Hearing this, Xu Nian was visibly stunned for a moment, and his face quickly darkened. “No.”
Noticing his poor expression, Chen Zhou did not dare to say anything more and awkwardly shut his mouth. Even though Xu Nian acted as usual, Chen Zhou still felt like he was angry.
Following Xu Nian into the house, Chen Zhou pondered how to bring up his intention to stay and help out.
“Boss!” Wang Qi came trotting over. “You’re back. Why did you buy so much stuff?”
Xu Nian’s face darkened further, but Wang Qi failed to notice, immediately spotting Chen Zhou standing behind him. “Yo! You found him.”
The air fell silent for a fleeting second.
Realizing at last that his boss looked less than pleased, Wang Qi asked warily, “What’s wrong, Boss?”
Without a word, Xu Nian gritted his teeth, shoved the items into Wang Qi’s arms, and headed upstairs.
Taken aback, Chen Zhou didn’t react immediately until Wang Qi sidled up beside him. “Hey, what’s up with the boss?”
Pursing his lips, Chen Zhou replied, “Nothing. Probably just the heat making him cranky.”
“Oh.”
After thinking it over for a moment, Chen Zhou suddenly asked, “Do you have any watermelon?”
Ten minutes later, Chen Zhou went upstairs carrying a plate of freshly sliced watermelon, cautiously knocking on Xu Nian’s room door.
“Ge, are you busy?”
No response.
After waiting a moment and hearing movement inside, Chen Zhou continued, “I’m coming in then, Ge.”
Stepping into the room with the watermelon, Chen Zhou saw Xu Nian lying on the bed reading a book, ignoring him completely.
“Ge, have some fruit.” Chen Zhou walked over. “It’s super sweet.”
Xu Nian glanced over. “Wang Qi told you to bring this?”
So Wang Qi was his name, Chen Zhou noted mentally.
“No, Ge, I just thought eating some melon in this heat would help cool you down, so I brought some up.”
Xu Nian remained unmoving, speaking only after a moment. “You’re the one who wants to eat, aren’t you?”
Caught red-handed, Chen Zhou admitted it with a sheepish smile. “Yeah, Ge. But if you don’t want any, forget it, I’ll take it downstairs for Wang Qi.”
With that, he made to leave.
“Hold on.” Xu Nian put down his book. “Bring it here.”
Walking over, Chen Zhou set the fruit down and dropped the subject.
“Sit down,” Xu Nian said.
Obediently sitting, Chen Zhou stared longingly at the watermelon in Xu Nian’s hands, almost drooling.
Amused and exasperated, Xu Nian asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? Eat.”
“Can I?” Chen Zhou asked. “Ge, is there enough for you?”
Thinking to himself, do I look like I starve you, Xu Nian unceremoniously shoved a piece into his hand. “Just eat.”
“Thanks, Ge.”
Chen Zhou began eating the watermelon, which tasted sweet and icy cold.
Glancing at the person beside him after taking a couple of bites, Xu Nian watched as Chen Zhou nibbled slowly like a hamster, his gaze deeply focused and chewing meticulously, refusing to waste even the rind.
Unable to watch any longer, Xu Nian snatched the piece away and shoved another one into his hands.
With a small red smudge of juice on his cheek, Chen Zhou grinned broadly. “Thanks, Ge.”
Suppressing a smile at the sight, Xu Nian murmured an acknowledgment, only to realize a moment later that he had actually smiled.
Lowering his head, he sighed softly. I’m going to end up wrapped around this kid’s finger sooner or later.
[Host, aren’t you going a bit overboard with the OOC behavior]
Unable to watch any longer, 126 finally chimed in with a reminder. Unbothered, Chen Zhou asked, [Is there a penalty for OOC? Will it affect the mission?]
Pausing to think, 126 replied, [No, there aren’t any specific regulations regarding OOC.]
[Then what’s the problem? Don’t worry, I’ll complete the missions properly.]
After pondering for a long time, 126 realized there was indeed nothing wrong with that logic. The main system only instructed them to complete their missions, without enforcing strict compliance with the original character traits. Having served as a system for so long, 126 had always worked with diligent hosts who anxiously played their roles and revolved around the protagonists just to return home as quickly as possible. This was the first time it had ever encountered someone like Chen Zhou.
Sensing what 126 was thinking, Chen Zhou mused, [No matter where I am, I live for myself.]
126 fell completely silent, realizing that Chen Zhou was uniquely himself, unlike anyone else before him and unlike anyone else to come.
After finishing the watermelon, Chen Zhou actively took the initiative to help out, later joining Wang Qi to prep ingredients for the restaurant’s evening service.
Xu Nian received a phone call and stepped out for a while. Suspecting it concerned Aunt Wang, Chen Zhou refrained from asking out of fear of bringing up painful memories.
“Hey, Xiao Li, are you planning to stick around and work for our boss from now on?”
Though Wang Qi’s tone often felt somewhat boorish, he was actually a good person, loyal and simple-minded. Chen Zhou felt he was much more genuine than many others.
“Yeah, I’m thinking about it,” Chen Zhou nodded, not intending to hide his intentions. “I just don’t know if the boss wants me.”
“Oh. No wonder you’ve been running around working hard all this time,” Wang Qi said, watching him busy himself. “I don’t see why not. You’re already an acquaintance of the boss, so staying shouldn’t be a problem.”
Without commenting further, Chen Zhou quietly continued working.
The restaurant’s business was booming. By evening, the first floor was completely packed, with plenty of customers waiting for takeout as well. Xu Nian remained busy the moment he returned, and not wanting to disturb him, Chen Zhou kept himself useful. Although Chen Zhou had insisted he couldn’t take free meals and regarded his board as a loan, he refused to just sit around idle.
“Xiao Li! Take this to table 13.”
With the chefs in the back kitchen swamped, Chen Zhou temporarily stepped in to handle waitstaff duties.
Upon hearing “table 13,” however, his brows knitted together in an expression of mild reluctance.
It wasn’t for any other reason than one of the customers, a man in his fifties with a fleshy face and crude manners, whose gaze upon Chen Zhou felt distinctly repulsive. While the original host Li Jia wasn’t overwhelmingly stunning, his features were decent, his eyes bright and clean, and losing the unkempt, dusty look only made him more pleasing to the eye.
Chen Zhou wasn’t particularly remarkable-looking in his own world either, but he recognized the meaning behind that kind of gaze, which made him feel sick. Whether the man viewed it as harmless appreciation or harbored malicious intent, it felt deeply offensive.
Still, Chen Zhou didn’t want to make a scene in Xu Nian’s restaurant. Suppressing his discomfort, he picked up the tray and walked over.
“Yo, serving dishes now?” The man smiled again, eyeing Chen Zhou. “Hard work, young man.”
Ignoring him entirely, Chen Zhou went about his task, but the peace was shattered almost immediately.
Reaching out, the man grabbed Chen Zhou’s arm with an ambiguous gesture and an even wider grin.
[Host! Do you want me to help!] 126 panicked first.
Without letting 126 intervene, Chen Zhou was filled with surging anger. With a swift counter-grip on the man’s wrist, the sudden strength caught the other party off guard.
“Try laying your hands on me again.”
Putting all his strength into it, Chen Zhou watched the man’s face distort in pain, though unwillingness to lose face kept him from crying out.
Having made his point, Chen Zhou calmly withdrew his hand and walked away without looking back.
126 felt a surge of admiration, playful and occasionally childish though he seemed, Chen Zhou clearly had a strong will and was far from cowardly.
Unaware of the scene, Xu Nian had returned earlier and was currently leaning against a table watching him, before shifting his cold gaze toward the offending customer.
The rush lasted until late into the night. Sinking into a seat with an exhausted groan, Chen Zhou thought to himself that the restaurant business was truly grueling.
“Hey, where’s the boss?” Wang Qi suddenly asked. “He should still be around, why is he missing?”
Scanning the room, Chen Zhou noticed he was indeed nowhere to be seen.
Outside on the narrow street, Xu Nian was smoking a cigarette. Catching sight of a drunken man stumbling out from the alley ahead, Xu Nian stubbed out his butt.
The leading man turned out to be the lecherous customer from the restaurant, who brightened up upon spotting Xu Nian. “Yo, Brother Xu, what brings you out here?”
Feeling thoroughly disgusted, Xu Nian cut straight to the point with a cold voice. “Don’t come back to the shop.”
Enraged instantly, the man barked, “Why shouldn’t I go! I paid my money, what business is it of yours?”
Pausing as if a thought struck him, he sneered instead. “Ah, I get it. It’s because of that little employee of yours, right?”
“Xu Nian, kicking me out is going too far. He’s just a punk kid, and I didn’t even do anything, did I? Your mom needs a ton of money for her surgery, right? If I take my business elsewhere, will you make enough?”
Xu Nian’s face grew progressively darker. This guy had caused trouble in the restaurant more than once, despite repeated warnings, he never changed his ways, finally exhausting Xu Nian’s patience.
“Cut the crap, Xu Nian. That little worker of yours is quite interesting though, not bad-looking at all. Where’d you dig him up?”
Before the man could continue, Xu Nian’s expression abruptly shifted as he lunged forward, grabbing the man by the collar. “I said, get lost. Touch my people again, and see what happens.”
It had been several dozen minutes since Xu Nian left, yet the lights inside the restaurant remained on when he returned.
Resting his head in his hands at the table, Chen Zhou looked half-asleep while trying hard to stay awake.
Stepping over quietly without startling him, Xu Nian watched as the young man closed his eyes, his head propped in his hands, hair disheveled from the busy day with a few strands plastered to his cheek by sweat.
As Chen Zhou’s head slipped, he jerked awake to find Xu Nian standing right before him.
“Ge, you’re back!” Chen Zhou blinked sleepily. “Sit down, I made you something to eat.”
Pushing aside the lingering complex emotions in his chest, Xu Nian sat down. “You can cook?”
“Of course, try it.” Lifting the thermal lid off the plate, Chen Zhou handed him a pair of chopsticks.
Having worked all day, Xu Nian was genuinely hungry. He picked up the chopsticks and began to eat. He had to admit the kid’s cooking skills were impressive, the hot food warmed his insides, making him feel considerably better.
“Ge, actually, there’s something I want to tell you.”
Without looking up, Xu Nian said, “Go ahead.”
“I want to stay and help out at the restaurant.”
Xu Nian paused.
“I want to stay and help you run the place. I don’t want a salary, you’ve already given me a place to stay and food to eat, so I want to contribute something,” Chen Zhou smiled. “I need to find a purpose in town anyway, and since I can’t go back to my old job, I’ll try a different path. Once I make something of myself in the future, we can build this business up together.”
Though Chen Zhou spoke with complete sincerity, Xu Nian fell silent.
It wasn’t that he was unaware of the young man’s past feelings for Cao Ying, but he neither felt surprised nor cared to intervene, simply because romance was something he neither understood nor wished to participate in.
Yet right now, a strange sense of unfairness welled up inside him, this kid had come here originally for Cao Ying.
“Why?” Xu Nian blurted out, before dropping his gaze as if avoiding the answer.
“For myself, of course,” Chen Zhou replied naturally, looking at Xu Nian with clear amber eyes. “Didn’t I just say? I used to work in town too. Besides, I’m happy helping you out here. Do you not want me to?”
Taken aback for a moment, Xu Nian thought that didn’t sound like something Li Jia would ever say.
Yet it inexplicably brought him a sense of relief, he hoped Chen Zhou would live for himself.
“Alright, Ge agrees.”
“Really? It’s a deal!”
“Yeah, really.” Xu Nian smiled, reaching out to ruffle Chen Zhou’s hair.
He was doing things he rarely ever did again.