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Join the Server“What? Reluctant to see me go?”
Li Xiao teased.
Jiang Yu immediately lowered his head to organize his tools, but the tips of his ears turned red.
Li Xiao chuckled, stood up, and grabbed his jacket draped over the back of the sofa.
He walked over to Jiang Yu and suddenly reached out, lightly ruffling Jiang Yu’s hair.
The motion was so quick that Jiang Yu didn’t even react in time.
“I’m off.”
Li Xiao’s voice was softer than usual:
“See you tomorrow.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the door, his tall figure quickly disappearing into the blur of lights and the crowd.
Jiang Yu stood still, his fingers unconsciously touching the spot where his hair had been tousled.
The touch had been light, fleeting—almost careless in its intimacy.
Yet the rough warmth of Li Xiao’s palm and the faint scent on him lingered in Jiang Yu’s hair.
Jiang Yu shook his head violently, forcing himself to snap out of it.
What was he doing?
Li Xiao was just playing a new game.
He’d shifted from forceful coercion to gentle teasing.
The essence hadn’t changed. He was still the creditor who held all the leverage, controlling everything.
Jiang Yu took a deep breath and continued packing up.
He finished organizing the cart, greeted the manager, changed back into his own clothes, and walked out of the bar.
The early autumn night breeze already carried a chill.
Jiang Yu wrapped his jacket tighter and headed for the bus stop.
He still had to wait twenty minutes for the night bus.
Leaning against the signpost, he pulled out his phone.
The screen lit up with a message from Jiang Qing sent at nine in the evening:
“Bro, I just finished a set of science papers. Accuracy rate: ninety-five percent! [Smiley]”
Jiang Yu looked at the smiley face and couldn’t help the slight curve of his lips.
He put away his phone and gazed at the city lights in the distance.
If it weren’t for the debts, if he hadn’t met Li Xiao, what would his life be like now?
Maybe still hard, but at least… clean.
But now, he owed Li Xiao two hundred and fifty thousand.
Every night, he had to spend three hours with Li Xiao.
Li Xiao controlled his work hours, his income, even his dinner.
And the scariest part was that he was starting to get used to it.
This habit was more dangerous than coercion.
The bus arrived.
Jiang Yu got on and sat in the last row by the window.
The night scenery blurred past, and his tired face reflected in the glass.
He closed his eyes.
But in his mind, he saw Li Xiao drinking that night—fingers around the glass, throat bobbing with each sip, that focused, almost predatory gaze fixed on him.
Jiang Yu’s eyes snapped open.
He couldn’t get used to this.
Absolutely not.
****
The next morning.
As soon as Jiang Yu opened the food delivery app, he found his account was flagged with an anomaly.
He tried to accept an order, but the system prompted:
“Your account is under review. Orders cannot be accepted at this time.”
He called customer service.
The line rang for a long time before someone picked up.
“Hello, how may I help you?”
The customer service representative’s voice was mechanical and polite.
“My account shows it’s under review and I can’t accept orders. What’s the reason? How long will the review take?”
“Sir, I can see that your account is indeed under review. The specific reason requires verification by the relevant department. The review time is uncertain, usually three to seven business days.”
“I have no violation records. Why the sudden review?”
“Sorry, we cannot disclose the specific reason. Please wait patiently for the review result.”
The call ended.
Jiang Yu stood in his cramped rental room, gripping his phone.
His first thought was Li Xiao.
Only Li Xiao had the power to make a single call and get the platform to restrict his account.
And he’d used a plausible reason like “review,” leaving Jiang Yu no room to appeal.
Jiang Yu felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Li Xiao didn’t even need to show up in person to easily cut off one of his major income sources.
This disparity in power made even the thought of resistance seem laughable.
****
At eight in the evening, Jiang Yu arrived at “Lost” early.
While changing into his work uniform, the manager walked into the locker room with a grin.
“Jiang Yu, I’ve got good news!”
The manager patted his shoulder:
“Starting this week, your hourly wage is going up by fifty percent! Mr. Li personally requested it, said you’ve been doing a great job lately!”
Jiang Yu paused while fastening his buttons:
“…Thank you, Manager.”
“Thank me? Thank Mr. Li!”
Jiang Yu said nothing and continued adjusting his sleeves.
The manager didn’t mind and continued:
“Mr. Li is the bar’s diamond VIP. From now on, as long as his requests aren’t excessive, we should accommodate them.”
He looked at Jiang Yu’s tense face and softened his tone:
“Jiang Yu, I know you’ve got pride. But be realistic. Someone at Mr. Li’s level—whatever scraps fall from his fingers are enough to keep you going for a long time. Don’t make an enemy of money, okay?”
Jiang Yu silently fastened the last button and straightened his collar in the mirror.
The face in the mirror was pale, with faint dark circles under the eyes.
His eyes betrayed exhaustion and a trace of… resignation.
“I understand.”
He finally said.
The manager nodded in satisfaction, gave a few more instructions, and left.
The locker room fell silent, leaving only Jiang Yu.
He stared at his reflection for a long time, then took a deep breath and straightened his back.
At nine sharp, Jiang Yu pushed the mixing cart toward the corner booth.
Li Xiao was already there.
Today he was dressed formally—a dark gray suit, a white shirt with no tie, the top two buttons undone.
His hair was combed back, revealing his forehead and sharp features.
He looked like he’d just come from some formal occasion.
When he saw Jiang Yu, Li Xiao raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on him for a few seconds.
“Here.”
His voice carried a hint of weariness.
“Good evening, Mr. Li.”
Jiang Yu greeted him professionally and began preparing the tools:
“What would you like to drink today?”
“Anything.”
Li Xiao rubbed his temples:
“Something to help me unwind.”
Jiang Yu observed his state.
Li Xiao had faint shadows under his eyes, and the gesture of rubbing his brow betrayed his irritation.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Yu chose gin as the base, added elderflower liqueur and lemon juice, and topped it with soda water.
He pushed over a clear, bubbly drink.
“Gin Fizz.”
Jiang Yu said:
“Refreshing and invigorating.”
Li Xiao took it and drank a large gulp.
The icy fizz did revive him somewhat.
“Not bad.”
He set down the glass and looked at Jiang Yu:
“How was your day?”
Jiang Yu’s hand, wiping the shaker, paused:
“…My account was restricted.”
“Oh.”
Li Xiao’s reaction was flat:
“That’s fine. Focus on your night work now.”
He said it so naturally, as if it were the most reasonable arrangement.
A surge of frustration rose in Jiang Yu’s chest, but he suppressed it.
“Mr. Li…”
He met Li Xiao’s eyes, trying to keep his voice calm:
“I need an income.”
Li Xiao raised an eyebrow:
“Your hourly wage just went up. Not enough?”
“I need to save money to pay off my debts.”
Jiang Yu held his gaze:
“And for my sister’s living expenses and tuition.”
“I told you, there’s no rush to repay the debt.”
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