Finding a summer job turned out to be harder than expected.

Factory work was off the table — backbreaking hours with pay that didn’t come close to matching the effort. Waiting tables meant smiling through other people’s bad moods for wages that weren’t worth it either. Delivery would’ve been an option if food delivery had actually taken off yet, but in 2014 it was still pretty niche — you only really saw delivery guys hanging around university districts and commercial areas.

“Xu Ye, what exactly are you looking for here?”

“Something easy, flexible, and well-paid.”

Qin Zhiwei gave him a flat look. “Just say you want to be a gigolo.”

“Get out of here.”

The two of them wandered around the city center for the entire afternoon without turning up anything decent. By the end of it, Qin Zhiwei was done. He threw up his hands and dropped onto the curb.

“You look, I’m not doing this anymore. I wasn’t planning on getting a summer job anyway. My parents said if I make it into a top-tier school, they’ll give me ten thousand straight up.”

“You’re not getting in.”

“Not necessarily. The exam was brutal this year — the cutoff scores might actually drop.”

Xu Ye grinned. “Funny you mention it, I had a dream last night where your total score barely scraped past the standard four-year cutoff.”

“Drop dead.”

“That’s not even the best part. I also dreamed you got married pretty soon after graduating, and your wife cheated on you in the second year.”

“Xu Ye, I swear to God—”

Xu Ye didn’t take the bait. His eyes had landed on a sign down the street: Encounter Music Bar.

He patted Zhiwei on the shoulder and pointed. “Come on, let’s check that place out.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait here.”

“Suit yourself.”

Xu Ye headed over alone.

The bar wasn’t open yet — it was still afternoon — and inside, a lone waitress was mopping the floor. Xu Ye hovered in the doorway for a moment, then walked right in.

“Hey, sorry to bother you — are you guys hiring for the summer?”

The waitress looked up, gave him a quick once-over, and said, “Our owner’s in the back. Hold on, I’ll go get her.”

“Thanks.”

A minute or two later, a woman came through the back door. She looked to be around thirty-five, dressed in a cropped black T-shirt that showed off a flat, fair midriff, fitted light-wash jeans that did her long legs every favor, and a pair of low heels. Her toenails were painted red. The whole look was equal parts polished and effortlessly attractive.

She looked Xu Ye up and down with a small smile. “Hey there, handsome. Here about a job?”

“Yeah, I just finished the gaokao. Looking for something for the summer.”

“I see.” She tilted her head. “Any special skills?”

Xu Ye said, completely straight-faced, “My special skill is being especially skilled.”

The waitress standing nearby had no idea what to do with that. The owner, on the other hand, paused for exactly two seconds — then burst out laughing behind her hand.

“Alright, you smooth-talker. I’ll let that one go.” She composed herself. “We’re open from five in the evening to eleven at night. Does that work for you?”

“No problem. My evening study sessions used to run past ten anyway.”

“Pay is two thousand eight hundred a month, with a hundred and fifty attendance bonus if you don’t miss a shift.”

Twenty-eight hundred wasn’t much, but it was the best he’d seen all day — the highest offer anywhere else had been twenty-five hundred, and this one only required six hours a night with a fair amount of flexibility. He thought about it for a moment.

“Works for me. When can I start?”

“Today, if you want.”

“Ah — would tomorrow be okay? I need to let my family know first.”

The owner gave him a warm, amused smile. “Of course.”

“I’m Xu Ye, by the way — the ‘ye’ as in running wild. [TL: 撒野 (sā yě) means to run wild or act recklessly — Xu Ye is making a playful comment about his own name.] And you are…?”

She hadn’t expected him to ask. She paused, then smiled. “Pei Youwei.”

“Perfect. I’ll be here same time tomorrow then. See you, boss.”

“See you tomorrow.”

After he left, Pei Youwei stood there with a quiet smile, eyes slightly narrowed. Truth was, the bar wasn’t short-staffed — a music-themed place like this wasn’t a rowdy nightclub, most of the customers were regulars, and nights were never that hectic. But something about this kid had caught her interest. He was funny. She figured having him around might liven things up.

Besides, she hadn’t opened this bar to make money anyway.

“Zhiwei, all sorted. Let’s go.”

Qin Zhiwei looked up from the curb. “Wait, what?”

“The owner said yes. I start tomorrow.”

“For real?”

“For real. And honestly, bro — the owner.” Xu Ye let out a low whistle. “Great figure, great face, long legs, the whole package. Unreal.”

Qin Zhiwei squinted. “I don’t believe you.”

Xu Ye kept walking, unbothered. “Believe whatever you want.”

Zhiwei scrambled to his feet and jogged to catch up. “Wait, let me see—”

“Go yourself if you want to look.”

“Come on, bro — bro!“

“Calling me bro won’t help.”

“Fine, whatever. I don’t have anything going on anyway — once you’re settled in, I’ll come find you.”

Xu Ye rolled his neck out and slung his arms back behind his head. “Hey Zhiwei — you want to get rich?”

“Obviously.”

“What if you lent me some money? I’ll give you double back by this time next year.”

Zhiwei studied him for a moment. “You’ve got a plan?”

Xu Ye opened his mouth, then closed it again. He smiled. “There’s this internet café doing a promo right now — top up five hundred, get a thousand in credit. The more you put in, the more you get back. In theory, if we pool enough together, we could multiply it several times over.”

“You’re messing with me again.”

“Hey, Zhiwei.”

“Don’t call me that at university. I mean it. I will lose it.”

“See that tree up ahead?”

“…Yeah?”

“If you can touch one of those leaves up there, I’ll say you’re actually impressive.”

“Keep your eyes open.”

“No way — let me try again.”

“My stance was off, hold on—”

“XU YE. Did you see that? I touched it!”

Xu Ye watched Qin Zhiwei launch himself at the same tree branch over and over like a complete idiot, and finally cracked up laughing.

Zhiwei turned around, bewildered. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” Xu Ye shook his head, still grinning. “Just happy. Zhiwei — you must’ve been seriously lucky in a past life to end up knowing me. If I ever make it big, I’m taking you along for the ride.”

Qin Zhiwei made a face. “We’ll see who’s riding whose coattails.”

Back home, his parents were already off work.

Xu Ye laid out the summer job plan, and to his surprise, Zhang Hong immediately pushed back.

“You just finished the gaokao. Why are you running off to work? It’s not like you’re short on pocket money.”

“Mom, three months is way too long to just sit around. I figured I’d work for two months, save up, then use the money to travel.”

“How much do you need for that? I’ll just give it to you.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him to handle himself — she just felt like Xu Ye had been grinding through three brutal years of high school and deserved a proper break now that it was over.

His dad had picked up on the same thing, but he also caught the look Xu Ye was shooting him. He stepped in smoothly.

“The kid’s an adult now. A little real-world experience before university isn’t a bad thing. Let’s not fuss over it.”

“Right, of course — you two are always on the same side. I’m always the villain.”

Xu Ye immediately slumped against Zhang Hong’s shoulder with his best doe-eyed look. “Mom, I promise — any time you and Dad argue, I will side with you. Unconditionally.”

“Oh, you little — !” His dad sputtered. “I just went to bat for you and you throw me under the bus that fast?!”

(End of Chapter)