City’s Best Divine Doctor
Chapter 407 - 407 0408 The Place Where Liu Xia Lives

407: Chapter 0408: The Place Where Liu Xia Lives 407: Chapter 0408: The Place Where Liu Xia Lives Liu Xia had only recently graduated and didn’t have much in the way of savings, especially since any money she had went to the hospital for bromhidrosis treatment, leaving her even more strapped for cash.

As Liu Xia left the 4S store, she initially intended to take the bus back as she normally did, but this time, she could clearly sense the discriminatory looks from the passengers around her.

The summer weather was already hot, and although the buses were air-conditioned, the crowded conditions, compounded by the tendency to sweat, generated all sorts of foul smells, from sweaty bodies, stinky feet, to pungent socks.

But Liu Xia’s own bromhidrosis was far worse; as soon as she squeezed onto the bus, the other passengers detected a disgusting scent, akin to dead rats mixed with salted fish, prompting them to clear a large space around her.

It was perhaps because of this that, over time, Liu Xia became acutely aware of the unusual way people looked at her.

And today, Liu Xia, having sold not one but two luxury cars, was feeling a little flush since the commission she earned was much higher than her monthly salary.

On top of that, Ye Qiu was coming over to treat her condition later.

Liu Xia didn’t know if the treatment would work, but it at least offered her a glimmer of hope.

Therefore, Liu Xia decided against taking the bus and instead hailed a taxi outside the 4S store.

At first, the taxi driver thought he was in luck after pulling over for Liu Xia, dressed in her work uniform, assuming he had picked up a beautiful woman just off work.

When Liu Xia opened the back door and got into the car, the driver asked, “Miss, do you work here?”

Liu Xia nodded.

Just as the driver was about to ask something else, he suddenly caught a whiff of a very unpleasant odor.

In the summer, passengers expected air conditioning, and the drivers included an AC surcharge in the fare.

As a result, the car’s small cabin remained sealed off.

However, the driver didn’t anticipate that as soon as the beautiful woman sat down, not only did he smell a strong perfume, but also a foul stench of salted fish mixed with the odor of dead rats.

The driver knew immediately that the smell was emanating from the woman, a classic case of bromhidrosis.

Normally, he would refuse to carry such passengers.

But now, with the passenger already in the car, he had no way to ask her to leave.

“Miss, where are you headed?”

“Dongshan Street.”

Liu Xia replied.

She could tell that the driver’s expression and tone had changed for a reason.

But Liu Xia was used to it by now, and she simply closed her eyes, not thinking about anything else.

The driver kept the air conditioning on but rolled down the windows on both the driver’s and front passenger’s side because the bromhidrosis coming from Liu Xia in the back was making him very uncomfortable.

As he drove towards Dongshan Street, the driver even pulled out a cigarette to smoke, something he wouldn’t normally do without the passenger’s consent.

This time, he didn’t care about the rules and lit a Hongta Mountain cigarette, feeling it helped mask the unbearable smell of bromhidrosis.

Upon arriving in a hurry at the archway entrance to Dongshan Street, the driver could no longer stand it.

He stopped the car, and as Liu Xia was about to pay the fare, he said, “Miss, keep your money and get out quickly, please!”

Caught off guard, Liu Xia could only open the door and step out.

As soon as she had closed it, the driver quickly drove away, still lamenting, “From a distance and up close, she’s a beauty, but what a pity—she’s just a stinky salted fish, utterly unbearable.”

Liu Xia didn’t hear that last remark, but her expression soured nonetheless.

Holding her bag, she entered the archway, but she still had a bit of a walk to reach the urban village where she rented her room.

It was now six o’clock in the evening, the peak of the after-work rush hour.

Many young people were just getting off work, but as they passed by her and caught a whiff of the unpleasant odor, they hurriedly picked up their pace.

Liu Xia seemed to have grown accustomed to the expressions and movements of those people, and thinking of buying some fruit to have ready for when Ye Qiu came over, she headed to some fruit vendors up ahead where she planned to wash some fruit for him to eat.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she knelt down at a vendor to pick out some bananas, the neighboring customers, upon detecting the unpleasant stench of body odor, left without a word after exchanging glances, even though the vendor was shouting after them.

It was obvious that it was because of Liu Xia’s arrival that the other customers had scattered.

“Miss, if you’re going to buy, buy quickly; if not, just forget it,”

the fruit vendor said.

Clearly, this was not the first time; Liu Xia had faced the same situation when buying fruit from these vendors before.

As a result, Liu Xia thought of shopping inside a supermarket, where, at least, others wouldn’t rush her.

Liu Xia frowned as she selected several types of fruit – bananas, pears, plums – then paid and quickly left.

“Earning a few bucks from one person but losing several customers,”

the fruit vendor muttered.

Liu Xia, in her high heels, continued to venture deeper into the urban village, entering a narrow alleyway.

The environment here was poor, including problematic transportation, bad air quality, and a less-than-ideal security situation.

However, for those with low incomes, this place was paradise.

The rent was low, and there were many places selling fast food just outside.

Every time Liu Xia came home from work, even though it was night, she still felt a bit scared of these alleys.

But now, it was still okay; there were other people passing through the alley after work.

Liu Xia arrived at the entrance of the building, took out her keys, and with a ‘beep,’ the door opened; she hurried upstairs in her heels to her apartment on the fifth floor.

Upon reaching her door and opening it, she found the lights inside were off.

Liu Xia called out, “Xiao Hong, are you off work?”

Liu Xia called several times but got no response from Xiao Hong.

At first, she thought that Xiao Hong hadn’t finished work yet.

Xiao Hong and she were classmates, and after graduating, to share the rent and for companionship, they rented this apartment together.

It was a two-bedroom apartment with a small living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen, including utilities; the rent was one thousand yuan a month, so split between them, it was five hundred yuan each.

For two recent college graduates, this amount was neither too much nor too little.

Liu Xia thought Xiao Hong hadn’t come back yet, so she closed the door, turned on the light in the living room, and then took off her high heels.

After wearing the heels all day, her feet felt both sore and swollen, but as her job required, she had no choice but to wear them daily.

Upon changing into a pair of soft, fluffy slippers, Liu Xia felt much more comfortable.

While Liu Xia was placing the fruit on the living room table, preparing to head back to her room, a young woman with disheveled hair, moving like a zombie, emerged from inside.

It was her roommate, Xiao Hong.