Chapter 39: It Must Be Pearls, It Must Be the World’s Rarest Gems…

Jiang Shi had no idea about the things going on in Cheng Ye’s head.

He was hot from being squeezed into the corner by Cheng Ye. As soon as the class bell rang, seeing that he still wasn’t leaving, he kicked him under the table. “Class is starting, hurry up and go.”

Cheng Ye stood up, seemingly with some regret.

Wind blew in from the back door, rustling the books on the desk. The afternoon sun was blinding, and Cheng Ye’s shadow fell upon Jiang Shi.

“Little young master, we’re going to sell things this weekend. Want to come along?”

Jiang Shi had never seen Cheng Ye sell anything. Based on his understanding of Cheng Ye, Jiang Shi found it hard to imagine him being able to sell anything. He figured he’d be the type to stand there for half a day without being able to squeeze out a single word.

But in reality, Cheng Ye had more guts than he had imagined.

Not far from No. 1 High School, there was a food street. They chose a spot there to set up their stall, but they arrived a bit late and couldn’t get a prime location, so they had to find a somewhat remote corner.

Jiang Shi was said to be there to help, but in reality, no one asked him to do anything. Cheng Ye brought a chair, found a spot sheltered from the wind, placed it down, and settled Jiang Shi onto it.

The evening breeze carried the smell of barbecue. Liu Man and Xiao Liu were setting up their goods, while Cheng Ye was taking inventory with a list. When passersby came, he would rein in the beast-like ferocity in his eyes, smiling not obsequiously, but in a way that felt inexplicably down-to-earth.

“Want to take a look? New accessories, cheap and beautiful.”

A middle-aged woman’s gaze was drawn to him.

Cheng Ye discreetly glanced at the woman, put away his list, and rummaged through the items, pulling out a simple, rustic bracelet.

“You can take a look at this one. The style is generous and not tacky, and it won’t look old-fashioned on your wrist. The chain is woven from string, it’s very sturdy and won’t break no matter how long you wear it.”

The woman was clearly intrigued by his words and took it to have a look.

Cheng Ye saw the rough lines on her palm.

He said, “The materials used for the bracelet are all sturdy and waterproof, so it’s perfectly fine to wear it while working or washing things.”

The woman asked, “How much?”

Liu Man was about to say three yuan, but Cheng Ye discreetly kicked him and spoke first, “Four yuan.”

The woman frowned. “Four yuan is too expensive. A bowl of noodles only costs me four yuan.”

“Sister, four yuan isn’t expensive. There’s a boutique right next door. For this style and quality, if you go look in the store, wouldn’t they charge you more than ten yuan? Although I’m charging you four yuan, this bracelet can be worn for a long time. It’s better than those that are cheap and pretty but break after a few days.”

The middle-aged woman looked hesitant, but four yuan was still a bit expensive for her. She thought for a moment, somewhat reluctant.

At this moment, Cheng Ye spoke again. “How about this…” He bent down and pulled out a peace lock from a bag that hadn’t been displayed. “This lock is the most expensive item we have here, perfect for a child. Normally, we sell this lock for fifteen, but right now we have too much stock and no time to set up a stall. If you really like it, I’ll include the lock for you, and charge you ten yuan for both. How about that?”

He handed the lock in his hand to the woman. “Look at the quality of this lock. The other day, my aunt’s child had just passed his one-month celebration, and I gave him this lock. My aunt was so pleased she hangs it around the child’s neck every day.”

“Look at the craftsmanship. People would believe you if you said you bought it at a jewelry store. If we weren’t in a hurry to sell our goods, we wouldn’t give you this price.”

The woman took it and looked at it, finding that it was indeed quite nice. Moreover, she was very tempted by what Cheng Ye said. She gritted her teeth and pulled out ten yuan from her pocket. “Alright, wrap it up for me.”

Jiang Shi watched with wide eyes as Cheng Ye sold two items in just that short time.

Not only was he stunned, but Liu Man was also dumbfounded. Watching the woman walk away, he gave Cheng Ye a thumbs-up. “Impressive, my brother.”

Jiang Shi said, “Won’t he lose money selling like that?”

“Lose money?” Liu Man laughed. “How could we lose money? We originally only sell that bracelet for two or three yuan, and the lock for about five. Brother Cheng babbled on and not only sold them for a higher price, but also made the customer feel like we were the ones taking a loss.”

Cheng Ye’s expression was as usual. Once the person left, he became quiet again. He put the money in Jiang Shi’s hand and asked him, “Do you want to eat barbecue?”

Jiang Shi sat on the chair holding the money. He flipped the ten-yuan bill over and couldn’t help but ask Cheng Ye, “How did you know she would buy the peace lock?”

He wouldn’t necessarily want it even if it were given to him for free.

Cheng Ye sat next to Jiang Shi on a piece of cardboard, saw a gaudy string of pink crystals, and quietly picked it up to put on Jiang Shi’s wrist. As he put it on, he explained, “The style of clothes she was wearing was very simple, but the fabric was sturdy. It should be a family with an income, but not a high one. She had makeup on her face, but the calluses on her hands were thick. She likes to dress up but has to work.”

“She dressed plainly, which means she doesn’t like flashy things, so those best-selling bracelets aren’t suitable for her. Furthermore, she has to work, so bracelets that wear out easily won’t do. It’s best if it’s sturdy and durable.”

A glittering string hung on the young man’s wrist, making his skin look as white as jade. Cheng Ye fiddled with the plastic beads on it, thinking that sooner or later, he would turn these beads into real ones.

“As for the lock…” He laughed. “She was carrying baby formula and diapers. Either she has a child at home or a relative does. I have good eyesight and saw the age range written on the formula: zero to six months, just born. So I took a gamble.”

In just those few short minutes, Cheng Ye had analyzed a person’s approximate economic strength from their clothes and appearance, and had also taken corresponding measures.

He said it so casually, but Jiang Shi’s heart was beating a little fast. He looked down at Cheng Ye sitting next to him, only to see that the person who had just been so at ease with a stranger now had slightly red ear tips.

Cheng Ye lowered his eyes, his breathing a little ragged, whether from nervousness or something else. The next second, he changed his posture, his gaze a little dazed.

“Beautiful.”

He murmured.

What was beautiful?

Jiang Shi looked down and saw that another bracelet had been put on his wrist at some point.

It was a silver-black snake, head to tail, coiled around Jiang Shi’s slender wrist. The craftsmanship of the bracelet was very rough, the snake’s body even felt full of plastic, but Jiang Shi was just too fair. The snake’s head had scarlet eyes and happened to be holding the faintly pulsating vein.

The night market lights were dim, and the hanging hand was hidden in the light and shadow. It looked incredibly sensual.

Jiang Shi’s brow twitched, and the next second he yanked off the bracelet. “Why are you randomly putting things on me!”

Cheng Ye was so stunned he couldn’t even speak. Only after a few seconds did he manage to explain, “I found it by accident.”

Jiang Shi threw the snake into his arms. “Take it away, it’s so ugly.”

The quality of that thing was too poor. Being thrown by Jiang Shi like that, it cracked in Cheng Ye’s hand.

Without the contrast of the wrist, the snake-shaped bracelet was nothing more than a piece of inferior, cheap junk in Cheng Ye’s eyes.

He threw away the broken bracelet, his fingertips still retaining the sensation of stroking Jiang Shi’s wrist just now.

The pink crystal looked good on Jiang Shi, and the snake-shaped bracelet also looked good on Jiang Shi. It wasn’t that the items were beautiful, it was that Jiang Shi was beautiful.

Such a beautiful hand shouldn’t be used to set off these cheap things, and a fair wrist shouldn’t be touched by plastic.

It must be pearls, it must be the world’s rarest gems.

…

Xiao Liu went to buy water nearby and was about to ask Cheng Ye and Jiang Shi if they wanted any, but Liu Man stopped him.

“Let’s go later.”

“Huh?” Xiao Liu was a little confused. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just go later if I tell you to go later.”

With Cheng Ye’s help, even though the location was remote, the business was surprisingly good. Plus, with Jiang Shi sitting there, even if he didn’t say anything, the beauty under the lights always made passersby unable to look away, so more and more people gathered around.

Business was good, but Liu Man’s mood didn’t improve.

He lit a cigarette, his peripheral vision catching sight of the pristine Jiang Shi, and consciously moved to the farthest spot from him.

After seeing off a customer, he sat down on the floor, twisted open a bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and watched Cheng Ye and Jiang Shi on the other side out of the corner of his eye.

Liu Man came from a single-parent family. His parents divorced, he went with his mother, his mother remarried, and he became the extra one.

Perhaps because of his family background, he had been very good at reading people since he was young. His relationship with Cheng Ye wasn’t particularly good. The reason they could hang out together was, in the end, because they were the same kind of people.

Equally unwanted.

But Cheng Ye was also different from him. If Liu Man had to use one word to describe Cheng Ye, it would be cold-blooded, and also calm.

A cold-blooded and calm person.

Many times, Cheng Ye gave him a feeling of indifference. It didn’t matter if he was alive, it was fine if he died. Being alive was just being alive, or perhaps he was alive waiting for something to happen.

This state continued until the start of school this year.

Liu Man learned to smoke from Cheng Ye. He thought smoking was manly, but once he started, he got addicted, and the addiction grew stronger over time. Although Cheng Ye knew how, Liu Man rarely saw him smoke. A pack of cigarettes could stay in his pocket for a month.

At that time, Cheng Ye hadn’t quit smoking yet. The weather was still cold in March. He was wearing thin clothes, sitting in Liu Man’s rented room, and smoked a whole pack of cigarettes.

The smoke soaked through him, and the smell wouldn’t dissipate even with the window open. A stubble of green beard appeared on Cheng Ye’s chin, and a flame burned from the bottom of his silent eyes.

“Liu Man, I want to make money. I have a business idea here. It might succeed, it might fail. Are you willing to follow me?”

So Liu Man took seven thousand yuan and got on a train.

At that time, he didn’t understand how the fire in Cheng Ye’s eyes had been ignited, until he saw Jiang Shi.

A boy so good-looking he could be described as beautiful.

As precious as jade porcelain, exuding an air of nobility and refinement that was completely out of place with them. He was protected in Cheng Ye’s arms, not even having to lift a finger to drink water.

That was also the first time Liu Man had seen Cheng Ye serve someone so subserviently.

The night Jiang Shi got drunk, he was very sober. Sober enough to watch Jiang Shi being carried on Cheng Ye’s back. The boy leaned over dependently, resting his head on his shoulder. The light stretched and overlapped their shadows. The boy’s legs were draped over Cheng Ye’s bent elbow.

The school uniform pants had ridden up, revealing a slender, delicate white ankle. A red string was wrapped around it, and the magnolia charm hanging from it bloomed quietly in the night.

With every step Cheng Ye took, the magnolia swayed.

Tinkle—

Tinkle—