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Xu Yu asked about a waiter job at a nearby grilled fish restaurant. At first, the owner thought he was a summer intern, but after looking at his ID, he was a little surprised: "You've taken good care of yourself."
"Maybe I have a little baby fat, but I'm not that small." Xu Yu introduced herself, "I can do housework and I'm fully capable of it."
He was serious and sincere, it didn't feel like an interview, but more like a blind date.
The boss appreciated his attitude and said, "We usually hire long-term part-time workers here, starting from three months. The salary is paid weekly, 80 yuan a day, and the working hours are from 5 pm to 9 pm. If you're okay with that, you can come and start work tomorrow."
Xu Yu's eyes sparkled: "Thank you, boss, for giving me the opportunity."
It was Xu Yu’s first time working in a big city, so he cherished this opportunity very much. He woke up three times in one night and went to work two hours earlier than the day of the interview.
He was so busy that he had no time to be distracted. The grilled fish restaurant was particularly busy in the afternoon and the business did not decrease until nine o'clock. Xu Yu took the initiative to help for another hour. When only people who were drinking were left and the other tables were almost cleared, Xu Yu walked home.
He had cleaned before, but never with such efficiency. His back ached, and even walking was a bit tiring. So he found a bench and sat on the side of the road, gazing at the stars.
Xu Yu's thoughts were interrupted by a phone call. Wang Li on the other end yawned and asked wearily, "Why didn't you reply to the message I sent you yesterday? Are you sick again?"
"I forgot."
"Okay. I just wanted to talk to you about having dinner together sometime. Our editor-in-chief knows you helped me get the banner and wants to get to know you. Do you have time?"
"I don't have time." Xu Yu said, "I'm in Qingying now."
"Qingying? There's such a place in Tingfeng City... What the hell? Qingying City?" Wang Li's sleepiness was gone. "Are you running away from Xi Jiang?"
Xu Yu said weakly: "I wanted to, but no, he threw me here."
There was silence on the other end. Xu Yu thought he had hung up, so she stood up and continued walking home. Suddenly, the phone rang with a deafening cry: "How dare he leave you out here alone, you son of a bitch?"
"Who knows?" Xu Yu said as he entered the residential complex. "I'm home now. If you have anything to say, just tell me during the day. I want to sleep."
"Why do you sound so tired?"
"I just got off work."
There was silence on the other end again, and then a pop-up interface appeared, with two transfers of 30,000 each.
"He treated you like this? He's so cruel, is he even a human being? I don't want to see you selling ice cream. Is that enough? If not, I'll give you some more. Don't tire yourself out."
A long list of greetings, just like a mother worrying about her children outside.
Xu Yu was very touched, but didn't want to talk anymore: "I really fell asleep."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Yu drank half a glass of water and fell asleep on the bed. Due to the fatigue, the night was particularly heavy. When he woke up, his waist and back ached. He didn't get out of bed until twelve o'clock.
He took a shower and searched the nearby vegetable market, preparing to buy some vegetables to cook something. The vegetable market was not far away. Xu Yu bought two bunches of cabbage and other ingredients, and bought ten yuan of pork, then walked back a little tired.
Before he was halfway there, Xu Yu was so tired that his arms could barely hold the cabbage, so he sat on a bench near the bus to rest.
It was only one day of work and he felt like he was going to die.
I turned my head and rummaged through the bag of mineral water, and found that behind me was a cafe with a cute brown bear, and my seat was facing the large floor-to-ceiling window.
Someone looked over at him while he was drinking water. Perhaps they mistook him for a homeless person? Xu Yu tightened the water bottle, still feeling the gaze. He turned around and saw that it was Zhu Wenxu.
Zhu Wenxu looked through the window without much emotion, but the woman sitting opposite him also looked over.
Xu Yu was a little flustered. He didn't want Zhu Wenxu to see him in this state, so he grabbed his things and fled the scene.
As the person ran, Zhu Wenxu stood up immediately, but when he found that the figure had completely disappeared, he slowly sat down again.
The androgynous beauty raised an eyebrow: "Know him?"
"It's none of your business."
"Why is it okay? I'm your fiancée." The beautiful woman stirred the cold drink in front of her with a glass straw. "It's rare to see you so emotional. Is it an enemy like Xi Jiang? Or is it someone you like?"
“…”
Zhu Wenxu wiped his lips with a white handkerchief: "It has nothing to do with you. Just tell me, Ke Yu, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Ke Yu twirled his hair and said, "It's nothing. My girlfriend and I were photographed kissing a while ago. My dad doesn't know about it yet, so I want you to help me deal with it."
Zhu Wenxu sneered: "Aren't you going to become a straight woman for the sake of your family?"
Ke Yu also laughed: "Even the famous Zhu Wenxu couldn't change his sexual orientation, let alone a beautiful vase like me who only knows how to spend money?"
In short, the atmosphere was tense. The family marriage, whether to sacrifice or not, was a matter of freedom for Ke Yu and Zhu Wenxu. They had no choice and had to follow the traditional family rituals.
Ke Yu secretly felt regretful. If her sexual orientation was the same as her younger sister's, and she both liked handsome guys, then even if this marriage was without any feelings, she would still be able to get something spiritual for free.
Unfortunately, from the day they met, she knew that Zhu Wenxu was not straight. He was pretending to be someone else, and he had been pretending for years, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the answer.
She didn't have time to care too much because her girlfriend, who was prone to losing her temper from time to time, occupied her entire life.
Zhu Wenxu leaned back in his chair and said, "Don't be sarcastic with me. It's useless. Your father won't know. I'm leaving now."
Ke Yu was very satisfied with Zhu Wenxu's answer, and deliberately said in a pretentious manner: "Thank you, fiancé, but your current look is pretty good. Who made it for you? It looks too spooky, give it to me."
Zhu Wenxu ignored her and left the cafe.
The other side.
Xu Yu also arrived home. After he finished cooking and eating, Wang Li called again.
"Are you okay today?"
"generally."
"Are you still working?" Wang Li asked. "What kind of work, brother? Is it a regular job? Don't be fooled."
Xu Yu put the bowl into the sink slowly and said, "Waiter, we have to go again in the afternoon."
“…”
"I'm telling you about the qualifications. Consider it. I'll help you get the grades. If you pass, you can completely skip the rookie period and enter the industry. It won't be difficult to earn over 10,000 yuan a month."
Xu Yu washed the dishes, wiped his hands, and took out clothes from the closet to change into: "I don't have time for now, maybe later."
"He's just left you to fend for yourself? He probably won't care about you anymore, right?" Wang Li said anxiously. "I'm worried when I hear about the hardship you've been through."
"I've saved some money, but I'm not sure if I'll have to pay the rent myself. I don't know anyone here, so I'll just have to get used to it."
"What do you mean? Xi Jiang treats you like this? Does that mean he doesn't care about you anymore?"
Xu Yu changed his clothes and said, "Let's talk next time. I have to go to work."
…
Today was no different from yesterday. Xu Yu was serving dishes all the time. Seeing how diligent he was, the two waiters occasionally hid in the corner to smoke and slack off. Xu Yu was busy like a top and almost couldn't recover when he got off work at nine o'clock.
He was still very tired. When he walked back, his feet were sore and his legs were weak. He had to struggle to walk up the bridge. As he walked, Xu Yu was about to go around the person in front of him, but when he looked up, he found Zhu Wenxu standing there.
A man with his hands in his pockets, expressionless.
Xu Yu subconsciously wanted to go around and pretend not to know him, but before he could do so, he was blocked.
"I send you."
Xu Yu: "I thought you went back to Tingfeng."
"I have a project here." Zhu Wenxu followed him, "I won't be back until later."
There were flowers planted around the Maosheng community, and the sticky night was filled with a rich fragrance. Xu Yu felt like vomiting, but he held it back next to Zhu Wenxu. After walking a little further, he stopped at a roadside vending machine and asked, "Would you like some water?"
Zhu Wenxu walked around to him and bought him a bottle of water.
Xu Yu was too lazy to order and took it slowly: "Thank you, I owe you another bottle of water."
"What about you?" he asked suddenly.
After drinking some water, Xu Yu calmed down a bit and turned on his phone again to come back to his senses: "What?"
"Aren't you traveling? When will you be back?"
Xu Yu just remembered this outrageous lie, blinked his eyes and looked at Zhu Wenxu, then turned his head away.
"For now... wait a while."
After that, Zhu Wenxu didn't ask any more questions and followed him to the entrance of the community.
Xu Yu: "I'm going back first."
"Okay, good night."
"good evening."
Xu Yu quickly entered the residential complex and left. After returning home, he didn't have time to think about why Zhu Wenxu showed up. His head sank and he fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, his waist and hands hurt even more.
Now I regret not training my arms more in the gym.
Wang Li told him the benefits of being a paparazzi every day and how rich his qualifications were. He even said that if Xu Yu was prosecuted, he would take full responsibility.
Xu Yu really couldn't show any interest and just replied "yes" every time.
Wang Li knew that he was being treated perfunctorily, but he still enjoyed recommending him jobs that did not require a high level of education.
When they arrived at the grilled fish restaurant, the boss handed Xu Yu a bottle of Red Bull. Xu Yu was not used to it and replaced it with a bottle of three-yuan green tea from the cabinet.
The person he'd been with yesterday showed up; they were friends, sharing something interesting they'd seen on their phones. Xu Yu didn't join in, changing into her apron and setting the table.
Customers kept coming in one after another, and Xu Yu was so busy that he almost lost track of all the customers who ordered side dishes. Xu Yu felt a little overwhelmed and asked the other two, "Can you remember the side dishes for table 7?"
"I'm busy."
"I'm not free either."
They were sitting on the bench next to each other, smoking cigarettes and playing with their cell phones.
Xu Yushen glanced at the two of them and went back to serve the dishes.
At nine o'clock, not many people were around. Xu Yu took off her apron and went into the kitchen. The boss thought someone was ordering something else, so he wiped his mouth and asked, "Another side dish?"
Xu Yu shook his head: "I want to find some water to drink."
"Whatever you have, take it."
The boss was busy at the back and had no idea what was happening at the front, nor did he know how many times the two had smoked in the previous hour.
Xu Yu took a bottle of the most expensive Red Bull, took his bag and told the boss that he was going back.
When he got on the bridge, he saw Zhu Wenxu again. He had changed his clothes, and because they were so eye-catching, passers-by kept turning their heads.
Xu Yu took out a bottle of Red Bull from her bag and gave it to him: "Want some?"
"Drink." He was about to pull the ring.
Xu Yu quickly stopped him: "Drink it during the day and at noon. You won't be able to sleep if you drink it at night."
"good."
"Do you pass by here every day?" Xu Yu asked knowingly.
Zhu Wenxu nodded: "I pass by here every day."
"I'll treat you to a bottle of mineral water tomorrow," Xu Yu said. "I still owe you a lot."
"good."
Zhu Wenxu could sense Xu Yu's mood along the way, so he didn't ask any more questions and sent him to the gate of the community.
"good evening."
"good evening."
Zhu Wenxu stayed on the bridge for the next three days. Xu Yu didn't want to talk most of the time except because he was tired. He only said good night when they reached the door.
On Friday, Xu Yu hung out the clothes and went out. After arriving at the fish shop, he started to get busy again. It rained in the middle of the journey, so he had to set up a tent, and business dropped significantly.
The two sat in a corner playing with their phones, laughing from time to time. The boss was busy in the kitchen and rarely came out. Occasionally, he would say a few words when he saw them. The two got up unhappily to clear the table.
Xu Yu stared at the endless rain for a while, served wine to the customer, put it down and wrote down the bill. One of the customers was playing with his phone and turned around and bumped into Xu Yu.
Xu Yu hissed, and before he even looked up, he saw the boy's angry face: "Don't you have eyes?"
"It was you who bumped into me, okay?" Xu Yu felt dizzy.
"You're still pretending, and you're stabbing me with a knife when you're not happy with me. It's really disgusting."
"Alright, alright, why are you arguing with him? He looks like that, and he's probably been played with by countless people."
The words were so rude that the customers nearby couldn't help but start cursing: "I saw it, you hit someone, and you're barking like a dog?"
When the two boys saw this, their faces flushed and they started arguing, "You said it was me? Don't think I don't know that you're attracted to him too."
"You just spit out shit as soon as you open your mouth. You're messing around, right? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart." The customer said as he was about to attack.
"Come on, come on, if you have the guts, chop me with a knife."
Xu Yu recovered and finally saw the two men's faces clearly. When he joined the company, his boss said they were part-timers like him, university graduates, and that they would be paid 20 yuan less than Xu Yu and would only be working there for two months.
He watched calmly until the boy, who had nothing left to curse at, turned his head and pushed him.
Xu Yu was pushed back a few steps. His mind was suddenly jolted, and a chaotic mess of images appeared. He was so uncomfortable that he picked up the wine bottle next to him and smashed it forward. The wine and glass spread in the air. Two bottles in a row completely shocked the scene.
What was A-Lu's expression at that time? Xu Yu knew it all too well; that expression had often surfaced during his seven years of repressed life.
The wine bottle smashed, and Xu Yu lifted the arm of one of the men. The man's facial features became dazed and exaggerated. He probably didn't expect that a thin and weak man like him could have so much strength.
The boy's face was pressed against the table, the broken glass stopped at his neck, and the voice was neither cold nor indifferent: "Chopping is too slow, scratching is faster."
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