Chapter 30: Part-time Job

On Saturday evening, Yu Xi informed Aunt Pei in advance that he wouldn’t be returning to Huze Junting so that it would be more convenient for him to get to his part-time job the next day.

Over the phone, Aunt Pei sighed deeply. “Child, are you pushing yourself a bit too hard? If you’re truly short on money, just accept a red envelope from me, alright?”

“No, Aunt Pei, I’m not short on money. I just want to do a bit more, that’s all.” Yu Xi was telling the truth. He and his mother had completely moved past their previous troubles, and life had already improved significantly.

His mother’s work was going smoothly, and he had some savings of his own; he had enough money. It was just that he had long been accustomed to his previous cramped and exhausting life. It was difficult to shift that mindset all at once. He always felt unsettled; guilt would wash over him whenever he was idle, and only seeing his balance slowly grow would alleviate it.

“Alright, alright.” Pei Lexin had no other choice. “Then you must take care of yourself. Eat well. Don’t let the weight you finally gained at home disappear again. Come back as soon as you have a break. Xiao Wang wants to see more of you too. He even mentioned today that he wanted to go with the driver to pick you up tomorrow, but now you aren’t coming back.”

Hearing this, Yu Xi felt a warm, swelling sensation in his heart. He thought back to the concern and care his friends had shown him over the past few days and made a decision. “Aunt Pei, after this one, I won’t look for any more part-time jobs.”

Pei Lexin smiled. “That’s good.”

Afterward, Pei Lexin asked specifically which charity gala he was waitressing at. She went out of her way to have her assistant check on the organizers. Only after learning there were no issues did she truly feel at ease.

On Sunday, another message arrived. [Be very careful in that kind of environment. If you run into trouble, call me immediately.]

Yu Xi: [Don’t worry, Aunt Pei. My roommate will look after me.]

“If you’re car-sick, stop replying to those friends of yours,” Xiao Yang said in the car.

Yu Xi hummed in agreement, tucked his phone away, and explained, “It’s from family.”

Xiao Yang gave an ambiguous “Oh.” “I see you replying to endless messages every day; I thought they were all from those friends of yours.”

Yu Xi blinked, feeling that the sentence was a bit strange, yet he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.

“We’re almost there.” Xiao Yang had already ended the previous topic, glancing out the car window. “Once we arrive, I can’t hover over you like a nanny. You’ll have to manage on your own.”

The tone sounded impersonal, but Yu Xi understood Xiao Yang’s meaning. He smiled and said, “I know. You went out of your way to drive me here early; I’m already very grateful.”

Xiao Yang looked away. “It’s nothing. I’m just killing time anyway. It’s the same whether I go early to hang out with people I know or not.”

Upon reaching the gala venue, Xiao Yang handed Yu Xi over to the supervisor. He didn’t say much and left for the main area, but the gesture alone made his protective stance toward Yu Xi clear.

Consequently, the supervisor was exceptionally kind to Yu Xi. Coupled with Yu Xi’s good looks and his previous experience as a waiter—knowing the rules and etiquette—the supervisor became even more genial.

“With a build like yours, anything you wear looks perfect.” The supervisor nodded in satisfaction after seeing Yu Xi in uniform and carefully explained his duties.

Yu Xi was responsible for the inner hall. He only needed to handle the serving, wine pouring, and clearing of empty plates for one specific table. The workload wasn’t heavy, but the importance lay in being able to spot the guests’ needs promptly.

The supervisor led him to his position, clarified the precautions, and went off to attend to other matters. Before the gala officially began, Yu Xi set the table, repeatedly adjusting the cutlery positions as instructed.

During this time, a waiter who had reminded him about a misplaced fork struck up a conversation. “Are you new? I haven’t seen you before.”

Yu Xi nodded. “Mhm, I’m just part-time.”

“I see…” The waiter looked him up and down. “You’re good-looking; you should easily catch the eye of some big shot. At least you’re better off than that guy over there.”

The waiter subtly jerked his thumb toward a certain direction. “He’s also part-time, but I’ve seen him at these events several times. He’s handed out his contact info plenty of times, but not a single success.”

Yu Xi listened, somewhat confused, before slowly realizing the implication. “You might be misunderstanding something. I’m just here for the job.”

“Huh?” The waiter paused, scanned Yu Xi closely again, and scratched his head. “Sorry about that. Usually, people have to pull strings or pay to get this kind of part-time gig. A lot of people want to use this chance to climb higher. Seeing how good your ‘conditions’ are, I just assumed you were too…”

Yu Xi smiled. “It’s okay.”

“I’ll help you fold the napkins.” Feeling apologetic for the misunderstanding, the waiter helped Yu Xi quite a bit.

The two chatted for a while before the gala started. Upon hearing that Yu Xi was a student at PKU, the waiter looked at him with even more respect.

“You’re really something. Isn’t a top student like you a bit overqualified to be working here?”

Yu Xi said, “The pay here is very good.”

“True. It’s only three or four hours in total for five hundred dollars, and if you do well, you might even get tips.” The waiter lowered his voice. “Honestly, with the supervisor giving you this position, he clearly thinks highly of you.”

Yu Xi felt that this might have been largely thanks to Xiao Yang.

At 7:00 PM, the guests began to file in.

As the event started, Xiao Yang came down and took his seat at a certain position.

Yu Xi was not far from him. When their eyes met, Yu Xi gave him a small smile.

“…” Xiao Yang looked away.

The person sitting next to him noticed the reaction instantly. He turned to look as well and was immediately stunned. “Who is that? Do you know him?”

Xiao Yang furrowed his brows. “None of your business.”

“Usually, I wouldn’t care, but someone that top-tier? If you know him, I have to care. Why don’t you call him over so we can chat?”

Xiao Yang’s expression went cold. “He’s my friend. Keep your thoughts to yourself.”

The other man didn’t back down. “I’m your friend too. Is it so bad for friends to get to know each other?”

Xiao Yang let out a cold laugh and stood up. “As of now, you aren’t.”

He left his seat and found someone else to swap places with, completely ignoring the man’s reaction.

But even after moving, Xiao Yang’s mood remained foul. He kept a sharp eye on the area nearby.

Yu Xi stood straight in the corner, wearing the standard black-and-white waiter’s uniform. It wasn’t custom-made, so the shoulders and waist didn’t fit perfectly, yet he still managed to make the outfit look elegant in a way most people couldn’t.

Even though he was trying to be inconspicuous, once someone’s gaze brushed past him, they found it impossible to look away.

In just a short while, Xiao Yang noticed several people turning their heads repeatedly to look at Yu Xi. It gave him a massive headache. He didn’t want to be a meddler, but the moment he saw a man in a suit walk up and try to hand Yu Xi a business card, he couldn’t help himself. He stood up and marched over.

“Xiao Yang?” Yu Xi looked at him, surprised by his aggressive approach.

Xiao Yang glanced at Yu Xi before turning a hostile gaze toward the man in the suit. “Do you have business with him?”

The man, who was just about to pull a card from his case, gave a sheepish smile. “I just thought this young man seemed very charming. I wanted to introduce myself.”

Xiao Yang looked the man up and down with clear disdain. “You’re at that age already, and you have the nerve to call him ‘young man’ like you’re his peer?”

The blunt sarcasm caused the man’s polite facade to crack. His face darkened. “And who are you exactly? I can’t believe this gala allows people like you in. Didn’t your family teach you to respect your elders?”

Xiao Yang sneered. “You don’t need to know who I am, but I know you. You have quite the reputation in this circle—especially for your messy private life and your lack of boundaries.”

The man’s face turned several shades. “You little brat…”

As the man began to curse, Yu Xi, who had been momentarily stunned, immediately stepped forward to shield Xiao Yang.

But before the situation could escalate further, a low, cool voice drifted over from the side, cutting through the tension.

“Xi Xi.”

The man, now fuming with rage, turned around to snap at the newcomer, but the words died in his throat. He looked like a goose being choked.

Yu Xi saw the newcomer and felt a wave of relief. He reached out and grabbed the man’s sleeve like a lifeline. “Brother Chuanzhou.”

Gu Chuanzhou understood the situation immediately. He gave Yu Xi a reassuring look, naturally covering Yu Xi’s hand with his own palm. Then, he turned a frigid gaze toward the man. “Manager Lin, what seems to be the problem?”

The man, who had just been showing his ugly side, instantly swapped back to a jovial smile. “Nothing, nothing at all. It was just a misunderstanding. I didn’t realize this boy was one of your people, President Gu. I’ll get out of your way.”

The trouble was resolved quickly. Yu Xi let out a quiet sigh of relief and asked Gu Chuanzhou how he ended up there.

“I received an invitation. I wasn’t planning on coming, but I heard from Aunt Pei that your part-time job was here, so I decided to stop by,” Gu Chuanzhou explained warmly.

“I see.” Yu Xi was surprised; he hadn’t realized Gu Chuanzhou and Aunt Pei were in contact.

But since he was still on the clock, he couldn’t chat for long. Gu Chuanzhou didn’t want to add to his pressure, so after a few words, he moved toward the main hall.

Yu Xi turned to Xiao Yang, who was still standing there. “Are you okay?”

“What could possibly be wrong with me?” Xiao Yang’s expression was still sour. “You should worry about yourself.”

Yu Xi replied, “I’m fine now. Luckily Brother Chuanzhou was here to help.”

Xiao Yang gave a mirthless smile. “In my eyes, he’s no different from that guy just now.”

“Huh?” Yu Xi didn’t understand.

“He’s just better at hiding it.” Xiao Yang glanced toward the cold, handsome man currently clinking glasses with someone across the room. “You’re the only one dumb enough not to see what your ‘good friend’ is really thinking.” Xiao Yang emphasized the words “good friend” with heavy irony.

Yu Xi: “…”

Seeing Yu Xi’s confused reaction, Xiao Yang’s temper flared. “You still don’t get it? I’m saying Gu Chuanzhou has designs on you. Do you understand now?”

Instead of being shocked, Yu Xi looked at him with genuine concern. “Xiao Yang… are you feeling okay? Do you need me to check your temperature?”

The veins on Xiao Yang’s forehead pulsed. He looked at Yu Xi with total frustration before walking away. “I give up. Just don’t come crying to me when you’ve been eaten alive.”