AMBTICBPIB Chapter 44

“Chu Yi, congratulations! I have great news—you ranked first in the entire department! First place!”

Jiang Xu eagerly shared the news with Chu Yi as soon as he arrived in the classroom.

Chu Yi’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Absolutely!” Jiang Xu replied. “I just heard it from the academic advisor. First place! You’re amazing.”

With everything that had happened over winter break, Chu Yi had almost forgotten about his grades.

Although he’d seen his scores before the semester started and felt confident he could rank first, he hadn’t been completely certain until he saw the official rankings.

Now that it was confirmed, Chu Yi felt relieved. Otherwise, he would have felt he’d let Uncle Wen down. During his exam preparations, Uncle Wen had made him late-night snacks every evening, each one different and carefully prepared.

At Lan University, achieving first place was no small feat.

Chu Yi’s close friends showered him with congratulations, clamoring for him to treat them. Chu Yi readily agreed.

Jiang Xu declared boldly, “We’re going to the most expensive five-star hotel!”

In the end, everyone decided to go out for hot pot that evening.

Chu Yi couldn’t resist texting Shen Jin, wanting him to know he had come in first place. He knew Shen Jin would praise him, and Chu Yi felt a little pathetic for craving his approval so much.

**Chu Yi:** I got first place in the entire department! [Smiling face emoji]

**Shen Jin:** Congratulations! You’re so talented and impressive, Chu Yi.

**Chu Yi:** [Blushing face emoji]

Shen Jin stared at the cute emoji, imagining how adorable Chu Yi would look making that expression in person.

**Shen Jin:** To celebrate your achievement, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight. You can choose whatever you want.

**Chu Yi:** No need! I already made plans to go out for hot pot with my classmates tonight. [Winking face emoji]

*Well, he’s going out with his classmates again,* Shen Jin thought, setting down his phone. He walked over to the cabinet and opened it, revealing a beautifully packaged gift he had prepared for Chu Yi. Knowing Chu Yi’s scores, he had been certain he would take first place.

The gift had been ready for days, just waiting to be given to Chu Yi.

It was a pity he couldn’t have dinner with Chu Yi that night. Chu Yi was celebrating with his classmates. *When will I finally become his number one priority?*

The weather was still a bit chilly, making it perfect for hot pot.

Of course, they ordered a Yuan Yang Pot, allowing both those who enjoyed spicy food and those who didn’t to eat to their heart’s content.

Since everyone present was male, they naturally ordered a lot of meat—seven or eight plates of beef and lamb. Meatballs and other essentials were also a must, and they added several types of vegetables to the mix.

One classmate suddenly exclaimed, “We forgot the best companion for hot pot!”

Chu Yi looked puzzled. “What’s that?”

“Pickled garlic, of course!” the classmate replied.

Several others nodded in agreement. “Yeah, hot pot just isn’t the same without pickled garlic.”

So they ordered pickled garlic, one bulb per person.

The hot pot broth and various condiments arrived quickly. There were over a dozen dipping sauces alone, and everyone began mixing their sesame paste sauces.

Chu Yi pushed his pickled garlic aside, seemingly unable to tolerate the smell.

Jiang Xu asked him, “You’re not eating it?”

“No,” Chu Yi replied.

“Then I’ll take it.” Jiang Xu transferred Chu Yi’s pickled garlic to his own bowl. “This stuff is amazing.”

One of the great things about hot pot is that you don’t have to wait long for the food to arrive.

Once everyone had prepared their dipping sauces, a classmate raised his glass. “Let’s celebrate Chu Yi’s top score! He’s the pride of our class!”

“Cheers!”

Glasses of beer and soft drinks clinked in the air.

As they clinked their glasses, a waiter entered with their order.

They had ordered quite a lot, so the waiter pushed a small cart laden with dishes.

When Jiang Xu set down his glass, he glanced sideways and found the waiter looked familiar.

A second glance confirmed it: this was the same waiter they had encountered during their group visit to the club.

The waiter froze when he saw them, never expecting to run into Chu Yi here.

The waiter was Li Wenxing.

Since that incident, both he and his supervisor had been fired from the club. The higher-ups claimed they had offended someone they shouldn’t have.

After leaving the club, Li Wenxing struggled to find stable work. He kept clashing with customers or managers, eventually landing a job as a waiter at this hot pot restaurant.

Seeing Chu Yi again reignited Li Wenxing’s resentment. He had overheard the classmates celebrating Chu Yi’s top score as he entered.

*This is all because of Chu Yi,* he thought bitterly. *If it weren’t for him, I’d still be living comfortably at the club, working as a junior supervisor with a good salary, instead of toiling as a lowly waiter.*

Chu Yi also saw Li Wenxing, but this time, his heart remained completely calm. Just as Shen Jin had said, once he had spoken his mind, he had let everything go. So when he saw Li Wenxing again, he treated him like a complete stranger.

Seeing this, Li Wenxing grew even more indignant and resentful. *How dare Chu Yi act like he doesn’t know me?* he thought. *If that’s how it is, I’ll make sure all of Chu Yi’s classmates know we’re acquainted. I’ll let them know he used to work part-time at the club.*

There was no one here who would stand up for Chu Yi, no one he couldn’t afford to offend.

Li Wenxing smiled at Chu Yi. “Chu Yi, it’s been a while. You haven’t forgotten me, have you? We used to be colleagues, remember?”

“You two know each other?” The boy beside Chu Yi asked, assuming Li Wenxing was a friend and speaking warmly.

*Hook, line, and sinker,* Li Wenxing thought. He had been waiting for Chu Yi’s classmate to ask that question.

Li Wenxing said, “Of course we know each other. We used to work together at the club—the same one you guys went to last time.”

Seeing Chu Yi’s silence, Li Wenxing grinned widely. “Chu Yi and I were both servers at the club, right, Chu Yi? You haven’t forgotten me just because you’re in college now, have you?”

Human nature can be ugly at times. Seeing that Chu Yi was now in a better position than him, Li Wenxing felt a surge of jealousy.

*Why did Chu Yi have to come to this particular hotpot restaurant, of all the places in Lanch City?*

If he was struggling, he wouldn’t let Chu Yi have an easy time at school either.

Li Wenxing figured Chu Yi’s classmates probably didn’t know about his past job at the club. He’d heard that college students looked down on those who’d worked in such places.

At the club, Chu Yi had connections. But Li Wenxing doubted he could make any important contacts at a hotpot restaurant.

After hearing the server’s words, the classmates understood: this guy was deliberately trying to make things awkward for Chu Yi.

Jiang Xu exclaimed, “Wow, Chu Yi, we’re the same! After the college entrance exams, I also worked part-time at a club. My hands ached every day from opening bottle caps for customers. It’s such a shame we weren’t at the same club; we would have met way back then!”

The boy next to Chu Yi chimed in, “You know, I had a similar part-time job. After the exams, my mom said she was sick of seeing me around all day and told me to get a job. I worked as a waiter at a bar during the summer, serving drinks all day.”

“Me too! I used to dance at a bar—nothing inappropriate, of course. The bar required us to show off our abs and chest muscles. I was a bit embarrassed at first, but after one night, I got used to it. After all, I’ve got the physique for it! The customers loved it, and the tips were great.”

“I worked as a ‘wild man’ at a tourist attraction. I wore nothing but bark clothing, and my only job was to snatch food from tourists. It was fun, and the pay was decent. I played the wild man for the whole summer and came home tanned dark.”

The students chattered excitedly about their part-time jobs during the holidays, covering everything from tutoring to retail. They completely ignored the waiter’s presence.

One student turned to Li Wenxing and said, “Excuse me, all our dishes have arrived. You can leave now. Please close the door on your way out. Thanks.”

Initially, they had been polite, assuming he was a friend of Chu Yi’s. But now that they realized he didn’t deserve such courtesy, their tone shifted.

Li Wenxing stared in disbelief at the students in the private room. Why weren’t they surprised or disdainful when they learned Chu Yi had worked at a club?

He had imagined Chu Yi being mocked and looked down upon by his classmates, but the scene unfolded nothing like he had envisioned.

Instead, they even shared their own similar part-time experiences. Chu Yi actually had such good classmates.

Li Wenxing glared resentfully at Chu Yi. Outnumbered, he had no choice but to leave, seething with frustration.

“The hotpot’s ready! Let’s start adding the meat. I’m starving!”

“Throw in some fish balls too. I want to eat fish balls.”

“Let’s add some potato slices. They taste best when they’re cooked until they’re soft and tender.”

“I want wide glass noodles too! Chu Yi, what do you want? Since you’re treating today, don’t hold back!”

Chu Yi smiled warmly at his classmates. Li Wenxing’s earlier behavior had momentarily thrown him off, but their words reassured him.

Jiang Xu recalled the last time they were at the club. Chu Yi had been in high spirits until Li Wenxing arrived, after which his mood plummeted. It was clear Li Wenxing was the cause.

*Li Wenxing’s actions just now were clearly meant to bully Chu Yi in front of everyone.*

When everyone was nearly finished eating, Jiang Xu excused himself to take a call.

After searching around, he found Li Wenxing in the hallway.

Li Wenxing froze momentarily when he saw Jiang Xu.

*This was the guy who kept staring at me in the private room, making my skin crawl. But I doubt this student would dare to do anything to me.*

Just as he was thinking this, Jiang Xu strode up to Li Wenxing.

Li Wenxing felt a sudden gust of wind, followed by a solid punch to the face.