Chapter Eighteen: Farce

Ke Wen left with such flair, leaving behind only me, bewildered, and Li Xuyang, who still gazed at the supermarket entrance.

"Brother Yang, Ke Wen has already gone home..." I felt compelled to remind him.

Li Xuyang sighed softly, then turned to scrutinize me from head to toe. He managed a smile and extended his hand. "Hello, I’m Li Xuyang. Welcome to the team."

"Hello, I’m Yang Chen." I shook his hand and nodded with a gentle smile.

Li Xuyang led me to one of the cashier counters at the front of the supermarket, asking curiously, "Are you Ke Wen’s brother?"

"Yes..."

Li Xuyang said no more, but I knew that, given his relationship with Zhao Ke Wen, he couldn’t possibly believe I was her biological brother; he must have guessed I was the brother she acknowledged.

"Yang Chen, from now on you'll work at Cashier Number One. The workload might be a bit heavier, but it’s simple: just scan the barcodes and keep track of the total income during your shift," he explained at a leisurely pace. "Working hours are seven thirty in the morning to five in the afternoon. Any issues?"

"None."

"Basic salary is thirty-five hundred a month. If nothing goes wrong, you’ll also receive appropriate bonuses. Are these terms acceptable to you?" His tone was calm and easy, and though he seemed only two or three years older than me, he bore none of the arrogance typical of wealthy or powerful people.

I nodded quickly; thirty-five hundred a month with bonuses and such simple work—it truly was an excellent opportunity. I knew without Zhao Ke Wen’s connection, I would never have landed such an ideal job.

This realization made me feel a bit uneasy. I hadn't earned this position through my own efforts, but instead had relied on connections.

Li Xuyang seemed to notice my discomfort and smiled gently. "Don’t burden yourself with guilt. I trust Ke Wen. She’s outstanding, and her friends are surely extraordinary as well, aren’t they?"

"Yes." I glanced at him gratefully. There was a warmth and charm to this man, free from arrogance or affectation, a sense of trustworthiness. He was handsome, with clean-cut features and tidy hair, young and wealthy, surely surrounded by many excellent women who admired him.

"Brother Yang, I have one more request..."

"What is it? Go on!"

"I've run into some problems lately. Could you advance me half a month’s salary? I promise I’ll work hard!" I knew it was an unreasonable request, but I truly couldn’t wait a month. I had debts to Shi Yu and Zhao Ke Wen that I didn’t want to delay any longer.

Li Xuyang looked at me in surprise, then his expression returned to normal and he nodded, "Alright, I'll get you two thousand in a bit. For now, go shadow the other cashiers and learn their procedures."

"Thank you!" I knew he was only doing this because of Zhao Ke Wen, but it helped me all the same.

Li Xuyang left to handle some matters, and I went over to Cashier Number Two, learning from a young woman how to operate the system.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was four thirty, almost the end of the shift. Li Xuyang handed me a bulging envelope and asked me to work for a while at Cashier Number One, to get familiar.

The supermarket was extremely busy. From the time I started learning until now, the flow of customers was immense, and this was during regular business days, not holidays.

Even though I was new, the operation was straightforward; I quickly went from slow and clumsy to efficient and deft.

With my head down, I mechanically pulled items out of bag after bag, scanned them, repacked them, quoted the price, collected the money. I had adapted to this repetitive work. Though monotonous, I was grateful.

"That comes to one hundred eighty-four yuan," I said, my head down as I packed a mountain of snacks—chips, chocolates, juices. I wondered how long it would take to finish all this. The privilege of wealth.

When I finished packing, I noticed the buyer showed no sign of paying. Curious, I looked up.

And was stunned—it was her.

I stared, dumbfounded, at Zhang Jiaxin, who stood at the counter with an equally surprised expression. Behind her, impatient customers began urging us on.

"Please pay," I said, purposely turning away to remind her.

"I won’t!"

"Please don’t disrupt my work... alright?" I had no idea what she was thinking, but I didn’t want any more entanglements. Facing her, all I felt was humiliation and resentment, and now, at this moment, meeting her again, the feeling was even stronger.

"You work here now?" Zhang Jiaxin leaned onto the counter, her body half over it, close to me as she asked.

"If you have something to discuss, let’s find another time. I really don’t have the energy for chit-chat right now!" At last, I faced her directly. Our faces were so close I could see my reflection in her eyes—fallen, defeated.

"What if I refuse?" Zhang Jiaxin seemed to dig her heels in, refusing to pay.

"Fine, then. Consider these on the house. Take your things and leave, alright?" I knew her temperament well. Usually obedient and gentle, but stubbornness was another matter—she had always been like this, even before, and certainly now.

"I don’t need your charity. What are we to each other?"

"Nothing!"

Finally, the people in line began to complain, "What’s going on up there? Young lady, don’t you have any manners? This is a supermarket, not your home. If you have issues, don’t dawdle here!"

But Zhang Jiaxin seemed completely oblivious to the complaints behind her, still locked in a standoff with me, showing no signs of leaving.

"Xiaoxin, are you done shopping?" A man’s voice called from the entrance.

I looked over; it was a man around thirty, a bit overweight, dressed in a suit and shiny black shoes, exuding the scent of money.

Though I hadn't met him before, from how he addressed Zhang Jiaxin, I guessed he was the "big boss" she’d mentioned when she broke up with me. I’d later discreetly asked Liu Xiaoxiao about him—his name was Qi Tian, owner of Tianjiang Nightclub.

"Your boyfriend is calling you," I said, handing her the goods with a smile. My heart twisted painfully, but I couldn't show it. I couldn't let her know I still felt hurt, still mourned. I had to smile for her, and for my former self.

Zhang Jiaxin glanced at me with a complicated look, took the goods, tossed two hundred yuan onto the counter, and walked out of the supermarket with Qi Tian.

Both times I’d seen Zhang Jiaxin since our breakup had ended in farcical scenes, tangled and unclear, but the bitterness seeped deep and real into my heart...