Qi didn’t feel like getting involved in a pointless argument.
She didn’t care why that store clerk had shown her malice the moment they met.
Actually, she didn’t dislike people like that.
Because the other party didn’t bother hiding her hostility at all—it was like she was wearing a big sign on her head that said “Please stay away from me.”
It was actually quite convenient.
As long as Qi ignored her, that was enough.
There weren’t many customers today.
Qi followed Liu Linlin and seriously learned from her.
This was the first time she realized that washing long hair had so many details.
After turning into a girl, she still cleaned her own long, straight black hair the same way as before: wet it, lather, rinse, and dry.
It just took a little longer and made her neck a bit sore, but otherwise there wasn’t much difference.
After helping a female customer finish washing her hair, Liu Linlin pulled Qi aside to rest.
At that moment, the proprietress walked into the shampoo area with a male customer.
The clerk who had mocked Qi earlier suddenly stepped forward to greet them.
She had clearly been slacking off the whole time.
All the previous customers had been handled by Liu Linlin and another clerk.
Why was she suddenly so eager now?
“She’s just slacking off. There aren’t many male customers in our shop, so she only takes the ones with short hair!”
Sensing the black-haired girl’s confusion, Liu Linlin grumbled in dissatisfaction.
“After all, if she keeps refusing to work, she’ll get fired.”
So that’s how it is.
Qi nodded in understanding.
This job took a long time, but most of the time it was quite relaxed.
The tasks she needed to do were varied—running errands, buying things, or cleaning the shop.
Time passed little by little amid these small chores.
One o’clock in the morning—closing time.
This was the first time Qi had stayed up so late.
She discovered that this body really couldn’t handle staying up all night.
The black-haired girl yawned as she forced herself to stay awake on the way back to school.
The city had also fallen asleep by now.
There were very few people on the streets, but all the lights were still on.
Standing by the roadside, Qi looked at her phone.
There was a message from her roommate.
ovo: Qiqi, why haven’t you come back yet?
Qi: I just got off work. I’ll be back soon.
ovo: Let me come pick you up! It’s so late. What if you run into a bad person?
ovo: Qiqi, you’re so cute. There must be tons of people with bad intentions toward you!
Looking at Su Xiaoqie’s concerned words, the corners of Qi’s mouth lifted slightly.
She was just about to reply when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Ah!”
Even Qi was startled.
Her sleepy brain instantly woke up.
She quickly turned her head and saw that it was Jiang Wanli.
“You… why are you here?”
The black-haired girl, whose nerves had tightened, asked instinctively.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? Why are you still outside so late? What if something happens?”
Jiang Wanli frowned and asked back.
Meeting Jiang Wanli at a time like this—Qi didn’t know if it was good or bad.
But at least it was someone she knew, so her tense mood gradually eased.
“I just got off work. I didn’t expect to run into Sister Xiaoli and got startled.”
The black-haired girl patted her own chest.
“Off work? What kind of job keeps you busy until this hour?”
“Well… that’s a bit of my private matter. Sister Xiaoli, please don’t ask.”
Qi avoided the question.
“So why is Sister Xiaoli here?”
“I was handling something nearby and happened to see you, so I came over to check.”
Jiang Wanli explained.
“It’s dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night. Since we’ve met, let’s go back together.”
“Mm, okay…”
Qi had no reason to refuse.
There was no need for her to act tough and go back alone, and this way Su Xiaoqie wouldn’t have to come out either.
But while walking with Jiang Wanli, Qi unconsciously started feeling sleepy again.
Her head kept nodding as she walked.
This scene was noticed by Jiang Wanli beside her.
After returning to the dorm, Qi took a shower.
With her roommate’s help drying her hair, it was almost three o’clock by the time she finished.
This was the first time she had stayed up so late.
She lay down on the bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next day was Saturday.
The black-haired girl was woken by her alarm at eight o’clock.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes.
The aftereffects of staying up late had already shown themselves.
This was the first time she felt this tired when getting out of bed.
Sure enough, she really wasn’t the type who could stay up late.
Qi dragged her soft, limp body out of bed.
The hair salon job was a big hit to her mental state, but fortunately she wouldn’t be working here for long.
Following the proprietress’s arrangement, she arrived at the salon at nine in the morning.
Seeing that Qi wasn’t late, the slightly plump woman nodded in satisfaction.
Today, however, she wasn’t sent to the shampoo area.
Instead, she was told to stay near the front desk by the entrance.
No explanation was given for what she was supposed to do—just stay there.
Qi felt a little lost.
Was she really being treated as a mascot?
Since she didn’t have to work, she was happy to relax.
She sat on a small chair and dozed off with her eyes closed.
But it didn’t take long for her phone to vibrate and wake her up.
Qi took it out and saw that it was a call from Bai Qiaoyu.
They had exchanged contact information earlier with Lin Yue’s help.
The black-haired girl glanced at the proprietress beside her.
After getting approval, she picked up the phone and went to a corner to answer.
“You don’t have class today, right? I’ll take you out to have fun.”
The familiar voice came from the other end.
“Sorry, CEO Sister. I’m at work right now, so I don’t have time to accompany you.”
Qi responded calmly.
“Work? Where? What kind of job?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Anyway, I’m working hard to pay you back.”
Qi wanted to judge Bai Qiaoyu’s attitude toward her working from her tone, but unfortunately the other party didn’t show much emotional fluctuation.
“Working is very tiring. I just hope Qiqi can be more relaxed and happy. Even if you don’t pay back my money, it’s fine.”
Even if you don’t pay it back—yeah, right.
The contract was still signed.
Qi wasn’t naive enough to actually believe those words.
The debtor is the boss—this saying only applied to ordinary people who didn’t have the energy to chase small debts.
For someone like Bai Qiaoyu, holding the debt was like holding leverage.
Qi would always be at a disadvantage.
“Let’s keep things separate, CEO Sister. I don’t like the feeling of always owing someone. As long as that one hundred and fifty thousand yuan is still there, I have to pay it back.”
“It’s very simple. Become my girlfriend, and that one hundred and fifty thousand yuan will be considered paid off.”
“I’m really sorry, but I prefer relationships that develop slowly. If it’s too direct, my little heart won’t be able to handle it.”
Qi smiled lightly and refused.
“Alright, I still have things to do, so I won’t chat with you anymore, CEO Sister. Bye~”
Without waiting for a reply, the black-haired girl hung up the phone directly.
She had noticed it before—even though Qi had already seen through Bai Qiaoyu’s earlier methods, the other party still preferred to maintain an image of being gentle, kind, and well-educated.
Maybe it was just her personality.
This also gave Qi room to maneuver around her.
Using work as an excuse to avoid spending time with her was perfectly reasonable.
After all, working to repay a debt was only natural.
The hair salon job took quite a bit of time, but it perfectly matched Qi’s needs.
It left her with almost no time to do anything else.
So, what would Bai Qiaoyu do next?