Beauty Snake - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Wow, I Have a Beautiful Creditor Now

Ring—ring—ring—

Thud.

“Mm… hello…”

“Fei-zi! You finally picked up! Where the hell were you last night? I came back from the dance floor and you were gone. I called and called, I was worried sick!”

“But… wait. You didn’t actually have some romantic encounter, did you?”

“What nonsense are you talking about…?” Ji Yunfei propped herself up, half-asleep. Her voice was laced with irritation and the obvious grumpiness of someone forced awake.

But in the next second, a draft of cold air snuck through a gap in the duvet, making her shiver violently. She was suddenly wide awake.

“…”

“???”

“I’m not gonna lie to you. I think I’m screwed.”

“What? What happened? Hello? Hello?!”

Beep—beep—beep—

Without waiting for Chi Chang to react, Ji Yunfei snapped the phone shut. She pulled the duvet tight and scanned her surroundings.

She was alone in the room, and she appeared to be in the presidential suite of the Hilton—the most luxurious hotel in City C. She had seen it once on a business trip and recognized it instantly.

So, why am I here? And how did my clothes turn into a hotel bathrobe?

Her head was still swimming. She shook it, trying to piece together the fragments of last night.

“I drank a lot of those specials… I saw the snake babies… I bumped into a woman… and then?”

“I can’t remember…”

Her memory was a total blank after bumping into the woman. She clutched her head in frustration.

“Ji Yunfei, you’re insane. Why drink when your tolerance is that low?”

“Now look at you. Stuck here alone, and I don’t even know what happened…”

“Pfft…”

“What exactly are you doing?”

As Ji Yunfei sat there hugging her knees, wallowing in regret, a woman’s laughter drifted over. She looked toward the door and saw a woman in a white suit standing there. The moment she saw her, the shock in Ji Yunfei’s eyes wouldn’t fade. This woman’s features were strikingly similar to the woman from her hazy dreams.

Seeing her dazed expression, the woman shook a shopping bag in her hand and smirked.

“You know, you were staring at me exactly like that last night…”

“Am I really that good-looking?”

“No… it’s not… you… I… we… last night…” Hearing the teasing in the woman’s voice, Ji Yunfei felt her face burn. She became completely incoherent.

“Hmm? Last night?” Hearing her mention it, the woman set her things down and approached. Her warm breath brushed against Ji Yunfei’s ear. “Judging by your tone, were you hoping something happened between us last night?”

“No! I just want to know… my clothes…” Ji Yunfei felt her ears get even hotter.

“Hahaha, you’re so easy to tease. Stupidly cute.”

“Here, take these and get dressed. I didn’t know your size, so I’m not sure if they’ll fit. Once you’re ready, you can slowly try to remember what happened last night.”

The woman laughed as she produced a set of brand-new clothes.

“Th… thank you…”

Blushing furiously, Ji Yunfei grabbed the clothes and ducked under the covers like a startled rabbit.

“So, you’re saying… I got blackout drunk, hugged a lamppost on the street while crying and begging it not to leave… and when we got to the hotel, I threw up all over myself and even got some on you…?”

If there were a well nearby, Ji Yunfei would have jumped in without hesitation. This was the ultimate humiliation.

Her inner self was weeping; now it was her turn to have her heart break into eight pieces.

“Even though it’s a bit late to say sorry, I am truly embarrassed! I will compensate you for your clothes!” Though her dignity was in tatters, she maintained her composure, pressing her hands together in a sincere apology.

“Hehe, little sister, I’m afraid you can’t pay for these clothes with just money. Tell you what—let’s exchange contact info. When I think of a way for you to make it up to me, I’ll let you know.”

With that, the woman opened her WeChat QR code and gestured for Ji Yunfei to scan it.

“Oh… okay…”

Beep—

Ji Yunfei hurriedly scanned it.

“Please enter verification message: I am Ji Yunfei.”

“Ji Yunfei? That’s a lovely name.”

“Y. has accepted your friend request. You can now start chatting.”

“I’ll leave it at that for now. I have things to attend to. Once you’ve gathered yourself, just tell the front desk you’re checking out.”

“Mmm… okay…”

The woman blinked, tossed her black hair, and headed for the door. She stopped at the threshold, turned back, and smiled.

“Actually, I forgot to mention… you didn’t just hug the lamppost. You hugged my leg and wouldn’t let go, either.”

Before Ji Yunfei could process that, the woman vanished from the room, leaving her “dazed in the wind.”

“AAAAAHHH—Where am I supposed to hide my face now?!”

She buried her head in the pillow, refusing to face reality. But despite her terrible mood, she noticed the scent on the linens—narcissus. It really did smell wonderful…

By the time Ji Yunfei finished checking out, it was noon.

“Hello, how can I help you?”

“Um… checking out of 1801…”

“Ah, the guest from 1801! Certainly. You may go; we’ll send someone up shortly.”

The receptionist’s attitude was exceptionally polite the moment the room number was mentioned. Ji Yunfei was confused but didn’t dwell on it.

Vibrate—

“Hello, Chi Chang.”

“Fei-zi! Are you okay? I couldn’t get through last night, and you hung up on me this morning. What’s this about being screwed?”

“Sigh… it’s a long story. But I can confirm one thing: I have a beautiful new creditor.”

“?”

The line went quiet for a second before Chi Chang burst into hysterical laughter. “Hahaha! You! I don’t know if you’re lucky or cursed… hahaha!”

“Fine, stop gloating. I’m basically AWOL this morning… what’s the situation with Baldy?” Ji Yunfei felt a headache coming at the thought of her boss’s inevitable tantrum.

“Oh, about that. You might not know, but a new CEO was air-dropped into the company today. Name’s Xie. That woman… she’s terrifying. ‘Femme fatale’ doesn’t even cover it. You’ll see when you get here. Anyway, Baldy is too busy saving his own skin to care about you. He’s even balder than before.”

A new CEO? Ji Yunfei decided she couldn’t miss out on the gossip.

Tap—tap—tap— Beep—Clock-in successful—

The usually bustling hallway was strangely silent. Ji Yunfei could only hear the sound of her own light running.

“That’s weird. Usually, these guys are gossiping like crazy by now. Did they all suddenly grow a conscience?” The eerie atmosphere made her heart throb with unease.

“What do you have between your ears? Huh?! I’m telling you, if the higher-ups aren’t happy with this proposal, you can all pack your bags and get out!”

Bang—

The door to Baldy’s office slammed shut. Amidst his furious shouting, four young employees stumbled out, looking dejected.

“Tsk tsk. Baldy must be taking out his own frustrations on the subordinates.”

“Shhh—keep it down, don’t let him hear you,” a colleague whispered. “You weren’t here this morning. Baldy got torn to shreds by the new CEO. If this proposal flops again, he’s looking at the unemployment line.”

“Ha! Isn’t that a good thing? If he gets fired, the design department is liberated!” Ji Yunfei started imagining a beautiful life without him.

“One correction: if he goes, the entire department goes with him.”

“…” That’s brutal.

Ding— A notification from Baldy appeared in the group chat.

“All design department staff: Meeting at 3:00 PM in the 10th-floor conference room. DO NOT BE LATE!!!!”

Instantly, the temperature in the office seemed to drop. If misery had a shape, the room would be overflowing.

“I heard CEO Xie is hosting this meeting personally. I’m actually looking forward to it.”

“Yeah, they say she’s gorgeous. Finally, we get a look.”

As her colleagues whispered, Ji Yunfei grew curious about this mysterious boss.

Creek— The conference room door opened. Ji Yunfei caught sight of a familiar white suit jacket at the back of the crowd, and her heart skipped a beat. As the crowd parted, she finally saw the person clearly.

It was her. Her beautiful creditor.

Support