Category: Love Genius Qian Xiaoke (Page 1 of 2)

       Qian Xiaoke decided that if he could walk out of this hotel room alive today, he would be careful about what he said and did from now on.

       Jiang Tongyan’s eyes were like torches, and he was about to burn Qian Xiaoke to ashes.

       Qian Xiaoke’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, and he drooped his head, not daring to look up.

       “Chairman Jiang, I really didn’t mean it.” Qian Xiaoke was very sincere at this moment, “Really, I can swear to heaven.”

       Jiang Tongyan was furious and felt that he was on the verge of death.

       He was already in great pain; why did the instigator always want to expose his scars?

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Qian Xiaoke, I was going to let you go.”

       Qian Xiaoke still didn’t dare to look up, “So now…”

       Qian Xiaoke put down the chopsticks. His ass was still stuck to the chair, and he retreated with the chair, “Are you going to kill me to silence me?”

       “You’re overthinking it. I already washed my hands of it a few years ago.” Wouldn’t it be a bargain for you to kill you directly to silence you?

       Qian Xiaoke: What did he mean? He used to be a murderer?

       He didn’t dare to ask for fear of asking something wrong.

       Qian Xiaoke had once read in a novel about ‘popular science¹Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad-ranging. It may be written by professional science journalists or by scientists themselves. It is presented in many forms, including books, film and television documentaries, magazine articles, and web pages.’, which claimed that the businessmen from these prominent families all had murky, unclean backgrounds, and each one was ruthless and vicious—how wicked they were!

       He suddenly felt as if he was the innocent little white rabbit accidentally falling into the wolf’s den.

       Scary.

       He felt that he should do something to prevent the other party from killing him because of his momentary slip of the tongue!

       He was here thinking about making up a story for Jiang Tongyan, and Jiang Tongyan was still staring at him with anger across the way.

       “You just said I was impotent, right?”

       “… No, you misheard it.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I said you were very hard and very fierce.”

       After saying that, he almost bit his tongue.

       Jiang Tongyan: “… Qian Xiaoke, you know, sometimes trouble comes from the mouth.”

       Qian Xiaoke knew.

       He had caused countless troubles because of this mouth.

       “Chairman Jiang!” Qian Xiaoke said, “It is not recommended to do anything illegal or criminal.”

       “Oh? What is illegal or breaking the law?”

       “For example, killing people, for example…raping them!” Qian Xiaoke actually hesitated when he said this because Jiang Tongyan couldn’t get hard, and he probably couldn’t r4p3 him.

       “Tsk.” Jiang Tongyan sneered disdainfully, “Who cares about raping you.”

       “Then are you going to kill me?”

       “I said I don’t kill people anymore.” Jiang Tongyan stood up and put his hands on his belt.

       With his usual way of doing things, he should have immediately taken off his pants and shown Qian Xiaoke what a real man is like. But the problem was, he was actually a bit insecure.

       Qian Xiaoke might not have seen a real man, but back then, Jiang Tongyan had helplessly flopped right in front of him.

       At this moment, Chairman Jiang, didn’t have much confidence.

       He had no confidence, but he had to pretend to be confident.

       He said coldly, “I won’t kill you, but I will torture you as much as possible.”

       “Huh?” Qian Xiaoke instantly went through all the ten tortures in ancient times in his mind.

       “What are you thinking about?” Jiang Tongyan asked.

       Qian Xiaoke: “I… I’m thinking about why you are so handsome!”

       In the following time, Qian Xiaoke used his eloquent tongue to praise Jiang Tongyan for a full five minutes. Jiang Tongyan even doubted whether this kid had taken a breath.

       Heroic and majestic, handsome, chivalrous, invincible.

       “Alright, that’s enough.” Jiang Tongyan broke down. He found that he couldn’t get angry with Qian Xiaoke at all. This kid’s thoughts often deviated and were not on the same channel as normal people.

       Qian Xiaoke continued to flatter Jiang Tongyan like a devout believer, looking at him and saying, “Chairman Jiang, can I ask you a question?”

       “Go ahead.” Jiang Tongyan said, “If you ask a question, it will cost you ten yuan each time. You have just asked one question. Remember to pay the ten yuan when you leave.”

       “…” Qian Xiaoke almost bit his back teeth.

       However, a wise man didn’t suffer a loss in the short term. The priority for Qian Xiaoke then had been to cheer him up, save his life, and secure both his salary and bonuses.

       Of course, the most important thing was the latter.

       Ten yuan was ten yuan, anyway; he already owed Jiang Tongyan twenty yuan, so what’s one more debt? Too many debts wouldn’t weigh you down—he just need not pay them back.

       Who didn’t know how to cheat?

       “Chairman Jiang, I just want to ask, what did you eat to grow up? Why are you so handsome, suave, elegant, and extraordinary?” Qian Xiaoke used almost all the idioms he had learned to praise people throughout his life, and he was a little tired.

       Jiang Tongyan was sober and had seen through Qian Xiaoke’s tricks long ago, but he was in a good mood now that he had calmed down and could play with this kid for a while.

       “Anyway, eating spicy hot pot would definitely not make you look like me.” Jiang Tongyan suddenly remembered something, tapped the table with his fingers, and asked him, “Do you remember Shen Huiming?”

       Shen Huiming?

       Qian Xiaoke certainly remembered.

       He didn’t remember what that person looked like, but he remembered the name in his mind. Because of this name, Chairman Jiang’s thing had never recovered since then.

       How could he not remember it?

       However, Qian Xiaoke was such a smart person, of course he couldn’t say that he remembered it.

       “Shen…what Ming?” Qian Xiaoke pretended to have amnesia, “The name sounds familiar, is he the security guard of our office building?”

       It had to be said that Qian Xiaoke was really good at holding Jiang Tongyan.

       With just this sentence, Jiang Tongyan’s anger completely disappeared.

       Originally, Jiang Tongyan wanted to ask Qian Xiaoke whether he was more handsome or Shen Huiming was more handsome, but now he didn’t need to ask anything.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Come here. Have something to eat, and I’ll take you out to play in the afternoon.”

       “…Ah?” Qian Xiaoke was shocked for the umpteenth time because of Jiang Tongyan.

       “A reward for you.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Shopping, watching movies, or going to the amusement park, you can choose whatever you want.”

       Qian Xiaoke felt something was wrong.

       He heard that prisoners would be given a good meal before being executed, so was this his ‘last supper’?

       “Chairman Jiang, don’t scare me.”

       “What did I scare you about?” Jiang Tongyan slapped the table, “Hurry up, don’t waste my time!”

       Qian Xiaoke returned and sat down tremblingly, ate the delicious spicy hot pot tremblingly, and then tremblingly glanced at Jiang Tongyan.

       Jiang Tongyan: This kid always took a glance at me. I’m afraid he really loves me.

       Jiang Tongyan: Peeking at me again, am I so charming?

       Jiang Tongyan: This is the third time. I can’t help it; being handsome is really troublesome.

       Jiang Tongyan: Shen Huiming, you really should see how this kid is fascinated by me, so you know what a handsome man is!

       The handsome man, Jiang Tongyan, ate and drank enough. He then took Qian Xiaoke, who was also full of food and drinks but had indigestion and hiccups because of being nervous all the time, to leave the hotel.

       “Let’s go buy a cell phone first,” Jiang Tongyan said, “Do you know where to buy one?”

       Qian Xiaoke nodded repeatedly but was thinking about finding an opportunity to escape.

       He would rather go back to work.

       He would rather go back to work. It was so nice to work inside the company, and it was really too hard to work in the ‘field’. He even had to worry about his life.

       Jiang Tongyan raised his hand and stopped a taxi.

       Jiang Tongyan: “Get in the car.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him.

       “Don’t be nervous. I brought money today.”

       Then Qian Xiaoke got in the car.

       The task Cheng Sen assigned to Qian Xiaoke was actually very simple: buy a phone, buy a SIM card. After all, Jiang Tongyan would be staying here for over a week, so it didn’t matter what phone or card he got. It would all be sorted in just over an hour.

       Qian Xiaoke said: “Chairman Jiang, I’ll go back to the company first.”

       “No,” Jiang Tongyan said, “I’ll call your Chairman Cheng, and you can accompany me to walk around this afternoon.”

       Qian Xiaoke’s body trembled for about the 800th time.

       “But I’m still on my work hour now.” He really wanted to go back, but he was scared.

       “Being with me is considered work,” Jiang Tongyan said, “I heard there’s an amusement park nearby. Do you want to ride the roller coaster?”

       Not really.

       Qian Xiaoke was scared to death.

       He wasn’t afraid at first, but then he watched ‘Final Destination’ and became scared.

       “Chairman Jiang, roller coasters are very dangerous.” Qian Xiaoke said earnestly, “What if they throw you out…”

       “Why is it throwing me out instead of you?”

       Qian Xiaoke: I know it! I know it! I know it! You just want to take the opportunity to murder me!

       He took a half step back, “Chairman Jiang, I really didn’t mean it.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him inexplicably, “What are you talking about?”

       Qian Xiaoke pursed his lips and said aggrievedly, “We had that kind of thing because of a not-so-beautiful misunderstanding. I know that I hurt you.”

       Jiang Tongyan was a little impatient, “Why are you talking about that again?”

       So annoying. Jiang Tongyan wanted to forget about his impotence, but Qian Xiaoke kept bringing it up.

       Is this guy doing it on purpose?

       “I said, I can be responsible for you.”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…How can you be responsible?”

       Responsible for getting it up again for me? Okay, let’s get a room right away.

       “I gave you money, but you didn’t want it.”

       Jiang Tongyan took a deep breath, “Qian Xiaoke, why don’t you just shut up.”

       “I know, this involves a man’s dignity.” Qian Xiaoke said, “Please don’t torture me like this, just give me a quick death.”

       Jiang Tongyan frowned and looked at him, “What?”

       “Tell me, what should I do for you to let me go?” Qian Xiaoke seemed to be acting in a sad drama at this moment, “As long as you can live better than me, I can do anything!”

       Qian Xiaoke quickly added, “But don’t let Chairman Cheng deduct my salary, thank you.”

       Jiang Tongyan was about to lose his temper, but his last sentence amused him.

       “You can do anything?”

       “Anything is fine.”

       “You can also get a room with me?”

       “… Uh… This… Uh… I’m actually… I’m really not a casual person.”

       Jiang Tongyan sneered, “I’m just teasing you. Who wants to get a room with you?”

       Qian Xiaoke rolled his eyes in his heart, but he had to smile on the surface.

       It was indeed not easy being a ‘corporate animal’. Working for others was never easy.

       Actually, Qian Xiaoke was not afraid of getting a room. Anyway, this guy couldn’t get hard, and he couldn’t take advantage of him.

       “Then what do you want?” This time, it was Qian Xiaoke’s turn to be impatient.

       Jiang Tongyan crossed his arms before his chest and looked at him proudly, “Unconditionally meet my three requirements.”

       “Huh?” This sentence is a bit like Qiong Yao²kind of dramatic, almost philosophical, with a touch of self-deprecating humor.

       “If you agree, your debt will be written off.” Jiang Tongyan said, “I will never threaten you with this matter in the future.”

       Qian Xiaoke felt that this was still a conspiracy, but he still agreed.

       It was a verbal agreement anyway; there was no loss, and when he defaulted on the debt, the other party couldn’t do anything to him.

       “Then you can make demands on me now.” Qian Xiaoke thought: Are you going to sleep with me?

       However, he really thought too much.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “The first request is to accompany me to play the roller coaster.”

       Qian Xiaoke: …Jiang Tongyan, you are really not a human!

---

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       A long time ago, Cheng Sen taught Jiang Tongyan a proverb—to engage in rivalry with others is an endless joy.

       Jiang Tongyan had kept this sentence in mind for many years, and now he really understood how ‘joyful’ this was.

       When he said, ‘I’ll eat, and you watch,’ he could almost feel Qian Xiaoke’s anger through the telephone receiver. The anger was burning, but it couldn’t burn him.

       Very cool.

       Very exciting.

       However, Jiang Tongyan didn’t really want to torture Qian Xiaoke like this. He was still a good person, just teasing that kid.

       But Qian Xiaoke took it seriously, and her hair was practically about to be burned off by her anger.

       “Okay Chairman Jiang. It’s not a problem, Chairman Jiang. Chairman Jiang, what do you want to eat?” Qian Xiaoke said with a smile on his face, but there was a knife hidden in his smile.

       “All is fine,” Jiang Tongyan said, “Something tasty, two servings.”

       “Two servings?” Qian Xiaoke almost changed his opinion of him—if Jiang Tongyan hadn’t said the last sentence.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Yes, I have had a very good appetite recently; one serving is not enough for me.”

       Qian Xiaoke smiled, “Okay Chairman Jiang. It’s not a problem, Chairman Jiang.”

       He thought about it, and he would carry a controlled knife¹Controlled knives are a general term used by the judicial authorities of the People’s Republic of China to refer to certain knives that can cause significant harm with him later. If he could pass the subway security check smoothly, he would use the controlled knife to understand Jiang Tongyan.

       As for what controlled knife he finally chose—a knife made of paper.

       Qian Xiaoke put the ‘knife’ into his schoolbag and set off on the mission Chairman Cheng had given him.

       He passed the subway security check smoothly, and Qian Xiaoke felt that it was God’s will and that God wanted him to kill Jiang Tongyan.

       He took the subway for more than 30 minutes and walked for five minutes before finally arriving downstairs at Jiang Tongyan’s hotel.

       Qian Xiaoke stood by the road and hesitated momentarily, then bought two spicy hot pots and went upstairs.

       He deliberately left the receipt for the spicy hot pot; after all, he had to get it reimbursed.

       Qian Xiaoke went upstairs to find Jiang Tongyan with his black schoolbag on his shoulder and two spicy hot pots in his hands. In the five-star hotel, wherever he walked, the aroma of a spicy hot pot filled the air.

       Before he knocked on the door, Jiang Tongyan knew he had come. After all, the taste of spicy hot pot was too strong.

       However, Chairman Jiang was Chairman Jiang after all. He was sitting as steady as a mountain.

       Qian Xiaoke knocked on the door, but Jiang Tongyan didn’t move.

       Qian Xiaoke knocked on the door, but Jiang Tongyan still didn’t move.

       Qian Xiaoke, “Oh, the spicy hot pot bag is broken!”

       Jiang Tongyan opened the door quickly.

       Qian Xiaoke, “…Tsk!”

       Jiang Tongyan knew he had been tricked, but he wasn’t annoyed. He smiled and let the person in.

       “Why did you buy spicy hot pot again?” Jiang Tongyan said, “I saw on the internet that eating this thing all the time is unhealthy.”

       “If you don’t want to eat it, forget it.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I did it on purpose.”

       I did it on purpose to make you unhealthy!

       It’s best if you have diarrhoea!

       Jiang Tongyan wanted to laugh when he saw this energy. He found that in his eyes, Qian Xiaoke was a comedian. When he was in a bad mood, he would laugh immediately when he saw this person.

       “Okay, it’s been bought, so let’s eat it.” Jiang Tongyan asked him to put the spicy hot pot on the table, and he took out two cans of iced cola from the refrigerator.

       Qian Xiaoke’s eyes began to light up when he saw the iced cola, but he knew very well that he couldn’t casually drink the drinks given by a stranger.

       Although Jiang Tongyan was no longer a ‘stranger’ to him strictly speaking—not only was he not strange, but he was also familiar with him and had kissed and touched him—Qian Xiaoke still didn’t dare to drink it casually. This guy took it out of the refrigerator in his room. Who knows if he secretly added something to it with bad intentions!

       Qian Xiaoke was very cautious!

       The most careless thing in his life was that time when he got drunk.

       The past was too painful to recall, and he didn’t want to mention it again.

       Qian Xiaoke tensed his nerves and body at this moment and stood there properly, ready to watch Jiang Tongyan eat, then quickly grab him and leave after eating.

       “Why are you standing? If others don’t know, one might think I’m abusing you.” Jiang Tongyan put a can of iced cola on the table before Qian Xiaole, “Sit down.”

       Do it?

       Qian Xiaoke’s body trembled: He wants to do that to me again?

       Qian Xiaoke, who obviously thought wrongly, grabbed his schoolbag strap and suddenly remembered that he brought a ‘controlled knife’.

       Of course, Qian Xiaoke was not really a fool. He knew that his so-called ‘controlled knife’ could only be used for fun. However, at this moment, he really hoped that it was real and it could kill with one blow.

       “What’s wrong with you?” Jiang Tongyan sat down with a smile and opened the takeaway bag, “Wow, this is a lot.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked up at Qian Xiaoke, “I didn’t expect this spicy hot pot to be so much, tsk, I can’t seem to finish it.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him sideways and began to wonder: What does he mean? Is he trying to buy my body with a spicy hot pot?

       “Hey, have you eaten?” Jiang Tongyan knew that Qian Xiaoke definitely didn’t eat, because when he called, Qian Xiaoke hadn’t reached lunch break yet, and Qian Xiaoke left after hanging up the phone. Jiang Tongyan counted the time with his fingers and guessed that this guy must be hungry at this moment.

       “I…” Qian Xiaoke had not eaten; Qian Xiaoke was starving to death.

       However, Qian Xiaoke was a man of integrity. He wouldn’t sell his body for a spicy hot pot.

       It was just a spicy hot pot. He can afford it himself!

       “You haven’t eaten yet?” Jiang Tongyan put the extra chopsticks on another takeout box, “Sit down and eat together.”

       Qian Xiaoke took two steps back cautiously.

       Jiang Tongyan: “…This is what you bought. Could it be that you poisoned it?”

       Qian Xiaoke might want to, but he had the desire without the courage—and no means even to buy poison if he dared.

       “I’m not you,” Qian Xiaoke said, “I don’t do that kind of dirty things.”

       Jiang Tongyan was speechless, thinking: How am I dirty?

       “By the way,” Qian Xiaoke suddenly took another half step forward, “When will you pay me back the eight yuan you owe me?”

       Jiang Tongyan laughed, but he didn’t expect that this guy would still remember the eight yuan.

       “I can pay you back now,” Jiang Tongyan said, “Then when will you pay me back the twenty dollars you owe me?”

       “When did I owe you twenty dollars?” Qian Xiaoke was almost mad at this man, “Do you still have any shame left?”

       “Hey? Does your Chairman Cheng know that you are talking to me like this?” Jiang Tongyan patted the table, “Sit down and eat, and I will pay you after you finish eating.”

       Qian Xiaoke was a man of integrity, “No!”

       “No?” Jiang Tongyan smiled, “If you don’t accompany me to eat this meal, I will definitely not pay you back the eight dollars, and you still owe me twenty dollars. In addition, you just spoke rudely to me. I am going to complain about you and let Chairman Cheng deduct your salary!”

       The next second, Qian Xiaoke’s ‘integrity’ flew away. He sat directly next to Jiang Tongyan, picked up the chopsticks, and opened the takeaway box.

       Actually, he was really starving to death.

       Jiang Tongyan held back his laughter and looked at him with satisfaction, then opened the cola for him  and put it next to him.

       Qian Xiaoke got the advantage but still wanted to act cute, “I said I don’t want to eat it, but you forced me to eat it! You really…”

       He swallowed the lettuce in his mouth, “Really have bad intentions!”

       Jiang Tongyan laughed, “I have bad intentions? I’m afraid you are the one who has bad intentions!”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him suspiciously.

       “How about you try it first? What if you’ve actually slipped some knockout drug in there and planned to r4p3 me? What would I do then?”

       Qian Xiaoke almost laughed and fainted. He said breathlessly, “Me? r4p3 you? Am I crazy? How bad must my brain be to r4p3 an impotent person!”

       After saying that, he watched Jiang Tongyan’s face change. The next second, a voice came to Qian Xiaoke’s mind: Qian Xiaoke, you are finished.

---

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       Qian Xiaoke was really tired. He slept soundly against Jiang Tongyan in the dark and almost drooled.

       When the train was about to arrive at the station, Jiang Tongyan woke him up. He was in a daze after opening his eyes, as if he didn’t know what day it was.

       “Wake up.” Jiang Tongyan said, “You should get off at the next stop.”

       Qian Xiaoke, who was still not awake, looked at him blankly, and it took him a long time to remember who this person was.

       “Remember to pay back the money.” Qian Xiaoke raised his hand and rubbed his mouth.

       Jiang Tongyan smiled, “Okay, I will definitely remember, but…”

       He glanced at his watch again and said, “When are you going to settle this account you owe me as well?”

       “Ah?” Qian Xiaoke raised his hand and scratched his ear, “Am I hallucinating because I haven’t woken up yet?”

       Jiang Tongyan leaned back in his chair, looked at him, and smiled, “There’s no hallucination. You leaned on my shoulder to sleep; it’s one yuan per minute, and you slept for… twenty-one minutes. Considering how fated we are, I’ll give you a 10% discount, so twenty-one yuan at a 10% discount is… twenty yuan and seventy-nine cents. I’m generous, so I’ll round it down and charge you twenty yuan.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him sleepily without saying a word.

       When the subway arrived at the station, Qian Xiaoke got up, took his small schoolbag and walked out. Jiang Tongyan followed quickly, “When will you pay the money?”

       Qian Xiaoke pretended not to hear and walked out with big strides. He almost tripped when he went up the stairs. Fortunately, Jiang Tongyan was quick and grabbed his arm.

       Qian Xiaoke thanked him very politely, and then continued to go up the stairs ruthlessly.

       Jiang Tongyan followed him with a smile, and the more he looked at him, the more interesting he felt.

       As the saying goes, when you are interested in a person, it means… you are in danger.

       However, as a person who grew up abroad, Jiang Tongyan did not know these ‘common sayings’ very well. And so far, he did not realise how ‘dangerous’ it was.

       With a smile on his face, he followed Qian Xiaoke, like a subway pervert.

       Qian Xiaoke exited the subway station and continued walking towards home with an indifferent stride, pretending not to hear the calls of the people behind him. No matter how the people behind him called, he pretended not to hear.

       Can’t hear, can’t see, who is that person? I don’t know.

       Qian Xiaoke felt as if he were walking on air. Never before had he desired so much to have the skills of Qinggong¹similar to parkour.

       On the way from the subway station to Qian Xiaoke’s home, Jiang Tongyan passed by Jiang Tongyan’s hotel. Jiang Tongyan took a look, did not go in, and continued to follow Qian Xiaoke.

       This time Qian Xiaoke panicked.

       What kind of person was Qian Xiaoke? He was a very vigilant person.

       Ordinary people should refrain from trying to take his money and avoid taking advantage of others.

       This society was very dangerous; not only do girls living alone need to pay attention to their safety, but boys also need to protect themselves.

       Usually, Qian Xiaoke would be very cautious and careful to see if there were any strange people around before going home. After all, a ‘young man’ like him could easily attract the attention of criminals.

       For Qian Xiaoke, getting robbed and r4p3d was unforgivable, and he must nip this possibility in the bud.

       When he realised that Jiang Tongyan had passed by his hotel without entering and followed him, he panicked.

       Qian Xiaoke slowed down and looked back at Jiang Tongyan.

       “Sir, you have been following me since I left the subway station. May I ask, what’s the matter?” Qian Xiaoke started to play the innocent passerby again.

       Jiang Tongyan was already familiar with his routine and was too lazy to play along with him, so he said directly, “You owe me twenty yuan. I’m here to collect the money.”

       “…You are blackmailing me.” Qian Xiaoke was dissatisfied.

       “But you did lean on my shoulder.”

       “I…” Qian Xiaoke suddenly had an idea, “You have no evidence.”

       Jiang Tongyan really had no evidence.

       He lost his phone, and he didn’t even have a photo. How could he prove that Qian Xiaoke had slept on his shoulder for twenty-one minutes?

       Qian Xiaoke smiled smugly, “Speechless, huh?”

       He poked Jiang Tongyan’s shoulder with his finger, “Young man, you are still too young!”

       After that, Qian Xiaoke happily left, leaving Jiang Tongyan alone in frustration.

       “Hey.” Jiang Tongyan called out to Qian Xiaoke’s back.

       Qian Xiaoke turned back, “First, I am not ‘hey’!”

       He snorted, “Second, I don’t know you, don’t talk to me!”

       After that, Qian Xiaoke ran away, fearing the man would catch up and ask for money.

       When Qian Xiaoke ran into his own neighbourhood, he finally calmed down and realised something very important. Whether he really owed Jiang Tongyan twenty yuan was another matter, but Jiang Tongyan did owe him eight yuan!

       Eight yuan!

       With eight yuan, he could buy two packs of Shin Ramen!

       Two packs of Shin Ramen are two meals!

       Qian Xiaoke lost a lot!

       He felt that this was not okay, so he frowned and walked home while thinking. He was thinking that no matter what, he had to get the eight yuan back.

       ====

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t sleep well all night.

       There were two reasons that affected his sleep. One was that the couple next door did not sleep at night and communicated their feelings through alternative sports all night, and the second was that he was thinking about his eight yuan.

       When he got up the next day, Qian Xiaoke was listless, and his legs hurt.

       He took a shower, packed up, and went out early.

       As usual, he bought an egg-filled flatbread at the breakfast stall at the neighbourhood entrance and ate while walking to the subway station. When he passed Jiang Tongyan’s hotel, he stopped for half a minute, and his mind was full of the eight yuan.

       This morning, the subway was unexpectedly crowded. He was squeezed into a corner and almost couldn’t get off the train.

       Qian Xiaoke recalled again about last night, and the feeling of Jiang Tongyan encircling him made him feel quite at ease.

       As he thought of this, Qian Xiaoke felt that it was great to have money. If one day he became rich, he had to hire a handsome guy who was taller and stronger than Jiang Tongyan as a bodyguard so that he would not be afraid of being squeezed by people when taking the subway in the future!

       Wait!

       Qian Xiaoke suddenly had an epiphany: Who takes the subway when you’re rich? Get the Maseratis and Rolls-Royces lined up!

       Qian Xiaoke, who was dreaming, arrived at the company and clocked in for work. He had forgotten about the ‘eight yuan’ until he ordered takeout at noon, and then it came to his mind again.

       Cheng Sen happened to pass by at this time and was about to go out to pick up Zhou Mo for lunch.

       Qian Xiaoke asked tentatively, “Chairman Cheng, don’t you have any client meetings today?”

       Cheng Sen looked at him, puzzled, “Why? Are you asking for leave?”

       The company originally had two receptionists, but the girl resigned last month, leaving only Qian Xiaoke. If Qian Xiaoke took a leave, he might need someone to help keep an eye on the front desk’s work.

       “No, no, no.” A leave? How is that possible? If he took a leave, his money would be deducted money, okay?

       Qian Xiaoke quickly explained, “I’m just asking. If you have guests today, I can prepare tea in advance!”

       “Oh, no,” Cheng Sen walked to the elevator, “I’m going out this afternoon.”

       In an instant, Qian Xiaoke was filled with sorrow.

       No guests, which meant he wouldn’t see Jiang Tongyan today.

       If he couldn’t see Jiang Tongyan, then, his eight yuan…

       “By the way,” Cheng Sen suddenly turned back and said to Qian Xiaoke, “Chairman Jiang called me this morning and said he lost both his wallet and phone last night.”

       When Qian Xiaoke heard the words ‘Chairman Jiang’, his eyes began to sparkle like a cat’s in the night, the gleam in his gaze practically blinding the person in front of him.

       “Which Chairman Jiang?” Qian Xiaoke asked knowingly.

       “That one…” Cheng Sen smiled, “The project director from New York, he may have to stay here for more than a week.”

       Cheng Sen’s mobile phone rang, it was Zhou Mo calling.

       “It’s inconvenient for him to lose his mobile phone. How about this, you go to his hotel this afternoon to find him and take him to buy a new one? The company will reimburse the mobile phone money.” After saying that, Cheng Sen walked towards the elevator, “Chairman Jiang is our important partner. Take good care of him for me.”

       After Cheng Sen gave instructions, he entered the elevator without waiting for Qian Xiaoke’s response.

       Qian Xiaoke’s mind was full of question marks, thinking: Hotel? Am I going to the hotel where Jiang Tongyan is staying again?

       Cheng Sen had already left, and Qian Xiaoke was still in a daze.

       Two minutes later, the phone at the front desk rang.

       “Hello, Senqi Limited…” Qian Xiaoke hadn’t finished saying the company’s name when he heard a smiling voice on the other end, “Qian Xiaoke?”

       This voice sounded familiar.

       Qian Xiaoke: “… It’s me.”

       “I’m Jiang Tongyan,” Jiang Tongyan was sitting on the sofa in the hotel with his legs crossed at this time, calling Qian Xiaoke with the hotel phone, “Just now Cheng Sen said that you will come to pick me up to buy a mobile phone later, is that true?”

       Qian Xiaoke was a little entangled.

       He didn’t really want to meet Jiang Tongyan, but if he didn’t meet, he wouldn’t get his eight yuan back.

       “Chairman Cheng has ordered so.”

       “Okay, just right.”

       Okay? What’s okay?

       Just right? What’s just right?

       “I haven’t eaten yet,” Jiang Tongyan said, “When you come, pack some food for me downstairs, and we’ll go buy a mobile phone after we’ve eaten.”

       Qian Xiaoke: “…I only promised Chairman Cheng to accompany you to buy a phone, but I didn’t say I would accompany you to eat.”

       “Who said you have to accompany me to eat?” Jiang Tongyan laughed, “I mean, you buy it for me and bring it up. I’ll eat, and you watch.”

---

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       Qian Xiaoke said, “I’ll give you the money. Go and queue up to buy the ticket yourself.”

       Jiang Tongyan glanced at him, “How do I buy it?”

       “…Are you the legendary new generation of rich and stupid people?” Qian Xiaoke looked at him incredulously. “Go queue up, then choose the station you want to get off, put the money in, and wait for the ticket to come out.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him and said nothing.

       “Oh my God…” Qian Xiaoke thought this man was really a fool!

       He sighed and patted Jiang Tongyan on the shoulder like an old father, “Young man, you have to learn a bit.”

       He walked over to queue up with the money in his hand and asked Jiang Tongyan to stand behind him, “Watch and learn.”

       Jiang Tongyan really didn’t know how to take the subway, and he had never seen this kind of automatic ticket machine. He had to admit that he had learned a lot by following Qian Xiaoke.

       The ticket-buying team moved forward very quickly, and it was their turn in a short while.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Watch. I’ll only teach you once.”

       When he said this, his aura was like that of the math teacher standing in front of the blackboard and saying coldly, “Listen carefully. I’ll teach you this question once!”

       Jiang Tongyan was humble and eager to learn and earnestly watched.

       Qian Xiaoke was very aggressive in his operation. After buying, he handed the card to Jiang Tongyan, “You owe me eight dollars!”

       Jiang Tongyan smiled, “I know, you are really…”

       “What?” Qian Xiaoke looked at him coldly, “I lent you money and taught you how to take the subway. What else do you want?”

       “I mean, you are really a good person.” Jiang Tongyan held back his laughter and looked very serious, “I have never seen such a good person as you!”

       Qian Xiaoke sneered proudly, “That’s right, I am a lovely person you can’t find even with a lantern.”

       After that, he happily swiped the card to enter the station with the small schoolbag on his back.

       Although it was late, there were still many people on the subway. This city never lacked people who worked overtime. Even though it was past nine in the evening, the subway was still crowded, which made Jiang Tongyan suspect that this time was actually the real evening rush hour.

       Qian Xiaoke went to see the marching instructions familiarly and called Jiang Tongyan—the ‘idiot who knows nothing’, to come and line up.

       He complained, “There must be no empty seats. I’m really dying of exhaustion.”

       He walked too much today and now he had to stand back. He reflected on himself and experienced what it meant to be “a greedy man swallows an elephant”. He could have gone home directly after work without anything to do, but he wanted to show off in front of others and wanted to take their car home, and ended up in this situation.

He had walked too much today, and now he had to stand to get back. Reflecting on himself, he personally experienced what it meant by ‘the greedy man that tries to swallow an elephant’. He could have simply gone home after work without any issues, but instead, he wanted to freeload and hitch a ride in their car, which led him to this predicament.

       It’s not worth it. It’s really not worth it!

       Qian Xiaoke was very depressed. Jiang Tongyan, who was standing behind him, looked at him through the brown glass door blocking the subway.

       The depressed Qian Xiaoke was also very interesting. In Jiang Tongyan’s view, this guy was like a funny little toy.

       “You can lean on me if you’re tired.” Jiang Tongyan glanced at the small TV hanging above his head, “The next bus will come in three minutes.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked back at him, “Why should I lean on you? Don’t I have any bones of my own?”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…You are not only stingy but also insensible.”

       Qian Xiaoke really didn’t mean to quarrel; he was just too tired. When people are tired, they get irritable, and when they get irritable, they start talking without thinking.

       After saying that, he also felt that it was quite rude. He bit his lower lip and muttered, “I’m sorry.”

       “Huh?”

       “I said sorry.” Qian Xiaoke turned away with an unhappy look on his face.

       Jiang Tongyan was a little unhappy at first; after all, this guy took his good intentions for granted. However, as soon as this little guy apologised, he calmed down instantly.

       He was too easy to coax.

       Jiang Tongyan felt that he couldn’t be like this.

       After waiting for three minutes, the train arrived as scheduled.

       Jiang Tongyan and Qian Xiaoke were almost pushed to get on the train. Qian Xiaoke was experienced in squeezing into the subway, so he grabbed Jiang Tongyan and went to the corner.

       Jiang Tongyan followed him inside, “Slow down!”

       “Slow down?! There’ll be no place to stand!” Qian Xiaoke pulled him to stand steadily, with his back against the cold car, facing Jiang Tongyan.

       Jiang Tongyan raised his hand to grab the pull ring, slightly lowered his head and looked at Qian Xiaoke who was leaning there comfortably, “You are quite good at finding a place.”

       “Of course,” Qian Xiaoke said proudly, “This is all life experience, you should learn something.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him and smiled, “Why should I learn this? I don’t have to squeeze into the subway.”

       He’s pissed off.

       Qian Xiaoke was mad at this rich man!

       He rolled his eyes and turned away from looking at Jiang Tongyan. As a result, when the train started, he looked at the window and found that Jiang Tongyan was actually looking at him with a smile.

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him because he really thought he was interesting, but in Qian Xiaoke’s opinion, that smile was malicious!

       He turned around abruptly, “What do you want to do now?”

       “What’s wrong with me?”

       “Are you coveting my beauty?”

       Jiang Tongyan’s right eyelid began to twitch again.

       “Don’t be obsessed with me,” Qian Xiaoke said, “I’m ruthless.”

       “Calm down.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Remember to take medicine when you go home.”

       “Tsk.” Qian Xiaoke turned around and ignored him.

       The journey for the two of them was really long, and they had to change trains three times in the middle. Qian Xiaoke was so tired that he couldn’t say anything.

       The subway continued to move forward, and there were more and more people on the train. Jiang Tongyan couldn’t stand being squeezed by strangers like this. When others squeezed him, he could only keep hiding forward, which meant that he was getting closer and closer to Qian Xiaoke who was shrinking in the corner in front of him.

       Closer and closer.

       Closer and closer. When Qian Xiaoke found that he was almost hugged by Jiang Tongyan, it was too late to push him away.

       When he turned around, his lips almost brushed the other’s chin.

       “… What are you doing?” Qian Xiaoke’s delicate body trembled, “Subway pervert!”

       Jiang Tongyan frowned and was a little anxious at this moment, “Pervert, your ass!”

       He said a little irritably, “What time is it, why are there so many people?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked up and saw that there seemed to be a lot of people on the train today.

       “What do you know,” Qian Xiaoke said, “This is the sad daily life of us working people at the bottom. We work overtime for people like you all day long, and we don’t have a little rest time. Look, everyone’s face is full of fatigue. Tell me, who should I blame?”

       “Blame you.” Jiang Tongyan said unhappily.

       Qian Xiaoke snorted coldly and ignored him again.

       But even though he ignored him, Qian Xiaoke stood in the corner again, almost sticking to him, “Move in a little, don’t let anyone touch your butt.”

       Jiang Tongyan laughed out loud, “I thank thee.”

       The two of them were squeezed for a long time, but Qian Xiaoke actually stood quite steadily. He hid in the corner, and Jiang Tongyan almost used his body to create a small world for him. In this small world, it seemed that even the noise could not reach Qian Xiaoke’s ears.

       This feeling was quite wonderful, and a word kept swaying in Qian Xiaoke’s mind—a sense of security.

       This word swayed with the subway, making Qian Xiaoke blush.

       It was excruciating to squeeze into the subway, and this time, it caused psychological trauma for the rich Jiang Tongyan.

       But fortunately, they finally caught a train with few people in the last third of the journey, and there were empty seats after they got on. Qian Xiaoke saw the empty seats as if he had seen a life-saving straw, and almost cried while holding the seat.

       Qian Xiaoke, who was extremely tired, sat there slumped, with no image at all. Jiang Tongyan sat upright beside him, patted his legs and said, “Sit well.”

       There were not many people in the car. Qian Xiaoke leaned there like a boneless person, “No one is looking at me!”

       “Whether there is anyone looking at you or not, you should be strict with yourself.” Jiang Tongyan said earnestly, “You can lean on me when you are tired; don’t lean on your body like a puddle of mud.”

       Qian Xiaoke pouted, “Okay.”

       Although he was reluctant, he felt that Jiang Tongyan was right. After all, it was a public place, and even if there were not many people, he should have sat well.

       He sat up straight, not leaning on Jiang Tongyan, but soon fell asleep.

       Qian Xiaoke’s body was swaying, and he kept nodding because he was sleepy. Jiang Tongyan couldn’t stand it anymore, so he raised his hand, hugged and pressed Qian Xiaoke’s head on his shoulder.

       Qian Xiaoke’s body trembled again, “What are you going to do to me?”

       “Which station do you want to get off at?” Jiang Tongyan asked.

       Qian Xiaoke took a look and said the station name.

       “Okay, go to sleep. I’ll call you when we get to the station.” Jiang Tongyan directly covered Qian Xiaoke’s eyes, “Close your eyes, sleep, and stop talking nonsense.”

       Qian Xiaoke was stunned for a moment. For some reason, he felt that Jiang Tongyan’s palm had a hypnotic effect. He actually obeyed obediently and leaned on his shoulder, then fell asleep in a daze.

       There were not many people in a carriage on the speeding subway.

       Jiang Tongyan and Qian Xiaoke leaned against each other, one snoring and the other looking at the glass window opposite.

       To be precise, one was looking at the figures of the two people reflected on the glass window, which looked warm and sweet.

       Jiang Tongyan glanced at his watch and wrote down the time.

       He should pay one yuan for every minute he leaned on. One shouldn’t be too ruthless when doing business.

       Jiang Tongyan thought: If it goes over twenty minutes, I could give him a discount—considering we’ve shared a bed before, how about a 10% discount? I’m truly a conscientious merchant!

---

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       Qian Xiaoke felt that he was a little crazy. He followed Jiang Tongyan and whispered, “Lu Xun¹Chinese writer and literary critic said that if you don’t explode in the movement, you will perish in the movement.”

       He looked at the lake and began to think that he should just take Jiang Tongyan with him to die together.

       Just as he was thinking about the feasibility of this, Jiang Tongyan stopped in his tracks.

       “Hey, you are still there?”

       Qian Xiaoke: “Hehe.”

       Jiang Tongyan asked him calmly, “Why aren’t you leaving?”

       Qian Xiaoke was really unhappy at this moment and turned away from him with a sad face.

       “I thought you left just now.” Jiang Tongyan walked over pretentiously and approached him, “Do you want to take a walk with me so much?”

       “Say less.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I’m afraid that you will be thrown into the lake from here.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him and smiled, “Seriously, why didn’t you leave by yourself?”

       He wanted to say: Could it be that you really can’t bear to leave me?

       Of course not. Qian Xiaoke was not reluctant to part with him but reluctant to part with the time he had spent!

       Qian Xiaoke said, “You must have never heard of this word before.”

       “Huh? What word?” Jiang Tongyan asked, “Devoted? Loyal? Inseparable? Dependent through life and death?”

       “… Do you know what ‘sunk cost’ is?” Qian Xiaoke said proudly, “You definitely don’t know.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him in confusion.

       “This is a word that often appears in the economic field,” Qian Xiaoke was so proud that his tail was almost raised, and he felt that he was very handsome now. “It means that I have wasted so much time, energy and physical strength on you, and these are all costs. In order not to let my costs go to waste, I have to bite my teeth and persevere to the end. Do you understand? Read more books.”

       “…” Jiang Tongyan looked at him incredulously and then smiled, “Little friend, the same words are given to you. Read more books, and don’t start to interpret things by yourself when you only know a little about everything.”

       He smiled slightly, “Also, a friendly reminder from Big Brother: in investment, we always have to exclude the interference of sunk costs and pay more attention to opportunity costs. Do you know ‘opportunity cost’? Have you heard of it?”

       “Ah?” Qian Xiaoke was dumbfounded.

       Jiang Tongyan rolled his eyes and suddenly slapped Qian Xiaoke in front of him, “Snap! Go hit your fly!”

       Jiang Tongyan, who had ridiculed Qian Xiaoke, was in a good mood and decided to spare this uneducated little fool.

       “Okay, I’m done relaxing.”

       Qian Xiaoke’s eyes lit up immediately, and he no longer wondered what Jiang Tongyan meant by what he just said, “Going home?”

       “Going home?” Jiang Tongyan narrowed his eyes and smiled, “You want to take me home? Why are you so vulgar and wretched?”

       “…”Qian Xiaoke felt that thanks to the subway security check he now went out without a machete, or else Jiang Tongyan would definitely die a horrible death here today!

       “Just joking.” Jiang Tongyan raised his eyebrows and smiled, “Let’s go, gege is in a good mood. I’ll give you a ride back.”

       Sometimes, a word could save a person.

       After Qian Xiaoke heard his words, his waist and legs were no longer sore. He could run directly to the park’s gate in one breath and stop a taxi along the way.

       However, just when the two of them were about to reach the gate of the park, Jiang Tongyan touched his pocket and said, “fvck, where’s my wallet?”

       Qian Xiaoke was shocked and felt that something was wrong.

       He turned around, “Don’t tease me.”

       “I’m not teasing you.” Jiang Tongyan’s mobile phone and wallet were gone.

       It was already dark at this time. The two looked back in the direction they came from. There were not many people walking.

       “My mobile phone is gone too.”

       “… In the prosperous and peaceful times, how could such a thing happen under my nose?” Qian Xiaoke said, “It must not be a thief; it must be you who lost it.”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…I didn’t say there was a thief.”

       Now, Qian Xiaoke was a little panicked.

       Although he really wanted to complain, it was really troublesome to lose a wallet. Qian Xiaoke lost his wallet once when he was in college. After that, he had to apply for a new ID card and report the loss of his bank card. It was so troublesome.

       Jiang Tongyan came back from abroad, so he probably has more documents. If he lost them, it would be quite troublesome.

       Qian Xiaoke was exhausted, both physically and mentally, but he still said, “Let’s go back and look for it. Maybe it fell on the ground.”

       Jiang Tongyan glanced at Qian Xiaoke, hesitated momentarily, and then said, “Forget it.”

       “Forget it?” Qian Xiaoke was shocked, “Are you tricking me again?”

       Of course not.

       Jiang Tongyan’s mobile phone and wallet were really missing, but he looked at how tired Qian Xiaoke was. He didn’t have the heart to let the other party continue to entangle with him, and he was not sure whether it was worth it. What if he was exhausted after searching for a circle but found nothing? Wouldn’t it be a big loss?

       “There’s only a few hundred dollars in my wallet. With what had been spent, my wallet wasn’t worth much.”

       “…”Qian Xiaoke was speechless. He thought was this something worth being happy about?

       “What about your cell phone?” Qian Xiaoke said, “You don’t want it anymore?”

       “You can buy another cell phone. The card inside is a spare card I bought when I returned here.” Jiang Tongyan was shy and embarrassed to say that he didn’t want anything in order not to tire Qian Xiaoke to death, “Let’s go back first.”

       Qian Xiaoke stood there looking at him, and after a long time he squeezed out a sentence, “It’s good to have money.”

       It was good to have money. You could just throw away such an expensive wallet and you could just ‘buy another one’ without even looking for your cell phone after losing it.

       Qian Xiaoke smacked his lips and felt like he had just chewed a lemon.

       “Are you sure?” Qian Xiaoke said, “It’s troublesome to lose these two things.”

       “It’s okay,” Jiang Tongyan said, “I used that cell phone specifically for returning to China. I didn’t keep any important things in it.”

       Qian Xiaoke pouted, still a little uneasy.

       “Let’s go, let’s go, what time is it.” Jiang Tongyan actually felt a bit regretful. Losing things that day served as a lesson for him—he should have avoided playing tricks on people in the future.

       He raised his hand to stop a taxi, but was suddenly pushed down by Qian Xiaoke.

       “What’s wrong with you?” Jiang Tongyan asked, “Did you lose your wallet too?”

       “I suddenly thought of something!” Qian Xiaoke’s eyes widened, “You don’t have any money now.”

       “Obviously.”

       “No mobile phone either.”

       “Obviously.”

       “Then why did you take a taxi?” Qian Xiaoke glared at him, “Do you have money to pay for the taxi fare?”

       “Don’t you have money?” Jiang Tongyan was too lazy to tease him, “Let’s take a taxi back first, I’ll pay you back another day.”

       Qian Xiaoke was almost shocked to death by this sentence.

       He, Qian Xiaoke, had a principle in life, that is, he would never lend money to others even if he died!

       He could have his head cut and blood flow; it didn’t matter how close or distant he was. There was no way he would lend money!

       What’s more, for someone like Jiang Tongyan, who could basically be defined by anything but the relationship they have, borrowing money was even less of an option. The only history they have together was lying in the same bed, questioning life for a few hours, eating spicy hotpot together, and spending over an hour in a park. They had no real connection, and it was very likely that this person could just run off to another country one day. If he lent this kind of person money, it would be giving him an opportunity to exploit and kill him!

       Yes, for Qian Xiaoke, having his money taken away was just the same as killing him!

       Qian Xiaoke was not stupid, he would not do such a thing.

       “You won’t do that?” Jiang Tongyan said, “I have plenty of money, I don’t need your little bit.”

       “Who knows?” Qian Xiaoke said very cautiously, “Life is always unpredictable. What if you go bankrupt tomorrow?”

       “… Buddy, can’t you hope for something good for me?”

       Qian Xiaoke was in pain now, because he suddenly realised that if he was unwilling to pay for the taxi first, then they had only one way to go, that was to say, his few hours today were really like a 10,000-ton ship that had sunk.

       Qian Xiaoke stood under the street lights in the autumn night, looking at Jiang Tongyan, who was half a head taller than him. He felt as if he was watching his Titanic sinking into the sea, but he could do nothing about it. He couldn’t help but feel sad.

       “Hey, what are you thinking about?” Jiang Tongyan looked at the person in front of him and felt that this little guy’s thinking was really jumpy and even a little scary.

       “First, I’m not called Hey.” Qian Xiaoke pouted, “Second, what I think has nothing to do with you.”

       He took a deep breath with grievance, feeling heartbroken and miserable.

       “Okay, whatever you want.” Jiang Tongyan wanted to stop the car again, but was stopped by Qian Xiaoke.

       “Chairman Jiang.” Qian Xiaoke said, “You can’t do that.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him in confusion.

       “Forget about taking a taxi. You know our current financial situation,” Qian Xiaoke said, “I can lend you money to take the subway.”

       “Subway?”

       “Yes, subway.” Qian Xiaoke really couldn’t bear to leave Jiang Tongyan alone here without money, but he couldn’t pay for the taxi fare himself. This was the best he could do. He could barely afford the eight yuan subway fare. If Jiang Tongyan didn’t pay him back in the future, he wouldn’t lose too much.

       Qian Xiaoke was exactly the kind of meticulous, frugal, and calculating young man of the new era who excelled at managing his resources with precision.

       Jiang Tongyan asked him, “Aren’t you tired?”

       “I am tired,” Qian Xiaoke said, “but I am willing!”

       He grabbed Jiang Tongyan’s wrist and dragged him to the nearby subway station, “Let’s hurry up. Life is short, and we’ve already wasted too much time. In these prime years, we should seize every moment!”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at the back of Qian Xiaoke’s head with a smile and let him pull him forward.

       He smiled and said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

       “No nonsense.” Qian Xiaoke regretted it but thought about it again. This is also an important lesson in life: “Teacher Jiang, I have waited for you for too long!”

       Alright.

       Jiang Tongyan could see that this kid was crazy.

       However, this little madman was also very interesting.

       Jiang Tongyan was being pulled forward by him, feeling the chilly wind and watching as the hair on the back of this guy’s head was blown into a spiky mess. The smile in his eyes seemed to reach up to the moon.

---

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       Sick, absolutely sick.

       Very tacky, very tacky indeed.

       Qian Xiaoke looked at Jiang Tongyan with disdain, “Who did you learn this from?”

       Jiang Tongyan thought: Such high-class words; a kid like you have never heard anyone say them, right?

       He smiled slightly and said proudly, “What? Are you impressed?”

       Qian Xiaoke: Ugh.

       He was vomiting in his heart, but he certainly wouldn’t show it; after all, he needed help at the moment—Qian Xiaoke wanted to take a ride.

       Qian Xiaoke smiled and said, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. How could I presume to reach your level?”

       He said with genuine sincerity, “Chairman Jiang, could I catch a ride with you?”

       Jiang Tongyan glanced at him with a look of disdain, “Seeing how pitiful you are, I suppose I can reluctantly agree.”

       The car arrived, and Jiang Tongyan, intentionally wanted to play a trick, slyly pulled up an address on his phone and showed it to the driver. Meanwhile, Qian Xiaoke, feeling overjoyed and unaware, had no idea what he was about to face next.

       Qian Xiaoke rarely took a taxi. After all, as a person who lived a frugal life, he would not spend thirty or forty yuan on a taxi when it only costs eight yuan to take public transportation from the company to home.

       So, when he looked at the unfamiliar street scene, he did not doubt it at all, because he thought—how could the taxi route be the same as the subway route!

       However, no matter how slow Qian Xiaoke was, he found something wrong half an hour later, but it was too late.

       The taxi driver parked the car outside a park, Jiang Tongyan paid the money and got off the car.

       Qian Xiaoke looked at Jiang Tongyan standing outside the car with a blank face, and the other party raised his eyebrows and looked at him, “It’s here, why don’t you get off the car?”

       “What place… is this?”

       Jiang Tongyan thought: I’m not a local, if you ask me, who should I ask?

       “My destination,” Jiang Tongyan said calmly, even though he didn’t know where it was. “It’s fine if you are not getting off. I’m leaving anyway.”

       The driver turned around and asked Qian Xiaoke, “Where else are you going?”

       Qian Xiaoke got scared and got off the bus quickly, jogging to catch up with Jiang Tongyan.

       “Aren’t you going back to the hotel?” Qian Xiaoke asked him, taking out his phone and opening the map.

       One would not know until they see it, and then they would be shocked.

       It was nearly 30 kilometres from this place to his home.

       Qian Xiaoke was struck by lightning!

       “Jiang Tongyan!” Qian Xiaoke stamped his feet, “You did it on purpose!”

       Jiang Tongyan turned around and looked at him with a smile. He suddenly put his arm around Qian Xiaoke’s neck and hooked him over, “What? What did I do? I did ask you before coming, didn’t I?”

       Qian Xiaoke thought about it, and it was right. Strictly speaking, this matter really couldn’t be blamed on others.

       He hated it.

       He felt heartbroken. He was in agony.

       He pouted and started to check the subway route from here to home.

       “But if you are not in a hurry, you can wait for me to go back together.” Jiang Tongyan said, “I just come here to relax and relieve my inner depression. When the depression is gone, I will go back.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him suspiciously, “What depression do you need to relieve?”

       “… What do you think?”

       Qian Xiaoke pondered, “Oh, impotence.”

       Then he was knocked on the head by Jiang Tongyan.

       “Can you learn some art of talking?” Jiang Tongyan said to him, “Don’t talk about things that can’t be mentioned!”

       “Okay,” Qian Xiaoke said, “What can be mentioned about you? I will only talk about those thing then.”

       He now wanted to make Jiang Tongyan happy. If the other party became happy, he could go back to the hotel earlier, and he could also get a ride home earlier.

       “I didn’t have anything to mention, just shut up.” Jiang Tongyan truly wished Qian Xiaoke were mute, or that he could be given a cup of poison to silence him forever!

       Qian Xiaoke shut up, but two minutes later, he couldn’t help but speak, “Chairman Jiang.”

       “Speak.”

       “Aren’t you a mysophobe?”

       “What do you care?”

       “No, I mean…” Qian Xiaoke held his schoolbag straps tightly with both hands, “You are a mysophobe. Do you have to hug other people’s necks like this when you relax?”

       This was very ambiguous!

       It was very inappropriate!

       Jiang Tongyan realised he had been wrapping his arms around Qian Xiaoke’s neck. He jumped away as if electrocuted and then took out a tissue and wiped his shirt sleeves in disgust.

       “…You don’t have to do that!” Qian Xiaoke rolled his eyes, “I haven’t said anything yet that you took advantage of me for nothing!”

       Jiang Tongyan snorted coldly, too lazy to say anything more.

       Afterwards, Jiang Tongyan walked around the small lake in the park again and again, and Qian Xiaoke followed behind.

       The night in the park at the end of September was not cold, but there were many naughty children running around like crazy, and Qian Xiaoke felt dizzy.

       “Chairman Jiang, is your heart still depressed?” Qian Xiaoke was tired from walking. After all, he was the type who would never stand if he could sit, and never sit if he could lie down. If it took a thousand years to become immortal while sitting but only five hundred while standing, he would still choose the former without hesitation.

       For a person like that, if he had to walk for half an hour, it would be very deadly!

       Qian Xiaoke felt that he was tired like a dog at this moment. No, a dog might not be tired like this after walking for half an hour!

       Jiang Tongyan looked back at him, “Hey! You’re still here!”

       Qian Xiaoke: Big brother, are you out of your mind?

       “Chairman Jiang,” Qian Xiaoke smiled, “It’s late now. It’s a long way from here to your place. Go back and rest early! I’m thinking about your health!”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him with a smile, “I thought you had already left on your own.”

       Qian Xiaoke was regretting it. He should have left when he got here just now. He could have gone home from the subway in half an hour.

       He smiled and said to Jiang Tongyan, “Where can I go? You are unfamiliar with the place. I am worried about you!”

       It was definitely impossible to leave now.

       Although Qian Xiaoke was not a person who loved to learn, he had learnt a word a while ago—sunk costs¹In economics and business decision-making, a sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. Sunk costs are contrasted with prospective costs, which are future costs that may be avoided if action is taken.

       He had wasted a lot of time, energy and physical strength on this matter. If he just left, it would be too uneconomical.

       He had to hold it for a little longer.

       Jiang Tongyan was definitely going to go back anyway.

       Jiang Tongyan looked at how Qian Xiaoke was and really felt sympathy.

       He decided to give Qian Xiaoke a chance to perform.

       “My heart is almost fine again,” Jiang Tongyan said, “I’m just a little short of something; maybe someone can help me.”

       “Help? What kind of help? How to help? Let me do it!” As long as he could go home, Qian Xiaoke was willing to serve!

       Jiang Tongyan stood there, with his arms folded in front of his chest, looking very cold and arrogant.

       “How about this, tell me a joke.”

       This was hitting the bullseye! Qian Xiaoke claimed to be a ‘master of cold jokes’, unbeatable in the company, and during summer, everyone would come to him for cold jokes to cool off.

       Qian Xiaoke suddenly had an inspiration, “Xiao Ming asked his father to tell him a story, and his father asked him: Do you want to hear the long one or the short one?”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him. Qian Xiaoke: “Long one or the short one?”

       “…Long one.”

       Qian Xiaoke cleared his throat, “Once upon a time there was a fly…”

       He took a deep breath, “Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz…”

       “Stop it!” Jiang Tongyan was annoyed by the buzzing, “What about the short one?”

       “Once upon a time there was a fly, buzz… snap!” When Qian Xiaoke said ‘snap’, he raised his hand and slapped Jiang Tongyan in front of him with a showmanship. The sound was crisp and powerful, which scared Jiang Tongyan.

       Jiang Tongyan frowned and looked at him with disdain. After a few seconds, Jiang Tongyan said, “Qian Xiaoke, what does this means?”

       “Ah? Isn’t it funny?”

       “Funny, my ass.” Jiang Tongyan said, “Who do you think you are, trying to be a dad²was referring to how much of a dad joke Qian Xiaoke’s joke was?”

       Qian Xiaoke could swear to heaven that he really didn’t mean it.

       Just like that, Chairman Jiang’s mood became worse, so he took Qian Xiaoke to walk around the lake for more than half an hour.

       Qian Xiaoke’s ‘fitness’ plan for the whole year was completed.

       It was great.

---

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       Jiang Tongyan’s right eyelid twitched crazily.

       He frantically recalled whether the twitching of his right eye was for disaster or wealth.

       He thought to himself: Do you think I care about your dirty money? What could I even do with that little amount? Just look at your face—does it look like you’re willingly giving me that money? Keep your filthy money to yourself!

       But just as he was about to say this, a sudden inspiration came to his mind, and he smiled slightly, reaching out to take the card while saying hypocritically, “I didn’t expect you to be so nice.”

       He pinched Qian Xiaoke’s bank card with his index finger and thumb and pulled it for a while, but it didn’t follow.

       Qian Xiaoke couldn’t bear to give it up!

       He frowned, bit his lips, and stared at his bank card. The strength in his hand didn’t decrease at all, and even the other hand came up.

       “…Friend, do you want to give it to me or not?” On the roadside, two men were fighting for a bank card.

       Qian Xiaoke was heartbroken and almost cried bitterly. He finally understood that this was the disaster brought by desire.

       He was wrong. He was wrong from the beginning. If he hadn’t been drunk that night, he wouldn’t have gotten together with Jiang Tongyan. If he hadn’t gotten together with Jiang Tongyan, he wouldn’t have indirectly…or directly caused Jiang Tongyan to become impotent. If Jiang Tongyan hadn’t become impotent, he wouldn’t have lost all his wealth…

       It’s retribution.

       The retribution of life came so quickly.

       Qian Xiaoke let go, like a heartbroken mother watching her precious child being taken away. He stared at the bank card, his eyes glistening with tears like the dew on a lupine flower.

       Jiang Tongyan took the card and asked with a smile, “How much money is in it? Look at you… Wait, you really cried?”

       Jiang Tongyan was startled. He just wanted to tease this kid; why did he cry?

       Which proper man cried at the drop of a hat?

       He didn’t dare to say this for fear that the other party would cry even harder.

       “No,” Qian Xiaoke rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, “You are the one crying.”

       Jiang Tongyan was a little panicked. He couldn’t stand it. If he made someone cry on the street, people who didn’t know would think he was bullying them.

       He quickly stuffed the card into the small pocket of Qian Xiaoke’s schoolbag, “Take it back, take it back. I really can’t afford to mess with you.”

       “No.” Qian Xiaoke took out the bank card again and put it directly into Jiang Tongyan’s trouser pocket, “I said I would treat your illness.”

       “…What you said reminds me of my dad.”

       Jiang Tongyan took the card out of his pocket, unzipped Qian Xiaoke’s schoolbag, put it in, and then zipped it up again for him.

       “Oh, I don’t…”

       “Don’t move!” Jiang Tongyan shouted, scaring Qian Xiaoke, “I was just teasing you, but you took it seriously. Who wants your money? Don’t I have it myself?”

       Qian Xiaoke muttered, “Yours is yours, and mine is… for your medical treatment.”

       “…Qian Xiaoke, if you dare to mention medical treatment again… You don’t believe I will stuff you into the sewer?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked up at him and snorted disdainfully, “That’s illegal!”

       “Killing people is illegal!”

       “Have you killed anyone?”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…No.”

       Qian Xiaoke was stunned, then squatted on the side of the road and laughed.

       Jiang Tongyan stood there with a dark face looking at him. When Qian Xiaoke finished laughing, he looked up and said to Jiang Tongyan, “You are so funny.”

       “You are the funny one,” Jiang Tongyan bent down slightly and poked his forehead with his finger, “Let’s forget about today’s matter. You are not allowed to mention it in the future. You are not allowed to mention it to anyone. Do you hear me?”

       Qian Xiaoke nodded obediently.

       “If you dare to tell others, I will…”

       “Stuff me into the sewer.”

       Jiang Tongyan hummed with satisfaction, straightened up, and looked down at Qian Xiaoke, “Okay, kneel down.”

       “…You are crazy!” Qian Xiaoke stood up, but because he stood up too hard, he suddenly felt dizzy and leaned directly into Jiang Tongyan’s arms.

       Jiang Tongyan: “…What are you doing? Trying to scam me again?”

       “It’s okay, it’s okay, stay calm and don’t panic!” Qian Xiaoke was really dizzy. He had low blood pressure and low blood sugar. He stood up too quickly just now, and his blood pressure couldn’t keep up with his agile body. “Don’t panic!”

       His vision went black, and the sky spun around for several seconds.

       Jiang Tongyan managed to stay composed, spreading his arms behind him and using his chest to support Qian Xiaoke. His face was written all over with the expression: Nothing to do with me, he’s just faking it!

       After a few seconds, Qian Xiaoke’s vision was bright again.

       “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” After Qian Xiaoke recovered, he turned his head to look at him, “What’s with your posture?”

       “I’m a mysophobe,” Jiang Tongyan said, “Please get out of the way and stay one meter away from me.”

       Jiang Tongyan was really scared. Whenever he met this guy, he would remember the scene that day when he couldn’t get hard no matter how hard they tried.

       Other people’s intimate encounters were always filled with passion and tenderness, but when it came to him, all that was left was awkward tension and a mental stampede of frustration.

       “You don’t have mysophobia,” Qian Xiaoke stood up straight and took a half step back obediently, but he continued to complain, “I saw a mysophobia person come to see Chairman Cheng before, and you are not.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him sideways impatiently, “Don’t change the subject.”

       Qian Xiaoke tilted his head and looked at him, “Oh, then continue, what were we just talking about?”

       What were we talking about?

       Jiang Tongyan also forgot.

       He waved his hand, “Forget it. I’ll go insane if I say one more word to you.”

       He glanced at the time and prepared to go back to the hotel.

       “Chairman Jiang,” Qian Xiaoke had a flash of inspiration, “Are you going back to rest? Go back to the hotel?”

       Jiang Tongyan almost covered his chest and yelled, ‘What are you going to do to me?’ on the side of the road in front of everyone, but fortunately, he controlled himself.

       “…What are you planning?”

       Today, when those colleagues gossiped, they mentioned that the hotel where Jiang Tongyan was staying was not far from Qian Xiaoke’s home. If he could get a ride back, he would not only not have to squeeze into the subway but also save a few dollars.

       Qian Xiaoke carried his small schoolbag and looked at Jiang Tongyan obediently.

       When he was obedient, Jiang Tongyan felt a chill on his back and always felt that this person was holding back his fart.

       “If you have something to say, please say it. Don’t be like this.”

       “Chairman Jiang, you are such a good person.” Qian Xiaoke smiled at him, his eyes curved, and a row of white and neat teeth flashed simultaneously.

       “…Are you schizophrenic?”

       “Chairman Jiang, you are handsome and kind.”

       “You are schizophrenic.”

       “Chairman Jiang, you are such a kind person. Surely, you’ll give me a lift, right?”

       “Oh, so you have something to ask of me.”

       “Chairman Jiang, you know, I am a poor little worker. I squeeze into the subway and transfer back and forth several times a day. Since the subway price has increased, the cost of travel has increased, and my life has become increasingly difficult.”

       Jiang Tongyan listened to him talking nonsense, and he almost hurt himself by holding back his laughter.

       “Where is your home? What if it was not in the same way?”

       “It’s the same way, it’s definitely the same way!” Qian Xiaoke said, “Just go where you want to go; wherever you go, I will go there!”

       “Really?” Jiang Tongyan wanted to tease her again, he raised his eyebrows, “Do you know where I’m going?”

       “Where?” Qian Xiaoke blinked his big eyes and looked at him innocently.

       Jiang Tongyan smiled slightly and poked Qian Xiaoke’s heart with his finger, “I want to go to your heart.”

---

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       Jiang Tongyan said, “Qian Xiaoke, do you hate the rich?”

       Qian Xiaoke glanced at him and answered seriously, “I don’t hate the rich, I just hate you.”

       This sentence confused Jiang Tongyan, “Your logic doesn’t make sense, does it? Even if there’s a grudge, it should be me holding a grudge against you!”

       Qian Xiaoke came closer and looked at Jiang Tongyan’s shirt carefully, making sure it was wiped clean, and then sat back.

       “Why? Obviously I am more wronged.” Qian Xiaoke sat back down and continued eating his spicy hot pot. If he didn’t eat faster, the noodles would get soggy and ruin the taste. Then his 36 yuan would have been wasted!

       Jiang Tongyan’s clothes were clean, and he returned to sit opposite Qian Xiaoke, “How dare you ask?”

       Jiang Tongyan was now wondering if Qian Xiaoke had a flaw in his intelligence or a flaw in his worldview that he dared to actually ask him why! He was the one who wanted to ask why!

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t listen to his words at all; his mind was full of: Eat quickly, eat quickly, it won’t taste good later!

       Seeing him like this, Jiang Tongyan felt utterly helpless and thought to himself, fine, go ahead and eat. I’ll settle this with you once you’re done.

       So, he just stared at Qian Xiaoke eating, and he laughed while staring at him. This kid’s eating style was really ugly, so ugly that he couldn’t look away.

       Qian Xiaoke knew that this person was looking at him, and he was not used to this. Of course, no one could get used to being stared at with such an intense gaze while eating.

       At first, Qian Xiaoke could still bear it because he felt that there was no need to be distracted by this person, but his patience was limited, and mascots also had tempers.

       Qian Xiaoke looked up and said with an unhappy face, “Why are you so rude?”

       “Hey, are you really lecturing me about manners now? Do you even have any?”

       Qian Xiaoke curled his lips, “I do.”

       He said seriously, “I just said thank you to the waiter. Did you say it?”

       “I said it.”

       “I didn’t hear it.”

       “Just because you didn’t hear it, so it didn’t happen?” Jiang Tongyan laughed jokingly, “Your logic is really flawed.”

       “Your logic is the one that’s flawed,” Qian Xiaoke waved his hand, “Wait a moment, let me finish eating before we continue this debate.”

       He picked up a piece of potato chips and stuffed it into his mouth, saying, “When I was in college, I was on our school’s debate team!”

       “Uh-huh? Have you won any awards in the competition?”

       Qian Xiaoke glared at him and didn’t answer.

       How could he possibly tell Jiang Tongyan that he was a substitute on the debate team—the kind that had never even been on stage?!

       Of course, later he was ‘temporarily transferred’ to the basketball team to be a cheerleader, where he truly shined.

       Seeing that he didn’t reply, Jiang Tongyan didn’t say anything more and continued to stare at Qian Xiaoke eating with a smile.

       He found that Qian Xiaoke was really interesting, and worthy of being the ‘mascot’ of Cheng Sen’s company.

       When Qian Xiaoke finally finished eating, he wiped his mouth and muttered, “It’s done. It’s all gone.”

       Jiang Tongyan almost laughed out loud, then got up, walked to the cashier, and bought a bottle of Coke.

       Qian Xiaoke was a little surprised. He didn’t expect this person to be so considerate. In just a moment, his view of Jiang Tongyan changed 180 degrees. He was suddenly a little touched and even wanted to be responsible for this person!

       He sat there obediently, with his lips pursed, watching Jiang Tongyan come back with an iced Coke. He stretched out his hand to take it while smiling shyly, “Oh, it’s not necessary…”

       However, before he finished speaking, he saw Jiang Tongyan standing in front of him, opening the Coke and drinking it.

       “… Tsk.” I knew this person wouldn’t be so kind! Qian Xiaoke’s eyes were about to roll up to the sky.

       Jiang Tongyan teased him deliberately, “What did you say about not necessary?”

       “No, you are hallucinating.” Qian Xiaoke stood up angrily, holding his small schoolbag and preparing to leave.

       “Sir, you took one less bottle of Coke.”

       The waiter came over and put another bottle of Coke on their table.

       Qian Xiaoke looked at the Coke on the table and then looked at Jiang Tongyan.

       “Oh, yes, I was going to bring it back to drink.”

       Qian Xiaoke took a deep breath and walked out of the spicy hot pot restaurant with a stride that showed he cared for no one.

       Jiang Tongyan, who succeeded in his trick, laughed so hard that he almost got a stitch in the side and followed him out leisurely with two bottles of Coke.

       “Hey!” Jiang Tongyan walked behind and shouted at Qian Xiaoke’s back.

       He could tell from his back how angry the guy was at the moment, which was very funny.

       Jiang Tongyan felt that he was a bit perverted now. He actually liked to tease such a little rabbit. He was so childish that he was just like a three-year-old child. If Shen Huiming saw him like this, he would probably laugh at him to death.

       But Shen Huiming couldn’t see him now, so Jiang Tongyan planned to continue.

       “Why are you running?” Jiang Tongyan said again, and this time, Qian Xiaoke turned around.

       Qian Xiaoke stopped and turned to glare at him, “First! I didn’t run! I was angry! Second! My name is not Hey! I’m Qian Xiaoke!”

       Jiang Tongyan’s right eyelid twitched. This sentence always seemed a little familiar. His eight-year-old niece seemed to have a similar line in an idol drama she watched a while ago.

       Qian Xiaoke also watched idol dramas?

       It fitted with his persona.

       “What are you laughing at?” Qian Xiaoke felt that Jiang Tongyan might not only be impotent but also have problems with his brain. If not, why would he stand here and laugh so weirdly? Even if he is handsome, he should still be sent to a mental hospital!

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Are you a pig?”

       “You are.” Jiang Tongyan handed him the unopened bottle of Coke, “Didn’t you eat all the food?”

       Qian Xiaoke smiled proudly, “I refuse to eat food given with contempt, even if it leads me to this point!”

       “Ah?”

       Jiang Tongyan’s Chinese level was really limited, and Qian Xiaoke suddenly said this, and he didn’t understand it at all.

       “Uncultured.” Qian Xiaoke said, “I hate uneducated nouveau riche like you the most.”

       After saying that, Qian Xiaoke felt happy, turned to the small supermarket next door, and bought himself a bottle of Coke that was exactly the same as the one in Jiang Tongyan’s hand.

       Qian Xiaoke, “I have plenty of money!”

       When he said this, he was very unconfident, so he turned around and ran away.

       Jiang Tongyan was almost amused to death by him. How could there be such a funny person?

       Was Qian Xiaoke only three years old this year?

       A three-year-old child shouldn’t be so childish, right?

       Sometimes, criticising others was a reflection of one’s own shortcomings. While Jiang Tongyan was busy mocking Qian Xiaoke for having the maturity of a three-year-old, he failed to realise that, at thirty, he hadn’t been much more mature himself.

       Qian Xiaoke swaggered ahead, looking like he was walking with a powerful, confident stride, but in reality, he was mentally calculating—36 yuan for the spicy hot pot plus 3 yuan for the iced cola. One meal had cost him an entire day’s food budget!

       Qian Xiaoke, who had always been careful with money, was bleeding in his heart.

       However, he did learn a valuable lesson from this experience: First, he decided it was best to stay away from Jiang Tongyan because he realised that whenever he was around him, his rationality would vanish, and he could snap at any moment, never knowing what kind of reckless actions he might take out of spite. Second, no matter how angry or prideful he got, he should never joke around with money again. Every single penny he had didn’t just fall from the sky—it was his hard-earned money, and it wasn’t worth wasting. Really, it just wasn’t worth it!

       Qian Xiaoke pouted and mourned for the 39 yuan he lost.

       “Hey.”

       “I’m not Hey.”

       “Qian Xiaoke.” Jiang Tongyan took a few quick steps and followed him. “We haven’t finished discussing that matter just now.”

       Jiang Tongyan thought: Why am I so idle? I haven’t even looked at the contract Cheng Sen sent me, yet I somehow have time to be tangled up with this little nutcase here.

       “What’s the matter?” Qian Xiaoke was a little absent-minded when he answered. He was thinking about his 39 yuan.

       This bottle of Coke hadn’t been opened yet. He decided not to drink it. He took it home and kept it. He would open the bottle to celebrate when he got a salary increase or a bonus.

       Actually, although Qian Xiaoke didn’t make much money every month, he wasn’t so tight. After deducting the rent from his monthly salary, the rest was enough for him to live an everyday life. It was just that he always tried to save a little money every month.

       Qian Xiaoke was well aware that life wasn’t easy, and he knew he didn’t have any great abilities. He set small monthly goals for himself, mainly because deep down, he had a bigger goal that he only dared to think about vaguely, never having the courage to actually write it down and stick it on the refrigerator door.

       Every month, he divided his salary into several parts: one for rent, one for living expenses, and the rest for other uses.

       Since he started working, Qian Xiaoke set aside two hundred yuan each month to buy into the ‘Free Lunch’ initiative he found online, a charity project that provides meals for children in impoverished areas. It wasn’t that he thought of himself as particularly noble; he just believed in doing good deeds whenever possible to accumulate some good karma. Who knew, maybe one day, all that accumulated karma would pay off, and he’d reach the peak of his life.

       In addition, he kept the remaining money in a separate account. He didn’t even dare to name the account, nor did he dare to hope that one day this thing would really work.

       He saved that money to buy a house. He knew that he definitely couldn’t afford it, but he still saved a few hundred yuan every month.

       Sometimes, when Qian Xiaoke heard his colleagues talking about housing prices, he would hide and look at his savings. He knew that he would need to work hard for another 100 years to buy a small house of 50 square meters.

       However, Qian Xiaoke felt quite happy to live like this every day.

       “You’ve forgotten so quickly?” Jiang Tongyan said, “Who do you think should hold a grudge between us?”

       Qian Xiaoke’s body shook again when he heard this.

       He knew that Jiang Tongyan was here to seek revenge.

       After that night, Qian Xiaoke seriously reflected on it. He knew that Jiang Tongyan was half responsible for this matter, and he was also half responsible, but…

       Qian Xiaoke covered his face with grief and struggled for five minutes.

       For those five minutes, his mother’s teachings echoed in his mind: Xiaoke, we may be poor, but we are not poor in spirit. As people, we must be open, honest, and straightforward. We should be upright, righteous, and dignified. We must never engage in sneaky or opportunistic activities, and we absolutely must not do anything that goes against our conscience or harms society!

       At this moment, Qian Xiaoke, standing on the sidewalk, seemed to be performing a one-man show, and Jiang Tongyan stood beside him and watched the fun, holding back his laughter.

       Finally, Qian Xiaoke calmed down and opened his small schoolbag again.

       He took out his bank card—the card on which he was going to save money to buy a house.

       Qian Xiaoke handed the card to Jiang Tongyan with shaking hands, “Take it.”

       “Hm?”

       “This is all my savings,” Qian Xiaoke said, “Take it for your medical treatment. If it’s not enough, I will start a street stall tomorrow night and sell all the T-shirts, slippers and jeans I have worn at home at a low price to see if I can raise enough money for your medical expenses.”

       Jiang Tongyan: “…Are you out of your mind?”  

       “Just take it.” Qian Xiaoke sighed, “I really should take responsibility for you like a man.”  

---

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       Of course, a handsome guy didn’t rank as high as a spicy hot pot.

       Qian Xiaoke had always been a very pragmatic person. Although he often had some unrealistic fantasies, he was well aware that those fantasies were even more ‘unrealistic’ than the term itself implied. Just thinking about them was enough; he wasn’t lucky enough to soar to the top and turn into a phoenix.

       Although he often spoke of envying Zhou Mo, he was well aware that Zhou Mo’s good life and great husband were the result of his own hard work. He started off from a higher point than he did; he couldn’t blame anyone else for that. He could only blame himself for not putting in the effort from the starting line. Now, it was too late for regret.

       Since it was too late to regret, he just needed to live a down-to-earth life now.

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t have lofty ambitions, but on the door of his refrigerator, he posted a ‘short-term goal’ that he changed every month.

       Each goal was very practical, such as getting a full attendance award this month, reading a book, or learning to cook a dish…

       Although it was really not difficult for him to get a full attendance award, he was very enthusiastic about work and was almost always the first to go to the company.

       Although reading wasn’t very difficult for him, he could finish a comic book rented from the bookstore downstairs in a day or spend a small fortune—ten yuan—to read enough BL novels priced at three cents per thousand words.

       Although learning to cook wasn’t too difficult for him, he could make a smashed cucumber salad and use some of it for a face mask.

       In short, although Qian Xiaoke was poor and knew that his future was not bright, he still tried to live a good life every day.

       Many people said that young people aimed too high but lacked the skills to match, but not Qian Xiaoke—he knew his own worth all too well.

       And his pragmatism was also reflected in his attitude towards love.

       He knew his own circumstances, so he never expected that he would one day end up with someone wealthy.

       Besides, Qian Xiaoke hypnotised himself like this every day: rich people are greasy middle-aged people with big bellies; I don’t want to waste my youth on such people.

       Of course, every time he thought so, his boss, Cheng Sen, would happen to pass by, and then Qian Xiaoke would have to add one more sentence—except my boss.

       Except for his boss. However, he wouldn’t dare to have bad intentions towards the boss.

       Qian Xiaoke had to be worthy of his friend Zhou Mo, and he didn’t want to be unemployed.

       Anyway, Qian Xiaoke, who didn’t have any extravagant expectations for love, treats rich handsome guys with the attitude of: I would not be able to get you.

       Because he knew he couldn’t get it, he didn’t take it to heart at all.

       This reasonably explained why, in Qian Xiaoke’s eyes, Jiang Tongyan was still not as important as a bowl of spicy hot pot.

       At least a spicy hot pot could fill the stomach, not to mention that this was the spicy hot pot he bought for 36 yuan!

       Who was this Jiang Tongyan person?

       Just a passerby who couldn’t get hard.

       At this time, the passerby who couldn’t get hard was frowning at him, watching him frantically add vinegar, sugar and chilli oil to the bowl.

       “You… have a strong taste!” Jiang Tongyan couldn’t help but sigh.

       Qian Xiaoke laughed, “What do you know? This is the essence of spicy hot pot!”

       He glanced at the person opposite, obviously looking down on him.

       Jiang Tongyan was somewhat frustrated after being scorned again. He suddenly felt that this inconspicuous little guy in front of him might be another nemesis of his fate.

       He came up with a plan—if Shen Huiming and this guy got together…

       But Jiang Tongyan soon came to his senses. It was possible that this guy liked Shen Huiming, but Shen Huiming was neither blind nor stupid, so how could he develop a relationship with this guy?

       Impossible.

       “What’s wrong with you?” Qian Xiaoke was finally willing to devote 1% of his mind to ‘care’ for this rich and handsome guy.

       Although it was a bit embarrassing, Jiang Tongyan actually felt a little bit of human warmth because of Qian Xiaoke’s light ‘What’s wrong with you?’.

       “Sad.”

       “Ah?” Qian Xiaoke was finally willing to devote 2% of his mind to express a little surprise at his inexplicable sadness.

       Jiang Tongyan said pretentiously, “Because I think, in your eyes, I am not as good as a bowl of spicy hot pot.”

       Qian Xiaoke took chopsticks to stir the spicy hot pot, leaned over to smell it, and then gave a thumbs up, “Awesome.”

       “……” Okay… It turned out that this was just a one-man show; Jiang Tongyan rolled his eyes.

       But then again, Jiang Tongyan thought that this so-called spicy hot pot was actually quite good. As someone who had dined at high-end restaurants, he was initially filled with doubts when he first walked into the small shop—what kind of dish is this? If all the dishes are cooked together, wouldn’t all the flavours mix together and become a mess?

       Moreover, after he came in and looked around, he always suspected that the hygiene here was not up to standard!

       Jiang Tongyan just ordered a bowl of spicy hot pot with a try-it-out mentality. After all, he didn’t want a poor little guy to say that he was ignorant.

       He, Jiang Tongyan, did not allow himself to have a little blind spot in knowledge.

       Perhaps because he didn’t come in with expectations at all, he felt that the spicy hot pot tasted good when he ate it.

       He ate slowly and leisurely. Although his persona often collapsed when facing Qian Xiaoke, Jiang Tongyan was still a promising young man with a good family education and a scholarly family. Even if he were eating a spicy hot pot, he would not wolf it down like the boy sitting opposite him, as if he had not eaten for a hundred years.

       He said, “Can you taste the flavour if you eat like that?”

       “Hmm?” Qian Xiaoke was picking up a piece of lettuce and stuffing it into his mouth like a rabbit, “Ah?”

       He bit the lettuce, and half of it was still sticking out, “What?”

       Jiang Tongyan couldn’t stand it anymore. How did this guy manage to sit with no semblance of proper posture and eat with no manners at all?

       He waved his hand, “Just eat yours!”

       So Qian Xiaoke continued to eat his spicy hot pot with his head down. Jiang Tongyan, opposite him, carefully picked up a few noodles and then carefully put them into his mouth, tasting them carefully, trying to feel the exquisiteness of this ‘delicacy’. 

       However, the reason why he was so careful was that he was also worried that the soup would get on his clothes.

       Although it was not a white shirt, no matter what colour it was, he felt that once the soup got on the clothes, it would basically be ruined.

       Qian Xiaoke had no time to pay attention to Jiang Tongyan when he started eating. He had to devote himself to his 36 yuan spicy hot pot.

       Jiang Tongyan glanced at him from time to time. He didn’t know whether his brain was broken or his eyes were broken. He couldn’t help laughing while watching.

       “What are you laughing at?” Qian Xiaoke ate with no sense of decorum, and a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Laughing at your ugliness.”

       Qian Xiaoke rolled his eyes at him.

       This was the second time Jiang Tongyan said Qian Xiaoke was ugly. The first time he said it behind his back; this time, he said it in front of him. Qian Xiaoke suspected that Jiang Tongyan would be using the big loudspeaker that the old man who collected waste carried all day to shout everywhere next time.

       “Do you think you are good-looking?” Qian Xiaoke was not convinced, “Don’t be so proud.”

       Jiang Tongyan still looked at him and smiled.

       This time, Jiang Tongyan really didn’t mean to anger him. He really thought Qian Xiaoke’s eating style was ugly.

       Ugly in a humorous way.

       He liked watching it.

       The people around Jiang Tongyan had always been in the same world as him. They grew up in a disciplined manner, were organised in their actions and speech, chewed slowly and ate with dignified grace, and even during casual friend gatherings, they maintained proper conduct.

       That was their habit.

       Just like Qian Xiaoke’s habit of eating food in a hurry when he saw it.

       Perhaps because of the novelty, Jiang Tongyan saw Qian Xiaoke eating like this, and from the initial discomfort, he gradually felt that it was a little cute.

       Of course, the premise was that this kid would not splash the oil and soup in his bowl onto Jiang Tongyan’s shirt.

       All the happiness and cuteness came to an abrupt end at this moment, and Jiang Tongyan had to sigh again that this kid was his nemesis.

       This was his newly bought shirt!

       3,678 yuan!

       Who’s going to pay for it?

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t know what he had done yet and was still immersed in his 36 yuan spicy hot pot.

       “Qian Xiaoke.”

       “Huh?”

       “You did it on purpose?” Jiang Tongyan’s voice became cold.

       Qian Xiaoke looked up at him in confusion and then saw Jiang Tongyan pointing at a certain spot on his dark blue shirt, which had a drop of stain on it.

       “…I did it?”

       “Who else?” Jiang Tongyan said, “Are you a pig?”

       Qian Xiaoke took a closer look and found that it was really a fresh stain, and he even sniffed it hard.

       Jiang Tongyan was so angry that he was dizzy and decided to stay away from this guy in the future. He was basically a time bomb, and he didn’t know where Qian Xiaoke would explode!

       “Forget it,” Jiang Tongyan stood up, “I’m unlucky to meet you.”

       From now on, no need to see him again.

       Jiang Tongyan finally understood that this guy was someone he couldn’t afford to offend. He could at least avoid him if he couldn’t afford to offend!

       He was about to leave, but Qian Xiaoke grabbed his arm.

       “Wait a minute!” Qian Xiaoke quickly pulled him back, “Come here.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him in horror, not knowing what this guy was going to do.

       He had already suffered a lot of injuries from him! He couldn’t afford to be hurt anymore, okay?

       Unexpectedly, Qian Xiaoke opened his black schoolbag and took out a pack of tissues from it.

       Jiang Tongyan sighed helplessly, “Big brother, this is an oil stain. Please don’t screw me over because of this, okay?”

       “What do you know!” Qian Xiaoke pulled out a tissue and quickly stuck it on Jiang Tongyan’s shirt.

       Jiang Tongyan was angry and didn’t dare to say anything. He watched nervously, fearing that if this guy rubbed it hard, his clothes would be completely ruined.

       Fortunately, Qian Xiaoke just stuck the tissue there and didn’t rub it randomly.

       “This thing is amazing,” Qian Xiaoke said, “Come on, it’s time to witness the miracle!”

       He pressed it a few times and then carefully wiped the place. When he removed the paper towel, the oil stain was so light that it was almost invisible.

       “…For real?” Jiang Tongyan picked up his shirt and looked at it carefully.

       Qian Xiaoke said proudly, “Amazing, isn’t it?! Stain removal wipes are a must-have for those of us who often eat spicy hot pot! You rich people are really ignorant!”

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Notes:
I will be uploading once a week until I finished translating this
Once I reached the end, I will increase the upload to 2x/week~

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       What kind of person was Qian Xiaoke?

       Eating a spicy hotpot required careful budgeting.

       A bowl of spicy hotpot, no matter how hungry you were, should not cost more than 20 yuan. This was the basic quality of a poor person.

       But now, a bowl of 36 yuan deluxe spicy hotpot was in front of him.

       Lu Xun once said, “If you don’t take advantage of a bargain, you are an idiot.”

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t want to be an idiot, so he tried to take advantage of it.

       But Qian Xiaoke also understood a truth, there was no free lunch in the world.

       He said, “Mr. Jiang, how about we split the bill.”

       “Split the bill?” Jiang Tongyan looked at him puzzledly.

       “Yes,” Qian Xiaoke pointed to the deluxe spicy hotpot and said, “36 a bowl, I pay 18.”

       Then, Jiang Tongyan almost laughed to death.

       He swore that in his wonderful life over the past 30 years, he had seen all kinds of people, but he had never seen someone like Qian Xiaoke, who wanted to take advantage but was timid and felt that he would lose if he didn’t take advantage.

       “And then we both eat a bowl?” Jiang Tongyan teased him deliberately.

       He found that teasing Qian Xiaoke was a particularly fun thing in life. His life was boring, and he was anxious about impotence recently. If he was not too busy at work, he really planned to go to a psychologist to talk. However, now it seemed that teasing Qian Xiaoke was obviously more effective than talking to a psychologist, and it costs less, only 36.

       No, maybe it only costs 18 yuan.

       Qian Xiaoke, you are really…cheap!

       “Of course not!” Qian Xiaoke’s body trembled, “I have mysophobia! I can’t share a bowl with others!”

       The mysophobia was fake, but he was reluctant to share half a bite with others.

       “Mysophobia?” Jiang Tongyan laughed out loud, “It’s really unlikely. I’ve seen people with mysophobia before, and you don’t have the slightest trace of mysophobia.”

       “If I say so, then it is so.” Qian Xiaoke said, “If you want to eat, just order it yourself.”

       Jiang Tongyan raised his eyebrows at him, “Oh, I did order it.”

       As he spoke, Jiang Tongyan’s spicy hot pot was ready.

       The 36-yuan deluxe spicy hot pot made Qian Xiaoke drool.

       It was great to be rich.

       In the past, no matter how hard Qian Xiaoke’s life was or how much he contrasted with Zhou Mo, he never expressed such emotion. At that time, Qian Xiaoke was indifferent when he saw Zhou Mo showing off his luxury house, luxury car, and luxury bags on Weibo. However, a bowl of spicy hot pot for 36 yuan made him sigh, ‘It’s great to be rich!’

       “Want to eat?” Jiang Tongyan said, “I’ll treat you.”

       Qian Xiaoke saw the teasing in his eyes. Although he didn’t know how to write the word ‘teasing’, he directly replaced the ‘teasing’ with pinyin in his mind, but he knew that Jiang Tongyan was humiliating him.

       “No need!” Qian Xiaoke took out his mobile phone, scanned the code to pay, and then said proudly, “Boss! Give me a 36 yuan Supreme Super Thunderbolt Deluxe Spicy Hotpot!”

       Jiang Tongyan couldn’t help laughing when he heard his series of prefixes.

       Impulse brought momentary pleasure, but constant impulsiveness led to disaster.

       Qian Xiaoke ordered 36 yuan of spicy hotpot because of impulse, but when he entered the password to pay, his heart was bleeding.

       With his meagre monthly salary, he scrimped and saved just to get by. This one meal of spicy hotpot was enough to buy him a piece of clothing.

       He could wear a 36-yuan T-shirt for at least two summers. If he washed it less often and gently, he could wear it for three years. Even when it was finally worn out, it could still be used as pyjamas. And now, that amount was gone in a single meal.

       But for the sake of his pride, Qian Xiaoke still paid.

       After paying, he sat opposite Jiang Tongyan and waited for his spicy hotpot.

       “Aren’t you a mysophobe?”

       “What? What’s wrong?” Qian Xiaoke deliberately picked a fight, “Do you discriminate against us mysophobes?”

       “That’s not the case,” Jiang Tongyan said, “Since you are a mysophobe, why don’t you wipe the chair before sitting down?”

       “… I’ll wipe it now!”

       While eating this legendary spicy hotpot, Jiang Tongyan watched Qian Xiaoke rub the chair with a tissue.

       “Why are you so funny?” Jiang Tongyan said, “You pretended not to know me at Cheng Sen’s place today.”

       “Who are you again?” Qian Xiaoke started to act stupid again.

       “Oh, you really don’t know me?” Jiang Tongyan said, “Do you have intermittent amnesia?”

       Qian Xiaoke pouted and ignored him. He stared in the direction of the kitchen, looking forward to his spicy hotpot.

       Jiang Tongyan stole a glance at Qian Xiaoke and started teasing him again.

       “Hey, do you know why I returned to China this time?”

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t answer but suddenly became nervous.

       The tone of the man opposite became a little serious, which made him very uneasy.

       He thought: Could it be that he came back to settle accounts with me and let me take responsibility?

       During this period, he looked up a lot of information on the treatment of impotence on the internet. To be honest, it was very difficult to treat it, and first of all, he had to figure out whether Jiang Tongyan’s problem was psychological or physical.

       If it was psychological, it might really be his fault. Although he didn’t want to, he might have to take the responsibility of a man.

       But then again, if it was physical, this man was not good at first, then it was not his fault; he was also a victim!

       While Qian Xiaoke’s brain was spinning rapidly, Jiang Tongyan spoke again, “I did it all for you.”

       Qian Xiaoke was almost choked to death by the air he inhaled.

       Jiang Tongyan deliberately acted gentle, “Have you heard that song? I can’t forget the first time I saw you, a pair of charming eyes…”

       “Brother, don’t speak.” Qian Xiaoke stopped the man from continuing to sing.

       Actually, it was not because Jiang Tongyan sang badly. To be honest, he sang well, and Qian Xiaoke was about to change his mind about him.

       In order not to have pity for his enemy, Qian Xiaoke interrupted him in time.

       “I’m serious,” Jiang Tongyan felt that it was a pity not to act. He was so handsome and so good at acting. Maybe he could win the best actor when he debuted. “After seeing you that time, I couldn’t forget you.”

       This much was true. Qian Xiaoke was really in his dreams.

       However, this so-called ‘can’t forget’ was that he couldn’t wait to catch this kid, peel off his skin and throw him out to plant flowers.

       Jiang Tongyan was so angry that his teeth itched.

       Qian Xiaoke had never encountered such a thing.

       He had been quite good looking since he was a child, but his love life was really not smooth.

       What he said to Jiang Tongyan when he was drunk at Zhou Mo’s birthday party that day was true. He was the kind of person who fell in love with everyone he met. As long as the one was pretty, he would be immediately attracted to the person. However, he had never had a serious relationship. Everyone said to him when they rejected him, “Xiaoke, your soul runs too fast. I can’t keep up.”

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t know what they meant before, but then he realised that all these guys were into that kind of high-mountain flower or sexy temptress, but he was like a furry bunny all day long, and this overly jumpy personality made the dudes think he was a psychopath.

       He felt wronged.

       Qian Xiaoke felt that he could also be sexy and cute.

       Qian Xiaoke, who had never had a smooth love life, was inevitably confused when someone ‘confessed’ to him for the first time.

       He turned around and looked at Jiang Tongyan, “You… to me…” Qian Xiaoke suddenly said shyly, “Did you fall in love at first sight?”

       Jiang Tongyan watched the little guy take the bait, and his tail was so proud that it stood up.

       He was going to catch this little fish and grill it!

       “What do you think?” Jiang Tongyan sighed sadly, “Actually, I don’t know myself. After all, I have never loved.”

       Never loved? Qian Xiaoke thought, shouldn’t you rich people live a decadent life of luxury?

       But he thought again, that’s right, in a world of luxury, there is no such thing as true love.

       Rich people are really pitiful.

       “I only know that I think of you every day when I open my eyes and close my eyes. I always think of you when I am distracted when I am doing things. Every day in New York feels like a year. In the past half month, I seem to have aged ten years.” Jiang Tongyan said, “You could say, I am doing this to you—”

       “Mine! Mine! Mine!” Jiang Tongyan had not finished his pretentious heartfelt confession when Qian Xiaoke’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he stood up and shouted to the back kitchen, “Boss! My spicy hotpot!”

       Alright then.

       Jiang Tongyan saw that in the eyes of this little bastard, he, a handsome guy, was not as important as a bowl of spicy hotpot.

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