Jealousy

After saying those words, Xu Duwan felt a moment of clarity as he saw the stunned expression on Shen Mingjin's face.

He suddenly realized—if Shen Mingjin really had a lover, why would he bring them here just to show off?

And when the guy with glasses put his arm around Shen Mingjin's shoulder, Shen Mingjin's first reaction wasn't to respond affectionately. Instead, he frowned, looking uncomfortable.

From all this, even if Shen Mingjin knew this guy, they definitely weren't at the level of being lovers.

Now that he understood, the anger that had rushed to Xu Duwan's head instantly cooled, like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. His blood turned icy, and he clenched his teeth. His fingers curled tightly, his fists clenching to suppress the overwhelming emotions inside him—

That lingering jealousy. A bit of shame. And a hint of regret.

But Shen Mingjin couldn't tell if Xu Duwan's flushed face showed regret or… anger. So, when he saw Xu Duwan clenching his fists, Shen Mingjin instinctively thought he was about to get hit—just like how Xu Duwan had attacked Jiang Ruoling earlier. Without thinking, his body reacted first, and he took a step back.

"..."

The fire that Xu Duwan had just put out flared up again the moment he saw Shen Mingjin step back.

He took a deep breath, staring at Shen Mingjin's complicated expression. There was even a trace of wariness in his eyes.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

Shen Mingjin didn't say anything either.

The air grew tense. The harsh sun scorched the ground, carrying the scent of disinfectant in the sweltering heat. It made their heads feel heavy, their thoughts sluggish.

Somehow, despite the bustling hospital around them, the way the two of them stood face to face felt strangely out of place.

Finally, Jiang Ruoling, worried they might actually start fighting, grabbed Xu Duwan by the wrist and forcefully pulled him away.

Xu Duwan, knowing full well how much his words must have hurt someone as proud as Shen Mingjin, struggled half-heartedly a few times before letting himself be dragged along.

As he left, he couldn't help but glance back at Shen Mingjin one last time.

Shen Mingjin stood there, head lowered, silently staring at the sesame bun that had fallen to the ground. His face was unreadable, like he couldn't even be bothered to argue anymore.

Xu Duwan hesitated, his fist clenching and relaxing over and over. His eyelashes trembled slightly before he finally turned away and walked on.

—

Xu Duwan was gone.

The guy with glasses, who had just witnessed the whole scene, suddenly realized he might have taken his joke too far. He scratched his head awkwardly and carefully looked at Shen Mingjin's unreadable expression.

"Uh… sorry about that. I didn't mean to—"

He let out a small sigh, a teasing yet helpless look in his eyes.

"If I had known your boyfriend gets jealous this easily, I wouldn't have joked around."

"..."

Hearing this, Shen Mingjin slowly came back to his senses. He finally looked away from the dirty bun on the ground and responded a beat too late.

"…Ah. He's not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, sure." The guy with glasses clearly didn't believe him. "When I put my arm around you just now, did you see his face?"

He shuddered as he recalled Xu Duwan's expression from earlier.

"He looked like he wanted to kill me."

"…You're overthinking it." Shen Mingjin thought for a moment and patiently explained, "He was just in a bad mood. Normally, he's a good person."

He only acts tough, but the moment you pull him, he lets go—he's really not that scary.

Shen Mingjin strongly disagreed with the guy's assessment of Xu Duwan.

The only reason he hadn't reacted earlier was because he had been too focused on the bun that had fallen to the ground. He hadn't even realized Xu Duwan had already left.

The guy with glasses: "..."

Bro, are you serious? Your filter is way too strong.

"But anyway, sorry about earlier." Even though Shen Mingjin seemed unbothered by Xu Duwan's harsh words, the guy with glasses still felt a little guilty. He awkwardly said, "My name is Yu Qingbie. If you ever need help in the future, feel free to come find me."

"…Thanks, but that won't be necessary."

Shen Mingjin sighed and walked toward the hospital entrance with Yu Qingbie.

"I need to go home and change, then figure out how to find a new job. If I can settle down, I'll reach out to you."

As for Xu Duwan… he'd deal with that later.

After Xu Duwan said those words, his rationality—which had temporarily run away from home—briefly returned when he saw Shen Mingjin's stunned expression.

Suddenly, he realized something. If Shen Mingjin really had a boyfriend, why would he bring him here just to show off?

Besides, when that young man with glasses casually put his arm around Shen Mingjin's shoulders, Shen Mingjin didn't respond the way a lover would. Instead, he frowned, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Thinking about it this way, even if Shen Mingjin knew this guy, they definitely weren't at the level of being a couple.

As soon as he understood this, the burning jealousy that had shot straight to his head was instantly doused with cold water. His whole body felt frozen, his blood turning to ice. His teeth clenched involuntarily, his fingers curled, and he balled his hands into fists to suppress the intense emotions rolling inside him—

Jealousy that hadn't yet faded.

A trace of shame.

And a bit of regret.

But Shen Mingjin couldn't tell whether the redness on Xu Duwan's face was from frustration… or anger. So, when Xu Duwan clenched his fists as if trying to control himself, Shen Mingjin instinctively took a few steps back, assuming that Xu Duwan was about to punch him—just like he had done to Jiang Ruoling moments ago.

"…"

Seeing Shen Mingjin step away from him, the fire that Xu Duwan had just managed to suppress flared up again. He took a deep breath and stared at Shen Mingjin's wary and complicated gaze. He opened his mouth as if to say something but, in the end, said nothing.

Shen Mingjin also remained silent.

The atmosphere became unbearably tense. The scorching sun mixed with the hospital's disinfectant-scented air made everything feel dizzying and suffocating.

In the middle of a busy hospital, with people constantly passing by, the three of them just stood there, locked in a silent standoff, looking strangely out of place.

Finally, Jiang Ruoling, worried that Shen Mingjin and Xu Duwan might actually start fighting, grabbed Xu Duwan by the wrist and forcefully dragged him away.

Xu Duwan, knowing full well how much his words must have hurt someone as proud as Shen Mingjin, only put up a symbolic struggle before leaving.

Before he walked away completely, he couldn't help but glance back.

Shen Mingjin stood there, his eyes lowered, staring at a sesame bun that had fallen to the ground, saying nothing. His entire posture radiated exhaustion, as if he didn't even want to argue anymore.

Xu Duwan paused for a second. His fists tightened, then loosened. His eyelashes trembled slightly before he turned his head back and left.

—

Xu Duwan was gone.

The young man with glasses, who had witnessed everything, scratched his face awkwardly. It seemed like he had unintentionally made a joke that went too far. He cautiously glanced at Shen Mingjin's expression, then muttered:

"Uh… sorry. I didn't mean for things to turn out like this…"

He sighed, a mix of amusement and helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"If I had known your boyfriend was this jealous, I wouldn't have joked around."

"…"

Shen Mingjin slowly snapped out of his thoughts. His gaze shifted away from the dirty bun on the ground, and after a short pause, he finally responded:

"Huh? He's not my boyfriend."

The young man with glasses clearly didn't believe him. "Yeah, right. When I put my hand on your shoulder, did you see his face?"

Thinking about Xu Duwan's expression just now, the young man shivered. He still had chills from it.

"He looked like he wanted to kill me."

"You're overthinking it." Shen Mingjin thought for a moment before patiently explaining, "He was just in a bad mood. Normally, he's actually a good person."

The young man with glasses stared at him in disbelief.

"Dude, are you sure you're not seeing him through rose-colored glasses?"

Shen Mingjin didn't think so. Xu Duwan might act fierce, but the moment Jiang Ruoling pulled him, he didn't even fight back. He was all bark and no bite.

If anything, when Shen Mingjin saw that bun fall to the ground earlier, he had felt a bit bad about it. That's why he had zoned out and hadn't noticed Xu Duwan leaving.

The young man with glasses stared at him, speechless.

Bro, your filter is way too strong.

Still, feeling guilty about the whole situation, he apologized again.

"Sorry about that. By the way, my name's Yu Qingbie. If you ever need any help, just let me know."

"…Thanks, but I'll be fine."

Shen Mingjin sighed and walked out of the hospital with Yu Qingbie.

"I need to go change my clothes… and figure out how to find a new job. Once I've settled down, I'll reach out to you."

As for Xu Duwan…

That was something he'd deal with later.

—

"You're looking for a job?" Yu Qingbie's ears perked up. He immediately turned his head, eager.

"My family runs a food stall, and we're hiring. Want to join?"

"…A food stall?" Shen Mingjin was caught off guard. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Where is it?"

"Just down this street, next to the Fangyuan Huating Hotel, near the university district."

Yu Qingbie had just graduated from a prestigious university. His plans to study abroad had fallen through due to certain circumstances, so he was stuck at home preparing for government exams—something he had no interest in. Occasionally, he helped out at his family's food stall and knew they were always short on staff.

Shen Mingjin had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a good-looking face. Plus, Yu Qingbie still felt bad about earlier, so he impulsively made an offer.

"What do you think? The pay's 3,500. Meals and lodging included."

"…"

Shen Mingjin thought about it.

After last night's incident, the bar manager probably wouldn't keep him. Rather than struggling to find another place, at least this way, he'd have food and shelter.

…And he wouldn't have to keep forcing a smile while selling drinks.

"Alright." After weighing his options, Shen Mingjin finally made up his mind and nodded.

"I'll take it."

Then, after a brief pause, he hesitantly added, "But… I don't have a diploma. Is that okay?"

"You don't need a college degree to be a waiter. As long as you have hands and feet, you're good."

Yu Qingbie took out his car keys and pressed a button. A Volkswagen parked nearby flashed its lights.

He turned to Shen Mingjin with a grin. "Hop in."

"…Alright."

Shen Mingjin thought about it. Yu Qingbie had a point. So, he opened the door and got in.

—

Yu Qingbie's family food stall was located behind a university district. It was a busy place, always in need of extra hands.

When Yu Qingbie introduced Shen Mingjin to his parents, they barely had time to glance at him before nodding in approval. Without hesitation, they put him straight to work.

At first, Shen Mingjin was a little lost. But by the end of the day, while everyone else was exhausted, he was still going at the same slow and steady pace.

His sharp features, pale skin, and striking phoenix eyes naturally drew attention. In just one day, the food stall's business unexpectedly improved—thanks to the number of girls sneaking glances at him.

Yu Qingbie's parents took note. After a brief discussion, Yu Qingbie's mother handed him a key.

"Let Xiao Shen stay in the room behind the storage area. It's messy, so help him clean it up. And then grab some bedsheets from upstairs."

Yu Qingbie nodded and led Shen Mingjin to the small room.

—

The room was filled with junk, and without the curtains drawn, it was pitch dark. Dust covered the floor, and the bed was piled with clutter. As soon as Shen Mingjin stepped inside, something skittered in the darkness.

"…?"

Yu Qingbie coughed awkwardly. "Yeah… it's a bit rough. Just bear with it."

He rolled up his sleeves and started clearing things out, rambling to fill the silence.

"This used to be my bed when I was a kid. My parents got it custom-made from top-quality huanghuali wood after they won the lottery."

Feeling proud, he patted the frame and grinned. "Not bad, right?"

Shen Mingjin didn't answer. Instead, he traced a finger over the wood, crouched down, inspected it closely—then frowned slightly.

A moment later, he looked up and calmly said:

"This isn't real huanghuali."

Yu Qingbie froze.

"You got scammed."