Chapter 1458 - 1452: Entrusting
The massage parlor returned to its original pricing, but contrary to Lin Chuan's expectations, there were even more customers today than yesterday. Some people were purely there to play mahjong or poker in the massage parlor.
Their bizarre reason for coming was that they were tired of the mahjong houses and wanted to experience a new environment!
Although Lin Chuan was resentful, he still greeted them with sweet talk— after all, customers are guests.
Lin Chuan and Zi Tong took turns giving massages, yet they were still drenched in sweat from exhaustion. In contrast, Du Jinglan didn't massage many customers all afternoon, and those she did massage complained to Lin Chuan afterward, saying they felt uncomfortable all over and it was nothing like their experience yesterday!
Recognizing them as regulars, Lin Chuan quietly gave these customers a 50% discount. He knew they weren't there to cause problems— Du Jinglan likely wasn't focused on her work, but there was nothing to say now, so he had to step in himself!
As night fell, there were still many people waiting in the massage parlor, but most were there for mahjong. A few were there for massages but, seeing the crowd, decided to go elsewhere!
It wasn't until after ten that the last table of mahjong players saw it was late and stood up to leave, saying farewell to a half-asleep Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan sleepily bid them goodbye, genuinely admiring their perseverance. These people had played from morning until now, only taking breaks for meals and restroom trips, their seats hardly ever vacated. While they claimed to come for massages, they were really just playing mahjong. It seemed getting a few mahjong sets was indeed bringing trouble on himself!
As they were leaving, one customer specifically told Lin Chuan that since they didn't get a massage today, they'd be back tomorrow and asked Lin Chuan to prepare early to avoid any delays!
Hearing this, Lin Chuan was both amused and exasperated, but he couldn't say much. Now that business was just picking up, a change in attitude could backfire. Let them come; it would at least bring more customers to the parlor.
By this time, all the customers had left the massage parlor. As Du Jinglan was about to leave after changing clothes, Lin Chuan called out to her!
"Jinglan, hold on a moment!" Lin Chuan said, approaching her side. "What's going on with you today? Do you have something on your mind?"
Du Jinglan shook her head, remaining silent.
Upon Lin Chuan's continued probing, Du Jinglan finally revealed that her father was seriously ill and urgently needed money.
Without hesitation, Lin Chuan handed Du Jinglan a card, saying, "There's seventy or eighty thousand in here; take it and use it."
Du Jinglan was taken aback and hurriedly refused.
Under Lin Chuan's insistence, Du Jinglan finally accepted the card.
"You're not in the right frame of mind to work anyway, so go home and properly take care of your dad first. Once he's fine, come back to work!" Lin Chuan said.
Du Jinglan bit her lip but eventually shook her head, "After your generous help, I can't just leave, especially now when the parlor needs staff…."
"Leave the staffing to us; we'll find a solution!" Lin Chuan firmly replied. He had noticed Du Jinglan's performance today, and if things continued, the newly increased customer flow would soon drop again!
"I…" Du Jinglan tried to say something, but Lin Chuan insisted that she should go home to look after her father. As for the shortage of massage therapists, they'd think of something later.
With no other option, Du Jinglan agreed to Lin Chuan's suggestion.
The next morning, instead of heading directly to the massage parlor, Lin Chuan detoured to Du Jinglan's rented apartment. They had agreed last night that Lin Chuan would take her to the train station first thing today.
When Lin Chuan knocked on Du Jinglan's door, she was packing her belongings and had sold off things she didn't use regularly.
"I've already terminated this lease. I don't know when I'll be back, so I'm taking what I can and leaving what I hope you can keep safe for me!" Du Jinglan said while packing.
Lin Chuan glanced at the empty room. Except for a TV and a few wardrobes, only the bedroom's wooden bed, which belonged to the property, remained. Everything else was neatly packed away; it seemed Du Jinglan hadn't slept well again last night!
"No problem. You can retrieve them anytime when you come back!" Lin Chuan assured, patting his chest.
Handing Lin Chuan a large bag, Du Jinglan instructed, "Keep these safe for me. No matter where I am, I'll come back for them!"
Lin Chuan was momentarily stunned by her words. Did she mean she might not return? With no time to ponder, he hastily agreed!
"Thank you for the money!" Before leaving, Du Jinglan looked back at Lin Chuan with emotion, expressing her gratitude internally.
At the train station, when facing Lin Chuan, Du Jinglan couldn't hold back, burying her head in his arms, quietly sobbing.
"Don't worry, we'll meet again!" Lin Chuan consoled, though he felt a deep sense of loss. Over the years, they'd never voiced their affection. Although their relationship was solely as ordinary friends, its essence surpassed that of typical romantic partners, a boundary they deliberately maintained without crossing.
Lin Chuan regretted not being proactive earlier. If he had been, maybe he could comfort Du Jinglan as a boyfriend, which would have been better than their current situation!
While Lin Chuan was deep in thought, he suddenly felt Du Jinglan move in his arms, then felt his lips covered by something warm. A timid but fiery tongue gradually entered his mouth.
"Huh?" Lin Chuan registered the situation and widened his eyes in shock: 'No way, am I dreaming? Jinglan is so bold, doing this publicly…'
Had it not been for Du Jinglan's urgent matters, Lin Chuan might have impulsively taken her home then and there for some ****.
Du Jinglan's skillful tongue, like a flexible Little Snake, initially timid in Lin Chuan's mouth, only ventured at the edge, hesitant to move further. However, hearing people passing by and rushing others urged her to cast aside her shyness and engage in an eager, albeit clumsy, French kiss with Lin Chuan.
Although not Lin Chuan's first kiss with a girl, he hadn't anticipated this public display, caught entirely unprepared, suddenly feeling as if he'd been metaphorically assaulted. Still, knowing his "assailant" was Du Jinglan, he braced it with a trace of acceptance!
Bystanders and those seeing off friends cast envious, jealous glances toward them, yet neither party concerned themselves with those stares, continuing to seek solace from each other.
"I've given you my first kiss; I hope you'll remember me forever!" Du Jinglan whispered softly in Lin Chuan's ear as she released him.
After seeing Du Jinglan off, Lin Chuan quickly drove back to the massage parlor. Minutes after entering, a group followed him in.
"Lin Chuan, why such a late opening today? We wandered outside before coming in!" one almost fifty-year-old man loudly exclaimed upon entering!
"Haha, I apologize; something came up this morning. I hope it didn't inconvenience you!" Lin Chuan promptly responded with a smile.
"No, no, we thought you weren't opening today. Now let's get started!" The man laughed, pointing at the mahjong table behind Lin Chuan, and said to the men following him, "Today, I'm planning to win back the money I lost yesterday, or I won't be able to face my wife!"