AMBTICPIB Chapter 9

 

The private doctor came every day to check on Chu Yi’s injuries.

Before each visit, the doctor had to steel himself. He dreaded seeing Chu Yi’s tears. Even though he was already being as gentle as possible, Chu Yi’s tears made him feel clumsy and guilty.

Chu Yi was young, and he was also taking his medication on time and following instructions carefully, keeping his hand dry. As a result, the burn on the back of his hand healed quickly.

After a few days, it was finally time to remove the gauze.

When the gauze came off, Chu Yi’s left hand had almost completely recovered.

Butler Wen stood by anxiously as the doctor unwrapped the gauze. When he saw Chu Yi’s hand, he breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, there were no scars.

Chu Yi’s hand was beautiful, with slender, elegant fingers and fair skin. It would have been a shame for such a lovely hand to be scarred.

Although the skin on his left hand still had a slight color difference from the rest of his body, the doctor assured him that it would return to its original color in time. He told Chu Yi not to worry.

The private doctor had been using the best burn cream on Chu Yi.

Chu Yi wasn’t too concerned about the slight color difference in his skin.

What made him happy was that he could move his left hand freely again, and it no longer hurt.

For days, he hadn’t dared move his left hand at all, making everything inconvenient.

Eating, in particular, had been especially difficult.

To celebrate Chu Yi’s complete recovery, Butler Wen prepared a delicious meal for him.

“What would you like to eat, Chu Yi?” Butler Wen asked.

“Anything is fine,” Chu Yi replied. He wasn’t picky about food.

Butler Wen, wearing an apron, went into the kitchen to cook. Fresh ingredients had just been delivered that day.

Eating with both hands felt much better than eating with one. Chu Yi happily gnawed on a rib with his left hand.

Normally, only Shen Jin and Butler Wen ate together at home.

The large dining table felt lonely with just the two of them.

Now that Chu Yi had joined them, Butler Wen found the atmosphere much livelier.

During the meal, they were overly quiet and refined. But watching Chu Yi grab and gnaw on a pork rib with his hands like a child was utterly adorable.

This steamed pork rib with sticky rice was simply divine.

The small ribs were coated in sticky rice and steamed for over an hour with pumpkin slices beneath them. The sticky rice absorbed the pork’s rich oils, becoming incredibly flavorful. With a gentle tug, the meat effortlessly separated from the bone, the rice infused with the savory aroma of the pork, while the ribs themselves remained perfectly tender and not at all greasy.

Then there was the twice-cooked pork, made with perfectly marbled pork belly, thinly sliced and boasting a vibrant red hue. It was fragrant yet not greasy, filling the mouth with a rich, meaty flavor. Chu Yi felt he could easily eat two more bowls of rice just with this dish.

The braised prawns looked incredibly tempting, and it was another of Chu Yi’s favorite dishes.

Chu Yi slowly peeled the prawn shells.

Seeing him struggling, Butler Wen said, “Shen Jin, why don’t you help Chu Yi peel his prawns? His hands are still recovering.”

Chu Yi quickly protested, “No, no, I can do it myself.”

The thought of having Shen Jin peel his prawns was something he wouldn’t even dare to imagine.

Shen Jin remained silent.

Butler Wen sighed inwardly, then thought of something else. He asked Chu Yi, “Have you sold everything on your website?”

Chu Yi shook his head. “Only two things have sold.”

Speaking of this, Chu Yi was filled with frustration. Some people questioned whether his items were genuine, which he could understand. But others would immediately start haggling ruthlessly, demanding a 50% discount.

Even when he finally made a sale, the buyer would find all sorts of problems after receiving the item: a scratch here, some wear and tear there—basically, nitpicking nonexistent flaws and demanding a partial refund. They’d send dozens of messages a day, stubbornly refusing to confirm receipt.

Chu Yi had carefully inspected each item before packaging it, wrapping it meticulously with thorough protective measures. There was absolutely nothing wrong with them.

Chu Yi wasn’t good with words. Being harassed like this made his eyes redden with anger. Through the computer screen, tears welled up in his eyes.

Butler Wen was also furious after hearing this. “What’s your account name? Let me take a look.”

Chu Yi told Butler Wen his account name and comforted him, “It’s okay, I’m fine now. I’ve blocked him, and I’ll never sell to him again.”

After finishing two ribs, Shen Jin pushed a small plate of shrimp meat toward Chu Yi.

Chu Yi was taken aback, then said happily, “Thank you, Mr. Shen.”

He hadn’t expected Shen Jin to peel shrimp for him. What’s more, Shen Jin peeled them so quickly that he had filled a small dish in no time. He was practically a shrimp-peeling expert. Chu Yi silently gave Shen Jin a nickname: “Shrimp-Peeling Master.”

In response to Chu Yi’s thanks, Shen Jin simply nodded.

When Chu Yi looked over, Shen Jin was wiping the grease from his fingertips with a napkin.

Shen Jin’s fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles. Everything he did was pleasing to the eye; even the bracelet on his wrist was beautiful.

That night, as Chu Yi was getting ready for bed, several messages popped up on his app.

He assumed it was the same troublesome buyer from before, so he braced himself and clicked on the notification.

To his surprise, someone had just bought several items at once.

This was the first time Chu Yi had encountered such a straightforward buyer—no haggling, just immediate purchase.

Chu Yi’s eyes welled up with excited tears.

[Chu Yi: Don’t you want to haggle?]

[Buyer: No need.]

[Chu Yi: You bought so much. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?]

[Buyer: Are you selling or not?]

[Chu Yi: I’m selling!]

For some reason, Chu Yi felt a strange familiarity in the buyer’s tone. He checked the buyer’s address and saw it was in the same city, not too far away.

[Chu Yi: You’re in Lan City too? How about we arrange a time and place tomorrow, and I’ll deliver it to you directly?]

Face-to-face transactions would allow for on-the-spot inspection, minimizing unnecessary complications.

[Buyer: No need. Just ship it.]

[Chu Yi: Okay. I’ll ship it first thing tomorrow morning via the fastest courier service. You should receive it by tomorrow afternoon.]

[Buyer: Hmm.]

The next day, as Chu Yi shipped the items, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. He hoped he wouldn’t encounter any trouble-makers this time.

That afternoon, while Chu Yi was in class, his phone buzzed several times. Checking it, he saw that the buyer had already confirmed receipt of all the items and left positive feedback for each one.

No fuss, no drama.

Chu Yi’s eyes welled up again. Such a straightforward buyer was rare indeed. This buyer was truly a good person.

On the desk of the good-hearted buyer, Shen Jin, sat a stack of courier packages.

When Chu Yi’s hand healed, Jiang Xu was overjoyed. He childishly poked the back of Chu Yi’s hand. “Doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”

Chu Yi: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

To celebrate Chu Yi’s recovery, a few classmates decided to go out for some fun that evening.

The guys reserved a large private room and ordered drinks.

When Chu Yi entered, he paused. Jiang Xu and the others had chosen this particular club.

*But with so many servers here,* he thought, *I probably won’t run into him. He probably isn’t even here.*

As Jiang Xu and the others were selecting songs, a server pushed a cart of drinks through the door. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Chu Yi froze when he saw the server. *How could it be such a coincidence? Why did it have to be him? Why can’t I ever avoid him?*

The room was crowded and dimly lit, so the server didn’t notice Chu Yi in the corner.

The server knelt to arrange the drinks on the table and asked, “Do you want me to open all of these?”

Jiang Xu, closest to him, said generously, “Open them all.”

The server opened the two cases of beer one by one. As he did, he glanced quickly at the room. The group of college students looked carefree and unburdened. He felt a mix of envy and jealousy. He used to know a college student once, too.

Jiang Xu looked at the table piled high with beer. After a moment’s thought, he walked over to Chu Yi. “Chu Yi, you don’t drink, do you? You should stick to soda.” Chu Yi looked like a well-behaved child who wouldn’t touch alcohol.

Chu Yi shook his head. “No, I’ll just have soda.”

When the waiter heard the name “Chu Yi,” he froze, glancing at the other end of the sofa. Seeing the handsome young man sitting there, the waiter stared at him nervously. Could Chu Yi have brought his classmates to help him get revenge?

Then, as if remembering something, the waiter calmed down.

Chu Yi had had no evidence before, and now, after so much time had passed, there was even less he could do.

With this thought, Li Wenxing nonchalantly finished opening all the beer bottles and left the room, glancing at Chu Yi as he went.

The young man beside Chu Yi handed him a bottle of soda, their easy familiarity suggesting a close relationship.

Chu Yi, Jiang Xu, and their classmates had shared the experience of military training together, attended the same classes, and were all around the same age, making it easy for them to bond.

The most important thing when they gathered was to have fun, drink freely, and sing their hearts out.

Chu Yi didn’t drink, so while his classmates drank beer, he stuck to soda.

As everyone sang, they played a few popular party games.

Chu Yi, though not drinking alcohol, had consumed a considerable amount of beverages. In the middle of the festivities, he excused himself to use the restroom.

The restroom was located quite a distance away, requiring him to walk down a long corridor and turn a corner.

As Chu Yi emerged from the restroom, he saw Li Wenxing standing by the door, seemingly having been there for some time. “Chu Yi, it’s been a while,” Li Wenxing said.

Ever since he learned Chu Yi was here, Li Wenxing had been keeping an eye on their private room, finally catching Chu Yi as he came out.

Chu Yi didn’t want to engage with him. He had seen Li Wenxing’s true colors and had nothing left to say. As he tried to walk past, Li Wenxing blocked his path, his voice tinged with anger. “Why are you avoiding me? We’re supposed to be good friends.”

“Or is it that you’ve made new friends and forgotten about your old ones? Or maybe you look down on me because I’m not a college student?”

Chu Yi clenched his fists tightly, struggling to control his emotions. “You’re not my friend,” he said.

Li Wenxing chuckled. “How can you say that? Who was it who once called me his best friend? Have you forgotten, Chu Yi?”

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