I, a Scumbag, Only Flirt but Never Marry [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 7
Wang Jianfei listened to the car FM in a good mood, a slight smile curving his lips at the host’s little anecdotes. He turned the steering wheel and pulled over to the side of the road, stopping the car.
He smoothed his hair a couple of times in the rearview mirror, trying to cover the bump swelling on his forehead. Then he looked left and right at the red marks on his cheeks from the high heel and the several scratches.
After so long, the red marks weren’t very obvious anymore, but the scratches had scabbed over and were still red and swollen. Fortunately, they were all concentrated on his left cheek, so they were hidden when he covered it with his hand.
Wang Jianfei spat out the word “shrew” under his breath before getting out of the car, covering his left cheek just as he had when checking out of the hotel.
This pharmacy was right below his company and not far from Chen Xiyao’s place. His female colleagues from the company often came here to buy dried chrysanthemums and rush pith for making tea, so he also occasionally came down to buy loquat fruit and goji berries, becoming somewhat familiar with the pharmacists here.
As soon as he entered, a pharmacist greeted him warmly, glanced at his hand covering his face, and said understandingly, “What’s wrong? Toothache? Still here so late, just got off work? Overtime easily leads to internal heat, would you like me to get you some anti-inflammatory medicine?”
Wang Jianfei nodded along. “Oh, yeah.”
The pharmacist led him to the medicine shelves, recommending Huanglian Shangqing Tablets, metronidazole tinidazole, and amoxicillin. Wang Jianfei didn’t even look and nodded at all of them.
“And get me a bottle of safflower oil.”
“Safflower oil?” the pharmacist kindly reminded him, “Rubbing safflower oil won’t help your toothache. If it really hurts badly, use an ice pack, and see a dentist after the swelling goes down.”
Wang Jianfei patiently explained, “It’s not for me, I’m just picking it up for someone else.”
“Oh, I see.” The pharmacist quickly got him the safflower oil, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Anything else you need?”
“No, that’s all.”
The pharmacist then led him to the cashier. The cashier scanned the items and rang him up, putting the medicine in a plastic bag and handing it to him along with the change.
He reached out to take it, but his phone suddenly rang. He subconsciously let go of his left cheek and reached into his pocket for his phone. Before he could see the number flashing on the screen, he heard a soft exclamation beside him.
Wang Jianfei instinctively looked towards the source of the sound. The pharmacist was tilting her head, looking at his left cheek. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
Wang Jianfei’s eyes flickered slightly. Only then did he remember the scratches on his face. His face burned hotly. Covering it wasn’t right, and not covering it wasn’t right either. He simply gritted his teeth, pretended nothing was wrong, turned around, and pushed the door open to leave.
Walking to his car and opening the door, he couldn’t help but look up and glance at the pharmacy. Through the clear glass door, he clearly saw the two women huddled together, pointing and gesturing towards him, occasionally covering their mouths and giggling.
Wang Jianfei’s anger instantly flared up. He ducked into the car and slammed the door shut with a bang.
It was all that shrew Ma Yanzhi’s fault!
And Lanlan too, why did she have to befriend such an uncultured and cheap woman? He would make it clear to her later that they had to break off their friendship!
And this pharmacy, laughing your mother! He would never come here again!
Wang Jianfei drove straight to Chen Xiyao’s place. The car FM was still playing funny skits, but the more he listened, the more irritated he became. Thinking of how some of his female colleagues were quite familiar with those two pharmacists, he slapped the steering wheel hard.
Then he comforted himself, telling himself it was nothing. No matter how familiar they were, they only saw each other when buying medicine. Who bought medicine every day for no reason? Even the freshly made herbal tea bags couldn’t be finished in a day or two. They wouldn’t have a chance to gossip, and they would forget about it in a few days. It would definitely not spread to the company.
Thinking this way, his mood gradually relaxed, and he arrived at Chen Xiyao’s apartment complex.
Outside vehicles were not allowed to enter the complex freely. It was almost eleven o’clock, and the roadside parking spaces were long gone. He drove around in a big circle but couldn’t find one, so he had to drive to the nearest underground parking lot.
The distance from the parking lot to the complex was awkward. Taking a taxi was too close, and the waiting time would almost be as long as walking. But walking would take about twenty minutes, and then another five or six minutes to the apartment door after reaching the complex gate, adding up to about half an hour.
Wang Jianfei waited for three or four minutes, but no empty taxi came by, so he decided to walk. He had only taken a few steps when, as he looked down to light a cigarette, an empty car sped past.
“Hey! Stop! Hey, hey!”
The shadows of the trees were dim, and the driver didn’t see him, disappearing like a fleeting shadow.
“Damn it! Today is really my unlucky day!”
Wang Jianfei cursed softly. But thinking that he would soon be in a gentle embrace, a charming allure that the refined and quiet Xu Tinglan could never learn, he perked up again, holding his cigarette as he stepped into the thick darkness.
Half an hour later, he finally arrived at the door of Chen Xiyao’s small apartment. He breathed a sigh of relief and raised his hand to ring the doorbell.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
He waited patiently for a while, but no one opened the door.
He rang the doorbell again.
Still no one opened the door.
“Yaoyao! Yaoyao!”
He rang the doorbell and knocked, but there was still no response.
He frowned, switched the medicine bag in his left hand to his right, took out his phone from his pocket, and the top dialed number was Chen Xiyao’s. He dialed the number and pressed his ear against the crimson security door.
[Sorry, the phone you dialed is currently switched off.]
Switched off?!
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!
The room was silent, without the slightest sound. Wang Jianfei looked at the phone number in disbelief, confirming that he hadn’t dialed incorrectly. Unwilling to give up, he redialed, but it still prompted that the phone was off.
What the hell was Chen Xiyao doing?!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Wang Jianfei kicked the door a few times hard.
“Chen Xiyao! Open the door! Chen Xiyao!!!”
Clang!
The security door behind him suddenly opened, and the old man from across the hall scolded impatiently, “What are you shouting for?! If no one answers, they’re definitely not home. You can shout until your throat is hoarse, and no one will open the door for you! Hurry up and leave! Don’t disturb the neighbors!”
Wang Jianfei had been holding back a stomach full of anger, and instantly found a target to vent on. He slammed the medicine bag in his hand hard onto the ground.
“So what if I shout?! What’s it to you, you old geezer?! Chen Xiyao! Open the damn door!!”
Wang Jianfei faced the old man, his back to Chen Xiyao’s door, and kicked backward a few times hard. The banging sound was deafening, echoing through the entire hallway.
Clang!
The opposite door opened completely, and a strong man stood beside the old man, holding a rice bowl and looking at him coldly, wearing a black tank top and beach shorts, his biceps bulging.
Wang Jianfei spent all day in the office, outwardly strong but inwardly weak, without much strength at all. He wouldn’t even be able to withstand a single slap from this guy. He looked awkwardly at the man, and the foot he had kicked the door with slowly lowered.
“I… I need to see her for something urgent.”
The man handed the bowl and chopsticks to the old man, then clenched and unclenched his fists, the cracking of his knuckles especially eerie in the empty hallway.
“What did you just call my dad?”
“I…”
Wang Jianfei couldn’t bring himself to apologize, but he didn’t dare to really confront the man either. Thinking about his bad luck today, if he really got beaten up, even if he got compensation, he would still be the one suffering. Forget it, a muscle-bound simpleton wasn’t worth him risking trouble.
Wang Jianfei glared at him, turned around, and quickly entered the stairwell, running down two flights of stairs. Seeing that the man hadn’t followed, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and went to the elevator to wait.
Returning home with a belly full of anger, he followed his original plan, drinking beer and watching the soccer game replay, waiting for Xu Tinglan to come back. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he felt, always feeling like he had been played by that little b1tch Chen Xiyao.
All night long, he called Chen Xiyao countless times, but every single time her phone was off, infuriating him to the point where he smashed two beer cans.
Around three or four in the morning, he finally couldn’t hold on any longer and fell asleep slumped on the sofa. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was bright. He reached for his phone and pressed the power button repeatedly, but the screen remained black – it was dead.
He squinted at the wall clock.
Damn it!
It was almost twelve o’clock!
He endured the headache and propped himself up, turned his head and looked around. The women’s slippers in the entryway were still neatly in their original place. The bedroom door was wide open, which he had opened last night when he came back to change clothes, but the room was empty.
Xu Tinglan hadn’t come back?!
That shouldn’t be. Before, whenever they argued, Lanlan would only have the mind to do other things after they had made up. What was wrong this time?
It must be that little b1tch Ma Yanzhi stirring things up again!
Wang Jianfei silently cursed Ma Yanzhi’s entire lineage eighteen generations in his heart before finding the charger and plugging in his phone. He then pretended to call the marketing department, saying he was having lunch with a client and had to discuss things with the client in the afternoon, so he wouldn’t be coming in.
After giving a few instructions, he hung up and limped into the bathroom.
Looking at the scratches on his face, which now had a thin layer of scab, the frustration from last night continued to spread and intensify.
Annoying!
Damn it, so annoying!
His stomach felt uncomfortable, he was painfully hungry, his back and legs ached, his temples throbbed, and his head was splitting. It was all just too damn frustrating!
He missed Xu Tinglan more and more.
If his wife were here, she could cook for him and help him rub his back.
After thinking for a while, he hesitated and reached for his phone, initiating contact with Xu Tinglan for the first time after their argument.
She would definitely be touched and make up with him immediately.
Wang Jianfei was very confident.
Xu Tinglan: Hello? Who is this? Don’t recognize the number, get lost!