Little Fool Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Achi, the Bill

Yan Gui Xing’s initially amused expression instantly blanked at the soft, sweet-sounding “good person.”

He mentally chewed on the word “good person,” his mind replaying the child’s terrified glance as Achi had put him down.

The child’s eyes, clear and bright, held undisguised fear, like a deer cornered by a hunter in the forest.

Then he noticed the wet, curly hair, the shirt clinging to his body, transparent from the spilled liquor, and the cute, aggrieved little face.

Yan Gui Xing chuckled, “What deer? He’s clearly a little stray dog caught in the rain.”

Even though the child was already so pitiful, it made him want to make him even more miserable, to see if he’d be even cuter.

A playful smile appeared on Yan Gui Xing’s face, hidden in the shadows of the doorway. His sea-green eyes darkened with desire.

That child is interesting.

A slight regret suddenly welled up in him. He rubbed his fingers, the ones that had just brushed against Mu Mu’s arm. That curly hair looked very touchable; he should have touched it.

This regret slightly lowered his otherwise excellent mood, a negligible amount, but enough to make him dislike Achi.

Yan Gui Xing turned and walked towards Achi.

His eyelids drooped slightly, his eyelashes casting a shadow over his sea-green eyes as he looked at Achi. His red lips were curved in a smile, an alluring expression, yet he somehow managed to look like a demon about to devour someone.

He was almost five centimeters taller than Achi, but Achi was twice Yan Gui Xing’s size.

However, Achi was terrified of Yan Gui Xing, like a mouse encountering a cat. The distance between them was less than an arm’s length, the oppressive atmosphere palpable. Achi instinctively lowered his head and shoulders, trying to minimize his presence.

Achi’s back felt cold, a fine layer of sweat forming on his forehead. His mind was filled with frantic screams that didn’t match his usually calm demeanor.

It’s over! The boss is smiling like that! He must be furious! He’s dead, dead, dead!

Achi bit his lip, summoning his courage to break the deathly silence in the private room.

But before he could speak, his boss, the provider of his livelihood, called his name in his mesmerizing voice.

“Achi.”

Achi flinched, subconsciously standing at attention. The tall man stood like an iron tower, shouting, “Boss!”

Yan Gui Xing gestured to the untouched mess on the floor. “The wine’s gone. What do we do?”

Achi: “I’ll go order more!”

Yan Gui Xing looked at Achi with an ambiguous smile and asked, “What if it spills again?”

Achi remembered the scene of the wine crashing to the ground, and shuddered. The sound was more terrifying than the explosion of a Zerg mecha.

Achi swore, “Boss, I’ll bring it back myself! I’ll be responsible for the wine, I guarantee there won’t be another accident.”

He stole a glance at Yan Gui Xing’s expression – thankfully, he wasn’t too angry.

Achi quickly looked away before Yan Gui Xing noticed, thinking strangely that he felt a prickling unease, as if something bad was about to happen.

Yan Gui Xing finally lessened his smile, his overly vibrant face becoming less intense. Achi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the matter was over, when Yan Gui Xing continued,

“You knocked over the wine, and ruined my mood, so you’re paying for tonight’s bill.”

Achi stared blankly at Yan Gui Xing, then at the mess of broken glass and spilled liquor on the floor. His mind lagged for a beat, then buzzed.

Capital Star’s Golden Sunset, Snow Velvet Star’s Ice Queen, Rose Star’s Free Rose, Blue Fruit Star’s Sweet First Love… those wines added up to three months of his salary!

No! It’s not just three months’ salary; he might have to pay three years’ worth!

Achi’s tiger-like eyes fixated on a shard of dark brown glass on the floor, reflecting amber light under the dim lamps. A piece of an old Earth label was visible.

It was from Yan Gui Xing’s private cellar, an antique wine made with an old Earth recipe. While not priceless, a single bottle was worth three years of his salary.

Yan Gui Xing was always generous when it came to pleasure; he not only brought his own bottle of antique wine, but also ordered the store’s signature antique wine.

He had personally handed Yan Gui Xing’s private stash to the owner, requesting it be chilled along with the other wines.

While the store’s bottle wasn’t as expensive as Yan Gui Xing’s private collection, it was still incredibly valuable.

Imperial soldiers earned well, especially a lieutenant colonel like Achi, who was also a general’s aide. His pay was exceptionally generous.

But no amount of star credits could compensate for the two completely ruined bottles of antique wine on the floor! Oh, right, his boss said all the expenses for the night, including the upcoming drinks.

Fine, consider it five years of unpaid labor for the boss and the Empire.

Achi was numbed by the rapid depletion of his funds. If given a second chance, he’d guarantee he’d stay hidden in a corner like a ghost, going nowhere near the action!

But he didn’t dare show any displeasure on his face, fearing Yan Gui Xing would get upset and cut his retirement funds even more.

He walked stiffly towards the door; a close look would reveal the rigidity in his arm and leg movements, like an old, malfunctioning robot.

Just as Achi was about to leave, Yan Gui Xing said softly from behind him, “Achi, that red hair of yours looks like an underdeveloped orangutan. It hurts my eyes.”

“Get it fixed tonight. If your hair is still red tomorrow, I’ll send you to the zoo to be an orangutan exhibit.”

Yan Gui Xing’s tone wasn’t threatening; he ended with a chuckle. It sounded like a harmless joke between close friends, eliciting good-natured laughter from the others.

But it was enough to make Achi’s scalp tingle. He practically scrambled out of the private room, afraid of lingering and annoying Yan Gui Xing, who might send him to the zoo to be displayed as an orangutan.

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On the other hand, after leaving the private room, Mu Mu, fearing his soaked appearance might cause trouble, avoided the elevator and took the staff passage in the corner.

A few steps later, Mu Mu felt a searing pain in his lower right leg, sudden and intense, making his eyes water.

He looked at his wet trousers sticking to his leg, wanting to sit and check his leg, but considering his location, he gritted his teeth and continued walking.

Few people used the staff passage at this hour, but Mu Mu was still afraid of sitting in the middle of the stairs and obstructing others, enduring the pain until he reached the bottom, sitting in a corner at the foot of the stairs.

He carefully rolled up his wet trouser leg, revealing his thin, fair leg. Several long scratches and several irregular, small puncture wounds were near his shinbone.

The wet trousers had probably been pressed against the skin for too long, stopping the bleeding. The exposed flesh was pale and swollen, revealing pink raw skin.

The wounds weren’t large, but there were many. Mu Mu’s skin was already pale, making them look quite alarming.

“Ah, so it’s just scratches,” Mu Mu said, looking at his leg, a little dazed. He touched a wound; the stinging pain made him hiss softly and quickly retract his hand.

He couldn’t remember when he’d gotten the scratches. Maybe when he first fell, or perhaps when Achi dragged him up by the neck.

Thinking about this, he touched his neck. The stinging pain made him gasp and he quickly withdrew his hand.

He couldn’t see it, but a deep red, horrifying finger mark was imprinted on the skin he had just touched.

However, Mu Mu didn’t take it seriously; he often bumped and bruised himself, it was nothing new.

He was about to put his trouser leg down when he heard a long sigh, making him quickly look up towards the sound.

The person in the shadows stepped out, and Mu Mu’s eyes widened in surprise upon recognizing them.