Chapter 32: Part Time Job

Linda looked at the bags Ryan was carrying and her eyes widened. "No way. He actually brought it?"

Tina felt a knot form in her stomach. She hadn’t expected him to show up after that cold refusal on the phone. Part of her had thought he was done with her. And yet, here he was.

"Wow, it really is Roadside Restaurant’s crab rice," Linda said, taking the bag and peeking inside.

The other roommates cheered from the entrance. "Yes! Sweetie, your simp came through!"

For college students, this was a real treat.

Tina stared at the bags, then at Ryan. Her expression was complicated, part relief, part confusion.

She hesitated, then bit her lip and said softly, "Ryan, I... I thought you said you couldn’t."

Ryan’s face was completely calm. He didn’t look nervous or eager. He didn’t look like he was desperate for her approval. That alone unsettled her more than anything else.

Ryan shrugged casually, his expression unreadable. "Anna insisted. She said it was no trouble."

The name hit Tina like a slap. Anna. Of course. Of course it was Anna.

Tina’s eyes flickered with something, hurt, anger, confusion. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She wanted to say something cutting, something to regain the upper hand. But the words wouldn’t come.

Anna. It was always Anna now.

Ryan saw the look on her face and felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Not because he enjoyed seeing her hurt, but because Anna had been right. This was a power move. And he was winning.

Ryan handed over the bags, his tone completely neutral: "Enjoy your meal."

He turned to leave without another word.

Tina felt a lump form in her throat. She called after him: "Ryan... wait."

He paused but didn’t turn around.

"I... thank you."

She wanted to say more. She wanted to ask if Anna was his girlfriend now. She wanted to know why he was suddenly so distant. She wanted to beg him to go back to the way things were, when he worshipped the ground she walked on.

But she couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come.

Ryan stood there for a moment, then glanced back over his shoulder. His face was calm, almost detached.

"Don’t worry about it. It’s just food."

Just food. That’s all it was to him now. Not a gesture of love. Not a symbol of devotion. Just. Food.

Tina felt something crack inside her chest.

And with that, he walked away, joining his roommates who were waiting at the gate.

The three of them disappeared around the corner, and Tina was left standing there alone, the heavy bags of food in her hands feeling more like a burden than a gift.

Linda came up beside her and nudged her. "Sweetie? You okay?"

Tina blinked, forcing a smile. "Yeah. I’m fine. Let’s go eat."

But she wasn’t fine. And she knew it.

Tina stood there, clutching the bags, feeling emptier than she had in a long time.

Back in the girls’ dorm, everyone dug into the crab rice with great satisfaction. Even Tina, who hadn’t had much appetite, found it delicious.

"This is so good," the chubby girl exclaimed, her mouth full. "Sweetie, you gotta lock this down. He’s the only one who’s ever bought us food this nice."

Tina forced another smile. "Yeah. He’s... he’s something."

She picked at her rice, her mind elsewhere. Had she made a mistake? Had she pushed him too far? No, that couldn’t be it. He was just a simp. He’d come crawling back. He always did.

But even as she thought it, she remembered the look on his face when he’d handed over the bags. The complete lack of emotion. The way he’d said "It’s just food" like it meant nothing at all.

It was that look that scared her more than anything.

Nobody mentioned dieting, they ate every last grain, practically wishing they could eat the container too.

After cleaning up, the chubby girl remarked, "The black chicken soup was good too, but iced cola would’ve been even better."

"Right. Your simp’s training has slipped lately, he used to bring drinks too."

"Sweetie, why don’t you call him and ask him to get us some milk tea?"

Tina hesitated and said, "Come on, it’s so hot at noon. Just eat and crash."

"Ooh, rare, you actually care about your simp. I’ll tell him later, he’ll be so touched. Asking for a hundred yuan phone credit as thanks isn’t too much, right?"

Tina forced a laugh, but inside she was still unsettled. She didn’t want to call him again. Not today. Not when she’d seen that cold, distant look in his eyes.

She lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondered how things had gotten so complicated.

Tina had just lain down, feeling restless, when Kai called again.

"Sweetie, I’m sorry. Yesterday was all my fault. I was impulsive. Please forgive me."

Tina was furious and said, "Enough with the nonsense. What do you actually want?"

"I’m begging you to give me a chance!!"

Kai said softly, "That simp was definitely pretending yesterday. I’ll expose him sooner or later."

That claim was hard for anyone to believe now, especially with the bag Anna had been carrying today being so eye-catching, which only made Tina more irritated.

"Enough. I don’t want to hear this nonsense. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to sleep."

"Wait, Tina!!!"

Kai quickly said, "There’s a really good part-time job, and I want to keep it in the family."

"What kind of part-time job???"

It was common for college students to do part-time work, usually odd jobs or tutoring, though tutoring depended on your grades.

As for a goddess like Tina, she’d been pampered her whole life and would never do anything physically demanding. There were always simps lining up to cater to her anyway.

"Our family and another property company are jointly developing the Rich Villa community, which is about to launch. The units come fully furnished, so sales are going to be huge."

"The sales office is starting to hire, and the commissions are great. I’ll try to get you a team leader position." Tina asked, "How much can I make??"

Her previous part-time jobs had all been as a hostess or a photography model, pretty glamorous work. Being a saleswoman was acceptable.

"You can easily make over thousand per sale in commission. Find five decent-looking girls in your dorm, and as team leader, you’ll also get a cut of their commissions."

"Two weeks, I guarantee you’ll make a ten thousand easily."

Tina was intrigued: "Really??"

Kai then chuckled, "Of course. If you don’t make that much, I’ll make up the difference. Let’s meet up tonight and I’ll go over the details with you."

After a moment’s hesitation, Tina agreed. Linda, who had been listening nearby, immediately chimed in, "Tina, if there’s a good opportunity, don’t forget to bring me along."

Linda was a pretty girl and her best friend, so she was starting to butter her up.

Her vanity slightly satisfied, Tina said, "Don’t worry. When I get the meat, you’ll at least get the soup. I’ll see what Kai is up to tonight."

"What else could he be up to? He’s just after your body. Why don’t you do him a favor and sleep with him to seal the deal? It’s not like he’s bad-looking."

"Shut up. If you like him so much, you go do it, you pervert."