Chapter 240: Rice Bucket Relationship

Back in the day, a young, world-shaking tycoon suddenly appeared, standing head and shoulders above the rest during a time when monsters and gods alike were rising. Then, after achieving considerable success, he chose to stop abruptly and wash his hands of it all.

From then on, his deeds became legend, remembered by thousands.

He remembered when he had retired. Facing the petitions of his loyal subordinates, he simply said, “I have to take the university entrance exams.”

In an instant, the clouds of mystery dispersed.

It turned out the boss smoked back then to relieve the stress of his studies.

It turned out the boss rode a motorcycle back then just to be the first one in the classroom to study.

It turned out the boss had people surround others back then just to ask top students academic questions.

It turned out the boss was a city-level model student, and the gang’s startup capital was actually his scholarship money.

At least, that was what Yang Shuli was thinking.

Consequently, the gaze she directed at Xu Nian was now filled with reverence.

“What’s with that expression?” Xu Nian moved his gaze back from the window and saw Yang Shuli staring at him with eyes shimmering like starlight.

Her expression also suggested she had something on the tip of her tongue.

“Nothing. I just suddenly realized your identity is quite exciting. It’s like finding out the good brother who lived under a bridge arch and ate trash with you is actually a young master from a wealthy family.”

Yang Shuli came up with a very fitting metaphor.

“If we’re talking about that kind of experience and outcome, you should be talking about your roommate,” Xu Nian replied reasonably.

“Oh.” Yang Shuli seemed to suddenly remember something and held up one index finger. “Can I change what I call you slightly now?”

“Change it to what? Isn’t Old Xu good enough?”

“I think I can call you Street-wise Xu now.” Yang Shuli grinned, not caring if Xu Nian caught her joke or not.

“I’m not on the streets now, and I wasn’t really back then either, right?” Xu Nian chuckled.

“I feel like anyone who doesn’t go to school during their school years and hangs out with social types is a street person. Usually, I’d take a detour whenever I ran into people like that, fearing I’d be dragged away by some wannabe hoodlum or punk girl.” Yang Shuli shrank her neck slightly after speaking.

Xu Nian leaned his elbows on the table and stared at Yang Shuli with smiling eyes. “Then do I look like that kind of person to you?”

“You don’t.” Yang Shuli shook her head. “Those people sometimes block others to demand protection money and stuff, but you don’t seem like someone who lacks that kind of pocket change.”

Speaking of which, Yang Shuli seemed to have another epiphany. “So, is the difference between a real underworld figure and a street hoodlum just that one has money and the other doesn’t?”

“The difference is quite large, and I’m not a criminal. You’re thinking a bit too extremely,” Xu Nian said softly. “I’m just a businessman who invested in a group of people and withdrew at the appropriate time.”

This time, they were at a four-person table that was even more spacious than the last one.

Xu Nian and Yang Shuli sat across from each other, while the girl with short black hair sat to the side. The seating arrangement was the same as before.

However, the situation this time was different.

The girl’s gaze wasn’t the same as last time; her eyes were now fixed on Yang Shuli.

Ever since they sat down at the dining table, she had been staring intently at Yang Shuli, her expression looking as if she were about to spit out a few choice words.

Xu Nian naturally noticed this, but with his intellect, it was actually quite difficult to understand this person’s thought process.

He couldn’t fathom how stupid people thought.

But just as before, he wouldn’t let this girl slip out of his control.

So for now, he simply watched Yang Shuli as she looked around the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was wondering if they don’t have Sprite here.” Yang Shuli’s expression carried a hint of trepidation. “Is the Sprite here also only available from the vintage of 1982?”

Xu Nian couldn’t figure out Yang Shuli’s logic either, but that didn’t stop him from liking it.

“I’m thinking about whether I should go outside and buy a bottle to bring in, but I’m not sure if they allow outside drinks.” Yang Shuli pointed to a supermarket outside. “If I had known, I would have bought one, drank it, and then come in.”

Xu Nian followed the direction of Yang Shuli’s finger.

Then, his pupils constricted slightly, as if he had seen something that absolutely shouldn’t be there.

It was a flash of white that didn’t seem to belong to this world.

“I’m going out for a moment. You two start eating,” Xu Nian said as he stood up.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the short-haired girl who was still staring at Yang Shuli. “I hope you know your place and don’t court death.”

With that, Xu Nian left the restaurant, leaving the two women with only the sight of his retreating back.

“Of course I know my place. I just like to tell the truth,” the girl said with a faint smile.

Then, she turned to Yang Shuli beside her.

“How long do you plan on maintaining this relationship with him?” she asked.

“What?” Yang Shuli tilted her head. “Our current relationship? I plan on following him to eat for the rest of my life.”

“For the rest of your life?”

The girl suddenly laughed. “How long have you even known him? How do you have the nerve to say ‘rest of your life’? Do you even know him half as well as I do?”

Yang Shuli simply found it baffling.

Originally, she thought the other girl was the one treating them to a meal and respected her for it, but the girl’s tone didn’t seem very friendly now.

After some thought, Yang Shuli realized the girl probably saw her as a love rival.

“Don’t be so anxious. Don’t worry. There’s no need for things to be so tense between us. I’m not your rival in love.” Yang Shuli waved her hands, her expression turning flurried.

The girl hadn’t expected such an answer from Yang Shuli.

Was it because Xu Nian wasn’t here?

She had originally intended to speak her mind directly, but if Xu Nian stayed, he might have silenced her halfway through. Now that Xu Nian was gone, it was the perfect time and place.

She thought Yang Shuli might argue or mock her.

But why did she just back down to her face?

It was like winning without a fight; she was just about to use her ultimate move when the opponent surrendered.

Was this some kind of tactic to show weakness first?

“The two of you are practically glued together, yet you say there’s nothing between you?” she sneered. “Xu has never been this intimate with any other girl.”

“Uh…” Yang Shuli wanted to say it was probably because she was a guy, but the other person wouldn’t believe her if she said that.

“Anyway, it’s really not what you think between us.”

“It’s not what I think, yet you want to eat with him for the rest of your life?” The girl took a deep breath. “Fine, since you say you don’t have feelings for him, then I’m going to be with him. Can’t you leave of your own accord?”

“No, I have to follow him to eat for the rest of my life.”

“Then I want to be with him now,” the short-haired girl said, adopting a negotiating tone.

“No, if you’re with him, how can I still follow him to eat for the rest of my life?”

“And you still say you have no relationship with him?”

“Hmm…” Yang Shuli rubbed her chin. “It’s a rice bucket relationship.”