Chapter 15

For reasons he couldn't explain, Chen Huo had an instant dislike for the café owner the moment he laid eyes on him.
Fake. This guy is the worst kind of poser.
There was just something about people who played it cooler than he did that set Chen Huo off, so naturally the owner's calm only made him itch for a fight. Especially when he saw the clear double standards shown towards the deadbeat, and the relief the staffer showed after. It was outrageous.
Seriously? Is everyone here blind?
Then when that punk actually tried to slip out, Chen Huo's first instinct was to block his way.
Before the owner showed up, this clown had acted all high and mighty, flashing his adult status and talking down to Chen Huo like he was just a kid. Chen Huo had never been belittled like that, not at home, not anywhere. Even if he didn't particularly want to go to bat for Bai Jiajia, that didn't mean he'd let some jerk show him up.
But then the thought hit him: if he moved to stop the guy now, wouldn't that just be giving the smug owner exactly what he wanted? Why should he do the heavy lifting and let someone else reap the benefits? So Chen Huo stayed put, arms folded, glowering.
Even if that freeloader walked, he could still make his life hell outside these doors.
So, with a bit of calculated spite, Chen Huo settled in to watch how the owner would handle it. He looked over, and there stood the owner, rooted to the spot, smiling confidently at the door.
What the hell?
Chen Huo glanced over, and then he saw Yun Zhuoqing blocking the exit.
Wait, what? What was she doing here?
A wave of panic washed over Chen Huo. Did that mean she'd heard what he'd just said?
He replayed his actions and words, suddenly embarrassed. He'd let a lowlife get the better of him, would she think he was just another pushover?
The more he thought about it, the more flustered he became.
At that moment, the owner strode over and stood between Yun Zhuoqing and the freeloader, not letting him get a word in: "Sir, planning to skip out? Just so you know, we have surveillance cameras in here. Every move you made is on record, and if you bolt, I'll have to call the police. Guess we'll continue this at the station, then."
Coming from an adult, the owner's threat was way more convincing than anything Chen Huo could have said. With a mix of carrot and stick, he hit the guy where it hurt. Eventually, the guy gave up, forked over the cash, and, worst of all, had to swallow his pride and apologize to Bai Jiajia.
Because she'd threatened to file a harassment report and said she had an audio recording to back it up. In the end, the guy had no choice but to grit his teeth, mumble an apology, and slink away.
Bai Jiajia hadn't dared say a word the whole time, except for quick, grateful glances at Yun Zhuoqing that betrayed she wasn't as collected as she seemed.
"Qingqing, didn't I handle things well?" The owner shot her a playful wink. "See? I knew exactly what you wanted me to do."
He knew Yun Zhuoqing wasn't exactly a bleeding heart. Not after their first meeting, yeah, he'd been down on his luck, but even so, she clearly saw he was a looker. When he asked for help, though, she shot him down cold, not even pausing. Sometimes he wondered, if he hadn't physically stopped her, would she have just walked right by without a backward glance?
Of course, asking someone to borrow a hundred grand on a first meeting? He still didn't think that was all that unreasonable.
That episode made it clear: Yun Zhuoqing was hardly the model "good student." Yet today, out of nowhere, she'd asked him to step in. She never said it straight out, but the way she'd involved herself, and judging by the age of the boy and girl, he could guess they were her acquaintances. If they mattered to her, of course he wasn't going to just stand by. Not only did he get involved, he handled everything perfectly. So now, he was standing here fishing for praise.
Yun Zhuoqing kept it breezy: "Yeah, I knew you’d handle it."
She trusted the owner; otherwise, they wouldn't be partners in making money together. The biggest factor, though? The guy was honest, loaded, and had zero risk of skipping town with their earnings.
Unaware of how Yun Zhuoqing secretly judged him, the owner clutched his heart in mock distress: "Qingqing, you trust me that much? I’m honestly touched."
Yun Zhuoqing didn't rise to the bait, just nodded. "I’ve got to run."
"Uh, um, boss, could I take today off?" Bai Jiajia piped up, pale as a sheet. "I’m really sorry for all the trouble I caused."
The owner didn't hesitate, giving her permission without complaint.
Bai Jiajia managed a grateful bow, then turned and, without waiting for any response from Chen Huo, made a beeline for the changing room.
The owner then turned to the last remaining customer, smiling: "Would you like to order anything?"
Chen Huo just glowered, sulking.
He'd tailed Yue Hao, who'd been acting suspicious for days, to figure out what he was up to. But just as he caught up, he saw Bai Jiajia getting bullied and stormed in, completely upending all his expectations. Now he just felt...weirdly frustrated.
Staring at the ever-smug owner, Chen Huo finally managed a cold sneer: "Hitting on high schoolers, huh? You old creep." Uncle.
The owner, utterly baffled at being called "uncle" for the first time in his life: "..."
"How exactly am I hitting on high schoolers?" he griped.
Chen Huo grunted. "You know what you're doing."
With that, Chen Huo spun and stormed out, not even sure why he was in such a hurry, only to run headlong into Yue Hao around the corner.
"B, bro?" Yue Hao stammered when he saw him. "What are you doing here?"
Chen Huo, finally given a convenient target, shot him a look that practically X-rayed him. "I should be asking you. You've been acting weird for days now. Turned down every invite to hang out, moping around by yourself. What's up with you?"
He thought his tone was pretty harsh, but Yue Hao looked almost moved to tears.
"Bro, I didn’t know you cared about me so much!" Yue Hao was practically about to cry. "I didn’t realize I was so important to you, even little things like this, you notice!"
Chen Huo awkwardly scratched his nose and coughed, "Ahem, you, uh, yeah, whatever. So what have you been up to these past few days?"
At that, Yue Hao got all shy, the barest blush on his face. "Bro, um, can I...not say?"
Chen Huo frowned, completely missing the awkward undertone, and sounded downright annoyed: "What’s with that voice? Just spill it already."
Realizing he couldn’t brush it off, Yue Hao grit his teeth and confessed: "Actually, I...I kinda like someone lately..."
"Who? Which school is she from? Don’t tell me, she’s not from that school we always brawl with, is she?" Chen Huo's gaze sharpened. If so, the weirdness from recent days would make sense.
"No, no, she's not," Yue Hao stammered, flustered.
Chen Huo clicked his tongue and, unwittingly, blurted out something he’d regret for a long time: "So who is it, you haven’t actually confessed yet, right? Just tell me, I’ll give you some pointers."
His real motive? Sussing out which siren had bewitched his friend, the Yue family was nearly as well-off as his own, and Chen Huo didn’t want him getting conned.
"You actually know her," Yue Hao said quietly.
A bad feeling twisted in Chen Huo's gut. All his curiosity collapsed into silence.
But Yue Hao, who thought of Chen Huo as his own brother, had already decided to bare it all. "It’s the new transfer in our class, Yun Zhuoqing."
"..."
"At first, I didn’t really notice her. But lately in class, I just find myself drawn to her, can't look away when she’s taking notes, even just sipping water. The more I watch, the more I see how pretty her features actually are, she just doesn’t bother with makeup or frills. If she was with me, I’d make sure she always looked amazing, and treat her like a queen." Yue Hao drifted off into starry-eyed fantasy.
"No way!" Chen Huo yelled before he even knew it, muscles frozen into a rictus. He felt like he’d forgotten how to move his own face.
Yue Hao blinked, confused. "Huh? Why not? Is it because her family isn’t as well-off? Don’t worry about that. My parents don’t care, as long as she’s not...you know, trouble."
Yue Hao never took offense when his parents called him a “good-for-nothing”, hell, he thought they were spot-on.
Chen Huo had to swallow back the curse on the tip of his tongue. If you know you're a loser, how do you even have the guts to chase after her? Do you really think you're worthy?
Chen Huo went quiet for so long that even someone as dense as Yue Hao started noticing the weird vibe. He ventured uncertainly, “Bro?”
Snapping out of his stupor, Chen Huo marshaled what little emotional intelligence he had and ground out, one word at a time, “What I… mean is… going up to her… like that, to confess, you’ll just freak her out. And honestly, if she doesn’t like you, you’re just making things awkward for her, aren’t you?”
He got more and more coherent as he went, and Yue Hao, oblivious as ever, didn’t pick up on any subtext. “Bro, you’re totally right. Just what I’d expect from you!” he exclaimed, looking like he’d had an epiphany.
Chen Huo managed a stiff smile, but Yue Hao’s next words almost made his expression crack apart entirely.
“Bro, you’ll help me, right? You promised! C’mon, help me win her over, please,” Yue Hao pleaded, eyes wide with hope.
Chen Huo tried to force his face into something resembling enthusiasm… and failed.
Expression flat as a board, he gave Yue Hao a look. “Sure,” he said.
I’ll help you chase her, all right.
Doesn’t mean you’ve got a shot.
She’s never going to pick you.