I turned to scrutinize the boy in front of me. He was dressed simply in a clean white T-shirt and shorts, with no unnecessary accessories. Though his smile was somewhat insincere, it still had a clarity to it. On the surface, he looked like a model student, but I never would have guessed he had such a powerful background.
Noticing my probing gaze, he turned to look at me. After a moment, he chuckled lightly and asked, “What’s so interesting to look at?”
Like a cat caught with its tail stepped on, I felt my face heat up. I quickly retorted, “Who’s looking at you? Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Alright, if you say so,” he said with an amused smile, handing me my shoes from the side. “Judging by your appearance, you’re still a student. You shouldn’t come to places like this alone—it’s too dangerous.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment. “This is your place, isn’t it? Isn’t it a bit ironic for the owner to warn people away? I’ve never seen a boss so eager to turn away customers.”
“Well, now you have,” Xu Xuan replied with a faint smile. Then, almost casually, he asked, “What’s your name?”
“Zhu Yun Hao,” I replied without hesitation.
“Zhu Jun Hao?” Xu Xuan frowned, looking confused. “Who would name their child that?”
“Hey, hey, you’ve got it all wrong. It’s not the ‘jun’ from ‘gentleman.’ It’s the ‘yun’ from Wen Ting Yun,” I explained. [Wen Ting Yun (温庭筠) was a famous Tang dynasty poet known for his lyrical style.]
“Oh, I see,” Xu Xuan said thoughtfully before asking, “How old are you?”
“Seventeen. Why?” I asked, puzzled.
“Seventeen? That means you’re in your second year of high school. If I’m not mistaken, today is Wednesday. Why aren’t you in class? What are you doing here alone?” Xu Xuan questioned.
His nosiness made me roll my eyes. “Come on, Xu Da Shuai (Big Handsome Xu), we just met, and you’re already acting like my guardian.”
“Alright, maybe I’m being a bit presumptuous,” he said with a shrug. “But if you ever come here again, just find me directly. Don’t come alone. You’re too young to understand how dark this world can be.”
Xu Xuan’s words made me chuckle. I replied lightly as I finished putting on my shoes. The wound on my knee, which had been bleeding profusely earlier, was starting to scab over. The stark red against my pale skin looked a bit pitiful.
Noticing the injury, Xu Xuan gestured toward the staff counter. Moments later, the young girl from earlier hurried over and asked, “Boss, what do you need?”
“There’s an emergency medical kit in the second drawer of the cabinet in my office. Could you bring it here?” Xu Xuan instructed.
Before he even finished speaking, I quickly interjected, “There’s no need to trouble yourself. It’s just a small scrape—it’ll heal in a couple of days.”
“Trouble? Nonsense.” Xu Xuan smiled. “Girls shouldn’t let scars ruin their beauty.”
He then turned back to the girl. “Xiao Su, go quickly.”
“Yes, I’ll be right back,” she replied, rushing off.
Xu Xuan’s concern warmed me, instantly easing my earlier frustration. This boy, whom I had known for less than an hour, was unexpectedly kind, his gentle demeanor leaving me momentarily dazed.
In no time, Xiao Su returned with the medical kit. “Here you go, Boss.”
“Thanks. You can get back to work now.”
Xu Xuan took the kit and crouched down. With clean, slender fingers, he dipped a cotton swab into disinfectant and began cleaning my wound.
From my angle, I could only see the crown of his thick, dark hair, his expression hidden from view. Still, I could sense his seriousness. Just as my thoughts began to wander, a sharp sting from my knee made me cry out.
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