A customer pushed the door open and entered. Jing Nian put down his phone, lifting a face that was practically screaming “I hate customers” as he said:
“Welcome.”
The newcomers were two men. One was tall and slender but bundled up from head to toe, giving off a strangely familiar vibe.
As for the young man beside him, Jing Nian remembered him quite clearly.
He was a small-time actor with little fame, someone who used to hang around Qiu Huai’s office door every now and then, probably scheming to climb the ladder through shady means.
But Qiu Huai wasn’t the type to swallow just any low-quality bait.
Putting Jing Nian at the front desk was actually a huge mistake on the part of the staff. Whenever he worked, he liked to wear a cold, indifferent expression. If it weren’t for his pretty face, any customer walking in would think he was trying to drive them away.
These two had pre-ordered a pet and had come today to pick it up.
The man wearing a mask fixed his gaze on Jing Nian, clearly taken aback for a moment.
“Jing Nian?” Li He’an took off his sunglasses, turning his back to the glass display window, his tone tinged with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
Jing Nian sized him up from head to toe, realizing that Li He’an’s getup made perfect sense. Who knew which corner outside had paparazzi lurking, waiting to snap scandalous photos of him?
He pulled a long face. “Qiu Huai can’t afford to pay wages, so I’m working a side gig here.”
Li He’an simply took it as a joke. He didn’t believe that the renowned President Qiu would ever withhold a small employee’s salary.
Xu Jinning, who had come with him, tugged at Li He’an’s sleeve, shooting Jing Nian a meaningful glance. “Brother Li, who is he?”
As for who Jing Nian was, even Li He’an wasn’t entirely sure. He only knew that this person had an unusual relationship with Qiu Huai.
He found an excuse to send Xu Jinning upstairs with a staff member to fetch the pre-ordered pet cat, while he himself stayed at the front desk, hoping to strike up a conversation with Jing Nian.
“Ever since last time, I’ve been wanting to see you again, but I never got the chance.”
Jing Nian: “Oh.”
If it weren’t for the fact that he was a customer, Jing Nian would have already swiped at him with a claw out of sheer annoyance.
Faced with such a response, Li He’an felt a bit awkward. “I found your contact information in the company’s HR records, but it seems to be wrong…”
Jing Nian lifted his little head, like a proud kitten deliberately trying to embarrass him. “It’s not wrong. I don’t add strangers.”
A nosy staff member pretending to clean up nearly burst out laughing upon hearing their conversation.
Rabbit Cute Pet Shop was quite famous throughout the city, attracting many wealthy businessmen and celebrities who specifically came to buy pets. As low-level workers, the staff had to greet every customer with a smile, and many of these big shots, accustomed to throwing their weight around, enjoyed making things difficult for others.
Even though the boss had their backs and customers didn’t dare go too far, it didn’t mean the staff weren’t frustrated.
But Jing Nian was different—he didn’t give anyone a pleasant face.
Not even a film emperor was an exception.
Xu Jinning soon came downstairs carrying the pet carrier after fetching the pet. Running into Jing Nian’s dismissive attitude, he was fuming. “How can you, a waiter, be so rude!”
“I’m not a waiter.”
Jing Nian pointed at the sign on the counter, tapping it with his fingertip. “Didn’t you go to school? Can’t you read? These two characters say ‘Front Desk.’”
“Oh, right. You really aren’t educated. Otherwise, you wouldn’t mistake a pet shop for a melon field and come here specifically looking for a badger.”
Xu Jinning didn’t initially grasp what he was saying, but once it sank in, his face instantly turned ugly. “You…!”
Jing Nian shook his head with feigned disapproval. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even basic elementary school knowledge isn’t solid.”
The shop assistant nearby struggled to hold back laughter, burying his head as if diligently wiping the glass.
Unable to argue with Jing Nian, Xu Jinning turned his anger on the assistant, raising his voice. “I’ve bought pets from your store several times! How could you suddenly hire such a rude employee? You’d better fire them sooner rather than later, before they ruin your business!”
The assistant stood up with a cloth, forcing a smile. “Please calm down. The hiring decisions are made by our boss, not us. Maybe you should call the boss directly.”
Xu Jinning flushed from head to toe like a boiled shrimp.
He didn’t have Yuan Jing’s contact information at all.
The quality of pets at Rabbit Cuteness was renowned in the community. People like him considered buying pets from this store a status symbol, and the owner behind it wasn’t someone you could meet casually.
Despite claiming to have visited several times, Xu Jinning had only ever accompanied others. Even this time, he had only managed to make a purchase thanks to Li He’an’s connections.
The commotion soon drew the attention of customers in the rest area. Little Rabbit noticed Jing Nian being bullied and immediately puffed up his cheeks, fuming with anger as he charged over.
Who dared bully the person he was raising!
The soft little kiwifruit, once provoked, packed quite a punch. In a few quick hops, he reached behind Xu Jinning and rammed his head into him, causing him to stumble.
Seizing the moment when Xu Jinning was off-balance, Little Rabbit swiftly tripped him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Satisfied, he patted his hands and leaped onto the counter.
Xu Jinning cried out as he fell, finally seeing what had tripped him. “Is this a pet from your store?! Is this how you treat customers?!”
The assistant immediately looked flustered, quickly dropping the cloth and rushing over.
Xu Jinning thought the assistant was finally showing some sense and coming to help him up, but instead, the assistant went straight to Little Rabbit, checking if he was injured.
“Mr. Li,” the assistant said seriously, holding Little Rabbit. “Little Rabbit isn’t a pet from our store, but the boss specifically instructed us that if he gets hurt, you’ll be held responsible.”
Li He’an noticed many customers raising their phones to record the scene and lowered his voice impatiently to the person on the ground. “Get up already. Stop embarrassing yourself!”
He then reached out to touch Little Rabbit. “I’m truly sorry. Today was our fault…”
Little Rabbit gave him no courtesy, deliberately making things difficult. Just as Li He’an was about to touch him, he suddenly darted away and jumped onto Jing Nian’s shoulder.
Li He’an’s hand hung in mid-air, the atmosphere turning awkward for a moment.
Jing Nian crossed his arms, with the proud Little Rabbit perched on his shoulder. “What else? Could it possibly be our fault?”
“I’m not an actor, and I’m not entering the entertainment industry. Please don’t bother me again in the future.”
“Jing Nian, I’m not what you think…” Li He’an tried to explain, but Jing Nian had already walked over and opened the door, politely asking him to leave.
He fell silent for a moment, finally murmuring softly, “I’m sorry.”
Then, he dragged the embarrassing Xu Jinning out of the pet store.
Outside the pet store, a tall man in a black overcoat had just stepped out of his car, brushing past Li He’an as he hurried away.
The staff gathered around the front counter, chatting idly with Jing Nian.
“That guy always has to make a scene just to show he exists,” one of them remarked.
Xiao Tu, perched on the counter, nodded vigorously. If not for fear of scaring people, he would have chimed in with a curse of his own.
The gossip continued. “That Li He’an isn’t exactly a saint either. It’s all just good PR from his company. I heard his Best Actor award wasn’t earned on merit—he had plenty of scandals when he first debuted.”
“Just riding on his looks to attract fans. With so many handsome guys in the entertainment industry these days, he’ll be replaced sooner or later.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the staff member turned and saw a strikingly handsome man, nearly two meters tall, smiling faintly in her direction.
She nearly fainted from excitement.
But his gaze only lingered politely on her for a second before shifting away.
Jing Nian’s eyes instantly lit up. He dashed over, hand outstretched. “Where are my oranges?”
“Right here, right here.” Jiang Jue’s eyes were full of affection as he pulled out peeled oranges from the paper bag he was carrying.
His gaze involuntarily lingered on Jing Nian’s outfit—soft and pink, utterly adorable, making the boy look even more tempting than the oranges.
He wondered what it would taste like to take a bite.
Surely soft and sweet, bursting with juice, just like the oranges.
Completely unaware of the man’s predatory gaze, Jing Nian stuffed his mouth with oranges, squinting in delight.
Jing Nian had two sides: to strangers, he could put on an aloof, unapproachable front, but around those he trusted, he became a chattering, fussy little thing.
“I’m exhausted. I had no idea working the front counter was so tiring—just standing around all day and having to talk to customers. Thank goodness you’re here…”
Unconsciously holding Jiang Jue’s hand, he recounted everything about Li He’an’s earlier visit.
At some point, Xiao Tu had climbed to the top of the shelves in the back, waving his fists menacingly at Li He’an’s car, which was still parked outside.
Even though Jing Nian hadn’t actually been bullied, Jiang Jue’s expression gradually turned cold. “They’re all under Qiu Huai’s command…”
Far away in the underworld, Qiu Huai shuddered inexplicably and turned to scold the ghost guards standing behind him, telling them to keep their distance.
Jiang Jue glanced at the menu on the counter and asked curiously, “Why did A’Nian suddenly start working here?”
“To experience life… I guess.”
Lately, everything Jing Nian ate, drank, or used was paid for by Jiang Jue. Not only that, Jiang Jue had even transferred him several large sums of money, but Jing Nian had refused them all.
After all, their relationship was currently in an awkward, undefined stage, and Jing Nian was afraid things might end badly later, which would be truly embarrassing.
Gifts and money transfers were two different things.
He reached for the ordering tablet and urged Jiang Jue to place an order. “I want cream cake! If you buy some, I even get a commission!”
One of the staff members rubbed her ears, thinking she must have misheard. “Actually, using the employee discount would be cheaper…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Jue had already paid, even asking Jing Nian if he wanted to buy more.
“But don’t eat too much. We still have dinner later.”
Jing Nian had no objections to this. Happily, he shared the extra desserts with the other staff members.
The clerk was left dumbfounded by this series of actions. Seeing how Jiang Jue doted on Jing Nian, he assumed they were family or something similar, silently feeling a pang of bitterness. Rich people experiencing life, please don’t hurt us ordinary folks like this, okay?!
After finishing the cake, Jing Nian patted his stomach and let his gaze drift to the glass display window. Across the street, a black car was parked by the roadside.
It was Li He’an’s car—he hadn’t left yet.
To an ordinary person, it was just an expensive luxury vehicle, but Jing Nian could see the terrifying, bloodied vengeful spirit perched on its roof.
Sensing Jing Nian’s gaze, the spirit stiffly turned its head and gave a slight nod in his direction, expressing gratitude.
From the moment Li He’an had entered the shop, Jing Nian had noticed the vengeful spirit trailing behind him. Though the spirit didn’t know Jing Nian’s identity, it could sense he was a formidable underworld official—not one to be trifled with.
As an employee of the underworld, Jing Nian’s duty was to guide lingering souls back to the realm of the dead.
So, when the spirit first saw Jing Nian, it instinctively tried to hide. But after a while, Jing Nian showed no intention of taking action, allowing it to continue following Li He’an.
Jing Nian’s reasoning was simple: today was his scheduled day off in the underworld’s roster. As long as nothing abnormal occurred, it wasn’t his responsibility to intervene.