Free Web NovelChapter 181: Chapter 181: Their Relationships Are Not the Same
"It’s okay! I won’t get in the way of your shop!"
Li Cui really didn’t want to be alone with Ren Hui in the dorm. Lately, Ren Hui had been acting like a mad dog, lashing out at everyone.
It was hard to say if it was because she’d been scammed by Sun Zi, or if her family’s impending bankruptcy had caused some psychological issues.
In any case, Li Cui was now avoiding her whenever possible, and when she couldn’t, she did her best to make herself invisible.
She only felt safe when Yun Zijin was around.
Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong didn’t feel like prying into Li Cui’s reasons. If she wanted to tag along, so be it.
"Then come with us. Grab whatever you need now. If you remember something halfway there, I’m not having the car turn back."
The car Yun Zijin chose today was once again the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The back seat was spacious enough for three girls, so adding Li Cui wasn’t a problem.
It just meant she and Qin Sitong probably wouldn’t be able to share any little secrets on the way.
As Li Cui followed Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong out of the dorm, she casually glanced back and saw Ren Hui’s gloomy, menacing face.
She quickly turned away, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Yun Zijin seemed to sense something and glanced back at Li Cui, but Li Cui had her head down, looking so timid that Yun Zijin couldn’t tell what was wrong.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Her skittishness was really starting to get on Yun Zijin’s nerves.
"I-I’m fine. Let’s go. Aren’t you heading to the shop? We shouldn’t be late."
Yun Zijin was a little suspicious. Li Cui had never been particularly brave, but she was acting excessively timid now. It felt like she was constantly on edge, and if that string ever snapped, who knew what might happen.
But it was just a passing thought for Yun Zijin. If Li Cui didn’t bring it up herself, she wasn’t going to press the issue.
After all, the two of them weren’t particularly close.
The three of them left the dormitory together. Knowing Yun Zijin was headed to the Wangyou Milk Tea Shop, Zero One had already driven the car up to the main road in front of the building.
Seeing Yun Zijin, Zero One proactively opened the rear door of the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Although Li Cui came from an ordinary working-class family, she had seen a bit of the world after spending three years of university at Ren Hui’s side.
Last time at the Sijie Restaurant, she hadn’t gotten a clear look, and she’d been in a hurry to get back to campus, so she hadn’t seen what kind of car Yun Zijin and the others left in.
But now, with the sun still up, it was hard for Li Cui to pretend she didn’t recognize that iconic Spirit of Ecstasy.
"This is your car?"
She knew Yun Zijin had become rich, but she didn’t know she was *this* rich.
’A Rolls-Royce... Am I really allowed to ride in one?’
"Could it be a fake?"
Li Cui fell silent. It really didn’t seem likely to be a fake.
"You get in first."
Although Li Cui felt a bit awkward, she knew Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong wouldn’t want her sitting between them, so she obediently got in first.
Not wanting Li Cui to bother Yun Zijin, Qin Sitong followed right after her, leaving Yun Zijin to get in last.
After getting into the car, Li Cui didn’t say another word, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible the entire time.
She only snapped out of it when the car pulled up and stopped in front of the Wangyou Milk Tea Shop.
Seeing the exquisitely decorated, spacious Wangyou Milk Tea Shop, Li Cui was momentarily stunned.
Without her realizing it, Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong had already gotten so far ahead of her. They hadn’t even graduated yet, but they already had their own business.
Judging by the bustling crowd inside, business was clearly good. Barring any accidents, they would definitely make money—enough to support them, buy a house, and own a car in Dijing.
Li Cui now began to wonder if her single-minded effort to curry favor with Ren Hui had been a mistake from the very beginning.
But she had only wanted to take a shortcut. She’d hoped that after graduation, she could use Ren Hui’s family connections to land a decent job.
But now, it seemed those hopes had gone completely down the drain.
Never mind that Ren Hui’s family was now facing bankruptcy; Ren Hui’s own attitude toward her was completely different from before.
Her plan to rely on Ren Hui for a good job was now completely impossible.
"Are you guys... still hiring at your shop?"
’Since I can’t take the shortcut, I’ll just have to forge a new path myself.’
Li Cui figured that as her roommates, Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong probably wouldn’t be heartless enough to ignore her.
If she could snag a position at the Wangyou Milk Tea Shop, maybe she could even get a promotion or something when they expanded.
One had to admit, Li Cui’s plan was quite optimistic.
"We’re not hiring for full-time positions right now, but if you’re looking for work, you could come in on weekends for a part-time job. We pay daily."
Qin Sitong didn’t know what Li Cui was thinking. Though she found it strange that Li Cui was asking about jobs, she still offered a suggestion.
"Part-time?"
"Yeah. A lot of people live far away and can’t come every day, so they wait for the weekend.
The shop gets much busier on weekends, and our staff gets overwhelmed, so we were thinking of hiring two part-timers.
It’s 30 yuan an hour, and you can work up to seven hours a day. Since you’re my roommate, I can save a spot for you."
She had to know, because their shop paid well and was prompt with wages, many people were scrambling for these two part-time positions.
After all, a normal seven-hour shift would earn you 210 yuan, and you wouldn’t have to suffer under the wind and sun. It was much better than passing out flyers.
Of course, many students at Dijing University still preferred tutoring. The title of a current Dijing University student was highly sought after.
"Thirty yuan an hour?"
That hourly wage was much higher than at most milk tea shops, which usually only paid 10-20 yuan.
Admittedly, Li Cui was tempted.
But if people found out that she, a fourth-year student at Dijing University, was working at a milk tea shop, it would be humiliating if word got out.
After all, working part-time was completely different from being the boss, like Qin Sitong.
"Think about it yourself. I’m going to get busy."
Qin Sitong quickly went into the staff breakroom, changed into her uniform, and got right to work.
Li Cui’s attention then shifted to Yun Zijin. "Aren’t you going to help?"
’They’re partners in this shop, after all. Isn’t it a bit off for Yun Zijin to do nothing?’
"Oh, I’m just the deadweight who waits for the money to roll in."
Yun Zijin said casually, joking.
But the way Li Cui looked at Yun Zijin turned a little strange.
"You do nothing at all? Aren’t you afraid she’ll resent it, and eventually just gut the shop and start her own business?"
After all, Qin Sitong also knew how to make the shop’s signature Wangyou Milk Tea.
"If I dare to operate like this, of course I have my own trump card. Besides, my relationship with Tongtong is nothing like yours with Ren Hui."
One was a bond of mutual interest; the other was genuine affection. How could the two even be compared?
Li Cui pressed her lips together. She had to admit, Yun Zijin was right.
Her relationship with Ren Hui had been a bond of mutual interest from the very beginning. Once their interests no longer aligned, it was only a matter of time before it all fell apart.
’This outcome was probably inevitable, then.’
