“What happened?” Jin was confused. Was he still in a dream state? This was the first time he saw Zhen Qing being so powerless, so helpless.
“I’m aware that I refused your offer for lodging previously but is it okay if I request it now?” Zhen Qing asked as her tears started to drop.
“It’s alright, Zhen Qing. Everything is gonna be fine.” Jin replied to her, but immediately send a mental SOS to Yun for help. “I have no experience with handling this kind of situation. Help me! Please, Yun, I’m begging of you!”
“What are you talking about? It’s 5:30 in the morning. I am still sleeping…” Yun grumbled in his thoughts before she cut off all communications, resulting in Jin having to handle the situation all by himself.
Jin panicked for a while and decided to try to help her calm down in whatever way he could. “Here have a hot cup of coffee. You look terr- You look like you might need one.” Jin bit his tongue trying to be sensitive as he took out the saucer while waiting for the coffee machine to start and make the coffee.
“Do you want to discuss what has happened?” Jin subsequently took out a few onigiris for Zhen Qing to fill her tummy along with the coffee.
“I will pay for the…” Zhen Qing hectically tried to search for her wallet in her backpack, but Jin stopped her.
“There is no need for that. Just eat in peace.” Jin retorted to change the subject since he was more or less aware of Zhen Qing’s personality. He knew that she was not the kind of person to share her thoughts with everyone. She was more of a reserved lady despite her hotshot temper in the kitchen.
At the same time, Jin pretended to be a bit busy by checking around the Panda Port counter and his phone. There was no need for him to clean the place at all but he pretended to finish the cleaning, to allow some time to gather his thoughts. Afterwards, he returned to Zhen Qing hoping that she had calmed down a little and started to ask what had happened.
“Can I ask why you would need the lodging? That is if you are comfortable to speak about it. I can provide a listening ear.” Jin offered Zhen Qing, though she seemed a little reluctant to say anything. He could see her internally debating whether to share it with him.
Zhen Qing did not believe Jin had the power to change any of her current circumstances. However, there was an inkling of hope in her heart. Wishing that Jin might be able to get her out of this situation. After all, ever since she joined his dungeon supplier store, this young store owner in front of her has always managed to exceed her expectation of him. At the beginning, she had thought this shop was bound to fail in due time. Who could blame her? With Jin providing dungeons at such provocative prices and branching out to different kind of services instead of focusing on one specialisation.
Therefore, Zhen Qing thought that she could probably earn a quick buck before her boss would go bankrupt for not following along common business logic of a new shop owner. But the longer Zhen Qing stayed in this shop, the more she started to unconsciously develop a sense of belonging. Ever since the time she was fired from the restaurant she was working wholeheartedly for, there was always a part of her that felt empty.
“I…” Zhen Qing fumbled her words a little before she plucked the courage to finally get it off her chest.
“I need the lodging to escape my father’s constant harassment for money.” Zhen Qing said.
“Oh…erm okay. I can arrange some lodging for you.” Jin planned to let Zhen Qing stay in his house, the one that was minutes away from the store. He currently did not have much use for that house. No one was living in that house aside from Yun. Occasionally, Jin might use that house as a place to rest. Otherwise, it was left empty. Most of the time, Jin would be in the hot spring instance cultivating himself.
“I will stay at most for a week or so. Maybe until the salary comes in, then I will leave. Of course, you can deduct a part of my salary for the lodging expenses. I do not mind that.” Zhen Qing was quick to defend herself, giving reassurances making Jin feel that it was all courtesy. He had a hunch that it was not something so simple, and that there was something more significant behind that, something he should not interfere in unnecessarily.
However, the System and Yun did issue a mission to help with Zhen Qing’s chef’s block. What if the current situation she was in was the main problem that caused Zhen Qing to have a chef’s block? Besides, from the limited information Jin had gathered, Zhen Qing was probably going to merely give the money she had earned to her father and the cycle would continue. It felt as if Zhen Qing was always running away from her actual problem.
Then it struck Jin that Zhen Qing was similar to him. Jin had also been trying to escape his problems by going with the flow of things. Maybe the System had planned this mission but it was too much of a coincidence. This father issue might be a deeply seeded predicament. But one thing for sure, if it affected Zhen Qing’s chef block, it was part of his mission.
“Time to help her.” Jin decided for himself.
“I would like to know the full story if possible. And if your father comes to harass you again, I will not hesitate to call the cops to protect you.” Jin said bluntly already expecting that Zhen Qing would most likely either refuse the lodging or ask Jin not to call the police.
“I will quit if that happens.” Zhen Qing immediately replied in a straight face. It was no threat. It was a statement.
“What?” Jin was a little shocked by the speed of her answer and the seriousness behind it.
“If he harasses you, please don’t call the police. I shall simply quit and not cause any more trouble for you.” Zhen Qing clarified. She could not find any other lodging on such short notice because she had no other relatives nor friends she could rely upon in Shenzhen. Neither did she have the money to pay for any lodging in this part of the city. That was why she decided to bet everything on Jin’s kindness.
“Then, all the more reason for me to stick my nose in. I will help you as long as it is within my power and influence.” Jin tried to act as if he had connections when he had practically none. However, this should make Zhen Qing open up a little, or that was what Jin hoped.
“I… have not been telling you anything about my past before. Because I was sure if you were to know it, you probably would not have hired me. ” Zhen Qing muttered in a soft voice, without daring to look into Jin’s eyes. “I am not from here. I was not even born here.”
“I…actually ran away from the Yakuza. Because of a thing I did in the past… My mother ended up paying the price for it… She paid with her life to save me.” Zhen Qing explained on the verge of even more tears. It was apparent these were memories haunting her daily.
In the meantime, Jin did not hesitate to refill another hot coffee for her.
“Even my real name is not Zhen Qing.” Zhen Qing added after sipping on her drink and taking some time to calm herself once more. This confession made Jin furrow his eyebrows. Yet, he was in for another surprise. At that moment, Zhen Qing, who was wearing a hoodie with a beanie inside, slowly unveiled it.
After which, Zhen Qing slowly removed her beanie that revealed long dark blonde hair as if it was her natural colour. It was entirely different from the look that she portrayed when she was in the shop.
“My real name is Lynn Arisato. One of the chefs involved in the Last Supper Scandal in Japan. The one who helped to plot the death of six major Yakuza Bosses through a grand gala dinner.” Zhen Qing- wait no, Lynn said in a form of declaration.
