Chapter 184
However, since the other party had given a reason, Su Bin stopped being overly polite and accepted it. He needed the money, and if it was for travel expenses, it was only fair. After all, he had spent quite a bit of time on grocery shopping and such.
Because this was the first money he had earned since crossing over, Su Bin generously treated Sun Yujie to a meal. Their relationship was great this life, and Su Bin hadn’t hidden much from Sun Yujie, including his pursuit of Allen.
When Sun Yujie found out that Su Bin had successfully been with Allen, he was even more excited than Su Bin himself. With a dreamy expression, he said, “If I could do that with Cheng Ang, my life would be complete!” That’s right—Sun Yujie was still in the phase of secretly having a crush on Cheng Ang!
Su Bin’s face darkened.
He knew the eventual outcome between Sun Yujie and Cheng Ang from his previous life, so he felt sorry for Sun Yujie. His instinct was to not try to matchmake the two, and since he had been focused on Allen from the start, he hadn’t found the right opportunity to introduce Sun Yujie to Jin Fei. Although the two had met at a social party once, their relationship wasn’t as close anymore, and naturally, Jin Fei hadn’t urged Sun Yujie to try to win over Cheng Ang.
Many things had subtly changed. Su Bin felt uneasy. He wanted to change his own history, to keep Allen and protect him, but in the process, changing others’ life paths wasn’t something he intended to do.
“Even if he sleeps with you and then abandons you, you’re still willing?” Su Bin asked.
Sun Yujie cupped his face in his hands, looking starry-eyed as he replied, “He’s the first person I’ve ever liked from the bottom of my heart. Just thinking about being with him, my heart is about to leap out of my chest… as long as I get one night, and he’s fully invested, that would be enough to make me reminisce for a long time!”
Su Bin poked his forehead with his finger, “Idiot, that’s far from enough!”
—When you haven’t gotten anything yet, you feel content just with a glance from the other person. But once they look at you, you want them to talk to you. After they talk, you greedily long for further contact, a hug, a kiss… until you completely possess them.
Love is like a disease. The first person to fall in love can never be saved. Only when the other person uses words and actions repeatedly to express the same feelings can they be healed.
“Ah, you’re right…” Sun Yujie sighed dejectedly. “Right now, he and I are still in a cold war. It’s hard even to be friends, let alone do anything like that. I guess I’ve been dreaming.”
Seeing Sun Yujie like this, Su Bin thought back to how he had been not long ago. He felt a little sad. “I think Cheng Ang likes you. He just can’t swallow his pride.”
“Eh? Is that so?” Sun Yujie’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Uhh…” (No, Su Bin, that’s not what you want!) Su Bin unconsciously tried to comfort him, “Well, right now, he’s straight, and it’s not easy for a straight guy to face his feelings. You… just be patient. Take it slow.”
The optimistic Sun Yujie didn’t notice Su Bin’s struggle. He was soon encouraged, “Hehe, I think so too!”
Su Bin: “…” (=皿=)
“So what about you? What are your plans for the next step?” Sun Yujie asked, turning to Su Bin.
“As for me…” Su Bin pushed around the steak on his plate, then said seriously, “I want to work and earn money to buy Allen a ring and propose to him.”
“Pfft!” Sun Yujie spat out his red wine in shock, completely stunned by Su Bin’s boldness—ah, having such an “inspirational role model” in front of him, he felt so inferior!
Sun Yujie immediately bombarded Su Bin with questions about his part-time job. After hearing all the details, he sighed with envy, “You’ve got such a good job! Now I kind of want to learn to cook too!”
Su Bin hadn’t expected his luck to be so good. “If this job lasts a little longer, I’ve calculated it. At this rate, I can buy Allen a ring in half a year.”
“What!?!” Sun Yujie was stunned again. “What ring? That expensive!”
Su Bin excitedly said, “A Tiffany X ring with a blue diamond, super cool, and perfect for Allen!”
Damn, Su Bin was the most “infatuated” person Sun Yujie had ever seen! He didn’t want to pour cold water on Su Bin, but still couldn’t help asking, “What if Allen rejects you? Then won’t you have wasted that money?” There was no promise from Allen, and it wasn’t even certain they’d end up together. Even if Su Bin proposed, buying a ring for one or two thousand yuan would be enough. This was too risky!
Su Bin, however, didn’t know where his courage came from. “Then I won’t give up. I’ll propose again, and again, until Allen accepts me.”
If this had been a month ago, Su Bin might not have been able to say such things with such conviction. But ever since he and Allen had been intimate, he increasingly believed in what Allen had said in his past life—that it was “destined”…
It wasn’t because they had slept together once that things were different, but because Allen was still the same Allen Su Bin knew well, even though he had no memory of that time. At first, Allen hadn’t treated him that well, but his preferences, personality, and views on love were exactly the same as before.
In his past life, it was Allen who had first noticed Su Bin in the crowd, yet had never told Su Bin he loved him. Instead, he had made Su Bin take the initiative.
Such a proud person, someone you loved and hated at the same time, but so deeply affectionate that you couldn’t help but be helpless… That day in bed, seeing Allen moved by his feelings, feeling Allen’s gentle yet domineering desire, Su Bin understood—he loved him. When someone loves another person with all their heart, what’s there to fear?
So even though Su Bin wasn’t that confident, he wouldn’t back down.
He had been given a second chance in life, and he was ready to commit to it fully.
Sun Yujie was inspired by Su Bin’s attitude, as though he had been injected with some kind of energy, and quietly clenched his fists under the table—yes, only those who dared to love deserved to be loved. He wanted to learn from Su Bin! He was going to buy a ring and propose to Cheng Ang too! Rawr~~!
Su Bin thought for a moment, then said, “Besides, the Tiffany ring can be returned within a month!”
Sun Yujie: “…”
That evening when Su Bin returned home, Allen suddenly asked, “Why have you been coming home so late these past few days?”
Su Bin admitted, “Hmm, I’ve been working part-time.”
Allen furrowed his brow. “Are you short on money?” He had checked Su Bin’s background and knew how much was in his bank account. Although Su Bin wasn’t as wealthy as Jin Fei, his family provided him with a comfortable living allowance, more than enough for a student. He didn’t need to work part-time.
Su Bin nodded. “Yeah, there’s something I want to buy.” Of course, he couldn’t tell Allen it was for the ring!
For a moment, Allen wanted to say, “Whatever you want, I’ll buy it for you.” But he quickly froze at his own thought—where exactly was he putting Su Bin in his life? Why was he suddenly feeling possessive?
Su Bin noticed Allen’s strange expression and thought he might be worried again that he was working under the table. So, he quickly explained, “It’s a very legitimate job. I found it on the official international student recruitment site, and the work is easy. Don’t worry!”
Allen snorted lightly and then asked, “Are you free tomorrow night?”
Su Bin replied, “I am!”
Allen casually said, “I’ll take you out for dinner.”
Su Bin froze. “Out to eat?”
Allen nodded.
After thinking for a moment, Su Bin hesitantly asked, “Uh, is it a seafood custom restaurant near the port?”
Allen: “……..” This guy…
Su Bin: “……” Did I guess right? But why does Allen look so upset?
Allen: “No, do you think I’ll take you to the same place again?” Looks like I need to pick another one…
Sensing Allen’s irritation, Su Bin quickly apologized, “Sorry…”
Allen said, “Come back early tomorrow,” then went to his room.
Su Bin scratched his head, confused about what Allen was upset about. But if Allen was taking the initiative to ask him out, didn’t that mean he might like him a little? … Hehe!
The next afternoon, Su Bin skipped a class to go to Mr. Shen’s house early for his part-time job. Normally, he would go after school in the evening, but Mr. Shen didn’t mind the specific timing.
However, upon entering, he found there were other people in the house, not just one! There were about four or five people, including Mr. Shen, sitting together in the living room, drinking. When Su Bin suddenly walked in, everyone stopped and looked at him.
Su Bin awkwardly stood there, not knowing what to do. Mr. Shen smiled at him and motioned for him to come in. “Come on in.”
Su Bin quickly changed his shoes and headed for the kitchen. The others resumed their conversation. Su Bin vaguely heard someone ask, “Ling Shao, have you found another…” Then Mr. Shen chuckled softly, but what they said after that was unclear.
Focusing on washing the vegetables and rice, Su Bin planned to finish quickly and leave.
Just as he placed the fish in the steamer, Mr. Shen’s voice suddenly came from behind him. “Why are you here so early today?”
“Uh, sorry, did I disturb you?” Su Bin apologized.
Mr. Shen said, “You’re just in time. Make a few more dishes. I told them you’re good at cooking, and they want to try it.”
Su Bin hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t too much trouble to make more dishes, and he usually bought groceries every two or three days. He had just stocked up on vegetables yesterday, so he had enough. It was just…
Mr. Shen smiled at him. “What are you hesitating for? Today, you’re getting double the pay.”
Su Bin: “Alright then…”
Double pay! In front of Su Bin, who urgently needed to save money, those two words were an irresistible temptation!
Su Bin quickly took some pork ribs and fatty pork from the fridge to thaw, then moved quickly to chop up ingredients. Mr. Shen watched him for a long time, only leaving when someone called for him.
Once the ingredients were prepared, cooking became easy.
Steamed bass, spicy chicken, braised pork, salt-and-pepper roasted half-chicken, fresh vegetables… Once a person focused on something, it was easy to lose track of time. In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed, and Su Bin brought the dishes to the table. Glancing at his phone, it was already nearly six o’clock!
Mr. Shen and his friends gathered around the table, clicking their tongues in admiration. “Ling Shao, is this kid a professional?”
Another person remarked, “No wonder you’ve been looking so much better lately, turns out you’ve got a ‘Tian Luo’ girl hidden at home.”
“Heh…” Mr. Shen smiled with his lips pressed together, looking quite pleased.
Su Bin: “…” “Tian Luo girl?” I’m a guy! Also, why are they calling Mr. Shen ‘Ling Shao’? Does he go by Shen Ling Shao? Although he was curious and tempted to make a remark about their conversation, Su Bin decided to keep quiet. As a living assistant, he kept one thing in mind—less talk, more action.
After everything was cleaned up, Su Bin said to Mr. Shen, who was opening a bottle of wine and preparing to sit down, “Mr. Shen, there’s a pot of rib soup still simmering in the kitchen. It needs another ten minutes.”
Since everyone was in the living room, Su Bin felt it wasn’t the right time to do any cleaning, especially as it was getting late. “I’ll come back to clean the living room tomorrow. I’ll head out now.”
Mr. Shen paused for a moment. “Aren’t you going to eat with us?”
Su Bin waved his hand. “I have plans to eat with some friends.”
Mr. Shen nodded. “Alright, I won’t keep you… Hmm, wait a moment.” As if something had occurred to him, he turned and went into a room, returning with a delicate gift box. “Take this with you.”
Su Bin saw the well-known luxury brand logo on the bag.
Mr. Shen said, “A client gave me a belt. The color’s a bit too bright for me, so I thought you might like it. I’ve seen you wear pants in similar colors.”
Given the brand, Su Bin could tell that the belt was expensive. He hesitated to accept it, politely refusing several times. However, Mr. Shen was persistent, and with his friends present, Su Bin didn’t want to refuse too forcefully and risk offending him. He reluctantly accepted it, thanking him as he left.
After Su Bin left, someone asked Shen Ling, “That kid still a student? He seems pretty good.”
Shen Ling replied, “He’s an undergraduate at M University, studying finance.”
The person responded, “Oh, he’s one of your juniors! You’re so busy these days. You might want to consider adding another assistant.”
Shen Ling smiled. “We’ll see.”
Su Bin rushed back home, but he still kept Allen waiting for quite a while. When he found out Allen had been waiting for him for over half an hour, Su Bin repeatedly apologized, “Sorry, something came up unexpectedly.”
Allen gave him a cold look, clearly a bit impatient from the wait.
Su Bin noticed Allen’s gaze had fallen on the gift box in his hand, and on impulse, he quickly stuffed it into Allen’s arms, saying, “This is for you!”
Allen frowned, asking, “What is this?”
Su Bin replied, “Uh… a belt.”
—Wait! Su Bin suddenly realized that giving a man who liked that kind of game… a belt might lead to some misunderstandings.
Sure enough,
