unease, Yezhe managed a faint smile.

“It’s fine, don’t be so nervous. We’ll be colleagues from now on, just take your time.”

“Mm…”

Yezhe’s words eased Yudong’s nerves a bit, and seeing she wasn’t as panicked as before, he got right to the introduction.

“Except during meal times, the Store isn’t too busy. You’ll mainly be in charge of the first floor—cleaning, Cashier, that kind of thing. For now, I’ll handle serving dishes.”

“Okay.”

“This is the kitchen. When customers arrive, there are some notebooks at the counter; just grab one, write down the order, and bring it to us.”

“It’s simple, all the dishes are listed—just check them off.”

“Got it.”

The girl listened with full attention, looking…just like a student in class.

“This is where we keep the cleaning tools. Basically, if it’s not busy, just tidy up wherever you can.”

“Mm, I’ve got it.”

Remember it, have to remember it.

Just check off the orders, mop is here, clean as much as possible, and during busy hours, work hard, work hard…

Have to work hard…

“Alright, next I’ll show you the second floor.”

“I usually handle the second floor, but if it gets busy, you might have to help deliver dishes too, so it’s better if you get familiar. It’s not very big, but some of the private rooms are a bit tricky to find—I don’t know what the Boss was thinking when he set it up…”

“Yudong?”

Halfway up the stairs, Yezhe realized Yudong hadn’t followed, so he turned around to look for her.

Yezhe’s voice snapped Yudong out of her thoughts.

“Ah… sorry.” She looked up suddenly, and the nervousness she’d just managed to suppress flooded back in like a tide. Yudong’s expression was a picture of panic, and her ears visibly reddened. “I was just thinking about what you said earlier…”

“Hey, it’s okay, don’t be so tense.”

The corners of Yezhe’s mouth curled into a small smile, trying to soothe her.

“Relax. As long as you don’t make mistakes while working, it’s fine—there’s no need to be so nervous.”

There was a faint concern in his otherwise calm eyes. Though he couldn’t pull her out of that deep abyss, at least, after all she’d been through, it was a rare bit of comfort.

“I believe you’ll do just fine.”