HSS CH9

Chapter 9: Did You See That?

In the end, it seemed like the words in the textbook had all turned into a fragrant, succulent lobster. Lin Miao frowned, feeling his rumbling stomach, and indignantly went downstairs to eat the lobster.

Biting into the sweet and tender shrimp meat, he solemnly declared to Huo Yuchuan, “Hating someone doesn’t mean liking them. Stop reading all that nonsense; it’s all a scam.”

Huo Yuchuan sat across from him, propping his face with one hand as he watched him, and calmly said, “Is that so?”

After the meal, Lin Miao felt like the effort he had put into running yesterday was all in vain. The goal of losing eight pounds seemed like a distant dream.

He knew that Huo Yuchuan was just looking for an excuse to keep him here for free as a pillow. It wasn’t that he was unwilling, but he couldn’t afford to work for free.

“Huo Yuchuan,” he hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s fine to extend the contract, but it can’t be for free.”

He and his dad had saved around a hundred thousand over the past two years. With interest, they still owed Huo Yuchuan over six hundred thousand. With such a large debt, if he didn’t save money aggressively, he would be paying it off for years to come.

Huo Yuchuan looked at his serious expression and said, “A hundred per day.”

Lin Miao tried to negotiate, “Add another hundred.”

Huo Yuchuan glanced at the lobster shells on the table, “That hundred is already in your stomach.”

Lin Miao was taken aback; he was actually calculating the food expenses!

“I can eat cheaper food in the future.”

Huo Yuchuan replied, “I can’t.”

Lin Miao: “……”

Huo Yuchuan leisurely said, “Your bank cards are all with me. Whether it’s a hundred more or less, it’s all the same.”

“It’s not the same,” Lin Miao corrected him, “The cards are with you, but the money is mine.”

Huo Yuchuan said, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll steal your money?”

“No way.” Lin Miao thought that although Huo Yuchuan was stingy, he wasn’t the type to steal money from others. He just found ways to make money off others.

But don’t make money off me! He muttered, “Stop always thinking about my money.”

Huo Yuchuan raised his eyes and looked at him, “Then what should I be thinking about?”

Lin Miao looked down at himself—there really wasn’t much else to think about.

It was only natural for a creditor to be concerned about his money.

That evening, while working at “Muse,” Lin Miao asked Xu Yue during a break if there was any quick way to lose weight.

Xu Yue was puzzled, “You’re not even fat. Why do you need to lose weight?”

Lin Miao replied, “I owe someone eight pounds of flesh.”

Xu Yue: “Huh?”

Lin Miao couldn’t quite explain, so he just said, “Someone wants me to lose eight pounds.”

Xu Yue immediately became angry, “How dare he? How thin is he anyway?!”

Lin Miao thought about Huo Yuchuan’s well-defined chest muscles, “He’s not thin.”

Xu Yue: “Then what gives him the right to demand that you be thin?!”

Lin Miao: “Because I’m eating his rice.”

Xu Yue: “……”

Xu Yue unconditionally supported her friend, “So what if you’re eating his rice? Rice isn’t expensive.”

Lin Miao added, “There’s also abalone, sea cucumber, lobster……”

Xu Yue picked up a box of alcohol and walked away.

Lin Miao thought the break was over and hurriedly followed to help. He had been working at “Muse” for over a year, coming whenever he had free time at night. It was the most flexible and highest-paying part-time job he could find, and he got along well with his colleagues and boss.

The boss was named He Congshan. The first time Lin Miao met him, he was wearing a big gold chain, looking like a gangster boss.

That night, he had a class that ended at nine. Little Zheng drove to pick him up, with Huo Yuchuan, who had just finished work, sitting in the back seat.

However, halfway through the drive, Lin Miao realized they weren’t on the usual route home. Huo Yuchuan said they needed to drop off some documents first.

They stopped outside a building that looked like it was made of glass, with various colors of light faintly refracted from the outside.

Little Zheng got out of the car with a document and walked in through the main entrance. Lin Miao, holding his school bag, curiously looked through the car window. At that moment, two men suddenly came out of the door, pushing and shoving each other as they kissed right by the entrance.

Lin Miao’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Huo Yuchuan silently stared at him. Then, he saw Lin Miao stealthily raise his phone and take a photo of the entrance.

“Huo Yuchuan,” he heard Lin Miao say, “Did you see that?”

Huo Yuchuan’s gaze was heavy, his throat rolled, and his hand involuntarily clenched at his side, “Saw……”

Lin Miao turned back, opened the photo he had taken, and showed it to him, “Look, there’s a part-time job here. They’re hiring waiters, and the pay is really good!”

Huo Yuchuan: “……”

Huo Yuchuan looked down and saw that he had taken a photo of the job advertisement at the entrance.

“……Is that all you saw?”

Lin Miao glanced again at the two men kissing, then suddenly covered Huo Yuchuan’s eyes with his hand and whispered, “Don’t look. It’s impolite.”

The palm that covered his eyes was warm, and Huo Yuchuan’s voice was dry. “Don’t you think it’s… strange?”

Lin Miao replied, “It is a bit strange.”

Something seemed to sink in Huo Yuchuan’s heart.

Then, he heard Lin Miao mutter again, “Why are they kissing right at the entrance? There are people around.”

Huo Yuchuan took a deep breath, pulled down Lin Miao’s hand, and saw that the tips of his ears were flushed, probably because he felt a bit embarrassed watching others kiss.

Huo Yuchuan grasped his wrist tightly. “They’re two men.”

Lin Miao’s brows furrowed. “Huo Yuchuan, are you being sexist?”

Huo Yuchuan replied, “No.”

Lin Miao pressed on, “Then why do you care if they’re two men or two women?”

Huo Yuchuan seemed to relax completely, leaning back into the chair. “Yeah, I don’t care.”

Lin Miao was puzzled by his reaction. When he looked back, the two men had already kissed and moved out of sight.

He looked at the bright job advertisement by the entrance and said, “Huo Yuchuan, can I work here at night?”

Huo Yuchuan replied, “No.”

“Why not?” Lin Miao asked, confused. “You often come back very late at night, and I don’t have anything to do.”

Huo Yuchuan said, “Study when you’re free.”

“It won’t interfere with my study time,” Lin Miao insisted. “I even got a scholarship this semester.”

Huo Yuchuan replied, “Then share some with me.”

Lin Miao was left speechless.

Suddenly, a drunken voice came from outside. “Where’s your boss, Huo?” Lin Miao turned his face and saw a tall, burly man with a big gold chain around his neck, staggering out while leaning on Xiao Zheng’s shoulder. The gold chain flashed in Lin Miao’s eyes.

“Even at the entrance, you don’t come in for a drink?”

The man walked up to the car and, upon lowering his head, saw Lin Miao inside.

“Oh wow,” he laughed, reeking of alcohol, “You’ve got good taste, Huo Yuchuan. Where did you find someone so good-looking?”

Huo Yuchuan ignored him and told Xiao Zheng to drag the drunkard away. To dissuade Lin Miao from wanting to work here part-time, he revealed, “He’s the boss here.” He didn’t seem like a good person at all.

However, Lin Miao’s eyes lit up, and he showed the picture on his phone, asking, “Are you hiring waiters? Can I apply?”

He Congshan waved his hand and said, “Of course.”

Huo Yuchuan immediately said, “No way.”

“Why not?” Lin Miao complained. “The boss agreed.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Huo Yuchuan said coldly and viciously. “This place is going to close down tomorrow.”

Lin Miao and He Congshan: “……”