Chapter 278: Loser
Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97
Yan Si had obviously been chased out of the house in the capacity of a loser—this was observable from his appearance. His leg was wrapped in a cast, his arm was bandaged, there were bruises around his eyes, and the corner of his lips was cut. Compared to how he had looked the day before, Yan Si really looked like a loser now.
Even though she knew that it was wrong of her to do that, when Ye Shuang saw the bruises on Yan Si’s face that made him look like a funny panda… she could not resist the urge to laugh. Perhaps natural enemies were particularly attuned to one another. While whispering with his friend, Yan Si suddenly looked in Ye Shuang’s direction when Ye Shuang was laughing.
Yan Si’s face darkened immediately. He walked over using the other arm that was not bandaged. He sat down next to Ye Shuang and asked in a mocking tone, “Why are you so happy?”
“Cough!” Ye Shuang smiled at the friend who looked at her with curiosity, and then she looked at Yan Si. “We’re barely acquaintances. Do you really need to come to ask me why I was laughing?”
Yan Si gritted his teeth, and he had a hard time suppressing the anger in his heart. Indeed, there were many people who were mocking him, too many for him to count, but this woman was different. In a way, she had seen him at his most vulnerable.
Not when he was blocked by the media, not when he was pointed by others… As downtrodden as he was on those days, he had held his head high and showed the world that he was not defeated… But what Ye Shuang had seen was when Yan Si put down those defenses—the moment when he was so vulnerable that he wanted to give up, this was the secret that he did not want any people to see.
Yet, it had been observed by Ye Shuang.
Therefore, Yan Si cared about Ye Shuang’s attitude more than he cared about anyone else. He could have brushed other people’s mocking words off, but her reaction could unsettle him like she was a reminder that he had been once defeated by those thoughts before.
The youth who followed Yan Si looked Ye Shuang, but after a long time of thinking, he could not figure where he had met Ye Shuang before. Therefore, he poked Yan Si jokingly. “This is not good. Now there are even girls that dare talk to us?”
“It’s not that I want to talk with you, but you came to sit down next to me,” Ye Shuang answered with a smile. The owner of the cart saw the two sit down, and he came over to serve them. “Do you wish to add more orders?”
“There’s no need, thank you.” Ye Shuang shook her head. The owner answered with a disappointed grunt before turning to face Yan Si and his friend. “Five buns and one glass of soy milk will be 45 RMB.”
“Wait, you had so much?” The youth was shocked, but Yan Si was glaring at the boss. “…Why are you looking at me for?”
He had come over because he ran into a ruffian, and he just wanted to have an argument to adjust his feelings. What was the meaning of this boss? Did he think that the male had to pay the bill?
Ye Shuang giggled under her breath and then winked wickedly at Yan Si with a challenging smirk. The boss looked at Yan Si and then looked Ye Shuang, who had lowered her head. He was confused for a moment before turning to the youth with eyes that said, Please pay the bill…
“Pfft! Wait, you want me to pay?” The youth was speechless and felt like he was even getting more and more confused by this development. “Fine, I’ll pay then.”
After the boss took away the plates, Ye Shuang held the unfinished glass of soy milk and shook her head while commenting, “Some men are generous; some are stingy. No wonder some people are beaten, while others are unharmed… Sometimes, personality does decide one’s destiny.”
“Hey!” Yan Si was angry from the insinuation.
Ye Shuang raised her head with confusion. “Huh? You’re still here?”
“…” Yan Si.
The youth laughed. “Little girl, it’s not good to push your bill onto others. At least you have to let me know who I’ve paid for, right?”
Ye Shuang knew that Yan Si had some psychological hostility against her, so she naturally ignored this person and turned her attention to the youth. “I can see that the two of you are friends. Back then, when this young man wanted to wave his hands goodbye to this world, it was me who saved him, so do you think it was worth the price of several buns or not?”
The youth looked around with confusion. “What’s going on?”
Yan Si opened his lips subconsciously to retort, but if he wanted to do that, he would need to explain the truth, and if he did that, would he have any face left?
Therefore, his lips closed again. When the youth saw that the person in question did not say anything, he started to believe Ye Shuang. He frowned to ask her, “You know our Xiao Si? Did something happen to him?”
“Well, it’s not really something bad. He was just temporarily confused.” Ye Shuang gave a non-answer. The youth glared at her, but Ye Shuang simply smiled, not elaborating further.
Yan Si sighed under his breath; he was really afraid that the woman might expose the stupid act. The youth felt like he was being left out of a big secret. The atmosphere was too awkward—he had asked a question, but no one could answer. The youth scratched his nose and looked around, trying to change the conversation, and then he saw the newspaper that Ye Shuang was holding.
The large headline detailed the theft at the Yan family. The youth’s eyes glowed, and he snatched the paper before smirking at Yan Si. “See this, your little sister surely moves fast. She cannot wait to make you take the fall.”
Yan Si’s face darkened again, but he did not say anything. It was Ye Shuang who chimed in. “It doesn’t say anything bad about him though. I read through the paper earlier, and all it said was theft… But then again, is it really okay for something like this to see the light of day?”
“Everyone sharing a large amount of money and one person owning a small amount of money are two different things. The company does not belong to anyone, and no matter how well it is operating, it has nothing to do with a specific person. Furthermore, with the share price fluctuating, it’s the perfect opportunity to buy in other people, so why shouldn’t they expose it?” The youth folded the newspaper and used it to fan himself with a chuckle. “Furthermore, the bigger the news, the angrier Uncle Yan will be. He will be so angry that he will want to slaughter the thief.”
“The thief?” Ye Shuang glanced at Yan Si’s new appearance and nodded. “Looks like the Yan family has confirmed the identity of the criminal, right?”
“Well, that’s for sure.” The youth smiled. “One has a horrible name, and the other is good at everything. Even if you think with your hair, you’ll be able to tell who has done something like this…”
“Are you done?” Yan Si finally lost his patience and slammed his fist on the table. Using the cane, he stood up and glared darkly at the youth. “Didn’t say you’re going to help me find a house? Why are we wasting time here with a stranger‽”
The youth was confused. He looked at Yan Si and then at Ye Shuang. “Wait, aren’t you two friends?”
“Not really.” Ye Shuang shrugged. “This is actually my second time meeting him.”
If you aren’t friends, why did you come over to the girl’s table to watch her finish her breakfast? If you aren’t friends, then why did you let me pay her bill? If you aren’t friend, why are you sharing a secret that you don’t want to tell others?
This was also the first time that the youth had been tricked in person, and the saddest part was that his friend could have exposed everything easily, yet he just sat there and did not say anything. This feeling was too strange. The young man did not even know whether he should be angry or not.
“Lady, you’re good.” The youth also stood up and gave Ye Shuang a thumbs up. He had never been fooled like this in his life.
Ye Shuang flashed a toothy grin. “This is only so-so.”
The youth instantly lost any desire to talk to her.
…
If that was how the incident ended, Ye Shuang naturally would not have thought about them again, but coincidentally, when Ye Shuang exited her apartment, she raised her head and saw Yan Si and the youth from the morning holding their luggage.
Silence, a very long silence.
Yan Si and the youth were shocked and then conflicted. After some time, Ye Shuang sighed. “Such a coincidence…”
Yan Si and the youth shared a look and were speechless.
Five minutes later, the three sat in Ye Shuang’s apartment. The two men looked around the room and sighed silently in relief after they confirmed that the place had signs of being lived in. It did not look like the tenants had just moved into the place.
Ye Shuang caught what they were doing, but she did not expose them. She poured them two glasses of water, sat down, and said, “This is the apartment where my employee stays. She is now working at another city, and since the rental period is not yet over, I moved in temporarily.”
The apartment was more convenient than hotel—at least she did not need to go to explain at the counter every time her gender changed.
The youth accepted the glass and thanked her. “We sure cross paths often with you, Miss Ye. What line of work are you in?”
“It’s nothing interesting. I just take some cases so that I can feed my family. In comparison, it’s nothing great compared to your family background.”
The youth nodded. He knew that the girl was not going to elaborate, so he did not push. After parting ways that morning, Yan Si had told him a few details about Ye Shuang, and the youth knew that the two were not actually familiar with one another; they only had a chance encounter. Therefore, when they met again, he would not say random things like he did that morning.
Even though Yan Si actually did not mind it, certain things were private business. It was not a good habit to talk too deep with someone whom you did not know so well. Plus, you might say something to offend others.
The youth and Yan Si did not speak, so Ye Shuang said directly, “The only reason that I’m asking you to join me here is because of one thing. I see that you are not doing so well, Mr. Yan, but I don’t want to attract problems, so instead of waiting until the problem arises, I wish to state it at the forefront… I probably won’t stay here for too long. If there is any problem that you might be facing during this period, I hope that you won’t bring the problem here. After all, we are staying very close to each other, so I don’t want there to be collateral damage.”
The youth nodded. “There indeed might be some problems that could come searching, but as long as you close the door tightly, Miss Ye, I believe that such trouble won’t be an issue.”
In other words, mind your own business.
As long as the problem at the Yan family was not solved, it was hard to tell how long Yan Si would have to live outside.