Surprising Encounter at the Street Stall

Seeing Jackie here was a surprise for Jane, and the fervor with which Jackie insulted her struck her as comical. With a piece of crispy cartilage partially chewed in her mouth, she sat motionless in her seat, lips pursed, looking at Jackie.

The street stall was bustling with people, and initially, Tristan Carter hadn't paid much attention to Jackie's words. It was only when he noticed the sudden change in Jane's expression that he hesitantly turned his head around.

Upon seeing Jackie, a subtle shift occurred in Tristan Carter's demeanor, and he said with a smirk, "Jackie Garcia decides to grace a street stall with his presence? Aren't you afraid it might tarnish your reputation?"

From her two encounters with Tristan Carter, Jane knew he was not one to be aggressive. Why such a reaction to Jackie? She was puzzled but stayed silent, watching to see how things would unfold.

Jackie curled his lips into a cold smirk, his gaze fixed on Jane, not replying to Tristan Carter. "Darling, what kind of taste is this? You prefer this kind of doctor?" he taunted.

He strode over and sat down at the table, looking at the barbecue in front of Jane and Tristan Carter, continuing to ridicule, "But the two of you really are a match, both loving to eat these disgusting things, and both thinking the street food stall is owned by your family, as if other people have no right to come here."

Tristan Carter, usually a picture of gentility, was visibly irked by Jackie's words, yet Jane laughed. She swallowed the hard piece of cartilage in her mouth whole, and turned to Jackie, "Didn't you say we were even, Jackie? Have you grown fond of the money and come chasing after me to get it back?"

Before Jackie could respond, Jane picked up another skewer and started eating it nonchalantly, chewing and talking at the same time, "Jackie surely wouldn't be that petty... Plus, I generally would never spit out anything I've eaten, no matter what. These skewers are delicious; do you want to try one, Jackie?"

She reached out, offering a pepper-coated skewer of meat towards Jackie's mouth.

Jackie frowned disdainfully and sneezed immediately, pushing away her hand, "Get lost!"

Realization dawned on Jane as she shrugged, "Ah, so Jackie wants us to get lost. You should have just said so! It seems these street stalls are all owned by the Garcias, and we commoners should naturally scatter! Waiter, the check!"

With that, she pulled out money from her wallet, placed it on the table, and stood up. She grabbed the bewildered Tristan Carter by the hand and headed deeper into the snack street, her voice sweet and chewy as she suggested, "Doctor Carter, it's so hot, and eating barbecue can cause heatiness. How about we go for a bowl of cold noodles instead?"

She was decisive and unfazed by Jackie's status, walking away without any hesitation, leaving the entire table to him.

The owner came over to clean up, smiling attentively as he asked, "What would you like to eat? Our barbecue is famous here. Barbecue with a cold beer, I guarantee it will leave you wanting more!"

Jackie was not pleased at all. After successfully humiliating and driving away Jane, he no longer had anyone to pick on. He scanned the whole barbecue stall; every table was filled with people. Youngsters, having finished work, were eating barbecue and chatting about trivial matters, interspersed with laughter or swearing, their worries fading amidst the fun and anger. Tired, they'd return home to wash up and sleep, ready to carry on with their hard lives the next day.

But at Jackie's table, there was no one but himself. Was he supposed to just sit there alone, eating skewers and drinking, exposing his empty heart for everyone to see?

"Forget it, I'm not eating." He stood up and said to the owner.

The owner looked at him with a tinge of sympathy. As Jackie walked away from the food stall, the owner turned to his busy wife and said, "Rich people are quite boring too, aren't they? What's the use of all those designer clothes? When he runs into a couple of acquaintances, those lovebirds don't even want to hang out with him..."

The owner's voice wasn't quiet, and Jackie nearly heard it all. He just wasn't bored enough to turn around and argue, to vent his frustration by wrecking the barbecue stall.

The owner wasn't entirely wrong. Jackie's so-called friends always looked down on these places. They'd leave the hotel only to rush to the next party, playing until dawn, filling their bodies and souls with alcohol and debauchery, ceaselessly drinking, messing around, seeking pleasures in a never-ending cycle.

On this empty night, he found himself missing that easy-going girl terribly. She was the only person in the world who could accompany him anywhere at any time. She could attend the most exclusive upper-class dinners as well as blend in at the noisiest and most chaotic street-side stalls. On the bed, she loved to call him "big bad wolf," and the last time she did so was five years ago when they broke up. She said, "Jackie, I won't cling to you anymore, I, Jane, always keep my word..."

Jackie let out a long sigh, for it was that high school girl's similarly intoned "big bad wolf" that distracted him for the entire evening. He saw her and impulsively wanted to be petty, but in the end, he realized that he was actually the most uninteresting one of all.

His phone rang, someone urging from the other end, "Carl, 'Charm Color' has a bunch of pretty new girls; I've reserved two of the hottest ones for you. Hurry up and come over!"

Jackie let a smile creep across his face before replying, "Alright, I'm on my way."

…

Tristan Carter had been led quite a distance by Jane before he suddenly tightened his grip on her hand, forcing her to stop and asked with confusion, "Mallory, how do you know someone like Jackie?"

Jane was unnerved by his concerned gaze from behind his glasses and she naturally withdrew her hand, lowering her eyes with a smile and said, "Doctor Carter, it's getting late, and the dormitory gates will close soon. I won't join you for dinner. Goodbye."

With that, she turned and left.

Tristan Carter called out, "Let me walk you!"

Jane shook her head with a smile, "No need, Doctor Carter. I'll just take the subway home. You've been so kind to my mother, and I'm already working on the medical expenses we discussed last time. I'll come see you in a few days." With that, she bowed politely to him.

Tristan Carter wanted to say more, but his phone suddenly rang. He followed Jane while taking the call, his steps coming to a halt. "An emergency? Oh, okay... alright, I'm on my way..."

Jane had reached the traffic light, waiting to cross the street, when Tristan Carter frowned and said, "Mallory, I have to go back to the hospital now. Send me a text when you get to school, and we can talk about everything else later, okay?"

Jane smiled politely and nodded, resembling a well-behaved high school student.

As Tristan Carter walked away, looking back three steps at a time, the smile slowly faded from Jane's lips. After all, she was not seventeen and would not trust any man easily, especially not a man as gentle as Tristan Carter—what kind of heart lay hidden beneath his cultured appearance?

It's all an act, and using others is permissible, but never give your heart away.

Jackie had just humiliated her in front of Tristan Carter, and yet she had to smile at him. Her self-esteem was already in tatters, and Jackie wanted to grind it into dust—he was merciless.

But Jackie was probably wrong about her. Since she dared to do it, she could face it. There was nothing shameful in trading her body for money—it's the world's quickest and most cost-efficient transaction. She accepted the rules that came with it. In her next life, Jackie would never have the chance to hurt her again...

The very next morning, Principal Lawrence called to say that she had successfully registered for the beauty pageant and that she should await further instructions from the organizers.