Chapter 17

Cheng Lang said it lightly. Shen Huaiyu imagined that scene and could not help shuddering. It was like someone taking what had happened to him at White Jade Capital and broadcasting it over a loudspeaker on repeat throughout the school. Just thinking about it made Shen Huaiyu feel suffocated. He wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and bury himself alive.

Cheng Lang glanced at the still-shaken Shen Huaiyu. Shen Chengan thought Cheng Lang was ruthless, but Cheng Lang was only following his example. To achieve such immediate results, he had to thank the Shen family for understanding the darkest side of human nature so well. They knew exactly where to strike to ruin someone completely.

"You cultured people are terrifying," Cheng Lang remarked. "You kill without a knife!"

Shen Huaiyu looked at Cheng Lang in utter confusion.

The barbecue restaurant Cheng Lang had mentioned was on the fifth floor of the food court. By the time Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu found it, a long line had already formed outside. Looking at the queue stretching ahead of them, Cheng Lang frowned. "Forget it. We'll come another time. Let's go somewhere else."

"Wait!" Shen Huaiyu called after Cheng Lang. "I don't think the line is that long. We'll probably only have to wait half an hour."

Cheng Lang looked at Shen Huaiyu with a smile.

Shen Huaiyu was somewhat baffled. "What is it?"

"Not bad," Cheng Lang said with a grin. "You're even in the mood to wait in line for food now."

Cheng Lang still remembered how Shen Huaiyu had looked before, like a pitiful walking corpse. Everything tasted like cardboard to him; as long as he did not starve to death, that was enough.

Shen Huaiyu blinked, visibly embarrassed.

Cheng Lang did not tease Shen Huaiyu any further. "Then wait here. I'll go buy us two drinks." After talking so much all morning, Cheng Lang's throat was practically on fire.

Shen Huaiyu nodded obediently.

Cheng Lang found a milk tea shop nearby and ordered two fruit teas. The girl making the drinks stared at Cheng Lang curiously, sneaking glance after glance at him.

Cheng Lang pretended not to notice. When the fruit teas were ready, the girl finally could not hold back. "Were you the righteous guy who stood up for his classmate outside the art gallery earlier?"

Cheng Lang raised an eyebrow.

Blushing furiously, the girl said, "It's already gone viral online. You were so amazing when you spoke. Your classmate is so lucky to have a friend like you."

It had gone viral online?

Cheng Lang took out his phone. His first thought was whether all this attention could bring customers to the milk tea shop. His second was concern for Shen Huaiyu—what Shen Chengan had said had undoubtedly exposed Shen Huaiyu's job at White Jade Capital. Cheng Lang was worried that with Shen Huaiyu's personality, he simply could not handle the overwhelming attention and criticism.

Cheng Lang hurried back to the barbecue restaurant. Shen Huaiyu was still obediently waiting in line. Cheng Lang walked over, handed him one of the fruit teas, and asked quietly, "Have you been online?"

Shen Huaiyu shook his head. As a good kid who had just finished the college entrance exams and been admitted to X University's archaeology department with an outstanding score of 703, Shen Huaiyu had not yet developed the habit of going online whenever he had free time. Naturally, he did not know that the uproar he and Cheng Lang had caused at the calligraphy and painting exhibition had already spread across the internet.

Just as Cheng Lang was about to say something, an employee at the barbecue restaurant called out—their number had come up.

The two were led to their table by a server. After ordering, while they waited for the food, Cheng Lang gave Shen Huaiyu a concise rundown of what had happened.

"Anyway, there are all kinds of rumors online now. Some people are born to be contrarians who hate the rich, and nothing decent ever comes out of their mouths. It's better if you stay off the internet."

Shen Huaiyu nodded. His beautiful brows furrowed again.

"Don't worry too much. News online is like the wind. Once it blows past, it's gone. If it has nothing to do with them, no one will take it to heart." Cheng Lang smiled as he reassured him. "You have money now too. If you don't want to keep working at White Jade Capital, then quit."

The system was so anxious it practically jumped in place: [Are you insane? If you tell him to quit now, what will happen to the plot afterward? Didn't you tell me that what you did would not affect the plot's development?]

Cheng Lang ignored the system.

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Huaiyu asked, "What about you?"

Cheng Lang smiled. "Of course I'm staying! I can make hundreds of thousands in tips in one night. I'm still counting on White Jade Capital to make me a billionaire!"

"Then I'll keep doing it too." Shen Huaiyu paused slightly, then looked at Cheng Lang with shining eyes. "I think this part-time job is pretty good. Even if I can't sell any alcohol, I can still earn two hundred yuan an hour. That's thirty thousand yuan a month. I'm going to save the money we got back for my little brother's treatment. I still need to figure out how to earn money for myself."

"You can stay at the milk tea shop," Cheng Lang said. "It's our own business, after all. We need someone to keep an eye on it. Don't worry about the shop's profits. I'll figure something out."

In truth, the milk tea shop was also an escape route Cheng Lang had found for Shen Huaiyu. He felt Shen Huaiyu was not suited to a place as decadent as White Jade Capital. It would be better to open a small shop of his own, clean and peaceful. He could read academic papers and brew tea when he had time, restore a few cultural relics, and steal a little leisure from life.

Shen Huaiyu shook his head. "The milk tea shop is your business. You've already helped me get back the money from selling the house and handling the funeral. I can't be so shameless as to take advantage of your milk tea shop too."

"How is that taking advantage?" Cheng Lang reasoned. "Whether this milk tea shop can get off the ground depends heavily on you being there."

"Tell me. I'm listening," Shen Huaiyu said. "You've helped me so much. Whatever you ask me to do, it's only right that I do it."

Cheng Lang looked at Shen Huaiyu, who was being inexplicably stubborn, and sighed.

He felt this kid had only just climbed out of one dead end, only to plunge straight into another.

Forget it! Cheng Lang shook his head. He could understand Shen Huaiyu's fledgling attachment.

They would take it slowly.

After they finished the barbecue, it was already past one in the afternoon. Cheng Lang checked the time and asked Shen Huaiyu, "How has the Tea Whisking practice been going?"

Shen Huaiyu immediately replied, "I've been practicing whenever I had the chance these past few days."