ACMS 3

Chapter 3: The Three-Way Inquisition

Leaving the café in Building A, Qiao Le headed straight to where he had parked.

When he got there, he noticed that the Maybach that had been next to him earlier was already gone.

He crouched down to unlock his electric scooter, put on his helmet, and rode off toward the bar.

As knock-off time approached, the flow of people in the streets looked like a reel of moving film. Riding over the Luwan Bridge, Qiao Le left behind the bright, bustling city lights and returned to the ordinary, worn-down part of town.

On the roadside were fruit vendors with tricycles, pancake stalls, and apartment buildings of varying heights echoing with the sounds of children practicing piano and couples arguing—everywhere was full of the flavor of life.

Passing under the bridge, Qiao Le saw an elderly man struggling to pull a cart full of flattened cardboard boxes and empty bottles up the slope.

He parked by the side of the road, ran over, and helped push the cart uphill.

With the added strength, the cart suddenly felt much lighter. The old man made it up the hill with ease and thanked him gratefully, “Thank you, young man.”

“No problem. Be careful on the road,” Qiao Le replied casually, giving a little wave as he hopped back on his second-hand scooter and zipped off, weaving confidently through the alleyways.

The evening wind brushed past, lifting his hair and collar. A free and unrestrained smile bloomed across his face.

When he got to the bakery near the bar, Qiao Le got off and bought some cake for his coworkers. They usually looked out for him, and since he made good money today, it was the perfect chance to treat everyone.

The bar where he worked was a quiet lounge called A Drink to Unwind, open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

As soon as Qiao Le walked through the door, he dropped the cake off at the bar. His coworkers noticed how dressed up he was and let out a playful whistle. “Lele, looking sharp today! Did you go on a date or something?”

“Went to make money,” Qiao Le tossed out as he darted into the break room to shower.

After a quick wash and a change into his work uniform, he stepped out of the bathroom and saw Fang Jiaxu lounging outside, one leg casually crossed over the other.

Fang Jiaxu was the owner of the lounge—and a friend Qiao Le had met through the “Let Me Do It” app.

Their friendship started when Fang Jiaxu’s boyfriend cheated on him. He used the app to hire Qiao Le to help catch the mistress. It had been a heated scene: the scumbag fought to protect the other woman, and in the chaos, a flower vase was thrown. Qiao Le shielded Fang Jiaxu and got hit on the head, leaving a cut that required stitches. That incident forged a solid bond between them.

Fang Jiaxu was eating the cake Qiao Le had just bought. When he saw him come out, he pointed to a takeout box nearby. “Eat first.”

The bar didn’t provide meals, and the logo on the box showed it was from a nearby restaurant. Clearly, Fang Jiaxu had ordered an extra portion just for him.

“Thanks.” Qiao Le didn’t stand on ceremony, picking up the meal and digging in. He’d only had two buns at noon and had been rushing around helping Mr. Huo all afternoon. Now, he was starving.

“What are you thanking me for?” Fang Jiaxu finished his cake and asked, “Why the cake today? Did you strike gold?”

He knew Qiao Le’s financial situation—always frugal, pinching pennies wherever he could. Today’s generosity was unusual.

Qiao Le swallowed his food and replied honestly, “Made a good bit on the app today.”

He told Fang Jiaxu about Mr. Huo paying him 20,000 yuan to sabotage a blind date. Fang Jiaxu raised his eyebrows. “Where’d you find such a sucker? Way more generous than me. I only gave you five thousand.”

That was the price he had paid Qiao Le to catch the mistress. Later, he also covered his lost wages and medical fees.

But that wasn’t all.

Qiao Le added, “You also gave me a job. If it weren’t for you, Xiao Man and I wouldn’t be living so steadily now.”

Xiao Man was his little brother, five years old, currently in kindergarten.

As for Qiao Le, he was nineteen. He should’ve been a student at Yunjing University, but last year, their father failed in an investment, fell into massive debt, and jumped off a building. He died on the spot, body unrecognizable.

Their mother? She’d been out of the picture for years.

With just a high school diploma and a younger brother in tow, it was hard for him to find stable work.

Food delivery had been the only job with enough flexibility to let him pick up and drop off his brother, even bringing him along while working. But over time, even if Qiao Le could handle the physical strain, Xiao Man couldn’t.

When things got desperate, it was Fang Jiaxu who extended a hand and offered him work at A Drink to Unwind.

During his shifts, Xiao Man could stay in the break room to do homework or nap. After work, they’d go home together. Everyone at the bar treated them both kindly.

Fang Jiaxu flicked his forehead. “I hired you because you’re good-looking. You bring in customers, and I happened to be short-staffed. Don’t make me sound like some saint.”

Qiao Le thought, You are a good person.

But he knew Fang Jiaxu didn’t want him feeling indebted, so he didn’t argue. Instead, he told him about the mess-up at the café earlier today.

Fang Jiaxu burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “And the guy didn’t even get mad at you?”

“I was shocked too. He’s got such a good temper.” Qiao Le recalled Shen Hechuan’s calm reaction—it really didn’t seem fake.

Fang Jiaxu fell into thought, then suddenly looked up. “Maybe he’s into you?”

Into me?

Qiao Le instinctively denied it. “No way.”

“Why not?” Fang Jiaxu snorted and ruffled his soft hair. “Qiao Le, do you even know what you look like?”

There was no denying it—Qiao Le was beautiful. Thick lashes, eyes that smiled before his lips did, and a frame and face that stood out in any crowd.

He was like a bright little sun—clean and pure—making people instinctively want to get close.

“Do you know how many regular customers we have because of you?” Fang Jiaxu asked.

Qiao Le held his lunchbox without replying.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know he looked decent. Since his school days, he had always been the campus heartthrob. Even at Fang Jiaxu’s bar, many people had shown interest in him—regardless of gender.

If Fang Jiaxu had been talking about anyone else, he might have agreed. But Shen Hechuan…

His first reaction was: impossible.

Why, exactly? It was just a gut feeling.

But when Fang Jiaxu said that, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Then should I have added him on WeChat today? Maybe I could’ve made another twenty thousand.”

Fang Jiaxu exaggerated, “You didn’t add him? That’s a massive loss!”

Qiao Le was amused. After laughing, he shook his head firmly. “You haven’t seen him. If you had, you wouldn’t think that.”

Even though they’d only met once, someone like Shen Hechuan—dignified and broad-minded—couldn’t possibly be the kind of man to act on lust.

There was no concrete reason. He just didn’t believe it.

Fang Jiaxu was a few years older than Qiao Le, had been in society longer, and ran a night business, so he’d seen all kinds of people.

Seeing how firm Qiao Le was, he shook his head and thought to himself: what an innocent little cutie, completely unaware of his own charm.

Still, seeing Qiao Le’s insistence, he went along with it. “Alright, alright. If you say it’s impossible, then it’s impossible. Let’s just say you ran into a good guy.”

“He really was a good guy.” Qiao Le nodded in agreement. “I even wrote down my number and platform ID for him. If he ever needs help, I’ll run errands for him for free.”

Assuming Shen Hechuan didn’t throw it away.

“Didn’t you already pay for his order? That café isn’t cheap. Didn’t you waste your entire morning’s delivery income?” Fang Jiaxu asked. Qiao Le was usually so frugal he wouldn’t even buy a 9.9 yuan cup of coffee unless he was desperate for a caffeine jolt.

And SEER Café really wasn’t cheap. Shen Hechuan’s table had ordered the most expensive items.

Qiao Le clutched his chest and admitted, “It stung a little.”

But once he thought about how he’d caused trouble for someone else, the pain of spending the money didn’t feel as bad.

Fang Jiaxu chuckled and patted his head. “Poor kid. After work, Brother will treat you to late-night snacks.”

“No way, today I should treat you,” Qiao Le said cheerfully as he quickly finished his food. “Thanks for the meal, Boss. I’m off to work like a good little ox.”

“You never get tired, do you?” Fang Jiaxu asked.

Qiao Le tossed his disposable container into the trash, stretched with arms crossed above his head, and said, “Full of energy.”

Fang Jiaxu waved him off. “Fine, tonight’s sales are riding on you.”

“Leave it to me.” Qiao Le made an OK gesture and walked out of the changing room.

——

Meanwhile, the “good guy” they were talking about—Shen Hechuan—had just arrived home.

As he walked in, he took off his blazer. Nanny Liu came up to take it and whispered, “Young Master Hechuan, the old master, madam, and sir are all waiting for you in the study.”

Huh?

Shen Hechuan glanced at the time, a little surprised. “Isn’t it dinner time?”

His grandfather had been in the army when he was young and followed strict routines for meals and sleep. For them to be in the study at this hour was unusual.

“It’s been delayed,” she whispered. “Looks like something serious happened.”

Something serious?

Shen Hechuan figured the biggest thing going on at home lately was his marriage situation. No doubt it would be more talk about pushing him to get married.

Endless.

“I got it,” he said, handing over his tie as well. “Thanks.”

He then headed upstairs to the study. The moment he opened the door, he saw the three people inside.

His grandfather, his father, his mother.

All sitting upright with serious expressions—like a full-on inquisition.

Shen Hechuan shut the door behind him, just about to ask what was going on, when the old man spoke first: “I heard you got a vasectomy?!”

Shen Hechuan: “?”

Then his father followed: “I heard you’re dating a young, handsome man?!”

Shen Hechuan: “??”

And finally, his mother: “And that the poor boy was even kicked out of his house because of you?!”

Shen Hechuan: “……???”

He got it now.

This was karma for being a good person.