Chapter 15: Rou Rou Loses Her Job

“From now on, you’ll sleep in this room.”

Gong Nanxue chose a secondary bedroom farthest from her master bedroom.

“All right!”

The girl didn’t object at all; her eyes were still bright, and the smile on her fair little face was radiant.

“Do you need my help?”

“No, no.”

The girl waved her hands repeatedly in refusal. “I can handle such a small thing by myself.”

“Then I’m off. I have things to do tonight.”

Gong Nanxue glanced at the time, then turned and went back to her room to change into her racing suit.

Last night’s thrilling race had left her somewhat reluctant to stop, and she planned to go again tonight.

This time, it had to be at a proper race track.

Even though there were few cars on the suburban roads, it wasn’t safe enough.

Luckily, A City had a newly built professional racing circuit.

“Finally done unpacking.”

The bed.

Bai Rourou sat on the neatly made bed, tiredly wiping the fine sweat from her forehead and neck.

She didn’t dare lie down right away, afraid of dirtying the fresh sheets.

“My money’s almost drained.”

Bai Rourou checked the balance on her phone and, feeling heartache, transferred two thousand yuan to Gong Nanxue as rent.

“Time for a shower. I’m so tired.”

Bai Rourou felt a bit dizzy and unwell, so she took out her underwear and went to take a hot shower.

But even after washing, she still felt uncomfortable.

She lay down on the bed in a daze and gradually fell asleep.

That sleep felt like sinking into an endless, hallucinatory abyss.

The scenes shifted wildly, sometimes huge, sometimes tiny.

The earth-shattering visions made her feel extremely unwell.

“Ugh, I think I have a fever.”

In the middle of the night, Bai Rourou woke up groggily and realized this.

She reached out and touched her burning forehead.

“It must be the cold water that Cai Jinger splashed on me.”

Her head throbbed sharply as she sat up halfway in a daze.

“I have to go to the hospital!”

She stumbled out of bed, wanting to find someone to help her get to the hospital, but when she checked her pitifully small contact list, she couldn’t find anyone suitable.

She couldn’t bother the counselor or Gong Nanxue in the middle of the night, could she?

“I can manage on my own!”

She ordered a ride to the hospital through her phone while pulling out clothes to put on.

“I really feel awful… a bit nauseous.”

Enduring the discomfort, Bai Rourou stepped out and got into the ride-hailing car.

Fortunately, since the university town was nearby, the hospital wasn’t far.

Once there, she immediately went to the emergency room.

After seeing the doctor, Bai Rourou finally couldn’t hold on anymore and fainted with her eyes closed.

“Doctor, come quick! There’s a young girl who just collapsed!”

“Ouch, the fever’s so high, how hot is she!”

The muffled voices echoed in her ears before fading away completely.

When Bai Rourou woke again, she already felt much better.

“I’m already in a hospital bed.”

Looking around, she saw she was still in the same clothes—a soft skirt reaching her ankles. An IV drip was attached to the back of her hand.

The entire ward was empty except for her.

Well, in the scorching summer, this hospital wasn’t a top-tier facility and didn’t have many patients.

She pressed the call button beside the bed and soon a nurse appeared.

“Hello, am I almost recovered?”

The nurse glanced at the girl’s frail figure and softened her tone instinctively.

“You’re too weak and had a high fever. It’s just starting to come down now.”

“You’d better stay hospitalized for a few days to recuperate.”

As she spoke, the nurse adjusted the IV drip’s flow.

“Where are your family or friends? Why did you come alone and then faint?”

Bai Rourou pursed her lips but didn’t answer. Instead, she changed the subject: “Can I leave after the IV is finished?”

“Uh… it’s better not to. Plus, you still have three more bottles of medicine.”

The nurse looked carefully at the girl’s worn clothing—something rare among young people these days.

“Then I’ll leave. Cancel the medicine I haven’t received yet.”

Bai Rourou shook her head. Hospitalization was expensive, and she dared not stay longer than necessary.

It was just a cold and fever, nothing serious.

She felt that aside from being a bit weak, she was otherwise fine.

“All right then.”

The hospital couldn’t refuse a patient’s wish to leave.

After the remaining IV drip finished, Bai Rourou paid the fees and left.

Outside, she naturally had to eat first.

“This hospitalization cost a few hundred yuan again.”

Looking at the bowl of mixed noodles in front of her, Bai Rourou sighed softly, stirred it carefully, and put a bite in her mouth.

“So good. After smelling disinfectant, food somehow tastes better.”

“Since Sister Wu gave me a sick note, I might as well hurry to the tutoring center and take some classes to earn more money.”

Perhaps because of the medicine’s painkillers, Bai Rourou felt unusually spirited now, and her lower abdomen wasn’t hurting much.

With her appetite wide open, she ate a bowl of mixed noodles, a basket of soup dumplings, and a bowl of soy milk—probably the most she had eaten in a long time.

Full and happy, Bai Rourou took a taxi to the tutoring center.

“I need to buy an electric bike. Taking taxis all the time is quite an expense,” she thought.

The distance wasn’t far, and she arrived quickly.

But upon arriving at the tutoring center, Bai Rourou was hit with a bolt from the blue!

“Sorry, you’re fired.”

“Why?!”

Bai Rourou was incredulous. Just recently, they had praised her outstanding abilities and impressive performance.

Many students signed up because of her.

How could they suddenly fire her?

“The severance pay and this month’s salary will be transferred to your card as per regulations.”

After saying this seriously, the HR seemed a bit reluctant and secretly pulled Bai Rourou aside to whisper, “It was a direct order from our boss. I don’t know the details.”

Just like that, Bai Rourou lost her job after only a little over a month.

And she was dismissed despite her excellent performance.

“After working just over a month, how much severance pay can there be?”

Bai Rourou stood on the street below the company, staring blankly at the bustling traffic.

“I need to find another job.”

But she had no skills at all, and more importantly, she didn’t understand how she had offended the boss.

So Bai Rourou tentatively began applying to other tutoring centers in A City.

The results didn’t need saying—she heard nothing back.

More than half of the interviews went well; it seemed like she would sign a contract the next moment, but after leaving, the calls stopped.

When she called to ask, the answer was always rejection.

A unanimous refusal with no room for negotiation.

This unusual outcome made Bai Rourou realize someone was definitely interfering.

“Cai Jinger? Does she have that much power?”