Chapter 31: I’m Not Helping You

The hot pot dinner stretched from dusk until the night turned pitch black outside. The crescent moon hung high in the night sky, like a gentle smile beaming down on the world below.

Tonight, Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe didn’t engage in their usual rock-paper-scissors duel. They drank just enough to feel a bit tipsy yet still somewhat clear-headed, the perfect balance to wash away the worries weighing on their minds.

This was the ideal state of drinking, the golden ratio between being drunk and sober.

After tidying up the hot pot battlefield, the three of them retreated to their respective rooms.

Yao Jia thought she could fall asleep immediately, riding the wave of her slight intoxication. However, the moment she closed her eyes, a vivid image of Meng Xingzhe’s flirtatious face popped into her mind, startling her awake.

It was terrifying, even more so than the nightmare she had at eighteen about marrying a wild boar.

Unable to sleep, Yao Jia sat up in bed, grabbed her phone, and opened KartRider, hoping a couple of races might tire her out.

As soon as she logged into the game, a friend notification popped up.

Yao Jia clicked on it and saw a message from her in-game mentor, Xinghen, replying to her previous message.

Last time she logged in, she had left Xinghen a note: [When are we racing again? I’ve improved a lot lately, and I think our mentor-student dynamic might need an update.]

Xinghen’s new message read: [Talking big when I’m not online, huh?]

Yao Jia was about to retort with, “Then let’s set a time and race together,” but noticed that Xinghen was currently online.

Yao Jia immediately messaged: [Ready for a showdown?]

Xinghen replied instantly: [Is that necessary? You always end up losing anyway.]

Yao Jia was exasperated. Why were the people around her so good at banter? Meng Xingzhe in real life was already a handful, and now her virtual mentor was just as sharp-tongued.

Did she have a gene that attracted snarky people?

Tired of the chatter, Yao Jia opened a speed race room and dragged Xinghen in.

When someone accidentally entered the game room, Yao Jia was using chat bubbles to taunt Xinghen: “Today, I’ll show you what it means when your dad is your dad!”

Yao Jia was using a male character.

The intruder quickly left, saying, “I won’t disturb you and your father!” and exited the game room.

Yao Jia laughed so hard she shook.

As they entered the track, Yao Jia focused intensely, her thumb moving so fast on the controls it was a blur.

To her surprise, she actually beat Xinghen in the race.

Holding her phone, Yao Jia was astonished.

Bread King: [Have my skills improved this much? Beating you in the first round!] Yao Jia typed excitedly in the chat.

Xinghen: [Please, don’t overthink it. You didn’t win because you’ve improved; I was just letting you win because I’m distracted today.]

Yao Jia rolled her eyes at her phone.

Bread King: [Do they give you extra points for being distracted during exams? In a real competition, no one cares if you’re distracted. A loss is a loss, admit it!]

Yao Jia felt satisfied with her retort but couldn’t help asking—

Bread King: [Hey, what’s bothering you? Is it serious?]

She thought it was odd how everyone seemed to be having a bad day. She was troubled, Tian Huasheng was troubled, Meng Xingzhe was troubled, and now even Xinghen mentioned being troubled.

But Xinghen’s reply made her feel her question was unnecessary.

Xinghen: [It’s pretty serious. I’m really worried that if we have too much fun racing, you’ll insist on adding me on WeChat. You young girls love doing that.]

Yao Jia: “…”

I wouldn’t even think of that if you hadn’t brought it up!

Besides, he knew she was already working, yet he kept calling her young. How old was he, anyway?

In that case, she might as well call him uncle!

Bread King: [Uncle, can’t you see I’m using a little boy character?]

Xinghen: [Your profile says you’re female.]

Yao Jia: “…”

This guy was something else, even checking her profile.

Bread King: [Haha, Uncle, you have quite the nerve! Don’t worry, whoever asks for the other’s WeChat first is a dog!]

She expected Xinghen to argue back, but his tone suddenly shifted from cocky to unexpectedly gentle and melancholic.

Xinghen: [Silly child, I was just teasing. It’s not about WeChat.]

Xinghen: [I’m troubled by how many times in life we have to break and rebuild our worldview.]

Yao Jia: “???” What was this? Was she about to hear an old uncle talk about life philosophies in a game?

Should she be wary? After all, it’s said that older men online start with philosophical discussions to lure young girls, and before you know it, they’ve lured them into bed.

Xinghen: [Forget it, you’re too young, right? You wouldn’t understand.]

Yao Jia breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t a particularly sleazy uncle.

Xinghen: [Let me ask you, when you’re troubled, how do you cope?]

Yao Jia thought for a moment and replied—

Bread King: [I draw.]

After sending the message, she suddenly paused.

Whenever she was upset after arguing with her father, she would retreat to her room and start drawing. Initially, she drew Wu Song fighting a tiger, with the tiger’s face resembling that of Old Yao. She sketched the Calabash Brothers capturing the Snake Spirit and Scorpion Spirit, with the Scorpion Spirit looking like Old Yao. She even drew Yao Bingkun surrounded by flames.

Over time, her drawings became more diverse and increasingly skilled, inspiring her to pursue a career as an artist or designer. She loved drawing so much that she was willing to defy her father. Even when she made a bet with him to work in customer service, it was all to gain the freedom to do what she truly wanted after three months.

Yet, since starting her job at Kunyu Electric as a customer service representative, she hadn’t picked up a paintbrush even once.

Realizing this, she stood there, momentarily stunned.

A message from Xinghen snapped her back to reality.

Xinghen: [But I can’t draw. What should I do?]

Yao Jia thought for a moment and replied: [Then find something you love doing and do that. Or find a reliable friend to chat with and vent.]

After a pause, Yao Jia quickly added: [But don’t come to me to vent. I don’t consider you a friend yet.]

Xinghen’s reply was instant: [That’s what I was going to say. Let’s keep it mutual.]

Yao Jia snorted at the screen.

With that, the conversation ended, and both logged off.

******

In Meng Xingzhe’s room, the lamp borrowed from Yao Jia cast a warm yellow glow, perfect for nurturing sleepiness. But tonight, his restlessness triumphed over any drowsiness.

Lying on his pillow, he couldn’t fall asleep. Tossing and turning, he began to analyze his own agitation.

He realized that most of his frustration stemmed from his ego being challenged.

Additionally, a tiny part of it originated from when Yao Jia slapped him on the face during a hotpot meal and asked, “Who are you trying to seduce?”

When that brat slapped him, his heart unexpectedly skipped a beat.

Turning to look at her again, he was surprised to find that the slightly tipsy Little Ponytail, with her rosy cheeks, looked quite pretty.

He actually found her pretty!

This was too abnormal! She didn’t meet any of his criteria for a partner. She was stubborn, argumentative, rebellious, an ordinary girl with no family background, and always eager to do good without discernment… Everything about her was what he disliked, completely incompatible with him. He refused to allow himself to feel any abnormal heartbeat for her, not even for a moment!

He sat up abruptly, grabbed his phone, and opened a game. He needed an outlet to vent his major frustrations and ignore the minor ones.

******

After chatting with Bread King, Meng Xingzhe logged out of the game.

Holding his phone, he pondered what he loved doing the most.

Counting money, spending money.

This realization only frustrated him further because he was currently broke. He had no choice but to resort to the last option: venting to Bei Luonan.

Too lazy to turn on the main light, he used the dim light of the desk lamp to video call Bei Luonan.

As soon as the call connected, Bei Luonan exclaimed, “Whoa!”

“Whoa! Why is your big face so close to the camera in the dark? Are you trying to scare me to death and inherit my shares? Dream on!”

Meng Xingzhe wasn’t in the mood for banter. He asked directly, “What kind of person do you think I am?”

Bei Luonan replied, “Do you want the sugar-coated version or the unfiltered HD version?”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow, “Start with the sugar-coated version.”

Bei Luonan said, “You’re an adult.”

Meng Xingzhe: “…” Why so much nonsense?

Meng Xingzhe: “And the unfiltered HD version?”

Bei Luonan continued, “You’re a peacock, a narcissist, an egotist. You never get involved unless it concerns you. When someone asks for your help, you always respond with ‘What does it have to do with me?’ You’re overly particular, too obsessed with quality, too extravagant, too sharp-tongued, too lazy. You wouldn’t even pick up a fallen oil bottle. If you weren’t born into a wealthy family, you’d never survive with such airs before turning eighteen…”

The more he spoke, the darker Meng Xingzhe’s expression became, to the point where Bei Luonan sensed the hostility through the phone.

So he quickly shifted gears, “Of course, despite your many flaws, your strengths are also prominent. For instance, you’re really good-looking! And… you’re good-looking! And… you’re just good-looking!!!” Bei Luonan struggled to come up with more strengths, finally concluding with, “Remember, beauty covers a multitude of sins!”

Meng Xingzhe felt extremely conflicted.

On any other day, if Bei Luonan pointed out these flaws, he wouldn’t take them to heart. Especially since he ended with compliments about his looks, repeating it three times. Just that one compliment would usually make him feel smug again.

But tonight, with every flaw Bei Luonan mentioned, Meng Xingzhe found himself reflecting. By the end, this usually self-assured and confident person almost started to dislike himself. Even after Bei Luonan praised his looks, he couldn’t feel happy.

“Do you dislike me like this?” Meng Xingzhe suddenly asked.

Bei Luonan replied, “Not really, I can’t say I completely dislike you.”

After a pause, he smiled, “But I know there’s a reason you’ve become like this, so I forgive you.”

Meng Xingzhe sighed.

Finally, he asked a soul-searching question, “Do you think I should make some changes?”

Bei Luonan nearly dropped his phone, causing the camera to shake.

“You scared me! You actually have this kind of realization??” Bei Luonan steadied his phone and laughed, “Change, huh? It’s a bit late, but better late than never!”

******

The next day at work, Yao Jia noticed faint dark circles under Meng Xingzhe’s eyes.

She casually asked, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Meng Xingzhe quipped, “If I say yes, can you bring me a bed so I can catch up on sleep?”

“…”

Yao Jia felt like slapping herself. Why did she have to be so quick with her words?

“You deserve it for not sleeping well,” she said to Meng Xingzhe.

Surprisingly, Meng Xingzhe smiled.

Who knew that sparring with her every day could be so invigorating? Last night, he had been lost in thought and self-reflection, bouncing back and forth between what he needed to change and what he didn’t. He spent most of the night sleepless.

He was almost dozing off after clocking in and sitting down, but after a quick exchange with Yao Jia, he immediately felt refreshed. It seemed that the key to starting the day was a morning spar with her, which cleared his mind and sharpened his senses.

As work hours began, the call software connected on time, and the phone system entered standby mode.

Soon, the ringing of phones echoed throughout the office as the Customer Service Representatives embarked on another day’s battle.

Yao Jia’s phone rang as well.

She answered, and the customer wanted to know the working principles of the electric oven produced by Kunyu Electric. He wanted Yao Jia to explain it thoroughly yet simply. If her explanation didn’t impress him, Kunyu Electric would lose an order for twenty ovens.

The caller mentioned that this was just the beginning. If these twenty ovens proved satisfactory, a hundred more neighbors would join in a group purchase.

Yao Jia quickly pulled up the product manual on her computer and began translating the technical jargon into layman’s terms.

After listening for a minute, the caller interrupted, “You’re obviously just reading from the manual. I need a more substantial explanation of the technical principles. Do you understand?”

Yao Jia grimaced, clutching her headset wire.

She definitely didn’t understand the deeper technical principles. She was just a temporary customer service rep passing through Kunyu for three months.

She was at a loss, unsure how to resolve the issue. If she handled it poorly, the caller might say Kunyu would lose a solid order for twenty ovens and a potential order for a hundred more. If someone audited this call, she’d likely be criticized for incompetence, poor performance, and causing losses to the company.

While using her skills to placate the caller, she racked her brain for a solution.

Her mouth employed stalling tactics while her mind raced with “What to do, what to do.”

Suddenly, Meng Xingzhe’s fingers appeared on her desk, tapping lightly.

Yao Jia turned, covering the microphone, and quickly asked in a low voice, “What is it?”

Meng Xingzhe also spoke softly, “What’s going on?”

Yao Jia replied, “The customer wants me to explain the technical principles of the electric oven.”

Meng Xingzhe leaned back in his chair, chin slightly raised, looking every bit like a Domineering CEO from a TV drama.

With that demeanor, he said to Yao Jia, “Transfer the call to me.”

“…?” Yao Jia was taken aback.

Was the sun rising in the west? Meng Xingzhe was actually offering to help someone?!

“Sir, my colleague will now provide you with a detailed explanation of the electric oven’s technical principles!” Yao Jia quickly transferred the call to Meng Xingzhe before he could change his mind.

She turned to see Meng Xingzhe taking the call.

She noticed his profile had no bad angles: a full forehead, a high nose bridge, thick brows like ink, perfectly natural without any grooming. From the side, she saw his eyelashes were incredibly long, thick, and dense. Clearly, fate had favored him, giving him such an outstanding appearance.

At that moment, he was slightly lowering his eyes, explaining the working principles of the electric oven to the caller in a way that was both clear and easy to understand. His long lashes fluttered subtly as he spoke.

In that instant, Yao Jia realized Meng Xingzhe wasn’t just a pretty face; he had real skills.

She sighed in pity for him. It was a shame he only wanted to find a wealthy woman to marry and avoid working hard for twenty years. He could have achieved so much on his own.

******

Meng Xingzhe handled the customer to their satisfaction. Before ending the call, the customer asked, “What’s your name? When I place the order, I’ll note that it’s your expertise that convinced me and my neighbors to go ahead with the group purchase of your electric ovens.”

After Meng Xingzhe hung up, Yao Jia thanked him.

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow, “Thank me for what?”

Yao Jia thought he might be polite. But then—

“I didn’t help you. I’m not a helpful person. I just couldn’t stand your stammering without saying anything useful. It was giving me a headache.”

“…”

Yao Jia thought, how is it that this person is so infuriating? When he doesn’t help, you want to hit him. When he does help, you still want to hit him!

However, there was one thing she thought she needed to learn from Meng Xingzhe—how he managed to understand the working principles and technical features of every product so clearly and thoroughly.

That evening after work, Yao Jia bought a bunch of appliance-related books online and downloaded a lot of product-related information. She began to study and research quietly.

At first, the circuits, component names, and technical jargon made Yao Jia’s head spin. But the more challenging it seemed to learn, the more determined she became to master it.

Sometimes, when she encountered something she didn’t understand, Yao Jia felt uncomfortable holding it in. She wanted to ask Meng Xingzhe, but for some reason, she felt a bit embarrassed. It seemed she didn’t want him to notice that she was quietly learning his strengths. If he did, he might seize the opportunity to flaunt his peacock feathers and smugly say, “See, my excellence has convinced you, making you want to learn from me.”

Yao Jia shivered at the thought, then decided to send Lu Jingyi a message asking for help.

To her surprise, she had chosen the right person. Someone like Lu Jingyi, who had long been on the front lines as an after-sales service technician, knew the products inside out.

As Yao Jia gradually learned about various appliances, she began to see them as lively things—useful and fascinating. The idea of circuits encased in metal shells, performing various functions when powered, seemed like a marvel to her.

Gradually, she felt that merely studying the technical principles of electrical products no longer satisfied her curiosity. She began to delve into home appliance production, marketing, and even the supply chain.

Back in school, she had resisted these topics due to her father’s influence. Unexpectedly, she found great joy in researching them now.

Over time, Lu Jingyi said to her, “I’ve never seen a customer service rep like you, so eager to learn and explore. I feel like you’re overqualified for the Customer Service Department!”

Yao Jia smiled, thinking it would be nice if performance evaluations were set by someone who appreciated her as much as Lu Jingyi did.

******

Yao Jia calculated the days; the end-of-month evaluation was approaching. Although she ranked last in the previous evaluation and was harshly criticized by Li Wangli for cursing in the office after hanging up a call, she was commended for handling the emergency call from Qin Zhenxin. The positives and negatives balanced out, making her overall performance not too bad—a classic case of starting low and ending high. As long as she didn’t make mistakes or receive complaints in the remaining days, she should be able to shake off the last-place ranking.

After assessing her evaluation situation, Yao Jia kindly reminded Meng Xingzhe, “You better step it up, or we might have to say goodbye next month.”

Meng Xingzhe sneered, “You think you’re the only one aware of your situation? I’m not only aware of mine, but also of yours. If you get a complaint, it’ll be me saying goodbye to you next month, sending you far away.” He paused, mimicking her, “Good luck, enjoy the remaining days. After all, getting yourself a complaint isn’t hard at all.”

Yao Jia felt a rebellious streak rise within her. The more he said she would get a complaint, the more she wanted to prove she could avoid it.

Meanwhile, Yao Jia noticed that although Meng Xingzhe appeared indifferent and dismissive, he was noticeably more patient with difficult customers and his attitude had significantly improved. Even his explanations of electrical principles seemed more lively.

Despite his stubborn demeanor, he was clearly worried about being eliminated.

Suddenly, Yao Jia felt a sense of crisis.

He was working hard, seemingly ready to fight to the bitter end.

She felt their relationship had suddenly become tense, as if they were at each other’s throats. Even during dinner at the dorm, their exchanges were filled with hostility, each word laced with rivalry.

Tian Huasheng always looked fearful, holding his bowl and saying in a trembling voice, “Please stop arguing, I’m afraid you’ll flip the table. I just want to eat in peace!”

But no one listened to him, and they continued their destined bickering.

Finally, Tian Huasheng tearfully suggested, “How about until the end-of-month evaluation, we all eat in our own rooms?”

Faced with the prospect of eating alone, the two finally stopped arguing.

******

Previously, none of the customer service staff at Kunyu Electric had to work night shifts.

After the incident with Qin Zhenxin’s call for help, Li Wangli was worried that his overstepping might have displeased the higher-ups. Eager to set an example, he proposed during a meeting that to provide impeccable after-sales service during the holiday promotions, the Customer Service Department should voluntarily offer 24-hour real-time online service. He guaranteed that the department would have staff available around the clock to solve customer issues.

This meant someone had to start working night shifts.

When Li Wangli brought the news back to the Customer Service Department, he didn’t mention that it was his suggestion, only saying it was a decision from the higher-ups.

However, Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen, the department’s gossip experts, found out from other departments that it was actually Li Wangli’s idea to curry favor with the leadership.

Everyone was angry, feeling they had been unjustly sacrificed as pawns in Li Wangli’s bid to please the bosses.

Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen tried to provoke Yao Jia’s indignation, hoping she would take the lead in confronting Li Wangli or go over his head to the higher-ups.

After all, during the phone rescue incident, she had interacted with Vice President Qiu Lishi, so she wasn’t entirely without recourse.

Yao Jia could see right through their intentions. She truly couldn’t fathom how these two had gotten such a wrong impression of her, thinking she was so easily provoked, all hot-blooded and reckless, like a firecracker that would explode with just a little spark.

Was it because of her outburst in the office that led them to believe she was like this? Or did Tong Yumo tell them that Yao Jia was just a brainless person, good for nothing but being irritable and bullying others?

Regardless, seeing her sitting there calmly and refusing to take the bait, Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen made no effort to hide their resentment. They schemed to have Cao Chun assign Yao Jia the first night shift. According to Tian Huasheng, they even shared this news with Tong Yumo in the break room, reveling in their shared amusement.

Yao Jia couldn’t understand what there was to be so happy about. Everyone had to take night shifts; it was just a matter of when.

Initially, during the night shifts, the call volume was low, so only three people were scheduled each night: two for the first half and one for the second half. Yao Jia was assigned to the latter.

There wasn’t much to complain about; Yao Jia could stay up late. She just found working alone at night a bit dull.

But she soon found herself far from bored. During her shifts, there were indeed energetic customers who called the hotline in the wee hours.

One such caller was a man, seemingly local from his accent, with a distinctive voice—hoarse, like someone who had strained his throat in an argument. Each word he spoke sounded to Yao Jia like something scraping against glass.

When this voice began to argue unreasonably, Yao Jia felt it was akin to torture.

The man on the phone said, “I bought your water heater, but I later decided I didn’t want it and applied for a return. Why was my request denied? Check it for me right now!”

Yao Jia communicated with the man to confirm his purchase details and pulled up his records on the computer. It showed he had used an alias for the delivery, with the recipient listed as “Huang Helou.”

The reason for the return denial was that this “Huang Helou” had already received the water heater along with a set of knives as a gift. However, he only wanted to return the water heater, not the gift knives.

Yao Jia gently explained, “Sir, you need to process the return for the gift knives that were sent with the product as well.”

The man immediately shouted, nearly bursting Yao Jia’s eardrum with his raspy voice.

“I’ve already used the knives, how can I return them? If I send them back, what will you do with them? Re-gift them to someone else? Isn’t that giving used items to others? If you can’t re-gift them, will you throw them away? Isn’t that wasteful? Since neither option works, obviously keeping them here is the most sensible choice. Why return them? I’m not refusing to return them out of greed; I’m preventing you from harming others or wasting resources, don’t you understand?”

Yao Jia was stunned by his self-righteous argument. Who knew such twisted logic could be presented so convincingly?

She patiently explained to the man: “You still need to return the knives. It’s a matter of sales policy; the product and the gift were sold together, so they must be returned together. These items are all recorded. If you find it inconvenient to return the used knives, you’ll need to pay for them separately.”

The caller exploded upon hearing this: “This is outrageous! You want to charge me for a gift? Are you pocketing extra money behind the company’s back?” His words grew more heated and increasingly inappropriate.

Several times, Yao Jia felt so angry she nearly retorted. But with the assessment looming, she had to hold back and not let this ruin her record. She bit her tongue and refrained from arguing.

Finally, she calmly stated that he could either return the gift with the product or pay for the gift separately; otherwise, she couldn’t process the return.

The man, with a voice as grating as a dull knife, said to Yao Jia, “Fine, you want to have such a lousy attitude? Just wait, I’m going to file a complaint against you!”

With that, he hung up.

Yao Jia held the headset cord, unsure whether to curse or call back to try to salvage the situation.

After all, if the complaint went through, her end-of-month assessment would be ruined, and she’d surely end up at the bottom.

She thought it over, struggled a bit, but decided to call back.

The result was a machine’s cold, automated voice on the other end: “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.”

Yao Jia thought, this is it, she might have to leave the Customer Service Department.

— Translator’s Notes —

– Wu Song fighting a tiger: Wu Song is a legendary hero from the classic Chinese novel *Water Margin* (Shui Hu Zhuan), famous for single-handedly defeating a man-eating tiger in a mountain forest, symbolizing bravery and strength.

– Calabash Brothers: The Calabash Brothers (*Hulu Wa*) are seven colorful, magical brothers from a beloved Chinese folktale and 1980s animated series, each embodying a different elemental power; they unite to battle and capture demons like the Snake and Scorpion Spirits to rescue their parents.

– Snake Spirit and Scorpion Spirit: In the *Calabash Brothers* story, the Snake Spirit and Scorpion Spirit are cunning female demons who kidnap the brothers’ parents; they represent seductive evil and are ultimately defeated and sealed by the heroes.