Chapter 11 — I... I'll Pay the Bill

Cheng Yishu strongly disapproved of Chen Kai’s behavior. Although he didn’t like Lin Xiaowen and couldn’t stand her constant talk of money, the stubborn resilience in her wounded gaze, which she had cast toward him in the end, lingered in his mind, refusing to let him rest.

After leaving the restroom, Cheng Yishu craned his neck toward the bar, feeling he ought to say something more to Lin Xiaowen. Even if she lashed out at him again, it would be better than letting that cold, resolute look be the last memory he retained of her.

Behind the bar, Lin Xiaowen was clearly dejected. She had been polishing the same glass so many times it seemed she’d never stop. Beside her stood a slightly chubby young man in a waiter’s shirt, his cheeks flushed as if he were saying something to her. Yet Lin Xiaowen neither looked at him nor spoke, her gaze lowered, as if intent on wiping the glass until it broke.

The boy watched her expression closely but, after a moment, fell silent. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

Startled, Lin Xiaowen looked up at him, and the force of his grip shattered the glass in her hand.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

Cheng Yishu leaped over the bar in a single, graceful motion—like a mother hen shielding her chick, he shoved the stunned boy aside and placed himself protectively in front of Lin Xiaowen.

“I’m talking to you! Who are you? Why are you putting your hands on her?” Cheng Yishu’s eyes flashed with anger, the veins on his neck standing out as he glared. For a moment, the boy felt as if he’d been caught trying to steal someone’s girlfriend.

‘That can’t be right, when did Xiaowen get a boyfriend?’

“And who are you?” Su Nian frowned, sizing up Cheng Yishu.

Cheng Yishu stood at six foot one, while Su Nian, even at his tallest, barely reached his mouth. Judging by that nimble leap over the bar, Su Nian realized he didn’t stand much chance in a scuffle, so he simply paused before lifting his chin, “Who let you behind the bar?”

“What are you doing?” Lin Xiaowen’s voice, with its peculiar lilt, came from behind Cheng Yishu. She frowned at his back, utterly bewildered.

Hadn’t everything been settled already? Why was this man still pestering her?

Cheng Yishu turned to look at the annoyance on her face and felt his anger surge afresh.

“You silly woman! Don’t you know how to fight back when someone takes advantage of you?”

Lin Xiaowen’s eyes widened, thinking maybe the music was so loud she’d misheard.

But the man before her was clearly looking at her with that exasperated, scolding expression.

“Someone took advantage of me?” she scoffed, her lips curling coldly. “And what’s that got to do with you? Why should you care? I like using these tricks to fleece men out of their money—how is that any of your business?”

“You—” Cheng Yishu was so furious he was at a loss for words, merely gritting his teeth as he glared at her.

He knew she was still angry about that incident, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

“Xiaowen, your hand…”

Su Nian’s sudden exclamation reminded Cheng Yishu that during their ‘dispute,’ Lin Xiaowen had been holding a glass. He quickly looked down—her hand, gripping a shard of broken glass, was bleeding.

“You’re bleeding!” As the words left his mouth, Cheng Yishu instinctively grabbed her hand to examine it.

“The cut’s not deep… Do you have a band-aid?”

“Let go!” Lin Xiaowen yanked her hand back, exasperated. What did her injury have to do with him? Were they even that familiar?

“I’ll get the first aid kit from the back, Xiaowen, just wait a moment!” Su Nian called over his shoulder as he hurried away, only to hear Cheng Yishu’s icy voice behind him.

“There’s no need for your first aid kit.”

Cheng Yishu shot Su Nian a look, then reached into his shirt pocket.

‘Right where I thought…’

A flash of secret delight crossed his mind as he pulled out a tissue from the bar and took hold of Lin Xiaowen’s injured hand once more.

“Don’t move!”

His warning look actually made Lin Xiaowen pause. She watched as Cheng Yishu deftly wiped away the blood, then carefully peeled the backing off a SpongeBob band-aid, wrapping it gently around her finger.

Lin Xiaowen’s heart fluttered unexpectedly.

Wasn’t this the band-aid Ranran had given him? He had kept it all this time, even carrying it with him?

As the thought flashed through her mind, Cheng Yishu finished bandaging her finger and checked to see if there were any other wounds.

“All done. Don’t get it wet, and stay away from these glasses,” he instructed. As he looked up, his eyes met Lin Xiaowen’s probing gaze.

Her eyes were round and strikingly clear, her small nose perched above gently pursed, pink lips. Her chin was delicately pointed, but she didn’t have that artificial, overdone look of an internet celebrity.

Looking at her like this, she didn’t seem all that… unpleasant.

“What exactly are you doing back here?” Lin Xiaowen looked away from the turbulence in his eyes, cleared her throat, and asked coolly.

“I… I’m here to pay the bill!” Cheng Yishu blurted, raising his brows. Inwardly, he was so pleased with his quick thinking that he could have applauded himself.

“To pay the bill?” Lin Xiaowen’s lips twitched. This was the first time she’d seen a customer vault over the bar to settle his tab.

“If you want to pay, please do so out front, thank you!” Su Nian, having finally found a chance to speak, wasn’t about to let it go. After all, he was one of the bar’s owners.

With a disgruntled glance at Lin Xiaowen, Cheng Yishu finally located the entrance to the bar and walked out.

“Ready to pay?”

Lin Xiaowen no longer looked at him. She unlocked the computer, clicked and double-checked a few times, then said, “Mr. Chen is a regular, so even though you’re paying, you can use his membership card. After the discount, the total comes to 3,200 yuan. Would you prefer WeChat or Alipay? Of course, cash is fine too.”

Cheng Yishu swallowed and nodded. “Alright, but… I don’t have any cash on me.”

“And?” Lin Xiaowen blinked at him, a sense of foreboding rising within her.

“WeChat, then!” Cheng Yishu took out his phone as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Very well, please scan here. Thank you…” Lin Xiaowen gave him a ‘smiling’ look.

Cheng Yishu opened his mouth, biting his lip as he looked from his phone screen to Lin Xiaowen. The atmosphere grew awkward.

“It’s fine, if WeChat’s inconvenient, Alipay works too!” Lin Xiaowen kept smiling, helpfully reminding him.

“Uh…” Cheng Yishu swallowed again and explained with difficulty, “It’s like this—you know you ruined my phone, right? My assistant just got me this new one, but I haven’t had time to link it to my bank account, so neither WeChat nor Alipay works yet…”

“So you’re dodging the bill again, huh?” Lin Xiaowen’s expression changed instantly. As expected, this man was a deadbeat—once a deadbeat, always a deadbeat.

“No, no, no!” Cheng Yishu frantically waved his hands. “I’ll settle up, don’t worry!”

“It’s alright, Xiaowen, Mr. Chen was with him…” Su Nian spoke as he glanced around for Chen Kai.

But there was no sign of Chen Kai at the booth.

“I said I’ll pay!” Cheng Yishu, evidently annoyed by Su Nian, snapped impatiently.

“Fine. Then pay up,” Lin Xiaowen said coldly, fixing her eyes on him.

“How about this—you add me on WeChat, and I’ll transfer it to you later!” Cheng Yishu pulled up his WeChat QR code and set it on the bar, glancing at Lin Xiaowen.

“I’ll add you,” Su Nian said, raising his brows at Cheng Yishu as he reached for his own phone.

“And who are you?” Cheng Yishu, suppressing his irritation, looked at Su Nian for the second time that night.

Su Nian could only reply good-naturedly, “Su Nian, owner of this bar.”