After Scumming The Eldest Lady Of A Wealthy Family - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Xie Buchi once again became cold and indifferent, as if she had turned into an ice cube ignoring everyone. The fragile warmth in their relationship, kindled by small gestures, seemed to have vanished over something as trivial as a cup of soy milk.
Classes ended at 5:40 in the late afternoon. From then until 7:00, students had time to eat and rest for about an hour and a half.
Since these were middle and high school students, the school only arranged one work-study session per day, and Wen Yan didn’t have to work during the evening.
The cafeteria closed at 7 PM, and Wen Yan always arrived about twenty minutes before closing time. The staff would save some easy-to-store items like leftover steamed buns for her.
Some students, like a young lady, preferred to avoid the noisy cafeteria and waited until it was nearly empty before eating. Occasionally, Wen Yan would run into her—both quietly eating and grabbing food—before the girl would walk away without a word.
But today, when Wen Yan was about to leave, she found Xie Buchi still lying down in the classroom. Even when Wen Yan returned right at the bell, Xie Buchi remained on her desk.
After an entire afternoon of silent coldness, Wen Yan, who had openly declared herself as the loyal follower of a friend, didn’t complain. From her bag of food, she picked the hottest steamed buns and a cup of millet porridge, bringing them over to Xie Buchi’s desk.
The chicken and corn filling in the buns was plain—no green onions or leeks, flavorless—but it was probably just enough for someone like Xie Buchi.
“Didn’t see you in the cafeteria today. Thanks. Have you eaten?” Wen Yan asked.
“If your stomach hurts and you don’t feel like moving, you don’t have to eat. Next time, just tell me if you don’t want to go, and I’ll bring you food.”
“Stop lying down. Get up and eat while it’s warm. You’ll feel better after eating.”
“Thanks…” came the reluctant reply.
Maybe Wen Yan was too persistent, because Xie Buchi finally spoke for the first time that afternoon: “I don’t need your concern.”
“Finally talking?” Wen Yan teased, sitting in another’s seat and propping her chin on her hand. “You helped me, so I’ll return the favor. I’m a grateful person.”
Xie Buchi quickly froze up, thinking that if she’d known Wen Yan was like this, she wouldn’t have gotten the teacher involved earlier.
The millet porridge and a few soft, white steamed buns were pushed slowly toward her.
Wen Yan, still lively, smiled and said, “Eat quickly. I promise I’ll stop bothering you once you do.”
Xie Buchi stayed silent a moment, then asked, seemingly indifferent, “What do you want?”
“I want you…” Wen Yan teased.
No, not in a dramatic way.
She blinked slowly, fingers tapping the plastic bag holding the buns, smiling gently, “I want you to eat.”
Xie Buchi met her gaze for a few seconds. This time, Wen Yan held her eye contact without looking away.
After a moment, Xie Buchi looked away again, silent, but didn’t touch the food.
Wen Yan was puzzled, so she returned to her seat and started eating first. After finishing, she quietly checked back. Seeing that Xie Buyi hadn’t refused, she squeezed a small steamed bun between her fingers and took a bite.
It was oddly endearing.
Like a wary stray kitten, cautious and watching carefully before daring to eat, waiting until the people nearby had left.
This thought popped into Wen Yan’s mind but was quickly dismissed.
Thankful that Xie Buchi hadn’t given up. She was not some stray kitten—any decent pen would be enough to keep her going for a month.
Wen Yan glanced secretly at Xie’s progress while eating.
Grateful that she ate carefully and slowly. Even a simple steamed bun and porridge looked like a small treat.
Though she ate little, Wen Yan gave Xie five small buns. Xie ate three before taking out a wet wipe to clean her hands and drinking the porridge.
Wen Yan stuffed the leftover buns into her own mouth, approached Xie, left two buns, and tossed the trash in the bin.
Those two buns were smaller than her fists, and before Wen Yan returned to her seat, they had disappeared.
There were three evening self-study sessions. Day students had two and could leave school by 8:40 PM. Wen Yan’s job started at 9 PM, but luckily the workplace was close, so she could ride her bike fast enough to be on time.
Xie Buchi was also a day student. Wen Yan thought she might try walking with Xie at night. Even if they couldn’t walk all the way together, at least to the school gate.
But Xie got into her luxury car reluctantly, annoyed.
Before the bell rang after class, Wen Yan had already packed her bag. After finishing homework and work, she planned to self-study in the morning.
Her bag was filled with steamed buns, pancakes, braised eggs, and sausages. Two sealed cups of porridge were tucked into the side pockets.
As the bell rang, Wen Yan was ready to leave. She intended to walk with Xie but saw her packing slowly. Worried about being late for work, she hurriedly said goodbye.
“Wen Yan always runs the fastest. I don’t know why she’s always in such a rush.”
“She’s busy making money. Her family’s situation is tough; otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken a two-year break from school.”
“It’s almost 9 PM. Where could she work now?”
“I heard she works at the bar, the KTV bar near the New Center mall, as a waitress.”
“How dare she go to a bar? Isn’t she afraid something will happen?”
“She really needs money. The sports meet is coming, and our class couldn’t find enough participants, so we pooled money to help Wen Yan cover the fees. I heard she applied for several gigs and is really hustling…”
“So short on money, no wonder she keeps thanking and being nice to people…”
Xie stayed indifferent, lowered her gaze, put on headphones, grabbed her bag, and left.
In a dark alley diagonally across from the north side of the school, muffled sobbing could be heard. A light shining there would reveal two people huddled together, collapsing to the ground.
Ten minutes earlier, Wen Yan had rushed to the parking lot and encountered Inchou, who was glaring at her swollen red cheeks, threatening revenge.
Ten minutes later, Inchou was clutching her belly and covering her eyes with blue hands, crying on the ground.
A faint sound of a car door closing came from outside the alley; the day student had left. Staying longer risked being discovered.
Wen Yan wiped the sweat from the beaten girl’s forehead and quickly left the alley.
The faint silhouette was blurry, but Wen Yan felt a strange familiarity. She kicked hard and left swiftly.
The night wind was chilly, tree leaves rustled, and the area was deserted. Nearby, several parked scooters sat still, and some people walked by in small groups.
Wen Yan thought for a moment but couldn’t place the figure. She gave up and clenched her fist.
Inchou still lay on the ground, faint light from nearby apartments casting shadows.
She’d just stood in the dark, beating someone at the alley entrance. Though dressed in the No. 1 lieutenant colonel uniform, the other party wouldn’t have recognized her unless they knew her.
Even if recognized, there were no cameras or evidence.
Wen Yan glanced at Inchou one last time, then got in her car and left.
She resolved to be more careful next time—not to get caught by classmates or teachers and not to wear the school uniform in such situations.
Good students aren’t fighters. They need to build relationships carefully. It’s important for scholarships, financial aid, teachers’ impressions, and other support.
The bar was located near the city’s large mall, with private rooms upstairs and a stage, dance floor, and card tables downstairs. It attracted many young people for singing and drinking. The bar was well secured, and troublemakers were quickly removed.
Due to the delay, Wen Yan hit several red lights on the way. Despite riding fast, she arrived ten minutes late.
Navigating through the loud dance floor with flashing lights, Wen Yan entered backstage with her schoolbag. The manager was checking staff arrival. Seeing her come in late, he joked:
“Xiao Wen’s late today? That’s unusual. Did the teacher hold you back?”
Wen Yan set her bag down, changed out of her school jacket, and put on her work clothes.
“Sorry, Sister Zhu, I had some trouble on the way. Won’t happen again.”
Sister Zhu: “Did your bike chain come off?”
That sounded better than a fight.
Wen Yan paused but shook her head.
“The bike tire got a puncture; it took a while to find a repair place.”
Losing a chain would make more sense for being late, but it wasn’t the case.
“The patch on your tire looks big enough to be a tire,” Sister Zhu joked. “Your school’s pretty far; riding a bike every day must be tiring.”
“How old is that bike? Probably about the same as you. I’ve offered to swap my scooter with you, but you won’t agree.”
Wen Yan smiled. “You’ve helped me enough. Can’t take advantage. Besides, riding is exercise, which is good.”
For Wen Yan, staying warm, exercising, and eating well were crucial. She needed to stay healthy.
The community had no security cameras, and thefts of scooters and batteries were common. Wen Yan’s old bike was too scruffy to steal, but a scooter battery would be tempting.
If her scooter was stolen, she wouldn’t be able to get to school or work easily, possibly having to spend money again on transportation.
Sister Zhu wouldn’t be angry but would be upset if the battery was stolen.
Wen Yan knew help came with strings attached. She understood the emotional value behind it.
The bar paid 20 yuan an hour, from 9 PM to 1 AM, making 80 yuan per shift plus tips, about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan a month.
It wasn’t far from school, didn’t interfere with classes, wasn’t exhausting or very dangerous. Such a job was hard to find, so Wen Yan valued it.
After changing into work clothes and putting on a walkie-talkie, Wen Yan joined Sister Zhu to start work.
Her duties included taking orders, delivering fruit and beer to rooms, cleaning, and whatever else was needed.
The bartender taught her how to mix basic drinks. When the bartender took days off, Wen Yan would cover and earn extra.
She had a late night studying the previous day, so she had started learning bartending.
The bar was busy now. Wen Yan delivered fruit to several rooms and left tips on trays—small amounts, but meaningful.
Xiao Li, cleaning nearby, eyed Wen Yan playfully and stopped her.
“Xiao Wen, you’ve been busy. Tell me what to do when delivering drinks and fruit. Let me take over so you can rest.”
“Just deliver as requested, knock politely before entering…”
Wen Yan didn’t notice his thoughts and earnestly gave the rules.
“We aren’t allowed to ask for tips. Complaints lead to pay cuts.”
Xiao Li ignored this and Wen Yan hurried off.
The bartender pulled Wen Yan aside, concerned:
“Are you stupid? Can’t you see he’s after your tips and wants to cut you out?”
Surprised, Wen Yan blinked.
“Really? Is that so?”
The bartender sighed.
“You’re too naive. In the adult world, everyone’s after money. If you have a chance, take it. Don’t trust others so easily.”
Wen Yan’s eyes filled with tears.
“Not everyone is like that. Sister Zhu is kind and helped me learn bartending.”
The bartender felt guilty. She’d only taught Wen Yan the basics, partly to get Sister Zhu time off to date her new boyfriend.
She hadn’t taught Wen Yan advanced skills. Even if Wen Yan was smart and planned to attend college, she wouldn’t replace a professional bartender.
Embarrassed, the bartender coughed and added:
“Don’t trust people so easily. I think you’ve learned everything I taught. If I’m free, I’ll teach you something new.”
Meanwhile, Xiao Li, downstairs, was handing out fruit plates and drinks from a room without getting any tips.
He suspected Wen Yan was hiding something and stormed over, trying to keep calm.
“Hey, are you hiding something from me?”