Chapter 93
“I told you not to reply.” Allen seized Su Bin’s phone while he was distracted.
Su Bin anxiously pounced on Allen. “She’s not my ex-girlfriend! She’s a former friend! I have to reply, or I’ll be furious!”
Allen held the phone up high and asked, “Tell me what he said first.”
Su Bin explained the situation and his grievances to Allen, all the while hopping on his tiptoes to try to get the phone back.
“Would a friend say something like that? He’s their friend, not yours,” Allen said, somewhat exasperated. He didn’t even want to tap Su Bin’s forehead lightly. Su Bin dropping out of school wasn’t related to her? If she hadn’t abandoned him, would he have come to this point?
Of course, Allen enjoyed what those people were going through. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the chance to thoroughly take advantage of Su Bin, right? However, now that Su Bin was his, he wasn’t going to allow outsiders to bully him like this.
“You’re truly naive and foolish!” Allen lightly tapped his forehead with the hand that was free.
Su Bin was agitated. “Then what should I say?” — replying “It’s not her business” wasn’t about sympathizing with Chen Xiaotian’s tears. It was about not wanting to be connected to her in any way anymore. Moreover, out of his pride, it would be foolish to drop out of school just for a woman!
Allen arched an eyebrow and teasingly said, “Hehe, tell him to go to hell.”
“OAO…” Su Bin was shocked, but he wasn’t shocked by what Allen said; rather, it was the air of maliciousness and hostility that seemed to emanate from him… a demonic aura~
Thinking about Guo Li receiving such a response right now, didn’t it feel like he was hit with a ton of bricks? This kind of reply was definitely not something Su Bin, the guy who once had feelings for Chen Xiaotian, would say… it was like an unexpected slash to the face!
Su Bin surrendered. He even forgot to ask Allen for his phone back. He pounced onto Allen and gazed at him with admiration, feeling utterly relieved…
Allen handed the phone back into his pocket and squinted. “To reply or not is up to you. But if it’s about an equal argument, you don’t stand much of a chance. Learn to take the upper hand.”
He lightly patted Su Bin’s rear and continued, “If it were me, I wouldn’t have cared from the beginning… Unfortunately, you’re a fool.”
Su Bin sat on the couch, holding the phone, leaning against Allen’s shoulder, contemplating how to reply.
Indeed, engaging in an equal argument would only drag him into a quagmire of disputes. Even if he explained, Guo Li would still misunderstand. Guo Li never considered the situation from his perspective; otherwise, he wouldn’t have said those things.
…So, how should he “take the upper hand”? Disregard? No, that wouldn’t work. He cared too much! He couldn’t do it! QAQ
Seeing Su Bin’s perplexed expression, Allen pinched his ear and prompted, “Think about it. What does the person texting you hope to gain from you?”
Guo Li? He blamed him for shifting the blame to Chen Xiaotian, making her cry, and Huang Zhengming feel uncomfortable. He wanted an explanation, to make Su Bin realize the unintentional harm he caused them, take responsibility for his actions, even meet in person and communicate to resolve the issues… Oh, for heaven’s sake!
The more Su Bin thought, the angrier he got—these people deceived him for so long without offering an explanation! Did they even realize the pain they inflicted on him? Did they take responsibility for their actions? Did they attempt to reconcile? Dream on!
No, no, no… Stay calm, don’t engage in an equal argument! Take the upper hand… take the upper hand… How the heck do I take the upper hand? QAQ
Observing Su Bin’s changing expressions, Allen chuckled and couldn’t help but remind the little fool, “Don’t give him what he wants.”
A lightbulb went off in Su Bin’s mind. Guo Li must feel as terrible as he did when he couldn’t get an explanation or confession from the betrayer. That’s why Allen advised him not to reply, and that’s why he felt like he was falling into a trap after replying with just “Yeah,” and that’s why Guo Li chased him with criticism after his first response.
Ignoring was a more potent tactic than getting worked up and hurling insults. However, not everyone had the patience and mindset to ignore, like Su Bin. Despite wanting to move on from the past and face the future, subconsciously he still placed himself on an equal footing with Guo Li, Chen Xiaotian, and Huang Zhengming…
With Allen’s guidance and hints, Su Bin’s overheated mind gradually cooled down.
After pondering for a moment, Su Bin replied to Guo Li with a single word: “Oh.” — None of my business.
Five seconds later, Guo Li responded with an ellipsis…
Su Bin stared at those dots, as if he could see Guo Li’s frustration. Ahaha!
Allen affectionately ruffled his hair. “Happy?”
Su Bin grinned foolishly, “I… I feel so good…” (╰w╯)
Allen kissed his forehead. “But, dear, that’s not true dominance.”
Su Bin put away his smile. “Huh?”
Allen pulled Su Bin closer, making him straddle his lap, facing each other — it seemed Allen really liked this position.
“Don’t forget, you belong to me. You should be thinking about me, not those people…” Allen cupped the back of Su Bin’s head. “Your time and energy should be spent on more valuable things, not on those bothersome entanglements… Look higher, only then can you truly take the upper hand over them.”
“Okay.” Su Bin understood somewhat. He buried his face on Allen’s shoulder, realizing that he wouldn’t have had the attitude to reply with “Oh” without Allen. He also wouldn’t have recovered from his anxiety so quickly.
Allen was right. He should let go of those unpleasant matters and work on becoming a better person, so he could truly match, match up with this intelligent, mature, calm, and perfect… master. o////o
Just as he was thinking this, he received another text message. Su Bin’s heart skipped a beat, fearing that Guo Li was sending another “reproachful” message. He quickly picked up the phone and checked. Luckily, it wasn’t from Guo Li! It was from Jin Fei — “Come to Yulinglong for dinner, address xxx, Table 8.”
Su Bin sighed in relief. As he blocked Guo Li, he replied to Jin Fei, “Coming~” He was going to do something more meaningful!
After tidying up with Allen, the two of them left. They quickly arrived at the restaurant Jin Fei mentioned by taking a taxi.
Upon entering, guided by the waiter, Su Bin was shocked to see Jin Fei sitting at Table 8, with his arm around a curly-haired beauty.
…Holy cow, just a few hours? The nouveau riche Jin Fei already scored a girl? That’s efficient!
“Here?” Jin Fei slapped the shoulder of the beauty with a smug expression. “Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend.”
Su Bin sat down with surprise, taking a closer look at the girl. She was undeniably beautiful with peachy eyes, cherry lips, and eyes that were clear and sparkling, a bit more attractive than Chen Xiaotian.
Unfortunately, the girl’s gaze was fixated on Allen, and her mouth was slightly open as if she was stunned. It wasn’t until Jin Fei playfully tapped her plate with a chopstick that she snapped out of it. She awkwardly withdrew her gaze, greeted the two, and said, “You can call me Lina.”
Jin Fei pinched his girlfriend’s cheek and grumbled, “Stop staring, he can’t understand what you’re saying!”
Lina: “…”
Su Bin burst into laughter and couldn’t resist translating for Allen. Allen smiled at the beautiful girl and she blushed immediately.
Jin Fei, annoyed, leaned in and whispered something to Lina. The next moment, her expression changed drastically. She looked at Allen, then at Su Bin…
This time, Su Bin was speechless. What did Jin Fei say to her? He discreetly reached under the table and touched Allen’s leg, drawing a question mark—does Jin Fei know about our relationship?
Allen grabbed his hand and drew an “X” on it—haha.
Seeing that Allen and Su Bin were each holding one of their hands under the table, doing something but not sure what, Lina’s face became even more peculiar—handsome guys must all be into guys, seems like I can only stick with rich guys… sob… Ordered several dishes, the group chatted while eating. Since Lina couldn’t speak English, she could only be a pure companion. Su Bin was worried that she might feel awkward alone, so he struck up a brief conversation. He learned that she was a local in Hangzhou and currently studying at an art institute.
Su Bin exclaimed, “Wow, studying art? That’s impressive!” For someone like Su Bin, who had focused on academic subjects since childhood, the world of art was entirely different.
Seeing that Su Bin somehow struck up a conversation with the girl, Allen seemed a bit displeased.
Jin Fei, observant, sensed it all. He marveled at Allen’s possessiveness and at the same time, asked Lina to distract her, “Baby, we’re speaking English, are you feeling bored alone?”
Lina gazed at him tenderly, “You guys can talk, I’m fine…”
Jin Fei caressed her smooth cheek, “So understanding.”
Su Bin: “…”
Returning to their trio’s conversation, Su Bin brought up the idea of opening a restaurant.
“Really? Have you thought it through?” Jin Fei was getting enthusiastic. “I’m finally looking forward to going back to Country B!”
Su Bin hesitated, “But my mind is blank right now. I don’t even know what to do. I might have to start from scratch.”
“Why worry? With Allen… as your strategist!” Jin Fei looked at Allen. “But Su Bin is on a student visa. Can he open a business on his own?”
Allen calmly explained, “That’s correct. So, the restaurant will be under my name.”
Jin Fei: “…”
Damn, talk about dominance!
Allen continued, “It’s not a big issue. You’ll still be the restaurant’s sole investor, and Michael will be the sole owner.”
Jin Fei realized it made sense. With Allen around, it felt much more reliable than just Su Bin.
Allen spoke leisurely, “Once the restaurant officially opens, even if Michael doesn’t continue studying, he can still apply for a work visa through a formal employment contract to stay in Country B.”
Of course, he would also find a way to help Su Bin obtain permanent residency as soon as possible.
Jin Fei clicked his tongue in admiration, marveling at the fortunate circumstances Su Bin found himself in with Allen… indeed, fools are blessed!
Allen looked at Su Bin and added, “If you’re interested, you can think about it recently. Choose a name for the restaurant that you like, including the main dishes and specialties. Since you don’t have a chef’s certificate right now, we’ll need to hire one or two chefs when the time comes. Do you want to hire Chinese or foreign chefs?”
Upon hearing this, Su Bin realized that Allen wasn’t as domineering as he had initially thought. Instead, he was leaving these decisions up to him. It gave Su Bin a pleasantly surprised feeling. “Can I hire Chinese chefs?”
Allen nodded, “Of course.”
Su Bin suddenly felt like he had truly ascended to the position of “boss.” This feeling made him enjoy his meal even more. He chatted with Allen while eating, unintentionally leaving Jin Fei on the sidelines.
Jin Fei looked at Lina in annoyance, “Baby~”
Lina, who was on standby, responded instantly, “Oh baby~”
