The candy house was filled with wails and roars, a haze of smoke and a swarm of flies.
Zhao Tiantian clenched the cigarette in his hand, still revealing half his head, and thought, "Little brother, have you watched too many wuxia films? Just let them have the 600 yuan. If you get stabbed through a few more holes by them, the little shop my mom left me will be ruined!"
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, what was expected to be a brutal fight ended with Ren Yuanhao casually dusting himself off.
Zhao Tiantian slowly poked his head out and saw three men lying on the ground, not only bruised and swollen but with their bodies contorted. It seemed they hadn't just sustained simple injuries, but damage to their meridians.
Ren Yuanhao picked up the scattered five-hundred-yuan bills one by one and threw them to Zhao Tiantian. He then glared at the stunned, flirtatious woman holding the candy and chocolate. The woman, realizing her mistake, put down the items, her eyes filled with endless admiration. She swayed her hips and struck a pose.
"Apologies, but this woman only reminds me of the maggots wriggling by the outhouse in my hometown. Take these three trash to see a doctor. If I find out there's a next time, I guarantee you'll spend the rest of your lives in wheelchairs."
Ren Yuanhao took out a thousand yuan from his waist pouch and threw it into the woman's hand. The woman received it with trepidation, then helped the three men, who couldn't even speak, disappear like dead dogs onto the pedestrian street.
"Wow, little brother, you're too awesome! I like it!"
Zhao Tiantian, who had emerged from the cash register at some point, rubbed his sweat-soaked face against Ren Yuanhao's chest again and again.
"Could you please move your smelly face away?"
Ren Yuanhao thought to himself, "I can tolerate you being a shut-in, but this gay vibe, I can't handle it."
"Ah! So sorry, looking at you, such a brave and heroic little brother, my heart is stirred!"
*Slap!*
Before Zhao Tiantian could finish, Ren Yuanhao landed a resounding slap on his face.
"Here, let me tell you, I'm a DiDi dating service agent, Ren Yuanhao~"
Ren Yuanhao couldn't continue after saying this. After all, talking about being a "custom boyfriend" to a male shut-in was just too disgusting.
To his surprise, just as he was feeling disgusted, Zhao Tiantian suddenly grabbed his hand!
*Slap!*
Ren Yuanhao got goosebumps and slapped him again.
"Little brother is so manly. Come, ravage me fiercely!"
Ren Yuanhao's face darkened. He thought, "Where is your shame? Your shame! You don't want it, but I do!"
He coughed and said, "You're a man, please act normally. Even though you're the employer, I'm afraid I might not be able to control my hands later and cripple you for life. That wouldn't be good!"
"Being crippled for life would be great too, then little brother can stay with me forever~"
*Slap!*
Ren Yuanhao turned to leave, but a voice filled with wicked teasing instantly flooded his mind.
"DiDi, detected host attempting to abandon mission. Punishment of castration has entered countdown!"
"Holy crap, you got me."
Ren Yuanhao's expression was a mixture of emotions. Just then, Zhao Tiantian suddenly remembered something, leaped up, and fidgeted, his face contorted.
"What's wrong? Did you mistake arsenic for sugar and eat it?"
Ren Yuanhao suddenly thought this was a great idea, very reliable. That way, he wouldn't have to deal with this gay guy, and the mission would end with the employer's death. Damn it, peace in the world, joy for all people, and universal celebration!
"No, I forgot! At 6 o'clock, we have a class reunion at Xian Yuan Ju!" Zhao Tiantian checked the time. "Damn it, it's already 5:52!"
"Since you're going to be late anyway, hurry up and tidy yourself up. You'll only embarrass yourself if you go looking like this."
"Yes, yes, yes, little brother is right. I'll go wash up now. Do you want to join me for a bath, little brother~"
*Slap!*
Ren Yuanhao felt he had slapped more faces that afternoon than in the past year. Zhao Tiantian, covering his reddened face, didn't get angry. He trotted off and rushed to the bathroom on the second floor.
Around 6:10 PM, the two finally closed the shop. Zhao Tiantian drove his Alto, stopping and starting, and only arrived at Xian Yuan Ju at 6:30 PM.
"By the way, it's a class reunion for you guys, so I won't go. It's inconvenient." Ren Yuanhao took out his phone, ready to start a game.
"How can you say that? Everyone's bringing their spouses or significant others. Can I bring someone too?"
Before Zhao Tiantian could finish speaking, he instinctively covered his face with both hands.
"Damn it, I'm warning you, I'm not gay. I can go with you, but if you can't control your mouth and say something out of line, don't blame me for slapping you in front of your classmates."
Zhao Tiantian nodded repeatedly. Just as he was about to get out of the car, Ren Yuanhao grabbed his collar and said, "Holy crap! Why are you wearing your work uniform!"
"Ah, I usually wear this. It's fine, they're all old classmates, they won't laugh at me."
Zhao Tiantian waved his hand, and the two walked side-by-side into the rather luxurious Xian Yuan Ju.
Xian Yuan Ju was located at the intersection of the third and fourth avenues on the north side of Yun Jin City. It had a large lake behind it and natural hot springs nearby. As night fell, the surroundings were filled with flashing lights, singing, and dancing, a veritable prosperous and gentle haven that could intoxicate one, making them forget the way home.
At this moment, Zhao Tiantian, wearing a very incongruous work uniform, walked through the winding passages. Finally, amidst the strange glances of others, he stopped. His gaze fell upon the room ahead, which was illuminated by a flashing purple-red light screen.
"Why aren't you moving?"
"I'm a little excited. I wonder how my classmates are doing now."
Ren Yuanhao suddenly felt a pang of melancholy. Without a doubt, he thought of Cheng Li, of those simple primary school classmates, of that mountain, that water, that person, that dog. For a moment, his eyes blurred, and everything before him seemed to flash back wildly as if he were in a time machine.
Just then, the door of the room Zhao Tiantian was focused on suddenly opened, and a man in a well-tailored suit, with a feather pinned to his chest, walked out.
"Holy crap, Zhao Tiantian, is that you!"
"Wu Xiang!"
"Old classmate, why did you come in that attire?" Wu Xiang looked at Zhao Tiantian with disdain. "I already notified you that everyone would be dressed formally today. You..."
Zhao Tiantian suddenly felt embarrassed. The pure camaraderie among primary school classmates instantly shattered.
This world is realistic. The friendships you thought were unbreakable are, in fact, unconsciously weathered by the passage of time and the sculpting of years, innocence oxidizing into impurity, and friendship eroding into mercenary calculation. That's all there is to it.
"Why the rush? Wear mine."