Chapter 19
Lin ChuSui was certain that the man was drunk. She went into the washroom without hesitation, grabbed a bottle of beer from the private room, and followed him in.
The man had just unzipped his pants when Lin ChuSui walked in. She smashed the beer bottle cap against the wall and grabbed the man by his collar, jumping up to pour beer all over his head.
The young girl was petite with an exceptionally agile figure. Her actions were smooth and practiced: it was clear this wasn’t her first skirmish.
The drunken man was doused with beer. He staggered backwards shouting, “Who’s there? F*ck! Tired of living?”
Lin ChuSui pressed his head against the wall, forcing him to see her face clearly so he wouldn’t blame Xiao Yan.
“Who are you? What did I do to you?” the man slurred.
“You didn’t do anything to me. I just don’t like the look of your ugly mug,” Lin ChuSui stated simply.
After releasing him, Lin ChuSui viciously kicked his knee before leaving the washroom, turning on the tap to rinse her hands.
The man knelt on one knee, cursing obscenities in his drunken stupor.
Turning around, Xiao Yan had been standing at the end of the hallway the whole time, watching Lin ChuSui from afar with eyes dark as night.
“Uh...” Lin ChuSui was at a loss for words.
After a moment, Xiao Yan looked away and headed into the men’s changing room.
Lin ChuSui followed him in without thinking. She leaned against the door, listening: it seemed empty, so she entered.
The room was pitch black except for the white ceiling light shining down on Xiao Yan in the center as he removed his wine-stained white shirt.
With only black and white shadows, his fair skin appeared translucent, the lines of his fit physique fluid and refined.
Hearing Lin ChuSui close the door, Xiao Yan discarded his shirt and turned to the side, stating calmly, “This is the men’s changing room.”
“I know,” Lin ChuSui said, hopping onto a high stool. “I went into the men’s toilet already. What’s there to be afraid of in the changing room?”
Xiao Yan put on a clean white shirt, long fingers tidying his collar. “Are you really a girl?”
“My deskmate for years doesn’t know if I’m a girl or not?” Lin ChuSui quipped.
Xiao Yan’s expression was grim, clearly in a terrible mood. Lin ChuSui stopped joking and quickly added, “I got revenge for you.”
“I saw. Wanted to stop you but didn’t make it in time.”
“You should be thanking me!” Lin ChuSui pouted. “Why stop me?”
“Didn’t know you could fight like that. Was afraid you’d get bullied.”
Lin ChuSui tingled all over. She hopped off the stool and stood before him. “You care about me that much?”
“You care about me too.”
“Well, that’s true. I care a lot about all my admirers.”
“You only have me as an admirer.”
“...”
Annoying.
Lin ChuSui’s gaze wandered to his locker. There were a few spare uniforms and she vaguely saw some empty pill packets.
Before she could get a closer look, Xiao Yan had shut the locker.
“Hey, I think I just saw something. Looks like you provide wide-ranging services here. Are you the top earner?” Lin ChuSui grinned mischievously.
“Just some painkillers. I advise you not to joke crassly,” Xiao Yan said expressionlessly. “You’ll regret it.”
“Why?”
“Someone might overhear. You definitely don’t want that person to hear.”
Lin ChuSui looked around the empty changing room. “What are you on about?”
“Believe it or not, up to you.”
Seeing he was genuinely in a bad mood, Lin ChuSui stopped teasing him and asked seriously, “Does this kind of thing happen often?”
Xiao Yan dried his hair with a towel. “Life is hard, earning money is difficult.”
“But you’re top of our grade. Why work in a place like this with low-class people?”
Xiao Yan turned around, cutting her off. “Kid, it’s late. Go home.”
“Aren’t you going home yet?”
“My shift isn’t over.”
“Oh.”
Watching his indifferent motions, Lin ChuSui took the towel from him and gently dried his hair herself.
“Does this kind of thing happen a lot?”
As Xiao Yan watched her tiptoeing, patting lightly: more expressing care than drying: her features up close were pure and clean. Her long bangs hung to her eyelids, eyebrows faint, and she had a subtle sweet scent like freshly baked cookies.
Xiao Yan blocked the girl’s hands and turned around. “It doesn’t happen often.”
“Are you short on money? If you need money, I can...”
“I have to get back to work.”
Without waiting for her to finish, Xiao Yan locked the cabinet and left the changing room.
Staring at his departing back, Lin ChuSui felt an ache in her heart. She picked up the towel carrying his scent and casually stuffed it in her bag.
...
Returning to the private room, Xu Jia Ning had arrived and was happily chatting with Lu TianBai on the sofa. Aside from their school uniforms, Xu Jia Ning’s fashion sense was flawless. He wore a light gray Japanese-style pullover hoodie with Pikachu on the chest, injecting youthful playfulness into the outfit.
Xu Jia Ning’s looks and style were enough to make Lu TianBai utterly infatuated, staring longingly at his handsome face the entire time.
“Jia Ning, you came!”
“Of course I had to come celebrate your birthday since Lin ChuSui said it was today.”
“Ah, you took the initiative to come to my party?”
“Yup.” Xu Jia Ning glanced at Lin ChuSui by the door. “I ordered the cake in advance.”
“I’m so happy tonight! Thank you, Jia Ning! You’re so nice!”
“You’re welcome.”
Lin ChuSui walked over and opened the cake box on the table.
It was a small cake, likely a ready-made cake from the dessert shop.
But he really did follow her instructions exactly... writing the greeting card word for word, even piping the celebratory message on top in chocolate.
There was no denying Xu Jia Ning’s meticulous attention to detail when seducing girls...
Scum.
“Jia Ning, have some chocolate,” Lu TianBai offered a dish of exquisite chocolate bonbons. “Try it, they’re delicious.”
“Thanks.”
Xu Jia Ning selected a caramel-filled chocolate but didn’t eat it, keeping it in his hand instead.
Lin ChuSui could see Xu Jia Ning was politely distant when interacting with others.
And he clearly didn’t like Lu TianBai either.
Yet the silly girl was oblivious, gazing at him longingly, deeply moved that he came to celebrate her birthday.
Seeing Lin ChuSui return, Xu Jia Ning said, “It’s getting late.”
Lin ChuSui knew he didn’t like the noisy bar atmosphere.
Someone like Xu Jia Ning would probably enjoy relaxing alone in a quiet, artsy bookstore: one hand idly swirling fragrant coffee while the other flipped through Rilke’s original poetry in German, with an air of pretentiousness.
“What’s the rush? You’re already here, keep the birthday girl company a bit longer,” Lin ChuSui said, opening the cake box. “Come on, time to cut the cake!”
Happily, Lu TianBai picked up a candle. “One is enough, don’t want wax dripping everywhere.”
Lu Chi used a lighter to ignite it and stuck it in the cake. “Eighteen years old, our little sister is officially an adult now!”
“Growing up isn’t good. I want to keep being a kid.”
Lin ChuSui put an arm around her shoulders. “When you grow up you can have a sweet romantic relationship with a handsome guy!”
“Enough. With how silly she is, just focus on not getting tricked,” Lu Chi said, staring pointedly at Xu Jia Ning. “Anyone who dares take advantage of her will see what I can do.”
Xu Jia Ning replied, “A girl like Little Bai is most guys’ ideal type. Many will come to like her in the future.”
Hearing this, Lu TianBai’s face immediately flushed. “Really?”
Without hesitation, Xu Jia Ning said, “Of course.”
Listening to his flattering words, Lin ChuSui thought to herself that this fake foreign devil was definitely a slick hand at seducing girls...
Scum.
“That’s right,” Lin ChuSui said to him. “Didn’t you say you prepared a gift for Little Sweet? Take it out and let us see.”
“Gift?”
Xu Jia Ning was caught off guard.
That wasn’t in the script...
Lin ChuSui just wanted to see him trip up. Laughing, she said, “Yeah, didn’t you say you already prepared a surprise gift for Little Bai?”
Xu Jia Ning saw the sly look in Lin ChuSui’s eyes and gritted his teeth. He rummaged in his bag for a while but couldn’t find anything suitable. Having no choice, he removed his Cartier watch and placed it in Lu TianBai’s hand.
“I’ve worn this watch for three years. I’m giving it to you. I bought it with my first hard-earned money from a summer job three years ago. I really cherish it and hope you will too.”
After speaking, he helped Lu TianBai put on the diamond-studded Cartier watch.
Lu TianBai was so moved her hands trembled. “Is it really okay? A gentleman doesn’t take what another values... I shouldn’t accept such an expensive gift.”
Lin ChuSui laughed. “Don’t stand on ceremony with him. If he gives it, keep it.”
Xu Jia Ning forced a smile but shot Lin ChuSui a resentful look.
Lin ChuSui shrugged.
If you weren’t prepared, should’ve just said so. They were all familiar here, honesty wouldn’t have been a big deal. But this fake foreign devil cared more about face than anything.
Serves him right.
Xu Jia Ning didn’t want to stay any longer. In a low voice he told Lin ChuSui, “That’s enough, let’s go home.”
Lu TianBai quickly asked, “Won’t you stay and hang out longer?”
“Yeah, we haven’t even eaten the cake yet,” Lin ChuSui said, walking over to help cut it. “Leaving now is a huge loss for me.”
“Our party’s just getting started!” Zhuang ChengYu called the server over and ordered drinks. “No one’s allowed to leave until we’re hammered!”
“Fine, I’ll keep you company to the death,” Lin ChuSui quipped.
Xu Jia Ning grabbed her arm. “You can’t drink. You still need to come home and apologize to me.”
“Get me drunk and I’ll kneel on the floor kowtowing to Old Xu.”
Xu Jia Ning sneered coldly: "You're getting drunk. Old Xu could flay me."
...
Soon, Xiao Yan came in holding a tray of bourbon.
As soon as he walked in, the students in the private room were stunned for a moment, including Xiao Yan himself. Xu Jia Ning was here, as well as several other male students from the sports teams, and even some of Lu TianBai’s female friends lounging on the sofas in the corner.
They exchanged glances with each other, whispering about Xiao Yan's arrival.
He was the famously brilliant student that everyone in their grade knew.
But...why would he show up in a place like this?
Of course Xiao Yan hadn't expected the hostess to switch his customer and coincidentally run into Lin ChuSui's private room.
Lin ChuSui reacted quickly, pulling Xiao Yan to sit beside her and took the bourbon from his hands, "I asked my deskmate to come help me with some math problems I don't understand. TianBai, you don't mind do you?"
"Of course I don't mind! I'm so happy you all came!" Lu TianBai happily welcomed him, "Xiao Yan you can sit wherever, just ask ChuSui if you want her to order any songs for you."
Xiao Yan accepted Lin ChuSui's kindness and silently sat down beside her.
Even though... his waiter's uniform had already explained everything.
Everyone knew but didn't say it aloud.
Lin ChuSui was helping him preserve the last shreds of his dignity, because she understood, so he didn't refuse.
But Xu Jia Ning just had to poke at his fragile pride with a mocking smile, "Class genius, so you're working here because you didn't get the scholarship money?"
As soon as he said this, the surrounding students' gazes focused on Xiao Yan.
"For this semester's MingDe Scholarship, your grades in every subject were higher than mine, but your extracurriculars score was lacking right? I got several international music awards, enough to make up for the lacking GPA points."
Hearing Xu Jia Ning's words, Lin ChuSui immediately realized why Xiao Yan had been hurrying off after school lately.
The MingDe Scholarship was 30,000 RMB. Xiao Yan didn't get it, but Xu Jia Ning did.
She thought of the man who came to the shop to collect debts last time. Xiao Yan probably needed that money badly.
Meanwhile, Xu Jia Ning had always resented having lower grades than Xiao Yan. For the scholarship competition this time, he pulled out several heavyweight awards and successfully defeated Xiao Yan, so of course he wanted the whole world to know.
"The MingDe Scholarship doesn't only look at grades like our school's other scholarships. It also considers the student's overall qualities. If you calculate it, our GPAs are about the same, but your sports scores...also dragged you down."
Lin ChuSui interrupted, "What a crappy scholarship, never even heard of it. What's there to brag about, if you have the ability, win over my deskmate in the other scholarships too!"
"The other scholarships added up still aren't as much as the MingDe Scholarship, but let's not talk about this anymore," Xu Jia Ning sneered as he glanced at Xiao Yan, "Class genius, since this is your job, can you have fun with the customers while working?"
Xiao Yan calmly replied, "Yes, making the customers happy is also part of my job."
"Then your role...is pretty much the same as the room hostesses right, keeping them company, pouring drinks, and entertaining?"
When he said this, the students exchanged uneasy glances, and the atmosphere...turned somewhat awkward.
After a moment, everyone sensibly pretended they hadn't heard and carried on as they were.
Lin ChuSui clenched her fists, wishing she could rush over and punch Xu Jia Ning hard.
And Xu Jia Ning, seeing Lin ChuSui's face twisted in rage, smiled leisurely as he lifted his chin, seeming to want to avenge his earlier loss of composure. "Class genius, since this is work, stop slacking and pour me a drink."
With that, he held out his glass.
Xiao Yan calmly took the decanter and poured Xu Jia Ning a drink. "Drink slowly."
"Oh right, I heard that at XingTing Club, if customers make requests, the servers have to kneel down and serve them. Of course I've only heard about this, never seen it with my own eyes. So class genius, why don't you open our eyes today?"
When he said this, everyone fell silent for a few seconds and looked their way.
Lin ChuSui couldn't endure it anymore. She grabbed a glass from the tray and was about to dump it on this jerk, but Xiao Yan swiftly grabbed her slender wrist.
She struggled but couldn't break free, and looked back at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan's emotions were buried deep in his dark eyes, the corners of his lips faintly lifted. "The wine's pretty expensive, I don't recommend wasting it."
Lin ChuSui irritably yanked her hand back and glared at Xu Jia Ning.
Xiao Yan calmly picked up the glass and unhurriedly said, "The prerequisite for that service you mentioned is ordering 20-year or older vintage wines. Please wait a moment."
Having said that, he took out the tablet with the menu and handed it to Xu Jia Ning, "These are all the top tier wines at our club. Please take a look at which one you need."
At first Lin ChuSui felt Xu Jia Ning was bullying people, but when she saw the so-called top tier wines displayed on the tablet were almost all priced at over 100,000 RMB, she started sympathizing with Xu Jia Ning.
In an instant, she felt sorry for him.
This old dog Xu Jia Ning was really going to bleed out big time tonight.
"Deskmate, so do you get a commission if these wines are ordered?" Lin ChuSui asked him with a smile.
"Yes, not much though."
"For example if I order this 200,000 one, how much commission would you get?"
"The commission from an order like this would probably be about the same as the MingDe Scholarship."
After Xiao Yan said this, Xu Jia Ning instantly looked ashen. But now it was too late to turn back, so he could only pick up the tablet and start flipping through it.
There wasn't a single one under 150,000!
As Lin ChuSui watched Xu Jia Ning's face get uglier and uglier as he swiped, she knew he was the type who cared more about face than anything. Just now, he had given his Cartier watch to Lu TianBai over a matter of face. She guessed he really would order a 100,000+ wine just to save face now.
She added, "Hey, today's TianBai's birthday, she's treating us. But if you order such expensive wine, that'll be on your own tab. TianBai definitely won't pay for you."
Xu Jia Ning gritted out, "Don't worry about it, little sister."
Those two words "little sister" were spat out with a tone of mortal enmity.
He pointed to a 220,000 RMB red wine, "I'll take this one."
Xu Jia Ning took out his wallet and pulled out a black credit card, handing it to Xiao Yan.
His hand...was trembling.
This card was tied directly to old Xu's phone. After this one swipe, his dad would probably skin him alive when he got home.
Seeing Lu TianBai's worried expression, Lu Chi said, "It's TianBai's birthday today. Even though I'd love to see this jerk get his due, let's not go overboard."
Lu Chi went over to sit beside Xu Jia Ning and took away the credit card, putting it back in Xu Jia Ning's wallet. "Put that away. No need to joke around with class genius like this."
The olive branch had been extended, so Xu Jia Ning smoothly took it, "You're right, just joking around. We're all classmates, we'll keep seeing each other around. Can't really make you kneel and pour me wine."
But just as Xu Jia Ning was about to put his wallet away, Xiao Yan's slender fingers pressed down on it as he coldly said—
"A joke? Was it funny?"