As soon as Shen Tong left after her harsh words, she began to regret it. If she had known, she wouldn't have been so stubborn! Accepting his money wouldn't have been a big deal. Now, she ended up with nothing, losing both money and face!
All her living expenses were earned from part-time jobs. Her tuition was fully covered, so as long as she didn't starve, she was fine. However, the plane ticket back to China was a significant amount for Shen Tong, and she had to think of ways to make more money. But this plan had been nipped in the bud by that bastard Liang Xiaoyuan!
Today was the weekend, and Shen Tong immediately sold her broken barbecue machine at a low price. She quickly made a new plan for herself.
At this moment, Shen Tong was like a tirelessly working machine, not feeling any fatigue. She went to the school library to read in the morning, handed out flyers in the afternoon, and worked as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant in the evening. If she continued like this, she could return to China within two months.
In the afternoon, Shen Tong arrived at her workplace. It was a fast-food restaurant, and handing out flyers required wearing a bulky cartoon character costume. Since it was early summer, wearing a heavy, furry costume was certainly going to be hot. The young people who came with Shen Tong hesitated for a moment.
"Those who have decided, please follow me." The restaurant manager, a refined Englishman, said to the group of young people, including Shen Tong.
Without hesitation, Shen Tong followed him. She didn't want to lose this opportunity to make money. In the manager's office, he handed each person a full-body cartoon costume. Shen Tong put it on without hesitation, took the large bag of flyers the manager gave her, and went to her designated spot.
This street was bustling with people coming and going. Shen Tong diligently handed out flyers, her lively eyes the only part of her visible, darting around. By chance, she spotted the man who had hit her stall that day—Liang Xiaoyuan!
"That bastard!" Shen Tong's entire body trembled with anger. The thought of her losses pained her deeply.
It just so happened that the bastard was walking towards her direction. Seeing that the bastard was walking over with a group of people, and considering that only her eyes were exposed in the costume, she thought, "If not now, when?" Seizing the moment, Shen Tong bravely dashed forward and caught Liang Xiaoyuan off guard!
As she stomped on Liang Xiaoyuan's polished shoe, the adorable cartoon character also threw a handful of flyers at his head. Although it didn't hurt, it was definitely baffling. Liang Xiaoyuan's friends laughed hysterically on the side, and even with his good temper, he was getting angry.
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, the cartoon character ran away as far as possible before Liang Xiaoyuan could react.
"Yuan, what's going on? Do you know that cartoon character? It looks so cute, why would it attack you?"
Liang Xiaoyuan was speechless, feeling unlucky. He thought hard but couldn't remember offending anyone. After a while, he recalled the girl he had encountered a few days ago, but the thought quickly faded as his friends pulled him away.
Shen Tong stood around the corner, taking a deep breath. But soon, she froze. What was she afraid of? He was the one who owed her money, so why was she hiding?
Thinking of this, Shen Tong immediately returned to her original spot. However, by then, Liang Xiaoyuan had already disappeared. She continued handing out flyers until the end of her shift a few hours later.
Shen Tong returned to the fast-food restaurant, took off the costume, tidied it up, and returned it to the manager. The manager cheerfully paid her and said, "Girl, you did a great job!"
Shen Tong was a bit embarrassed by the praise, but she had always been thick-skinned. After accepting her wages, she asked, "Boss, did you give me extra money?"
"You should work here part-time regularly from now on. You're diligent, and you deserve this money." The manager looked at Shen Tong approvingly.
"Thank you, boss. I'll take my leave now, see you tomorrow!" Shen Tong said with a cheerful smile, bidding the manager goodbye. No matter where she worked, Shen Tong always did her best.
Her next stop was the Chinese restaurant, and that's how Shen Tong spent the next two months.
It was also Shen Tong's first day at the Chinese restaurant. The original waitress had taken a few months off, and Shen Tong had luckily found this temporary job. Her uniform was a qipao, a traditional Chinese dress, which made her look even more elegant after she changed into it.
This Chinese restaurant was known for its authentic Chinese cuisine, so it was very popular. It was said to have branches in many cities across the UK. Although the place wasn't large, both the decor and the dishes were exquisite. At this moment, Shen Tong was holding a tray, drooling at the sight of the delicious dishes.
"Sir, excuse me, here is your food."
Shen Tong served the dishes and then gracefully turned away. When she returned to the kitchen, she inadvertently saw the manager talking to a young man. Coincidentally, she knew this person. Just as she was about to slip out, the young man called out to her.
"Shen Tong!"
The young man was a handsome Chinese-English mixed-race guy. He could speak a little Chinese and was a college mate of Shen Tong's. Since meeting Shen Tong, he had been trying various ways to get to know her better. However, Shen Tong had no interest whatsoever in this guy named George.
"George, you're here too." Shen Tong's statement was not a question; she assumed this person had followed her here.
George smiled awkwardly, "Shen Tong, my mom owns this chain of restaurants. I..."
"Sorry, I overthought." Shen Tong stood there with the tray, unsure whether to stay or leave. She didn't want to deal with George, but he was the owner's son, and she didn't want to lose her job because of him.
"No, you didn't overthink, Tong, I..." George shook his head, feeling too emotional to continue as he gazed at Shen Tong's delicate face.
Shen Tong interrupted him with a cheerful smile, "I'm at work now, and if I don't work hard, I might get fired. You understand, right?"
"Well..." George certainly wanted to talk more with Shen Tong, but seeing the look of expectation in her eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse, "Then I'll wait for you to finish work?"
"I'll get back to work then." Shen Tong neither confirmed nor denied, quickly finding something to do.
As soon as her shift ended, Shen Tong changed her clothes and slipped out the back door. No way did she want to meet George. She had no feelings for him and didn't want to waste any time on this.
"Ring ring..."
Shen Tong's phone rang, showing the contact 'Sister Xiaoxi'. She quickly answered, "Hello, Sister Xiaoxi, what's up?"
"Tongtong, when are you coming back to China? I miss you so much!"
Fang Xiaoxi was Shen Tong's older cousin, and they had grown up together. Shen Tong smiled and said, "Something happened. I'll be back in two months."
"Ah, that's so long! Let me know in advance when you're coming back so I can pick you up," Fang Xiaoxi said a bit disappointedly.
"You sound like you're not in a good mood, what's wrong?" Shen Tong asked. She knew Fang Xiaoxi too well.
"It's the celebrity I'm working for. She's so difficult! Today she asked me to buy her a limited edition dress that's not available in China. Only some big-name celebrities abroad have worn it. Can you imagine..." Fang Xiaoxi began to vent continuously to Shen Tong.
But Shen Tong barely heard the rest of the rant. She was too busy feeling sorry for her phone bill...