What to Do if I Am Noticed by the Straight Guy Next Door?

Advertisement

It’s not that Su Bin’s appearance is extravagant or wealthy. It’s just that he happened to be wearing the coat Allen had chosen for him a month ago, giving him a refined and elegant aura. Perhaps it was also because Su Bin had been influenced by his roommates – whether it was the elegant Allen, the intellectual Dr. Yang, or the extravagant Fei Jin, they had all to some extent changed Su Bin.

Seeing Su Bin like this, Casey was also a little surprised by his transformation. Su Bin invited Casey to a nearby café and candidly confessed his reasons for wanting to work.

Casey listened with deep emotion, saying, “Unfortunately, the place I work at doesn’t currently need anyone. But don’t worry, I have many friends working elsewhere, and I’ll inquire for you and get back to you as soon as possible!”

Su Bin politely thanked her, saying, “Thank you so much!”

After they left, Su Bin insisted on paying the bill. As a man, he wouldn’t let a woman pay when they went out to eat.

Watching Su Bin’s departing figure, Casey felt a mix of regret for not meeting such a high-quality single guy and envy for Su Bin’s girlfriend. She thought to herself, “Ah, having a boyfriend like him is truly a blessing earned in a past life!”

Su Bin didn’t expect to receive a reply from Casey so quickly. The next evening, he received a call from her, saying that there was a large Chinese restaurant in need of a kitchen helper and asking if Su Bin was interested.

“A kitchen helper? What would I be doing?” Su Bin asked.

Casey replied, “It’s various odd jobs in the kitchen, such as dishwashing, food delivery, and cleaning.”

“…Is the restaurant called ‘Tai Fu’?” Su Bin knew that restaurant. It was a well-known Cantonese-style teahouse in M City, famous for its “afternoon tea” and often packed with customers during the weekends, requiring people to take a number and wait in line.

Casey said, “Yes, that’s the one!”

Having heard of the restaurant and visited it before, Su Bin felt somewhat reassured. He asked Casey, “What are the working hours?”

Advertisement

Casey replied, “Friday evening from 6 PM to 12 AM, Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 11 PM. It’s a total of 30 hours over three days, earning 150 pounds, and you get paid on Sunday evening.”

Su Bin was taken aback. Although the hourly wage averaged out to be not high, the working hours were concentrated. If he could stick with it… Su Bin calculated in his mind and realized that he could save enough money for Chen Xiaotian’s ring in about four months!

Casey added, “That’s just the starting rate. After working for a month, your salary can increase based on your performance.”

Su Bin thought to himself, “Indeed… working illegally is quite tempting and rewarding!” (⊙v⊙)!

“I finish walking the dogs on Friday evenings, which usually ends around 6 PM. I might not make it in time,” Su Bin suddenly realized this issue.

“6 PM is the busiest time for the restaurant. If you can’t make it by then, the boss might have a problem with it…” Casey thought for a moment and asked, “What time do your Friday afternoon classes end? Can you rearrange your dog-walking job to finish earlier?”

Su Bin, being reminded by Casey, knew what to do. “I’ll talk to Professor Smith tomorrow and see if I can finish walking the dogs earlier so that it aligns with my work schedule.”

Casey smiled and asked, “So, are you determined to go?”

Advertisement

Su Bin nodded, saying, “Yeah, let’s give it a try.”

“Alright, I’ll have my friend who works at Tai Fu contact you. You can start working this weekend, is that okay?”

Su Bin replied, “Sure!”

The only remaining concern was getting home after work. Tai Fu restaurant was about three kilometers away from the school, and even though it would only take around half an hour by bus, it was in the opposite direction from where Su Bin lived. The last time he went there to eat, Fei Jin drove them, but now Su Bin had to figure out his own transportation.

Professor Smith was easy to talk to, considering that there weren’t many students who could withstand the pressure of walking dogs like Su Bin. When Su Bin mentioned his situation, the professor agreed without hesitation.

Two days later, it was already Friday. Su Bin received a call from Tony, Casey’s friend, and hurriedly went out to buy the clothes he needed for the job – a white shirt and black pants, as instructed. Of course, for such an unofficial job, he had to buy the clothes himself!

On the night before his first day of work, Su Bin tried on his new clothes in the bathroom, and Allen appeared.

Standing at the door, Allen assessed the situation and asked, “What are you going to do dressed like that?”

Through the mirror, Su Bin smiled at Allen and replied, “I’m going to work.”

After two months of living together, Su Bin and Allen had already developed a good understanding. Although Su Bin still held some awe towards Allen, he wasn’t as nervous as before, like a squirrel stealing nuts.

Advertisement

Allen raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and leaned against the door. As he watched Su Bin earnestly adjusting his necktie, an inexplicable desire surged within him.

Like right now, as he looked at Su Bin, he imagined wetting that inferior white shirt and tying his hands with a deep red tie from his own wardrobe… he wanted to hear the sound he longed for…

“Are you looking for another job?” Allen’s voice, unconsciously, carried a hint of huskiness.

Su Bin, however, didn’t notice and happily nodded, saying, “Yeah.”

Allen asked, “Is it a waiter position this time?”

“Yes! How do I look? Do I look handsome in this outfit?” Su Bin turned around to let Allen evaluate.

Allen chuckled and said, “Hehe… It looks good. I like the black and white combination.”

…If only he had a red collar around his neck. It would look even better.

Without asking Su Bin where he was going to work, Allen restrained himself from continuing to gaze at him, because he knew that he desired more than just a glance… He had been suppressing himself because what he wanted from Su Bin was his whole being, from soul to body. But Su Bin’s heart didn’t belong to him, and in a year, he would leave…

Allen turned around and walked away, while Su Bin stood there, finally realizing that Allen’s gaze seemed a bit fiery just now. But he interpreted that gaze as Allen’s appreciation for the “black and white style” (…)

The next day, after finishing his classes, Su Bin took the dogs for a walk and hurried to the designated meeting place—Tony was worried he wouldn’t find the place and promised to pick him up.

It was his first time doing an underground job, and Su Bin felt a mix of excitement and uneasiness, but mainly uneasiness.

On the way, Tony briefed him on various matters related to working in a restaurant. Tony was already an experienced worker, having done this job for over two years. He casually reassured Su Bin, who was still nervous, saying, “Young master! Don’t look so inexperienced. There’s really no problem. I’ve been doing this job for more than two years.”
Su Bin didn’t dare to say anything and followed the experienced Tony to “Tai Fu” after taking a taxi.
They entered through the back door of the restaurant. As they walked through the dirty corridor, Su Bin felt a strong sense of unease. There were other Cantonese-speaking Chinese people coming and going around him, loudly shouting, “Hurry up! Hurry up!”
At that moment, Su Bin’s mind began imagining scenes from several Hong Kong triad dramas…

They entered the changing room directly after entering through the back door and Su Bin quickly changed into his work uniform. Just as he finished changing, someone called out to him, “Tony? Is this the new worker? Come, come, come, what’s your name?”

Su Bin quickly approached and said, “Michael.”

Advertisement

“Wow, handsome!” The middle-aged woman spoke with a mix of Mandarin and Cantonese and led Su Bin to the kitchen. “Wash these small towels, we’re about to enter the peak period, and we don’t have enough outside.”

The small towels she referred to were the ones used for wiping mouths in the restaurant. There was already a basket full of them.

Su Bin stared at the basket of dirty towels in astonishment, his mouth agape. “Wash… Wash these? By hand?” (⊙⊙) Holy cow, will I still have hands by the time I go home tonight?
But before he had a chance to ask further, the middle-aged woman quickly left as if she was being chased by ghosts.

Su Bin stood in front of the basket of dirty towels, dumbfounded. Suddenly, a girl appeared in the distance. She had a petite figure but was carrying four, five, six, seven, eight… Su Bin couldn’t even count how many plates she was holding! She swiftly arrived beside Su Bin, unloading all the plates in one go and stacking them neatly next to the sink. Not a single plate broke. Then, she cleanly and efficiently said, “Wash.”

Su Bin: “…”

When the girl turned around and noticed Su Bin’s dazed expression, she paused abruptly. “Wow, handsome, you’re new, right? Do you need help?”

Su Bin gratefully replied, “Yes, yes! There are so many towels, where should I wash them?”
The girl pointed to a nearby washing machine and said, “Just throw them in there.”

Su Bin: “…”

The girl picked up the large basket and personally demonstrated how to pour all the small towels into the washing machine. Then, she took out a canister of bleach and detergent from the shelf above, pouring a significant amount into the machine—about as much as a bowl of rice. Finally, she closed the lid with a snap, pressed the “Power Clean” button, and said, “It’ll be clean in twenty minutes.”

Su Bin: “…” (⊙a⊙) Is it really okay to pour that much bleach??
The girl continued, “A-Jie might be busy, so don’t wait for her. If she sees you waiting, she’ll scold you.”

Su Bin asked, “What should I do now?”

The girl pointed to the sink and said, “Get started and wash the dishes.” She glanced at Su Bin’s hands, seeming sympathetic, and found a pair of rubber gloves for him. She shook her head in confusion and said, “You look like a young master. What are you doing here?”

Su Bin: “…” Is it my fault that I look like a young master? (ㄒoㄒ) You think I look like a young master because you haven’t seen a real “master”!

On his first day of work, Su Bin didn’t understand anything. After washing dishes for a while, he was then assigned to fold small towels.

The towels soaked in bleach had a strong, pungent smell of disinfectant, and after folding them, Su Bin felt like his nose wasn’t functioning properly. Then, he endured the hot sensation in his hands and placed the towels one by one into the high-temperature steam machine for another round of sterilization.

Afterward, he returned to washing dishes, spending two hours doing so. His back and waist ached, and suddenly, a commanding voice came from above, “You’re washing too slowly! Hurry up, hurry up! We don’t have enough plates!” The person glared at Su Bin with a stern expression, scaring him like a quail. Then, they picked up a stack of heavy plates and left.
Su Bin jolted in fright, feeling weak in the knees… Damn it, am I not fast enough? The plates will fly if I go any faster!

But he didn’t dare to say anything and could only subconsciously increase his speed…

Donate via Paypal