Chapter 15

There was actually another matter Qi Baizi wanted to ask her uncle about today. However, the atmosphere at the dinner table was oppressive, and she held it in until after the meal, planning to find a chance to speak while washing dishes with him.

Her uncle, Qi Hai, was still very down, lost in the gloom of the report his daughter had brought back. His wife, Wu Yanfang, had toiled with him through most of their lives, and now that she was seriously ill, he couldn’t even afford her treatment. Why was life so hard? He glanced at his niece, who was squatting on the floor squeezing out dish soap, and felt another wave of sorrow. Qi Baizi had grown up with their family and had never enjoyed a good life…

Although she wasn’t his sister Qi Yue’s biological child, they had treated her as their own since she was little. Yet, they had let her suffer financially. Qi Hai couldn’t help but think that if he had gone against Qi Yue’s wishes back then and sent her to an orphanage, perhaps her life would be much easier now…

After washing a stack of dishes, Qi Baizi stood up and saw her uncle washing fruit. She was about to take over, but her uncle blocked the sink and said in a low voice, “Go rest for a bit.”

Qi Baizi acknowledged him and then stood by the side without moving. Qi Hai sensed something, turned to look at her, and asked, “You have something to say?”

Qi Baizi was silent for a moment, then turned back to close the kitchen door.

“What is it?” Qi Hai forced a laugh at the sight. “So serious?”

Qi Baizi considered her words for a moment before speaking. “Uncle… do you know my biological parents?”

Qi Hai’s hand trembled at her words, and the fruit scattered all over the sink. He rubbed his nose, coughed dryly, and asked, “Xiao Bai, what do you mean by that?”

Qi Baizi stared at the pile of fruit, then slowly shifted her gaze to Qi Hai’s face.

“Uncle, I found out much earlier than you think. Just tell me the truth about my question.”

Her overly calm tone made Qi Hai even more nervous, but her expression was as gentle as her voice. After a moment’s thought, Qi Hai felt that what she said might be true. He turned off the faucet and let out a heavy sigh. “Xiao Bai, some things are better left unknown. I promised your mother I wouldn’t tell…”

“But I already know,” Qi Baizi said seriously. “I’ve known for a long, long time.”

Qi Hai was frustrated. “Then why didn’t you ask before?”

“…I didn’t want to upset Mom, and I didn’t want to make things difficult for you all.” Qi Baizi lowered her eyes. “Now that Mom is gone, I… I’m just curious. I don’t mean anything else by it.”

She was still wearing her slightly loose professional attire, her ear-length hair partially obscuring her face, making her expression unreadable. Qi Hai looked at his niece before him and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. She was still just a child, yet she had to carry the worries of an adult. Then he thought of Qi Wu… seemingly spoiled, yet also very deep and often full of worries. In Qi Hai’s eyes, the two girls were the same; he had raised them both as his own daughters, yet one distressing thing happened after another.

With a long sigh, Qi Hai squatted down against the wall. Qi Baizi silently squatted down beside him.

Qi Hai said, “I’ve never met your biological mother, the person who abandoned you. I’ve only heard about her, never seen her.”

“Your mother was away from home for many years and then suddenly returned with a baby. We were all shocked.”

“At first, I was strongly against it. Your mother wasn’t married yet, and taking you in would ruin her life… But she refused to send you away, no matter what. Gradually, I came to accept it.”

“But Uncle wants to tell you, all these years, to us, you are our biological child.”

Qi Baizi was silent for a moment, then asked Qi Hai, “Am I related to you by blood?”

Qi Hai was taken aback, perhaps not expecting her to ask such a question.

Qi Baizi said, “I look a lot like Mom.”

Qi Hai clenched his fists and reluctantly nodded.

“I was born from another woman’s womb, but I am indeed Mom’s child.”

Qi Baizi repeated this, stood up, and patted her pants. “Thank you, Uncle.”

Before she left, Qi Hai called out to her and handed her a piece of paper. Opening it, she saw it was the adoption certificate she had seen many years ago.

Qi Hai hesitated, at a loss for words. Qi Baizi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t go looking for that person, and I’m not curious about who she is.”

“My surname is Qi. I am Mom’s child.”

With that, she strode toward the alley. Qi Wu, who was hastily changing her shoes nearby, quickly chased after her. Qi Baizi hadn’t gone far before Qi Wu caught up. They walked side by side in silence. After leaving the alley, they finally saw some light. Qi Wu called out to her cousin, “What did you say to my dad?”

Qi Baizi’s mood was neutral. She explained patiently, “It was about my own affairs.”

“You didn’t say I don’t want to study…”

“No.” Under the dim, old streetlight, Qi Baizi stood with her hands in her pockets, looking nonchalant. “I left a new phone on Auntie’s bedside table. It’s for you. Use it sparingly.”

Qi Wu paused, biting her lip in silence.

Qi Baizi said, “Discuss the moving and hospitalization with Uncle first. If you need help, just let me know. I’ll give you the money then, and you can say you earned it from working.”

Qi Wu asked, “Why?”

“No reason.” Qi Baizi didn’t want to explain. She looked at her and said earnestly, word by word, “Study hard. Don’t make Auntie worry.”

***

Qi Baizi was broke. She had only been working for a week, and it was still a long time until payday. Last night, after returning to her small rental apartment from her uncle’s house, she had carefully calculated her remaining funds. It was enough to sustain her on instant noodles for a few days, but her credit card payment was due in two weeks. Today was Saturday; she couldn’t just sit and wait. She decided to get up early and try her luck at the shop where she used to work part-time.

After tidying up, she changed into a gray and white casual outfit. She had washed and put away the professional attire and the outfit Gu Yuetong had given her. She pulled the adoption certificate out of her pocket; she had left it on the table last night. Now that she was heading out, she saw it while grabbing her keys and decided to fold it up and put it away.

This was the legal bond between her and her mother; otherwise, even with a blood relationship, it would be hard to prove. Qi Baizi opened the drawer where she kept important documents and took out a file folder. Inside were her resume, contracts, and similar items. She carefully placed the adoption certificate along the edge. As she was closing the folder, she caught a glimpse of the outsourcing contract she had signed before, tucked in a sleeve.

Qi Baizi thought for a moment, took out the contract, and looked it over. Suddenly, she saw an “unequal clause” in very small print: If Party B leaves their post or terminates the contract without authorization, they must compensate Party A with 600,000 yuan.

Qi Baizi was stunned. She quickly took out her phone and called Han Zhiyu. Han Zhiyu had handled the contract matters, so she would definitely know about this termination penalty clause. The termination process was still ongoing. What if the outsourcing company came after her for the money?

Being woken up early on a Saturday morning made Han Zhiyu a bit grumpy. Her tone was sharp. “What is it?”

After hearing Qi Baizi’s explanation, Han Zhiyu just said a dismissive “oh.”

“What does any of this have to do with you?”

Qi Baizi said, “I’m Party B!”

“To the outsourcing company, Gu Yuetong is Party A, understand?”

Qi Baizi was speechless… that was true. “So I don’t have to pay the money?”

“In your dreams,” Han Zhiyu yawned, her voice lazy. “You just don’t have to pay it.”

“…Is it President Gu?” Qi Baizi frowned. “Isn’t that… not good?”

Han Zhiyu was impatient. “Anyway, it has nothing to do with you.” With that, she hung up.

Qi Baizi sat on the edge of her bed, clutching the contract, feeling a mix of relief and unease. She was relieved that she didn’t have to pay the money, but uneasy that Gu Yuetong was paying it for her. Gu Yuetong had been tolerant enough with her already. Qi Baizi had nothing to her name; she didn’t even know how to repay her.

Traffic in Jingzhou was always a problem. After more than ten subway stops and a bus transfer, it was already past ten o’clock. Qi Baizi arrived at the fried chicken shop where she used to work part-time. The shop owner seemed to be waiting for her, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. “Great! Quick, quick, there’s some kind of calligraphy competition on the first floor of the mall today. A lot of people bought tickets to join the fun, and I’m swamped.” As he spoke, he was already tying an apron around her.

Qi Baizi skillfully heated the oil, coated the chicken pieces in flour, fried the meat until cooked, scooped it out, and then double-fried it, all in an orderly fashion. She had gone through this process many times. At first, she would get burned by splattering oil, leaving blisters on the back of her hands. But after mastering the heat control, it rarely happened anymore.

Some customers were in a hurry and urged her on, but Qi Baizi patiently soothed them while speeding up her work. However, the current customer was a bit difficult, roaring sharply several times. Qi Baizi had to look up at her, and she almost dropped the chicken leg in her hand. It was the woman she had seen at the airport on the day she returned to Jingzhou, the one who had been coldly rebuffed by Gu Yuetong.

Qi Baizi didn’t know she was Wang Lin, Gu Yuetong’s ex-girlfriend, and Wang Lin didn’t recognize the fully-masked and hatted fried chicken shop employee as Gu Yuetong’s junior assistant. But Qi Baizi had a deep impression of her—that curly hair and tall figure.

Noticing she was being stared at, Wang Lin turned back and shouted again, “Oh! What are you looking at?”

Qi Baizi quickly lowered her head. “Sorry.” Then she packed a portion of fried chicken and handed it to Wang Lin through the window. “Your crispy chicken pieces.”

Wang Lin glared at her, then turned and walked away.

The store manager leaned in. “You were staring just now. Do you know this customer?”

Qi Baizi shook her head. “I just saw she was in a big hurry and wanted to see what she looked like.”

The store manager smiled. “Well, she’s a great beauty. It’s normal for her to be a bit flamboyant.”

Qi Baizi didn’t say anything and continued with her work. At noon, another employee came to take over her shift. The store manager and Qi Baizi helped each other take off their aprons. The manager asked, “There’s a calligraphy competition downstairs. Want to go see?”

Qi Baizi didn’t want to run into Wang Lin and was about to refuse, but the manager handed her a bottle of fruit juice. “Come on, come on, come join the fun with me.”

The store manager was a lively woman from out of town, not much older than Qi Baizi. Besides fried chicken, her main hobby was following celebrities, and she especially loved a good spectacle. A calligraphy competition sounded like a game for kids. But Qi Baizi was currently the only ‘idle person’ in the shop, and she couldn’t refuse the manager, so she went downstairs with her.

However, they didn’t go directly to the first-floor venue. They leaned against the glass railing on the second floor to watch from above, which offered a better view. Qi Baizi wasn’t very interested and was a bit distracted. The smell of fried chicken on her was very greasy, making her want to take a shower on the spot.

Just then, the manager next to her, along with the audience below, let out a collective “Wow~”

Qi Baizi looked up and saw a familiar figure on the competition stage—Gu Yuetong.