Lan Chu found the corresponding room, carefully knocked on the door, and only entered after hearing a young, tender "Come in."
"Hi, Little Rothe." Lan Chu greeted softly. Pierce Rothe's son, Little Pierce Rott, looked no older than eight—a blonde, blue-eyed foreign child who perfectly matched Lan Chu's aesthetic.
"You're the tutor my dad hired. You look... you're Asian. Which country are you from, Japan?"
"Ha." Lan Chu felt a bit disdainful. This little guy was surprisingly blunt.
"Didn't your dad tell you I'm a native-born Chinese person? Besides, even if you can't tell Asians apart, you shouldn't insult me..."
Little Pierce blinked his big eyes, not understanding what Lan Chu was saying.
"OK, let's get down to business. What aspects of China do you want to learn about first? Food, history, or local customs?" Lan Chu sat across from Little Pierce, looking at him expectantly.
"Whatever. Besides you, I have to take other stupid classes on local customs: Korea, Britain, Australia..."
"Oh, so it's not that you, little foreign kid, like Chinese culture; it's that your father likes cultures from all over the world." Lan Chu nodded, then added, "So you guys need remedial classes too? Did your father study abroad in China?" she muttered softly.
"I don't like these kinds of classes at all. I want to play..." He looked down, fiddling with his ball.
"But, I really need this job. Could you possibly pretend to like it, especially... me?" Lan Chu asked weakly.
"Would you be happy if your time was completely scheduled with things you don't like?"
Lan Chu was stumped by the question. It felt like a sharp sword piercing her mind. How could anyone be happy? Hadn't she grown up the same way? Was she happy?
"You're right, it's not happy. But I really need this high-paying job. However, we can exploit a loophole." Lan Chu had a sudden inspiration.
"What are you talking about?" Little Pierce asked, confused.
"You want to play, right? I'll teach you to play. I can teach you Chinese Dou Dizhu, Mahjong, Go, Chinese Chess, and... wait. Every time I come to teach you, I'll prepare some talking points for you. You just repeat them when your father asks."
Little Pierce thought about it.
"Are those things you mentioned fun?"
"Fun enough to be addictive."
"OK, I can like you. So, which one are you teaching me today?"
"I didn't bring anything. Do you have anything I can use?"
"I have playing cards."
"Great. Then we'll start by learning Dou Dizhu." Lan Chu and Little Pierce instantly hit it off... Monicas Apartment.
"Ross, why did you bring a suitcase?" Monica asked, puzzled.
"I still can't reach Emily, so I plan to Go to London to find her, just... sit down and talk properly... Have you seen Ella?" Ross said, holding a piece of apple pie.
"I know. She went to interview for a job with that wealthy man. She seems confident she'll get it," Monica said while tidying the kitchen.
"Oh, my God, do you know when she'll be back?"
"She left at noon, and it's evening now. She should be back soon," Monica said.
"Unless she's with that handsome date of hers. Oh, lucky woman! Why can't I Go on that date instead!" Rachel triggered her Passive Skill of Obsessing Over Doctors with envy.
Just as she finished speaking, Lan Chu opened the door and walked in.
"Ella, you're back! Where's your handsome date?" Rachel asked.
"He went home. I successfully got the job! Work one day, rest one day. I absolutely love this job; it's basically like continuous rest for me," Ella said happily, putting down her handbag and hanging up her coat.
"Hi, Monica, do you need help?" Lan Chu leaned toward Monica and asked.
"Stay away from my food. You almost blew up my frying pan yesterday." Lan Chu wisely sat down on the sofa.
"Ella, I'm heading to the airport soon. I'm going to... clear things up with Emily." Ross said.
"Oh, I seem to remember you were supposed to have contacted her already..." Lan Chu muttered softly.
Just as she finished speaking, the phone rang. Ross answered, paused for a moment, and then walked toward the balcony.
"I guess that's Emily." Chandler said.
"Oh, I kind of regret quitting the Coffee Shop job. Since I work one day and rest one day now, I could take on some part-time work," Lan Chu suddenly realized.
"You can help me! In your free time, you can help me organize appointment information and schedule in-home massages according to my timetable. We'll split the money 30/70—you get three, I get seven, since you're only working part-time," Phoebe said.
"No problem, I can even sing 'Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, why aren't they feeding you...' with you!" Lan Chu sang, imitating Phoebe. When Phoebe heard Lan Chu's voice, she unconsciously started singing along, and the room was filled with the sound of Smelly Cat.
At this moment, Ross finished his call and walked in, looking dejected.
"How are things, Ross?" Lan Chu asked curiously.
"It was Emily. I told her what I was thinking, and she went ballistic. She sounded like she wanted to crawl out of the phone and burn me to ashes..." Ross sat down on the sofa like a zombie, not noticing Rachel was already sitting there.
Rachel, startled, moved herself.
"My marriage is over... for the second time..."