Ni Jiu (Intoxicated) - Chap 17

The job search went surprisingly smooth.
Before Shen Tingwei came to the interview, the other party asked him a lot of questions. When it came to education related, he couldn’t help but stumble a bit. After all, he came to this world accidently. He studied law in his undergraduate degree, but the rules that he was familiar with are not fully applicable in this world. It is equivalent to learning for nothing. When the other party asked, Shen Tingwei thought about it and finally answered vaguely as if he only finished high school.
Even he himself was not satisfied with his answers. He didn’t hold out much hope after the end, thinking that it was the same as the previous two interviews – the first time he was asked to wait for further notice but it was actually a polite refusal, there was no follow-up at all. The second time it was even worse. After the interviewer heard that he didn’t have a mobile phone, he had no choice but to say ‘no’, telling him that it was inappropriate to not have a medium for easy communication.
But unexpectedly, this time there was a turning point.
After the chat, the store manager who interviewed him actually took an entry application form for him to fill out and asked him when he could start working.
He was stunned for a moment, and then quickly replied that: “Now, will be fine.”
He had no place to live. When asked by the store manager, he replied that he came to work here though he was from another place. He had no relatives, so he was placed in a staff dormitory. On the way, the store manager took him to the dormitory. Shen Tingwei couldn’t help but ask another question. The store manager told him that although his resume did not meet the application requirements, in the service industry, affinity was the most important thing. He has quite an advantage in appearance, has gentle eyebrows and eyes and speaks softly, which is perfect for dealing with children.

It is said to be a staff dormitory. In fact, the conditions are not bad. In the residential area across the road opposite the trampoline hall, it is a four-bedroom and one-hall.
There are few non-local employees in the work place. There were only two air-conditioned roomsb. A group of young people are very particular about it.
The air-conditioning conditions were limited and the weather was gradually getting hot. Other employees invited him to live with them. Of course, Shen Tingwei did not dare. After explaining that it was inconvenient, they did not insist. Fortunately, there is the last single room with the smallest area left in the dormitory, which can fit a bed and a wardrobe. Although there is no air conditioner and no windows, it is already a very good condition for Shen Tingwei, at least he will not be living on the streets.

…
When Shen Tingwei opened the door with a box of pregnancy test strips in his hand. Two roommates were eating takeaway in the kitchen. He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and quickly put his hand behind his back to hide the test strip even tighter. The kitchen has some distance from the living room and neither of them saw it. The conversation at the dining table was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence for a while.
A boy who didn’t speak much in the stadium was the first to break the silence: “Hey, Brother Shen, you just came back?”
Shen Tingwei nodded, closed the door and felt that his answer was a little indifferent, so he added: “Today’s cleaning was delayed for a while.”
“Is that so…” The boy looked a little embarrassed and pointed to the takeaway on the table, “We ordered a bit more today, would you like to eat together?”

Shen Tingwei also felt embarrassed and wanted to say no. The boy opposite had already taken out a portion of rice from the plastic bag. Helped him unpack the lunch box, pushing the cutlery and unpacked rice to the empty seat: “Come out to eat after you finish changing clothes.”
Shen Tingwei has been introverted since he was a child and is not very good at accepting other people’s kindness. He didn’t know how to face such a situation. It seemed too polite to say thank you, but he couldn’t say nothing.
When the other party moved their eyes back to the variety show on the tablet, he replied dumbly: “Okay.”
He went back to his room and changed into a thin shirt with a funny bear head printed on its chest.
He bought the clothes on the night market in the nearby university town two days ago. When he went there, they had already closed the stall, so he bought them at the purchase price, which cost 8 yuan.
There is no size to choose from for the goods were docked at the night market. The t-shirts are too big for him. The hem of the clothes covers his hipbones. But he still wears it as home clothes – he doesn’t have the habit of sleeping naked, especially in such a completely unfamiliar environment, being naked makes him even more insecure.
After changing clothes, his eyes deliberately stayed on the medicine box on the table. This is what he conveniently put in his pocket when he left Lian Jue’s villa.
He ate two meals in the first two days of coming here. Later, after he officially went to work, his work, rest and life rhythm returned to normal. His anxiety gradually disappeared.

There was still a tablet of medicine left in the medicine box. His fingertips touched his lower abdomen through the clothes. After a moment of silence, he still took two pills from the tin cardboard and swallowed them with the cool white that he had not finished drinking in the morning cup.
When he came out of the room, the roommate just now had returned to the room and there was food on the table for him.
Shen Tingwei stared at the fish-flavored shredded pork and seaweed egg drop soup, which were obviously untouched in the plastic lunch box for a long time, before being pulled back to his senses by the sourness pouring into his nose.
They were basically strangers but they were indeed kind to him. Maybe after coming to this world, he didn’t really feel a little warmth until he found this job and met these people. The anxiety-induced arrhythmia was briefly replaced by a soft surge in his heart. He turned to look at his roommate’s closed door, pulled out his chair and sat down.
Shen Tingwei hadn’t eaten anything oily and watery these days. The fish-flavored shredded pork with red oil felt induced tightness in his throat. He swallowed it whole after chewing it twice.
The spasmodic contraction of his stomach and throat made it difficult for him to swallow. The longing that had been pressing in his heart couldn’t be held back at all at this moment. He suddenly began to miss his home crazily, thinking that he could eat whenever he came home. The home-cooked food, he missed the cool but still warm scent of peony when his father came home late.

He half-drooped his eyelashes, wiped away the heat from the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand and lowered his head to take a few mouthfuls of rice.
After slowly finishing the meal with the saltiness in his mouth, he packed the lunch box, washed his face with cold water from the kitchen sink, took a tissue to dry the water on his face, and pressed his sore button eyes. He took the garbage out and threw it away.
He has to go and return the necklace.
The trampoline park is in the city sports center. There is a big square outside. Now the weather is getting warmer and many nearby residents will come to the square for a walk at night to enjoy the shade.
Shen Tingwei didn’t have a mobile phone and it was inconvenient to contact him, so he went to the square very early to wait after dinner.
The effect of the medicine has not yet kicked in and his swollen temples ached in waves.
He don’t know how long he waited, but a car stopped not far away. He noticed it out of the corner of his eye but didn’t look up. The stroller kept parked beside him. For some reason, Shen Tingwei didn’t raise his head and talked to the woman pushing a cart.
“How old is he?” Shen Tingwei was still looking at the baby in the stroller next to him, who was smiling at him with a molar pacifier.
“Half a year old.” The woman flicked an aqua-blue light stick and swayed it in front of the baby’s eyes. The child’s dark eyes didn’t turn. He kept staring at Shen Tingwei while giggling.

“Hey, it’s weird. It’s the first time I see him like someone so much.” The woman smiled and bent over to touch the baby’s face, “Are you so happy to see a brother who’s handsome?”
Shen Tingwei slightly raised the corner of his mouth and was about to reach out to touch the hand that the child held out to him then someone stood in front of him: “Hi?”
Before Shen Tingwei touch the child’s hand he quickly retracted it.
Chen Ningxue have received the call. She changed into a set of new clothes compared to when she came to the trampoline park. It was a relatively formal dress, like she was going to a date, her jewelry was completeband her makeup was also very delicate.
Shen Tingwei looked at her, stood up and bowed his head: “I’m sorry for making you meet me when you are supposed to go on another place.”
“It’s me who wants to thank you! It must be really a hard work to find my necklace.” Chen Ningxue smiled and didn’t care. She reached out to take the necklace.
Shen Tingwei gave it to her immediately. He pointed out to her the deformed part of the buckle: “I’m sorry, Miss Chen. I checked it when I found it and it seems to be deformed a bit. If it needs to be sent for repair…”
“Ah, it’s alright, I guess I made it by myself.” Chen Ningxue took it and put it away casually, not paying attention at all. She didn’t seem to care about it. She smiled at him, “Thank you. I apologize for troubling you. ”
“It’s okay. I live very close.” Shen Tingwei said.
With a smile, Chen Ningxue put the necklace into the small bag on her back. Her eyes casually glanced over the pattern in front of him and said casually, “Wow, has this brand released a new style? It’s so cute.”
Shen Tingwei was stunned for a moment. He followed her gaze and glanced at himself. A touch of embarrassment appeared on his face: “This should…”
“I’ve always disliked tiger head money before but the little bear is quite cute.” Chen Ningxue buttoned up her bag and glanced at his clothes, “I’ll go back now.”
“It’s so embarrassing, brother. I’m going to die!” Chen Ningxue got into the car and started complaining to Lian Jue with a hot face, “It’s so embarrassing, so embarrassing!”
Lian Jue ignored her noise, pinched the cigarette in his hand and his eyes were still fixed on the back slowly walking back in the distance.

They haven’t seen each other for more than a month. Shen Tingwei’s hair is longer than before. The slightly longer black hair lining the thin back of the neck that is exposed outside the collar is dazzlingly white. Although the weather has warmed up, it was still cold wearing only a thin shirt at night. He probably also felt cold.

When the wind blew when he walked back, he shrank his neck slightly and then he quickened his pace.
After crossing the road, Shen Tingwei disappeared.
Lian Jue retracted his eyes, thinking why this person is so weak and unpretentious all day long. He is swaying while walking.
He raised the car window back, seeing Chen Ningxue beside him still embarrassed, frowned and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Just that little brother just now, when I first saw that he was wearing clothes. I wanted to say it was new and it was quite cute but I took a closer look at it – K, A, N, Z, O.” Chen Ningxue gestured as she spoke and finally fastened her seat belt and braced her forehead, “You know that moment, whenever there is a crack on the ground. I suspect that we both have to drill faster than the other.”
Lian Jue: “…”
Until Lian Jue sent people home, Chen Ningxue still hadn’t pulled away from the topic of “How can a handsome guy wear fake?”.
Lian Jue tapped the steering wheel and glanced at her: “Go now. Dad should be in a hurry.”
“How could he be in a hurry when I’m with you?” Chen Ningxue took off her seat belt but did not get out of the car in a hurry. She turned her head to look at Lian Jue, smiled and suggested, “Besides, it’s so late, brother, you must be really tired to drive back. Ah, why don’t you stay at home at night?”
“No.” Lian Jue didn’t turn off the car, looked at Ning Xue from the front mirror and said in a flat tone, “I’m going to the hospital tomorrow afternoon.”
“Going to the hospital?” Chen Ningxue reacted for a while, clicked her tongue and frowned before she speak, “Has her examination report come out?”
Lian Jue snorted and reminded: “When you go back. Pay attention to what you say and do. I know that you have some nasty ideas in mind.”
Being reminded of that person, Chen Ningxue was annoyed. The good mood of the day disappeared instantly. She drooped her face and threw the bag back on her shoulders: “Fine. I’ll go now.”
…
Shen Tingwei woke up early in the morning.
He took medicine last night and was sleepy early. He was in a daze and fell asleep before eleven o’clock. It’s too early when he woke up and his roommates are still sleeping, so it’s quite convenient for him to move by himself.
After all, he couldn’t explain this kind of thing when he was discovered. Shen Tingwei himself was not a particularly articulate person.
To be on the safe side, when he hid in the toilet, he deliberately saw that his roommates were sleeping and only started using the test strips after reading the instructions carefully. He did tried several times following the operation method printed above. After the test paper was soaked, it was needed to wait for five minutes. Shen Tingwei squatted in front of the test paper and stared at it for five minutes without blinking.
The red bar below the test strip test line is slowly displayed.
Two bars.
Every time it’s two bars.

The first thought in Shen Tingwei’s mind was: “Sure enough.”
Although he had been mentally prepared and had a hunch that this would be the result, his heartbeat inevitably stopped for a beat.
Immediately afterwards, his eyes turned red and Shen Tingwei wiped his face indiscriminately, trying hard to hold back the sobbing sound – ‘I shouldn’t cry, it’s too embarrassing. I absolutely I shouldn’t cry.’

The frosted glass door of the bathroom could not be locke. The sound of pulling slippers approaching sounded. Shen Tingwei trembled and hurriedly said to stop the person:
“S-someone is in h-here. W-wait a minute!”
His voice was shaking too but Shen Tingwei had no time to hide it.
Hearing that, the sound of footsteps approaching the door stoppednand then the colleague outside the door hesitated and asked with concern, “Brother Shen, what’s the matter with you, you’re not feeling well?”
“I’m okay…” Shen Ting answered, “I’ll come out right away. You wait for a while.”
As he spoke, he hurriedly packed up the things on the sink. Hurriedly stuffed the box and manual into his pocket, patted his face againnand opened the door as if nothing had happened.
After washing his hands, Shen Tingwei came out of the bathroom. The colleague who was playing with his cell phone on the sofa got up, suddenly met his red eyes and was stunned: “…Are you really okay? If you’re not feeling well, you to have take a rest today. Take a leave. I’ll explain your situation towards the manager. It’s not a weekend and we’re not busy there…”

Shen Tingwei wanted to shake his head and said no but the buzzing continued in his ears.
“Thank you.” His voice was low, “…If possible, could I trouble you to lend me some money?”