Chapter 9
The waiter was stubborn and said to me, "Sorry, Miss, we are a professional seafood restaurant."
"Could you please," Cheng Jiayang spoke to the waiter, "eggplants, potatoes, how can the restaurant not have them? Please talk to the chef."
The girl's face blushed, and she happily went off.
I found it really exaggerated. Being so obviously infatuated was really unprofessional. Like me, even if I wanted to look at Cheng Jiayang, I would only sneak a peek while talking or picking up dishes.
This person, after working all morning, wasn't hungry, ate little, drank not much, and listened to us talk quietly, as if lost in thought. Was he trying to be an immortal? No wonder he was so thin.
Sensing that I was sizing him up, Cheng Jiayang suddenly turned his head, looked at me, and said, "I think you react quite quickly."
"Do I? Thank you."
"Would you consider being a translator in the future?"
"I hadn't planned on it, but seeing your performance today, I will think about it." I pointed to the envelope on the table that contained his translation fee. "Brother, is the income good?"
Everyone was curious about that question.
Everyone watched as Cheng Jiayang opened the envelope, took out the RMB, and like the French, counted them one by one on the table, "Two hours, four thousand yuan."
"Ooh la la," I said, to the other classmates, "Let's all work hard."
They nodded vigorously.
Under the allure of money and the stimulation of male charms, I resolved from that moment to become a professional translator. It was a prestigious and glamorous profession.
Of course, ideals are ideals; one must not neglect reality.
The reality was, in my second year of college, I was still facing the pressure of living, with a huge amount of fees to pay to maintain the elite education I was receiving. And the simplest way to solve this was just as I was doing now.
It was another weekend, and I was at "Allure." Luck wasn't too good, as no one was looking for me today. Bored, I yawned and covered my mouth, and Headmaster Julia caught sight of me and pointed, asking, "Feifei, do you have a man now?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Your eyes are dark, and you always look sleepy. I think it's from doing that too much, you look hideous now."
Yeah, I have to study, I need to memorize words, but that was an unspeakable reason. I shook my head and said, "I stayed up too late playing video games last night." Then I yelled, "I'm still a virgin."
"You have to work tonight and still stay up late playing games, you have no professionalism." Sister Julia's eyes spun as she sized me up, "A virgin?" She fiddled with my eyebrows, looked at my legs, and based on her professional experience concluded I was not lying, giggled and said, "A twenty-year-old old virgin, a rare species." Then she sashayed away.
At midnight, I was called to a private room, to drink, sing, tell jokes, and skillfully dodge the guests' forceful hands. That night was surprisingly tiring. I finally excused myself to the restroom for a little break, and in the mirror, I really did look awful: dull complexion, dark circles under my eyes, lips swollen from the strong alcohol.
"Smile," I said to myself. "Smile."
Gradually, a smile appeared on my face, then it got bigger, and I began to laugh out loud. It was an old trick, forcing oneself to smile when depressed, a smiling face was always better than a mournful one.
Can't mess with tips.
Coming out of the restroom, I leaned on the wall and walked back. On one side of the corridor, I saw a familiar figure. A man, looking terribly drunk, was sitting on the floor smoking, one of those thin, odd cigarettes, his black hair covering half of his pale, thin face.
(End of Chapter)
This book is first published by Xiaoxiang Academy, please do not reprint!