Chapter 1
Chapter 1
I pretended I hadn’t seen him and lowered my head, continuing to turn the sausages on the grill.
Chen Wen clearly had no intention of leaving. He stared at me for a long while before finally saying, “You really didn’t recognize me.”
I raised the tongs and pointed them at him. “Get lost.”
Chen Wen took a bite of the grilled sausage in his hand, chewed twice, and started nitpicking. “Boss, your technique sucks.”
I looked at him calmly. “If you’re so good, you do it.”
And hearing that, Chen Wen really did.
He had the unfinished sausage clenched between his teeth, puffing out one cheek. Then he took the tongs from me, lowered his eyes to look down at me, acting all smug and even a little provocative.
“If business gets too good, don’t get jealous.”
Expressionless, I said, “The country must be heartbroken that you refuse to donate your thick skin to make bulletproof vests.”
“Refuse?” Chen Wen flipped the sausages while laughing. “I’m just too attached to it.”
Within a few minutes, several girls came over. The one in front stared at Chen Wen and asked, “Boss, how much for one?”
Chen Wen shot me an incredibly annoying glance, then answered, “One yuan.”
I quickly corrected him. “Two. They’re two yuan.”
When the girl heard that, she smiled sweetly at Chen Wen and said, “Then I’ll take five.”
With that look on her face, anyone who didn’t know better would think she was trying to buy Chen Wen.
Chen Wen nodded and briskly skewered them for her, then glanced at me. “Business is here. Aren’t you going to take the money?”
“…”
I hurriedly reached out and took it.
This street was at its liveliest at night, with plenty of stalls set up. Luckily, my mom was sharp and had claimed the best spot for me ahead of time. The darker the sky grew, the more people came out to have fun.
If not for Chen Wen, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up at all.
Fine. If not for him, I wouldn’t have been this busy in the first place.
Our conversation was extremely limited:
“Change.”
“Hand me the skewers.”
“Tsk, that’s five.”
Gradually, I realized something was off. The situation was getting harder and harder to control.
“Why is it that when I’m here, I can count the customers on one hand?” In the end, I couldn’t hold back the question.
Chen Wen was squatting on the steps behind the stall, tugging at his collar to fan himself, his collarbone appearing and disappearing in flashes.
Hearing me, he lifted his eyes and looked over. “Do you really have no idea?”
I didn’t reply. Instead, I silently started calculating the money. My mom had said whatever I made today would be mine, to keep as spending money when school started. Now, the situation was bad. Thanks to Chen Wen, in just half an hour, we’d already broken a hundred.
If he asked to split it evenly, wouldn’t I lose out? After all, Chen Wen was sharp as hell.
Just as I was wearing a worried expression, someone else came over. This time, she wasn’t here to buy grilled sausages, but boldly and directly asked for his contact info.
Chen Wen’s ways of rejecting people were so varied they were astonishing, and honestly, admirable. He could make someone stop liking him with a single sentence.
Like right now.
“Sure, but you’ll have to add my alt account.” Chen Wen smiled. “I’m afraid my girlfriend will find out.” As he spoke, he was about to take out his phone.
The girl’s expression changed instantly. She turned and left, seeming to mutter, “Gross.”
From the side, I asked him, “Is there no one in this world whose opinion you care about anymore?”
Chen Wen lowered his eyes and flipped the sausages. A few wisps of smoke drifted out, slowly rising into the air. On this crowded street, that face of his had an especially strong presence. Right now, he looked completely indifferent. “I don’t know them. What they think doesn’t matter.”
Hearing that, my gossip radar immediately went off. I pressed on, “Then whose opinion does matter?”
Chen Wen stopped moving, tugged down the brim of his cap, and looked at me. His eyes were pitch-black and alluring.
“Yours.”
My whole body jolted.
“Your mom’s here.”
“…”