After the lunch break, while there weren’t many customers, Song Yunchun grabbed Qi Wang and dragged him into the break room.

Qi Wang looked puzzled. “What’s up?”

Song Yunchun sat down on a stool and politely invited Qi Wang to sit on the other side. “Sit down first, then I’ll tell you.”

Qi Wang complied.

Song Yunchun rubbed her hands, not quite sure how to begin.

After all, she couldn’t reveal Yu Nian’s true identity, so she had to fabricate a story as best as she could.

“Well, you see,” she hesitated, “I just wanted to ask, how’s your relationship with our new employee, Xiao Yu, I mean Yu Nian?”

Qi Wang raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding Song Yunchun’s intentions.

He scoffed lightly, “Not great.”

The disdain in his words was evident, leaving Song Yunchun momentarily speechless, holding back the rest of her words.

But she quickly composed herself.

If it wasn’t good, then so be it. Qi Wang, well, it was hard to say he had good relationships with anyone; he could count his close acquaintances on one hand.

She nodded, her face serious. “That’s understandable. After all, Yu Nian just arrived, and you’re not very familiar with him. But Yu Nian seems like a good kid, obedient and nice. He has a good temperament and is always smiling. He seems easy to get along with, right?”

Obedient and nice?

The mockery on Qi Wang’s face was almost impossible to hide.

He really didn’t understand Song Yunchun’s standards.

Yu Nian wasn’t unpleasant, he admitted.

But having worked with him for a while, he could clearly see that Yu Nian was restless, always playing with cats and dogs, and almost got into a fight with the neighbor’s noisy husky.

Song Yunchun didn’t know Qi Wang’s inner thoughts and continued, “Coincidentally, a while ago, I thought Yu Nian looked familiar. It turns out, when I went back to my hometown for a reunion, I found out that Yu Nian is actually a distant relative of mine. It’s just that he’s younger and has been studying all along, so I’ve only met his siblings and didn’t recognize him.”

She apologized in her heart, praying for forgiveness from Buddha. She wasn’t intentionally lying.

She really had no other options.

Qi Wang had heard that Song Yunchun wasn’t very familiar with people from her hometown. Besides the occasional visit for the New Year, there was almost no contact.

He didn’t suspect anything, but he still didn’t understand what she meant.

Song Yunchun continued, “Yu Nian’s family situation is a bit complicated. His parents passed away early, and he grew up with his siblings. However, his siblings are too busy with work and haven’t been able to take care of him properly. Over time, the warmth in the family has faded.”

This wasn’t entirely made up. Pei Zhao mentioned briefly last night why they didn’t take Yu Nian home immediately.

She said, “Moreover, Yu Nian encountered some problems at school and wasn’t happy, so he temporarily dropped out and moved out from home to find a job. Who would have thought that he ended up working here by chance.”

Qi Wang remained unchanged. “So what?”

What did that have to do with him?

“So… his family asked me not to make a big deal out of it and let Yu Nian stay here. We also agreed not to disclose that we’re relatives, so as not to embarrass the kid,” Song Yunchun hesitated, “But since Yu Nian has this relationship with me, and his siblings are good people, of course, I should take a bit more care of him. I heard you and him are now neighbors, so could I ask you to help me watch over him a bit more when you have time?”

Song Yunchun looked at Qi Wang expectantly.

She wasn’t beating around the bush and went straight to the point. “This shouldn’t be too much trouble. Just lend a hand if he encounters any difficulties in life. But don’t let the kid know it’s his siblings’ idea.” She held up two fingers to Qi Wang. “I’ll raise your salary, an extra two thousand a month.”

It wasn’t that she was stingy, but she was afraid that proposing a higher amount would arouse Qi Wang’s suspicion about Yu Nian’s background.

She felt guilty. Sorry, bro, I’ll give you a big red envelope after Yu Nian leaves.

But Qi Wang didn’t even hesitate. “I refuse.”

“Why?” Song Yunchun was disappointed. She couldn’t understand. “Is the money too little? Three thousand is fine, don’t worry, this money was given to me by Yu Nian’s siblings, specifically asking me to take care of their brother.”

A faint smirk appeared on Qi Wang’s lips, somewhat sarcastic.

Although the curtains were drawn in the break room, the blinds weren’t tightly closed, and you could still see outside through the cracks.

Yu Nian was wiping glasses. He wasn’t very skilled, wiping them slowly but meticulously, his little bun of hair bobbing along.

The other waitstaffs couldn’t resist pinching his cheeks.

Qi Wang thought to himself, this guy really looks like he hasn’t been weaned off yet. It’s no wonder his siblings are still worrying about him even though he’s just working here for a bit.

This is absurd.

“Because I don’t want to take care of kids, it’s too troublesome,” Qi Wang said, pausing for a moment. “Besides, that little devil also hates me.”

“Huh?” Song Yunchun was puzzled. “Why does he hate you? Did you do something to him?”

Qi Wang’s left wrist twitched as he remembered the gift bag he almost knocked over, and the little Shiba Inu lying inside.

He stood up. “It’s not about anything specific. We just don’t get along. Find someone else to take care of him. I have to get back to work. Don’t bother me, the customers are ordering coffee, and the barista is missing. It’s absurd.”

With that, he didn’t give Song Yunchun a chance to say anything else and walked out.

He returned to the counter and started making coffee for the customers.

Yu Nian was still running back and forth, carrying trays.

After making a cup of coffee, Qi Wang raised his hand and placed the cup along with the order slip on the table. Yu Nian reached out to take it, and their fingers unexpectedly collided.

Qi Wang paused, raised his eyes, and met Yu Nian’s gaze.

Yu Nian looked at him with wide eyes, then recoiled as if he had been scalded, quickly retracting his hand.

A few seconds later, Yu Nian resumed carrying the cup of coffee to the customer.

Qi Wang continued making the next cup.

The light breeze gently moved the beige curtains, and the sunlight shone on the wooden window frame, heating it up.

Qi Wang immediately rejected Song Yunchun’s request, and she couldn’t do anything about it.

After all, such matters couldn’t be forced.

Fortunately, after observing for a few days, she found that Yu Nian seemed to be adapting well everywhere and hadn’t encountered any problems for the time being.

Although he had moved into the old and shabby community, and his salary was supposed to be tight, completely different from his previous life, Yu Nian was happy every day. He even learned to make panini sandwiches with the head chef recently.

Since Yu Nian temporarily helped out as a waiter that day, Song Yunchun had an idea. She asked him if he would like to take on an additional part-time job. She needed extra hands in the restaurant, and if Yu Nian agreed, she would pay him an additional salary based on part-time rates, slightly higher than that of regular employees.

If he didn’t want to do it anymore, he could tell her anytime.

Yu Nian agreed.

So now he was learning various skills as a waiter with others.

Including how to fold napkins more beautifully.

He followed Chu Hejun’s lead and folded a small swan, holding it in his palm for a while and even taking a picture of it.

He was very serious about learning and quickly got the hang of it.

But he wasn’t naturally good at practical tasks. Although he learned well, he always seemed a bit clumsy.

After taking the photo, he was about to put the napkin back when he turned around to grab a plate. However, there was a bit of water spilled on the floor, not yet cleaned up. As he turned, he slipped, and seeing that he was about to fall…

The nearby Xiao Gu instinctively tried to pull him, but she was a bit far away and only grabbed a corner of his clothes, failing to hold him back.

Yu Nian watched helplessly as he got closer and closer to the ground. In the next second, he was about to fall and hit his head, unable to do anything but close his eyes.

But suddenly, a hand reached out diagonally and caught him, much stronger than his own. After catching him, the hand instinctively brought him close.

Yu Nian’s nose bumped against the person’s chest.

His nose tingled, almost about to shed tears, but when he looked up through his teary eyes, he met Qi Wang’s gaze… his tears stopped immediately.

Qi Wang let go of him.

Yu Nian stepped back and muttered, “Thank you.”

Qi Wang didn’t say anything in response, just nodded almost imperceptibly, then went around Yu Nian and went to the warehouse to fetch something.

After he walked away, Xiao Gu and the head chef sister immediately came over to see if Yu Nian was hurt.

Yu Nian waved his hand. “I’m fine, just bumped my nose a bit.”

Xiao Gu chuckled. “Indeed, it’s all red.”

She sighed, “Qi Wang’s reaction was really quick. If he had been a little slower, you would have definitely fallen, and then it wouldn’t have been just a red nose, it would have been broken.”

Yu Nian lightly touched his nose, feeling a bit melancholic.

Seeing him like this, Xiao Gu smiled and bumped into him again, whispering, “See, Qi Wang isn’t actually a bad person.”

Yu Nian paused for two or three seconds before quietly humming in agreement from his nose.

He continued to get the plates from the cabinet, but when he went to put them on the table, he seemed a bit absent-minded.

Just now, when Qi Wang held him for a moment, he smelled a faint citrus scent, mixed with the slightly bitter aroma of coffee beans, blending into a slightly sour taste.

Now that Qi Wang was long gone, the scent of citrus still lingered as if it wouldn’t dissipate.

At eight o’clock, after finishing the last piano piece, Yu Nian closed the piano lid and helped make a few glasses of sparkling water before leaving work.

There weren’t many customers left in the store, and it was almost nine o’clock, time for the restaurant to close too.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Yu Nian walked out with his bag. As he pushed open the door and was about to close it again, a hand reached out from behind him and passed through beside him.

He turned back and saw Qi Wang.

“Pardon me,” Qi Wang said.

Yu Nian was stunned for a moment, realizing that he had forgotten to step aside.

He quickly stepped aside, and Qi Wang, carrying a bag, walked to where he had parked his motorcycle in front of the restaurant door.

Qi Wang’s ride was a black motorcycle, which seemed to have been used for quite some time. The body was long and sleek, with fine scratches on it. It was difficult for smaller guys to handle, but Qi Wang was naturally broad-shouldered and long-legged, dressed in all black. With a casual step, he stood against the grayish-blue stone wall and the lush green leaves protruding from the wall, looking like a poster for a movie.

Yu Nian couldn’t help but glance a few more times.

Qi Wang also glanced at him.

For a moment, he almost thought Qi Wang had something to say, but in the end, Qi Wang just started the motorcycle and drove off.

Annoying guy.

Yu Nian thought, pursing his lips, and kicked away a small pebble by his foot.