Wu Zehao halted, glancing back at Wen Jiaxuan with an inscrutable expression that made it difficult to fathom his thoughts.
Wen Jiaxuan felt a flutter of nerves. Although Wu Zehao had clearly refused to accept his money, he had taken the initiative to bring it to him. Anyone observing this scenario would sense something amiss.
“Can you afford it?” Wu Zehao inquired suddenly.
Wen Jiaxuan shook his head, then hastily added, “I can do installment payments.”
Wu Zehao withdrew his wrist from Wen Jiaxuan’s grip, crossed his arms across his chest, and regarded Wen Jiaxuan in silence.
Wen Jiaxuan compelled himself to hold Wu Zehao’s gaze, aiming not to display any guilt. In reality, though, his anxiety was mounting, causing his fists to clench and his heart to quicken its pace.
He had a sensation of being laid bare, as Wu Zehao was aware that he had fled from home and his current demeanor indicated his intention to lean on Wu Zehao.
Admittedly, Wen Jiaxuan acknowledged that he had caused considerable inconvenience to Wu Zehao. There was no obligation for Wu Zehao to take care of him whatsoever. Nonetheless, Wu Zehao was the solitary person he was acquainted with in this unfamiliar territory, leaving him no choice but to rely on him.
Even if he were to visit the police station for identification and report the imposter who had deceived him with the manuscript scam, the outcome remained unchanged: he lacked the funds to return home and would ultimately have to yield to his family’s wishes.
The prospect of departing triumphantly, only to return within a couple of days with his spirits dampened, was not something he relished.
After a brief pause, Wu Zehao took a deep breath, pivoted, and resumed walking toward the exit.
Uncertain of Wu Zehao’s intent, Wen Jiaxuan hesitated in his spot, torn between courses of action. At that very moment, Wu Zehao partially turned his face and quizzed, “Aren’t you coming?”
Unbidden, the corners of Wen Jiaxuan’s mouth curved upward, and he hastened to catch up with Wu Zehao’s stride.
Given the distance between them and the Canon store, which was a bit of a trek from the shopping mall they were at, Wu Zehao decided to transport Wen Jiaxuan there via his motorcycle. Unlike his earlier apprehension, Wen Jiaxuan felt reassured by Wu Zehao’s steady handling of the vehicle, leading him to relinquish his embrace of…
His chest tightened for the second time he got on the bike, but put his hands on his shoulders and poked his head out to enjoy the street view all around you.
Whether Wen Jiaxuan possessed a broad heart to set things aside or not, since he was certain that Wu Zehao wasn’t a liar, he believed that there was little hope of receiving his salary. Thus, he set this matter aside for the time being. He wasn’t sure how long he could remain at Wu Zehao’s side, so he might as well consider it a trip to H City.
H City and P City were quite similar, with tall buildings everywhere. To be honest, there wasn’t much to see. However, this was Wen Jiaxuan’s first time traveling alone, and it was also his first time riding a heavy motorcycle. Experiencing the view from behind a stranger he had just met, it was inevitably an exciting and novel experience for him.
After about half an hour, Wu Zehao brought Wen Jiaxuan to a large digital mall. This kind of mall had all sorts of electronic products for sale, which made Wen Jiaxuan feel uneasy. He grabbed Wu Zehao’s clothes and said, “There are a lot of scammers here. Shouldn’t we find another place to get the camera fixed?”
Wu Zehao raised an eyebrow in surprise and said, “You actually know about scammers?”
Wen Jiaxuan didn’t catch the teasing tone in his words and kindly replied, “I’ve been cheated before when buying computer parts at a digital mall.”
Wu Zehao found this amusing. “No worries, I know the camera shop owner personally.”
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.
Wen Jiaxuan felt slightly relieved, but he was still worried that Wu Zehao might be deceived. So, as soon as they entered the mall, he nervously stuck by Wu Zehao’s side, like a little guardian.
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After leaving the mall, Wu Zehao walked ahead, and Wen Jiaxuan walked behind. The distance between them grew larger, and Wu Zehao quickly sensed something was amiss. He stopped and turned back, saying, “Why are you lagging behind?”
In reality, Wen Jiaxuan was lost in thought.
He realized that he seemed to have a bit of a masochistic tendency. A UV filter cost only two hundred yuan, and he could clearly afford it, but he felt it was too cheap. If he handed over the money later, what reason would he have to stay with Wu Zehao?
He reluctantly approached Wu Zehao and took out his phone, saying, “I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Wu Zehao silently watched his sluggish movements and suddenly asked, “How much money do you have left?”
At that moment, Wen Jiaxuan had just opened his WeChat wallet. He looked at the number on the screen and then raised his head, saying, “Three hundred and forty-seven.”
Wu Zehao fell silent again, and Wen Jiaxuan remained silent as well. Then, Wen Jiaxuan’s stomach suddenly growled a few times. He covered his stomach with one hand, realizing that he hadn’t eaten breakfast, and his stomach was already hungry.
Wu Zehao sighed in resignation and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to eat.”
“Sure.” The corners of Wen Jiaxuan’s mouth involuntarily lifted again. He abruptly comprehended that life’s roller-coaster nature wasn’t as formidable, for every dip was succeeded by a climb upward.
The nearest option was a McDonald’s. Wen Jiaxuan found nothing objectionable about fast food. As they entered, he promptly said to Wu Zehao, “I want to order a McSpicy Chicken.”
Wu Zehao averted his gaze from the menu board, lowered his head, and teased, “Should I get you a Happy Meal?”
Wen Jiaxuan scrunched his brows. “How many times do I have to say it? I’ve already graduated from university!”
Wu Zehao didn’t respond; he simply chuckled. Gradually, Wen Jiaxuan discerned that Wu Zehao was pulling his leg again. Annoyed, he retorted, “I’ll go find us a table.”
“Sure, just don’t get lost.”
Wen Jiaxuan secured a seat by the window on the second floor. This vantage point allowed him to oversee the intersection below, with cars passing by.
Wu Zehao promptly joined him with a tray. He ordered two regular combo meals but didn’t forget to include Wen Jiaxuan’s McSpicy Chicken.
Seated across from each other, they simultaneously withdrew their phones and commenced eating in silence, neither inclined to initiate a conversation.
This was to be expected; although Wen Jiaxuan had spent a night at Wu Zehao’s place, the truth was that they had only met the day prior. They were still relative strangers.
Not long after their meals were nearly finished. Both of them shifted their focus to the French fries in their respective sets.
Wu Zehao consumed his fries in the customary manner, dipping each one in ketchup before eating.
Conversely, Wen Jiaxuan had a specific way of enjoying his French fries. He would tear a small opening in the ketchup packet, pick up a French fry, and then squeeze the ketchup along the curve of the fry from top to bottom so that the entire fry would be coated in ketchup.
The downside of eating fries this way was that the ketchup would run out quickly. So, as he was munching on his fries, his eyes were fixed on the ketchup in front of Wu Zehao.
At this moment, Wu Zehao had already put down his phone and was casually eating his fries while gazing at the street view outside. Wen Jiaxuan picked up a fry and discreetly scooped away a sizable chunk of ketchup from in front of Wu Zehao. Perfect, Wu Zehao continued to look outside, seemingly oblivious.
Wen Jiaxuan spread the stolen ketchup onto three or four fries, and after consuming them, he quietly picked up another fry, planning for another operation. However, at that moment, Wu Zehao suddenly turned his head, glanced at the noticeably missing ketchup in front of him, and then looked at Wen Jiaxuan’s hand frozen in mid-air. He leisurely spoke up, “You little rascal…”
Wen Jiaxuan quickly retracted his hand.
Wu Zehao continued to ask, “Are you not willing to go home?”
Wen Jiaxuan didn’t respond. He fidgeted uncomfortably with the McFlurry inside the paper cup, thinking that Wu Zehao had indeed realized he was intentionally following him.
“Why did you have a falling out with your family?” Wu Zehao asked again.
Wen Jiaxuan pursed his lips and responded, “I wanted to take the entrance exam for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but my family opposed it.”
Wu Zehao displayed a momentary expression of surprise, akin to witnessing a short person being overly confident about dunking a basketball.
“What kind of eyes do you have?” Wen Jiaxuan retorted with dissatisfaction, “I’m only slightly below the requirement.”
Wen Jiaxuan pinched his index finger and thumb together, illustrating a distance of a few millimeters.
Wu Zehao persisted in asking, “So, what’s your plan now? Stay at my place and prepare for the exam?”
Wen Jiaxuan answered with a lack of conviction, “I haven’t really thought about it.”
Wu Zehao exhaled softly, nudged the ketchup toward Wen Jiaxuan, and stated, “You know what I dislike the most?”
Wen Jiaxuan looked at Wu Zehao quizzically.
“I detest having my plans disrupted by others.” Wu Zehao questioned and answered his own query, “I had other commitments today, yet now I’m having dinner with you here, which has thrown off my plans.”
Wen Jiaxuan involuntarily swallowed, sensing a weight in his chest.
“I don’t appreciate this sensation. So, don’t follow me anymore,” Wu Zehao declared in a measured tone. “Once we’re done eating, go back to the police station on your own, retrieve your ID card, and travel back to wherever you came from.”
Wen Jiaxuan felt somewhat disheartened. It seemed that earlier, at the shop, Wu Zehao had allowed him to tag along on a whim, but now, after some serious consideration, Wu Zehao had decided to send him away.
He couldn’t help but think that his joy had been premature, and he’d forgotten that after reaching the peak of the roller coaster, it was inevitable to descend once again. After a struggle, he uttered, “I don’t have money for the journey…”
Wu Zehao assured, “I’ll give it to you.”
This extinguished Wen Jiaxuan’s last hope of remaining here. His face grew pale, and he mumbled, “Never mind, I’ll ask my family for it.”
Perhaps his appearance was pitiable, but Wu Zehao ruffled his hair and consoled, “Go back and discuss it with your family.”
Wen Jiaxuan pleaded piteously, “They won’t listen to me…”
Wu Zehao didn’t offer further words, and Wen Jiaxuan’s appetite waned. The two bid farewell at the entrance of McDonald’s. Wu Zehao reminded him not to mistakenly board the wrong vehicle. Wen Jiaxuan assured him he understood and politely turned toward Wu Zehao. He bowed and murmured, “Thank you, goodbye.”
Wu Zehao tightly pursed his lips, refraining from speech, his demeanor slightly rebellious. Eventually, he uttered, “It’s fine. Be careful on your way.”
Wen Jiaxuan still wanted to get Wu Zehao’s contact information. After all, people you meet during a journey are like passing ships in your life, and after parting, you might never see them again. However, at that moment, Wu Zehao’s phone suddenly rang, abruptly interrupting the words at the tip of Wen Jiaxuan’s tongue.
Wu Zehao waved his hand dismissively at Wen Jiaxuan, without even looking back, and walked away in the opposite direction. Disheartened, Wen Jiaxuan had no choice but to withdraw his gaze and walk toward a nearby bus stop.
Upon reaching the bus stop, Wen Jiaxuan took out his phone, opened Baidu Maps, and began to search for the route. It would take about an hour to get back to the police station from here by bus. He was lucky that as soon as he finished checking the route, the bus he needed to take approached from a distance.
He quickly opened Alipay, found his city transportation card, and then joined the line, boarding the bus as the last passenger.
The QR code scanner on the bus in H City was different from those in P City. Wen Jiaxuan tried to aim it at a certain spot for a while, but the machine didn’t respond. The driver reminded him, “It’s up there.”
“Oh…” Following the driver’s instructions, Wen Jiaxuan aligned the QR code with the window above. However, just as he did this, something suddenly encircled his waist, and in the next instant, he lost his balance and fell backward into a sturdy chest.
“Beep, scan failed.”
Wen Jiaxuan lifted his head in a daze, and what met his gaze was Wu Zehao’s prominent Adam’s apple and sharply defined jawline.
Impatiently, the driver asked, “Are you getting on the bus or not?”
“Sorry, driver, he’s not getting on,” Wu Zehao replied.
The bus slowly pulled away, and Wen Jiaxuan struggled out of Wu Zehao’s grasp. He looked bewildered and asked, “Didn’t you leave?”
Wu Zehao said, “Yes, but there was a little problem.”
A question mark popped up over Wen Jiaxuan’s head as he waited for Wu Zehao to continue.
“My company’s tax compliance has been flagged,” Wu Zehao revealed, “I can’t let you go. You must take responsibility.”
Uh oh~ at least he got to stay, but goodluck working for wu zehao, little jiaxuan 🤭
Thanks for the chapter!! 💖🩷
Thank you for the translation
Oh damn
Is it because of what he said at the police station?