This was the third time Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan had met.
It had only been three days since their last encounter, and each time it happened while Qiao Le was working.
He couldn’t help but marvel at how fate could be so mysterious.
During their previous two meetings, Shen Hechuan had helped him out.
If they had met in any other setting, Qiao Le would have definitely greeted him.
But seeing that Shen Hechuan was with friends, Qiao Le decided against it.
The bar’s seating was divided into high and low areas, and the service staff had to either bend or squat when serving.
Coincidentally, the seats in Area A were all sofa booths.
Qiao Le fetched a drink menu and placed it in front of Shen Hechuan, then knelt down on one knee beside him.
As Qiao Le knelt, Shen Hechuan’s gaze inadvertently fell on the shape of Qiao Le’s waist, accentuated by his suit pants.
It felt as if something had lightly brushed against his heart.
Qiao Le’s waist was very slender.
He had personally held it just two days ago.
During their first meeting, Qiao Le had been wearing a shirt and suit pants, with a slim waist and long legs.
“Sir?”
Qiao Le called out to him.
Shen Hechuan glanced at the drink menu and casually ordered a bottle of wine.
Before starting his shift, Qiao Le had memorized the prices on the drink menu.
When taking orders, he would observe the customers and recommend drinks accordingly the more expensive the drink, the higher his commission.
However, Shen Hechuan was not one of those easy marks.
Upon hearing the wine Shen Hechuan ordered, Qiao Le looked around and, seeing no colleagues nearby, leaned in slightly closer to Shen Hechuan:
“Mr. Shen, are you sure you want this one?”
Amidst the lively jazz music, Shen Hechuan heard him call out “Mr. Shen.”
It sounded much more pleasant than the awkward “sir” from earlier.
“What’s the matter?” he asked Qiao Le.
“It’s too expensive.”
A bottle of wine costing eighty thousand yuan could buy nine pairs of bear slippers and still have change left.
Qiao Le knew that anyone who could afford to drink here wouldn’t balk at the price of a single bottle.
But since it was Shen Hechuan, he couldn’t help but offer a word of caution.
The price was clearly listed on the menu, and Shen Hechuan had seen it.
He didn’t care about the cost, but Qiao Le’s words reminded him of the 88 yuan Qiao Le had transferred to him earlier.
He turned his head slightly to look at Qiao Le.
Was he trying to save him money?
Seeing that Shen Hechuan didn’t respond, Qiao Le whispered again: “Mr. Shen.”
Before Shen Hechuan could answer, the man who had stopped him earlier spoke up:
“Have you decided yet? What are you two whispering about? Don’t tell me you’re out of stock? Isn’t this place newly opened?”
Just as Qiao Le was about to respond, Shen Hechuan said, “This one. He’s paying.”
Huh?
Qiao Le looked at Pei Wenjing, who was sitting across from them.
Pei Wenjing had no idea what they had ordered, and even if he did, he wouldn’t care.
He casually picked up where Shen Hechuan left off: “I’m paying. Order whatever you want.”
Well, if you say so, I won’t hold back.
An eighty-thousand-yuan bottle of wine would earn him a hefty commission.
As the saying goes, the customer is king, especially when they’re willing to spend.
Qiao Le flashed Pei Wenjing a genuine smile:
“Certainly, sir. However, this bottle isn’t very large. Four people might not find it enough to fully enjoy.”
In other words, how about ordering another bottle?
From his position, Shen Hechuan could only see half of Qiao Le’s profile and the slight bulge of his Adam’s apple as he tilted his head slightly to look at Pei Wenjing.
So happy, are we?
Shen Hechuan said, “Two bottles.”
Pei Wenjing also said indifferently, “Then bring two bottles.”
Sucker!
Oh no, the God of Wealth!!
Qiao Le stood up, gave a slight bow, and said with a slightly raised tone, “Yes, sir. Thank you for supporting our business. Please wait a moment.”
After Qiao Le left, Pei Wenjing clicked his tongue twice, “Even more beautiful up close. If only I liked women—”
“Did you bring cash?” Shen Hechuan suddenly asked.
Pei Wenjing took out his wallet and pulled out the cash inside, “I brought some. Why?”
The other two friends also took out their wallets.
In this era where card and mobile payments are ubiquitous, people don’t carry much cash when they go out.
But together, they managed to scrape up over three thousand yuan.
Shen Hechuan pushed the collected cash on the table toward Pei Wenjing, “You give it to him later.”
“To whom?” Pei Wenjing didn’t react at first, then glanced in the direction Qiao Le had left, “Him?”
Shen Hechuan: “Yes.”
The others quickly realized he meant to give Qiao Le a tip.
“Why don’t you give it to him yourself?” another friend asked, “You could also ask for his contact info.”
Why didn’t Shen Hechuan want to give it himself?
Perhaps because of their previous two encounters, if he were to hand Qiao Le a tip in this setting, it might make him seem no different from those who slipped him business cards and hotel keys with ulterior motives.
He didn’t want Qiao Le to see him that way.
He didn’t know how many jobs Qiao Le was working or if he was in dire need of money.
For now, they weren’t even WeChat friends, and asking certain questions would feel too intrusive.
“Just do as I say,” Shen Hechuan said, “Don’t ask so much.”
This “don’t ask so much” had two meanings: one, don’t ask him too many questions, and two, don’t ask Qiao Le too many questions.
Pei Wenjing, having been friends with Shen Hechuan for years, easily understood his meaning and shrugged off his curiosity, “Alright then.”
When Qiao Le returned to open the wine and pour it, Pei Wenjing placed the three thousand yuan on Qiao Le’s tray and said generously, “You’ve worked hard. Take this and buy some candy.”
Qiao Le: “!!”
He really was the God of Wealth!
Having made a hefty profit from the God of Wealth, Qiao Le walked away with a spring in his step, diving back into his busy work.
Pei Wenjing took a sip of the wine, “Not bad.”
“The owner of this place seems to be a wine merchant,” another friend said, turning to Shen Hechuan, “Want to try some?”
Shen Hechuan picked up the glass Qiao Le had poured for him and clinked glasses with them.
As it approached midnight, the wine was almost finished, and the conversation had wound down.
Pei Wenjing waved someone over to settle the bill and noticed it wasn’t Qiao Le.
He joked, “Where’s that good-looking guy? Isn’t this his section?”
“You mean Qiao Le?” the server said, “He seemed a bit unwell and went to the back to rest.”
Pei Wenjing had only asked casually.
Hearing this, he simply said, “Oh,” and didn’t press further.
He swiped his card smoothly, stood up from the couch, and said, “Let’s go.”
As they walked out, Shen Hechuan suddenly stopped at the door, “You guys go ahead. I’ll go back and grab a bottle of wine.”
The others didn’t think much of it and called their designated drivers to leave first.
Shen Hechuan returned to Area A and found the waiter who had just handled their bill, asking him where Qiao Le was.
“Qiao Le? He’s in the back.”
“Where exactly in the back?” Shen Hechuan’s tone grew more urgent.
“I’m his friend, and I need to find him urgently. Could you take me to him?”
About half an hour ago, Shen Hechuan had seen Qiao Le working, moving between the booths to serve drinks and take orders, showing no signs of discomfort.
How could he suddenly feel unwell?
Unless something unexpected had happened.
In a place like a bar, someone like Qiao Le, with his status and appearance, could easily encounter unexpected situations.
When customers pressured him to drink, he couldn’t even refuse.
If someone had malicious intentions and slipped something into his drink, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself.
At this thought, Shen Hechuan’s face turned cold, and he asked again, “Where is he?”
Their table had just spent nearly 300,000 yuan, swiping the card without hesitation, and the people at the table didn’t seem ordinary.
The waiter, noticing Shen Hechuan’s expression, worried about offending him and didn’t say much, leading him toward the restroom.
The restroom was connected to the bar, and customers weren’t allowed to enter.
The waiter stopped Shen Hechuan and asked the bar staff if Qiao Le was in the restroom.
“Qiao Le? He-“
The door to the restroom suddenly opened, and everyone turned to look.
Qiao Le stumbled out, still wearing his bar uniform, but the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a glimpse of his pale skin.
His face was flushed with an unnatural redness.
Seeing him like this, Shen Hechuan understood everything.
He strode past the waiter and stepped forward to support Qiao Le.
“Qiao Le?”
Qiao Le was dizzy, feeling unbearably hot, and his consciousness was hazy.
Hearing a familiar voice, he instinctively grabbed the other person’s arm and asked uncertainly, “Mr. Shen?”
“It’s me.” Shen Hechuan felt the heat radiating from the person in his arms.
“Are you okay?”
Qiao Le panted slightly, “…Not so good.”
“I’ll take you to the hospital.”
With that, Shen Hechuan placed one hand on Qiao Le’s shoulder and guided him toward the exit.
Even the short distance from the bar to the door felt like Qiao Le was floating.
His mind was a muddled mess, and the coolness of the person beside him felt comforting.
He couldn’t help but press closer.
Shen Hechuan had been drinking and couldn’t drive, but there were plenty of designated drivers at the door.
He casually flagged one down, tossed the keys to him, and had him bring the car over.
Qiao Le was practically limp against him, unconsciously nuzzling his face into Shen Hechuan’s clothes.
“Qiao Le?” Shen Hechuan patted him.
“Stay with me.”
Qiao Le clutched his clothes, feeling utterly miserable, and weakly shook his head.
“I can’t…”
He grabbed Shen Hechuan’s hand, pleading, “Mr. Shen, help me.”
Shen Hechuan: “…”
How was he supposed to help?!
Wym how?👀