Chapter 20 Innocent Girl

• "Did you really forget, or are you pretending to be dumb? Mia came back this morning. I told you last time that we were going to welcome her back at the airport. You were the only one absent today. Did you know that Mia was so disappointed when she didn't see you?" Jamie scolded angrily.
• "Am I wrong for doing that? I did not send her off when she went overseas too. She wasn't disappointed then, was she? She is now the president of an international company. How would a barbequed skewer stall owner like me be able to befriend someone like her? It is sufficient enough that the rest of you welcome her back."
• "Don't say weird things like that, Ben. Mia told me to book a room at the restaurant in Glence International Hotel tonight at eight for all her ex-classmates. So you must come tonight," Jamie said.
• "I can't. I have to set up my stall tonight. I'm unavailable."
• "Will you die if you rested for a day?"
• "I will die of starvation. How would I have money to eat if I don't open my stall? Who will be responsible for me?"
• "I will. I will be responsible for you. Tell me how much you earn in a night. I will give you. Is three thousand enough? What about five?" Jamie was clearly furious.
• "Jamie, this isn't about money. You know what happened between us both. You know me too. I have already made it clear to you last time that I had nothing to do with her from the day she left our wedding. We are now strangers. No, we are not even strangers. We are enemies. So please stop mentioning her to me." The more Ben spoke, the angrier he felt.
• After he finished speaking and cooled down a little, he told Jamie, "Jamie, I know that you are doing this out of kindness, but… You can't force someone to change their feelings. When it's over, it's over. You all can go ahead tonight. I… won't go. That's it."
• "Continue pretending, Benny. Keep it up." Jamie hung up the call out of rage.
• Ben sat in the public bus and stared blankly at the scenery of the city.
• Ben was busy the whole afternoon and night. He started to work as soon as he went back to his shabby apartment until it was five in the evening. He rode his tricycle and headed towards the back alley of the university.
• When Ben arrived at his stall's location, he saw a girl standing there smiling at him. That's right, the girl was Tilly, whom he had met the day before.
• Tilly wore very ordinary clothes today. Her shoes, jeans, and bag were not branded at all. She had simple and casual wear on. But no matter how underdressed she was, she still carried an aura that rich people have. The clothes she had on today were all purchased at the local thrift shop. The clothes there were cheap, and they all totaled up to less than three hundred.
• "You… Why are you here again?" Ben exclaimed in surprise when he saw Tilly.
• "Do you abhor seeing me that much?" Tilly pouted in dissatisfaction.
• "No… I do not mean that. I mean… Why are you here again?"
• "Didn't I tell you yesterday? I was going to work for you starting today. You promised me too."
• "When did I promise you? When exactly did I promise you yesterday?"
• "You gave a silent approval. Not saying anything means that it is a yes. I don't care. You have to give me a salary for working for you. It's three hundred per month."
• "Three hundred? Are you sure? I thought you were just kidding."
• "I'm serious. Is three hundred too much? Then… How much do you think is appropriate?" Tilly looked at ben.
• "I…" Ben was at a loss for words too.
• "Are you really a student?"
• "Of course. Why would I be here then?"
• "Do you really… come from a difficult family and have to work to pay for your living expenses and school fee?"
• "Yes, look at my clothes. They only cost less than two hundred. Do you believe me now?" Tilly pointed at the clothes on her as she tried to convince them.
• "But why do I feel that you are not from a difficult family no matter what?"
• "What should I do so that you believe me?"
• "I… Alright alright. I believe in you. If you really want to work here with me, that is possible. But you must promise to work hard. This is my main source of income. Right, since you are still a student, and a girl, you have to come early to learn. You can't go back too late at night. You can help me from seven till eleven at night. It's four hours daily. You'll just have to collect money and do nothing else. I will give you… two thousand per month. Is that alright?"
• Ben considered for quite some time before he offered this. It was indeed a good idea to have someone who would help him collect payments. Moreover, if such a rare beauty were to stand in front of his stall, it would surely attract more customers. The amount of profit he got yesterday was clear evidence of the problem he was facing. He could not help but be happy with his decision.
• "Okay, but didn't you say that it was three hundred? Why did it become two thousand today?"
• "Girl, I would not have accepted the terms if I only gave you three hundred. Sigh, you are really too cute and silly. How could you promise someone to work for them when they'd only give you three hundred a month?
• Ben felt that Tilly was strange in every aspect. But he did not think too much about it nor doubt them.
• Ben started to set his stall up. Tilly wanted to help, but Ben quickly stopped her.
• "Don't. Just stand there. Remember to come at seven sharp in future. You cannot arrive earlier than that. Moreover, you will be in charge of handling payments. Other than that, you'll do nothing. You can sit there and play or talk to me."
• "You're a nice man, Ben."
• "Huh? Do I not stand a chance if you praised me like this?"
• "No, I'm just telling the truth. You are a nice man. Any girl would be blessed to have you as their boyfriend."
• "Sigh. Where else can one find an innocent girl like you? I think you are the only one left on this Earth. What is blessed? Nowadays, without money, it's difficult for one to get a girlfriend. For example, I'm a yakitori seller. Which girl would be willing to be with me?" Have you ever heard about this? The girls nowadays would rather cry in a BMW than sit on a bike laughing happily.
• "BMW? Are they good? I think they're just like normal." Tilly mumbled.
• "What?"
• "Nothing. I... I was just asking… What about BMW?" Tilly quickly explained herself.
• "Do you not know what a BMW is? It's a luxury car that rich people usually have. You are such an innocent young lady. You really are a rare specimen not to be aware of what a BMW is. The country ought to protect you more so than the protection they give to pandas.
• Billy continued preparing his skewers as he conversed with Tilly. It was then he felt that his work wasn't as tiring as it used to be.