After Xu Duwan finished speaking, his rationality, which had led him to run away from home, returned for a moment when he saw Shen Mingjin’s astonished expression.
He suddenly realized that if Shen Mingjin had really found a boyfriend, why would he suddenly bring him here at this time to show off?
Moreover, when the bespectacled young man put his arm around Shen Mingjin’s shoulder, Shen Mingjin’s first reaction was not the cooperation between lovers, but rather he frowned, seemingly somewhat resistant.
In conclusion, even if Shen Mingjin and this bespectacled young man knew each other, their relationship was definitely not at the level of lovers.
After figuring this out, the surge of anger that had rushed to Xu Duwan’s head was extinguished as if doused with cold water. His blood gradually turned icy cold, and he couldn’t help but clench his teeth, curl his fingertips, and subconsciously clench his fists to suppress the intense emotions churning within him.
The lingering jealousy, a touch of shame, and a hint of annoyance.
However, Shen Mingjin couldn’t tell whether Xu Duwan’s flushed face was showing annoyance or… anger. Therefore, at the moment when Xu Duwan clenched his fists to suppress his thoughts, he mistakenly thought that the other party was going to attack him like he had rushed over to beat Jiang Ruoling earlier. His body acted before his mind, and he subconsciously took a few steps back.
“…………”
Xu Duwan’s anger, which had just subsided, flared up again when he saw Shen Mingjin retreat. He took a deep breath, stared at Shen Mingjin’s eyes, which were filled with a complex mix of emotions and a hint of wariness, and for a long while, he seemed to be frozen in place. He opened his mouth but did not say a word.
Shen Mingjin, of course, did not speak again.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The scorching sun, along with the hot wind carrying the smell of disinfectant, made people dizzy and lightheaded.
A quietness had settled over the air. In the bustling hospital, the way these people stared at each other was strangely unsettling.
In the end, Jiang Ruoling, fearing that Shen Mingjin and Xu Duwan would fight over this, grabbed Xu Duwan’s wrist and forcefully pulled him away.
Xu Duwan knew how hurtful his words were to the proud and arrogant Shen Mingjin, so after a few symbolic struggles, he left.
As he left, he couldn’t help but glance back at Shen Mingjin. He saw that Shen Mingjin was staring at the sesame buns on the ground with his eyes down and didn’t say a word, looking like he was too lazy to have any more conflict with him.
Upon seeing this, Xu Duwan paused, his fist clenched and unclenched, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and after a moment he turned his head back.
Xu Duwan left. The young man wearing glasses, who had witnessed the conflict between the two, seemed to realize he had gone too far with his joke. He awkwardly scratched his face, cautiously glancing at Shen Mingjin’s ambiguous profile, and whispered:
”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
He sighed, a hint of amusement and helplessness flashing in his eyes:
”If I had known your partner was this jealous, I wouldn’t have joked around.”
“…” Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjin slowly came to his senses, shifting his gaze from the dirty bun on the ground, and said after a beat:
”Ah, he’s not my boyfriend.”
”Who are you kidding?” The bespectacled young man clearly didn’t believe him. “The look on his face when I put my hand on your shoulder just now…”
Thinking of Xu Duwan’s sudden change to a gloomy expression, the bespectacled young man couldn’t help but shudder, saying with lingering fear:
”He was so fierce just now, it was like he wanted to chop me up.”
“…You’re overthinking it,” Shen Mingjin thought for a moment and patiently explained:
”He was just in a bad mood. He’s usually a very nice person.”
He was all bark and no bite; he loosened his fist as soon as he was pulled, showing no sign of being fierce at all.
Shen Mingjin strongly disagreed with the bespectacled youth’s assessment of Xu Duwan.
He was momentarily stunned and felt sorry for the buns that had fallen to the ground, so he didn’t notice that Xu Duwan had already left.
The bespectacled young man: “…….”
Dude, isn’t your filter a bit too heavy?
”But I’m sorry.” Although he saw that Shen Mingjin’s expression was indifferent and he didn’t seem to care much about being humiliated by Xu Duwan, the bespectacled young man still felt a little apologetic and said embarrassedly:
”My name is Yu Qingbie. If you need any help later, just come to me.”
”Thank you, but no need.”
Shen Mingjin sighed and walked out the door with Yu Qingbie:
”I need to go back and change my clothes, and then I’ll try to find a new job. If I’m settled, I’ll contact you again.”
We’ll talk about Xu Duwan’s matter later.
”You’re looking for a job?” Upon hearing this, Yu Qingbie immediately turned around, eager to try.
”My family’s food stall is hiring waiters/waitresses, would you like to come?”
”…A street food stall?” Shen Mingjin was stunned for a moment, then hesitated before saying:
“Where?”
”Turn around this street and you’ll find it next to the Fangyuan Huatian Hotel, around the university town.”
Yu Qingbie just graduated from a prestigious university this year. Due to special circumstances in China, his plan to go abroad was canceled, so he has been preparing for civil service exams at home. However, he has no interest in this field and occasionally helps out at his family’s food stall, knowing that his family’s food stall is short of manpower.
He noticed Shen Mingjin’s broad shoulders and narrow waist, coupled with his handsome face. He also felt a pang of guilt for his earlier indiscretion, and impulsively extended an olive branch to him.
”So, are you in or not? It’s 3,500 yuan, including food and lodging.”
“…” Shen Mingjin thought for a moment, knowing that after the incident he caused last night, the bar manager probably wouldn’t keep him. It would be better to stay, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about finding a place to stay.
…and there’s no need to smile and sell wine anymore.
”Okay.” After thinking it over, Shen Mingjin finally made up his mind and nodded to Yu Qingbie:
”I’ll go.”
After speaking, he suddenly paused, his voice soft and hesitant:
”But is it okay if I don’t have a graduation certificate?”
”You don’t need a college degree to be a waiter, as long as you have hands and feet.”
Yu Qingbie took out his car keys from his pocket, pressed a button, and a Volkswagen parked next to the hospital turned on its headlights.
He turned his head and smiled at Shen Mingjin:
”Get in the car.”
“…” Shen Mingjin thought about it and felt that Yu Qingbie’s words made sense, so he opened the car door and got in.
Yu Qingbie’s family’s food stall is located behind a university town. It usually gets quite a lot of customers, and they are short-handed. Yu Qingbie had just brought Shen Mingjin to the stall when his busy parents only glanced at him briefly. They thought he was alright, so they nodded and agreed to let him stay. They immediately started urging Shen Mingjin to work.
Shen Mingjin put on the scarf with a bewildered look, and was forced to become a waiter. When the day ended, everyone was exhausted and had sore backs, but Shen Mingjin was still doing his work slowly, just like when he first came in.
He was handsome with fair skin, and his phoenix eyes were especially striking. Just by standing there, he attracted many young girls to secretly glance at him. As a result, the business at the food stall improved considerably by the end of the day.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Yu had witnessed Shen Mingjin’s actions. Seeing that Shen Mingjin was reliable and capable, they whispered to each other for a while. Then, Mrs. Yu called Yu Qingbie over, handed him the key to the small room, and gently instructed him:
”Let Xiao Shen stay in the room behind the warehouse for now. But there’s a lot of clutter there, so help him tidy up first, and then come upstairs to get the bed sheets.”
This food stall was converted from a residential building. Upstairs was where Yu’s parents lived. However, they had bought a house in the city for their son long ago and told him not to live there. They didn’t want to give up their business here, so they lived alone on the second floor.
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingbie nodded and pulled Shen Mingjin toward the small room behind the warehouse.
The small room was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and when the curtains weren’t drawn, it was pitch black, giving it a somewhat eerie feel. Things were scattered haphazardly in the corners, and the bed was covered in dust; the dust made one’s throat itch with every step. Shen Mingjin entered unprepared, his eyes still adjusting to the dim light, and accidentally knocked over a broom. Unexpectedly, he heard the faint rustling sound of some creature crawling.
Shen Mingjin: “.”
”Sorry, the conditions are tough, please bear with it.” Yu Qingbie heard this too, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his face. He smiled apologetically and rolled up his sleeves to clean up the clutter for Shen Mingjin, explaining as he worked:
”Actually, the conditions are alright… The job market is bad lately, so you’ll have to make do with it…”
Yu Qingbie was a chatterbox. He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, his attempt to change the subject was rather clumsy. He muttered to himself, “This is the canopy bed I slept in when I was a child. I stopped using it after I started junior high school. However, my parents had me late in life, and after I was born, they unexpectedly won the lottery. With this double blessing, they asked someone to spend money to have this bed frame custom-made from the finest rosewood.”
He seemed to have regained some confidence, patted the bed frame triumphantly, and turned to Shen Mingjin with a smile:
”How about it? Not a bad deal, right?”
“…” Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjin lowered his head slightly, not minding the dirt, and slowly ran his fingertips over the bed frame. Then he squatted down to examine it closely, and then frowned almost imperceptibly.
Yu Qing didn’t know what Shen Mingjin was looking at. Seeing that the other person wasn’t dressed in expensive clothes and had eyes as innocent as a college student who had never seen the world, he assumed that the other person was some country bumpkin from a poor rural area who had come to the big city to work and had never seen such an expensive bed. He was quite proud of himself and was about to show off a few more words when he suddenly heard Shen Mingjin pause for a moment and then speak, which shattered the smug expression on his face and left him frozen in place.
”This is not real rosewood at all,”
Shen Mingjin had lost all his memories, but the knowledge etched into his bones compelled him to speak, uttering a ruthless judgment. Staring at Yu Qingbie, who was staring at him in disbelief, his face deathly pale, he turned back and said clearly and in a deep voice:
“You’ve been scammed.”