Chapter 39: One Person, One Bucket

By noon, word of the nine-yuan value meal had spread like wildfire. The long queue snaking in front of the "Hao Dada Chicken Cutlet" stall became the most striking sight in the second cafeteria.

Because the Department of Economics building was just a stone's throw away, there was no shortage of students from Class 2 of Economics and Management in line.

Shi Qing, Meng Nanxi’s high school classmate and roommate, suddenly tugged at her sleeve and whispered with a playful smirk, "Look, isn't that Wang Can? I never imagined he’d be working a part-time job in the cafeteria."

Meng Nanxi followed her gaze and indeed saw the boy who had been repeatedly called upon by Professor Jiang in class earlier that day.

Shi Qing continued to tease, "To have fallen to this point—does he still dare to harbor delusions of chasing you? I suppose he has no idea who your 'Ah Hao' is."

The "Ah Hao" she referred to, whose real name was Chen Baihao, was one of the wealthiest young heirs in their hometown, a third-tier city. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, this young master not only possessed substantial family assets but, more importantly, was remarkably devoted, having fallen for Meng Nanxi at first sight when they were in elementary school.

Since Meng Nanxi came from an ordinary family, Chen Baihao had successfully won her heart with his immense wealth and talent. It was said that their two families had arranged a marriage engagement right after the college entrance exams, a story that had become a legend back at their high school.

"Don't say that." Meng Nanxi gently tapped Shi Qing’s arm. "There’s nothing wrong with earning one's own living; it’s just a matter of different starting points."

Shi Qing stuck out her tongue and stopped the mockery. In truth, she wasn't being intentionally mean; she simply felt from the bottom of her heart that no one in this world deserved her best friend except for Chen Baihao. Because of this, she found Wang Can’s remark—"I am the man she can never have"—extraordinarily grating, and consequently, she couldn't stand the sight of him.

"Do you want to try their chicken cutlet? I heard it’s incredibly cheap," Shi Qing suggested, eyeing the bustling stall.

Meng Nanxi glanced at the winding queue and shook her head. "Forget it, there are too many people. Besides..." She paused, "When the price is pushed that low, the taste probably isn't much to write home about."

...

On the other side, Jiang Zi and Guo Wanwan walked into the second cafeteria side-by-side.

Jiang Zi’s lively eyes darted around until they suddenly lit up. "Wanwan, I see Wang Can! Over there! I can't believe he’s already started a part-time job; he's so impressive."

Guo Wanwan followed her finger and indeed saw Wang Can wearing a cafeteria uniform, busy behind the counter.

"Don't you want to thank him? Let's go over," Jiang Zi urged impatiently.

Ever since Guo Wanwan learned that she had secured a position in the Youth League Committee thanks to Wang Can’s help, she had wanted to thank him. Jiang Zi, a warm-hearted classmate who wanted to see the two fellow townsfolk reconcile, had actively inquired through Yang Shuang to find out that Wang Can was at the second cafeteria, which was why they had come.

Guo Wanwan, however, furrowed her brows slightly, a sense of resistance rising in her heart. "Let's wait a bit longer; there are too many people right now..."

"Alright, let's find a seat first, then." The easygoing Jiang Zi didn't notice her friend's hesitation at all and scanned the crowded cafeteria for empty tables. "Oh? Aren't those Meng Nanxi and Shi Qing? Let’s go, we can share a table with them!"

Without waiting for Guo Wanwan to respond, Jiang Zi excitedly pulled her toward them.

Guo Wanwan followed passively, though she couldn't help but steal another glance in Wang Can’s direction.

Not far from where the girls were seated, Zhou Yang from Class 1 of Economics and Management was eating with a few of his lackeys. He had just popped a piece of preserved vegetable braised pork into his mouth when his "dog-headed strategist," Old Huang, suddenly lowered his voice:

"Brother Zhou, look quickly—is that Wang Can, the one from Class 2 who’s always hogging the limelight, over at the 'Hao Dada Chicken Cutlet' stall?"

Zhou Yang looked through the glass window and indeed saw Wang Can. He felt a wave of disappointment. "His family is that poor? I thought he’d be a formidable rival; this is boring."

He had no other hobby than a love for being the center of attention. Since the start of the semester, Wang Can had repeatedly stolen the spotlight, leading Zhou Yang to secretly regard him as a fierce competitor. But seeing the stark gap in their financial status now, Zhou Yang began to grumble.

"I’m a super rich second-generation heir; the gap is just too wide. It’ll be hard to treat him as someone on my level in the future." *Sigh, it truly is lonely at the top...* Zhou Yang sighed.

"Brother Zhou, that’s the wrong way to look at it." Old Huang leaned in and lowered his voice. "Think about it—if Wang Can can be so flashy while being penniless, imagine how he’ll soar once he actually makes it big?"

Zhou Yang was startled by this remark and slapped his thigh. "That makes sense! How about... I sponsor him a bit of money? That way, it won't just show off my magnanimity, but it’ll also keep him around to continue battling me."

"..."

The table fell into dead silence as the lackeys exchanged awkward glances.

"Brother Zhou, your idea is certainly good, but..." Old Huang coughed twice and whispered something into Zhou Yang’s ear.

Zhou Yang’s eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh again. "That makes sense!"

...

Wang Can was sweating profusely, completely oblivious to the varied gazes directed at him. Today’s sales had already exceeded expectations, and he was busy mixing milk tea with essence.

About five minutes later, the crowd in front of the stall finally thinned. Wang Can let out a long breath and wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.

Just then, his old Motorola phone rang. The caller ID showed Chen Xiaobei.

"Hey, where are you? I’ve been waiting for you at the second cafeteria for ages. If you don't show up, I’m leaving." Chen Xiaobei’s impatient voice came through the phone.

The one-month lunch bet between them hadn't ended yet, and Chen Xiaobei was forced to keep waiting for this "Big Brother" to dine with him.

"Where are you now? I’ll come find you." Wang Can leaned out to peer past the stall.

"I’m at the cafeteria entrance right now."

"Damn, and you say you’ve been waiting for ages?" Wang Can spat and hung up the phone. He quickly peeled off his oil-stained uniform and smoothed down his sweat-dampened hair.

"Pretend you don't know me for a moment; I’m going to reel in a big client." Wang Can gave a quick instruction to Fang Fei before pushing open the door and stepping out of the stall.

Just then, Chen Xiaobei and Yang Shuang, who had just walked into the cafeteria, spotted Wang Can and headed straight for him.

"What are we eating today?" Chen Xiaobei asked with his hands in his pockets.

"Chicken." Wang Can pointed to the "Hao Dada Chicken Cutlet" sign behind him and gestured with his chin toward Zhang Bailan, who was busy working. "Bailan is working part-time here; let's support his business."

"Bailan is here too?" Chen Xiaobei took a look and indeed spotted Zhang Bailan in the stall. "Fine, chicken it is. What about you, Shuang?"

"I’ll try this place too," Yang Shuang replied; he was never picky about food.

"You’ve got taste!" Wang Can led the two to the stall and raised his voice to Fang Fei, who was handling the orders: "Beauty, give us three family bucket gift sets."

"Alright, classmate, one family bucket gift set," Fang Fei maintained a professional smile.

"One?" Wang Can clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

"Classmate, our family bucket includes two large honey-glazed chicken cutlets, four pieces of boneless fried chicken, one serving of plum-dusted sweet potatoes, one serving of fries... it’s 38 yuan, recommended for 2-3 people." Fang Fei expertly picked up the sample display, her tone professional and polite.

"Are you kidding me?" Wang Can frowned and deliberately pointed toward the table where Guo Wanwan and Meng Nanxi were sitting. "If my classmates see the three of us eating from one bucket, they’ll think we can't afford it."

"Bring another two buckets; one bucket for each of us!"

"And we don't want the three cups of milk tea that come with each bucket. My friends aren't used to drinking it; it makes them cough."

His voice was loud, instantly drawing the side-eyes of many people nearby.

"Apologies, classmate. I’ll place the order for you right away." Fang Fei apologized immediately, her fingers flying across the order machine. The total on the register read 114 yuan.

Just as the crowd thought this "magnanimous" boy was about to pay in style, Wang Can suddenly turned around, grinned at Chen Xiaobei, and said, "Dog Bei, hurry up, swipe the card."