Chapter Three
An outsider who saw a man of ‘jade status’ accompanying a friend to the supermarkets, who knew how to choose the right ingredients from milk to fresh vegetables would have thought that the friend was blissfully happy.
The man of ‘jade status’ was Chen Yu Bai and the friend was An Xiao Li. An Xiao Li wasn’t blissfully happy as the other customers thought, she was nervous. She secretly glanced at him before she hid junk food into the trolley and glanced back at him to see if he noticed.
Chen Yu Bai pretended he didn’t see anything. When An Xiao Li’s back was facing him to grab yogurt from the fridge, he took the opportunity to take the junk food out of the trolley.
By the time Chen Yu Bai and An Xiao Li were at the counter to scan their groceries, she scrunched her face and sulked.
‘There’s still this in the trolley,’ Chen Yu Bai said. He gave An Xiao Li the lollipop. ‘What a scary sulky face.’
An Xiao Li accepted the lollipop then threw it into the trolley with the bagged items. ‘I don’t like eating lollipops!’
‘I like watching you eating lollipops,’ Chen Yu Bai said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
An Xiao Li bit her lips, how was she supposed to argue with someone who wasn’t human?
In Chen Yu Bai’s car An Xiao Li sighed. She thought the way they argued with each other was like an old married couple but in reality he was from a different realm to her. Whilst she was lost in her thoughts her phone rang and her eyes lit up when she saw the caller ID. ‘Moshi Moshi!’
‘Moshi your head!’ Xuan Tu said. ‘Heads up, the wolf man found out there’s been people missing lately and wants to do a roll call today.’
‘I’ll be right there, do your best to stall the wolf man before I get there,’ An Xiao Li said.
An Xiao Li hung up the phone and looked at her watch. Only forty minutes left. She was heartbroken, she’d need to take a taxi.
‘Um… about tonight, CEO Chen can you cook your own dinner? I need to go to cla.s.s,’ An Xiao Li pleaded.
‘You’ve graduated,’ Chen Yu Bai said but kept his eyes on the road.
‘I have half a year left. All my IT subjects are completed but I still have a j.a.panese course I voluntarily chose to study left. Drop me off at the next side street,’ An Xiao Li said.
An Xiao Li texted the news to Qin Sang and pointed to the direction of the next side street at the same time.
‘I’ll take you,’ Chen Yu Bai said.
Chen Yu Bai grabbed An Xiao Li’s left hand that was pointing to a side street and held her left hand whilst driving her to cla.s.s.
An Xiao Li’s warm left hand was gripped by Chen Yu Bai’s cold hand. She was speechless. She felt a lump of saliva in her throat and swallowed. She turned to look out the window and pretended she didn’t notice anything, but she felt… disturbed.
Chen Yu Bai was able to smile unnoticed.
Qin Sang was closer to the college and arrived before An Xiao Li. When An Xiao Li arrived to their cla.s.s, she saw Qin Sang sat at a table at the front.
Qin Sang smiled when she saw Chen Yu Bai was behind An Xiao Li. ‘I didn’t know your boss was going to be here too. I’ve only saved one spot, we’ll need to squeeze together to fit.’
Chen Yu Bai nodded his head and sat down.
The moment Chen Yu Bai made his appearance in An Xiao Li and Qin Sang’s cla.s.s, the other students were in awe of him and didn’t understand what a mature handsome man was doing in their cla.s.s.
The curious glances An Xiao Li received from her cla.s.smates Xuan Tu and Mac made her disgruntled. She wanted to know the real reason why the ice glacier was sitting next to her in cla.s.s too.
When An Xiao Li asked the ice glacier why he was following her to her cla.s.s, it wasn’t a satisfactory answer – ‘it’s been a while since I’ve taken a cla.s.s and I’m in the mood to reminisce.’
An Xiao Li sat between Chen Yu Bai and Qin Sang, three people sharing two seats was uncomfortable. Xuan Tu and Mac were sitting on the other side of Qin Sang at their table. Mac was about to go find an empty seat somewhere else to give them room but Qin Sang pulled Mac back down and Qin Sang glanced at Chen Yu Bai’s hand on An Xiao Li’s waist. Mac understood and awkwardly sat back down to cooperate with Qin Sang.
An Xiao Li didn’t dare move and whispered into Chen Yu Bai’s ear. ‘Your nails… can you release your hand?’
Chen Yu Bai pulled An Xiao Li’s waist closer to him. ‘It’s logical to adapt to the available s.p.a.ce.’
An Xiao Li didn’t think it was logical but didn’t dare voice it. Instead she secretly poked Qin Sang.
Qin Sang opened her j.a.panese textbook and didn’t bother to look at An Xiao Li. ‘You brought along a guest, why are you trying to get others involved?’
Chen Yu Bai laughed. He thought Miss Qin Sang was an interesting person.
Chen Yu Bai decided to spare An Xiao Li from turning into a ripe tomato, he withdrew his hand from her waist.
It was a double period and An Xiao Li’s cla.s.smates exchanged curious glances with her at least one hundred times.
Chen Yu Bai noticed An Xiao Li’s secret resentful glances at him. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s nothing…’ An Xiao Li said.
Except… An Xiao Li wasn’t looking forward to be hung and given a beating by Xuan Tu and Mac until they were satisfied with her confession.
‘Then what’s wrong with your friends?’ Chen Yu Bai asked.
Chen Yu Bai gave Xuan Tu and Mac a warning look for gesturing a slit throat at An Xiao Li.
Xuan Tu and Mac received a high voltage glare from Chen Yu Bai, and Xuan Tu and Mac both silently vowed to break An Xiao Li’s bones.
‘It’s nothing but hunger,’ Qin Sang said.
Chen Yu Bai forced a smile. ‘An Xiao Li and I haven’t ate dinner either. Qin Sang and the two lovely beauties will you do me the honour of joining us for dinner after cla.s.s?’
Mac nodded her head with too much force that the sounds of cracked bones were heard, whilst Xuan Tu put on a shy front.
Qin Sang laughed at Mac and Xuan Tu who were smitten by Chen Yu Bai’s attractiveness. Qin Sang glanced over at An Xiao Li’s pleading eyes and nodded to join them for dinner.
An Xiao Li sighed in relief. She was grateful for her best friend’s protection. ‘Qin Sang…’
It wasn’t An Xiao Li’s pleading eyes that were the most persuasive… Qin Sang removed An Xiao Li’s nails and conveniently pushed An Xiao Li to her boss.
Chen Yu Bai conveniently had his arms opened ready to receive An Xiao Li into his chest.
Cla.s.s was dismissed and Chen Yu Bai drove four girls to dinner.
Xuan Tu and Mac felt awkward requesting Chen Yu Bai to take them to an expensive restaurant for dinner. Qin Sang knew Chen Yu Bai’s true nature, unless her dummy best friend opened her mouth to request to go to an expensive restaurant then Chen Yu Bai couldn’t care less where her cla.s.smates wanted to go.
An Xiao Li wanted to puke at the sight of her cla.s.smates in the backseat pretending to be innocent little lambs and spoke in their stead. ‘Can we go to Golden Age? It’s rumoured the food there is divine!’
Xuan Tu and Mac suppressed their giddiness in the backseat and didn’t dare to voice their opinions.
‘Um,’ Chen Yu Bai said.
Chen Yu Bai turned to give An Xiao Li a little-darling-I’ll-listen-to-you look. Then he took the route to Golden Age, which was a restaurant he was familiar with.
An Xiao Li’s heart was too busy beating with excitement to notice the adoring look Chen Yu Bai gave her. Her heart was excited because Golden Age was the most expensive restaurant in the district. She planned to first choose the most expensive dishes then afterward sample the other dishes. The look in her eyes was sweet-revenge-I’m-on-my-way!
At Golden Age, Qin Sang, Xuan Tu and Mac were dropped off at the door first. Chen Yu Bai and An Xiao Li stayed in the car to find parking.
After Chen Yu Bai and An Xiao Li found a parking they walked to Golden Age. At the door he whispered into her ear. ‘The dinner bill will be deducted from your salary.’
An Xiao Li was shocked her way to sweet revenge was obstructed.
Chen Yu Bai caught An Xiao Li before she fell on the ground. He kept his arm around her waist into Golden Age and gently scolded her. ‘You’ve grown how much and still don’t look where you’re going.’
On the way to a dinner table the envious Xuan Yu and Mac secretly pinched An Xiao Li’s arm to vent their envy.
An Xiao Li’s heart and arm ached. Chen Yu Bai half hugged and half dragged her to the dinner table she didn’t want to sit at because of her pitiful salary.
Each time Chen Yu Bai ordered a dish An Xiao Li shivered when she looked up the dish’s price on the menu.
‘Also the crab noodles soup with chrysanthemum, the seafood curry…’ Chen Yu Bai ordered.
‘Enough!’ An Xiao Li interrupted before Chen Yu Bai burnt her yearly salary. ‘Hehe, hehe… there’s only five of us, we can’t eat it all.’
Xuan Tu who sat next to An Xiao Li pinched An Xiao Li’s thigh then spoke in a soft voice. ‘That’s right, we can’t eat it all and it’ll be a waste.’
‘That’s right,’ An Xiao Li said in reference to ‘that’s right’ Xuan Tu’s pinch was strong and painful.
‘It’s the first time inviting others to dinner, how is it possible to be stingy?’ Chen Yu Bai asked.
An Xiao Li confirmed Chen Yu Bai wasn’t human. The person paying was her pauper self not the person who pretended to invite everyone to dinner. She thought since he was good at acting he should go play the role of an eunuch…
‘Also the bird’s nest soup, it’s Golden Age’s signature dish,’ Chen Yu Bai said. He smiled charmingly. ‘For drinks, bring two jugs of fresh tropical juice.’
An Xiao Li wanted an emergency evacuation, it was the only way to safeguard her salary.
After dinner, Xuan Tu, Mac and Chen Yu Bai became good acquaintances. An Xiao Li didn’t bother talking. She ate all the leftovers on the dinner table, if she was going to pay for dinner then she wasn’t going to let a sc.r.a.p of food be wasted.
‘Eat slowly,’ Chen Yu Bai said.
Chen Yu Bai held a gla.s.s of tropical juice in front of An Xiao Li and used his free hand to gently rub her back.
An Xiao Li took a break from eating and lifted her head to give Chen Yu Bai a none-of-your-monkey-business look.
Xuan Tu knocked An Xiao Li’s head. ‘What are you looking at little girl? Watch out you don’t lose a few years.’
Xuan Tu thought that An Xiao Li’s boyfriend was handsome, generous, gentle and a hard catch to find but the little girl beside her didn’t know what a blessing was and even glared at the person paying for their dinner.
An Xiao Li cried on the inside.
Xuan Tu and Mac excused themselves to go to the bathroom, Qin Sang went to make a call and left Chen Yu Bai and An Xiao Li at the dinner table.
‘For you,’ Chen Yu Bai said and gave An Xiao Li the dinner bill.
An Xiao saw the total and closed her eyes in pain. Chen Yu Bai gave her his credit card and she went to pay the floor manager who stood behind the counter.
After An Xiao returned to her seat for a while the floor manager came to the dinner table and gave her the dinner receipt then spoke to Chen Yu Bai. ‘Third boss, fifth boss is upstairs. He asked for you to wait for him to come down.’
After the floor manager left, An Xiao Li looked suspiciously at Chen Yu Bai. ‘What did he call you? Third boss?’
Chen Yu Bai nodded his head. One of his hands was behind An Xiao Li’s seat and his other hand played with her hair.
‘Why did he call you third boss?’ An Xiao Li asked. She hit Chen Yu Bai’s arm. ‘Do you own Golden Age?’
‘One of the owners,’ Chen Yu Bai admitted.
‘Then why didn’t he give you a discount?’ An Xiao Li asked.
An Xiao Li was enraged and stood to go demand some of her money back from the floor manager.
Chen Yu Bai pulled An Xiao Li back down and continued to play with her hair. ‘Because… I don’t need to pay.’
‘Then what is this?’ An Xiao Li asked.
An Xiao Li waved the terrifying dinner receipt in her hand that she paid.
‘I don’t need to pay the dinner bill that’s my business, but you still need to pay,’ Chen Yu Bai said.
‘Why?’ An Xiao Li asked.
‘When you went to pay the dinner bill did he accept your money?’ Chen Yu Bai asked.
An Xiao Li nodded her head.
‘Eating dinner then paying for dinner, it’s expected, right?’ Chen Yu Bai asked.
An Xiao Li nodded her head.
‘Tonight your friends are invited for dinner, right?’ Chen Yu Bai asked.
An Xiao Li nodded her head.
‘You were the one who wanted to have dinner with your friends, right?’
An Xiao Li thought for a while then nodded her head.
‘Then isn’t it logical that you still need to pay for dinner? I gave you money in advance to pay for dinner, but whether he accepts my money or not has no connection with you,’ Chen Yu Bai explained.
An Xiao Li’s blood boiled to the top of her head but what Chen Yu Bai said was correct.
End of Chapter Three