Unable to Fall in Love Syndrome - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Tricky Client 08

Qiao Shan was ready to wage a long war with Zuo Yi.

Rumor had it that 40% of the company’s women were concentrated in her department. Yun Yi’s headquarters had about five hundred employees, but fewer than a hundred were women—talk about too many wolves and not enough meat.

Qiao Shan’s networking skills were top-notch. In just a few days on the job, she’d gathered info on all her office colleagues and compiled it into her “marriage database.” She was always stockpiling resources; whatever type her clients preferred, she could pull from her database.

On Tuesday night, Qiao Shan took her colleagues out to the nearby food court for a feast, then headed to Tiannan Karaoke City for some singing.

Tong Xiaoli was stunned by Qiao Shan’s generosity. “Shanshan, you’ve only been out of school a few years, right? This karaoke place isn’t cheap.”

Qiao Shan casually swiped her VIP card at the front desk and whispered to her, “The owner here’s a friend of mine. I get lifetime free access.” The karaoke owner was one of Qiao Shan’s clients, and he had quite a story.

In his youth, the owner had a girlfriend who died of cancer, leaving him devastated. He was forty and still hadn’t married or even touched a woman. Finally, he fell for a female celebrity but couldn’t get anywhere with her, so he turned to Qiao Shan.

The actress was thirty, with a bright future ahead—how could she possibly fall for a guy past his prime with no looks to speak of?

To create romantic opportunities for them, Qiao Shan infiltrated the film crew and worked as the actress’s makeup artist for half a year.

Though many of their “chance” encounters were engineered by Qiao Shan, once they connected, the actress finally noticed the owner and gradually realized he was a decent guy.

Add in his unwavering devotion, and he eventually won her over. His obsessive heart was as clear as day; at the wedding, his heartfelt confession even brought Qiao Shan to tears.

Not only did the owner pay Qiao Shan a hefty fee, but he also gave her a lifetime free card to the karaoke place—she could sing until the end of time without paying a cent.

After settling her colleagues in, Qiao Shan quickly tracked down Zuo Yi through her contacts at the karaoke.She peeked through the half-open door: Zuo Yi in his white shirt, sitting in the corner, head down, scrolling on his phone, the screen’s faint glow illuminating his chiseled features.

Qiao Shan had already arranged for a girl to ply Zuo Yi with drinks. By 1 a.m., her colleagues had left, and the girl finally called her.

“Miss Qiao, he’s drunk. He’s been throwing up—what do I do?”

Qiao Shan stroked her chin, pausing for a few seconds before saying, “Take him to a hotel.”

“Huh?”

“Test him for me. I need to know if he’s gay.”

The girl agreed readily. “Alright, but since I’m helping you out, you gotta set me up with someone, right?”

Qiao Shan said over the phone, “No problem. I won’t charge you—how’s that?”

“Sounds good. I’ll handle it. Nearby at Mingquan Hotel?”

Qiao Shan said, “I’ll go open a room for you first.” She paused, then added, “Protect yourself. If he’s not gay and gets aggressive while drunk, what then? Stay sharp.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve been with more guys than you have.”

Qiao Shan didn’t dawdle and hurried to the hotel to book the room.

She hid in the wardrobe, watching from inside.

The girl launched her seduction plan. Zuo Yi’s body was clearly out of control, nearly giving in. But his willpower was strong—he kept holding back.

Qiao Shan figured that was enough; time to stop. She signaled the girl to switch to Plan B.

Soon, a clean-cut guy entered the room, climbed onto the bed, and started seducing the drunk Zuo Yi…

Zuo Yi reacted fiercely, obviously repulsed by a man’s approach. In his drunken state, he punched the guy in the eye, mumbled “pervert,” rolled over, and fell off the bed, passing out face-down on the carpet.

Qiao Shan emerged from the wardrobe. The clean-cut guy flicked an orchid finger and poked her shoulder. “Hey, Qiao the Matchmaker, what the hell? He hit me! You know how precious this face is?” He poked his own fair cheek. “If he ruins it, can he afford to pay?” He rolled his eyes, all sassy and effeminate.

“Sorry, sorry,” Qiao Shan said, pulling out a few red bills and stuffing them into his hand. “Thanks for the help.”

His expression softened a bit, and he winked at her. “Next time you need this kinda gig, call me.”

Qiao Shan grinned. “You got it.”

The results were clear.

Qiao Shan hauled the unconscious Zuo Yi up from the floor.

For some reason, Zuo Yi suddenly sat up, wrapped his arms around her waist, and burrowed into her chest. “Grandma… don’t go.” His voice was hoarse and gravelly from the alcohol.

Qiao Shan froze. Did she look that old!?

Zuo Yi clung to her like that, calling her “grandma” for half an hour.

She finally pried herself free and left the room, only to find the girl hadn’t left. She was squatting in the hallway, seemingly waiting for her.

The girl had a cigarette pinched between her fingers.

Qiao Shan felt exhausted and suddenly craved one herself to ease her worries.

The girl spotted Qiao Shan, stubbed out the cigarette, and tossed it in the trash.

“Miss Qiao.”

“If I remember right, you’re Lin Zhen?” Qiao Shan’s memory was sharp; she recalled everyone in her marriage database. This girl had come to her three months ago and filled out a detailed profile, including her job.

When Qiao Shan asked what type of guy she liked, she couldn’t say. Qiao Shan told her to think it over and come back when she knew.

That was three months ago.

Lin Zhen nodded with a smile, pulled a photo from her pocket, and handed it to Qiao Shan. “I figured it out. This guy’s my ideal type. And you said no fee, right?”

Qiao Shan took the photo, her smile freezing. “This… this is…”

She rubbed her temples.

What a headache…

“Yep, Professor Xiao,” Lin Zhen said. “Last time I left your studio, I fainted in the elevator. Professor Xiao took me to the hospital.”

It was already 2 a.m., and Qiao Shan’s head was throbbing. She asked, “And just like that, you like him?”

“Yeah, I like him. Pretty ridiculous, huh?” The two women sat down at a 24-hour street food stall nearby, ordering beer and grilled snacks.

During the chat, Lin Zhen lit another cigarette, took a drag, and blew out a ring. She was pretty and young, but her dark eyes held a world-weariness.

Qiao Shan knew her background well: she’d left her hometown to hustle in the city alone. She’d been a model but offended some rich kid in the industry and got blacklisted. Short on cash and with no one to rely on, she resorted to escorting clients for drinks and songs to make ends meet.

If it were anyone else, Qiao Shan would pull out all the stops to match them. But she hadn’t expected Lin Zhen’s crush to be Xiao Jia.

Lin Zhen took another drag and chuckled softly. “I know about your relationship with Professor Xiao. Don’t worry—if you pull this off, I won’t short you on the fee.”

Qiao Shan hesitated. “You know our connection, and you’re still putting me in this spot?”

Lin Zhen stubbed out the flickering cigarette, took a deep breath, and lowered her eyes. “Miss Qiao, no one else can help me. If Xiao Jia really falls for me, I’ll give you everything I own.” She pulled a card from her wallet and pushed it over. “Here’s my card. Password’s on the back. Thirty grand in there—my whole savings.”

Qiao Shan raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll take the money and vanish?”

Lin Zhen smirked. “He once said if there’s only one good person left in the world, it’d be you—no one else.”

“That kid thinks I’m a good person?” Qiao Shan pushed the card back. “Keep your money. I’ll try to set you two up. But do you really know Xiao Jia?”

Lin Zhen said, “I like him.”

Qiao Shan said, “He has a kid.”

Lin Zhen said, “If we get married, I won’t have my own. I’ll take care of him and his child with all my heart.”

Qiao Shan paused, then bit into a greasy grilled chicken leg, mumbling through her mouthful, “Alright. This weekend, I’ll go see him and hear what he says.”

“Thanks.”

“No need. I keep my promises.” Qiao Shan set down the chicken bone, wiped her hands, and added, “But prepare yourself. Xiao Jia knows me better than anyone. The second I make a move, he’ll know what I’m up to. So… I’ll do my best, but no guarantees.”

“I get it.”

Qiao Shan consoled her, “Still, for your own happiness, it’s worth a shot. At least you won’t have regrets later.”

Lin Zhen said, “Yeah, that’s what I think too.”

*

Qiao Shan got home at 4 a.m., only to be woken by her alarm at 8. She dragged herself up, washed up, prepared Dudu’s food for the day, and rushed out the door for work.

It’d been ages since she’d kept a nine-to-five schedule. Used to her freewheeling life, this routine felt suffocating. She arrived at the office with two minutes to spare before being late, but she didn’t care about perfect attendance. Instead of clocking in, she detoured to the cafeteria for breakfast.

She grabbed a meat bun and munched while checking her phone.

At the cafeteria entrance, she bumped into a man who was also staring at his phone.

She rubbed her head and stepped back, looking up at the haggard-faced Zuo Yi. Seeing the oil stain from her bun on his pristine white shirt, she wanted to sink into the ground.

Zuo Yi furrowed his thick brows, glanced down at the greasy spot on his chest, then eyed his short neighbor. One eyebrow arched. “You did that on purpose?”

“No, no, no…” Qiao Shan said, flustered. “Total accident.”

She was the type to let go of grudges once she decided to—clean slate, no more beef.

Zuo Yi’s face darkened; he clearly didn’t buy it.

Maybe it was her imagination, but Qiao Shan felt the air around them thicken.

“You’re supposed to be in the office during work hours. Care to explain why you’re here?” Zuo Yi’s tone was stern.

Qiao Shan tossed the half-eaten bun in the trash and explained, “I overslept and didn’t eat breakfast, so I came to the cafeteria…”

Zuo Yi cut her off coldly, raising his voice. “So you’re using work time for the cafeteria? Miss Cheng, what do you think this job is—a game? If it’s optional for you, pack up and leave now.”

Qiao Shan jumped at his sudden volume, staring at him timidly. “You… you’re joking, right?”

Zuo Yi glanced at the trash bin, his voice icy. “Wasting food is shameful. Leftovers can feed livestock. If you want to stay, pick up that half-eaten bun and give it to the cafeteria staff.”

Qiao Shan gaped at the filthy trash bin, then back at Zuo Yi. “The bin’s disgusting—that’s going too far. You’re just getting back at me!”