This guest was so handsome

Inside the teahouse.

Bai Chen had barely stepped through the doorway when he saw several people by the counter. A middle-aged man was berating a young woman in a work uniform standing across from him.

She must have been new. He had not seen her the last time he came.

Her head was deeply bowed, her body trembling slightly as she apologized over and over.

The man who managed the staff was intent on firing her, all while continuing to hurl abuse at her.

"What were you thinking? Huh?" The man pointed at her and shouted, "Why weren't you more careful serving the tea? Do you have any idea what kind of people come to drink tea on the second floor?"

The young woman did not dare respond. She could only keep apologizing, her eyes reddening.

The man said bluntly, "He didn't make you pay because he couldn't be bothered to hold it against you. You were lucky to get someone with a good temper. With another guest, even all the money you had might not cover it."

"Leave. We have no room here for someone so clumsy." The man's expression was thunderous.

Instantly, tears streamed down her face. She pleaded, "Manager, please give me another chance. I have a younger brother to support. I can go upstairs and apologize to that gentleman again. Please don't fire me."

But her plea did not make the man reconsider firing her.

That was normal, though. After all, in the workplace, even little mistakes like these were unacceptable. No one would take pity on you.

A few words could not erase your mistake. A mistake was a mistake.

Hearing this, the young woman stood frozen in place, her face pale.

Watching the scene, Bai Chen felt a pang of discomfort. It was not that he thought she had done nothing wrong, but seeing her was like seeing his former self.

When his parents were still alive, they had not been wealthy, but they had always had enough food and warm clothes.

But after his parents died in an accident, every burden fell on his shoulders alone. His parents had left little in savings, and he and his sister soon spent it all.

Bai Chen could only take odd jobs during his first year of college. His younger sister, Bai Xi, was only in middle school, and naturally, she needed money too.

That first month, he had found a nearby restaurant just outside the university gates and worked carrying dishes and the like. Nothing had ever gone wrong, until one day a customer's child ran around while he was carrying plates.

He had been carrying them carefully when the child slammed into him. His grip slipped, and the plates came crashing down, striking the child's forehead and drawing blood.

That time, the child's parents kept demanding compensation from Bai Chen, accusing him of not carrying the plates properly. Only after he suggested checking the security footage to prove his innocence did he avoid paying that huge sum.

But he was still fired afterward.

Without a job, life that month became even more miserable. He gave most of the money he had to Bai Xi, and spent the month skipping meals whenever he could.

He often woke in the middle of the night with stomach pain from hunger, and the stomach trouble stayed with him even after he entered the workforce.

No medicine helped beyond easing the symptoms. Nothing could cure it.

No one knew that kind of loneliness and helplessness better than he did. That was why seeing the young woman like this felt like seeing his former self.

After a moment's thought, he walked over.

The young woman sensed someone suddenly standing before her and looked up. Her eyes were brimming with tears, a pitiful sight.

Bai Chen did not really want to use the original owner's identity to do something like this, but his conscience would not let him walk away.

He took a tissue from his backpack and handed it to her, saying gently, "Here, dry your tears."

She accepted it and stammered out a thank-you.

She had never seen Bai Chen before, so naturally, she had no idea who he was and assumed he was a guest.

But the instant the manager saw him, his entire demeanor changed.

The speed of that transformation impressed even Bai Chen.

His eyes widened, and he said with a smile, "Young Master Bai, what brings you here?"

Bai Chen's tone was calm. "Well, I don't have classes today, so I came to learn pottery."

The man readily replied, "Of course. The pottery instructors are all upstairs. Let me take you up."

"No need. I can go up myself." He hesitated for a moment before saying plainly, "Could you give this young woman another chance? Just this once. If she makes the same mistake again, don't keep her. She should still be disciplined, though. I'll personally apologize to that gentleman in a little while."

Giving the young woman a chance was, in a way, giving his former self a chance too.

Manager Wang naturally did not dare object. He turned his head to glance at the young woman, then agreed with a broad smile. "Of course. Whatever you say, Young Master Bai Chen."

"All right. Thank you." Bai Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. This was the first time he had used the original owner's identity to do something like this.

He felt a little embarrassed.

But he still had to apologize to the guest upstairs. After all, he had promised Manager Wang.

He needed to see this matter through properly.

Upstairs in the teahouse, a young man stood beside the wooden window of a private room with his back to Bai Chen. Tall and elegant, he wore a well-tailored, deep black suit.

His long, jade-like fingers tapped idly against the window frame, producing a steady tapping sound.

He held a phone in his right hand and seemed to be on a call.

His voice reached Bai Chen's ears, low and husky, yet without a seductive edge. Bai Chen heard every word that slipped from his thin lips.

Refined and elegant.

Bai Chen stared, a little dazed.

Then the man seemed to notice him and turned around.

The man seemed briefly taken aback at the sight of him too, then offered a friendly smile and asked, "What is it?"

Bai Chen also realized he had been rather rude and immediately apologized. "Sorry, Mr. Lin. I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation."

At that, the smile in the young man's eyes deepened. "It's all right. I knew someone was behind me all along, and I wasn't discussing any secrets."

"Phew..." Bai Chen let out a relieved breath. Thankfully, the man had not misunderstood.

Anyone who could come to the second floor was someone important, someone he could not afford to offend. It would have been troublesome if the man had mistaken him for an eavesdropper.

He really had been terribly rude just now, staring at the man the whole time.

But this gentleman really does have such a wonderful presence, Bai Chen thought.

He had never seen anyone so elegant in both looks and bearing.

Even many years later, Bai Chen could never erase that scene from his memory.