Chapter 18: Dispute

February 3rd, early spring chill

The alarm on my phone went off at the time I’d set for leaving, just as I was standing in the dingy bathroom of our rental flat, checking the creases of my suit one last time in the mirror.

As my fingers ran over the unnaturally smooth long hair, this unfamiliar body reminded me in every tiny detail that it was only the third day since I’d become a girl.

I stared at my outfit for a while, and only after making sure it was spotless did I loosely tie up the hanging strands of hair.

Since I’d become a girl halfway through life, there were lots of things I was still clueless about, especially when it came to tying up hair.

Even though I’d spent a good chunk of time trying, the end result still wasn’t great.

Stray strands kept slipping out from god-knows-where.

“This should… be fine now?”

I muttered to myself at the mirror, but a lock of hair immediately slipped down from behind my ear again.

After failing repeatedly, I had to admit, there was still a lot I had to learn.

When I used to be a guy, I could fix my short hair with just a few quick brushes. But now, every single strand seemed to resist my control.

With no other choice, I ended up tying my hair loosely at the back of my head, exposing the soft new fuzz at the nape of my neck.

Looks like I really do need a hair clip.

I’ll grab one from the corner shop downstairs after work.

Why bother fixing my appearance when I hate Yan Dong so much? It’s simple.

If I take on a job, I should do it properly.

That doesn’t conflict with hating him.

As usual, I rode the subway forever to get to Yan Dong’s place.

Honestly, just stepping through his door took every ounce of courage I had.

Straightening my outfit, I instinctively reached out to press the fingerprint lock.

“Good morning, Miss Lin. The current time is 7:47:15. Clock-in successful. Have a nice day at work.”

The familiar electronic female voice chimed at the same time the door unlocked. I pushed open the black steel security door.

The empty living room stretched all the way to the far wall, still looking just like it had the night I left two evenings ago, only a little messier.

The PS5 and its controllers were scattered randomly on the floor, completely untouched.

“Miss Lin, the room temperature has been adjusted to 25 degrees for your comfort.”

The smart assistant’s gentle voice stirred the tabby curled up on the windowsill.

It twitched its pale-gradient tail tips and padded over to my feet, curling its tail around the hem of my suit pants.

Mao Mao was a stray cat Yan Dong picked up a month ago.

The poor thing had been curled up in a cardboard box, shivering from the cold, and still showed hostility toward strangers who tried to approach it.

Ironically, this skittish little cat had since become far better at pleasing people than its owner.

“Mao Mao, you’re so cute~”

After changing into indoor slippers, I glanced at the still-closed bedroom door.

Then I tiptoed to the middle of the living room and placed the game console back where it belonged.

I bent down to pick up an empty Coke can that had rolled under the coffee table, and saw that one of the reference books left there had an ugly cola stain on it.

Yan Dong would never learn to keep snacks and textbooks separate, just like he’d never learn the difference between respect and condescension.

Once the living room was tidied up, I turned toward the kitchen to start preparing breakfast for Yan Dong.

As he requested the day before yesterday, today’s breakfast was youtiao, doufunao, and soup dumplings.

Obviously, there was no way I’d make any of that from scratch now.

These were all bought from the breakfast shop down the block.

All I was doing in the kitchen now was reheating them and plating them nicely.

Before I met Yan Dong, I honestly thought people like him had caviar for breakfast like it was rice, or gargled with bird’s nest soup.

Staring at the food heating up in the microwave, I let out a soft yawn, still a little sleepy, then I heard the sound of the bedroom door opening.

Wearing baggy pajamas, Yan Dong shuffled out, rubbing his messy hair as he headed toward the bathroom.

Meanwhile, after setting his breakfast on the table, I started getting ready to clean up his bedroom.

Given everything that happened from yesterday afternoon into the night, most people would probably have felt at least a little awkward when seeing each other again.

But unfortunately, Yan Dong and I weren’t even acquaintances, hell, we didn’t even count as regular people to each other.

So of course, our first words of the day came in the form of Yan Dong’s familiar complaint from the dining table.

“Hey Lin, if you even think about sweeping the floor while I’m eating, you’re dead.”

“Relax. I’m just tidying up the young master’s pigsty of a bedroom. It won’t interfere with your noble meal.”

I replied flatly while pulling open the blackout curtain.

The sudden sunlight cut through the messy room, hoodies piled on the gaming chair, Gaokao Must-Do Questions scattered at the foot of the bed, and snacks strewn around without a care.

I didn’t even know where to start.

The desk by the window was no better, books and scratch paper thrown around haphazardly.

I honestly had no idea how he managed to wreck the room I’d just cleaned the day before in less than twenty-four hours.

Anyway, after spending half my energy sorting everything into place, the guy finally finished eating and walked back into the bedroom.

“Hey Lin, I’m changing.”

“Okay? And?”

“So why are you still here? You planning to watch me change?”

As much as I wanted to snap back, he was my employer, and mouthing off would get me nowhere.

So I just rolled my eyes and walked out of the room without a word.

But just as we brushed past each other at the doorway, Yan Dong suddenly called out to me.

“Where’s that hair clip I bought you yesterday?”

His voice was like a blade dipped in ice water, and the scent of cedar from his cologne slashed across the back of my neck like a scalpel.

I stopped in my tracks, lifted my head, and met his cold, hostile gaze.

My nails dug deep into my palm, but my tone stayed even: “Pardon me, Young Master, but I should point out two things wrong with that sentence. First, the hair clip was bought with my salary. Second, whether I wear my stuff or not, how is that any of your business?”

Our cold stares locked like drawn swords, unmoving for a long time.

Even the ticking of the study’s wall clock echoed loudly in the silence, until he let out a low, extremely displeased laugh.

“Knew it. People like me just can’t get along with gloomy, uptight robots like you.”

Funny. I thought the exact same thing.

Of course, I still had enough self-restraint not to say that out loud for the sake of my paycheck.

My face unchanged, I gave him a slight bow.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go wash the dishes.”

After that, we each went about our business. Neither of us spoke again, not even on the drive to the hospital.

Rush hour had turned the ring road into a dark red artery of gridlock. In the rearview mirror, Yan Dong rested his chin on his hand, staring out the window.

The flashing blue light of his Bluetooth earpiece looked like shackles clamped to his ear.

Judging by his expression, he seemed to be in a really foul mood.

Meanwhile, I kept an eye on the bouncing ETA on the GPS.

That’s when I realized, this was probably the first time we’d shared total silence in an enclosed space.

Usually, he’d fill every inch of air with game sound effects and blaring short videos.

After parking the car, Yan Dong and I walked into the dental hospital one after the other.

The moment we stepped into the outpatient hall, he immediately gave up on life, plopping down in a random seat and burying himself in his phone, while I ran all over the place handling his payments and queues.

The smell of disinfectant stung my nose.

My reflection darted between the registration machines, examination rooms, and payment windows, looking like some laughable background character in a silent film.

Even the pharmacist at the pickup window looked at me with sympathy and slipped in two extra painkillers.

“Poor girl, running around all by yourself.”

“It’s fine, sis. I’m used to that ungrateful brat.”

“Huh?”

After running around for over ten minutes, I finally returned to where Yan Dong was sitting.

For some reason, he actually looked like he was in a better mood.

I couldn’t figure out why, maybe he was just so numb that his bad moods dissolved on their own.

Honestly, though, whether his expression was gloomy or cheerful, it was annoying either way.

“We’ll do the dental x-ray first, then head to the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic on the third floor and wait for the number to be called. Then it’s time to pull the tooth.”

“Got it.”

He nodded and followed me to the x-ray room on the first floor.

After the scan, we went straight to the third floor.

Just a few steps along the signs led us to the waiting area.

I checked him in with the QR code, and then we waited.

At this point, my part was basically done.

I sat down a seat away from him and pulled out my phone to review the physics slides I hadn’t finished yesterday.

“You really like studying, huh? Even doing PPTs in a place like this.”

Maybe he was bored waiting, because Yan Dong actually took the initiative to talk to me.

But I’d rather focus on the slideshow in front of me than waste time chatting with him, so without even looking up, I casually replied, “It’s fine.”

“Don’t get it. You’re already in college, what’s the point of working this hard?”

“The point is, if I score well, I get a scholarship.”

“What? Just for that?”

His tone was genuinely surprised, like he hadn’t expected that answer.

I could guess what he’d been thinking, probably figured I’d say something noble and ambitious, so he could mock it right after.

What can I say, that’s the difference in mindset between classes.

Instead of chasing lofty dreams, I need money more.

If you really want to know what my dream is, it’s probably to pay off all my debts and then get one full night of proper sleep.

To avoid another fight like last night’s, I let out a soft sigh, then lifted my head and looked him dead in the eyes, speaking with unusual seriousness.

“Young Master, I’m not like you. I don’t have a life where everything’s handed to me. If I don’t make money, I go hungry.”