“Hmph.” Peng Yang cast a disdainful glance at the person standing silently behind the manager and reached out to pull Jiang Qiao along, only to turn and discover she had already walked two meters away, leaving behind nothing but an indifferent silhouette. He hurriedly chased after her: “Xiao Qiao, wait for me…”
Ye Qingqing trailed behind guiltily, murmuring “Sorry” as she passed Lu Xun.
Lu Xun lifted his eyelids slightly. “It’s fine.”
The farce concluded just as their shift was ending.
In the staff breakroom, Lu Xun silently packed his belongings. The manager followed him in, sitting on a stool while observing the bruise on his lip before sighing. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No.” Lu Xun shook his head.
The manager patted his shoulder. “You’re usually so detached, kid. Why’d you suddenly turn righteous? Those rich kids are all consenting adults. Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Sometimes it’s better to turn a blind eye. We can’t afford to provoke them, but we can avoid them. Clashing head-on only leaves you worse off.”
Lu Xun paused his packing briefly before responding, “Mm.”
Knowing his temperament, the manager shook his head and dropped the subject. “Alright, head home now. It’s getting late.” He stuffed several packaged fruit boxes from the drawer into Lu Xun’s bag, stopping Lu Xun from retrieving them. “They’d just get thrown out anyway. Don’t be so stubborn.”
Lu Xun pressed his lips together and didn’t refuse further.
Inside the private room, a crowd of regular party-going wealthy heirs had gathered. Having successfully invited Jiang Qiao, Peng Yang was particularly exhilarated. The group of teenagers launched into a game of Truth or Dare.
Jiang Qiao lost the very first round. Uninterested in playing, she downed a glass of beer and excused herself by claiming discomfort, settling aside to scroll through her phone.
Ye Qingqing, ever popular, rallied others to keep plying Peng Yang with drinks. Peng Yang crushed his empty aluminum can and tossed it aside. “You should’ve seen that waiter’s arrogance earlier. Still ended up too scared to fight back after I punched him!”
“Hahaha, Peng Yang, bullying people again? You’ve truly mastered the spoiled heir act.”
“The new guy at the front desk? He does seem pretty cocky. Better watch out—don’t get jumped in a back alley.”
Peng Yang smirked dismissively. “He wouldn’t dare.”
Someone called for Jiang Qiao to rejoin the game. She waved them off, picking up an apple to munch on. [I’ve got to say, you Systems are pretty twisted. Do you really enjoy watching the male lead get humiliated?]
[No suffering, no rainbow!] 166 declared matter-of-factly. [This is all essential for becoming Dragon Aotian!]
Fine. Neither understood nor respected that logic.
The Plot Point was complete. No need to stick around any longer.
Jiang Qiao finished her apple, wiped her hands with a wet wipe, and stood. “Qingqing, come to the restroom with me.”
Ye Qingqing, who’d just lost a round and was being pressured to drink, immediately agreed. “Coming… It’s not like I won’t be back… I’ll definitely drink when I return…” She made vows and promises until the group finally let her leave.
Once outside the private room, the world fell silent. Ye Qingqing took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. “That was actually pretty fun.”
“Fun?” Jiang Qiao glanced at her. “Let’s go. If you get drunk, you won’t even realize you’ve been sold off.”
“Huh?” Ye Qingqing blinked, confused. “I thought you needed to use the restroom?”
“I’m not going to shit.”
Ye Qingqing: “………………”
She complained gloomily, “Qiao Er, you’re being vulgar.”
A few meters away from the front desk, Jiang Qiao stopped and sighed, “Stop hiding. The straight-A student has already clocked out.”
Ye Qingqing, who had been hiding behind her, immediately perked up, “Really?”
“Mm.” Jiang Qiao asked, “Why are you so guilty? If anyone should feel guilty, it should be me.”
So you do know. Ye Qingqing snorted twice, “Then why aren’t you feeling guilty?”
“I am guilty.” Jiang Qiao raised an eyebrow and shoved the bewildered Ye Qingqing into a taxi, “So now I’m going to check on the injured party.”
“What do you mean, Jiang Qiao? Explain yourself clearly…”
Ye Qingqing’s angry voice faded away with the taxi’s exhaust. Jiang Qiao chuckled and turned to walk in the opposite direction.
Occasional cars passed by on the street, the sound of footsteps and bicycle wheels rolling was indistinct.
The young man stood tall, pushing a worn-out bicycle forward. The early autumn night already carried a chill.
Having changed out of his waiter uniform, he wore only a white short-sleeved shirt.
The streetlamp stretched the young man’s shadow long. Suddenly, he stopped without warning, the sound of the wheels ceasing along with him, “Having fun?”
Lu Xun’s voice was cold, even more desolate in the empty street.
Sigh, his vigilance is really strong. He could still hear so clearly with just one ear.
Jiang Qiao sighed and stepped out from behind the tree, “What a coincidence, meeting again.”
Lu Xun didn’t respond, his gaze sweeping past her as he continued walking forward.
Jiang Qiao: “………………”
Ignored, she wasn’t annoyed either, continuing to follow behind him. As she got closer, she noticed the deflated rear bicycle tire—no wonder Lu Xun had been pushing it all along.
“Are you angry?” Jiang Qiao deliberately moved closer to the young man who kept his eyes straight ahead, grabbing hold of the bicycle handlebars.
Her approach was sudden, and she had moved close to his impaired left ear. Lu Xun was momentarily stunned, the temperature in his eyes quickly dropping to freezing.
He reached out and gripped Jiang Qiao’s wrist, mercilessly pulling her hand away.
Jiang Qiao’s fair, delicate wrist immediately turned red. Lu Xun saw her beautiful brows furrow in pain, her eyes glistening with tears, “You’re so strong, it hurts…”
“…………………”
Lu Xun had no experience dealing with girls, and facing the “culprit” who had indirectly caused him to get punched, his tone remained unchanged, “Serves you right.”
Jiang Qiao: “…………………”
Has he always been like this? No wonder he has no friends.
Ignoring the mocking voice of 166 in her ear, Jiang Qiao continued pretending to be well-behaved, “Sorry for getting you hurt.”
“But…” Her tone shifted, throwing Lu Xun’s own words back at him, “Serves you right.”
“Out of all those people, why did you only stop me? Lu Xun, do you like me?”
Her tone was confident, her small chin lifted. Whether it was an illusion or not, Jiang Qiao thought she saw Lu Xun smile, his thin lips curving into a faint arc.
Before Jiang Qiao could get a closer look, Lu Xun’s tall figure loomed over her from above. He looked down at her condescendingly, the bruise at the corner of his lips adding a touch of wildness, “I’d rather like a dog than like you.”
His words were full of malice.
Jiang Qiao froze, staring at Lu Xun in disbelief. Her face flushed red with anger as she recalled the scene at the classroom doorway, an indescribable fury rising in her heart. The words slipped out before she could stop them: “Do you like Song Qingying?”
Lu Xun didn’t deny it. “Think whatever you want.”
“But who I like has nothing to do with you,” he said coolly.
Of course it does! Jiang Qiao bit her lip.
She had set her sights on Lu Xun because of his face—so in her mind, he belonged to her. Yes, she was this unreasonable, this domineering!
“How is she better than me?!” Deeply wounded, Jiang Qiao’s voice trembled as she spat out the harsh words: “Lu Xun, you’ll regret this.”