Chapter 27 Let's see your sincerity
Where did he put his business card?
Mu Yan reached into the card holder in his wallet, his fingertips trembling slightly.
No.......
Still no.
He did not add Shang Qiyue's business card to his card album.
He had no intention of helping Lin Guojun pay off his debts at the time, and had no idea that this would happen. He just wanted to live his life peacefully and never intended to look for Shang Qiyue.
His hopes were dashed, and he felt as if a thousand pounds of steel bars were pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Mu Yan bit her lip, telling herself not to cry; now was not the time to cry.
Let's count it again, check it again, maybe it's still there.
He remembered that the business card was very simple, with only Shang Qiyue's name and a number, which should have been easy to recognize.
His fingers trembled even more violently in his nervousness. He carefully searched through the business card holder, but still couldn't find Shang Qiyue's business card.
After a few seconds of mental blankness, Mu Yan remembered.
Shang Qiyue's business card was indeed torn up and thrown into the trash can by himself.
Mu Yan limped into the restroom, clutching his phone and wallet, and pushed open the innermost stall.
Don't cry, crying won't help. Think of any other way to contact him.
But Mu Yan was just an ordinary person, almost worlds apart from Shang Qiyue. Shang Qiyue could see him with just a nod, but for him to see Shang Qiyue was as difficult as climbing to the sky.
He had already made up his mind... to sell himself.
Mu Yan tilted her head back and covered her eyes, tears streaming uncontrollably down her fingers, leaving her face completely wet.
I'll just cry for a minute.
Just one minute.
Mu Yan watched the number on his phone screen jump from twenty-three to twenty-four, took a long breath, and tried to calm himself down.
But he was really sad...
My knees hurt so much.
He wanted to just cry without caring about anything, but in the end, he pushed open the door to the cubicle and went out.
Standing in front of the sink, the person in the mirror had red, swollen eyes and a face streaked with tears, looking utterly disheveled. Mu Yan scooped up some water, washed her face clean, and walked out of the bathroom with her head down.
With a loud bang.
He bumped right into an alpha walking towards him.
Mu Yan's leg was already injured, and the force of the impact almost knocked him to the ground.
But no.
Because the alpha caught him.
It wouldn't be accurate to say they helped each other up; the two bumped into each other right at the bathroom door. The man, probably worried about blocking people coming in and out, quickly put his arm around the man's waist and picked him up like a child, carrying him to the side.
Mu Yan had been an adult for a long time, and this was the first time he had been treated like this. He subconsciously let out a soft cry and walked to an open space, where the man quickly put him down again.
"Why do you always make yourself look so pathetic?" the man said.
The man was tall and slender with cold, stern eyes. Mu Yan was stunned when she saw his face clearly.
"..." Because he had just cried so hard, Mu Yan could barely speak, and when he opened his mouth, he could only choke back sobs.
"What happened to your leg?" Shang Qiyue asked him.
Mu Yan didn't answer, but instead reached out and gently grabbed his sleeve.
"What's wrong?" Shang Qiyue looked down at Mu Yan's hand gripping his sleeve with a leisurely air.
"Sir..." Mu Yan didn't dare to look up at him, her voice weak and trembling with a hint of tears, "Is that agreement you mentioned still... still valid?"
Shang Qiyue looked at him but did not answer immediately.
Mu Yan's heart was pounding so hard that he suspected even Shang Qiyue across from him could hear the thumping of his chest.
Someone like Shang Qiyue must have many people around him. Could it be that he has completely forgotten who he is?
My heart was beating faster and faster, almost as if it was going to jump out of my chest.
Mu Yan's original sense of shame was almost completely exhausted in this anxious wait. She kept her head down, afraid of hearing a word of rejection from Shang Qiyue.
In that case... where will he get the money for his mother's dialysis?
"Don't you have a boyfriend? Why don't you ask him for help?"
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Qiyue finally condescended to speak.
His tone was always calm, even sounding somewhat like a joke, but it made Mu Yan feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
“I’ve already…broken up,” he replied softly.
"You only came to me after the breakup; you're quite principled," Shang Qiyue chuckled. "Was it because he didn't want to help you?"
Mu Yan was taken aback.
By the time he realized what was happening, tears were already streaming down his face like beads from a broken string.
He knew he had no right to feel aggrieved in front of Shang Qiyue. The first time they met, Shang Qiyue found his crying annoying.
He tried to calm himself down, but the more he tried to stop, the more tears he shed.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” Mu Yan said, choking back tears, “but I really have no other choice. Can you help me? I’ll do anything you ask.”
“Okay.” This time, Shang Qiyue answered quickly.
“But you’ve already rejected me once, so of course I can’t offer you the same terms as that day.”
Mu Yan said urgently, "I understand..."
Shang Qiyue couldn't help but laugh at his expression. He reached out and wiped away the tear stains from the corner of Mu Yan's eyes with his fingertips. Mu Yan's tears were still warm. "What do you understand?"
Mu Yan looked up at Shang Qiyue with tearful eyes, clearly not understanding what Shang Qiyue meant.
"You have to show me your sincerity."
Mu Yan was stunned for a moment, then realized what Shang Qiyue meant by "sincerity".
"...Now?"
"I don't mind. If you're not in a hurry, a few days is fine too."
"I'm so worried, sir," Mu Yan said anxiously, tears welling up in his eyes again. "She needs dialysis tomorrow, and if we can't pay the bill today, my mother..."
"Will you pay for the population?" Shang Qiyue asked directly.
His words, word for word, rushed into Mu Yan's ears, almost making him dizzy.
Shang Qiyue remained calm, seemingly unaware that anything was amiss.
But it really can't be called insulting. Mu Yan brought it up himself, wasn't it about this very thing?
Of course, Shang Qiyue wouldn't just randomly ask someone on the street if they knew how to do this.
“I’m sorry, I…” Mu Yan began with difficulty, “I can learn.”
Shang Qiyue's eyes were playful, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Seeing his appearance, Mu Yan felt even more frightened. He murmured sorry, but he didn't know what other way he could prove his "sincerity" to Shang Qiyue.
"You never did this for your ex-boyfriend?" Shang Qiyue asked.
Mu Yan didn't know why he suddenly asked this question, so she lowered her eyes and shook her head.
He dared not look up at Shang Qiyue, as if waiting for the sword of Damocles to fall from the sky, awaiting Shang Qiyue's final verdict.
“You can just…” Mu Yan stammered, thinking of the forced scenes in the few adult movies he had seen, “You can… just put it down my throat.”
As long as you give me money.
But Shang Qiyue didn't say anything.
For Mu Yan, it felt like an eternity. Finally, Shang Qiyue raised his hand and stroked his hair like he was petting a puppy.
"In that case, your lips will crack and your throat will be damaged."
"Here," Shang Qiyue touched the corners of his lips, "it'll be very noticeable. Tomorrow, when you take the subway to work, everyone who sees you will know you were interrupted. Are you willing to accept that?"
His words were extremely offensive. If twenty-year-old Mu Yan had heard someone say such things to someone else, he would have slapped them no matter who they were.
But to this day, Mu Yan has not felt any sadness or anger at all.
That's 150,000.
If you can earn 150,000 this way, thinking about it, it's not actually that hard to accept...
"It's okay," Mu Yan said softly but firmly. "It's okay."
His eyes were still red from crying. They were bloodshot and red, like a little rabbit's.
So obedient, so easy to bully. Shang Qiyue thought.
If it weren't for me, I would have been bullied to death.
"Come here and kiss me, and I'll give you the money."
Mu Yan was stunned, completely unaware of what Shang Qiyue was thinking.
But he quickly and obediently moved closer. Shang Qiyue's handsome eyebrows and high nose bridge were very close. He hesitated for a moment, and the first kiss landed on the tip of his nose.
Shang Qiyue could see a teardrop on his eyelashes. After a while, the teardrop fell as his eyelashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings.
He has pheromone disorder and can't tolerate omega pheromones. Mu Yan is a beta, so normally he shouldn't have pheromones.
But on the night of their first meeting, he inexplicably smelled a faint, freshly baked bread scent, still brushed with butter, emanating from this seemingly ordinary beta.
He asked the doctor, who said that betas can produce very faint pheromones when they are extremely emotionally agitated, but they are difficult for ordinary people to smell.
Shang Qiyue is a top-tier alpha, already beyond the ordinary. In addition, he suffers from pheromone disorder, which may have caused his body to mistakenly identify Mu Yan as an omega. The two also have a high pheromone compatibility, achieving an effect similar to a destined match between an alpha and an omega.
Destined lovers are naturally more sensitive to each other's pheromones.
Shang Qiyue certainly didn't intend to spend his life with a beta from an ordinary background, but his illness hadn't found a cure yet, and Mu Yan just happened to come along at that time.
They're so pitiful and obedient; all it takes is the price of a golf racket for them to be bullied so easily.
Seeing that he didn't react, Mu Yan hurriedly gave him a second kiss in a conciliatory manner.
The second kiss landed on his cheek.
She's like a fairy, so alluring.
Shang Qiyue smelled the aroma of bread on him and couldn't resist the urge to take a bite out of his face.
He picked Mu Yan up like a child, then carried him to a chair not far away, sat down, put his hands on his hips, pressed him onto his lap, and kissed him.
"He's too thin. There's no meat on his body at all. It's so uncomfortable to hold him."
Mu Yan couldn't understand the meaning of his words, and instinctively began to apologize. He was terrified of being disliked by Shang Qiyue. Without Shang Qiyue, he really didn't know how else he could get the money for his mother's dialysis.
Shang Qiyue disliked his endless apologies, so he frowned impatiently, pressed his head down, and silenced his apologies with his lips and tongue.
Mu Yan's hair was as soft as he was, like touching a puppy's head. After kissing him, Shang Qiyue ruffled his hair again, then took out his phone and transferred money to him.
"I'll have my assistant draft the contract and send it to you in a bit. It's 200,000 a month. There are three requirements. First, you can't date or sleep with anyone else during the contract period. Of course, I don't like multiple relationships, and I won't have anyone else. Second, you have to be available whenever I call you." He glanced at Mu Yan's hesitant expression and added, "Don't worry, I also have a job. I won't be indulging in debauchery during the day and interfere with your work."
"I'll transfer you one million first, not included in the contract. Is that enough for your mother's dialysis?"
Mu Yan glanced down at his phone and shamelessly counted how many zeros were after the 1.
"And what's the third request?"
"Don't keep saying sorry all the time. People who don't know better might think you've cheated on me." Shang Qiyue picked him up and stood up, then let go of him and bent down slightly.
“Get on,” he gestured to Mu Yan, “I’ll carry you.”
"........gentlemen?"
"Do you think this is an idol drama? There are so many people in the hospital, do you expect me to carry you around?"
"Yes..." Mu Yan was about to apologize, but then remembered Shang Qiyue's three rules, and quickly swallowed the remaining two words. "I didn't mean that, I... I can walk by myself. I'm just walking a little slowly..."
Shang Qiyue didn't have much patience: "Come up when I tell you to."
Mu Yan hadn't been carried on someone's back like a child in a long time.
The last time was when he was a child. His older brother hadn't differentiated into an omega yet and was two heads taller than him. He sprained his ankle during PE class, and his brother carried him all the way home, saying that he was as light as a little girl.
Shang Qiyue shoved him into the passenger seat, and just as Mu Yan was about to close the door, it was reopened from the outside.
"You just said that if we don't pay today, your mother won't be able to have dialysis tomorrow. What's going on?" he asked.
“We owe the hospital 150,000 yuan in dialysis fees. The hospital’s maximum limit is 150,000 yuan. If we don’t pay it back, we can’t continue dialysis. My mother used to have dialysis twice a week. Tomorrow was supposed to be her dialysis day.”
Shang Qiyue had never been to a hospital like this before and didn't know where all these rules came from. He frowned and asked Mu Yan if he could pay the fees tomorrow.
Mu Yan nodded.
"That's fine then." Shang Qiyue breathed a sigh of relief, but then thought of something and quickly changed his mind, "Never mind, I'll go get it for you. Wait for me in the car."
After all, it's not a small matter, so it's better to resolve it sooner rather than later. Besides, I've heard that this kind of hospital is troublesome even if you have to pay, so do you expect Mu Yan to limp there tomorrow?
When Shang Qiyue returned after paying, he left through another door of the parking lot. When he opened the driver's side door, Mu Yan was leaning back in his seat, staring out the window in the direction he had originally left.
He turned around only after noticing the car door was open.
Is this person just going to stare at the direction I'm walking in forever? They're practically turning into a statue waiting for their husband to leave. How can they be so dense?
Shang Qiyue handed the receipt to Mu Yan, who examined it carefully several times, his eyes reddening again.
My mother can go back to dialysis, and my brother no longer needs to take out random online loans for it.
“Mr. Shang,” Mu Yan said urgently, “I’ll return the one million you just transferred to me to you. Please give me your bank account number.”
“You’re keeping it even though you didn’t ask for it back,” Shang Qiyue said. “Can’t you have any sense of being someone’s sugar daddy? Take what you can, it’s not like you don’t need the money…”
Mu Yan looked up at him, his eyes filled with panic. He was about to utter the words "I'm sorry," but he swallowed them back down.
After Shang Qiyue finished speaking, he was somewhat surprised by his loss of control.
He wouldn't normally say something like that.
He can put on a gentle and gentlemanly facade in public with ease, but for some reason, he feels an urge to say harsh things that he wouldn't normally say in front of Mu Yan, and then watch Mu Yan's sad and fearful expression, which he dares not show.
However, Shang Qiyue was not the type to look for reasons within himself. He attributed his unusual behavior to Mu Yan being too gentle, too obedient, and too easy to bully.
He didn't say anything and drove the car towards the villa he had just bought.
Mu Yan sat in the passenger seat, quietly looking down at the invoice, staring at the Song typeface of 150,000 yuan and the bank's seal.
He seemed to float away.
He then remembered to message his brother, who replied almost instantly: "Did Lu Chong borrow it? I'll pay it back with you."
"It's another friend," Mu Yan replied after thinking for a moment.
Shang Qiyue wouldn't ask him to repay the money, and naturally, he wouldn't want his brother's money either.
However, Mu Yan didn't know how to tell her brother about this, so she carefully considered her options and said she would explain to her brother later.
He did it willingly; no one forced him. Shang Qiyue isn't a bad person either.
He didn't want to make his brother sad.
The car stopped, and Mu Yan got out with Shang Qiyue. As he limped toward the elevator, Shang Qiyue came over and picked him up.
Mu Yan whispered that he could walk by himself, but Shang Qiyue ignored him.
Mu Yan didn't say anything more. Shang Qiyue carried him to the sofa. Mu Yan knew what was going to happen next, and he nervously gripped the hem of his clothes.
Shang Qiyue didn't do anything to him right away. He went to his room and made a phone call. Mu Yan didn't know if he should take a shower first, so he waited anxiously for him to finish the call and come out.
The furnishings in Shang Qiyue's house were very simple, not like someone lived there permanently. Mu Yan seemed to have nowhere to look, so he could only look down at the tips of his shoes.
Shang Qiyue finished the call quickly.
"President Shang," Mu Yan asked, though he knew it was a stupid question, "Am I... going to take a shower now?"
Shang Qiyue had just finished calling the family doctor to have someone check Mu Yan's leg. He was a little confused, but after thinking for a while, he realized that Mu Yan probably meant that the bandaged leg shouldn't get wet.
"Oh, okay, I'll find you a set of loungewear. Can you wash it yourself? Do you need my help?"
"No...no need," Mu Yan said, head down.
He had a bit of a phobia of the bathroom; it was too cramped, and the walls were so cold that he could barely stand up in the end.
Shang Qiyue casually agreed, not seeming unhappy.
When Mu Yan came out after taking a shower, there was an unfamiliar alpha sitting in the living room.
Mu Yan was stunned.
"Mr. Mu, are you experiencing any other symptoms besides leg pain?"
Before he could form any other thoughts, Alpha asked.
"For example, do you have any discomfort in your neck and spine, headaches, or other inconveniences? Have you had a CT scan?"
"He said his leg hurt, but I thought the hospital was too crowded, so I didn't take him for a CT scan," Shang Qiyue interjected. "Wouldn't it be best to get one anyway?"
"It's nothing," Mu Yan explained softly. "I was just hit by an electric scooter. He slowed down when he saw me, so it's not serious. Could you please come over?"
The family doctor smiled and said, "It's no trouble at all, it's part of my job. As for the electric scooter, it shouldn't be anything serious. Let me bandage it up for you."
The family doctor looked young, but he bandaged the wound skillfully and efficiently.
"Okay, these next few days, avoid strenuous exercise, eat a light diet, and avoid spicy food."
Mu Yan nodded, the doctor greeted Shang Qiyue, picked up his medicine box and left.
"Sir..." After confirming that the doctor had gone far away, Mu Yan called out to Shang Qiyue softly, and said haltingly, "Now I need to help you with... that, I just went online... and learned... how to do it."
It took Shang Qiyue a while to realize what he was talking about.
Mu Yan lowered his head when he said this, so his expression was not visible, but his earlobes were almost completely red.
Shang Qiyue gently pinched his chin and lifted his face.
They're so well-behaved, it makes me want to tease them.
"Can you do that with your leg injured like this? You'll have to kneel down to do that for me."
"You're asking for trouble."
Mu Yan's pupils contracted sharply when he uttered those words.
But now he has no grounds to refuse Shang Qiyue.
"I..." Before Mu Yan could finish saying "It's okay," Shang Qiyue released his grip on Mu Yan's chin.
"I'm not that thirsty yet, let's focus on getting my legs healed first."
"You just said you were going to take a shower. You didn't think I brought you here just to do that kind of thing, did you?"
Looking at Mu Yan's expression, Shang Qiyue knew that he had probably guessed right.
He knew he wasn't exactly a virtuous gentleman who could remain unmoved by temptation, and he would certainly admit to what he had done. But when something he had never even considered was being attributed to him, he couldn't help but feel a little angry.
He frowned, his expression turning cold.
“Sir, I didn’t mean to think of you like that…” Mu Yan became anxious when she saw his face darken, and reached out to grab his sleeve. “I know you are a good person. You gave me money and even asked someone to bandage me. I am really grateful to you.”
“You have really helped me a lot,” Mu Yan said without bowing her head, but looked up at Shang Qiyue. “I am really grateful to you. Yesterday, the doctor advised us to stop my mother’s dialysis, and my brother almost took out a high-interest online loan. Without you, I really don’t know what I would have done.”
Mu Yan's eyes are actually very bright and beautiful, but when he talks to Shang Qiyue, he often lowers his head and looks down.
Shang Qiyue subconsciously reached out and brushed the hair from Mu Yan's forehead, revealing Mu Yan's eyebrows and eyes in their entirety.
Mu Yan did not dodge.
"I don't care what you think of me, I don't care that much. Of course I'll fuck you too, so you need to get your leg healed quickly. You'll be living here from now on. What about your old place? Have you cancelled the lease?"
Mu Yan shook his head: "I haven't found a new house yet."
"That's perfect. You can check how far it is from here to your workplace. If it's inconvenient, I have other places here. Don't look for some random place yourself. I don't owe you that kind of money; it's too much trouble."
Mu Yan opened a ride-hailing app and checked. It wasn't far from the company, but it was a bit far from the subway station.
"Thank you, Mr. Shang. It's very convenient."
Shang Qiyue leaned closer to look at his phone screen, which showed the route to the nearest subway station: "Taking a taxi wouldn't cost much. You're not planning to walk or bike to the subway station and then take the subway, are you?"
"Can't you be a little more sensible? I just transferred a million to you."
Taking a taxi there would cost 20 yuan, and going back and forth every day wouldn't be a small amount.
"I......."
Shang Qiyue was so angry at him that he almost laughed.
"Whatever. I've ordered takeout. I'll get you some pork rib soup since you've injured yourself. Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
"Either is fine."
Shang Qiyue didn't press him any further, but simply asked the hotel to send over a few more light dishes.
"Can you cook?" Shang Qiyue suddenly asked Mu Yan after sending the message.
"I can cook a couple of simple dishes," Mu Yan nodded, "but it can't compare to what you get outside."
After a brief interaction with Mu Yan, Shang Qiyue roughly understood the pattern of his speech. According to Mu Yan, if he said he could cook two simple dishes, it probably meant that he was a good cook.
"I'd like to try your cooking sometime."
“Okay,” Mu Yan smiled, his eyes brightening. He seemed quite happy that Shang Qiyue was asking him to cook. “When is Mr. Shang free? I’ll go buy the groceries in advance. What would you like to eat?”
"Anything is fine, just cook a few of your favorites."
Shang Qiyue found this person really strange. Other people's mistresses couldn't wait to do nothing but be pleasured, but Mu Yan was eager to serve him. His eyes lit up when asked to cook a meal.
After dinner, Shang Qiyue went back to the master bedroom to sleep, leaving Mu Yan with a secondary bedroom, which was much larger than the master bedroom in his previous rented apartment.
Of course, that rental apartment only had one bedroom; there was no such thing as a master bedroom or a secondary bedroom.
The room had a nice aromatherapy scent; I wonder if it contained sleep-inducing ingredients. Perhaps it was because I had stayed up all night yesterday, but Mu Yan slept quite well on his first night here.
He got up early the next day to take his mother to dialysis, and tried to wash up quietly so as not to wake Shang Qiyue.
The house should be well soundproofed, but Shang Qiyue still came out of the room.
Did I wake you?
"Getting up so early to go to work? You're injured like this, won't the company grant you sick leave?" Shang Qiyue didn't answer his question, but asked in return.
"No," Mu Yan answered honestly. Xinqi is a big company, and it wouldn't force an employee to work even if he had a leg injury. "I took leave before. Today I'm taking my mother to dialysis."
He used up his menstrual leave yesterday because of Lu Chong's sensitive period. He can take five days of menstrual leave each time, and it's all paid. Anyway, he might as well take it. Mu Yan isn't that passionate about his job.
"Didn't you say yesterday that you have an older brother? Your leg is like this, can't your brother go? Don't you have any other relatives?"
Mu Yan paused for a moment, then did not answer immediately.
Lu Chong had asked similar questions many times before. It took Mu Yan a lot of time to make Lu Chong understand that small companies like the ones where his brother and Xiang Zhuo worked did not allow employees to take leave during working hours for any personal reasons.
If you're not satisfied, you can simply resign and leave for another company that doesn't allow employees to take leave.
Therefore, whenever it was a weekday morning dialysis session, Mu Yan would try her best to take her mother there herself, leaving her brother to take care of the weekend sessions or sessions after 5 p.m.
After listening, Lu Chong commented that this is what a highly replaceable workforce looks like.
Mu Yan knew he was right, but she still felt sad.
“I’ve already taken leave, my menstrual leave. It would be a lot of trouble if my brother took leave too. Other relatives are afraid of us borrowing money from them, so they won’t be willing to help,” Mu Yan thought for a moment, but still didn’t tell Shang Qiyue the reasons. He raised his face and smiled at Shang Qiyue, “Besides, I just fell down. I feel much better today. The doctor you found is really amazing.”
He smiled sincerely, as if to prove that he felt much better today. Mu Yan even stood up and took a few steps.
Shang Qiyue was almost laughing out of anger.
Mu Yan is a really amazing person. He can take the feelings of everyone except himself very seriously. Whether his brother can take leave is very important, whether he is woken up or not is very important, but whether his own legs hurt or he is tired is irrelevant.
He strongly suspected that even if he had made him unable to get out of bed yesterday, he would still carefully get up alone today to clean and shower for fear of waking him, and then struggle to get up to take his mother to dialysis.
Shang Qiyue is now really curious about how he broke up with his ex-boyfriend whom he was so madly in love with.
Given Mu Yan's personality, he can probably find a reasonable excuse for whatever the other party has done.
"Are you really deliberately messing with me?" Shang Qiyue said irritably, casually picking up his car keys and putting them in his pocket. "Let's go, let's take you there."
Mu Yan was surprised that Shang Qiyue would offer to see him off. Before he could even react, Shang Qiyue had already gone over to change his shoes.
"Didn't we agree on something? Why are you still acting cute and wanting me to hug you?"
No...no.
Mu Yan hurriedly walked towards the door.
Having a car is really convenient. Normally, it would take more than an hour and multiple transfers by subway, but with Shang Qiyue driving him, he arrived in less than half an hour.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Mu Yan had his first thought about buying a car for commuting.
But then I thought better of it. Buying a car would mean gas and maintenance, which would be quite expensive. Even with the money Shang Qiyue gave me, a car wasn't really a necessity.
Moreover, with this million, there might be hope for a transplant, something he and his brother had never considered before, so it's best not to touch the money.
"Sir, could you stop for a moment? I'd like to buy some xiaolongbao for my mom."
"Okay." Shang Qiyue agreed and parked the car on the side of the road. He drove a relatively low-key Cayenne today, so it wasn't too eye-catching.
"Sir, the steamed buns and pan-fried dumplings at this shop are quite good. Would you like to try them?" Mu Yan asked hesitantly before getting out of the car.
A wealthy person like Shang Qiyue must have eaten all kinds of delicious food, and the environment of this restaurant does look a bit dirty.
However, Mu Yan felt a little guilty that Shang Qiyue had come to the hospital with her on an empty stomach early in the morning.
Shang Qiyue was also struggling internally.
Even if a Michelin-starred chef were working at such a dirty and chaotic little shop, Shang Qiyue would never give it a second glance on a normal day.
But today he drove out hungry, and the beta next to him smelled like freshly baked bread with butter. Who could stand that?
After a struggle with his conscience, Mr. Shang finally condescended to get out of the car and walk into the breakfast shop.
"President Shang, please wait a moment."
Mu Yan probably noticed his dislike for the environment, so he took out tissues from his bag and bent down to wipe the old, peeling benches of the breakfast shop for him.
Beta is slender, and as she bends over, her fitted sweater and loose cargo pants accentuate her slim waist.
The breakfast shop was bustling with people, but no one was looking this way.
Shang Qiyue's Adam's apple bobbed, and he almost immediately pulled him up.
"That's fine, there's no need to be so particular."
"Okay, I'll go order now. I'll wipe the table when I get back. Would you like soy milk or tofu pudding?"
These small shops mostly sell powdered soy milk, but powdered soy milk should have passed inspection, so there shouldn't be any problems drinking it.
"Soy milk, sweet it is," Shang Qiyue replied.
Mu Yan quickly finished ordering and returned, sitting down directly. Then, he began to carefully wipe the table with the tissues he had brought.
The shop owner served a plate of pan-fried dumplings and two baskets of steamed buns. Mu Yan took three small plates and asked Shang Qiyue if he ate chili peppers and vinegar.
"Eat them all."
Mu Yan picked up the vinegar bottle that looked like it would leave his hands greasy if he touched it, and added vinegar to the two dishes in front of him.
"Do you want fresh chili peppers or chili oil?"
"Pan-fried buns need chili oil, and steamed buns need chopped chili peppers," Shang Qiyue replied.
Mu Yan added the straw to his drink one by one, then tore open the plastic bag outside the straw from the middle, discarded the bottom half of the plastic bag, and inserted the straw into the soy milk from the top half.
She was so well-behaved and attentive, as if she was born to enjoy running errands for others.
Mu Yan himself doesn't often eat the steamed buns from this shop; he usually only buys them for his mother. A basket of steamed buns costs seven yuan, while a single steamed bun costs only two yuan. He can eat two and be full, so there's a difference of three yuan.
But these xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are really delicious; they're very juicy, and the broth tastes like real meat broth. The skin is also very thin.
It tastes really good, especially fresh out of the steamer like this.
"Not bad," Shang Qiyue commented. "No wonder there are so many people."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be just being polite—given Shang Qiyue's status, there was no need for him to be polite—Mu Yan smiled happily and said, "I'm glad you like it."
"Don't you eat pan-fried buns? You only ordered them for me?"
"I'm already full, you can continue eating. This pan-fried bun is also quite good, I'd like you to try it too."
Shang Qiyue looked at him and put two pan-fried buns on his plate: "You only eat so little, and you're always worrying about this and that. No wonder you're so thin."
Mu Yan was stunned, wondering where the conclusion that he "worries about this and that all day long" came from. He and Shang Qiyue had only known each other for a short time. Putting aside their absurd first meeting, they had only known each other for two days.
He never told Shang Qiyue anything about himself.
Shang Qiyue pointed with his chopsticks at the pan-fried buns in front of him, indicating that he should eat first.
Mu Yan quickly lowered his head and bit into the pan-fried bun, and the juice flowed out.
"It's not hard to guess. That's just how you are. You make yourself so tired, and you don't even know what you're busy with all day long," Shang Qiyue said casually.
"Me...that kind of person?"
"You're quite capable, but unlucky. You do too many things beyond your capabilities and like to take on unnecessary responsibilities. I've seen plenty of people like you; either you make a fortune before you're thirty, or you develop depression before you're thirty."
"Eat up," Shang Qiyue urged when he saw Mu Yan stop eating and just stare blankly at him. "Are you a child? Do you think I'll coax you into eating a bite?"
Mu Yan quickly buried his head and ate the two pan-fried buns.
"Mr. Shang, I think... you're amazing."
"What's so great about it?"
A young person who can casually transfer a million dollars to someone? They must have been born into a good family.
The ability to be sarcastic when commenting on someone? You'd be lucky if you didn't get yelled at if you said that to someone else.
His brothers often commented that Shang Qiyue looked like a decent person, but was actually quite wicked inside.
Mu Yan didn't answer directly; he wasn't really good at flattering others: "How can one get rich before the age of thirty?"
"It depends on fate," Shang Qiyue replied.
"Making money isn't something you can achieve just by working hard. Even a pig can fly if the wind is blowing right. If you were lucky, you bought some Bitcoin ten years ago and would be financially independent by now. If you were unlucky, you bought an unfinished building and are still burdened with a mortgage."
Mu Yan lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected.
Shang Qiyue was absolutely right.
He seems to have seized every opportunity he could in his life. He got into the town's top high school, then into University A, chose what was then considered the most promising major, and went to work for the most tiring but highest-paying company.
But everything has turned out the way it is now.
Meeting Shang Qiyue turned out to be the only opportunity in his life. Shang Qiyue paid off his debts, gave him an unexpected sum of money, and solved almost all his predicaments.
At first, he righteously declared that he wanted to live a normal life, but after truly accepting it, Mu Yan was actually very grateful to God for letting him meet Shang Qiyue.
At least Mom can continue dialysis.
He quickly smiled again and raised his eyes: "But now I've met President Shang, which is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me... I'm very grateful to you no matter what."
Shang Qiyue felt a tremor in his heart when he saw those lamb-like eyes.
He really wanted to tell Mu Yan that he wasn't some kind of selfless benefactor who helped him for free. He gave money, and Mu Yan gave his body; it was a transactional relationship where neither of them owed the other anything.
But looking into those eyes, Shang Qiyue couldn't say a word.
[Author's Note]
On the surface, Shang Qiyue pretended to be nonchalant, as if he were just passing by, but in reality: "Driver, hurry up and move!"
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