Chapter 154
Zheng Xinming had been wiping the table since he sat down, but the table was almost stripped of its varnish from how vigorously he was wiping it. The tissue he used to wipe the table was also blackened, and he had used up half a roll of tissue paper, prompting frequent glances from the restaurant owner, whose brow was now creased with three deep furrows.
Finally, Zheng Xinming gave up and asked Yu Shu, who had been staring intently at Gu Xiaoxin, "What's so special about that girl that you're so fixated on her?"
"She's beautiful," Yu Shu replied.
"Beautiful?" Zheng Xinming took another look, but didn't find her beautiful at all. "Not to be rude, but this girl is so skinny she looks like a ghost. Just looking at her is unsettling."
Indeed, her already large eyes appeared unnaturally large due to her thinness.
Zheng Xinming's aesthetic sense was at odds with the currently popular "pale, young, and thin" ideal. Regardless of gender, he believed that a healthy and strong physique was the epitome of beauty.
"Just pick her up, give her a good wash and some nourishment, and she'll be fine," Yu Shu said.
"No amount of nourishment will turn a bean sprout into a peony," Zheng Xinming retorted.
Gu Xiaoxin soon brought their dishes to the table. "Please enjoy your meal," she said quickly before turning to serve other tables.
Despite the small size of the restaurant, there were over a dozen or so tables occupied during peak hours, yet Gu Xiaoxin was the only waitress, while the owner remained firmly seated at the cash register, occasionally berating her for being too slow.
Yu Shu eyed the fish and vegetables before her, but her appetite was lacking. Shen Youlin had sent her a picture of a table laden with dishes, asking her when she would be home for dinner, as if she were a devoted wife who prepared meals daily for her husband's return—when in fact, only the fruit salad was made by him, while the rest was prepared by their housekeeper.
Yu Shu smiled and complimented him briefly.
The lecherous man at another table called out for beer again, and Gu Xiaoxin's expression soured as she brought him a bottle.
The man reached out to grope her backside, shamelessly squeezing it as he said, "Hey girl, open it for me. How else am I supposed to drink it?"
There was a bottle opener on the table, well within the man's reach. The owner started berating Gu Xiaoxin again, cursing that her lack of basic awareness was the reason for their poor business.
Infuriated, Gu Xiaoxin took the bottle opener from her apron pocket, quickly opened the beer, and slammed it heavily onto the table, biting her lip and widening her eyes to hold back her tears. "Here's your beer," she said through gritted teeth.
"What a skinny twig. Feels like I'm grabbing sticks," the man jeered loudly, prompting laughter from those around him.
Yu Shu smiled at Gu Xiaoxin. "Let's go."
Gu Xiaoxin hesitated, glancing back repeatedly, not out of attachment to the place or anyone there, but pained to see the untouched dishes before Yu Shu and Zheng Xinming.
The three got into the car, and Gu Xiaoxin looked at her soiled clothes, then at the pristine leather seats—even the car floor was cleaner than her attire. She remained standing, unwilling to sit, still clutching the three hundred yuan she had earned through arduous labor over the past half-month.
Head bowed, she twisted the hem of her clothes nervously. "I... I'll stand."
"Sit down," Zheng Xinming insisted, pressing on her shoulders to guide her into the front passenger seat. After fastening her seatbelt, he took a seat in the back row.
It was a seven-seater luxury car, with the two front seats separated, one of which was Yu Shu's designated spot.
Yu Shu smiled at Gu Xiaoxin reassuringly. "You'll get used to it."
How could she get used to this? She had never ridden in such a nice car before.
When the driver asked Yu Shu where to go, she replied, "Home for dinner."
The luxury car departed from the old street amid the gazes of onlookers, leaving a group of gossiping spectators to speculate endlessly about the situation.
As the car left the narrow alleys and merged onto the wide boulevards, Gu Xiaoxin watched the changing scenery through the window, her heart pounding rapidly.
"You just left with me like that. Aren't you worried I might be a bad person?" Yu Shu asked her.
Gu Xiaoxin turned around nervously and softly replied, "I... I have nothing of value to be exploited for."
Yu Shu grinned mischievously. "I could sell you. A girl like you, both your looks and body could be taken advantage of."
Gu Xiaoxin was taken aback, then shook her head. "Then you wouldn't have helped me earlier."
It was only then that Gu Xiaoxin realized she hadn't thanked them yet. She expressed her gratitude solemnly, "Thank you, sister. Thank you, brother."
"Don't mention it. Who says I don't enjoy doing charity work?" Yu Shu's smile widened.
Take her home, give her a good wash and some nourishment, and she'll definitely fetch a good price!