Chapter 32: This is a bad guy!

I straightened my back.

I stretched with a big yawn.

Then I slumped back onto the counter.

The shop was nearly empty.

At this hour, new customers were unlikely.

The workload isn’t heavy.

So why do I feel so tired?

Is my stamina just that bad?

Su Ye Mi hasn’t come back since that day.

Watching the girl you like get kissed by another girl…

It makes sense she’d avoid this place.

I hope she forgets “Lu Ming,” a person who doesn’t exist.

Making her experience heartbreak over a fake girl like me…

I feel pretty guilty.

If I hadn’t shamelessly disguised myself as a girl…

She wouldn’t have met and fallen for “Lu Ming.”

But I haven’t heard any rumors about Lu Ming or Teacher Mo from others.

Su Ye Mi, true to her quiet nature, isn’t the gossiping type.

I didn’t expect her to keep it from even Gu Yuewan.

She only told Gu Yuewan she got rejected.

She didn’t share the harsh details.

So a few days ago, Gu Yuewan came to the shop.

She asked how I rejected Su Ye Mi.

I didn’t tell her the full truth.

Just said I already liked someone.

Sister Yuan, though…

Kissing me right in front of Su Ye Mi?

Ignoring her role as Su Ye Mi’s teacher and my sister?

Not caring about her cool, aloof image?

Why’d she have to claim me so urgently?

Is her possessiveness that intense?

I could’ve finished talking and rejected Su Ye Mi myself.

From her reaction, it was probably her first time confessing to someone.

Her first confession, and she saw her crush get taken by her teacher.

That’s gotta hurt.

“Xiao Lu, you can clock out.”

“I’ll handle the rest.”

Sister Yan came back on time.

She patted my shoulder.

“Okay, got it.”

Hearing my shift was over, I rushed to the changing room.

I swapped back to my regular clothes.

The temperature was unusually low today.

The summer night breeze felt chilly.

I zipped up my school uniform.

I hurried to the nearby bus stop.

Passing the fancy restaurant where Sister Yuan and I ate last time…

I glanced through the glass window.

At our old table sat an odd pair.

A girl in our school’s red-and-white uniform.

A light green clover hairpin in her hair.

Her looks weren’t on Sister Yuan or An Xue Ruo’s level.

But she could rival Su Ye Mi.

She looked uneasy, facing the man across from her.

Her expression screamed rejection.

She clearly didn’t want to stay with him.

The man opposite her looked about twenty-three or twenty-four.

He wore an expensive suit and polished leather shoes.

A confident smile played on his face.

His attire suggested wealth.

If not for his aggressive expression and movements…

I’d have thought him a polite, refined gentleman.

From a rich family, about Sister Yuan’s age.

Yet his vibe was nothing like hers.

Sister Yuan’s playful and quirky with me.

But otherwise, she’s mature, serious, calm, and composed.

This suit guy?

Dressed like a gentleman, but his actions screamed playboy.

A spoiled rich kid through and through.

He suddenly reached out.

Ignoring her resistance, he gripped her hand tightly.

His expression turned almost menacing.

I turned away.

I kept walking to the bus stop.

I’m no hero of justice.

I don’t have the noble urge to intervene.

Sorry, classmate.

I’m the kind of guy who looks the other way.

I feel bad about it.

A black luxury car pulled up to the curb.

The familiar driver lady stepped out.

“Get in, young master.”

“The lady insisted I pick you up today.”

“Alright, thanks for the trouble.”

I opened the back door and slid in.

Just me and the driver lady in the car.

I was a bit confused.

Usually, if Sister Yuan doesn’t pick me up, I take the bus home.

I don’t like or vibe with the rich lifestyle.

Fancy cars and all.

Sister Yuan never taught me high-society etiquette.

No strict elite training.

No demands on my grades.

That suits me fine.

I like living as an ordinary person.

Enjoying the simple hustle of daily life.

Taking the bus home late.

Feeling that lonely, bittersweet vibe so many can’t escape.

I’ve always refused the driver lady’s pickups.

If I need her, I call myself.

“Why did Sister Yuan insist you pick me up today?”

“Maybe she’s worried about you.”

“You can ask her yourself.”

“I’m back, Sister Yuan!”

“Welcome home!”

“Come eat, the food’s getting cold.”

I slipped on my house shoes.

I sat at the dining table.

The food was still warm.

My stomach growled.

I dug in, scarfing it down without caring about appearances.

No need to act proper in front of Sister Yuan.

“You lingered outside that restaurant we went to.”

“Did you see something, Xiao You?”

“How do you know that?”

“You didn’t put a tracker on me, did you?”

“Don’t answer a question with a question.”

“What did you see?”

“Nothing much.”

“Just a girl in our school uniform eating with a guy about your age.”

“In a suit.”

“She looked really unwilling.”

“The guy grabbed her hand.”

“Do you know him?”

“Guys I bother remembering, besides you?”

“Probably less than ten.”

“Even if I’ve seen him, I wouldn’t recall.”

“Thought something big happened.”

“Don’t wander after work.”

“Come straight home, got it?”

“I wasn’t wandering.”

“Just looked for a sec.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not into getting mixed up in messy stuff.”

She reached over.

She patted my head.

Her tone turned serious.

“If anyone ever threatens you, Xiao You…”

“You have to tell me.”

“I’ll protect you.”

“Anyone who dares mess with you…”

“I’ll make them pay dearly.”

“I know.”

“You’re the one I trust most.”

“If that happens, I’ll tell you first thing.”

She picked up the last meatball from the plate.

She placed it in my bowl.

“Good.”

“Eat up.”

“No shower tonight.”

“Your natural scent is comfier than ever as my hug pillow.”

“Uh… you’re not gonna mess with me tonight, right?”

“You can’t use that as an excuse to tease me.”

“Don’t you like how I play with you?”

“You didn’t resist before.”

“You seemed to enjoy it.”

“Just admit it.”

“You want that closeness with me.”

“No way!”

“You had me pinned, I couldn’t resist!”

She chuckled lightly.

Her long legs, clad in stockings, stretched under the table.

I was in shorts.

Her silky legs brushed against mine, bare.

The sensation sparked my nerves.

She wasn’t satisfied with that.

Her foot inched toward my inner thigh.

I clamped my legs shut, trapping her bold feet.

“Hm?”

“You really don’t like it, Xiao You?”

“Don’t want me to keep going?”

“I… I…”

“Just stop moving.”

“Let me finish eating.”

She didn’t say more.

She pulled her feet back.

She propped her face in her hands.

She quietly watched me eat.

*TL Note: The contrast between Mo Yuan’s refined demeanor and the suit guy’s aggressive playboy attitude reflects a common Chinese narrative trope, where wealth and status are juxtaposed with moral character, highlighting Lu You’s preference for simplicity and Mo Yuan’s complex blend of maturity and playfulness.