Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

She entered a shop; this time, a restaurant. She wasn’t sure what position they were hiring. If they were willing to hire her, she was even willing to be a dishwasher.

“Are you hiring?” The weather might have been the reason why she sounded hoarse. She was so thin and fragile that the wind could easily blow her away.

“Are you willing to wait at tables?” She replied without looking up.

“Yes, I’m willing,” she said hastily. Her left hand might not be able to take the strain, but she could not think about it now.

“What is your name?” the person asked as she looked up. It was a woman, and she seemed to be doing some book-keeping. The restaurant was not big, but it had a distinguishing quality. It had a lot of customers that improved business. That was why it was hiring.

Xia Ruoxin hesitated for a long time before replying softly, “My name is Xia Ruoxin.”

The woman stood up immediately upon hearing her name. She approached and gave her a once-over. “Are you the same ‘Xia Ruoxin’ who was recently on the newspaper for committing adultery? Or, do you just share the same name?”

The picture in the newspaper was quite pixelated, but she could still see the similarities.

Xia Ruoxin smiled bitterly. Indeed, this was a small world. Until recently, she had been a nobody. Yet, so many people knew her. She had become a celebrity; she should have no regrets in this life.

“We don’t want you. Leave.” The woman waved her hand. No one liked or dared to have this kind of woman.

Xia Ruoxin smiled a desolate smile. It made one ache for her.

She gave a deep bow.

“Thank you.” Two words, nice and simple.

She turned around to leave; tears began to gather in her eyes.

“Wait.” Before her tears fell, the woman called out for her. “Nevermind, forget about it. Stay. A woman should not make things difficult for another woman.”

Xia Ruoxin covered her eyes with her hands. This time, she really started to cry.

Her eyes were smiling and—at the same time—crying.

She has finally found a job. She won’t starve to death. The small warehouse she was staying was a bit cold; however, it was her shelter. This was her first job.

Her day job was waiting tables. Every day after work, she would return with an aching arm. She continued to endure it. What else could she do if not to wait tables?

No job was too low as long as she could keep herself alive.

She had no wish to starve herself to death.

When she walked on the streets, there was no scandal of her or her photo in the newspaper. The world preferred new things to old ones, and there was another piece of news. She held the newspaper and read it. It was another woman in Chu Lui’s arms—that woman was Li Manni. They had an extravagant engagement party not long ago.

She put the newspaper down and blinked. For a moment, her eyes teared up upon reading about him. Her heart still ached for him.

She thought she might need a long time to get over him. There might be a day when she would forget totally about him.

She turned around and left. They belonged to two different worlds now, with no chance of meeting each other again