Chapter 5 French Interpreter

• Lu Yao drifted to sleep unknowingly, but was greeted by a stabbing pain in her belly when she woke up, signaling that her special week of the month was coming. She reflexively tried to get Shao Yunchen this time, for he was coincidentally back for the past few times. “My stomach hurts, dear…”
• But she held nothing but air beside her.
• Lu Yao opened her eyes groggily, noticing that there was nothing but a cold bed beside her. The man was long gone, leaving a single slip of paper on the bedside cabinet.
• ‘Rushing to the airport for a three-day business trip.’
• Shao Yunchen’s handwriting was as tidy as the man who wrote it, with equal distance separating each character.
• Lu Yao held the slip tightly against her body, before burying her head in her chest, crying as something in her heart broke.
• She spent countless days alone when he wasn’t here over the three years of ‘marriage,’ but she had never felt so upset or pained before.
• Lu Yao was feeling uncomfortable from the menstrual pain and—unbeknownst to her—the flu. After calling in sick, she powered off her phone before going back to sleep, only calling some porridge delivery when she was hungry.
• Two days later, she felt refreshed after she was cured of the flu. She got up to take a comfortable shower before calling Zhou Linlin. “I need your help, Linlin.”
• “What is it?” Zhou Linlin asked.
• “Can you lend me some money?” Zhou Linlin knew her friend came from a middle-class family. They didn’t earn much money every month, for her parents were salarymen. But , unfortunately, that was beyond her capability too.
• “Is it about your father?”
• Lu Yao answered yes.
• The news about Nancheng County’s top judge being fired was widespread, to the point where even a hermit might know about it.
• “I can’t leave now. I’m working night shift,” Zhou Linlin answered. “I’ll transfer eighty thousand to you through my phone; that’s all I can do for now. I’ll think of some other way for you.”
• “It’s enough. I’ll settle everything else.” Lu Yao didn’t know what she should say, as though something was stuck in her throat. “Thank you, Linlin. This is a big help.”
• Zhou Linlin scoffed. “This isn’t our first time seeing each other. Oh right, you took French before, didn’t you? I have a tenant who needs a French interpreter. The pay is a hundred thousand per night. Do you want to have a go?”
• “A hundred thousand?” Getting a hundred thousand from one project was exactly what Lu Yao needed now. “Of course I’ll go! Give me the number!” She needed money now.
• “They’re heavy drinkers. Can you take it?”
• “It’s fine. We used to drink a lot in college. You should know I can drink.”
• “Okay then.”
• After that short chat, Zhou Linlin soon sent a phone number to her.
• Lu Yao called the number, and they knew her intention to work as a French interpreter after mentioning Zhou Linlin’s name. They asked her to prepare her own attire before going to Heyue Hotel at six, which Lu Yao jotted down on a piece of paper.
• Lu Yao wanted to scream with delight after only spending three minutes to accept this high-paying interpretation job. I can get a hundred and eighty thousand with this job along with the money I borrowed from Linlin.
• Lu Yao treated this job seriously, and that was why she picked through her selection of clothes in her closet for a few hours. She quickly put on some light makeup before taking her valuables and departing before it was too late.
• The taxi arrived at Heyue Hotel about ten minutes later.
• The hotel receptionist knew which room Lu Yao was referring to after she told him the phone number and brought her to the third floor. Upon reaching the floor, she was surprised to find a long, soft red carpet on the corridor’s floor that silenced every step they took.
• After she entered the room, Lu Yao quickly noticed the leader among the group of four. “I’m the French interpreter for tonight, President Chen.” She shook his hand.
• “Ah, you’re here.” President Chen returned the handshake. He felt that Lu Yao was a great lady, for she greeted him the moment she entered. He was also impressed by her professional attire, which made her a perfect fit for the job.
• President Chen made some simple introductions about the people around him to Lu Yao, as well as briefing her about today’s negotiations. It was a deal about exports, but since the representative was French, they needed to hire an interpreter.