Chapter 20: He Made a Mistake Bookmark Quote Suggestion TTS Link

Chen Wan's heart sank rapidly before he could react, only hearing a "bang," as the laser bullet pierced through the wind, hitting the target that had unknowingly moved behind him.

Chen Wan stood still, his mind went blank.

The target on the wall was movable; it had just drifted behind him.

Zhao Shengge loaded the gun, his face hidden behind the goggles, his expression unclear. He changed direction and quickly fired another shot.

He raised and lowered the gun with decisive precision.

The mechanical female voice announced ten rings, echoing through the hall.

The two shots came less than a second apart, the sounds exploding near Chen Wan's ears, a flurry of images flashed before his eyes.

His expression didn’t change, but he was already drenched in cold sweat.

Zhao Shengge looked towards the target to confirm the score, their eyes met for a split second, its meaning unclear and hard to decipher.

Chen Wan’s already startled heart raced even more.

He was almost certain that this was Zhao Shengge's warning.

Although it might not be that his secret feelings had been exposed, it must be that he’d somehow made Zhao Shengge uncomfortable or overstepped a boundary.

Chen Wan’s mind raced as he reviewed everything, speculating on what Zhao Shengge was warning about.

But he believed he’d hidden it well; even Zhuo Zhixuan often joked that he doubted Chen Wan really liked him, which meant his acting couldn’t be that bad.

Where exactly was the problem?

Chen Wan couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t that he cared about Zhao Shengge’s opinion of him.

For Chen Wan, what kind of person he was in Zhao Shengge's eyes wasn't too important, as he had never intended to do anything about it; he was better off being a background character, invisible and unnoticed.

That way, it would be convenient for what he wanted to do, not drawing attention or alerting the person himself.

Chen Wan stood still, wondering if his presence had already bothered Zhao Shengge.

If so, it was completely the opposite of what he wanted.

Originally, the starting point of everything he did was to make the other person's life easier. If he himself became an eyesore or a source of discomfort for the other person, then it was really unnecessary.

This was only causing more trouble.

Unrequited love should be polite; it has its own set of rules.

Not disturbing the person is the bottom line, being silent is the principle.

There was no reason, nor should Zhao Shengge have to bear the slightest impact of his feelings.

He made a mistake, Chen Wan's lips pressed into a straight line, his heart sank into the depths.

When it ended, he changed his clothes and went out first, waiting for the others by the lawn.

The weather in Haishi was fickle; one moment the sun was shining brightly, and the next, a cloud drifted over, turning it gloomy.

Chen Wan checked his phone briefly, then walked over to the main road, following behind a boy carrying a burlap sack, helping to pick up a few empty bottles that had spilled out.

The kid was startled and turned around, saying thank you.

His face was flushed from the sun, only his eyes were exceptionally dark, sweat pouring down his face, his gaze timid. Scavenging wasn’t allowed in this area, to avoid bothering the well-to-do, he’d snuck across the highway to get here, because in the areas where scavenging was allowed, he couldn’t keep up.

The kid, afraid of alerting the security, quickly shouldered his burlap sack and took off.

"Hold on," Chen Wan opened the bottle cap, finished the iced tea, and handed the bottle to him.

The boy hesitated, eyeing him, Chen Wan extended the empty bottle towards him again, and the child finally showed a shy smile, softly saying thank you once more.

Chen Wan knew all too well what he was afraid of, gazing at him, not sure what he was looking at, and said gently, "Don’t worry, they won’t come around here."

The child was a bit embarrassed, Chen Wan looked at his full burlap sack and suggested, "Would flattening the bottles make more room?"

"Huh?"

He didn't speak Mandarin, so Chen Wan spoke to him in Cantonese, took one out of his burlap sack to demonstrate, flattened it, stacked it, tied it up, his movements smooth and practiced.

The kid was stunned, Chen Wan said, "Wanna help?"

The child joined in, dealing with the remaining bottles in the burlap sack.

Chen Wan chatted with him, "Where do you usually scavenge?"

"Tung Yeung Street," the child whispered.

Chen Wan bundled all the bottles into a stack, "It’s tough to find stuff there, huh?"

"Yes," the child was disheartened.

"Head a few hundred meters toward Wong Tai Sin Park, there's a small door in the back alley of Temple Street, you can probably squeeze through, the security of Shao Mansion doesn’t patrol there."

The child looked at him, thinking it was strange... almost eerie, that someone of such demeanor and bearing was imparting scavenging tips to him, not quite believing, "How do you know?"

Chen Wan smiled, "You’ll know if what I say is true once you go there yourself."

"Oh."

"Are you in school?"

"Yes."

"Is it tiring, going to school and collecting bottles?"

The child nodded.

Chen Wan's trouser leg had gathered dust, he bent down to brush it clean, squatting by the roadside, looking at the child at eye level, "Why not treat it like a treasure hunt?"

"Treasure hunt? What kind of treasure?"

Chen Wan was looking at him, yet not really, softly said, "I don’t know, that’s up to you to discover, what each person finds is different."

The child became a bit interested, said, "Okay."

Chen Wan helped him tie the mouth of the burlap sack, the movements skilled and efficient, as if he had done it a thousand times, advised, "This is enough for one trip to the recycling center, don’t collect too much at once, and don’t wait until it’s dark to go."

At night, the price would be driven down, and there are seasoned scavengers waiting to steal others’ hard-earned finds.

The gate opened, and someone walked out. Afraid of getting scolded, the child glanced at Chen Wan reluctantly, quickly hoisted the heavy sack, and left, looking back twice, lips twitching but ultimately silent.

The person who came out was Qin Zhaoting. He walked up to Chen Wan and asked, "Is that a kid begging?" He explained, "I’ve already increased patrols, but it’s hard to prevent completely."

Chen Wan didn’t respond and changed the topic.

Behind them, on the second floor, Zhao Shengge stood by the window of the innermost changing room, gazing down at the scene below while removing his wristband.

Qin Zhaoting, who was talking to Chen Wan about something, was smiling broadly and even gave Chen Wan a pat on the shoulder.

Chen Wan was also smiling, but there was a slight difference between his smile for Qin Zhaoting and his smile for the rag-picking child.

From the second floor, it was hard to see clearly, but Zhao Shengge’s insight was too sharp.

After changing, everyone filed out, chatting as they walked towards the parking lot. Halfway there, Chen Wan stopped, saying he’d forgotten something and would go back to get it, telling the others to go ahead without waiting for him.

He walked back, head down, fists clenched.

He’d decided not to meddle in things he shouldn’t.

There were so many pitiful people in the world, and Chen Wan himself lived in constant fear, unable to be a savior.

But.

The child was slowly dragging the overloaded sack, and Chen Wan quickly caught up.

The child turned around, looking defensive, and Chen Wan smiled, saying, "It’s just me."

The child’s eyes lit up for a moment. Chen Wan glanced at his bleeding toes and asked, "Do you have a phone at home? Or, how can I usually contact you?"

The child shook his head and gave an address near Wong Tai Sin Park, a small hideout of his that no one knew about.

Chen Wan didn’t say much, just nodded and said, "Alright, bandage your feet when you get back. We’ll meet again next time."

The child kept watching his back as the setting sun bathed him in a gentle, golden glow. He seemed to descend from the heavens like a god, only to gradually walk away and disappear.

When Chen Wan arrived, only the seat beside the host was available.

A group of young men, usually indulging in fine dining, had Qin Zhaoting prepare some authentic Cantonese home-cooked dishes for a change of pace.

Even the dessert was the kind of pudding cake sold by street vendors in Lok Cheung Bay.

Many flavors: red bean, coconut, and pineapple.

These people ate the pudding cake more out of nostalgia, as it was a snack that had once been wildly popular in their childhood.

Surprisingly, the refreshing dessert was a hit before the heavy feast. When there was only one left on the plate, both Zhao Shengge and Qin Zhaoting raised their chopsticks at the same time.

The atmosphere instantly became somewhat awkward.

Tan Youming leaned against Shen Zongnian, his eyes practically glowing with anticipation for the drama.

This wasn’t a matter of ordering another plate; it was just about the moment.

He was a troublemaker who loved seeing people squirm—whether it was Qin Zhaoting or Zhao Shengge, it would be quite entertaining. He had never seen Zhao Shengge in an awkward situation before.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get to see the drama. With Chen Wan around, things rarely got awkward.

Chen Wan asked Qin Zhaoting if he wanted to eat his portion.

The pudding cakes were individually packaged, and Chen Wan hadn’t touched his since the waiter set it down.

Qin Zhaoting was easygoing, and since Chen Wan happened to be sitting next to him, he casually asked, as it was unlikely Zhao Shengge would eat someone else’s portion.

Qin Zhaoting asked, "You're not eating?"

Zhao Shengge noticed those slightly curved eyes turning to Qin Zhaoting. He politely said he was full and that it’d be great if Mr. Qin could finish it, otherwise it would be a waste.

Chen Wan didn’t like pudding cakes. The young masters, used to gourmet food, found them a refreshing novelty, but for Chen Wan, they didn’t bring back good memories.

Back then, Song Qingmiao had hidden him in a ten-square-meter tenement building, unsupervised. The slum was a rough, chaotic place, and being bullied was a daily occurrence.

Older kids would throw the pudding cakes Song Qingmiao left into dog holes, forcing Chen Wan to compete with dogs for scraps, or they would trample on them and force him to eat the dirtied cakes...

However sweet the pudding cakes were, they always tasted bitter to Chen Wan.

Tan Youming, bummed he missed the drama, fiddled with Shen Zongnian’s phone.

The last pudding cake on the plate eventually ended up in Zhao Shengge’s bowl, though he only had a bite.

Looking out for Zhao Shengge was second nature to Chen Wan. Seeing that the other hadn’t eaten much, he instinctively reached for the osmanthus seeds, wanting to suggest adding them, but he stopped himself, remembering he shouldn’t.

Tan Youming glanced sideways at Zhao Shengge, "What’s up?"

Zhao Shengge looked at Qin Zhaoting, put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and commented, "Not worth the fuss."

Chen Wan paused, taken aback, lowered his eyes, and put down the osmanthus seeds. Qin Zhaoting directly took them from his hand and asked, "What’s this?"

Chen Wan showed a smile that no one could detect as unusual, "Honey-soaked osmanthus seeds, sprinkled on pudding cakes."

Qin Zhaoting asked, "Just sprinkle them on? How much? Can you do it for me?"

Chen Wan robotically grabbed his own pudding cake, added a small amount, and placed it in front of Qin Zhaoting.

Qin Zhaoting took a bite and smiled at everyone, "I actually really like it."

During the tea break, the waiter came in and placed cigarette rolls on the table.

Tea-infused cigarettes were all the rage in the city, with specially made tea leaves added to the tobacco, infusing the nicotine with the aroma of tea, which was highly sought after.

Some wealthy folks, aiming to seem sophisticated, preferred to roll their own cigarettes rather than use pre-made ones, so teahouses and restaurants began to provide cigarette-rolling tools.

Chen Wan wasn’t one to show off or schmooze, so he quietly stayed in a corner rolling cigarettes. Only after finishing did he realize he’d rolled Da Hong Pao tea.

Feeling it was inappropriate, he immediately wanted to destroy it, but Qin Zhaoting saw and exclaimed, "Chen Wan, is there anything you can’t do?"

Chen Wan shook his head and smiled, "Just messing around."

Qin Zhaoting asked, "What did you roll?"

Before Chen Wan could think of how to respond, Qin Zhaoting identified it himself, "Da Hong Pao."

"Can I try?"

Chen Wan hesitated to hand it over, knowing full well who it was meant for, even if Zhao Shengge didn’t appreciate it, he didn’t want to give it to someone else.

"This one fell on the ground, it’s dirty. Let me roll you a different one."

Since he had nothing better to do, he rolled a few more. Zhuo Zhixuan liked Tieguanyin, Tan Youming preferred the sweet Silver Needle, and he rolled some others too, so anyone who wanted to try could come and take one.

"Sure," Qin Zhaoting took the one from his hand and set it aside, saying, "Go ahead, I'll watch and learn."

Tan Youming saw this and was displeased: "You guys are hogging the good stuff!"

His shout got everyone picking out their cigarettes: Baihao, Dancong, Zhengshan Xiaozhong. Zhao Shengge looked around and saw the Da Hong Pao lying abandoned in the trash, its scattered leaves tangled up with fruit peels and scraps of paper.

Zhao Shengge stood quietly for a while, unnoticed.

Someone didn't bring a lighter, and Chen Wan graciously offered his.

It wasn't a Cartier, but a Zippo.

Apparently, Chen Wan had many beautiful lighters.

Pricey, but ultimately worthless.

The lighter returned to Chen Wan's hand, and he tossed it into his pocket.

After coming back from the trip, he had replaced the lighter he carried with the latest and the best.

But he'd never need it again.

Everything was starting to lose its meaning.

Chen Wan had once been certain that as long as he didn't disturb or affect Zhao Shengge, he could continue his beautiful dream silently alone.

But it seemed not possible, the dream was coming to an end.