The Practitioners of This Industry Are Actually So Miserable

Chapter 13: The Practitioners in This Industry Are Actually So Miserable

Yu Dian was already twenty-four, but she was small and slender, lacking any mature aura. Walking beside Cheng Yun, she looked like a freshman university student. She had come in a formal summer OL uniform, and it was evident it wasn't expensive. What didn't match was her demeanor; there wasn't a trace of confidence, cheerfulness, or steady maturity. In fact, it was the opposite.

She was so naive and introverted it was almost unbelievable. Through their conversation, Cheng Yun learned she lived alone, making him wonder how she had managed all these years.

Around two in the afternoon, Cheng Yun had already taught her all the equipment and systems needed for the front desk. Since they were simple, she learned quickly. More time was spent with Cheng Yun discussing work arrangements with her.

Yu Dian was very indecisive. Basically, whatever Cheng Yun said, she would nod and agree. It was as if just providing her with a job that included room and board, a salary, and plenty of personal time would make her feel her life was complete. Especially since the food here was good, and the living conditions weren't bad either, certainly better than the small room she shared in a rented apartment.

Business had been good these past two days, with customers coming in one after another. This was a good opportunity for Yu Dian to practice and get some hands-on experience.

Cheng Yun stayed by her side, imparting his experience while pointing out her mistakes. Apart from being too shy and timid when interacting with customers, she was almost flawless in other aspects.

Around four o'clock, Yu Dian went back to pack her things, and Cheng Yun was once again alone at the hotel front desk.

In the evening, Cheng Yan rode a Mobike bicycle over with a blank expression. As soon as she entered, she sat on the sofa and played on her mobile phone, not looking up, clearly unwilling to speak to Cheng Yun.

Cheng Yun helplessly finished tallying the bills and said to Cheng Yan, "I'm going out for a bit, you stay here and watch the place!"

"No!" Cheng Yan replied without looking up.

"Just for ten minutes!"

"No!"

"What are you being moody about..." Cheng Yun was both annoyed and amused. "Stop it, I'll admit defeat, okay?"

"Still no!" Every time Cheng Yan heard him speak to her in that 'parental tone towards a child,' she inexplicably got angry. "Didn't you find a front desk cashier? You're not paying me, why should I work for you?"

"She's not starting until tomorrow," Cheng Yun said blankly.

"Oh!! You kicked me out, and now because someone else didn't show up, you want me back? Is that how it works?" Cheng Yan said indignantly.

"Huh?? Didn't you say you wanted to leave yourself? You even looked relieved... I thought you were finally free from working for me, and I felt incredibly relaxed!" Cheng Yun felt completely bewildered. "How can you say I kicked you out? Your anger seems a bit unfounded..."

"My wages were all settled!"

"Then... can you give them back to me?"

"..." Cheng Yan ignored him completely and continued to play on her mobile phone.

Cheng Yun sighed helplessly, "I'm going to buy groceries. If you don't help me watch the place, are we eating takeout again tonight?"

Cheng Yan stood up abruptly, smoothly tucked her mobile phone into the front pocket of her tight jeans, and walked behind the counter. She stood there and said, "I want sweet and sour pork ribs and sizzling fish."

"Washing the fish is too much trouble!" Cheng Yun frowned. "Let's just stir-fry a couple of dishes!"

"I want sizzling fish."

"You little brat! Why are you so troublesome!"

"Sizzling fish!" Cheng Yan glared at him. "You said you'd let me watch the front desk, you can't skimp on my food!"

"Fine! Sizzling fish!"

"And sweet and sour pork ribs."

"Fine! Sweet and sour pork ribs!"

"The sizzling fish needs to be super spicy!"

"Fine! Super spicy!"

"Hmph!"

"..."

Cheng Yun walked out with a heavy expression. A vegetable market was not far away, about a five-minute walk.

About an hour later, the sizzling fish and sweet and sour pork ribs were placed on the coffee table. The sizzling fish was propped up with Cheng Yan's high school math textbook, which fit perfectly.

Cheng Yan was extremely satisfied, her expression significantly improved. She scooped a full bowl of rice and began to eat.

In her eyes, Cheng Yun wasn't very capable. Even his achievements during university didn't impress her because the money he earned had little to do with her and didn't end up in her account. The only exception was his cooking skills—she was one of the direct beneficiaries, and currently the biggest one. Therefore, she greatly admired him in this regard.

She was also very grateful to Cheng Yun's ex-girlfriend for training his cooking skills so well.

However, now there was one more person sharing Cheng Yun's culinary skills with her, and that person was a young female front desk cashier.

What are most common around university campuses are not internet cafes, nor hotels, nor even clothing stores or snack shops, but the cheap and rudimentary rental rooms scattered around them.

Many students don't care about the surrounding environment or the location of their rental rooms, nor are they too demanding about the decoration or hardware. As long as it's close to school and has air conditioning and hot water, it's enough. Many don't even need a kitchen; as long as it allows them to escape cramped dormitories and difficult roommates and provides a place for them and their girlfriends to live together, they don't even need a kitchen, just a bedroom is enough.

Those preparing for postgraduate entrance exams have slightly higher demands, only seeking a quieter environment.

There are quite a few apartments with four or five bedrooms around the university, and each room can be rented out to a student or a couple. Cheaper ones go for eight or nine hundred, and more expensive ones for a little over a thousand, earning much more than renting the entire apartment.

And tenants often squeeze six or seven people into such houses, regardless of gender, sharing the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. If the master bedroom has a private bathroom, it's fine, but others have to queue up to take a shower.

Yu Dian rented a room in a very inconspicuous old residential building, on the fifth floor, with no elevator. It was the smallest room.

This apartment had five bedrooms rented out. The room she rented was the only one without air conditioning and no windows, making it unbearably stuffy every summer. Even the landlord, who had become familiar with her over time, felt sorry for her and brought her a fan.

In a family home, a room like this would be used as a storage room or a study. Of course, the price was also very cheap, only six hundred a month, with a one-month deposit and one month's rent paid in advance, which suited her financial situation perfectly.

The name Yu Dian, it was said, was given by her mother because it was raining when she was born.

It was six o'clock. Yu Dian was enduring the stuffiness in her room as dusk settled. Fortunately, she was frail and didn't sweat much.

From the living room outside, she could hear the couple who were leaving today saying goodbye to the others. They had to move back to their dorms to deal with the department's final exams these past few days. The aroma of takeout ordered by many of her roommates also wafted in. She sat silently on the hard plank bed in her small room, enduring the hunger pangs in her stomach.

Her packed luggage was in front of her. Besides bedding and a folding table, all her clothes for summer and winter combined fit into a small rolling suitcase and a backpack.

Yu Dian couldn't help but think of lunch that day, unconsciously swallowing.

She had been too embarrassed to ask for more rice at noon, so she only ate a small bowl. Coupled with her long-term irregular eating habits, she got full quickly. Yet, every time she thought of the braised pork ribs and potatoes that Cheng Yan had, and her own pathetic inability to reach for it even though she wanted to, her heart ached faintly—if only she could have taken just a potato!

But when she thought that starting tomorrow she would finally have stable meals, and that she could continue doing what she wanted while having a stable job, her future was filled with hope!

Unfortunately, tonight...

Yu Dian touched her stomach and fumbled in her bag for her battered Xiaomi 2s. She opened the food delivery app.

In the past, this delivery app mostly served as a platform for her to quench her thirst with a mirage. Even if she could afford a good meal, she was reluctant to pay the delivery fee, preferring to walk for half an hour to the restaurant. She would only consider ordering if a new store opened or if the delivery companies were running promotions with significant discounts and coupons.

But today was destined to be a different day!

It was almost the end of the month, and she was leaving tomorrow. Thinking about it made her feel a little reluctant—she had lived in this small room for nearly two years. Such an affordable room with independent space was truly hard to find in Jinguan.

So, she decided to splurge and have a good meal to commemorate the blood, sweat, and tears she had shed in this place.

"Let's... keep it under twenty yuan!" Yu Dian muttered to herself, then skillfully tapped a few filter options on the delivery app and began her search.

About half an hour later, her mobile phone, with its low battery warning, shut down.

"..." Yu Dian was long accustomed to the old phone's quirks. She sighed. If she really had to choose, she probably wouldn't be able to decide anyway. "There are still two steamed buns in the fridge... Forget it, I'll go downstairs and eat noodles instead."

She sat in her room for a while, thinking she really should have asked to start working tonight. But she was too embarrassed to ask; what if Boss Cheng saw through her intentions?

When she heard no more movement from the living room, she opened her door and tiptoed out, heading downstairs.

The next day.

Yu Dian usually slept until noon, which saved her a meal. Yes, eating one meal at noon was enough for breakfast. Two steamed buns could definitely fill her up. But today, she got up at six. She put on her backpack, holding her suitcase in one hand and the folding table board and a bundle of pillows and blankets in the other. She quietly opened the door and left, then struggled to drag the rolling suitcase and bedding down the stairs, step by step—

Compared to the goodbyes of the couple and her roommates yesterday, her departure was truly unnoticed.

She didn't dare to drop the rolling suitcase; replacing it would be expensive. So, until her hands were sore and weak, she gritted her teeth and held on tightly. Reaching the bottom of the stairs made her feel like her arm was about to break.

Just then, her phone rang!

Yu Dian fumbled, letting go of the rolling suitcase. Ignoring the sore muscles in her arms, she pulled out her phone to look—

The contact was saved as Boss Cheng, whom she had set up last night.

"Hello... Hello, Boss, don't rush. I'm coming right over," Yu Dian said, quickly answering the call.

"You start work at seven. It's not even 6:20 yet, what are you panicking about!" Cheng Yun's gentle voice, laced with laughter, came from the other end of the line. "I just wanted to ask if you have a lot of luggage. Do you need me to pick you up?"

"N-no, not much," Yu Dian's arm was still sore. Hearing his words, her eyes welled up slightly. "I... I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Alright, be careful when you cross the road."

"Mm..."