Chapter 7 Really Likes Him

Chapter 7: Really Like Him

Chi Luoxi felt that although he wasn't on the payroll, wasn't priced, and could be ordered around like a multi-purpose handyman, that didn't mean he had no value.

Having been at the club for so long, he hadn't learned much else, but Manager Yang's oft-repeated phrase, used to keep everyone in line, had stuck with him:

—"Once you step through this door, even the air in here costs money!"

Since even the air cost money, then he had accompanied Mr. He for so long, talked, sang, and even lent him his jacket—shouldn't he get some compensation?

At least as much as the hundred bucks he'd make cleaning all day, right?

Chi Luoxi sent a straight-up message: Mr. He, you forgot to pay me? I need money too.

He Angxiao: How much?

Chi Luoxi quickly started calculating. Manager Yang paid him a hundred bucks for a whole day of back-breaking cleaning work. That worked out to about ten bucks an hour, right? Accompanying a guest should be more expensive, right? Bai Man and the others who served drinks made good tips off drink commissions.

But he had only sung, not drunk.

Chi Luoxi went back and forth for a bit and decided to go big and ask for: Fifty bucks an hour.

He Angxiao replied almost instantly.

Not with text, but with a transfer notification.

Three... three hundred?

It was three hundred. Chi Luoxi did the math: fifty bucks an hour, and he had accompanied him for about four or five hours? That seemed about right?

Mr. He had actually given it, and even rounded it up.

Chi Luoxi: Thank you, Mr. He! (＾▽＾)

He Angxiao stared at that goofy emoji. Three hundred bucks was like pocket change to him—utterly insignificant.

But after the transfer, something felt wrong.

Damn.

What had he just done?

He Angxiao prided himself on being a gold digger slayer, calm and self-possessed, with sharp instincts—he had sworn up and down that he absolutely would not give even an inch for this weird little gold digger, wouldn't let him taste even a bit of sweetness. Otherwise...

Otherwise, this little gold digger would be like a shark smelling blood, pushing further and further, step by step.

Today he dared ask for fifty bucks an hour; tomorrow he'd dare ask for five hundred; the day after, five thousand. He would use seemingly innocent but shrewdly calculating methods to push his boundaries, pout, act weak, play the pity card, and would lead him around like a dumb dog.

Then drain his house, car, savings, and when he had no more use, kick him away without mercy to find the next mark.

Wasn't that the classic routine of those low-level gold diggers? How had he lost his mind and actually given money? Though it wasn't much, this one crack would open the floodgates.

He Angxiao quickly tried to limit the damage: Don't get too full of yourself. I'm telling you, you're no different from anyone else.

Chi Luoxi was happily staring at the extra three hundred bucks in his account when he suddenly received this message.

"No different from anyone else?"

What did that mean? Had Mr. He seen that he wasn't ordinary? That he was a spirit?

Chi Luoxi remembered his grandfather saying he must never reveal his secret of being a spirit, or it would bring disaster upon him. His biggest secret was his identity.

Chi Luoxi: I'm very ordinary, really! Just like everyone else. I'm just a bit stronger, sing a little better, but I'm truly an ordinary person, Mr. He! Please don't misunderstand!

He Angxiao looked at this flustered, almost incoherent reply. What trick was this little gold digger playing now? Holding out to lure him in? Retreating to advance?

Claiming to be ordinary—was that a hint that he was special?

He Angxiao: Good that you know.

Chi Luoxi stared at this, his heart uneasy. Had Mr. He believed him or not? He couldn't tell, but seeing the solid three hundred bucks in his account, he felt Mr. He wasn't that angry after all—he'd even given him money.

Since he had said that, Mr. He probably wouldn't suspect his identity anymore.

Now that he'd gotten paid, Chi Luoxi quickly decided Mr. He was a nice guy. Though sharp-tongued, Mr. He just seemed cold on the outside; he had a good heart.

So he got a little bolder: Mr. He, when will you come next time? I'll learn a new song to sing for you.

He Angxiao thought, having slipped once, the guy was already overstepping: Don't even think about it. I'm never coming back.

After sending it, he felt it made him sound like he was sulking, a bit beneath him, but He Angxiao was too lazy to retract it.

Chi Luoxi wondered who'd pissed him off now. Was it him? Mr. He, did I make you mad?

He Angxiao could almost picture the little gold digger biting his lip, eyes all teary, with a look that said "I messed up, don't be mad."

He Angxiao: Mhm.

The moment he sent it, he regretted it. What kind of "mhm" was that? Not cold at all—it almost sounded like he was pouting?

Sure enough, Chi Luoxi responded immediately. This time, not text, but a voice message.

He Angxiao's finger hesitated, then he tapped to play it.

Chi Luoxi's voice came through the earpiece, soft, almost pleading.

—"Then I'll change, okay? Mr. He, tell me what I did wrong, I'll fix it. Please don't stop coming around."

He Angxiao listened, saying nothing. He just moved the phone a little away from his ear, staring at the screen. A few seconds later, he played the voice message again.

And again.

The little gold digger's voice was actually pretty nice. Especially when he used that soft, slightly whiny but eager-to-please tone—like a feather tickling the tip of his heart.

But that was all.

He Angxiao abruptly flipped his phone over, screen down on the desk, as if that could block out that voice and the messy feelings it stirred up.

He was not going to be tempted.

No way.

This was all a trap, carefully laid out. He'd seen it all before. How could he fall for such a clumsy scheme from some little gold digger who wasn't even all that sharp?

He Angxiao told himself he'd never be tempted by a little gold digger.

Chi Luoxi genuinely believed He Angxiao was a good person.

Although he was a bit sharp-tongued, and seemed proud and hard to approach, he had given him money. The first time he gave two thousand, and this time three hundred. Combined, he now had two thousand three hundred yuan in his phone.

This was the first time since coming down from the mountain that he had so much money that was completely his own.

Before, at the club, he didn't have a single cent of cash on him, didn't even dare to want a roasted sweet potato, waiting for the meager month-end wages that weren't even enough to cover the tiny remainder of his debts.

Looking at this huge sum in his account, his gratitude towards He Angxiao gushed out like a mountain spring, bubbling and churning.

But Chi Luoxi felt he couldn't take too much advantage. Mr. He had given him three hundred, and in the end he decided to return one hundred and fifty.

Chi Luoxi: Mr. He, Manager Yang didn't register me in the system, so that's why I asked you. Actually, I only need one hundred and fifty. Here, I'll return this to you.

He Angxiao was processing a document on his computer when his phone notification sounded. He glanced at it and saw it was Chi Luoxi's refund.

Not in the system? So this little gold digger had been accompanying him completely off the books. He rejected the refund: "If you're not in the system, how can others request you?"

Chi Luoxi: Mr. He, I only accompany you. Normally I just clean at the club. You're the cleanest, I like being with you.

The cleanest. He recalled Chi Luoxi had said something similar before. This little fool's standards for judging people were really peculiar.

Immediately the next message popped up: "Come more often, okay?"

Chi Luoxi secretly rejoiced, thinking he could secretly earn a bit more money.

But He Angxiao on the other end of the message pressed his temple hard, feeling a headache coming on.

Damn!

He admitted that this little gold digger's skill level might be a bit higher than he had expected. It wasn't straightforward greed, but completely a sugar-coated bullet, precisely bombarding his weak defenses over and over. The ultimate goal was surely to make He Angxiao willingly become his mobile wallet.

This trend was wrong.

Very wrong.

He Angxiao felt he couldn't let this little fool lead him by the nose anymore. He needed to calm down and regain the initiative. So over the next two days, no matter what Chi Luoxi sent, he completely ignored it, pretending not to see it.

However, some things couldn't be avoided just because he wanted to.

He Angxiao's company and Yang Zhou's company had originally been discussing a project. They had just talked about cooperation last time. Yang Zhou, being a second-generation rich kid, worked at a local state-owned enterprise, where several of his elders looked out for him.

This time the two sides finally met. At the dinner, Yang Zhou, probably a couple drinks in, tried to get chummy with He Angxiao and brought up the last gathering at Chunhui.

With a gossipy tone, he said to He Angxiao, "President He, you don't know how dangerous it was last time at Chunhui. I only later heard from a familiar girl that the one accompanying you that day was a lunatic."

He Angxiao's hand holding the wine glass paused slightly as he looked at Yang Zhou.

Yang Zhou continued, "I heard there was a guy surnamed Wang, an old acquaintance, that Wang Ye. He tried to touch him, and guess what? That kid, looking skinny and weak, actually tossed him off the sofa with one hand. Wang Ye's shoulder was dislocated! He was hospitalized for several days! He paid tens of thousands to settle it; he didn't want it blown up and for his wife's side to find out. He was a live-in son-in-law anyway, otherwise with that guy's character, if he'd had a forensic examination, the kid would probably have been locked up for a few years."

"The club was all afraid of that little lunatic, didn't dare let him entertain guests, so they just let him do chores."

"Tsk tsk. Lucky he didn't do anything to you that day. President He, you should stay far away from that kid in the future. He's good-looking, but unfortunately, his brain isn't too sharp."

He Angxiao listened quietly, his face expressionless, but a storm stirred inside.

So that's how it was.

No wonder Chi Luoxi had been sent to do chores.

But He Angxiao thought: Chi Luoxi would rather escalate things to the police station, pay compensation, and refuse to accompany other guests, yet he took the initiative to accompany him, sang to him, fed him fruit, covered him with clothes when he was asleep, and said he was the cleanest, that he liked being with him.

He would rather offend guests and be punished to clean, than show any leniency to others, yet he made an exception only for him.

Damn!

He really liked him?

He Angxiao realized that his resolve for the cold treatment didn't seem as firm as he had imagined.

So two days later, He Angxiao appeared at Chunhui Club again. This time, he didn't give any advance notice either.

As soon as he entered the lobby, before even reaching the reserved VIP area, he heard from the corner of the staff passage nearby the impatient scolding voice of Manager Yang,

"...Chi Luoxi! I said, is your brain really hit by a door? You can't even do such a small thing right. I told you to arrange the fruit platter nicely, what is this? And this wine, the labels have to be aligned, aligned! How many times have I told you! Are you a pig? Don't you understand human speech? With your IQ, you're only fit to wash dishes for the rest of your life! You still want to earn money? In your dreams!"

He Angxiao's steps faltered. He turned his head and looked toward the source of the sound.

He saw Manager Yang with her hands on her hips, her fingers painted with bright red nail polish almost poking the face of the young boy opposite her who was bowing his head.

Chi Luoxi was wearing a black uniform, his head hung low, his expression unclear, only his shoulders slightly hunched, like a little animal drenched in rain.

How pitiful he looked, like a pushover.

He Angxiao frowned, cleared his throat, and walked over. His voice was not loud but his presence was strong: "Ahem."

Manager Yang was deep in her scolding when she heard the sound and turned around. Seeing it was He Angxiao, her angry expression instantly changed like magic: "Oh, Mr. He! You're here! Why didn't you say something in advance so I could go greet you at the door! Are you here to..."

He Angxiao didn't look at her. His gaze fell on Chi Luoxi, who was still bowing his head and staring at his own toes: "Looking for Chi Luoxi."

The smile on Manager Yang's face froze for a moment, then immediately bloomed again. She said repeatedly, "Alright, alright, Xiao Chi, what are you standing there for! Mr. He is looking for you! Hurry up and go with Mr. He."

As she spoke, she shot Chi Luoxi a glare, a warning that meant "you're lucky."

Only then did Chi Luoxi slowly raise his head and look at He Angxiao.

He Angxiao could finally see clearly: those clean, bright eyes were now red, with moisture in the sockets, the tip of his nose also red, his long eyelashes wet with tears and stuck together, with still-wet tear tracks on his face.

He pursed his lips, enduring something. Looking pitiful and wronged, Chi Luoxi silently followed behind He Angxiao like a little tail, head down, not saying a word.

He Angxiao ignored Manager Yang and walked toward his usual small private room. Chi Luoxi followed closely behind.

Entering the room, closing the door, He Angxiao sat down on the sofa. Looking at Chi Luoxi who was still standing by the door with his head down, he spoke in a voice gentler than usual: "Come sit."

Chi Luoxi walked over slowly.

He Angxiao looked at him in this state: "Why was she scolding you?"

When Chi Luoxi heard him ask, the tears he had held back for so long finally fell uncontrollably. He raised his hand and wiped his face roughly with his sleeve. He remembered that Grandpa had said that you shouldn't bring your bad emotions to others, especially to those who are good to you.

So Chi Luoxi took a deep breath, trying hard to force a smile, though the smile was uglier than crying. Sobbing intermittently, he asked, "Mr. He... what, what do you want to eat? I'll get it for you..."

He Angxiao didn't take his lead. He just looked at him and repeated: "I asked why she was scolding you."

Being asked this by him, Chi Luoxi's barely suppressed grievance surged up again. He pouted, his tears falling even harder, his voice choked with sobs, intermittent, as if he had finally found someone to confide in.

"Manager Yang says I'm stupid. I, I haven't studied much... But it was clearly them who took advantage of my lack of education, that I couldn't read the contract, and tricked me into signing it. I work so hard, cleaning, washing glasses, carrying things... I never dare to slack off, and they still scold me... I miss Grandpa... I want to go back to Mist Mountain... In the mountains, no one scolds me, no one cheats me either..."

As he cried in sadness, the more he spoke, the more upset he became, his body trembling slightly from sobbing.

Chi Luoxi looked at He Angxiao, who made him feel at ease and comfortable. Almost instinctively, he leaned closer to him, then buried his face in the crook of He Angxiao's arm, like a child who had suffered a great grievance and finally found a parent to complain to, crying with sobs.

He Angxiao's body stiffened slightly.

Chi Luoxi was fair-skinned, with a complexion like luminous jade. Now, because of his crying, his cheeks and the area around his eyes were tinged with a pitiful red, and the tip of his nose was also red. He was curled up into a ball, leaning against him, like a... tawny, furry little animal trembling in fear.

He Angxiao thought he looked a bit like the little Teddy dog his grandmother used to keep—a tiny creature that loved to burrow into people's arms for comfort when wronged.

He Angxiao lowered his gaze, looking at the furry head in the crook of his arm, feeling the other person's body heat through the thin shirt.

His arm moved a little, his fingers curling slightly, and a thought popped into his head: It seemed he could just reach out and scoop this person up entirely, holding him in his arms.

Chi Luoxi was still crying and complaining, his voice muffled: "...Mr. He... you have no idea how unlucky I am. I'm the most miserable person in this world... wuwuwu... They all say I'm stupid... but I've been trying so hard..."

Hearing this childish talk, He Angxiao felt a subtle softness and a strange sensation in his heart, but his mouth still carried a nasty urge to correct him. His hand reached out halfway, then stopped in midair, not lowering it.

"Take a trip to the hospital, and you'll see people worse off than you."

Chi Luoxi's crying paused for a moment. He lifted his tear-blurred face, blinked blankly, with long eyelashes still adorned with teardrops. He looked at He Angxiao, as if he was seriously mulling over what he said.

A few seconds later, Chi Luoxi sniffled, wiped his face roughly with the back of his hand, and said, his voice still teary but oddly calm, "That's true. I have hands and feet now, and I can still work. Although I don't make much money, at least I can earn some. Some people are really miserable with illnesses. Mr. He, thank you for comforting me."

As he said this, Chi Luoxi sat up straight, creating some distance between himself and He Angxiao. Although his eyes were still red and tear trails were still damp on his face, his expression was no longer as distraught as before.

Just like that? He was already over it?

The warm, soft, fluffy cloud in He Angxiao's arms had drifted away.

The feeling of someone leaning on his arm quickly faded.

He Angxiao looked at his empty arm, then at Chi Luoxi beside him, who was already trying to straighten his back and regain his composure, and suddenly felt a pang of regret.

It was as if a small, furry, warm hot water bottle had snuggled up on its own, and before he had a chance to enjoy it properly, the hot water bottle moved away by itself.

This feeling was very unfamiliar, and it made He Angxiao feel a bit annoyed.

Author's Note:

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Originally, I gave He Angxiao an animal analogue of an owl, haha. It's a metaphor for a vigilant personality that even has to sleep with one eye open. He has a contrarian nature; sometimes even if he doesn't think that way, his mouth can't say nice things—a dark character. Just wait for him to go crazy over Little Radish, *suppressing that urge, sigh, itching to hold his wife in his arms.

This dark guy will get his revenge.

Our Little Radish just casually and smoothly gets all the details about He Angxiao's family background. Next chapter, let's let our Little Radish eat something good, something you can't get in the mountains. Darlings, if you have anything you want to feed Little Radish, you can post it in the comments. Let's try to get it all for our Little Radish to eat.