TT Chapter 14. A Grain of Rice

Chen Ting had truly not expected that the stolen bicycle would ever turn up again. So many students at N University lost their bikes every year, yet not a single one ever seemed to recover theirs.

And now, as if by miracle, his had returned to him. He had done absolutely nothing, and the bike had found its way back into his hands.

“How did you get it back?” Chen Ting asked, full of surprise and joy.

“A friend happened to be catching thieves in that area,” Pei Yiyao replied calmly, as if he had merely stopped by the market and picked up a cabbage on the way.

Yang Shulin let out a low whistle. That kind of composure really was something else. No wonder he was known as the campus heartthrob.

“Damn, that’s amazing. Ting Ting, look, even the safety charm is still here!”

Chen Ting had noticed that right away. He was moved, of course, but he also knew this was a favor he could never truly repay. Who could have imagined that Pei Yiyao would actually go looking for his bike? This kind of quiet, no-nonsense follow-through was a rare and precious trait among today’s college students.

“Thanks,” Chen Ting said, staring at him without blinking. He wanted to say something more, but realized that all he could offer was to buy a meal again, and that just sounded repetitive.

Pei Yiyao did not seem to care. He had returned the bike, and now he had to get to class. There was no skipping this morning’s lecture.

“Ting Ting, hey, what are you spacing out for?” Yang Shulin waved his hand in front of Chen Ting’s face.

Chen Ting pulled his gaze back from the distance and smiled. “Let’s go.”

Yang Shulin rolled out his own bike. Now that the missing one was back, there was no need to give Chen Ting a ride. The two of them headed out together, riding side by side. On the way, Yang Shulin teased him again.

“I have to say, Pei Yiyao’s really good to you. Who would’ve thought our cool and aloof freshman is actually warm on the inside? Soup deliveries, bike retrievals… We totally misjudged him. Hahaha…”

Chen Ting thought for a moment and replied, “Maybe it’s because he’s not that close with the rest of you.”

The following week passed quietly and uneventfully. College life looked different for everyone. Some people managed to live it with flair and excitement, while others made it through in a routine haze.

Chen Ting was unmistakably the second kind.

The junior girl who wanted to start a band still had not given up on him. Every few days, she would send another invitation. But now, Chen Ting had a much better excuse to turn her down.

Sorry, I’m working.

At first, the café did not respond for a long time, and Chen Ting figured the opportunity had probably fallen through. Then, on Thursday, the server suddenly sent him a message saying the owner wanted to meet.

Chen Ting was a little curious about this mysterious senior who ran the café, so he went without hesitation and even brought Yang Shulin along, who was just as curious.

When they arrived at the shop, however, there was only one customer inside. Not only was the owner nowhere to be seen, there were no staff either.

The two of them picked a table and sat down. Yang Shulin leaned in and whispered, “I’ve seen a picture of the owner before. He’s seriously… gorgeous.”

“Gorgeous?” Chen Ting repeated.

Yang Shulin nodded hard. “Yeah, really beautiful. But not in a soft way. How do I explain it…”

While he struggled to find the right words, Chen Ting had already noticed the lone customer sitting in the corner. He did not look like a student. It was already November, yet he was wearing a worn-out T-shirt and a pair of work pants. His hair was long and tied messily at the back, and he had a beard. He looked like someone with a very distinct personality.

But there was something about him that felt oddly out of place here.

At that moment, Yang Shulin finally came up with the perfect description. He slapped the table and said, “He’s femme and masculine at the same time!”

Femme and masculine? What kind of description was that?

Just as Chen Ting was puzzling over it, the man in the corner suddenly began coughing, as if the coffee had gone down the wrong way. Right then, the server came in from outside and spotted them.

“You’re here. I was just about to call you… Hey, senior, why are you sitting over there?”

Senior?

Chen Ting followed his line of sight and looked over. His eyes locked with the strange man in the corner. He froze.

That was the senior? The one Yang Shulin had described as beautiful, femme, and masculine?

The man seemed to understand the confusion in Chen Ting’s gaze. He cleared his throat and said, “I was out in the mountains with my advisor for a while. Just got back.”

After all, they had just been talking about him behind his back. Even though they had not said anything mean, Chen Ting still felt a little awkward. And now that the man turned out to be the boss, he had no choice but to gather himself and offer a polite greeting.

“Hello, senior.”

Yang Shulin, on the other hand, was stunned. It was not the first time he had been caught gossiping by the person in question, but this one hit him the hardest. He felt like his entire worldview might need to be restructured.

Because this beautiful man… was a little wild.

And Yang Shulin was a devoted member of the Appearance Appreciation Club. A veteran, even.

The senior did not linger. He simply asked Chen Ting a few brief questions, like whether the cake was good, and then said briskly, “Come in for your first shift tomorrow. Wages are paid monthly. Is that alright?”

“No problem,” Chen Ting nodded.

“Alright then. Da He, get him a slice of cake. I’m heading out. Damn it, even taking a shower up in the mountains is a hassle. Bugs everywhere. I probably stink already.”

The server, Da He, shrugged. “Told you it’d work out. That’s just how he is. He only came today to see if he liked your face.”

Chen Ting asked, “So if he gives me cake, that means he does?”

“Exactly.”

Yang Shulin, meanwhile, thought to himself, then he must really not like my face.

And just like that, the part-time job was settled. As for the bike situation, Chen Ting had already made up his mind. Once he got paid, he would buy a gift for Pei Yiyao. Friendships needed to go both ways if they were going to last.

On Sunday, Chen Ting started work. His shift was scheduled from three thirty in the afternoon to nine thirty at night. Six hours. Not too early, not too late. Just right.

The café had no name, so of course it did not have anything fancy like uniforms. But each server was given a dark green apron.

To match the apron, Chen Ting had purposely worn a white button-up shirt, something he rarely chose for himself. Da He approved immediately and even helped him put the apron on, tying the straps behind his back in a neat bow that pulled in at his narrow waist.

“Tsk, our Ting Ting looks like the café prince now.”

Yang Shulin had come specifically to show support. He nodded enthusiastically and even took out his phone to snap a few photos while teasing nonstop.

“I’m telling you, Ting Ting, you’re way too lazy about dressing up. It’s always jeans and hoodies, jeans and hoodies. If you’d just dressed better, there wouldn’t have been anything left for Zhou Cheng.”

Chen Ting could not help laughing. “Why are you still bringing him up?”

Yang Shulin raised an eyebrow smugly. “Because I feel like it. This is my daily ritual. Dragging his name through the mud makes me happy.”

The café happened to be empty at the moment, so Yang Shulin insisted on being Chen Ting’s very first customer. Chen Ting had already learned how to make coffee from Da He that morning. Hearing that Yang Shulin wanted a drink, he was more than happy to oblige.

It was his first cup, after all. If it turned out badly, Yang Shulin could at least offer some feedback.

True to form, Yang Shulin did not disappoint. The moment he got his drink, he took a photo and posted it on his Moments feed.

YSL: 【photo】Ting Ting’s first cup of coffee. Support from a real one!

Yang Shulin had a wide network of friends, covering all majors and grade levels at the university. That naturally included freshmen from the physics department, and one of them happened to be Pei Yiyao’s roommate.

Yang Shulin would never dare ask Pei Yiyao for his WeChat. Even if he had it, it would be useless. Until the cool guy agreed to the interview, the best move was to get Chen Ting’s face more familiar in his field of vision.

“What’s this?”

A quiet voice sounded from behind. The roommate jumped and turned to see Pei Yiyao standing there.

“It’s you? Damn, you scared me.”

Pei Yiyao was looking at his phone screen.

The roommate finally came back to his senses and said, “Oh, that post? Right, don’t you know Chen Ting? His roommate posted it. Yang Shulin, from the campus press group.”

“Yeah,” Pei Yiyao replied quietly, indicating he had heard. But his eyes were still on the photo, skimming past the cup of coffee in the center and landing on the sliver of a narrow waist that appeared in the top left corner.

English and physics belonged to opposite ends of the academic spectrum. Their classroom buildings rarely overlapped. Other than a few exceptions like Bai Yu and Jiang Hai, students from the two departments hardly ever crossed paths.

Which meant that since returning the motorbike on Monday morning, Pei Yiyao had not seen Chen Ting again all week.

He had been busy. The attention he received from his professor came with responsibilities, giving him coursework far beyond what was typical for a first-year student. He also had an academic advisor back abroad, and they still held regular video calls.

He had immersed himself in this rhythm.

But now, at the sudden sight of Chen Ting, that strange undercurrent inside him began to stir again.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

Pei Yiyao came and went quickly. His roommate scratched his head and looked back down at his phone, still confused.

By now, it was already six thirty in the evening. Chen Ting was behind the counter, holding a disposable container of rice with toppings, eating between tasks. Da He had offered to let him sit outside and take a break, but Chen Ting had politely declined, saying it was closer to the trash bin this way.

Watching him eat with clear enjoyment, Da He laughed and said, “I didn’t know you had this much stamina. First day on the job and you’re already standing like a pro.”

For once, Chen Ting did not play modest. He nodded. He was a little tired, but he had always been good with physical work. Back home, he did chores often, so this much was nothing.

Ding-ling…
The wind chime rang as another customer walked in.

Chen Ting quickly shoveled another bite of rice into his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the door and saw someone familiar.

It was none other than Pei Yiyao.

Da He told Chen Ting to focus on eating and went to handle it himself. The interaction between the two played out almost exactly like the first time Chen Ting had seen Pei Yiyao in the café.

“One Americano.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

Da He rang it up and turned to start the coffee, completely missing the slight frown that appeared on Pei Yiyao’s face. But Pei Yiyao said nothing. He looked toward Chen Ting, who was still eating.

“You work here?”

Chen Ting had a mouthful of rice and could not speak, so he nodded.

Pei Yiyao glanced at the takeout box in his hands, and his brow furrowed deeper.

Being stared at like that made Chen Ting feel inexplicably guilty, as if there were gutter oil in the rice. As if one more bite would kill him. He was still chewing when Da He handed over the coffee. That was when it hit him.

Wait, this was wrong.

He should have been the one buying Pei Yiyao the coffee, not the other way around. Letting him pay out of pocket was completely backwards. Especially since he was the older one. That really should not have happened.

“Um… are you coming to the library these days? If you want coffee, just come find me. I’ll treat you next time,” Chen Ting said, trying to salvage the situation.

But Pei Yiyao’s attention had shifted entirely to the single grain of rice stuck to Chen Ting’s cheek. It swayed slightly every time he spoke, but refused to fall off.

He reached out and ran his thumb across Chen Ting’s cheek and brushed it away.

The feeling beneath his fingers was unexpectedly soft. Even though he realized a moment later that this action had crossed a line, he still gave a slight squeeze.

“You…” Chen Ting froze.

“A grain of rice.”