Chapter 29: Resignation(1)
Translator: Sissy That Walk
Like the Saint Elephant, the Red Guest Studio was also a three-story building erected along the street. From the outside, they looked similar in size, but their insides looked very different. Compared with the grandeur of the Saint Elephant, the decoration of the Red Guest was much cozier. Although both were duplex hall, the Red Guest divided its hall into separate areas by soft partition. The environment there was also more laid-back with fewer staff compared to the Saint Elephant.
“Would you like some tea?” After putting the tea and the snack in front of He Bai, the long-haired slim receptionist pointed at the magazine rack next to the seat in the rest area, and said, “I’ve sent one of my colleagues for the boss. Please wait a moment. There are magazines and some excellent works of our company. Please feel free to have a look.”
He Bai was growing to like the Red Guest because of this considerate reception. He thanked her hospitality with a smile and asked, “Is Ms. Jiang Xiuwen the boss of this company?” The buyer once said she just graduated and that she was an intern… but this Red Guest …
The receptionist froze for a second, but she quickly covered it and nodded, all the while holding back her desire to laugh, “Yes. Our boss is Jiang Xiuwen. Well …. Please wait a moment. Let me bring you some new snacks.” After finishing that, she took away the tea tray and walked away quickly with a hand covering her blushing face.
‘She is really the boss. And… New snacks?’
He Bai curiously swept a look at the tea and the snack which were served together on the table. His fondness for the Red Guest kept growing more. The nice reception here dwarfed that of the Saint Elephant.
After putting the fruit on the table, he took out his mobile phone to log into the WeChat. When he found no reply from the buyer to whom he sent a message in the morning, he was a little agitated.
‘Is it rude for me to come here without informing her in advance?’ But there were way too many fruits. He had given away some to the Saint Elephant and Elder Xu and still he got enough fruits to fill half of the box. Those fruits couldn’t last long as they rot easily, and he didn’t like wasting things. When he was reminded of the buyer who wanted to commit suicide several days ago, he thought maybe he could pay a visit with some fruits.
But his trip here was not in vain. He never thought that such a noising and childish WeChat friend could be a studio owner. Of all the information revealed by the buyer before, who knew how much were real and how much were false? Was it also false that the stepmother’s bullied her into committing suicide? Was it all just staged for the merchandise of her idol?
Thinking of how he was preparing to make the buyer come around when he saw her, he couldn’t help but frown and swept a glance at the fruit on the table with a sigh. Then he leaned over to take a photo gallery out of the rack next to him.
‘Well, I’m already here. If the buyer is full of shit, I will simply ignore her going forward.”
Jiang Xiuwen was anxiously waiting for Di’s replies in the lounge upstairs. The air conditioner was operating at full capacity, but his forehead kept sweating.
“Damn it. Why is his phone always off!”
He canceled the call and raised his hands to scratch his head. Again, he regretted making friends with Di that year.
‘What should I do now?’ He knew a little about Di Qiuhe using a backup account to approach his fans, but he didn’t know how. Now there was someone coming for him, but he couldn’t get in touch with Di Qiuhe. Was this whole thing going to fall through?
Thinking about Di’s smirking face when talking about the ‘younger brother’, he rubbed his temples in desperation and gritted his teeth. After tidying himself up, he went downstairs.
Seeing as how things were at the moment, he had to play it by ear. First things first, the priority was to stabilize this fan! Di Qiuhe’s disguise mustn’t be exposed here, or else the Red Guest would be demolished by the fan!
Jiang Xiuwen halted his steps after spotting a young, slim man sitting in the lounge from a distance. After taking over the snacks from the receptionist, he waved her off. Then he adjusted his facial expression and stepped forward.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” He put the snacks in front of the young man and smiled at him as He Bai looked up. Then he reached out to He Bai. “Nice to meet you. I am Jiang Xiuwen, the owner of the Red Guest Studio.”
Bump.
The photo gallery dropped from He Bai’s hands.
“Ah, sorry.” Immediately he bent down to pick up the album. He was still a bit stunned when he shook hands with Jiang Xiuwen. “Nice to meet you, too. I’m He Bai. WeChat ID: White and Whiter…. Are you A Bird Born in Autumn?” ‘It’s a man! Or it’s a woman trapped in a man’s body! So, all he said was completely made up? Have I been cheated all the time? This man looks quite decent. Who would have thought that he is a fan of Di Qiuhe’s？And he even chatted with him in that girlish way.
Too many thoughts were running through his mind, and a sense of being cheated was growing ever stronger. He took back his hand and quickly put on a friendly face. He then said politely, “Sorry. I’m just a bit surprised. I thought you were …. Well, sorry. I should have informed you in advance before I came. There are some fruits sent by my friends from the border province. I thought you were not in good mood, so …. Sorry, I have been thinking too much. Just want to make sure you are OK.
‘What a tone. Damn it!’
Noticing his change in attitude, Jiang Xiuwen got alarmed. Immediately he wore an intimate smile and said, “No, Mr. He, you are mistaken. The buyer ‘A Bird Born in Autumn’ who bought things from you was my cousin. As she is abroad, it isn’t convenient for her to collect and send delivery, so she filled in my address when she was shopping online. I usually repost those things to her after I receive them.” ‘Yes, like this, calm down. It’s the cousin who bought the things and now she is abroad, so she couldn’t receive the delivery in person, nor can she come out to meet him. This is a flawless excuse.’
He Bai froze a bit and the feeling of being deceived suddenly disappeared. He asked in surprise, “Your cousin? Abroad? But didn’t she just graduate and work as an intern? Is it a foreign internship?”
“……Yes,” Jiang Xiuwen nodded. After he seated He Bai down, he explained, “My aunt wanted a broader career prospect, so she arranged a foreign internship for her. Actually, she didn’t go far. She has her internship in Country R, which is right next to us. It’s only one-hour time lag from us.” ‘Keep it up. Keep making it up. Now the issue of time difference is also solved. Good job!’
He Bai sat down, looking more surprised. “Arranged by your aunt? Well… If your cousin feels safe enough to trust you with her deliveries, she must have trusted you very much. Honestly speaking, your cousin recently revealed her dislike towards her stepmother to me on WeChat and she seemed convinced that her stepmother was sending someone to get close to her. I thought she was close to losing it, and so I decided to come here with the fruits to check up on her. I want to make sure she is OK. You are her cousin and she trusts you very much. So, how is she? Is she alright?” The feeling of being deceived had completely gone, instead he was now worried about her. He doesn’t feel odd any more after hearing the explanation. It was no wonder that the buyer always confided in him even though they had traded only once. It was because she was sent abroad by her stepmother, and there was no one she could talk with…… What a poor girl.
After hearing those words, Jiang Xiuwen’s face twitched. He couldn’t help but curse Childish Di three hundred times over. How could the bastard say those words to others? How was he supposed to further spin this story?
“Actually, she is fine… Thank you for your concern. I will have a talk with her.” Crossing his legs, he clenched the tablecloth under the table. Then he looked up at He Bai with a reluctant smile and sighed, “Girls are sensitive. They rather remain silent than sharing with their elder brothers. Thank you for chatting with her. She always put on a brave face in front of me. I didn’t know that… Mind if I ask what else she has told you? Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I am just a bit worried…