Chapter 89
“You think I’d forget someone with a face like that? I wouldn’t say she’s the prettiest girl I’ve met, but she’s gotta be in like the top three or something.” Lin Yi said innocently with a shrug.
“That’s true.” Xiaobo nodded in agreement upon hearing Lin Yi’s words. Tang Yin’s radiant beauty wasn’t something one could simply forget- boys wouldn’t be falling for her with just one look at her, if that were the case.
“Let’s not talk about that- I’m starving!” Lin Yi said as he picked a tofu curl skewer up and started eating. “Not bad, it’s pretty good!”
“Heh heh, of course it is- don’t forget whose mom made that.” Xiaobo grinned pleasantly at Lin Yi’s praise.
“……” Lin Yi looked at Xiaobo silently, not quite sure what to say. “Dude, why’re you acting like she’s your mom..?”
Xiaobo cleared his throat awkwardly in response. “Let’s eat, let’s eat! Come on, boss- a toast!” Xiaobo said with a raise of his beer.
Lin Yi raised his drink as well, tapping it against Xiaobo’s bottle with a smile.
It wasn’t long before the rest of the food arrived one by one, but Tang Yin didn’t seem to be done with Lin Yi- she’d either slam the skewers on the table or bump into Lin Yi on purpose…
Lin Yi found it a little intriguing as he looked at the pissed off Tang Yin- she seemed to want Lin Yi gone from the stand!
There was still a big class left at night, and both Lin Yi and Xiaobo refrained from too much drinking. Xiaobo stood up after finishing his beer and food with Lin Yi. “Aunty, how much for the food?”
“Ah, Yin! Go take a look at what their orders were!” Mrs. Tang said, currently occupied with other tables.
“Eighty!” Tang Yin said with a glare at Lin Yi. Why don’t you show me some of your well-mannered personality after eating some overpriced skewers?
“Hah?” Xiaobo paused at the number- there was no way what they’d ordered would go that high, it had to be around the forty kuai mark, so how the hell did it add up to eighty? One look at the vocal Tang Yin, however, and Xiaobo decided to just comply- he didn’t want to be arguing with his goddess, after all. He was just about to hand a hundred kuai bill to her when Lin Yi spoke up.
“Wait. Isn’t it a bit off? I’ve calculated it a bit earlier- twenty mutton skewers should be twenty kuai, the mutton steak skewers eight, two kuai for the tofu curls, and four kuai for the chicken necks and beers each right? Shouldn’t that be thirty eight kuai?”
“Uh…” Tang Yin wasn’t expecting Lin Yi to have calculated the whole thing so meticulously, and she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation she’d gotten herself into. She wasn’t greedy or anything, only saying it was eighty kuai because of how frustrated Lin Yi’s act made her… Yet the guy didn’t seem to react to her taunts at all! She’d decided to just blow off a final burst of steam after failing to expose Lin Yi, since the guy was so committed to the role and all…
“Yin, what’re are you doing, seriously?” Mrs Tang was busy preparing food for the other customers, but Lin Yi’s table wasn’t far enough from her to go unnoticed. Tang Yin just throwing a wrong number out like that upsetted her.
Tang Yin was pissed enough at Lin Yi as it was- her mother’s scolding finally pushed her over the edge. She pouted her lips and raised her head to throw a hateful glare at Lin Yi, her eyes virtually popping out with the urge to burn the guy alive. “You don’t have to pay anymore, just go! It’s my treat, just go- I don’t ever wanna see you again!!”
Tang Yin’s voice got wobbly at the end, and her eyes were on the verge of tearing up. She didn’t wait for Lin Yi to say anything in response before darting away to the school, a hand over her face.
Lin Yi blinked in surprise- he wasn’t expecting Tang Yin to have this side to her.
“Oh, this Yin!” Mrs. Tang didn’t know what had gotten into her daughter today, but this man had just saved her from Zou Rouming’s clutches moments ago! Why would she be showing him attitude instead of some gratitude? She turned to Lin Yi apologetically. “Young man, Tang Yin isn’t usually like that, I don’t know what’s gotten into her… I’m really sorry… It’ll be my treat this time, treat it as an apology as well as a thank you!”
“No no, I’ll pay.” Lin Yi said with a smile. He searched about in his pockets and found two coincidental twenty kuai notes in there, handing them to Mrs. Tang directly. “Here’s forty- I’m a bit thirsty, I’ll grab two bottles of water before going, so keep the change.”
Lin Yi then proceeded to pull two bottles out of the cooler, handing one to Xiaobo before Mrs. Tang could say anything.
Xiaobo blinked as he woke up from the scene that had just taken place- he was watching bewildered at Tang Yin running off, regaining his senses only after Lin Yi handed a bottle of water to him. “Boss, come on, didn’t I say it was my treat?”
“Haha, it’s the same, isn’t it? It’ll be your treat next time!” Lin Yi was already making his way back to school, and Xiaobo followed after waving goodbye to Mrs. Tang.
“Come again!” Mrs. Tang called out passionately with a nod.
“We will!” Xiaobo called back.
Mrs. Tang contemplated on how mature this Lin Yi kid was, sighing as she remembered her own daughter. What had gotten into her? It’d be bad if these two customers decided not to return because of Tang Yin’s abrupt behaviour.
“Boss, wasn’t it really strange back there?” Xiaobo asked as he caught up to Lin Yi. Tang Yin was already out of sight as the two walked back to the school.
“Strange? What’s so strange?” Lin Yi said, evidently not thinking much about it. “By the way, you gotta be careful from now on- Zou Ruoming might even be coming after you now.”
“Ah!” Lin Yi’s words snapped Xiaobo into alert as he remembered what he did in front of Zou Ruoming and his gang. “Boss, don’t scare me like that- I just pissed Zhong Pinliang off, I’m not gonna survive another Big Four Zou Ruoming!!”
“Don’t worry, I’m always with you anyway. They won’t do anything.” Lin Yi said.
“That’s true… But Boss, that slap you gave Zou Ruoming’s probably being spread all around the school now! You’ll probably go up to the Second spot soon!” Xiaobo grinned.
“Why do you think that’s a good thing?” Lin Yi glared. “You’re the guy responsible for all this shit today, and now I have to suffer being a Big Four member?”
“Come on, Boss- you weren’t gonna just watch Tang Yin get bullied like that, were you?” Xiaobo said with a smile.
“Bullied? Didn’t you see her bullying me just now?” Lin Yi cursed. Fuck, this Miss Tang- avoiding the strong and preying on the weak!
vote vote vote!
*[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes
*[12.47 to 13.07]: don’t ask me about the tree sap