The club manager, aware that his boss had arrived, hurried over personally, carrying a bottle of premium liquor to greet him.
As the manager approached the private room, he noticed a young man who seemed out of place among the men inside. The boss and his friends were watching the young man, who was currently speaking with Mr. Shen. The manager knew most of the boss’s friends by sight.
Once inside the room, Chu Yi’s emotions gradually calmed. After wiping away his tears, he haltingly recounted the events to Shen Jin.
The three friends accompanying Shen Jin unconsciously listened as Chu Yi explained the situation. Silence fell over the room.
Only Shen Jin spoke, asking, “He cornered you at the bathroom door earlier, and you asked him for money, but he refused?”
Chu Yi replied, “Yes.”
Not only did he refuse, but he was also arrogant and humiliated Chu Yi, even attempting to physically assault him.
Shen Jin glanced at his friend, who said, “Don’t worry, leave it to me.” This was his territory, and he would ensure the matter was handled properly.
Just as Chu Yi’s friend was about to make a call, the manager walked in.
Less than ten minutes later, a man in his early thirties entered—the former supervisor from Chu Yi’s previous workplace.
The supervisor had no idea what was going on. He’d simply received a call from the manager, urging him to come over immediately. The manager’s tone had sounded urgent, as if something serious had happened.
When Chu Yi saw the supervisor, he instinctively moved closer to Shen Jin, hiding behind him.
Shen Jin raised an eyebrow. He knew Chu Yi was actually afraid of him. The first time they met, Chu Yi had cried from fear. Even later, when Chu Yi looked at him, there was still a hint of timidity in his eyes. But now, he was subtly leaning against him.
The manager explained, “He’s the supervisor from that department.”
Chu Yi’s friend asked, “Is this him?”
Chu Yi nodded.
The supervisor froze when he saw Chu Yi.
Though Chu Yi hadn’t worked there long, the supervisor remembered him vividly. Chu Yi was the most beautiful boy he’d ever seen—a face one couldn’t easily forget. Of course, the supervisor also remembered the underhanded way he’d treated Chu Yi. Seeing him now, the supervisor felt deeply guilty.
At the time, he had assumed Chu Yi was just a pitiful student with no background. He figured even if he kicked him out, Chu Yi wouldn’t make much of a fuss.
As it turned out, he was right. Chu Yi left quietly.
But he never expected to see Chu Yi again, especially in this situation. Chu Yi had returned.
Recalling the manager’s tone earlier and the imposing men in the room, the supervisor’s eyelids twitched nervously. He knew none of the men present were simple; they were all people he couldn’t afford to offend.
Shen Jin turned to the supervisor. “Is it true that you fired him without any regard for the truth?”
The supervisor remained silent.
The manager standing nearby wished he could slap the supervisor right then and there.
Though Shen Jin was seated on the sofa, the aura of authority and pressure radiating from his eyes and voice made it hard to breathe.
Those intense eyes fixed on him, and the supervisor felt as if he could barely stand.
Shen Jin continued, “Was it because that man named Li Wenxing gave you something in return?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Yi suddenly turned to Shen Jin, his surprise evident. He couldn’t understand why Shen Jin would say such a thing.
Shen Jin’s friends watched him, murmuring to themselves, “It seems only Chu Yi truly didn’t realize the connection.”
Suddenly exposed, the manager was startled and quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry, it was my mistake. I didn’t want to drive him away at the time.”
He knew very well that he couldn’t afford to offend any of the men in the private room. They were clearly here to stand up for Chu Yi.
The manager immediately confessed the truth. “Li Wenxing gave me five thousand yuan and said it was to prevent Chu Yi from having the money to enroll. I didn’t agree at first. We were all happy for Chu Yi when he got into such a good university.”
Shen Jin: “So you knew all along that Li Wenxing had stolen Chu Yi’s tuition?”
Shen Jin’s friends were furious when they heard this. Deliberately sabotaging someone’s chance to go to university was utterly malicious.
Ever since Chu Yi had gone upstairs, Li Wenxing had been deeply uneasy. Chu Yi had never been upstairs before. How could he possibly know those important figures?
Would they come to Chu Yi’s defense?
The more Li Wenxing thought about it, the more jealous he became. Why could Chu Yi know those people when he, who had worked here longer, couldn’t even make a single connection?
However, Li Wenxing thought again, perhaps Chu Yi was merely a plaything for those people, not someone they truly cared about. He told himself not to scare himself.
As Li Wenxing was opening a bottle for the guests in the private room, a colleague entered and whispered that the manager wanted to see him upstairs.
Li Wenxing ascended the stairs with trepidation and nervously approached the private room.
When he saw his supervisor already inside, he knew he was finished. He stood beside the supervisor, trembling.
Chu Yi, seated on the sofa, glared at Li Wenxing. But his eyes were red-rimmed, and his glare lacked any real intimidation.
Shen Jin’s two friends were casually chatting: “In our country, 2,000 yuan is considered a significant amount, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” one friend replied. “It’s a crime punishable by imprisonment.”
The other friend added, “Our country’s criminal law clearly states that theft of that amount can result in a prison sentence of up to three years, detention, or control, along with a fine or a separate fine.”
“I know a lawyer who specializes in this area,” the first friend said. “With him handling the case, they’re sure to face severe punishment.”
Li Wenxing felt cold sweat prickling his back in waves, quickly soaking a large patch of his shirt.
He realized these people had come to seek justice for Chu Yi.
His voice trembling, Li Wenxing stammered, “I’m sorry, I was wrong. Please don’t call the police, please don’t arrest me. I truly regret my actions, and I’ll never dare do anything like this again.”
The manager, having fully grasped the situation, muttered angrily under his breath, “You need to apologize to Chu Yi. You need to ask for his forgiveness.”
The manager desperately wanted to avoid being involved in this matter, but it had happened in his shop, by one of his employees.
At this point, Li Wenxing had abandoned all pretense. He knew that only Chu Yi’s forgiveness could save him.
He immediately turned to Chu Yi and pleaded, “Chu Yi, I’m sorry. I stole your money. Please forgive me.”
“It was my fault. I was jealous of you, jealous that you could go to university, jealous that you had a better life than me. I was truly blinded by envy, and I don’t even know what I was thinking.”
“Chu Yi, I’m sorry. Please, please help me. Don’t let them arrest me, I beg you. Chu Yi, please, for the sake of our past friendship, forgive me.”
Chu Yi pursed his lips, clenched his fists, and his arms trembled slightly.
Shen Jin said, “Return his tuition.”
Li Wenxing stammered, “I’ll return it, I’ll return it.”
By scanning a QR code, Li Wenxing transferred the full 2,000 yuan he had stolen from Chu Yi.
Shen Jin said, “Next time something like this happens, don’t hide and cry alone. If you need to curse back, curse back.”
Chu Yi lowered his head and mumbled, “Okay.” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to curse back, but when faced with the situation, his tongue always turned clumsy, and he couldn’t utter a single word.
Shen Jin said, “If you have something to say now, go say it. If there’s something you want to do, go do it.”
Chu Yi looked at Shen Jin, who still wore his usual expressionless face. He truly seemed to dislike smiling.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Yi walked over to Li Wenxing.
“I take back what I said before. You’re not my friend. You never were my friend. Li Wenxing, remember this: you and I are not the same kind of person.”
After Li Wenxing and the manager left the private room, the manager assured Shen Jin and Chu Yi, “Mr. Shen, please rest assured. We will handle this matter seriously.”
Chu Yi didn’t care about what happened after that.
Seeing the two thousand yuan he had thought he’d never recover, Chu Yi was overwhelmed with emotion.
He turned to Shen Jin and said, “Mr. Shen, thank you.”
He knew that without Shen Jin’s intervention, Li Wenxing would never have returned the money. It wasn’t just about the stolen tuition; it was also about the words he had wanted to say to Li Wenxing.
He had wanted to say those words back then.
Now that he had finally spoken them, the thorn in his heart had been removed.
For the first time, Chu Yi looked Shen Jin directly in the eye, without fear, only gratitude.
Shen Jin nodded in response.
With the matter resolved, Chu Yi prepared to leave when Shen Jin’s friend invited him, “Why don’t you join us for a while?”
Chu Yi shook his head. “I came with my classmates.”
Shen Jin’s friend nodded, then looked at Shen Jin, who gave a slight nod.
Chu Yi said, “Mr. Shen, I’ll take my leave now.”
Back in the private room, Jiang Xu checked the time. Chu Yi had been gone for quite a while. Although Chu Yi had said he ran into a friend and got caught up in conversation, Jiang Xu couldn’t shake his unease. Just as he was about to send a message, Chu Yi returned.
Jiang Xu noticed that Chu Yi’s mood had changed since they returned. He seemed much more cheerful now.
Before Chu Yi went to the restroom, his expression had been off, which was why Jiang Xu had been worried.
But seeing Chu Yi’s renewed happiness, Jiang Xu relaxed.
Shortly after Chu Yi returned, the manager knocked on the door with two waiters.
Seeing the table laden with snacks and fresh fruit, everyone turned to Chu Yi in surprise, assuming he had ordered them.
Chu Yi himself was puzzled.
But the manager quickly cleared up the confusion.
“This is a recent promotion at our restaurant. Your room number was randomly selected, and these are the prizes.”
The manager added, “Of course, everything you ordered that day is completely free.”
Jiang Xu was still skeptical. “Really?”
The manager smiled sincerely. “Absolutely.”
After wishing them a pleasant evening, the manager and the two waiters left.
The classmates exchanged glances.
“Wow, we’re so lucky today!”
“There’s so much food!”
“Let’s stay and play a little longer.”
At the door, the manager finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankyou for the update!!