Chapter 18: A Blindingly Obvious Crush part 2

Chi Ye boldly bought out her entire shift, grinning as he said he was helping boost her numbers. That was the easiest day Lin Yuran had had since she started the job. No stress, no wariness, no need to stay on high alert. Even the men who’d harassed her before came in that day but didn’t so much as glance in her direction.

Chi Ye, still a teenager, had a youthful face, but the look in his eyes was bold and untamed. When he wasn’t smiling, when he looked at people with that cold, quiet gaze, there was an unmistakable air of dominance. He wasn’t someone to mess with.

Lin Yuran understood. Those men didn’t act up because Chi Ye was there.

That night, before her shift ended, Chi Ye asked, “Is the place you’re staying safe?”

Lin Yuran smiled. “It’s a shared dorm for girls. Very safe.”

“I’ll be in Beicheng for a while. If anything happens, call me right away,” he told her.

Lin Yuran nodded. Only then did Chi Ye leave, satisfied.

The next day, Chi Ye came again. He said he had nowhere else to be, and he was genuinely interested in learning billiards, so he wanted to practice more. Lin Yuran was more than happy to have him around. With him there, at least she didn’t have to deal with those sleazy men.

At one point, Lin Yuran stepped away to use the restroom. On her way back, she was stopped near the bar by two men. Lin Yuran recognized them. They’d tried to request her several times in the past few days. The type who looked like street thugs. Whenever they were around, Lin Yuran was especially vigilant. She never let them get close.

Grinning, one of them said, “Babe, haven’t had the chance to chat these past few days. Come, have a drink with us.”

Lin Yuran gave them a cold look. “I don’t drink.”

One of them laughed and held out a glass. “It’s not alcohol. Just juice.”

Ever since realizing this club was shady, Lin Yuran never drank anything that wasn’t sealed. Men had tried offering her drinks before, but she always politely refused. But saying she didn’t drink juice sounded too blunt. She still worked here, after all, and couldn’t outright offend customers.

Lin Yuran glanced at the glass he offered. The label said grapefruit.

“I don’t like grapefruit,” she said decisively. That was true; she really didn’t.

The men’s smiles faded a little. They handed her the drink menu instead. “Pick something else.”

Most customers ordered alcohol, so the juice selection was slim, just three options: grapefruit, watermelon, and lemon.

Lin Yuran didn’t like lemon; it was too sour. Watermelon? Lin Yuran only liked it freshly cut. Not in juice form.

Lin Yuran answered honestly, “I can’t drink those either.”

The two men looked at her in disbelief. They clearly didn’t buy that someone wouldn’t like any of those flavors.

Their expressions darkened. “So you’re just refusing us to our faces, huh?”

Most men backed off after she declined their offers. But not these two. They insisted. Which only made Lin Yuran more cautious.

Lin Yuran stood her ground. “If that’s what you think, so be it.”

One of them snapped, “What kind of attitude is that?” He grabbed her arm. “You’re drinking this juice, whether you like it or not.”

“She said no. Are you deaf?”

A cold, sharp voice cut through the room.

The two men froze. Before they could react, Chi Ye stepped forward and seized the wrist of the man grabbing her. The guy cried out in pain and let go immediately. Chi Ye pulled Lin Yuran behind him and shielded her with his body.

Chi Ye gave both men a hard shove to the chest. They stumbled back several steps. They still looked indignant, but Chi Ye towered over them. He carried himself with ease and confidence, the kind that screamed money and power. The two men clearly didn’t want to mess with him.

One of them tried to defuse the tension. “Hey bro, no need to be so stingy. You’ve had your fun with her these past two days. Let us have a turn.”

Without a word, Chi Ye punched him square in the face. The man stumbled back, clutching his nose, bl00d streaming.

Chi Ye glanced at the juice the other man still held, then grabbed him by the hair and growled, “What did you put in this?”

The guy’s face twisted in pain. He didn’t answer.

“What’s in it?” Chi Ye asked again, voice low and dangerous. Still no response.

“Fine,” Chi Ye said coldly. “We’ll wait for the cops to ask.”

Panic flashed across the man’s face. He quickly fumbled in his pocket and pulled out two blue pills and a small plastic bag. The bag wasn’t sealed. It spilled as it hit the floor.

The other man, still bleeding, dropped to the ground to gather the contents. A small yellow capsule rolled to Lin Yuran’s feet. She bent down to pick it up.

Before Lin Yuran could get a good look, Chi Ye snatched it from her. “Don’t touch stuff like this.”

Chi Ye frowned at the capsule for a moment, then threw it to the ground and stomped on it. The yellow shell cracked, white powder spilling out. The two men wiped cold sweat from their brows.

Chi Ye gave a dry chuckle, grabbed the one with the juice by the collar, and said, “Drink it, and we’ll let you go. Otherwise, get ready for jail.”

The man hesitated. Chi Ye pulled out his phone and started dialing.

“Okay, okay! I’ll drink it!” the man shouted.

With a twisted expression, he gulped down the juice like it was poison.

Chi Ye gave a satisfied smile and let him go. “Now get lost.”

Lin Yuran stood behind Chi Ye and watched as the two men fled in a panic. The one who drank the juice barely made it to the door before his legs gave out.

“Stop watching,” Chi Ye said, tugging her arm. “Tell me. Do you have to work here?”

Lin Yuran had already realized how dangerous this place was. But she was stubborn. If she quit now, she’d have to pay a huge penalty, and all her work would be for nothing. She felt indignant, torn.

Chi Ye paused, then said, “Alright, I get it. I’ll stay with you, then. I’ve got nowhere else to go. This summer, I’ll just work on my pool skills.”

Lin Yuran’s face lit up. “Really?”

Chi Ye smiled. “Really.”

That night, when they were off shift, the girls in the dorm asked her, “That boy who booked your whole day, is he your boyfriend?”

Lin Yuran laughed and shook her head. “No, just a classmate.”

They didn’t believe her. “Come on, he’s so protective. Just admit it, you two are dating.”

Lin Yuran insisted, “We’re really not.”

Lin Yuran was young, straightforward, not one to play games. After a few days, everyone knew she was genuine. So when she kept denying it, they eventually believed her.

The girls sighed. “He’s so handsome, so charming, and he treats you so well. If you don’t like him, what do you like?”

Lin Yuran blinked. She didn’t really have a type.

The girls started listing possibilities. “Bookish?”

Lin Yuran shook her head.

“Gentle?”

Another shake.

“Soft, puppy-like boys?”

Still no.

One of them grinned. “How about the bold, wolfish kind?”

Lin Yuran paused, lips pressed together in thought.

That girl added, “Like your classmate?”

Lin Yuran said nothing. The room burst into knowing laughter.

The next day, the boss announced that the club would close for two days of restructuring. So Lin Yuran spent those two days hanging out all over Beicheng with Chi Ye.

When Lin Yuran returned to work, the place had changed completely. The shady atmosphere was gone. The sketchy regulars had disappeared. Without the extra ‘services,’ the sketchy customers naturally stopped coming.

In just two days, Second Coordinate had transformed into a legit, clean billiards club for true enthusiasts. That summer, under Chi Ye’s guidance, Lin Yuran learned all about billiards. She even mastered jump shots.

Lin Yuran finished out the summer and earned a whopping 11,000 yuan. On the train ride home, she couldn’t stop smiling. Chi Ye just sat beside her, quietly watching her laugh.

……

T/N: I want me a man like Chi Ye fleece 👁️👄👁️