Shen Duoyi was a bit like a guerrilla fighter, firing a shot and changing locations, making his part-time jobs feel like a dashing adventure. Working as a waiter in a bar was his latest addition, and he only did it a few times before the bar recruited enough staff and he quit.

"Duoyi, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I'll sleep soon, just packing my schoolbag!" It was already 2 AM, but Shen Duoyi was still sitting at his desk, busy. The exercise books and textbooks on the desk were neatly arranged, and the test papers were stacked in an orderly pile.

After school today, he went to tutor some kids at a small canteen, so he got delayed. A grid paper was placed in front of him with a table drawn on it. He was solemnly making his own schedule.

Mondays and Tuesdays for tutoring at the small canteen, Wednesdays and Thursdays for working as a waiter at the bar, Fridays for being a cashier at the convenience store, and weekends for full-day work at a restaurant.

This was meticulously calculated to maximize his income based on the time available. After finishing the table, he felt his eyelids were about to close, so he quickly packed his schoolbag and went to bed.

Shen Duoyi was exhausted every day. He knew he was tired, but he would tell himself it wasn't fatigue, it was fulfillment. This self-deception not only prevented him from harboring resentment but even gave him a good mood.

Originally, he was quite upset about the nightclub incident. But later, one day when he was watching TV with Grandpa Shen, the male protagonist in the TV drama was a salesman. In order to sell the products, he almost gave up his dignity, drinking with clients until he was in a daze, and in the end, he still didn't close the deal.

Grandpa Shen said at the time, "These TV dramas are all too exaggerated." After a moment, the old man sighed with extreme restraint, as if utterly helpless, "In fact, life is more exaggerated."

Shen Duoyi didn't say a word, knowing that his grandfather was thinking of his parents. His parents were both employees of the railway bureau. When he was young, there was a huge boiler explosion in the railway bureau staff dormitory. His parents died in that accident.

No one can be happy all the time, and no one can suffer all the time. When suffering attacks happiness, you have to hold on and not be defeated. But when happiness enters suffering, you must resolutely step into a new journey.

Shen Duoyi had already mastered this skill. Any setbacks and disappointments were very fragile to him. Regarding the nightclub incident, he completely put it out of his mind, changed to a new job, and continued studying and working part-time. He had no time to dwell on his trampled dignity or insulted character.

He felt that was too boring and uncool.

But things didn't go as he wished, and it made him think of it again.

Because Qi Shi'an appeared in the bar.

Grandpa was right. Life was indeed too exaggerated.

Shen Duoyi was still wearing a shirt and vest, but the tie was replaced with a bow tie. The atmosphere in this bar was very good, with slow-paced music lingering, and the customers coming and going were mostly familiar faces. It was like a gathering of friends every day.

When he saw Qi Shi'an, he had just finished talking to the bartender, and as a result, he instantly forgot the introduction of the new drink.

Qi Shi'an walked in from the door with his hands in his pockets. After scanning around, his gaze fell on Shen Duoyi. He picked a sofa and sat down, still persistently looking at the other person.

Shen Duoyi walked over with the drink menu and said unnaturally, "What a coincidence. It seems you really like drinking."

Qi Shi'an glanced at the small bow tie around the other's neck and said bluntly, "Not a coincidence. I asked the nightclub manager and he told me you came here."

"The manager recommended me to come here." Shen Duoyi explained, and only after explaining did he realize that the other person had inquired about him from someone else, but he couldn't guess the meaning behind it. "Thanks for last time. Let me buy you a drink today?"

Thinking of how Shen Duoyi drank until his stomach hurt for money, Qi Shi'an found this sentence a bit amusing. He asked back, "How much do you make per hour?"

"...Two hundred." Shen Duoyi lied. He couldn't earn that much, but it would be inappropriate to offer too little when treating someone. "The newly launched buttered beer is quite fragrant. Want to give it a try?"

Qi Shi'an didn't mind. After all, his intention wasn't about the alcohol. When the two-hundred-yuan buttered beer was served, he felt that Shen Duoyi's eyes had become more confident, as if they were finally even and he no longer owed him any favors.

In fact, that was exactly what Shen Duoyi thought. The other person had helped him that night, so he thanked him in return. He never thought about getting to know each other, let alone developing any friendship. Someone of similar age who drove to nightclubs to drink was as distant as a galaxy from him.

The buttered beer was indeed very fragrant. The bitterness and spiciness of the beer were basically imperceptible, leaving only the clear aroma of the alcohol. Qi Shi'an nestled on the sofa, slowly sipping while listening to the soothing music. Shen Duoyi walked back and forth in his sight, holding a drink menu or carrying beverages, his smile sometimes shallow, sometimes deep, his eyes always bright.

When he lowered his head, the tip of his chin would brush against the bow tie. If it tickled, he would raise his hand to scratch it when the customer wasn't paying attention. The vest cinched his slender waist, with a ballpoint pen tucked into the small pocket on the side. In moments of idleness, he couldn't help but click the pen cap a few times. Qi Shi'an watched all of Shen Duoyi's little movements, and with these scenes, the buttered beer was finished.

Shen Duoyi was too busy to remember Qi Shi'an's presence. When he thought of checking on him, the person had already left, with only an empty glass remaining on the table. He cleaned up and continued working, thinking that the interaction that had occurred again had ended.

Until he changed his clothes and got off work, he saw Qi Shi'an leaning against the car door, smoking, at the entrance of the bar.

It was still that pack of Soft Treasure Panda cigarettes. Qi Shi'an hadn't actually lit it, just taking one out to fiddle with out of boredom while waiting. He raised his eyes to the door and saw Shen Duoyi standing there straight as a ramrod.

With a schoolbag on his back, wearing a school uniform, his sneakers clean and tidy, his collar white as new, the strap of his school ID card peeking out of his pocket and dangling, swaying gently in the night breeze.

His hair also trembled slightly in the wind, scattering a youthful air all around.

Probably a hundred times cuter than when he was wearing a bow tie and vest, because Qi Shi'an could feel it from his own heartbeat.

Dressed in this attire, Shen Duoyi completely looked like a student, with a touch of liveliness and cheerfulness even in the corners of his eyes and brows. He grabbed the strap of his schoolbag, possibly a bit cold, and called out, "You haven't left yet!"

Qi Shi'an took a big step forward, standing two steps away from the other person, and said, "A two-hundred-yuan can of butter beer is so big. I drank too much. As a courtesy, shouldn't you escort me home?"

This was clearly giving Shen Duoyi a hard time. Behind him was the closed bar door, and in front of him at the bottom of the steps was Qi Shi'an. Shen Duoyi was caught in a dilemma and actually refused, saying, "No way, I haven't finished my homework yet. Sorry about that."

Qi Shi'an held back his laughter, not knowing what kind of cool act he was putting on. "What grade are you in?"

"Sophomore year. Our teacher is very strict," Shen Duoyi said, wearing his school uniform and looking much more innocent. "We're about the same age, right? Don't you have to go to school?"

"I'll be starting school in a while," Qi Shi'an said. "I'm a bit older than you."

After a few words, they seemed to have become a bit more familiar with each other. This familiarity was not a true understanding, but rather the atmosphere had become more relaxed. Shen Duoyi finally stepped down from the stairs, glanced at his waterproof watch, and said, "I need to hurry home, or my family will worry."

He said this and left, afraid that any further response would delay him. However, Qi Shi'an had not forgotten his original intention during the earlier small talk. He suddenly reached out to stop the other person, grabbing Shen Duoyi's shoulder as if using a grappling technique.

"What are you doing?"

"You don't earn two hundred yuan for an hour, right?"

"...So what?"

"I feel bad for you spending so much."

"It's okay. If I pay you by the hour, I can only afford soda."

"I actually just want to drink soda."

"Why didn't you say so earlier..."

"I'll give you two thousand a day, and you can accompany me to drink soda every day. How about it?"

"..."

Two thousand again!

Accompany him to drink soda!

Two guys drinking soda together?!

This guy likes men...

Shen Duoyi's entire mind was already in turmoil. The sudden excessive invitation caught him off guard, making the butter beer he had offered as thanks seem a bit ridiculous.

When looking at things, one must first look at the price tag. When facing wealthy people, it's hard to control feeling timid. Rushing around under the scorching sun, busy in every rainstorm. Reality was too exaggerated, but one could only accept it bit by bit. In this way, he had endured much bitterness and helplessness under the whip of life, but still didn't feel inferior to others.

Shen Duoyi's cheeks stung, slapped hard by Qi Shi'an's words.

Suddenly, he remembered that night at the entrance of the nightclub when the other person had asked him, "Are you really not a young master?"

He stared straight ahead, his fingers tightly twisting the straps of his schoolbag. "Even the young masters at nightclubs don't charge that much. Asking for two thousand a day from you, I'm afraid the Price Bureau will investigate me."

Qi Shi'an slowly released his hand and asked nonchalantly, "Are you angry?"

Shen Duoyi was on guard, wanting to say something hurtful but lacking the talent. After a long while, he said with false bravado, "Stop joking around, or when you start school, I'll report you to your principal."

In stark contrast to his fragile appearance that night, at this moment, Shen Duoyi still had two small fangs to bare. Without the armor of self-protection or the shelter of good friends and relatives, he could only rely on putting on a fierce face to scare people.

But in Qi Shi'an's eyes, that fierceness was nothing more than furrowed brows and wide eyes. He knew well that tigers were felines, but cats couldn't pretend to be tigers.

However, this didn't prevent his heart from softening and feeling apologetic.

"Duoyi, Duoyi!"

The room was very quiet, unlike the usual noise of the soy milk machine. Shen Duoyi lazily turned over, trying to open his sleepy eyes at the sound of his name. Grandpa Shen stood at the door, his slightly hunched waist still tied with a floral apron, urging, "Are you going to work today or not?"

"I'm going..." Shen Duoyi opened his eyes a crack, hugging a thin quilt. "What delicious food are you making, wearing such an annoying apron?"

Grandpa Shen didn't want to chat with him and turned to walk towards the kitchen, complaining as he walked, "You know it's annoying, yet you still bought it. Hurry up and eat the fried mantou slices before they lose their crispness."

Elderly people have slow legs and feet, let alone Grandpa Shen, who had long been using a cane. Shen Duoyi crawled out of bed and walked to the bedroom door, watching Grandpa Shen's back slowly approach the kitchen. He didn't want to catch up in a few steps, but just wanted to watch the other person reach the destination first.

"Grandpa, the aprons were thirty yuan a pack. How would I know what they specifically looked like?" When Grandpa Shen reached the kitchen, Shen Duoyi leisurely followed.

Placing the golden fried mantou slices and cucumbers on the dining table, the grandfather and grandson began to enjoy their breakfast. Company matters weren't very interesting, so Shen Duoyi rarely talked about them with his grandfather. Instead, his grandfather loved to talk about trivial neighborhood matters.

As they were about to finish eating, Grandpa Shen said, "Why do you look like you have no energy? Brew a cup of tea to drink."

Shen Duoyi explained, "I didn't sleep well and kept dreaming."

He dreamed of Qi Shi'an blocking him outside the bar, wanting two thousand yuan a day to "hire" him. At that time, in his eyes, this price was equivalent to a huge sum. Shen Duoyi couldn't help but laugh, and after laughing, he seemed to have much more energy.

It was still early when he left, perfectly avoiding the peak hours. The black Volkswagen shuttled along the road, the pendant hanging from the rearview mirror swaying gently all the way to the parking lot of Ming'an Building.

Every day at four or five o'clock, sprinkler trucks passed through Central Street, leaving the ground wet without dust, as if even the air had become damp and cool. Shen Duoyi had already eaten breakfast and planned to just buy a cup of coffee to refresh himself. Before entering, he saw Qi Shi'an dining through the glass window.

The last bite of the egg pancake stopped at the corner of his mouth. Qi Shi'an felt embarrassed being watched and even nearly choked.

"Mr. Qi, good morning." Shen Duoyi pushed the door open, accompanied by this greeting. Qi Shi'an wiped his mouth and stood up from his seat, saying, "Morning. I'm going to buy a cup of coffee to go. Let me treat you to breakfast."

"I already have my change ready, and I'm also just buying coffee." Shen Duoyi walked to the ordering counter with the other person, gesturing for Qi Shi'an to order first.

Qi Shi'an said, "A coffee with extra milk."

Shen Duoyi was slightly stunned, then added, "I'll have a black coffee."

After everything was out in the open.

Have they started anew now?

The two of them left the coffee shop. The ground had mostly dried under the sun. On the bustling Central Street, outside the Ming'an Building where they met daily, on a sunny morning.

Qi Shi'an and Shen Duoyi exchanged their coffees with each other.

This new beginning seems very, very beautiful.