ACMS 24 part 4

“Can I think it over?” Qiao Le asked. “My mind’s a bit scrambled right now.”

“Of course,” Shen Hechuan said understandingly. “I’ll wait for your response. You can also use this time to think about any conditions you want.”

Hearing this, Qiao Le curiously asked, “Will you meet any conditions I ask for?”

He wanted to know where Shen Hechuan’s “maximized protection of your interests” line was.

Shen Hechuan replied, “You can ask for anything, as long as it’s within my ability.”

Since Shen Hechuan said so, Qiao Le didn’t hold back. “What if I want a lot of money? Is that okay?”

Shen Hechuan laughed. Qiao Le was the type to split the bill even when eating pizza with him. How much could he possibly want?

“Go ahead,” Shen Hechuan said, looking at Qiao Le with a look of indulgence. “Let me see if I can satisfy your request.”

Qiao Le quickly calculated the debt he owed in his mind and held up two fingers. “Two million.”

Shen Hechuan: “Okay.”

Qiao Le: “?!”

Qiao Le was still worried that he had asked for too much, but unexpectedly, Shen Hechuan agreed without hesitation.

Actually, the money his father owed before his death wasn’t just that much. After selling the family house and part of the land, his aunt and uncle helped sell a small piece of land in his hometown, and he worked nonstop to pay off some. In the end, there was still 1.6 million left.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t pay back the 1.6 million, but even if he worked non-stop, it would take him years, possibly more.

He had three years off from school, and a year had already passed.

But if Shen Hechuan was willing to pay this money, he could return to school right away. Qiao Man could go to a better kindergarten. The extra 400,000 was to cover his and Qiao Man’s tuition and living expenses.

Shen Hechuan’s quick agreement was too overwhelming. Qiao Le stared at him, like looking at a big sucker. “Did you hear me correctly? I said two million, not two hundred, not two thousand.”

“I know,” Shen Hechuan said. “Two million a year, for five years. That’s ten million in total. If you’re willing, I can have someone draft the agreement immediately.”

Qiao Le: “……”

Two million a year, ten million for five years!!

Qiao Le was stunned. He had said five years for two million, not one million a year.

It was like last time when he asked for 16,000, and Shen Hechuan agreed to 100,000.

Shen Hechuan really knew how to increase his value.

But then he thought, Shen Hechuan could afford to live in a multi-hundred-square-meter apartment in Linjiang, and his family also had a villa in Pengshan No.1. Ten million to him might be like a penny to an ordinary person.

“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” Qiao Le double-checked with Shen Hechuan. “After signing the contract, you can’t ask me to pay it back, okay?”

Shen Hechuan smiled. “You should be the one asking me that. But since you asked, I’ll take it as your agreement.”

Agree?

Of course! Ten million! He might never make that much in his life!

Shen Hechuan had given him too much.

“At your service!” Qiao Le’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Shen Hechuan. “What do I need to do now? Add your mom’s WeChat?”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

Needless to say, Qiao Le really had a strong sense of professionalism. He was already on the job so quickly.

“Let’s hold off for now,” Shen Hechuan said cheerfully. “I’ll have someone draft the agreement for you tomorrow. We can talk about the details then—I won’t let you get the short end of the stick.”

“Alright,” Qiao Le said with a bright smile. “I trust you.”

With that, the discussion about the agreement was tentatively settled. Shen Hechuan asked, “Want to have dinner together?”

Qiao Le shook his head. “No, I still have to work later.”

That reminded Shen Hechuan of the video Pei Wenjing had sent him. “Where do you work? Is it a new job?”

“No, just at Jiaxu’s place,” Qiao Le replied, then added in case Shen Hechuan didn’t know who that was, “He’s the friend I brought to your house for dinner last time—the one who brought Xiao Man. The place is a quiet bar called A Drink To Unwind.”

So it was a friend’s place—definitely safer than Might Bar.

Shen Hechuan was relieved. “That’s good to hear.”

Qiao Le remembered how Shen Hechuan had warned him last time that bars weren’t safe. “Don’t worry, it’s really safe there.”

Shen Hechuan still wanted to ask more about Qiao Le, but Qiao Le suddenly went, “Oh!” and picked up his phone. “I got a delivery order.”

Shen Hechuan: “What??”

Qiao Le finished the rest of his coffee in one gulp and said, “Someone put in a rush order on the app. I’ve got to go. We’ll talk more once you’ve drafted the agreement tomorrow!”

Before Shen Hechuan could say anything, he was already gone, phone in hand.

Shen Hechuan: “……”

All he could see was Qiao Le’s back as he ran out, like a gust of wind.

How much could a delivery order even earn? A few bucks? Ten? Maybe a few dozen at best?

Was the ten million he offered not enough? Qiao Le had accepted a delivery job without a second thought.

Shen Hechuan stood silent for a long moment, then sent a message to Judy, asking her to cancel the dinner reservation for tonight.

[Judy: Got it.]

It was the second time she’d received a message canceling dinner from her boss. Judy was curious about who kept standing him up, but tactfully didn’t ask.

After canceling the reservation, she went back to doing her makeup, thoroughly preparing herself for a fun night at the bar.

After sending the message, Shen Hechuan’s gaze fell on the empty coffee cup where Qiao Le had been sitting.

Even when rushing out, Qiao Le hadn’t forgotten to finish his coffee.

At first, Shen Hechuan was a little speechless. Then the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

The negotiation had gone much smoother than he expected. He’d thought it would take some effort to persuade Qiao Le, but Qiao Le had agreed so easily.

Of course, he could tell it was the money that swayed Qiao Le—not himself.

But that didn’t matter. Everything he had was part of his negotiating power.

As he said, he would do everything within his power to protect Qiao Le’s best interests. If Qiao Le was drawn to benefit, then after they married, he would maximize those benefits.

He would use every means to bind Qiao Le to him, tightly.

—

Unaware of Shen Hechuan’s plotting, Qiao Le had taken a delivery order from the Let Me Do It platform. He left Seer Cafe and went to pick up the item right away.

The delivery fee wasn’t high, but it happened to be on his way back to the bar.

As for the ten million Shen Hechuan mentioned—since the money hadn’t hit his account yet, it didn’t count. He still had to earn every cent he could.

After finishing the delivery, Qiao Le picked up Qiao Man and headed to the bar.

Once at the bar, he found Fang Jiaxu and told him he wanted to take a day off on National Day—he had a class reunion that day.

Fang Jiaxu was playing a game behind the bar. He’d always been easygoing with Qiao Le and didn’t even look up. “Sure. Just tell Xiao Jiang so he can arrange the schedule.”

Qiao Le then went to the staff room to find Xiao Jiang.

Meanwhile, Qiao Man had climbed onto the stool next to Fang Jiaxu. “Brother Jiaxu, I wanna play too!”

Fang Jiaxu freed one hand to pat his head. “Did you finish your calligraphy practice for today?”

“Not yet,” Qiao Man sighed and climbed back down. “Then I’ll go practice now. I’ll come back later, okay?”

“Go on, go on.”

After settling the schedule with Xiao Jiang, Qiao Le changed into his work clothes and started his shift.

Wednesdays and Thursdays were always the slowest days of the week. It was already almost 9 PM, but there were only a few tables occupied—not even the first floor was full.

Qiao Man finished his calligraphy and came out again. He originally wanted to play games with Fang Jiaxu but saw Qiao Le wiping glasses and ran over. “Brother, I’ll help you! Let me help!”

Qiao Le was afraid he might cut himself. “No need, go play with Jiaxu.”

“Oh…” Qiao Man went back to Fang Jiaxu and climbed onto the stool to watch him play.

Qiao Le finished drying the glasses and was putting them away when he heard the door chime.

He dropped the towel and went out to greet the guests. “Welcome! Table for how many?”

The newcomer was Judy, who had just returned from a business trip. With her were several pretty young women.

Judy’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Qiao Le.

Tall, long-legged, fair-skinned, handsome, younger—and that white shirt and slacks combo? Absolute dreamboat!!

A dream younger man!

Her bestie hadn’t lied—he was totally worth it!

No wonder she’d rushed home straight off the plane to wash her hair and do her makeup, even pulled out her best tassel camisole from the bottom of her wardrobe.

“Four,” Judy said sweetly. “Where should we sit?”

Her friends immediately picked up on her sudden soft tone and stifled giggles. One of them suggested, “Why don’t we sit at the bar?”

“Great idea! Let’s sit at the bar!” Judy nodded eagerly. Sitting at the bar gave her more chances!

Qiao Le didn’t mind where guests wanted to sit. He led them in. “This way, please.”

He brought them to the bar, handed out drink menus, and asked what they’d like.

Judy flipped her curls and said gently, “It’s our first time here. Do you have any recommendations?”

Seeing they were all women, Qiao Le recommended a few low-alcohol cocktails.

Judy: “Sounds good!”

Qiao Le set down the drink menu and went to prepare the cocktails. Judy grabbed her friend’s hand, face full of excitement. “He’s so my type! It’s been forever since I’ve seen a guy like this—he’s a total ten!”

Her friend said, “Right?! I told you! Don’t forget to ask for his WeChat later.”

“No problem,” Judy said as she struck a pose. “I’m this gorgeous—he wouldn’t say no to me, right?!”

Her friend gave her a thumbs-up. “No man could ever turn you down!”

Emboldened, Judy waited until Qiao Le finished mixing the drinks and set them in front of her. She took a sip first and praised, “This is delicious,” before asking, “Hey handsome, do you guys do memberships here?”

“Of course,” Qiao Le said, explaining the membership system—the higher the top-up, the bigger the discount.

Where he stood was right under a soft spotlight. The gentle light highlighted his features, making them appear even more striking. His fair skin was flawless, and his eyelashes were incredibly long.

When he spoke, his eyes shimmered with an intoxicating smile.

Judy was absolutely dazzled by his looks. With a bold wave of her hand, she declared, “Top up twenty thousand!”

“Certainly, miss.”

Staff got a commission from membership top-ups, so Qiao Le’s smile became even brighter. “May I trouble you to fill out your basic information?”

He handed over a form, and Judy took the pen. “Calling me ‘miss’ is too polite—I’m probably a bit older than you. Just call me ‘Sister’.”

Qiao Le went along easily. “Alright, Sister.”

That one word had Judy so giddy she could barely hold the pen straight.

Qiao Le took the completed form to input her info. Meanwhile, one of the other girls nudged Judy. “Girl, are you crazy? You just dropped twenty grand! Your workplace is nowhere near here. How long’s that gonna last?”

Judy didn’t care one bit. “Starting tomorrow, I’m coming every day!”

Once he finished with the system, Qiao Le brought over a gold membership card and handed it to her. “You can use the discount today. Next time, just give your phone number.”

Judy tucked the card into her chain-strap purse, feeling like everything was going perfectly. She said to Qiao Le, “Now that I’m a member, how about we add each other on WeChat? That way, I can message you directly to book a table.”

“Yeah,” her friend chimed in, “That’d be easier. Last time I came late, there weren’t any seats. Wasted the trip.”

“Of course,” Qiao Le said.

The bar had an official WeChat account. Qiao Le brought over the staff phone and showed Judy the QR code.

Judy scanned it, only to see the name “A Drink To Unwind” pop up in big characters.

Judy: “……”

That was clearly the bar’s public account!

Who cared about that? She was a gold member!

She looked at Qiao Le with wounded eyes. “I just dropped twenty grand. Can’t I add your WeChat? Or did I not top up enough?”

“Of course not—” Qiao Le had just started to explain when the door’s greeting chime rang out again.

He took a few steps to the side and looked toward the entrance—only to be surprised by someone he hadn’t seen in a while: Yang Mu.

Ever since Qiao Man had called Qiao Le “Daddy” right in front of Yang Mu, Yang Mu hadn’t returned to the bar. While it meant one less customer, it also meant one less headache for Qiao Le.

He’d thought the man wouldn’t show up again—but here he was, appearing suddenly and, as always, carrying a bouquet of roses.

Qiao Le frowned slightly, getting a bad feeling.

Yang Mu came in cradling the bouquet and walked straight to the bar. He stopped right in front of Qiao Le and said, “Lele.”

Judy and the others were thrown off by the sudden arrival. Judy leaned toward her friend and asked in a low voice, “What’s going on? Does my dream boy already have someone?”

“I don’t think so?” her friend replied. “I even asked someone who’s a regular here—never heard anything like that.”

Judy pointed at Yang Mu holding the bouquet. “Then who’s this uninvited guest?”

“Probably the same as you,” her friend whispered.

Judy rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “…Unbelievable.”

Qiao Le looked at Yang Mu and said politely, “Good evening, Mr. Yang. Are you expecting company?”

“Just me.” Yang Mu handed the bouquet of flowers toward him. “I’m not here to drink tonight—I came to bring you flowers.”

If that had been said between lovers, it might’ve been romantic.

But to Qiao Le, it was just annoying.

“I recall we made things very clear last time. I hope you didn’t treat it like it went in one ear and out the other.” Qiao Le kept the last of his patience in check. “If you’ve forgotten, I’m happy to remind you again.”

With that, he turned and called out, “Xiao Man, come here.”

Hearing his name, Qiao Man quickly climbed down from his chair and ran over. When he saw Yang Mu, he immediately and cleverly called out to Qiao Le, “Daddy, you called me?”

Judy stared in shock. “Daddy?!”

Her reaction mirrored Yang Mu’s from last time. But this time, Yang Mu didn’t look surprised at all. He calmly exposed him: “I looked into it. That’s not your son—it’s your younger brother. Lele, stop trying to fool me.”

Qiao Le: “……”

He hadn’t expected Yang Mu to actually investigate him. Caught off guard, he was suddenly at a disadvantage.

Fang Jiaxu put down his game console and came over, rapping his knuckles on the bar. He looked at Yang Mu and said, “Mr. Yang, was it? We’re open for business right now. Please don’t disturb my staff.”

Yang Mu, an old regular, was familiar with Fang Jiaxu. “Boss Fang, I’m not here to cause trouble. I just wanted to express my feelings for Lele.”

“But your feelings aren’t welcome,” Fang Jiaxu said bluntly. “You’ve already made him uncomfortable. It’s best to have some self-awareness.”

“How would he know if he likes me or not if he doesn’t give it a chance?” Yang Mu said indignantly. “I come from a good family, I look decent, and I have a respectable, high-paying job. If he’s willing to be with me, I can even arrange a new job for him. He won’t have to serve people in a bar anymore.”

His smug monologue left everyone around him silent.

But Yang Mu didn’t think he’d said anything wrong—he kept going. “Besides, he’s single, I’m single. I have every right to pursue him. Unless he’s already—”

“Who told you I’m single?”

Qiao Le suddenly cut him off. “When you went digging around about me, didn’t you find out I have a boyfriend?”

That landed like a bomb, leaving everyone stunned.

Even Fang Jiaxu looked at him in disbelief—he had no idea Qiao Le had a boyfriend.

“I don’t believe it!” Yang Mu snapped. “You’re just trying to fool me again like last time, aren’t you?”

Qiao Le couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. He had already figured Yang Mu out: arrogant, deluded, and incapable of listening.

To deal with someone like that, you had to go for a kill shot.

Otherwise, he’d keep showing up just to make his presence known.

“You’ll know soon enough if I’m lying.” Qiao Le pointed to a nearby stool. “Sit tight. I’ll have him come show you what real ‘decent looks’ are.”

Yang Mu: “……”

Qiao Le headed to the break room and grabbed his phone, quickly sending a message to Shen Hechuan on WeChat:

[Qiao Lelele: I’m invoking my contract rights early!]

[Shen Hechuan: ?]

With phone in hand, Qiao Le returned to the bar and, right in front of everyone, dialed a voice call.

Shen Hechuan answered almost immediately. Qiao Le, making sure Yang Mu gave up completely, tapped the speaker button and greeted sweetly, “Hey, darling.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Shen Hechuan’s low voice came through. “What is it?”

Judy’s ears twitched—she thought the voice sounded familiar. But the bar music was loud and Qiao Le was a little far from her, so she couldn’t hear clearly.

“My friend wants to meet my boyfriend. Are you free to swing by?” Qiao Le asked naturally. “I’m at Jiaxu’s place.”

“Alright.”

That single, firm “alright” made everyone’s expressions shift.

Qiao Le hung up and turned to the scowling Yang Mu. “Want a drink while you wait? My boyfriend’s buying.”

Yang Mu: “……”

Fang Jiaxu couldn’t help but burst out laughing, totally enjoying the spectacle. “Then count me in. I’ve never had a drink on your boyfriend’s tab either.”

Qiao Le agreed generously, “Of course.”

Yang Mu sat down with a dark face. He’d always had great confidence in himself, but had run into wall after wall with Qiao Le. Now he was determined to see who this so-called boyfriend really was—who could possibly be more impressive than him?

He straightened his posture, reminding himself of his family background and career.

Meanwhile, Judy and the others, who had witnessed the whole thing, exchanged looks. Her friend leaned over and whispered in her ear, “It’s over. Your dream guy’s got a boyfriend. That 20.000 you dropped? Down the drain.”

“…I don’t believe it.” Judy pinched her friend, still unwilling to give up. “Let’s keep watching. What if this ‘boyfriend’ turns out to be fake too, just like that ‘son’ earlier?”

Her friend said, “Good point!”

While they waited, Qiao Le ignored Yang Mu and turned to focus on his work again.

After he finished handling a bill, Fang Jiaxu came over and lowered his voice. “When did you get a boyfriend? How come I didn’t know?”

Qiao Le figured Shen Hechuan should be arriving soon, so he simply said, “You’ll see in a bit.”

Yang Mu had already been waiting for nearly forty minutes and had downed two drinks. Growing impatient, he said, “Lele, this so-called boyfriend of yours—he’s not too scared to show up, is he? Or did you just make someone up again to use as a shield?”

Just as he finished speaking, the door chime sounded with a “Welcome.”

Everyone who had been waiting turned instinctively toward the entrance.

A tall, lean figure stepped through the door. His gaze swept lightly across the room before landing squarely on Qiao Le at the bar, then he began walking over.

The bar lighting was dim and mellow, with the occasional sweep of rotating colored lights. But even in the subdued atmosphere, the sharp outlines of his features slowly came into focus, every step drawing attention to the striking glow that seemed to radiate from him.

As he approached, Judy’s expression shifted from blank to stunned—then to outright despair.

She didn’t even have time to question why her boss was here. Her first instinct was to bury her face in her friend’s back, trying to disappear.

No way… it can’t be…

Is my boss really the boyfriend of my dream guy?!

Judy chanted “impossible, impossible” in her head. But as the man drew closer, she heard that all-too-familiar voice call out, “Lele.”

Judy: “…”

Her last thread of hope snapped.

What was I thinking… trying to compete with my boss for a man.