After Failing To Tame The Scumbag - Chapter 40

After being brought back, Ji Jin stayed perfectly well-behaved for two days. She didn’t utter a single word about getting back together, she followed Yun Chuxiu’s every lead without question, and managed to outlast Chu Cheng, who still hadn’t optimized her way out of working.

Chu Cheng was incredibly indignant about this. The way she looked at Yun Chuxiu was as if she were watching a prime head of cabbage about to be made off with by a scumbag. There was certainly a sense of “wishing the iron could become steel,” but more than that, she simply hoped Yun Chuxiu would find true happiness.

As for Ji Jin, the one aiming to steal the cabbage…

The two of them traded fake smiles at the airport, neither willing to be the first to let their expression crumble.

“Alright, isn’t this exhausting?” Once Chu Cheng left, Yun Chuxiu dropped the faint smile from her face and said helplessly, “What is there for you two to snap at each other about? Do you really take me for a fool who can’t see anything?”

These past two days, the two of them had been fighting with such fire that they’d forgotten themselves. They’d jab at each other every time they met, and neither was particularly good at hiding their emotions.

With Chu Cheng, it was a genuine display of feeling, but for Ji Jin to act that way… she was clearly stirring the pot on purpose.

“She and I are just ‘alternate account’ acquaintances,” Ji Jin said, her voice expertly softening as if certain that Yun Chuxiu fell for that act. As she spoke, she smoothly took the empty coffee cup from Yun Chuxiu’s hand and tossed it into the trash, looking slightly aggrieved. “I wanted to get along with her, but she has the temper of a child. Once she decided I wasn’t a good person, she refused to change her mind.”

Reminded by those words, Yun Chuxiu frowned. “You seem to be communicating through an alternate account constantly. Is that really okay?”

“I’m keeping a proper eye on work matters,” Ji Jin said, pointedly not mentioning her other, dead phone, her smile gentle. “I know A-Xiu doesn’t like that sort of thing.”

“You’d better actually know.”

Yun Chuxiu could easily tell Ji Jin was hiding something, but their current awkward relationship meant she couldn’t overstep. She chose to ignore it and shifted the topic.

“If you’re going to keep staying here, you’ll need to buy some convenient daily necessities.”

Ji Jin had arrived in a hurry. Her suitcase was an old one she’d grabbed without looking, essentially a prop that she’d left behind at the airport anyway.

“I prepared that last year,” Ji Jin smiled, watching Yun Chuxiu quietly for a moment before continuing, “We agreed to go skiing back then, but then you suddenly had work to handle.”

Yun Chuxiu didn’t take the bait, her expression unchanging. “That’s a shame. But it’s not too late now; you can take your luggage and find someone to go with.”

“There are so many people in this city. I’m sure many would be interested.”

Ji Jin asked knowingly, “Does ‘those people’ include you?”

“What do you think?” Yun Chuxiu countered, walking out of the airport without waiting for an answer.

Everything under the sunlight was bright and clear. As she moved, the shadows shifted, and the vibrant colors on Yun Chuxiu’s skirt seemed to come alive, rippling with her steps, beautiful as a dream.

Ji Jin followed her at a leisurely pace, overlapping her shadow with the swaying one on the ground, quietly maintaining the same rhythm.

Like chasing the sun.

“Are you not looking where you’re going at all?”

The “Sun” herself suddenly grabbed Ji Jin’s hand. Three seconds later, a kid on a skateboard failed to brake in time, careening right through a third of where Ji Jin’s shadow had just been.

Ji Jin tried to save face: “I thought he could stop?”

Yun Chuxiu gave her a look usually reserved for idiots.

Ji Jin smiled and added, “I didn’t expect you to be paying so much attention to me… is it this shop?”

Her skill at changing the subject was a bit clumsy.

Yun Chuxiu glanced at the shop, it was golden on the outside and multicolored on the inside. The dresses on display looked like various “aesthetic meals,” each featuring no fewer than four colors. It was the polar opposite of Ji Jin’s usual minimalist and restrained style.

“Ah,” Ji Jin realized as well. She truly couldn’t imagine herself in those clothes. She quickly explained, “The sun was too bright, I looked at the wrong place. This clearly isn’t…”

“Let’s go with this one,” Yun Chuxiu interrupted, her tone as calm as if she were saying “good morning.” “I think that ‘Stir-fried Tomato and Egg’ piece is quite nice. It should suit you well.”

“Stir-fried tomato and egg usually doesn’t come with green onions and eggplant,” Ji Jin said sheepishly, looking down at her crisp white shirt, still trying to save the situation. “The doctor said I can’t eat heavy flavors. Why don’t we go look at some ‘Plain Porridge’?”

“But I quite like it,” Yun Chuxiu said light-heartedly.

Ji Jin: “…”

Then Ji Jin: “On second thought, this wonderful combination is indeed very enticing. It’s quite good to try something new.”

Having said that, she walked into the shop as if terrified she’d be shut out if she waited a second longer.

“Welcome.”

The owner of “The Hamburger” was a woman with a distinct style. Her golden curls exploded around her shoulders, falling over her dark green dress like scattered sparks, giving her a unique, gentle aura.

“Have you two taken a fancy to this one?”

While speaking, she precisely removed the garment from the mannequin. Her bluish eyes reflected the shade of a shallow sea in the sunlight. When she looked at the slightly awkward Ji Jin, her smile deepened. “Our shop focuses on more flamboyant colors. On this guest, it should be very fitting.”

After all, she had a great face and figure, even if her temperament didn’t quite match the clothes… but as the saying goes, within three steps of a poison, there must be an antidote.

The owner saw through the “food chain” in zero seconds. Even though Ji Jin was the one buying, she only pulled Yun Chuxiu along when introducing other color palettes.

Ji Jin: “.” She had a feeling things were about to go south.

“I’ll go try this on first,” Ji Jin said, bracing herself to flee the scene. The moment she slipped into the fitting room, her face crumpled. she fumbled with the clothes she simply couldn’t get used to, falling silent for a long time before finally steeling herself and pulling them on with her eyes closed.

To be fair, the owner’s taste was reliable. Even with the bold use of color, the design of the garment wasn’t bad.

She looked like a beautiful cake stand, layered without being clunky, as if even her footsteps carried a light, sweet scent.

“It’s actually quite nice,” Yun Chuxiu evaluated. After circling around for a look, she leaned over and whispered something to the owner.

The owner nodded and turned toward the back room.

Ji Jin, busy maintaining her smile, didn’t pay it much mind. She thought this was just a rare bout of Yun Chuxiu’s mischievousness, and once she’d had her fun, she’d let her change back to her usual style.

Yun Chuxiu was always like this, she never truly ignored others’ feelings, sometimes being so considerate it was heart-wrenching.

Lost in thought, Ji Jin dithered.

As a result, when she turned around, she didn’t find the relief of changing clothes, instead, she saw the owner bringing out a giant matching bow.

“Come here,” Yun Chuxiu was already looking at her long hair, the bow in her hand, seemingly considering the best place to pin it.

Ji Jin’s face fell. She obediently walked over and lowered her head, murmuring shyly, “Do I really have to wear this? I think…”

Yun Chuxiu raised an eyebrow, repeating the same line: “But I quite like it.”

Ji Jin: “…”

Ji Jin chose to accept her fate.

She proactively crouched down to make it easier for the bow to be placed on her head, looking like a fish that had been left to bake on a beach for too long, eyes drooping, offering no struggle.

Yun Chuxiu, meanwhile, loved to ask the obvious: “Then let’s just buy this one. It’s a nice day; just wear it back to the hotel before changing. Any problem?”

Ji Jin: “…No problem.”

Ji Jin turned to pay at the counter without another word, a sight that left the owner marveling.

“Had a fight with your girlfriend, I see,” the owner whispered while processing the payment, ending with an approving nod. “I think you two are a great match. You have to coax her properly.”

Ji Jin’s mood brightened instantly. She lowered her voice as well: “Of course. And I wish you a prosperous business, too.”

She then paid an amount that ended in a lucky number.

The owner was so happy she threw in a bow-shaped brooch as a gift.

Ji Jin: Reaping what I sowed?

“This is quite nice too,” Yun Chuxiu leaned in for a look. Before Ji Jin could even put the brooch away, Yun Chuxiu had already found a suitable spot to pin it on her.

And indeed, as the edges of the bow shimmered in the sunlight, it became even more eye-catching.

Yun Chuxiu: “Don’t you think it looks good?”

Ji Jin: “.”

Ji Jin nodded in agreement, her smile looking as sincere as could be, though it wasn’t very “Ji Jin.”

In other words, on her, that smile didn’t look entirely human.

“We’ll go buy some simpler clothes in a bit.”

The moment they stepped out of the shop, the appreciation that had been overflowing from Yun Chuxiu vanished instantly. She didn’t even bother to keep up the act until they reached the hotel.

Ji Jin lifted the bag in her hand and sighed helplessly. “If you’re not used to seeing it, it’s not too late to go back and change now.”

“Keep it on,” Yun Chuxiu said, pausing for two seconds before giving her an option. “Or you can go change now, but I won’t wait for you.”

Ji Jin: “Alright, alright, I’ll wear it, I won’t go… watch out!”

Ji Jin’s pupils snapped wide. She jerked Yun Chuxiu toward her with lightning speed. Before anyone realized what was happening, the sharp sound of glass shattering rang in their ears.

Yun Chuxiu instinctively looked toward the source.

A young girl holding a tray stood there awkwardly. On the ground was a mess of broken wine glasses, with dark red liquid splattering everywhere. Not only was Ji Jin, who had blocked the spray, hit, but even the little girl hadn’t been spared.

“I’m sorry…” She let out a small sob, forcing herself to stay calm as she bowed to the two of them. She explained anxiously, “My parents are at the Western restaurant nearby. I was helping deliver a meal. I didn’t expect to ruin your clothes… could you sisters come back with me? My family will compensate you.”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned to Yun Chuxiu and pleaded softly, “And this sister, the guests I’m delivering to are just in that shop ahead. Could you go explain it to them? I’m afraid if they wait too long, they’ll give my mom and dad a bad review.”

“I just wanted to help… they’ll definitely think I’m lying… waaaah…”

What forced acting…

Yun Chuxiu knit her brows. She was about to ask the girl who had sent her when Ji Jin cut her off.

“Sure,” Ji Jin crouched down, mimicking the motion of wiping away tears while touching the girl’s eyes, which were crying “thunder but no rain.” Her own eyes grew dark, and her smile deepened. “Don’t cry. I’ll go with you.”