Chapter 22 (1/2): Poodle in the Wardrobe

Damn you, Ying Yun!

Even if I misunderstood him, couldn’t he at least go through the motions and give me a perfunctory hug for the sake of my dignity?

Did he really have to expose me like that?

Yang Xueyi’s face flushed red.

Embarrassed, she fled into the master bedroom, but after calming down, she felt she was overreacting.

At this moment, the sound of running water from Ying Yun washing dishes drifted in from outside the room.

Thinking about how the once aloof Young Master had now fallen so far as to be stuck washing dishes for her with a cold face, what was there for her to be embarrassed about?

He wasn’t embarrassed at all!

Back when Ying Yun was rich, she would have been mocked mercilessly for losing face in front of this annoying guy.

But now, Ying Yun was even worse off than she was. Yang Xueyi should actually be more relaxed in front of him!

With this in mind, Yang Xueyi immediately took out her phone and confidently transferred six thousand yuan to Ying Yun.

Now she was the landlord!

She was the one spending money!

She was the rightful patron!

It was finally her turn to stand tall and live with pride!

Afraid that Ying Yun wouldn’t accept it, Yang Xueyi rushed out of the bedroom like the wind.

Outside, Ying Yun had just finished washing the dishes and was calmly washing his hands.

“Ying Yun!”

Yang Xueyi blinked.

“I can’t find my phone. Can you call it for me with yours?”

Ying Yun didn’t suspect anything.

Although he frowned slightly, as if annoyed by Yang Xueyi’s troublemaking, he still took out his phone.

The moment he unlocked it, Yang Xueyi snatched it away before he could react.

She quickly opened WeChat, found her own profile, and swiftly requested payment.

Only then did she hand the phone back to Ying Yun.

“You did a good job washing the dishes.”

Yang Xueyi put her hands on her hips, feeling proud, slipping into her boss mode.

“Xiao Ying, keep up the good work, stay humble, and do your dishwashing and cleaning duties well. Shine brightly in your new position, understand? If you do well, Boss Yang might even consider promoting you.”

Ying Yun was stunned, his expression complicated.

“What position could I possibly get promoted to from washing dishes? Is there even a career path for dishwashing?”

“Don’t worry about all that. Young people should talk less and do more. Don’t question your boss all day—be down-to-earth!”

Yang Xueyi put on the air of a boss inspecting her employee.

“Take the money. I’m a person of my word. I won’t make you work for nothing. The six thousand is your payment for dishwashing and housework.”

Sure enough, her generous gesture surprised Ying Yun.

He frowned, looking at his phone.

“Yang Xueyi, are you sure?”

“I’m sure! Normally, by business logic, I should give you a deposit first, then pay in installments, and only give you the final payment after you’ve washed dishes for a whole year. But I trust you, so I’m willing to pay you the full year in advance! Meeting me is your lucky day!”

Ying Yun rubbed his brow, his expression a little twisted—probably from excitement, his voice even trembling.

“Not just once, but for a whole year? Six thousand? All at once?”

“Yes! This isn’t some short-term gig, but a full year’s long-term opportunity!”

Normally, Mrs. Yang Meiying had already done Ying Yun a favor by renting him the place.

Their division of labor—Yang Xueyi cooking, Ying Yun washing dishes—was perfectly fair.

Even if Yang Xueyi didn’t pay him a cent, it would still be reasonable.

Besides, she was unemployed herself, with a mortgage to pay and not exactly rolling in money.

Willingly coming up with this excuse to give him six thousand to preserve his pride was already her limit.

“A full-time housewife with a child and housework for ten years only gets about a hundred thousand in divorce settlements. That averages out to just ten thousand a year. You don’t even need to cook or take care of kids, just dishes and some cleaning, and I’m still willing to give you six thousand!”

Yang Xueyi glanced at Ying Yun.

“Are you satisfied with the amount?”

Ying Yun pressed his lips together, probably reminded of his current predicament.

He took a deep breath.

“I’m satisfied. It just feels like too much. I can’t accept it. Let me give it back to you.”

Yang Xueyi was moved.

Ying Yun really had become more sensible after going broke.

He knew how hard it was to make money now and even wanted to return it to her.

She didn’t want him to feel burdened.

“Just take it. I don’t need the six thousand.”

“Your salary is really that high?”

Yang Xueyi finally understood why people get addicted to pretending to be rich—because it’s so satisfying, especially in front of a lifelong rival—

“I work at a foreign pharmaceutical company, remember? Our income is pretty high, and I recently got a promotion and a raise for good performance.”

“Unlike you, my salary won’t stay stagnant in the short term. There are plenty of opportunities in foreign companies!”

Yang Xueyi rarely had such a triumphant moment in front of Ying Yun.

Even if she was bluffing and lying, she couldn’t help but feel elated.

She was about to brag a bit more when suddenly Qiao Qianqian’s voice came from the doorway.

“Xiaoxue! Are you home? If you’re not, I’ll just let myself in!”

Yang Xueyi had no idea why Qiao Qianqian would show up at this hour, but she glanced at the cold and proud Ying Yun standing in front of her and felt inexplicably nervous and flustered.

“Ying Yun, hurry, go hide somewhere!”

Yang Xueyi didn’t even know why she felt so guilty.

She just instinctively continued her old habit—she didn’t want anyone to know about her relationship with Ying Yun.

She didn’t dare look at Ying Yun’s shocked and incredulous eyes.

Taking advantage of his momentary confusion, she pushed him into the large wardrobe in the living room hallway.

The next second, Qiao Qianqian turned the key and came in, carrying a bag.

Yang Xueyi didn’t have a car, but Qiao Qianqian did, so she’d helped move things from the old staff dorm.

To make it easier for Yang Xueyi to come and go for interviews, she’d even given her a spare key to the new place.

Qiao Qianqian pushed the door open and, seeing Yang Xueyi, paused.

“You’re home?”

“You left some stuff at my place last time you stayed over. I brought it back for you, and here’s your house key too.”

Thank goodness she’d shoved Ying Yun into the wardrobe at the last minute!

Yang Xueyi took the key with lingering fear and thanked her, waiting for Qiao Qianqian to say goodbye in a hurry.

But this time, Qiao Qianqian uncharacteristically plopped herself onto the sofa and began to vent—

“I broke up!”

Yang Xueyi listened to her angrily complain for over ten minutes and finally understood what had happened.

That personal trainer had cheated on her.

Qiao Qianqian had been out of town for a wedding shoot, and to surprise her boyfriend, she’d rushed back overnight after finishing work.

She’d wanted to give him a pleasant surprise, but ended up giving him a shock.

“If that jerk had just admitted to cheating, at least he’d have some guts. But instead, while he was sweet-talking the other woman, he was terrified I’d find out.”

Qiao Qianqian was furious.

“When I walked in, he actually made the other woman hide in the wardrobe!”

“That wardrobe…”

Qiao Qianqian pointed at the one in Yang Xueyi’s home.

“It was about the same size as yours! In the end, the woman couldn’t hold out, got too stuffy, and came out by herself!”

“Xiaoxue? Are you okay? Why does your face look so pale, and you’re sweating cold sweat?”

Staring at the wardrobe, Yang Xueyi thought bitterly—how could she not be sweating?

Ying Yun was still hiding in there.

This was practically a perfect reenactment of Qiao Qianqian’s cheating discovery scene…

“What kind of idiot hides someone in a wardrobe? Couldn’t he have used an empty room? No wonder he’s a personal trainer, all brawn and no brains!”

Please, just stop!

It’s me! I’m that idiot!

Yang Xueyi was dying of regret.

She had no idea what possessed her to stuff Ying Yun into the wardrobe just now…

At least there weren’t too many clothes in there, so Ying Yun shouldn’t be suffocating.

Just as Yang Xueyi was starting to feel relieved, a clear ringtone suddenly rang out from inside the wardrobe…

Yang Xueyi was about to pretend it was her own phone ringing, but the ringtone stopped, followed by Ying Yun’s voice—

“Okay, I understand. I’ll be there right away.”

His voice, muffled and deep through the wardrobe door, carried a strangely ambiguous tone.

The next second, under Qiao Qianqian’s shocked gaze, the owner of the voice calmly pushed open the wardrobe and stepped out.

At that moment, Yang Xueyi had only one thought—

Just let me die.

Ying Yun was as handsome and upright as ever, calm and composed, but the hair on his forehead was inevitably mussed up by the clothes inside the wardrobe.

Qiao Qianqian stared at Ying Yun, mouth agape, completely stunned.

“There’s an emergency at the hospital. A patient in my ward is in critical condition,” Ying Yun said, pressing his lips together.

He glanced at Yang Xueyi. “I couldn’t not answer the call.”

“You two talk. I’m going to check on the patient. I’ll head out first.”

Leaving those few words behind, he left with composure, leaving the mess for Yang Xueyi to deal with.

Qiao Qianqian finally snapped out of her shock.

“You and Ying Yun? You two… Why was he hiding in your wardrobe?!”

“Wait, wait, don’t say anything yet. Let me guess!”

Seeing Qiao Qianqian’s expression, Yang Xueyi already guessed what her friend was thinking.

Sure enough, Qiao Qianqian’s eyes sparkled as she stared at Yang Xueyi.

“Xiaoxue! You’ve got guts!”

With a look of admiration, Qiao Qianqian declared loudly—

“Did you take advantage of Ying Yun’s misfortune and snatch him up? No wonder you asked me before if something happened to him—now I know…”

Yang Xueyi massaged her forehead.

“A new Forest Café just opened nearby. Let’s grab a drink and chat there.”

***

The patient in trouble was suffering from lumbar disease.

Ying Yun remembered clearly: L3/4 disc protrusion, L4/5 and L5/S1 herniation, spinal canal stenosis.

The patient had undergone open lumbar surgery, with eight screws placed in the lumbar region, and Ying Yun had assisted in the surgery.

The patient was recuperating in the hospital, but unfortunately fell out of bed, causing pain and emotional instability.

She insisted on seeing Ying Yun, who had often checked on her, before she could relax.

That’s why Ying Yun rushed to the hospital.

Fortunately, the on-duty doctor handled the emergency well.

When Ying Yun arrived, the patient was fine.

After calming her and waiting for her to fall asleep, he finally left.

But as he left the hospital, thinking about Yang Xueyi’s friend still at her place, Ying Yun felt a headache coming on.

He didn’t know what was wrong with himself.