Chapter 14

The server led the way, mind full of curiosity about Yun Zhuoqing.
The boss had funded the café but showed up to check in only rarely. He was generous, never stingy with the staff, and rumor was he was some young master from a loaded family. In all these months, they’d never once seen him bring a friend by, this was a first, and even more surprising: the guest was clearly a high school girl, and nothing about her screamed heiress. There was obviously something between her and the boss, the server couldn’t figure it out, but kept all those guesses behind a professional smile.
The server dropped her off and slipped away, but the boss’s delighted voice still drifted out to her, impossible not to overhear.
“You made it!”
The clerk hurried off, muttering to herself, What’s this girl’s story anyway?
Yun Zhuoqing deftly sidestepped the man's attempt at an enthusiastic hug. He looked so crushed after being rebuffed, as if her rejection was some heinous crime.
“Qingqing, you’re so cold,” he complained.
Yun Zhuoqing was unmoved. “Things are different in Huaguo. Anyone who tried that here would get turned down flat.”
“Really?” The boss eyed her skeptically, his strikingly handsome features scrunched together in disbelief.
“Really.”
“You liar,” he said, confident. “If I tried hugging those girls at the counter, none of them would say no.”
“That’s because you’re the boss. They’d never dare push back against you.” Yun Zhuoqing’s face stayed perfectly calm.
He sighed, letting the real story (he’d never actually tried to hug anyone) pass unsaid. Chin propped on his palm, he stared at her, all mock misery: “Qingqing, you really are heartless.”
His crushed-puppy drama left Yun Zhuoqing entirely cold. She cut to the chase: “Where’s the stuff?”
“Right here.” The boss placed a card on the table, looking so deeply bored that Yun Zhuoqing’s own expression grew serious.
“Did we lose money?”
He looked at her, surprised. “Lose? Absolutely not! Qingqing, do you have so little faith in yourself? Since we started working together, we’ve never lost a single deal. In fact, this time we made even more than before. Sure, I heard whispers of someone trying to dig up dirt on us, but there’s no way they’ll succeed.” He looked pretty smug about it.
Yun Zhuoqing ignored his over-the-top flattery and replied, “Why is it impossible?”
The boss took her for being overly modest and just shook his head. “Qingqing, even among Huaguo’s people, you’re excessively low-profile.”
Maybe it was the fresh windfall, but Yun Zhuoqing actually smiled. “Stay humble, but act boldly.”
He suddenly laughed. “Qingqing, can you not sound like an eighty-year-old grandpa for once? You’re not even legal yet, are you? Why do you talk just like my dad?”
Old-fashioned? Yun Zhuoqing made no comment about that assessment.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Opening it revealed the clerk who’d brought Yun Zhuoqing in earlier. She wore a troubled look. “Boss, there’s a commotion outside.”
“Just kick them out,” the boss replied nonchalantly. He never opened this café for the money and didn’t care who he offended.
“But… but it’s a little complicated…” The clerk trailed off, struggling to put what was happening into words.
With no good options, the boss got up to go with her, telling Yun Zhuoqing, “Qingqing, just wait here. Tonight, I’m treating you to dinner, if it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be out there living on the street.” He only half-joked.
As expected, Yun Zhuoqing refused: “No thanks. I need to get back and finish my homework.”
Only then did it seem to register with the boss that this mysterious girl was in fact a high schooler. For a split second, he felt almost guilty for dragging a kid into things. Swallowing his usual rough act, he nodded: “Okay, okay. Then just wait a bit and I’ll drive you home.”
This time, Yun Zhuoqing agreed.
The one clerk who took the boss seriously was completely shocked.
The boss… used to be homeless?!
In that moment, a dozen dog-blood scenarios flickered through her mind: disgraced rich kid, ruined and left on the streets, rescued by a kindhearted high school girl who nursed him back to purpose, until he rebuilt his business empire, all for her,
“Xiao Chen, what are you grinning about?” the boss asked, puzzled by her trip to another dimension.
She snapped back, blurting out, “Nothing, nothing! Just something funny from a novel I read yesterday. Definitely not thinking about anything weird...”
The boss didn’t press.
Xiao Chen hurried ahead, figuring she wasn’t exactly lying, after all, she did read that novel yesterday. Mentally, she flexed her greenJJ VIP badge.
They hadn’t even reached the scene when raised voices cut through the air.
“...I don’t care what you say, she needs to get on her knees and apologize today! Throw coffee all over me and think that’s it? Which school do you go to? I’ll write to your principal and get you expelled if you don’t!”
No prizes for guessing that was the troublemaker.
Then a louder, cockier voice snapped back: “Go ahead and try! Once I get your info, let’s see who comes out on top!”
The boss paused, looking at Xiao Chen in confusion. “Since when did we hire someone like that?”
Xiao Chen sighed, “He’s not one of ours. Here’s what happened, a girl doing part-time work spilled coffee on a customer by accident. That guy is her classmate. He saw the customer bully her, so he came running to play the hero, and then, ”
What she didn’t say aloud: this whole scene, aside from happening in their café, screamed school-bully-and-damsel-in-distress from some campus romcom.
The boss nodded. “Oh, so just a bunch of kids still in school. No wonder they’re so hotheaded.”
He suddenly remembered Yun Zhuoqing was right there and hastened to add, “Not you, Qingqing, I mean those two.”
She said nothing. From his post-university perspective, of course she seemed like a kid. That was fair enough.
But what made her pause was, why did that voice sound so familiar?
Meanwhile, another clerk tried desperately to mediate: “Sir, we can reimburse you for your pants. If you feel one apology isn’t enough, we’ll apologize again, but we really can’t do what you’re asking.”
Then came a girl’s voice, flustered: “I’m so sorry, truly sorry, sir, it was my fault. I’ll pay for your pants, I promise, I’m really sorry!”
“Why are you apologizing to this jerk?” Chen Huo was fuming. “Can’t you see he’s deliberately making things hard for you? Just quit this job, are you that desperate for cash?” He didn’t understand why Bai Jiajia would humiliate herself over a little part-time money. It’s not like Yuying ever skimps on special students’ allowances. Why did she even have to work outside?
Bai Jiajia looked deathly pale, swaying on her feet. She bit her lip, forcing herself not to show weakness. But years of being cowed by Chen Huo left her unable to speak up, even now.
The boss watched the scene with complete disinterest and told Xiao Chen, “Kick all three out.”
Xiao Chen blinked. “All... three?”
He smiled. “I think you know exactly which three.”
To the boss, a part-time clerk hardly mattered; the café itself was just a toy to him. Compared to that, a student doing a temp job was less than nothing.
Yun Zhuoqing, watching the commotion, stopped the conflicted Xiao Chen.
“Make sure he pays for that broken plate before leaving,” Yun Zhuoqing said.
The floor around the argument was a mess. There was no way the broken dishes were Chen Huo’s fault, given his distance from the table. It clearly wasn’t Bai Jiajia or the other clerk either, no, it could only have been the angry customer, throwing things in a rage.
Xiao Chen hesitated, eyes flicking from the boss to the shards on the floor, suddenly catching on.
“Oh, right. He definitely needs to pay for that.” With that, the boss strode over himself.
Yun Zhuoqing stayed behind, keeping her distance.
“Sir, I’m the owner of this café. If you have any complaints, you can talk to me.” The boss presented himself to the group, all disarming smiles.
The man’s bravado faltered for a moment. After all, the boss was an adult, much harder to mess with than the teenage Chen Huo.
“So you’re the boss?” He frowned, keeping his tone even. “Your staff spilled coffee on these pants, they’re a limited edition, worth thousands. She’s just a student. How could she possibly afford to pay?” He glanced at the boss, worried the man would offer to pay instead, and quickly added, “She’s the one who has to pay me, or I won’t accept it. Otherwise she can kneel and apologize, and I’ll let it go. Cover your store’s losses too, while you’re at it.”
He spoke as if doing them a favor.
Bai Jiajia hung her head, trembling. She didn’t have the luxury to scoff at a few thousand yuan like Chen Huo. Maybe Yuying usually awarded scholarships to special students, but she’d gotten sick during exams last term and lost her place. And now, with her family sick at home, she’d been forced to take this job, the only easy, well-paying part-time gig she'd managed to find. Easy money like this didn't come often. She really couldn't afford to lose it.
Turns out, just because you sit in the same classroom doesn’t mean you live in the same world.
The boss actually laughed at the man’s shameless demands. “Sir, you’ll definitely be paying for the damage to my café, there’s no negotiating that.”
“So that’s it, you’re just after money.” The man folded his arms, thinking he’d seen through the boss. “I’ll spell it out: if she apologizes to me properly, then fine, I’ll pay. But if she doesn’t, you can forget about a single cent!”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to call the police, sir,” the boss said, all regretful courtesy.
“Fine by me! Go ahead, call them! Either way, she’s paying for my pants. These aren’t cheap, you know, a lot more than your little plates, I bet.” The man only got cockier.
“Sir,” the boss said, smile unwavering, “the dishware you broke is a custom set made by a master designer overseas, runs about a hundred thousand per set. I’ll have to check with our supplier for the exact price per plate.”
Now, the man's face started to fall.
"You think I'm some dumb kid, huh? Who'd believe a word you say? By that logic, my pants cost ten grand too!" The customer's temper flared, but the owner stayed utterly calm, unsettling him against his will.
He'd examined that place setting before, heck, he'd even snapped a photo, ready to brag about it later. Even if his taste was questionable, even he could see the craftsmanship in those plates. But he never imagined the whole set was worth a hundred thousand!
The man's face turned stormy. "This place is a scam. Bad luck for me to fall for it today, but you know what? I'm done. I won't stoop to your level!" With that, he strode for the exit.
But when he reached the door, someone blocked his path.
The owner looked up, amusement gleaming in his eyes.
Yun Zhuoqing stood in front of the guy, holding out her phone, the screen lit up with "911."
"Running already?"