ACMS 2

Chapter 2: Mr. Shen What Now?

Qiao Le had thought that the last time he caught a cheater had already been the most socially fatal moment of his life. Turns out, life still had plenty more storms waiting for him.

The man in front of him claimed he wasn’t Mr. Huo, but Mr. Shen.

Mr. Shen? Shen what now?

Why was he a Mr. Shen? Then where was Mr. Huo?

Qiao Le’s mind was blank. What had he just said?

Honey, say something!
We’re insanely in love!

As those words echoed in his head, Qiao Le almost had a heart attack from secondhand embarrassment.

But the address had clearly been correct! How had he gotten the wrong person?

Had something gone wrong?

He quickly pulled out his phone to double-check, only to see a stream of messages and voice notes from Mr. Huo on the app, asking where he was and why he hadn’t arrived yet.

Arrived where? He was here, wasn’t he?

Qiao Le looked at the messages, then glanced at Shen Hechuan.

Just then, a voice call notification popped up—it was from Mr. Huo. After a deal was made on the “Let Me Do It” app, both parties could make encrypted voice calls for easier communication. Mr. Huo had probably called because Qiao Le hadn’t responded.

“Excuse me, I need to take this call.”

Qiao Le said to Shen Hechuan. The latter lifted a hand in a gesture of “go ahead.” As soon as Qiao Le picked up, Mr. Huo’s anxious voice came through, asking if he had backed out.

Qiao Le hurriedly explained the situation, and Mr. Huo paused for a moment before saying, “Cuiran has twin buildings—did you go to Building A? I’m in Building B. There are two branches of Seer Café here.”

Qiao Le: “……”

Just then, a waiter happened to pass by. Qiao Le stopped him, “Excuse me, is this Building A?”

The waiter nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Qiao Le: “……” Case closed.

Why on earth would anyone open two identical cafés in the same building complex?!

His head was pounding, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Mr. Huo was urging him to hurry over, threatening to cancel the order.

If the order was canceled under these circumstances, it would be considered Qiao Le’s fault, meaning he’d not only have to refund the deposit, but also pay a penalty fee and take a hit to his credibility rating on the app.

When he thought about his long list of transactions, his debts this month, the rent, utilities, and his younger brother Qiao Man’s tuition…

“I’m so sorry, I’ll head over right away and make sure the job gets done!”

Thankfully, Mr. Huo didn’t actually cancel, just kept urging him to get there fast.

Once the call ended, Qiao Le looked at Shen Hechuan, who was still seated. The light from the window carved his features even more distinctly—striking, but without any harshness.

A man like him looked like he should be used to giving orders from above, and yet there was no oppressive aura about him. His bearing was reserved, steady.

From the moment Qiao Le mistook him for someone else, he had stayed calm and composed—no panic, no anger.

As Shen Hechuan quietly looked at him, seemingly waiting for an explanation, Qiao Le’s embarrassment and anxiety slowly eased under that gentle gaze.

He bent into a deep ninety-degree bow and sincerely apologized, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Shen. I got the location wrong. I was supposed to meet someone at the Seer Café in Building B. I’m terribly sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you.”

While still bent over, he didn’t notice the faintly assessing look in Shen Hechuan’s eyes. He was busy wondering what compensation he might have to offer.

Please don’t make me pay too much…

This job wasn’t even done yet and he might already be in the red—his heart ached just thinking about it.

As the one in the wrong, he couldn’t refuse if the other party asked for compensation.

But Mr. Huo was still waiting, and he was in a hurry. He couldn’t waste any more time.

Without waiting for Shen Hechuan to respond, he added, “I can go apologize to the woman from earlier and explain everything. I promise this won’t hurt your reputation. If you have other suggestions, I’ll cooperate fully—but I’m in a bit of a rush right now. Can I go take care of something first?”

Shen Hechuan had heard the earlier phone call. Though he didn’t fully understand what this “order” business was about, he didn’t seem inclined to make things difficult for Qiao Le.

After all, that whole scene earlier had accidentally worked in his favor. That was why he hadn’t stopped it.

He replied, “There’s no need. It didn’t affect me. You can go.”

“Eh?” Qiao Le looked up at him in surprise, hardly able to believe it.

“Didn’t you say you had urgent business?” Shen Hechuan reminded him.

Mr. Huo!!

Qiao Le realized he really wasn’t going to make a fuss. Gratitude surged in his chest as he bowed again. “Thank you so much, Mr. Shen. I wish you all the best—good things happen to good people!”

Shen Hechuan: “……”

As soon as he finished bowing, Qiao Le turned and ran. Shen Hechuan didn’t take it to heart, lifting his coffee for a sip.

He hadn’t expected Qiao Le to run back again so soon.

Qiao Le had just gone to the café counter to borrow a sticky note, on which he’d scribbled his contact info and his ID for the “Let Me Do It” app.

He placed the note on Shen Hechuan’s table and spoke in a rush, “Mr. Shen, this has my contact info and my app ID. If you ever need any help, I’ll give you a discount—no, wait, I’ll do it for free!”

And with that, he spun around and ran off again.

He still had to go earn that sucker’s—ahem, Mr. Huo’s—twenty thousand yuan.

He came, he went, he came, he went again, all so fast that before Shen Hechuan could even say a word, the guy had vanished, leaving behind only that blue sticky note on the table.

Shen Hechuan glanced down and saw what was written on the note.

Qiao Le, 18777XXXXXX,
“Let Me Do It” platform ID: XXXXXXX

Shen Hechuan didn’t know what this “Let Me Do It” app was, nor did he plan to ask for compensation. He couldn’t think of anything he’d need help with either.

But recalling the two ninety-degree bows and the way Qiao Le had run back, a string in his heart was gently tugged by something unknown.

Quite… polite, actually.

Shen Hechuan picked up the glass of water beside him and placed it on top of the sticky note, then tapped open the message he had just received.

[Judy: President Shen, is the 5 p.m. meeting going ahead as scheduled?]

The message was from Shen Hechuan’s secretary, Judy.

[Shen: Yes, I’m on my way back now.]

Shen Hechuan raised a hand and called over a waiter. “Bill, please.”

“Certainly, just a moment.” The waiter picked up the check from the table and headed to the counter. He returned shortly after. “Sir, your bill has already been paid.”

Shen Hechuan was a little surprised. “Already paid?”

“Yes,” the waiter replied. “It was that young man who left earlier—the one in the white shirt.”

That would be the young man named Qiao Le.

With that hint, Shen Hechuan instantly guessed it. He hadn’t expected Qiao Le to actually pay the bill. It seemed the boy was truly remorseful and trying to make up for it in his own way.

Shen Hechuan nodded to the waiter. “Alright. Got it.”

He picked up his suit jacket and stood up, about to leave. As his gaze swept past the water glass, it lingered on the note pinned beneath it.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Shen. I wish you all the best.”

The cheerful, clear voice echoed in his ears, and the smile—bright and warm like sunlight—carried with it a heartfelt blessing.

Shen Hechuan paused for two seconds, then bent down and picked up the note.

⸻

On the other side, Qiao Le had found the Seer Café in Building B, and at Table 11 in Area A—identical to the one in Building A—he located the actual client, Mr. Huo.

Mr. Huo’s request was simple: pretend to be his boyfriend. Use whatever means necessary to make the blind date lose interest—ideally to the point where she’d avoid Mr. Huo forever.

Qiao Le had never been in a relationship. He was nineteen this year—spent his years before eighteen studying hard to get into college, and the years after working hard to repay debts.

He wasn’t really sure how a boyfriend was supposed to act. What he had used earlier with Mr. Shen was something he hastily Googled the night before.

Given Mr. Huo’s request, copying that same act might do the trick.

But the earlier mix-up had been so mortifying that Qiao Le just couldn’t bring himself to call the real Mr. Huo “honey” now.

To be fair, Mr. Huo was a handsome man, dressed expensively, the very picture of a successful professional. He’d be a catch on any matchmaking market.

But compared to Mr. Shen… well, there was still a gap.

To his dismay, Qiao Le realized he wasn’t just a money grubber—he was also a sucker for good looks.

So he swallowed the word “honey” and instead greeted Mr. Huo with a casual, “Old Huo!”

One was “honey,” the other was “Old Huo.”
Just one word apart, but worlds of difference in tone.

The lady on the blind date was first shocked by their supposed relationship, then expressed understanding, and finally offered her blessings.

Qiao Le couldn’t help but think—women really are so kind. Whether it was the one paired with Mr. Huo or the one who had been with Mr. Shen earlier.

Although the process had a few hiccups (looking at you, Mr. Shen), the outcome was surprisingly smooth. So smooth, in fact, that Qiao Le thought Mr. Huo had really overpaid for this job.

With the task completed, Mr. Huo readily paid the remaining balance.

Twenty thousand yuan arrived in Qiao Le’s account, and suddenly, the previously ordinary-looking Mr. Huo appeared more dashing than Mr. Shen himself.

Beaming, Qiao Le told him, “Thank you, Mr. Huo. Wishing you and your partner eternal happiness.”

Mr. Huo, clearly satisfied, tapped his phone and gave him a five-star rating, promising to hire him again if anything came up.

To Qiao Le, those words translated as: “I’ve got money, and I’ll let you earn it.”

Truly, there were still many good-hearted people in this world.

Qiao Le sighed to himself. If two men could have children, he might’ve even wished Mr. Huo a speedy heir.

Leaving the café in Building B, Qiao Le walked back lightly. As he passed by the one in Building A, he stopped in his tracks.

He wondered if that Mr. Shen had already left.

Things had been so rushed earlier that he hadn’t had the chance to explain properly.
Maybe he should go check.

Having made up his mind, Qiao Le pushed the door open.

At the entrance stood the same waiter as before, who seemed surprised to see him return. The waiter stepped forward and asked how many people in his party.

As before, Qiao Le gave the table number where Shen Hechuan had been sitting. But when he reached Area A, he saw that Mr. Shen had already gone.

Table 11 was empty—no coffee, no sticky note.

He didn’t know if Mr. Shen had taken it with him, or if the staff had cleared it away.

“Has the gentleman who was sitting there already left?” Qiao Le asked, pointing to where Shen had been.

The waiter, who remembered both of them, smiled and replied, “Yes, he’s left.”

“Oh.” Qiao Le paused. “When you cleared the table earlier, did you happen to see a blue sticky note?”

The waiter blinked. “Hmm? Sorry, I wasn’t the one who cleared that table. Would you like me to ask my colleague?”

“No, that’s alright.”
Qiao Le waved it off. “No need.”

Now that he thought about it, handing over a makeshift “business card” like that had been a bit reckless.

That Mr. Shen was clearly someone wealthy. There was no way he’d take a scribbled sticky note seriously—it had probably been tossed in the trash by now.

But it didn’t matter. He had done what he felt was right, trying to make amends in his own way for the trouble he’d caused.

“Do you need me to get you a table?” the server asked again.

“No need.” Qiao Le smiled at the server. “Thank you.”

It was already close to five o’clock, and he still had his shift at the bar to get to.