Chapter 52: Free or Paid

When Cheng Ye returned, Jiang Shi had fallen asleep again.

He slept in a well-behaved posture, curled up on his side in the corner against the wall, a position that suggested a lack of security.

Qiu Maolin had also fallen asleep, and the dorm room was quiet.

Cheng Ye leaned down, gently took Jiang Shi’s hand out from the crevice between the bed and the wall, and tucked it back into the blanket. In the darkness, he poured some hot water, wet a towel, and wiped his face.

He had been out in the cold wind for so long tonight. Fearing Jiang Shi might catch a cold, he touched his forehead. Seeing that his temperature was normal, he finally went back to his own bed to sleep.

The company that Wang Zhuo said wanted to buy their game was no small firm; it belonged to the rich second-generation friend of the streamer, Shang Cheng.

Cheng Ye had classes on weekdays and didn’t have much time, so Wang Zhuo handled most matters. But this time, it was clear that Wang Zhuo couldn’t make the decision.

A few days after the last call, Wang Zhuo called again. “Brother Cheng, they’ve contacted me again. He said he can offer up to one hundred thousand. What do you think…”

Cheng Ye asked him, “Did he say when he wants to meet?”

“He said it’s up to you.”

“Then let’s make it the weekend. I can only free up three days at most.”

The time was set for this weekend in Jiangcheng.

Wang Zhuo and his friends woke up early. They had just graduated in July. Seeing that the game was showing no signs of success, the university students who had failed their first startup venture had all dejectedly found regular jobs.

Today, only Wang Zhuo had the day off, so the task of picking up Cheng Ye fell to him.

The four of them had a private group chat. Knowing that Cheng Ye was coming, they couldn’t help but discuss him in the group.

[What do you guys think Brother Cheng is like? What does he look like?]

[He seems to talk so little. He barely chats with us outside of work matters. He must be mature and stable, at least in his thirties.]

[Thirties? No way. He was asking us for help learning before.]

[Maybe it’s his hobby. Why else would he invest in us for no reason?]

[And since he was willing to invest in our project, he should be quite rich.]

[Didn’t he invest very little? If he were rich, why would he only give that small amount?]

[Come on. When we were running around with our proposal before, forget that small amount, no one was even willing to invest a single cent. He’s rich, not stupid. What if he loses money by investing too much?]

As they chatted, they couldn’t help but ask Wang Zhuo.

[Zhuo, you’re the one who communicates with him the most. Tell us, what kind of person is he really?]

Wang Zhuo was helpless.

[You guys said it yourselves, Brother Cheng is a man of few words. He doesn’t talk to me about anything other than work. As for whether he’s rich… when the game wasn’t making a single cent, he seemed very calm, so he probably isn’t short on money. As for his age, his voice sounds quite young, so he’s probably just a few years older than us.]

[Alright, what’s the point of guessing here? We’ll know when we see him this afternoon, won’t we?]

Thinking about Cheng Ye’s status, and since he was making a rare trip to Jiangcheng, Wang Zhuo and his friends discussed it and, gritting their teeth, booked a table at a hotel, planning to treat him.

About to meet his boss in name, Wang Zhuo was still a little nervous. He took out his most presentable clothes, sprayed on some hair gel, and went to the station early to wait.

Successfully brainwashed by his roommates, Wang Zhuo automatically conjured an image in his mind of a man approaching thirty with a powerful aura.

Finally, the train arrived. Wang Zhuo scanned the crowd for such a person, not missing a single elite-looking man in a suit.

After waiting for a long time, the crowd had almost cleared out, but Wang Zhuo still hadn’t seen Cheng Ye.

Finally, Cheng Ye called him. “Where are you?”

There was no sun today, and the cold wind was chilling. Wang Zhuo rubbed his arms. “I’m right at the station entrance, standing under the lamppost. How come I don’t see you?”

Cheng Ye said, “I see you. Turn around.”

Wang Zhuo turned around. Not far away, a very tall young man put down his phone.

The young man had a backpack on. He was dressed in a black shirt and black pants. The sole of his shoe was coming unglued, his shirt was frayed at the edges, and his pants had been washed so many times that they had not only shrunk but also faded to a slight white.

He had a short haircut, his skin was on the darker side, and his features had a hint of wildness.

Cheng Ye walked over with his bag and stood in front of him. “Hello, I’m Cheng Ye.”

Wang Zhuo was unable to recover for a long time.

He somewhat doubted his own eyes and spoke dryly, “Brother Cheng?”

“I’m younger than you. You don’t have to call me brother.”

“If I may ask, how old are you this year?”

Cheng Ye said, “Eighteen.”

Wang Zhuo: “…”

No wonder he never had time. At this age, he should still be in school.

“You…”

“I…”

Wang Zhuo took a long time to recover, still unable to quite digest this fact.

“You’re the one who invested in the game? And you’re the one who usually communicates with me on the phone?”

Cheng Ye nodded at him without speaking, giving him a “what’s the problem?” look.

What’s the problem? The problem was huge.

Wang Zhuo said miserably, “You’re still in school, right?”

“Yeah.”

Cheng Ye took out his phone and texted Jiang Shi with his head down. “I was only able to ask for three days off because of the city-wide unified exam.”

Wang Zhuo: “…”

Wang Zhuo didn’t know what to say. “Won’t this interfere with your studies?”

“No,” Cheng Ye said. “Where’s the person?”

“The person arranged to meet at a teahouse at two in the afternoon. It’s not even one yet. How about I take you to eat first?”

Cheng Ye said, “Something simple is fine.”

When he said simple, he really meant simple. Fried noodles from a stall at the train station entrance, five yuan for two bowls. The two of them held disposable bowls, squatting by a flowerbed on the side of the road, surrounded by people coming and going. Motorcycles waiting for passengers were parked nearby, kicking up a cloud of dust every time one left.

Wang Zhuo turned his head and coughed, discreetly shifting backward.

To show how seriously he was taking this, he had even worn the suit he used for interviews. The suit fabric had little stretch, and squatting on the ground made it uncomfortably tight.

The fried noodles were dry and plain. Wang Zhuo wore a pained expression as he ate; he hadn’t had it this rough in a long time.

But Cheng Ye was very calm. He finished his noodles in a few quick bites and walked to the side to answer a phone call.

He didn’t lower his voice. He stood there lazily, his eyes lowered, a slight smile on his face. Unlike his taciturn self in front of Wang Zhuo, he was very talkative on the phone.

“I just arrived. There’s sun, it’s not hot. I brought a jacket.”

“What did I eat? Fried noodles from a street stall.”

“It’s not bad, it’s pretty good.”

Wang Zhuo opened his mouth and spit out a small grain of sand from the noodles.

“Didn’t you say the Wangji Roast Duck on Xiangshan Road in Jiangcheng is delicious? I’ll bring some back for you.”

Wang Zhuo dusted off his leather shoes.

The Wangji Roast Duck on Xiangshan Road was very famous. One duck cost at least a few hundred yuan.

“It’s not expensive, and it’s not a hassle.”

Wang Zhuo: “…”

I don’t get it, I just don’t get it…

After Cheng Ye finished his call, Wang Zhuo had also slowly finished eating. He stood up, shaking his numb legs, poked a hole through the disposable container with his chopsticks, threw it into a trash can, and asked Cheng Ye, “Should we head over now?”

If it weren’t for the fact that Cheng Ye was only carrying a backpack, his attire made him look more like a migrant worker than the actual migrant workers next to them who had come to the city for work. Wang Zhuo, standing beside him in a suit, looked more like the boss.

Afraid of hurting his boss’s pride, Wang Zhuo spoke very cautiously. “It’s a bit far. It’s about a half-hour ride by car. How about I call a taxi?”

Cheng Ye asked him, “Is there a bus?”

“…There is, but we’ll have to transfer twice.”

Cheng Ye: “Fine. Let’s go. We’ll take the bus.”

Wang Zhuo: “…”

What exactly was he expecting just now?

The humble worker took his boss to take the bus. It was the afternoon peak hour, and the bus was packed. Wang Zhuo struggled to survive in the crowd, breaking out in a sweat.

At that moment, his friend sent him a message in the group chat.

[How is it? Have you met the big boss?]

Wang Zhuo took out his phone and typed.

[…I’ve met him.]

[What’s he like?]

Wang Zhuo looked forward.

Cheng Ye was standing not far away. He was very tall, his head almost touching the roof of the bus. He held onto the overhead railing with one hand. Whether it was because of his appearance or his aura, not many people were willing to stand near him, leaving a small circle of space around him.

Wang Zhuo, who had been constantly squeezed in the crowd: “…”

He lowered his head and typed.

[It’s hard to say. You’ll know when you see him.]

He stuffed his phone into his pocket and squeezed through the crowd, finally reaching Cheng Ye’s side. Grabbing the handle in front of Cheng Ye, Wang Zhuo felt like he had come back to life.

He smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes and spoke tactfully to Cheng Ye, “Are you going to meet them just like this?”

Cheng Ye looked down at him. “Is there a problem?”

Is there a problem? The problem was huge.

Wang Zhuo looked at his unglued shoes, his faded pants, his torn jacket. A thousand words welled up in his heart, but in the end, they could only be condensed into two short ones.

“Never mind…”

He was only in high school. If his financial situation allowed it, who would be willing to dress like this to meet a major client?

Overcome with curiosity, Wang Zhuo couldn’t help but ask, “Was the money you invested in us before really yours?”

Cheng Ye looked at the passing scenery. “Yeah.”

“Haha…” Wang Zhuo laughed dryly. “I couldn’t tell you had so much money.”

Cheng Ye said, “That’s all the money I had.”

Wang Zhuo fell silent.

It was only then that he felt that Cheng Ye was different from the teenagers he knew. He was too calm, so calm that he didn’t seem like a child at all.

For a teenager to have that much money and to invest it in them without a word was a testament to how extraordinary he was.

“We’re here,” Cheng Ye said.

Wang Zhuo looked up and indeed saw their destination.

He got off the bus with Cheng Ye and walked for about ten minutes before they arrived at the teahouse where they were scheduled to meet.

The teahouse was located in the center of the business district. Just looking at the storefront, it was clearly out of the ordinary. Wang Zhuo looked left and right, feeling a little insecure. “Is this the place? It looks too high-class.”

Cheng Ye walked straight in with his backpack. A staff member stood behind the counter. He planted himself on the spotless floor. “Hello, I’m looking for someone.”

The staff member showed a polite smile. “Hello, sir. Do you have a reservation?”

Cheng Ye said, “I’m not sure if there is one. The person I’m looking for is named Huang.”

“One moment, please…” The staff member looked down and flipped through a book. “Excuse me, are you Mr. Cheng Ye?”

“Yes.”

“Mr. Huang has booked a private room with us. Please follow me, gentlemen.”

Cheng Ye and Wang Zhuo followed the staff member.

Wang Zhuo’s suit usually looked fine, but today, walking into this elegant, antique-style teahouse, illuminated by the bright lights, the piled-up wrinkles couldn’t be smoothed out, the tailoring was off, and his repeatedly polished leather shoes also looked dusty.

He felt a little embarrassed and lost.

But Cheng Ye, walking in front of him, was much more composed. He had the same expression now as he did when he was squatting and eating at the chaotic train station.

Passing customers would cast slightly surprised glances at this person who was so out of place in the teahouse environment. Cheng Ye would calmly meet their gazes. After a few seconds, the passersby would be the first to look away, unable to bear it.

They arrived at the private room. The staff member pushed open the door. “Mr. Huang hasn’t arrived yet. You two can rest inside for a moment.”

She took out a menu and handed it to Cheng Ye. “These are our tea selections. Please see what you would like.”

Cheng Ye sat down on the sofa. He didn’t look at the menu but instead asked, “Is it free or do I have to pay?”

The staff member was stunned for two seconds. Her good professional training kept a sweet smile on her face. “Your consumption today will be put on Mr. Huang’s bill.”

Cheng Ye asked again, “Can I brew it myself?”

The staff member smiled. “Yes, you can.”

Only then did Cheng Ye open the menu. He looked at it very carefully, taking two minutes to make his selection.

The menu was passed to Wang Zhuo. How could he be as “generous” as Cheng Ye? He timidly ordered the cheapest item.

Just as the staff member was about to leave, Cheng Ye asked again, “Are the cookies and candies on the table also free?”

“…”

The staff member smiled. “Yes, they are.”

As soon as she left, Cheng Ye opened his empty backpack, reached for the dish of cookies placed on the side, and tipped it straight in.

After pouring in the cookies, he reached for the candies. Across from him, Wang Zhuo was dumbfounded.

Cheng Ye paused. “Do you want some?”