With a creak, the car door opened, and Jiang Zhou got in. He caught a glimpse of Chen Ju with his head down. The dim light cast a small shadow on the man’s eyes, and his cheeks turned slightly red where they had been pinched.
“Are you awake?” Jiang Zhou looked away, his voice chilly. “Where do you live? I’ll take you back.”
“No, no, I live nearby. You can take your girlfriend back.” Chen Ju said, the word “girlfriend” sounding so unfamiliar as if someone else were speaking.
The back of his hand holding the steering wheel tightened. Jiang Zhou turned his head sideways, and there was a cold gleam in his eyes.
Chen Ju clenched the hem of his clothes tightly, raised his head, showed a pleasing smile, and said, “Then, I’ll get off here. I won’t bother you both.”
After saying that, Chen Ju didn’t want to look at Jiang Zhou’s face anymore. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door.
His wrist was suddenly grabbed. Chen Ju’s body froze, and he turned his head slowly, with surprise in his eyes.
There was no expression on Jiang Zhou’s face, his eyes narrowed dangerously, and he opened his lips and said, “Did I tell you to leave?”
Chen Ju paused, feeling uncomfortable, and tightly pressed his lips together. Warmth surged in his eyes.
“I want to get off.” He tilted his head and said softly.
“No, you can’t,” Jiang Zhou said without a doubt. “Don’t make me say the same thing a second time.”
Jiang Zhou’s cold attitude was like a sharp blade, slicing Chen Ju’s throat. He felt a cold gust of wind rush through his throat, causing a sharp and painful sensation. He couldn’t utter a word.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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As he spoke, he noticed Jiang Zhou next to him, and asked hesitantly, “Is this your friend?”
Chen Ju nodded. At this moment, Jiang Zhou let go of his hand. He hurriedly got out of the car and stood next to Li Qing.
“I’m here, thank you. Take care on your way.” Chen Ju pursed his lips and smiled, avoiding eye contact with Jiang Zhou.
Li Qing embraced Chen Ju’s shoulders, nodded towards Jiang Zhou, and said, “Thank you, handsome. Let’s go first.”
The man sitting in the car had a stern face. Li Qing wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he always felt a hint of hostility in the man’s eyes looking at him.
After walking far away, Li Qing stopped and said with a serious expression: “Chen Ju, was that person just now really your friend?”
Li Qing’s suspicious gaze made Chen Ju feel guilty. His voice was barely audible as he lowered his head, staring at his shoes. He said in a barely audible voice, “Yes, yes, we were classmates in high school. His name was Jiang Zhou.”
“Listen to this brother, that person does not seem to be the same as us. It’s better for you to stay away from him.” Li Qing said with emphasis and concern. Having worked together with Chen Ju for almost two years, he knew Chen Ju was simple-minded and never thought the worst of people. He could only remind him clearly.
Chen Ju clenched his clothes tightly and forced a smile, saying, “Okay, I understand.”
Li Qing stared at Chen Ju’s silly smiling face and didn’t know if he truly understood. He sighed and said: “As long as you know. go back first. Since you didn’t come back all day. I thought something was wrong with you.”
Chen Ju glanced at his watch. It was already past nine, and there were still more than two hours before work.
“I, I won’t go back. It’s almost time to go to work.” The bar was nearby, and I could take a short nap if he went there now.
“Okay.” Li Qing took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket. “The chef gave it to me today. I don’t like sweet ones. You can have it.”
“Thank you.” Chen Ju took the chocolate with both hands, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He hadn’t eaten chocolate for a long, long time.
In the next few days, Jiang Zhou didn’t contact Chen Ju again, and Chen Ju was also busy with part-time work. After finishing his shift at the bar, He would go to the shopping mall to be on duty. Working consecutive shifts for four or five days straight had honed Chen Ju’s ability to fall asleep anywhere.
Almost missing his stop again, Chen Ju hurriedly got off the bus. There were many rental listings posted on the bulletin board next to the bus stop. Chen Ju walked over and stood under the bulletin board for a while.
Among the worn-out papers, Chen Ju saw rental information: a partitioned basement room for three hundred per month. If interested, please contact xxxxxxx.
This was the cheapest price he had come across so far. Chen Ju took out his mobile phone and made a call.
“Don’t look at the small house, the location is great ~” The middle-aged aunt, dressed in a red cotton jacket that made her look like she was wrapped in a quilt, opened the small window in the room. A gust of dust blew in. “Cough cough. You see, the opposite is the commercial street. Didn’t you say you worked in a bar? It’s very close.”
The dim and narrow room was not as good as the grocery room he lived in before. But the thought of this small place belonging to him alone filled Chen Ju’s heart with a faint joy.
“When are you moving? If you think it’s okay, let’s sign the contract now.” As the aunt spoke, she unzipped the satchel, took out a piece of paper and a pen, and patted them on the table.
“Tomorrow.” He had to go back to inform Li Qing today. Chen Ju picked up the pen, bent over the small table, and neatly signed his name on the contract.
After completing payment, the woman, carrying her snakeskin bag and swaying her bucket-like waist, left the place, leaving Chen Ju alone sitting quietly on the iron bed.
Chen Ju had an unreal feeling. He had his own residence now. Although it was very small and worn-down, no one else could enter here. It belonged to him completely.
At this time, his tired body also became energetic. Chen Ju stood up and rolled up his sleeves. He’s going to clean the place. Tomorrow, he could be able to move in right away.
Returning to Li Qing’s place, Chen Ju couldn’t wait to tell him that he had rented a house.
“So fast?” Li Qing was surprised, placing the bowl of rice in front of Chen Ju. “How much is it? Where is it? Have you gone to see it? Are you sure you weren’t scammed?”
Chen Ju didn’t know which question to answer for a moment. He pursed his lips and showed a cute smile, saying: “No one lied to me. The house is not big, but it’s enough for me to live alone. Next time, I’ll take you there.”
Li Qing couldn’t do anything about Chen Ju’s smiling face and sighed, “Okay, eat first. After you finish, you can take a nap. You still have to work later.”
“En.” Chen Ju nodded, picked up the bowls and chopsticks, and started to eat seriously. Because he was in a good mood, he ate two large bowls in one go today.
Li Qing didn’t let Chen Ju wash the dishes. Instead, he drove him to sleep on the sofa. Chen Ju looked soft and easy to handle, but in reality, he was very stubborn. Li Qing asked him to sleep in the bedroom many times, but he insisted on sleeping on the sofa.
After washing the dishes, Li Qing walked out of the kitchen and suddenly heard an unfamiliar phone ringtone coming from a nearby chair. He walked over and realized the sound was coming from Chen Ju’s padded jacket pocket.
Since when did Chen Ju have a mobile phone? Li Qing was a little puzzled. He picked up his phone and was about to call Chen Ju to wake him up. But when he saw the exhausted man on the sofa, he hesitated and walked into the kitchen with his mobile phone in hand.
No plz don’t!!🥺 Chen ju will sufferr
Something is gonna happen and it’s not gonna be good! 😭
Li Qing is such a good bro tho 😭 it’s jiang zhou who should and get his attitude checked!! If he treats chen ju harshly one more time, imma flip out 😠
You and me both.
Count me in👊
Thanks for the chapter
Sincerely hoping that Chen Ju’s new residence is not a scam. He looked so happy.
I can already smell the strong scent of vinegar even though I’m still a chapter away from Jiang Zhou and Li Qing’s conversation.
Everyone deserves a bff like our Li Qing 💪