As night fell, Huang Chen brought the coffee to the third-floor private room. As expected, upon entering, he saw Zhu Jingru standing on the balcony, the red mole at the corner of his eye highlighted by the light, creating a particular ambiance. His elbow rested casually on the railing, his body bent forward, his gaze focused, seemingly captivated by the view outside.
Because from there, he could see the coffee shop across the street, about to close.
“Boss, your coffee has arrived.” Huang Chen attentively placed the takeout coffee on the small table and walked over to stand shoulder to shoulder with Zhu Jingru. “Are you free this weekend? Let me treat you to a meal. Hot pot or barbecue? Steak or seafood?”
“Money falling from the sky?”
Huang Chen replied excitedly, “It actually is falling from the sky!”
“Tell me about it.”
“A-Yin from the coffee shop across the street and I are together! She’s the one who delivers the coffee. Counting the days, we’ve been flirting for more than two weeks, and I just confessed to her downstairs with flowers. She agreed to be my girlfriend!”
“…”
“Boss, all your previous matchmaking attempts have been unreliable. I didn’t expect this unintentional effort to bear fruit. By the way, what are we eating tomorrow?”
Zhu Jingru hadn’t heard a word of Huang Chen’s rambling.
Zhu Jingru asked with a smile, “Is she still downstairs?”
“Yes.”
“I’m giving you permission to leave work early today. I’ll drive you two on a date. The Ferris wheel in the south of the city is perfect for couples. After the Ferris wheel, go see a movie, I’ll book the whole theater for you. And supper’s on me too.”
Zhu Jingru arranged everything calmly and effortlessly, leaving Huang Chen completely dumbfounded. He knew what kind of person his boss was, not only eccentric but also someone who loved to have fun when he had nothing better to do.
Alarm bells rang, and he instinctively wanted to refuse.
“Helping others is a virtue. No need to thank me.” Zhu Jingru patted Huang Chen’s shoulder. “Take me to meet your girlfriend. Don’t let her wait too long. You work hard, and I’m practically an elder. Of course, I’m happy for you that you’ve found a girlfriend.”
A few words left Huang Chen’s already limited brainpower in a daze.
Rounding up, his boss was like an elder, and rounding up again, he and Shop Manager Bai were practically in-laws.
Zhu Jingru was quite pleased with himself. As he was about to turn and go downstairs, he suddenly sensed something. A gaze was scrutinizing him from afar.
Bai Qinglin held the contract from earlier in his hand. The wind blew, rustling the leaves of the ginkgo trees, their shadows dappled under the streetlights.
As he walked down the steps, he saw Zhu Jingru talking to a young man on the balcony across the street.
He watched them for a while, for reasons unknown to him.
The repaired streetlight was bright. Zhu Jingru seemed skilled at getting close to people, his eyes smiling, his posture relaxed yet dominant, possessing an indescribable air.
When Zhu Jingru’s eyes met his, Bai Qinglin didn’t look away but continued to look at them openly, a cigarette between his lips, the flame illuminating the outline of his chin. He inhaled the few puffs of white smoke exhaled from his lips.
This action was particularly noticeable under the streetlight. The first time Zhu Jingru met Bai Qinglin, he knew he smoked. His smoky voice was the result of years of being caressed by tobacco.
The way Bai Qinglin smoked was also different from his usual aloof demeanor, his expression somewhat relaxed, a stark contrast that invited further exploration.
Zhu Jingru raised his hand in greeting, his expression lively, his lips moving as if he had said something.
Bai Qinglin didn’t hear him. He nodded in response, then folded the contract with his cigarette-holding hand. He turned and walked away along the ginkgo avenue. Fallen leaves drifted down with the wind, which was getting stronger and stronger. The street was cold and deserted.
Zhu Jingru gripped the balcony railing for a few seconds, then released it. Why was he nervous? He was too old for this.
Huang Chen commented beside him, “That handsome guy has such long legs. All your friends are so good-looking, Boss.”
“He’s not a friend.”
“Could he be a relative?”
Zhu Jingru gently twirled the silver ring on his finger, his words laced with ambiguity, “I have a crush on him, understand?”
