My Childhood Friend is Secretly in Love with Me - Chapter 22

“What are you up to?” Qi Yan glanced at him, already guessing his little scheme.

Zuo Yi casually took a bite of a meat bun and said while chewing, “I am going to work with you.”

“Do not mess around. You have training every day; where would you find the time to work?”

“Oh, come on, how could I not have time? I will train hard during the day, and I am free in the evenings.” Zuo Yi’s mouth was stuffed with a large bun, his cheeks bulging like a little hamster hiding food. He tugged at the corner of Qi Yan’s shirt, swaying back and forth. “I will just do part-time work like you. I will go as many times a week as you do. Even a future star of the swimming world needs to experience a bit of everyday life, right?”

Qi Yan could not resist him when he acted like this. He smiled helplessly and pulled out a tissue to wipe the oil from the corner of Zuo Yi’s mouth. “I will ask the manager when I get to the restaurant and let you know. If they are not short on staff, you should drop the idea.”

“That will not do. I have to make sure you do not play any small tricks to keep me from going. I have to go there in person regardless.” Zuo Yi quickly ran to the room to grab his bag. “Besides, with my charisma and looks, I am a walking billboard. I do not believe your manager would not hire me.”

“You are just too clever for your own good.”

“Let us go, let us go! We can eat breakfast on the way.” Zuo Yi grabbed the buns and soy milk and hurriedly pushed Qi Yan out the door.

The restaurant opened at ten o’clock. Since the morning rush hour had passed, it would take a little over an hour to get there; the timing was just right.

Just as they reached the bus stop, Zuo Yi’s phone rang. From his angle, Qi Yan could see it was a call from Liang Yi. He looked away, his hand tightening its grip on the strap of his black backpack.

“Good morning, Senior Liang Yi,” Zuo Yi greeted politely as usual.

Liang Yi’s cheerful voice came through the phone. “Hi, Junior! You have already skipped three days of training.”

“Um, it is not exactly skipping; I asked Coach Huang for leave.” Zuo Yi stole a guilty glance at Qi Yan. “Did you need something, Senior?”

“Nothing special. Just checking if you were coming to train today. Old Huang mentioned the school team recruitment trials are next Wednesday. Are you ready?” Liang Yi’s words clearly reached Qi Yan’s ears.

Zuo Yi’s voice lacked confidence. “I, I am ready. I have something to do today, but I will be there for training tomorrow.”

“Alright. Old Huang asked me to pass on a message: do not forget the post-holiday assessment you promised.”

“I have not forgotten.”

“Junior, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!”

This phone call left Zuo Yi feeling uneasy. He did not want Qi Yan to worry about his assessment, and he did not know how much he had heard.

He looked up and realized that he and Qi Yan were the only ones left at the bus stop. Startled, he blurted out, “Damn, why are we the only ones here?”

Qi Yan was somewhat speechless.

“You were so focused on your call with your senior that several buses have already come and gone.” Qi Yan deliberately emphasized the word “senior.”

Zuo Yi scratched the back of his head awkwardly and explained, “Well, Senior Liang Yi is a good person; he is just a bit over-familiar and talks a lot, haha.”

“Mhm.”

Qi Yan thought to himself: “First Guo Jingjing, and now a world champion like Liang Yi. This kid is just too popular.”

The two finally managed to board a bus, which was so crowded there was nowhere to stand. Zuo Yi froze as soon as he stepped on; he rarely took the bus, as his father had always been his personal driver, taking him to training camps or competitions since he was a child.

The driver could not close the doors and shouted at him impatiently, “Young man, move to the back! Why are you just standing there dazed?”

Zuo Yi frowned and wanted to talk back, but Qi Yan, who had already moved further in, turned back and took Zuo Yi by the wrist, leading him toward the middle of the bus while apologizing to the driver.

Qi Yan led Zuo Yi to a spot where they could somewhat stand and circled him with his arms. “Hold on tight; the bus is not steady.”

Warm breath brushed against the back of Zuo Yi’s ear, giving him goosebumps. He pursed his lips and let out a soft “Mhm.”

The bus was indeed unsteady. The driver made one sudden stop after another. If Zuo Yi did not have a strong athletic foundation and a steady center of gravity, he would have dragged Qi Yan down with him long ago.

The time on the bus was agonizing. Qi Yan had been in a low mood since they boarded and had not spoken to him. Just as Zuo Yi was starting to feel restless, a voice that only the two of them could hear came from behind his ear.

“Xiao Yi, thank you for staying with me these past few days. Go back to the dorm tonight; you should focus on your training.” Qi Yan’s tone was so gentle that Zuo Yi did not even feel like he was being sent away.

“Living at your place does not affect my classes or training.”

“It has already affected them, has it not?”

“It has not,” Zuo Yi said stubbornly.

“I heard it just now, the school team recruitment trials,” Qi Yan sighed softly. “Because of my family’s situation, you have had no time to prepare.”

Zuo Yi made a clicking sound with his tongue and turned his head to whisper back, “What are you talking about? Your business is my business; there is no your family or my family between us. Besides, I do not need to prepare much; my performance is very stable.”

“Be good.”

“I,”

Qi Yan had already made up his mind and did not give him a chance to argue, presenting him with a difficult choice.

“You can only choose one: working or continuing to stay at my place.”

Zuo Yi turned around angrily and asked Qi Yan, “Is it not okay if I want to stay with you for a few more days? Just a few days!”

They were about the same height, and the distance between their faces was less than a fist’s width. Some passengers were giving them strange looks, but neither of them cared.

“Xiao Yi, I know you are worried about me, but your affairs are more important. I am an adult; you should believe that I can overcome this hurdle.”

Zuo Yi thought about it. Lately, he had been a bit too aggressive in focusing on Qi Yan’s affairs. It was one thing to live together, but now he was insisting on working with him too. He felt like his intentions were becoming obvious to everyone. His behavior might also be putting invisible pressure on Qi Yan. He stopped arguing. “Fine, then I choose to work.” Having said that, he turned back around and looked out the window with a look of disappointment.

Qi Yan brushed Zuo Yi’s hair and whispered into his ear, “Good boy.”

After arriving at the restaurant, Qi Yan briefly explained Zuo Yi’s situation to the manager. The manager conducted a quick interview and immediately asked him to start a trial shift.

Qi Yan had already changed into his black shirt and was about to check the table settings in the dining area. Zuo Yi approached him with a set of all-white work clothes given by the manager.

“Why is your work uniform black while mine is white?” Zuo Yi pulled at the clothes and examined them. “It does not look as good as yours.”

It is also not very suitable for working in the front.

Qi Yan suppressed a smile and led Zuo Yi to the kitchen, pointing at the sink. “This is your workstation.”

“What! I am a handsome and dignified guy. If I stand out there, I am a model of a soldier. Making me wash dishes in the kitchen is like sending a general to fight a foot soldier!” Zuo Yi put his hands on his hips sternly. “Comrade Qi Yan, you did not ask the manager to arrange this on purpose, did you?”

“I started out in the kitchen too. Restaurant policy is that trial shifts begin in the back. Go change; your shift is about to start.”

Urged by Qi Yan, Zuo Yi walked toward the locker room reluctantly, his lips pouting. He had originally thought that working would mean spending more time with Qi Yan; Qi Yan pouring tea while he served plates, helping him with his work while also cheering him up.

Instead, he ended up as a dishwasher in the back.

However, seeing that Qi Yan seemed much better today, Zuo Yi felt that his choice to work was a wise one. It was just washing dishes, not cleaning toilets; he could handle it.

The restaurant owner was clearly a meticulous person. The lockers were individual and arranged neatly, not the messy and dirty environment Zuo Yi had imagined. He found an empty locker with a key and began to undress. Another young man in a checkered shirt walked in. Because the locker door was partially blocking his view, Zuo Yi could not see the man’s face clearly. He did not pay much attention, wanting to change quickly and get out.

The young man in the checkered shirt happened to choose the empty locker next to his. He shook out his work uniform, which was also white.

Zuo Yi thought to himself: “He is working in the kitchen like me.”

The young man took off his shirt, revealing thin and pale arms. Zuo Yi glanced over casually and, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him, he thought he saw terrifying purple and blue bruises all over the man’s right arm. They looked like marks from being whipped.

Zuo Yi wanted to take a closer look, but the young man had already put on his top. By the time Zuo Yi hurried to see more, the other person had already left. Zuo Yi felt that the person’s build looked familiar, like someone he knew, but he was not sure.

After leaving the locker room, Qi Yan was waiting outside. Zuo Yi did not even notice him and went straight to look for the young man. As he tried to pass Qi Yan, Qi Yan grabbed him by the wrist.

Zuo Yi was still looking around the restaurant. “Yan-ge, did you see where that young man who left before me went?”

“Why?” Qi Yan raised an eyebrow, his tone cold.

“His back looked familiar; I wanted to see who he is.”

Without another word, Qi Yan dragged him toward the kitchen.

The matter with Liang Yi was not even over, and now this kid was already looking at someone else after just a few hours. It was too much to handle.

“The person you are looking for is here,” Qi Yan said before leaving to work in the dining area.

The moment Zuo Yi saw the young man’s profile, he marveled at his own intuition. He called out, “Feng Sang.”

The young man seemed startled by someone calling his name; his body visibly trembled.

Thinking he had been too abrupt, Zuo Yi hurried forward to explain, “It is me, Zuo Yi. I saw someone in the locker room who looked like you; I did not expect it to really be you.”

Only then did Feng Sang dare to look at Zuo Yi. He pushed up the glasses on his nose with a shifty expression and asked in a voice as quiet as a mouse, “Why are you here?”

Zuo Yi pointed to his white work uniform, identical to Feng Sang’s. “The same as you, I am here to work.”

Feng Sang nodded dully and said, “You need to work too?”

He remembered that Zuo Yi’s family was quite well-off. The shoes he kept in the dorm were styles Feng Sang had never seen in stores; he only recognized one pair, which was a classic limited edition. Although he had never seen Zuo Yi act like a spoiled rich kid, he surely did not need to work to pay for school.

Zuo Yi gave an embarrassed smile. “Well, it is good to earn some pocket money on my own.”

Feng Sang saw the manager walking in and quickly stuffed the white cloth and wine glass in his hand into Zuo Yi’s. “You wipe the glasses.” He then went to the sink to start washing the dirty dishes himself.

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