Chapter Twenty-Two: “Love Comes or Goes” (Rushing the charts—please vote!)

Chapter 22: “Come or Don’t”

After leaving the manager’s office, Chen Xiao found his adorable female colleague standing at the door. She was gently biting her lip, her usually playful and lively eyes now tinged with a faint sadness as she gazed at him.

“Chen Xiao, are you really leaving?” the sweet shop assistant asked, her voice carrying a trace of sorrow.

Chen Xiao cleared his throat and turned his head away from her gaze, forcing a slight smile. “Yes, I’ve found a new job. It’s closer to home and a bit less exhausting.”

She managed a wan smile. “Even if we’re no longer colleagues, let’s keep in touch. Even if we’re not coworkers, we can still be friends. And you still owe me a birthday present, don’t forget.”

He remembered how she’d given him an MP4 player for his birthday. Chen Xiao understood the thoughts of young women well enough. After a moment's thought, he quickly scribbled down a phone number. “Here’s my number. You must invite me to your birthday party.”

Her face finally lit up when she took the number, tucking it away carefully. Then she asked, “Chen Xiao, we’ve worked together for over two months, but do you even know my name?”

Chen Xiao felt a bit embarrassed. He had always been a little cold and didn’t like talking much. “I only know everyone calls you Xiao Nuo… so I followed along. To be honest, I never asked your name. That was rude of me.”

“My surname is Ye. Ye Xiaonuo.” She gave him a sweet smile, dimples appearing on her cheeks. “Don’t call me Xiao Nuo anymore. My friends all call me ‘Leaf.’”

“All right, I’ll call you Leaf from now on.” Chen Xiao nodded solemnly.

Her eyes brightened, and she finally brought forward the hand she’d kept behind her back. In her slender palm was a small package. She lowered her voice, “Here, take this. I know you never eat before coming for your shift at this time. I saved two beef burgers for you—my treat.”

With that, she shoved the package into his hand and dashed off behind the counter.

With the “Cabbage Girl” hired on the spot for a trial shift, Chen Xiao left the fast-food restaurant alone, holding two steaming burgers. He couldn’t help but feel a touch of warmth inside.

Seeing that it was still early, he decided to head over to the bank first to retrieve his bicycle.

Just as he was about to go to the subway station, his phone rang in his pocket. He glanced at the screen—

Huh?

He recognized the number at once. It was the one left to him by Hei San. Last night, he’d tried calling it, only to have the man hang up impatiently.

“Hello.” Chen Xiao’s voice turned cold and distant as he answered.

“Chen Xiao?” The voice was the raspy, indifferent old man he’d spoken with the night before. “Whatever you’re doing, drop it. You’ve got half an hour—report to me immediately.”

“Now?” Chen Xiao frowned. The tone was brusque, almost a command, and it grated on him. He felt annoyed. “Didn’t you say last night I could come anytime within a week?”

“Cut the nonsense!” The man was even more impatient than Chen Xiao. “I said come, so come! I need people urgently. You have half an hour—get over here! Three thousand a month, two meals a day included!”

And with that, he hung up without waiting for a reply.

Chen Xiao was genuinely irritated—Damn, what arrogance!

But… Three thousand a month and meals included… For an odd job, that was quite a deal. And he’d just had a heavy few days financially, with an extra mouth to feed at home…

He gritted his teeth. For the sake of his livelihood, he’d put up with it.

•

The address was in the southwestern suburbs of K City.

Though K City was a sprawling metropolis, its real estate market had soared in recent years, sending prices skyrocketing and new neighborhoods springing up everywhere. Yet, in the southwestern outskirts, prices refused to climb.

That was because, years ago, this area had been an industrial zone, home to several major local factories. In recent years, most had relocated in response to the real estate boom. The district had seen plenty of development, and for a time the news praised it as the “new city district.” Yet, it never quite took off. Developers came and went, commercial and residential complexes rose and fell, but the area remained unpopular.

The locals all knew the land had once been home to factories, and though the government repeatedly assured the public the soil was unpolluted, nobody quite believed the official line. In these times, who believes the evening news?

Thus, the southwestern suburbs became famous for their emptiness. Despite rows of gleaming new buildings, come nightfall, almost every window was dark, with only the occasional household showing a faint light.

Housing prices kept dropping, eventually reaching a third below those in the city center, yet buyers were still scarce. There was even a popular joke in K City: anyone learning to drive, after getting their license, would practice at night in the southwestern suburbs—you could drive however you liked without worrying about hitting a soul, because even if you threw a grenade into the street, you’d be hard-pressed to hit anyone.

When Chen Xiao arrived from downtown, the subway car was nearly empty. After exiting the station, he looked around. Not a single car passed on the road for two whole minutes.

The address was easy enough to find. He walked fifteen minutes and reached his destination.

It was obviously another half-finished “commercial district.” When the real estate company had begun development, the newspapers had boasted of a massive commercial hub, but nothing ever came of it. The surrounding buildings looked impressive from a distance, but the place was lifeless. Even with the sun still up, the area felt deserted.

The place was a “pedestrian commercial street.” Yet, on this long avenue—easily seven or eight hundred meters—Chen Xiao could see the entire stretch at a glance and spotted hardly any open shops. Most storefronts stood empty, the air tinged with desolation.

Halfway down, he saw only two businesses still open—one a wine shop, the other, to his bemusement, a cigar store. Who on earth would come buy wine or cigars in a place like this?

Even more surprising, there was a car wash and repair shop right at the corner—who would open a garage on a pedestrian shopping street? The rents here must be outrageously cheap.

As Chen Xiao passed by, he saw the garage was indeed operating. A middle-aged man in greasy overalls, a wrench in hand, looked at him with curious eyes and a hint of an oddly amused smirk.

At the very end of the street, Chen Xiao finally found the address.

It was… a coffee shop? The name alone made Chen Xiao stop in his tracks: “Sunbucks.”

Was the owner at war with “Starbucks” or something?

•

Yet, this coffee shop’s business was abysmal, to say the least. Normally, a shop with so few customers would be near bankruptcy.

And yet, the coffee shop had a couplet hanging proudly by the door!

A couplet at a coffee shop was odd enough, but the content was even more outrageous:

Right: “If you want coffee under 200 yuan, please go elsewhere!”

Left: “All women certified as beautiful by the owner drink for free!”

Banner: “Come or don’t!”

Chen Xiao: “……”

He stared in disbelief at the brazen couplet, sighed, and gently pushed open the door. The chime of the bell rang through the empty shop. Inside the spacious café, not a single customer could be seen.

Behind the counter sat an old man in a garish floral shirt, a wooden pipe in his mouth and a head of silvery hair. He was absorbed in a thread-bound book, squinting as he read with rapt attention.

Chen Xiao walked up and stood before him for a full five seconds, but the old man didn’t notice, his narrowed eyes sparkling as if lost in the story.

Unable to resist, Chen Xiao glanced at the book. He couldn’t see the title but caught a passage:

“...Granny Wang laughed: ‘Master Ximen, you have a good eye. This young lady’s maiden name is Pan, given name Golden Lotus. She came from a good family, but fate saw her married off to that Wu Da...’”

Chen Xiao couldn’t help but smile and greeted him politely, “Sir, is that ‘Water Margin’ you’re reading?”

The old man finally looked up, as if seeing Chen Xiao for the first time. With an air of righteousness, he replied with pride, “It’s ‘The Plum in the Golden Vase!’”

Chen Xiao: “……”

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