With that, he pulled Qiqi and left. Qiqi was dazed, her heart in turmoil. She turned back to look at Zhuzhu, who was waving vigorously at her, sending her an encouraging look that screamed, "Go for it, knock him down!" Qiqi could only wave back, then, under the gaze of the crowd, was pulled into a taxi by Rong Yi.
Well, anyway, the exams were over. The results wouldn't be out for two weeks, so she'd deal with it then. After the exams, she felt a weight off her shoulders. Under the strict supervision of the Wolf King, Qiqi obediently stayed home for several days, finally recovering fully from her cold.
Then came the two-month summer break. Qiqi made a plan: the first month, she'd work part-time to save up money; the second month, she'd prepare for an internship, and also squeeze in time to join the community volunteer team.
Coincidentally, just as she was about to look for a job, Zhuzhu called and recommended her for a position as a waitress at a high-end Western restaurant. Zhuzhu had worked there before and knew the environment was good, the work wasn't too tiring, and the pay was decent. Plus, the customers were mostly foreigners and wealthy people, so the tips were generous. If not for Zhuzhu's cousin suddenly dragging her on a trip, she wouldn't have given up such a great job.
"I'm hooking you up with this job, so you better remember my kindness! Next time we meet, you have to bring your boyfriend along—let me feast my eyes on a handsome guy..." Zhuzhu rambled on the phone.
"Alright, alright, thank you, Zhuzhu!" Qiqi felt overjoyed.
But Rong Yi wasn't too happy. He didn't want Qiqi to work, thinking she'd just recovered and should focus on resting. Besides, the true identity of the black-clad man who had tried to kill her before was still unknown. He sensed danger lurking in the shadows and didn't want her going out alone.
Qiqi explained, "We're out of money at home. I have to work, or we'll be eating wind next month." Rong Yi fell silent.
In truth, Qiqi had been urging him to consider Gezi's suggestion of becoming a model, but Rong Yi firmly refused, thinking it was a disgraceful job. Now, looking at the situation, was he, the Wolf King of the demon realm, really being forced into modeling—hawking smiles on the street? That was Rong Yi's definition of modeling, and he felt utterly miserable.
Qiqi went for the interview at the restaurant. Since she was recommended by an acquaintance and had done similar work before, everything went smoothly. After a brief training session, she officially started working.
Qiqi's English was decent, so the boss assigned her to serve foreign customers. And now, the customer she was serving was a foreigner. He was a handsome man dining alone, a classic Westerner—blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and a sculpted, chiseled face.
The handsome man sat by the window, eyeing Qiqi with keen interest. His expression was friendly, carrying that typical Western curiosity upon first arriving in China and seeing an attractive Eastern girl.
"Um, could you please introduce me to your menu?" the handsome man asked in fairly fluent Chinese.
Qiqi smiled and recommended a few modified dishes, which were the restaurant's specialty—blending the best of Chinese cuisine while preserving Western traditions, likely to suit the palate of foreigners new to China.
The handsome man gave her an incredibly bright smile, like the warmest sun at the equator: "This dish has rosemary? Great, I really like it."