Gloves - Chapter 12

“Brother Hao, what brings you to me?” It had been a while since An Chujie had seen Dong Hao.

“Chujie, here’s the thing. When you were working with us before, there was a concert organizer who took notice of you. He’s an old friend of mine and he mentioned being deeply impressed by a girl’s performance, but couldn’t remember where he had heard her play. Later, he found out it was you,” Dong Hao said as he poured An Chujie a refreshing glass of Bailey’s Sweet.

“Thank you,” An Chujie replied. Unlike the bustling atmosphere downstairs, she didn’t mind having a chat with Dong Hao like this.

“No need to thank me. Oh, by the way, are you good friends with Director Shang from the First Hospital?” Dong Hao took a sip of his self-made drink and smacked his lips.

An Chujie’s hand froze in mid-air, her expression turning puzzled. “Director Shang saved my mother’s life. I can’t really refuse her request to have you stop working here,” Dong Hao chuckled helplessly. After all, losing such an efficient money-making asset was a bit of a loss.

“What did she say to you?” An Chujie asked with a bitter smile.

“She said she would help you repay your debt and hoped that you wouldn’t have to work in a place like this anymore. Chujie, I did appreciate you when I agreed to your request… But it’s a good thing that you don’t need money anymore,” Dong Hao explained.

“She helped me repay my debt?” An Chujie’s mind flashed back to what her stepmother had said that day. No wonder, it turned out that Shang Zhuoxi had helped her repay it. It seemed that she owed her a lot.

“Don’t you know? Well, we do take things quite seriously here. And when you were working here, we did ensure your personal safety,” Dong Hao added.

“Well, I know. Thank you, Brother Hao.”

“Hey, sorry I’m late. Oh, Miss An is here too,” a friendly voice interrupted their conversation.

The two conversing individuals turned their heads towards the source of the voice, and the newcomer extended a friendly hand towards An Chujie.

The man was chubby, wearing glasses, with neatly combed hair at the back of his head. He appeared to be in high spirits.

“Hello,” An Chujie greeted him with confidence, shaking his hand.

“Since RAT has invited you here, I’ll get straight to the point, Miss An. I am the music director of RLM. I have heard your performance before, and personally, I feel that your interpretation of certain musical nuances has more emotional depth compared to the original. It also aligns more with popular taste. Moreover, with Miss An’s looks and demeanor, I believe she possesses considerable aesthetic value on stage as well.”

“Mr. Li, you flatter me. As Shakespeare said, ‘There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes.’ The same goes for music. Different people perceive different emotions, and what is played carries the personal emotions of the performer. I am just an ordinary one among those thousand,” An Chujie replied, raising the glass of the drink Dong Hao had prepared for her as a gesture towards Mr. Li.

“It’s rare to see young people as modest as Miss An. If Miss An is willing, I hope you can consider joining our company,” Mr. Li said.

“Just call me Chujie. There’s no need to talk about whether it’s a favor or not. I’ve known about RLM since I was in high school. One of my favorite violinists is also under your company. It would be an honor for me if Mr. Li thinks highly of me,” Chujie replied.

“We have a branch office in this city, so it would be convenient for you to work. We have a concert at the end of the year… Well, let’s not talk about work for now. Let’s sign the contract tomorrow and discuss further. Here, Chujie, let’s toast to that,” Mr. Li suggested, raising his glass.

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“Zhuoxi, I want to work at your hospital,” Xu Yuer said, playfully shaking Shang Zhuoxi’s neck from behind.

“Why? Isn’t it good here? Working in the city is busy,” Zhuoxi replied.

“But I miss you,” Xu Yuer pressed her upper body against Zhuoxi’s back with force.

“But I come here every week, don’t I?” Zhuoxi smiled.

“But I want to see you every day. Besides, I always encounter some prisoners who try to get handsy with me here,” Xu Yuer said.

“But…,” But I’m worried that if you leave, no one will take care of my father as well as you do, Zhuoxi thought to herself but didn’t say it out loud.

“But what? I have already talked to my family about it. We’re just waiting for your approval, Director Zhuoxi,” Zhuoxi stood up, reaching out to caress Xu Yuer’s face. With a hint of helplessness in her expression, she lovingly said, “No problem, if Yu’er wants to come, you can start working first, and we can take care of the paperwork later, okay?”

“Okay, and I have already told them to take good care of your father, so you can rest assured,” Xu Yuer replied.

“But Yu’er, you need to change your spoiled attitude a bit. There are all kinds of patients out there,” Zhuoxi said, pointing to the gloves on Xu Yuer’s hands.

Xu Yuer, like Zhuoxi, always wore gloves. It was a habit she developed since childhood. Compared to most children, Xu Yuer came from a well-off family. Her mother was a business tycoon in the coastal area, and her father was the warden of the prison where she now worked. When Xu Yuer was young, her father wanted to prevent her from feeling superior, so he sent her to an ordinary school. However, this didn’t achieve her father’s intended purpose. Xu Yuer ended up despising some of her classmates, but she had no choice but to interact with them every day. Hence, Xu Yuer started wearing gloves as a way to protect herself from getting dirty. And of course, wearing gloves became even more necessary in the medical field.

On this point, Zhuoxi somewhat approved of Xu Yuer’s habit. Plus, she had taken great care of her father over the past few years, so Zhuoxi felt grateful. It wouldn’t be right, both emotionally and logically, to reject Xu Yuer’s request.

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“Do you want to eat at home or go out tonight?” Nian Zichun pulled back the curtains and looked at the busy traffic below, thinking about what her mother had said to her on the phone that morning.

“Let’s eat out. I’m afraid you’ll be too tired to cook at home. Wife, can you leave work early? I want to see you as soon as possible,” Hu Xinghua said, struggling to carry his suitcase and clothes while eagerly calling his wife right after getting off the plane.

“Well, I’m busy right now. Why don’t you rest at home first? We’ll talk when we meet,” Nian Zichun replied, her face not showing the expected joy of a wife who had waited a month for her husband’s business trip to end.

“Lawyer is still busy, too busy to have time to call her husband,” Yang Yiluo bluntly exposed Nian Zichun’s phone conversation.

The sudden voice interrupted Nian Zichun’s thoughts.

“Yiluo? I remember telling you to knock before entering,” she said.

Yang Yiluo rubbed her red hair and shrugged her shoulders. “No, you forgot to close it yourself.”

“Why are you here?” Nian Zichun felt slightly embarrassed because Yang Yiluo overheard her talking to her husband on the phone.

“Can’t I come to see you?” Yang Yiluo plopped herself on the sofa, looking at Nian Zichun with innocent eyes.

“Don’t you have work to do?” Nian Zichun pressed her hand against her temple.

“I just signed with a new company, and besides, who walks the runway every day?” Yang Yiluo replied, with a hint of playfulness in her tone.

Nian Zichun didn’t pay any further attention to Yang Yiluo, feeling a mix of complex emotions.

“What’s wrong, Zichun? You don’t seem happy today,” Yang Yiluo noticed Nian Zichun’s discomfort and furrowed her brows, showing concern.

“Really? It’s nothing,” Nian Zichun forced a smile that made Yang Yiluo inexplicably uneasy.

“Zichun, you’re really not okay. Tell me if something’s bothering you. Don’t keep it to yourself,” Yang Yiluo continued playing with the pen in her hand, while Nian Zichun remained silent. Suddenly, Yang Yiluo jumped up from the sofa as if she had discovered something.

“Zichun, are you sexually frigid?” This question hit Nian Zichun like a blow, and her face immediately flushed.

“What do you mean, Yang Yiluo?” Yang Yiluo was satisfied with Nian Zichun’s reaction; it seemed she was right. Step by step, she approached Nian Zichun, reaching her desk, and with both hands, she confined Nian Zichun within her range.

“What do I mean? Zichun, I’m not wrong, am I? I’m also a woman, and I’m sensitive to these things. I guessed it from the way you treat your husband,” the smug expression on her face was evident.

“We’ve only met a few times. I don’t think we’re at a stage where we can discuss these things. Isn’t it a bit rude of you to bring it up like this?” Nian Zichun’s face turned red and then pale, which only fueled Yang Yiluo’s excitement.

“But Lawyer Nian let me spend the night at your place. And besides, whatever I say, you, Lawyer Nian, agree with it. Does Zichun really not know how to refuse others? Then how do you refuse your husband?” Yang Yiluo playfully said, moving her face even closer.

“Yiluo, I hope you understand that everything I’ve done for you is out of courtesy. If it were someone else, I would treat them the same way,” Nian Zichun averted her gaze, feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze of the person in front of her.

“Oh, it hurts my feelings. Zichun treats everyone like this,” Nian Zichun missed Yang Yiluo’s disappointed gaze.

“Yiluo, please don’t talk to me in that manner,” Nian Zichun’s embarrassment and helplessness were exposed like a vulnerable little rabbit, unable to escape from Yang Yiluo’s gaze.

Nian Zichun pushed Yang Yiluo away and stood up, turning the tables on the passive situation.

“Zichun, I promised you that if you help me win the lawsuit, I’ll agree to any request you have,” Yang Yiluo said, once again placing both hands against the wall behind Nian Zichun, and leaned in close to her ear with an extremely suggestive tone.

“That includes curing your frigidity,” Yang Yiluo’s confident smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

“Yang Yiluo, don’t push your luck,” Nian Zichun opened her hands again, clearly showing her anger. Yang Yiluo wisely retreated from the dangerous territory.

“Oh, come on. I clearly haven’t gotten an inch yet,” Yang Yiluo teased with a mischievous smile.