Qiao Le thought that the incident of catching the mistress last time was the most embarrassing experience of his life, but it turned out he hadn’t experienced enough of life’s ups and downs.
The person in front of him said he wasn’t Mr. Huo, the one who placed the order, but Mr. Shen.
Mr. Shen?
What Mr. Shen?
Why was he Mr. Shen?
Then where was Mr. Huo?
Qiao Le was completely baffled.
What had he just said?
“Honey, say something!”
“We’re so in love!”
Qiao Le recalled the repeated calls of “honey” and almost had a heart attack on the spot.
But the address wasn’t wrong!
How could he have mistaken the person?
Could there have been a mistake somewhere?
He quickly opened his phone to check and saw messages from Mr. Huo on the platform.
Mr. Huo had sent several texts and voice messages, asking where he was and why he hadn’t arrived yet.
Arrive where?
Wasn’t he already here?
Qiao Le looked at the messages, then at Shen Hechuan.
At that moment, a voice call notification appeared on the platform-from Mr. Huo.
After a transaction was confirmed on the “Let Me Help” app, both parties could make encrypted voice calls for better communication.
Mr. Huo must have noticed that Qiao Le hadn’t been responding.
“Sorry, I need to take this call,” Qiao Le said to Shen Hechuan, who gestured for him to go ahead.
As soon as Qiao Le answered, he heard Mr. Huo’s anxious voice asking if he had changed his mind.
Qiao Le explained the situation to Mr. Huo, who paused for a moment and said, “The Brilliance Tower has twin buildings. Did you go to Tower A? I’m in Tower B. There are two Hill Coffee shops here.”
Qiao Le: “…”
Just then, a waiter passed by, and Qiao Le stopped him.
“Excuse me, is this Tower A?”
The waiter nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Qiao Le: “…”
Case closed.
Why would the same building have two identical coffee shops!!!
Qiao Le’s head was pounding, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Mr. Huo urged him to hurry over, or he would cancel the order.
If the order was canceled under these circumstances, it would count as Qiao Le violating the transaction rules.
Not only would he have to return the deposit, but he’d also have to pay a penalty and lose credibility on the platform.
Thinking of the dense entries in his account book, this month’s debts, rent, utilities, and his younger brother Qiao Man’s tuition, Qiao Le immediately said, “I’m sorry, I’ll head over right now. I’ll definitely complete the task.”
Fortunately, Mr. Huo didn’t actually cancel the order but just urged him to hurry.
After hanging up, Qiao Le looked at Shen Hechuan, who was sitting on the couch.
The light from outside the window filtered through the glass, accentuating his features, making them more defined yet not overly sharp.
Someone like him should have been accustomed to giving orders, a person of authority, yet he didn’t exude an oppressive aura.
His demeanor was restrained and composed.
From the moment Qiao Le had mistaken him for someone else, he had remained calm and collected, neither flustered nor angry.
He looked at Qiao Le calmly, as if waiting for an explanation.
Under his gentle gaze, Qiao Le’s tension and embarrassment gradually subsided.
He bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle to Shen Hechuan and sincerely apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Shen. I got the address wrong. The place I was supposed to meet someone was Hill Coffee in Tower B. I’m really sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you.”
He was bent over, unaware of Shen Hechuan’s scrutinizing gaze, his mind preoccupied with how to compensate if the other party insisted on holding him accountable.
“I hope I don’t have to pay too much,” Qiao Le thought.
It would be heartbreaking to lose money before even earning anything from today’s job.
As the one at fault in this misunderstanding, he couldn’t refuse if the other party demanded compensation.
But Mr. Huo was still waiting, and he was genuinely anxious.
He couldn’t afford to delay any longer.
Without waiting for Shen Hechuan’s response, he continued, “I can go apologize and explain to the lady just now. I’ll make sure your reputation isn’t affected. If you have any other suggestions for resolving this, I’ll cooperate fully. But I’m in a bit of a hurry right now. Could I go handle something first?”
Shen Hechuan had overheard the phone call Qiao Le had just taken.
Although he didn’t fully understand what Qiao Le meant by “order,” he had no intention of making things difficult for him.
After all, Qiao Le had inadvertently helped him earlier, which was why he hadn’t interrupted him.
So, he said to Qiao Le, “No need. It’s not a big deal. You can go.”
“Huh?” Qiao Le looked up at Shen Hechuan in disbelief.
“Didn’t you say you were in a hurry?” Shen Hechuan reminded him.
Mr. Huo!!
Realizing that Shen Hechuan really wasn’t going to hold it against him, gratitude surged in Qiao Le’s heart.
He bowed deeply to Shen Hechuan again.
“Thank you, Mr. Shen! I wish you all the best. Good people like you will surely be rewarded!”
Shen Hechuan: “…”
After bowing, Qiao Le turned and ran off.
Shen Hechuan didn’t think much of it and picked up his coffee to take a sip.
But to his surprise, Qiao Le soon came running back.
Qiao Le had gone to the café counter to borrow a notepad, where he wrote down his contact information and his account ID on the “Let Me Help” app.
He placed the notepad on Shen Hechuan’s table and spoke quickly, “Mr. Shen, this has my contact info and my ID on the ‘Let Me Help’ app. If you ever need any assistance, I’ll give you a discount… no, I’ll do it for free!”
Without waiting for Shen Hechuan’s response, he turned and ran off again.
He still had to hurry to earn that sucker’s… no, Mr. Huo’s 20,000 yuan.
His comings and goings were so swift that Shen Hechuan didn’t even have time to speak before Qiao Le was gone, leaving only the blue notepad on the table.
Shen Hechuan glanced down at the contents.
Qiao Le, 18777XXXXXX,
“Let Me Help” platform ID: XXXXXXX
Shen Hechuan wasn’t sure what the “Let Me Help” app was, nor did he intend to ask for compensation.
He couldn’t think of anything he’d need Qiao Le’s help with.
But recalling Qiao Le’s two deep bows and his return to leave the note, something stirred in his heart.
He’s quite… polite.
Shen Hechuan picked up a glass of water and placed it on top of the notepad, then opened a new message he had just received.
[Judy: Mr. Shen, is the 5 o’clock meeting still on?]
The message was from his secretary, Judy.
[Shen: Yes, I’m on my way back.]
Shen Hechuan raised his hand to signal the waiter.
“Check, please.”
“Alright, please wait a moment,” the server said, picking up the bill from the table and heading to the bar.
Not long after, she returned, “Sir, your bill has already been settled.”
Shen Hechuan was slightly surprised, “It’s been settled?”
“Yes,” the server replied, “The gentleman who just left paid for it. The one in the white shirt.”
It was that young man named Qiao Le.
With the server’s explanation, Shen Hechuan quickly figured it out.
He hadn’t expected Qiao Le to settle the bill, which showed that he was genuinely remorseful and trying to make amends in his own way.
Shen Hechuan nodded to the server, “Alright, I understand.”
He picked up his suit jacket from the side and stood up to leave.
His gaze inadvertently fell on the note pressed under the water glass.
[Thank you, and I wish you all the best.]
The young man’s voice was clear and pleasant, his smile as warm and radiant as sunlight, filled with sincere blessings.
Shen Hechuan paused for two seconds, then bent down to pick up the note.
Meanwhile, Qiao Le found the Hill Coffee in Building B and located Mr. Huo at table 11 in the same A section.
Mr. Huo’s request was for Qiao Le to pretend to be his boyfriend, using any means necessary to make the blind date back off, preferably to the point where she would avoid Mr. Huo in the future.
Qiao Le had never been in a relationship.
At nineteen, he had spent his first eighteen years studying hard to get into university, and the year after that working tirelessly to pay off debts.
He wasn’t sure how one should act as someone else’s boyfriend.
The tactics he had used with Mr. Shen were something he had hastily looked up on Baidu the night before.
Following Mr. Huo’s request, he figured he could replicate the same approach to achieve the desired outcome.
But the earlier mix-up had been so awkward that he couldn’t bring himself to call Mr. Huo “hubby” again.
Speaking of which, Mr. Huo was quite handsome, dressed expensively, and looked every bit the successful businessman.
Such a man would be highly sought after in the dating market.
However, he still paled in comparison to Mr. Shen.
Qiao Le cursed himself for realizing that he wasn’t just a money-grubber but also a sucker for good looks.
He swallowed the word “hubby” that he had prepared all night and instead walked over to Mr. Huo and called out, “Old Huo!”
One word, “hubby,” and another, “Old Huo.”
Though only a single character apart, the difference in meaning was worlds apart.
The woman on the blind date with Mr. Huo was first shocked by their relationship, then expressed her understanding, and finally offered her blessings.
Qiao Le couldn’t help but marvel at how gentle women were, whether it was the lady on the blind date with Mr. Huo or the one with Mr. Shen earlier.
Though the process had been a bit convoluted (especially with Mr. Shen), the outcome was surprisingly smooth-so smooth that Qiao Le felt Mr. Huo’s 20,000 yuan was a bit of a waste.
After the matter was resolved, Mr. Huo promptly paid the remaining fee.
With 20,000 yuan in his account, Mr. Huo, who had merely been decent-looking before, now seemed even more dashing than Mr. Shen in Qiao Le’s eyes.
He smiled warmly at Mr. Huo, “Thank you, Mr. Huo. I wish you and your loved one a lifetime of happiness.”
Mr. Huo was very satisfied and gave him a five-star rating, promising to call on Qiao Le again if he needed help in the future.
To Qiao Le, this was undoubtedly a promise of “more money for you to earn.”
Indeed, there were still plenty of kind-hearted people in this world.
Qiao Le sighed inwardly.
If it weren’t for the fact that two men couldn’t have children, he might have even wished Mr. Huo “an early arrival of a precious child.”
Leaving the Hill Coffee Shop in Building B, Qiao Le walked back with a light step.
As he passed the Hill Coffee Shop in Building A, he paused.
He wondered if Mr. Shen had left yet.
The situation earlier had been urgent, and he hadn’t had the chance to explain things in detail.
Maybe he should go in and check.
Having made up his mind, Qiao Le pushed the door open.
The same staff member who had greeted him earlier was at the entrance.
Seeing him return, the staff member looked slightly surprised and approached to ask how many people he was with.
Qiao Le gave the same table number where Shen Hechuan had been seated earlier.
When he reached Area A, however, he found that Shen Hechuan had already left.
Table 11 was empty.
There was no coffee on the table, nor was there any note.
He wasn’t sure if Shen Hechuan had taken it with him or if the staff had cleared it away.
“Has the gentleman who was sitting there earlier already left?” Qiao Le pointed to Shen Hechuan’s previous seat and asked the staff member.
The staff member remembered both him and Shen Hechuan and smiled as he replied, “Yes, he’s already left.”
“Oh,” Qiao Le paused for a moment.
“When you cleared the table earlier, did you happen to see a blue note?”
The staff member replied, “Hmm? Sorry, I wasn’t the one who cleared the table. Would you like me to ask my colleague for you?”
“Ah, no need,” Qiao Le waved his hand.
“It’s fine.”
Now that he thought about it, the act of handing over the “business card” earlier had been a bit impulsive.
Mr. Shen clearly looked like a wealthy man.
Why would he care about a hastily scribbled note?
It had probably already been thrown into the trash.
But it didn’t matter.
He had done what he wanted to do, trying to make up for the loss he had caused Shen Hechuan in his own way.
“Would you like me to set up a table for you?” the staff member asked again.
“No need,” Qiao Le smiled at the staff member.
“Thank you.”
It was almost five o’clock now, and he still had his shift at the bar later.