C17 A Good Dog Doesn't Block the Way

Whenever he was in a foul mood, he'd whip out the memory to give Jabe a taste of his own medicine.

Tsk tsk, he could already envision Jabe freaking out—why would he ever miss out on such fun?

"The true face of a sleazebag, haha." Thos held his phone, admiring the slightly off-kilter photos he'd just taken. They were masterpieces.

His photographic skills were unparalleled in this world.

Indeed, Thos was a man of many talents.

"Hi there, I'm Thos, beautiful lady. Would you care to join me for a drink?" At that moment, Thos stepped forward with an elegant gait, striking what he thought was a suave pose before Katie, flipping his hair and asking with utmost seriousness.

"Good dogs don't block the path, move aside." Katie was still seething with fury, not in the mood to deal with strangers. She was on a rampage, ready to strike down anyone in her way.

Thos's face drained of color. Was this an indirect way of calling him a dog? How had he, a bona fide hunk, been demoted to a dog? The esteemed young master of the Xiao family, secretly adored and openly pursued by numerous beauties, now compared to a dog by this woman?

An uncle might tolerate it, but the aunt? Unthinkable. Was she blind or something?

"Hey, I'm a good-looking guy," Thos protested, visibly irritated yet eager to correct her. Even though he knew she was mocking him, he still wanted her to acknowledge his attractiveness.

"Pfft... Haha." Sammie, standing not too far off, burst into uncontrollable laughter, thankful he wasn't the one in Thos's predicament.

Sammie stood there, punching the wall in vexation, trembling with pain as his cigarette dropped and burned a hole through his pants.

Thos's face turned a steely shade of blue, his awkwardness undeniable.

He watched as Katie walked straight toward him—toward him! She grabbed his arm and pushed him aside, continuing forward with a cool, confident stride that left him in the dust.

She'd just brushed him off like that?

"Hey, you can't just ignore a handsome guy like that," Thos complained, his voice tinged with disbelief. What on earth was going on?

He's quite the heartthrob, capturing the hearts of countless women.

She couldn't possibly be a woman; otherwise, how could she just ignore him?

"Sorry, I'm not into guys." Katie, overhearing the ruckus behind her, turned around, pointed at him, and wagged her finger dismissively.

"Pfft... Haha." Sammie, initially frozen in shock with his pants burned through, revealing an embarrassing hole, couldn't help but burst into laughter at the exchange.

What did she mean by not being into guys? Wasn't Jabe a man? They had just shared a deep, passionate kiss.

"Looks like you're no match for Jabe," Sammie consoled his friend, acknowledging that Jabe's taste in women was indeed extraordinary.

But why did that figure seem so familiar?

"She ignored me, tossed me aside, and doesn't like men?" Thos clutched his chest, deeply wounded by the rejection. Suddenly, his elegant facade crumbled.

"She doesn't like men? Could Jabe actually be a woman? Or does he prefer women?" This was a serious concern. They had been friends for years; how could they not know?

"This critical mission is yours. You'll have to check his... situation for us later," Sammie roared with laughter, doubled over and slapping the ground, his hilarity unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Katie hurried away, seething from the evening's events.

Her hand still ached from slapping the drunkard.

"What? You ran into him again?" Nancy sat on the bed, incredulous as she looked at Katie. So, Katie had disappeared tonight to meet Jabe?

Her imagination ran wild with visions of Katie and Jabe's intense encounters and tangled interactions.

Last night was just the beginning. It looked like she'd need to cling to Katie's coattails from now on.

"Did sparks fly between you two? Will there be a sequel? Don't tell me you've been secretly seeing each other and keeping me in the dark?" Nancy wasn't about to let up. She pinned Katie down on the bed, sat beside her, and tilted her chin up, pressing for the truth.

Katie lay on the spacious bed, giving Nancy a pointed look before staring at the ceiling, her mind swirling with confusion.

Stop joking around, okay? I'm really stressed out. I'm unemployed—how am I supposed to support my family? Now they're demanding over a hundred thousand from me; where am I supposed to get that kind of money? I should be focusing on finding a job that pays well." She was visibly agitated, a person born to a life of hard work.

She once held great hopes for the future, longing for a space that was truly her own.

But time had been harsh, and she found herself lost.

Her family's relentless demands left her with no way out. She thought her loved ones should be built on mutual trust, but instead, they accused her of despicable deeds, telling her never to return and bring them shame.

A job? Her dating mishap cost her employment, and now, even surviving was a question mark.

She never thought work would be an issue. She had the skills and the willingness to put in the effort. Surely, she could make it. But she quickly learned that reality was nothing like she had imagined.

"Your family's pressuring you? Why not cut ties? Come to my place; my dad will take you in as his goddaughter," Nancy offered, though she didn't want to state the obvious. She had known Katie for years and knew all too well that the Rowland family was a bottomless pit.

Since college, Katie had worked three jobs a day, sending all her earnings home, while she lived in hardship. Then she found out that Edson, her brother, was sporting designer clothes, not working a day in his life, always asking her for money. If Nancy were in her shoes, she would have left long ago.

But as they say, every family has its own troubles, and Katie's heart was just too soft.

"Hey, I have a friend who works at a nightclub. They're desperately looking for servers to handle drinks, and the pay is said to be over ten thousand a month! Why not give it a try?" Nancy suggested, distractedly fiddling with her phone.

"Over ten thousand a month?" Katie sat up sharply, her eyes wide with disbelief. The sum was too tempting to ignore.

Her previous office job only paid four thousand yuan a month. The chance to more than double her income was undeniably enticing.

"Besides, the tips are all yours, but this kind of job is dangerous. Maybe you should think it over a bit more," Nancy said, her brows furrowed in concern. She really wanted to help Katie financially, but she knew her friend all too well. If Katie were willing to accept her money, she wouldn't be in such a dire situation.

"What do I have to lose at this point? I'm already down on my luck," Katie mused, the temptation of money too great to ignore. She decided to take the risk; after all, it was an opportunity that shouldn't be overlooked lightly.

She intended to work while also looking for other jobs. Perhaps she could even find a part-time gig.