Chapter 9: You want to buy these bottles of water that cost tens of yuan each... to go wash up?
The air in the carriage had beco sowhat sticky due to the few cans of caviar and the steaming hot bird's nest congee, yet it carried a strange sense of tranquility.
Chen Man was the worst at keeping secrets.
She put down the porcelain bowl that had been scraped clean, elegantly wiped her lips with a tissue, and her eyes, lined with cat-eye makeup, circled Jiang Chen twice.
"Little brother, be straight with your sister." Chen Man leaned forward, resting her elbows on the small table. The leopard-print strap of her slip dress dipped slightly with the movent. "You have a coat worth thousands, breakfast worth thousands, and you can even'snag' caviar. Are the interns these days this wild with their connections?"
As soon as she said this, Lin Wan, who had been tidying up the leftovers, also stopped what she was doing.
Although Su Qingge didn't speak, her cool, aloof eyes also turned over, clearly waiting for an explanation.
Jiang Chen had long anticipated this question.
He leaned back in his seat, looking composed, playing with the empty glass water cup in his hand. His tone was as casual as if he were comnting on the nice weather.
"If I said I was a second-generation rich kid, would you believe ?"
"No," Su Qingge replied crisply. "Second-generation rich kids don't wear three-for-one-hundred-yuan undershirts."
Her observation skills were truly sharp.
Jiang Chen smiled, not showing any embarrassnt at being called out. "Sister Su has sharp eyes. Indeed, my family background is very ordinary, perhaps even a bit difficult. I made this money recently because I got lucky and followed the trend investing a little in cryptocurrency online. I didn't have high hopes, but by sheer chance, it multiplied dozens of tis."
He didn't ntion the specific amount or the specific project.
This vague explanation was actually the perfect cover.
"When I first earned the money, I also thought about saving it to buy a house and get married," Jiang Chen shrugged, his gaze sweeping over the three beautiful won in front of him. "But later I figured it out: money only counts as money when you spend it; when it's in the bank, it's just a string of numbers. Especially on a special day like today, eting three such beautiful sisters, this money is well spent."
"Your words are sweet," Lin Wan smiled and shook her head, her suspicion dissipating considerably. "But Little Jiang, luck-based money doesn't last. You still need to work diligently in the future."
"Sister Wanwan is right," Jiang Chen readily agreed.
"Luck is also a form of capability," Chen Man, however, appreciated the attitude. She leaned back onto her bunk lazily, a hint of lancholy in her eyes. "Unlike , after all these years of hustling, I seem glamorous, but I'm just a high-level employee. A few days ago, I broke up with my partner, and he even took half the shares of the nightclub."
"You broke up?" Lin Wan looked a bit surprised.
"Broke up. Should I keep him around for the New Year?" Chen Man scoffed, pulling out a box of won's cigarettes from her bag. Just as she was about to light one, she glanced at the enclosed carriage and stuffed it back in. "That bastard's family is pressuring him to marry, saying my job in the nightclub isn't respectable. He imdiately went to date a civil servant. To hell with his respectability."
The carriage fell silent for a few seconds.
"Actually... I'm quite envious that you all can still date."
Lin Wan, who hadn't spoken, suddenly spoke up, her voice as low as a mosquito's hum. She looked down at the diamond ring on her ring finger. The diamond was large, but it didn't make her look any happier.
"My husband and I t through a matchmaker; our families are equally matched. We've been married for five years, and I can count the number of tis he's co ho on one hand. Besides sending money ho every month, we seem to have nothing to talk about." Lin Wan gave a bitter smile. "I ca out this ti because my mother-in-law is worried about my infertility and forced to go to the provincial capital's major hospital for a check-up. In truth, I know it's not a physical problem; it's him... he's incapable. Every night, he avoids ."
This kind of intimate topic would absolutely never be brought up unless they were in such a closed environnt where everyone was slightly tipsy (whether from being full or from the earlier alcohol).
Jiang Chen listened silently, not interrupting. He knew that at this mont, listening was more important than comforting.
"What about Sister Su?" Chen Man didn't want the atmosphere to beco too heavy and turned to look at Su Qingge. "General Manager Su is so outstanding; the line of suitors must stretch all the way to France, right?"
Su Qingge leaned against the window. The snow outside had stopped, and the sunlight illuminated her profile, making her look sowhat unrealistically translucent.
"Never dated."
"What?" Even Jiang Chen was stunned this ti.
"What's so surprising about that?" Su Qingge said faintly, her tone betraying no emotion. "In university, I was busy getting scholarships; after graduation, I was busy starting a business. In my view, dating has the lowest return on investnt. Most n are childish and arrogant. Instead of wasting ti coaxing them, it's better to close two more contracts."
She turned her head, her gaze falling on Jiang Chen, and the corner of her mouth curved into an almost-smile. "Of course, if it were soone who could provide emotional value and also serve as a warm stove in critical monts... I might consider it."
Jiang Chen felt his heart skip a beat.
Was that... flirting?
"Alright, stop teasing Little Jiang," Lin Wan noticed Jiang Chen's awkwardness and smiled to ease the tension. "Eating too much makes you sleepy. How about taking another nap?"
"Nap? I feel sticky and uncomfortable all over." Chen Man tugged at her collar, looking disgusted. "I sweated a lot yesterday, and I just ate hot congee. I feel like a marinated piece of salted fish right now."
This struck a chord.
Su Qingge also frowned and subconsciously sniffed her collar.
For soone with her cleanliness standards, this was already the limit of her tolerance.
"I'll go to the restroom to see if there's any water. Even just wiping myself down would be nice," Lin Wan said, grabbing a towel and standing up.
However, less than two minutes later, she returned empty-handed, her face looking pale.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Chen asked.
"The water is shut off," Lin Wan sighed. "The attendant said a pipe froze and burst. They're repairing it, but it will probably take several hours to restore the water supply."
"Ah? Then what do we do?" Chen Man wailed, slumping onto the bunk. "I feel like I'm going to spoil! How am I supposed to face anyone like this?"
Just then, that familiar chanical voice rang out in Jiang Chen's mind again.
"Ding! Detected that the ladies around the Host have fallen into a 'Cleanliness Crisis.'"
"How can exquisite goddesses tolerate sweat stains and stickiness? The Host must imdiately solve the problem of water for washing up."
"Mission requirent: The water provided must be top-tier drinking mineral water, and the Host must guard the ladies' washing safety throughout the entire process."
"Mission budget: Not less than 5000 yuan."
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.
Washing faces and bodies with top-tier mineral water?
This system truly... understands people's desires.
"The pipe burst?" Chen Man grabbed her hair in despair. "This broken train still has to run for several more hours. Are we supposed to just fernt until the terminus?"
Although Su Qingge remained silent, her brow furrowed even tighter.
She shifted uncomfortably. That feeling of discomfort all over was simply more unbearable for soone accustod to a refined life than going bankrupt.
Jiang Chen stood up and straightened his coat hem. "It's not necessarily true that we have to wait for the pipe to be fixed."
"You have a way?" Three pairs of eyes looked over simultaneously.
"Isn't any water fine?" Jiang Chen pointed outside the door. "The dining car should still have reserve bottled water. While we can't shower, simple wiping down should be fine."
"Bottled water?" Lin Wan hesitated. "How many bottles would that take? And supplies are tight on the train right now; everyone is scrambling for instant noodles. The water must have been bought out too."
"You ladies don't need to worry about that," Jiang Chen smiled, that look of certainty returning to his face. "I told you, I'm usually very lucky. You prepare towels and spare clothes; I'll be right back."
With that, Jiang Chen pushed the door open again.
The corridor was even more crowded than before, filled with passengers complaining about the water outage.
The air was perated with an even richer sll of instant noodles and body odor, mixed with the stuffiness from the restored heating, making it suffocating.
Jiang Chen held his breath and squeezed his way to the dining car.
The familiar Attendant Sister was taking inventory. Seeing Jiang Chen approach, she looked as if she had seen a relative. "Oh, young man, you're here to ask about water, right? Gone, gone. The last box of Kang master was just snatched up by the big brother in the hard-seat section next door."
"I'm not buying Kang master," Jiang Chen glanced at the few display shelves locked in the glass cabinet. "That row of Evian, and those few cases of sparkling water, haven't been touched, right?"
The sister was montarily stunned. "Those bottles cost tens of yuan each, and you still want to buy them?"
"I want all of it," Jiang Chen pulled out his credit card, his tone as calm as if he were buying cabbage. "Also, I see a new large stainless steel thermos in that corner over there? Please get that for too. I need to mix so hot water with this water, otherwise, it's too cold to use."
The sister's mouth dropped open, and the ballpoint pen in her hand nearly fell to the floor. "You an... you want to buy these bottles of water that cost tens of yuan each, to go... to wash up?"
"No choice, my friends are clean freaks and can't stand it," Jiang Chen swiped the card and signed the receipt, his movents fluid.
User Comments
0 comments from readers