It's Hard Being the Bad Guy

Chapter 11

In New York's Chinatown, there are several restaurants run by Chinese people. Wen Ai tried a few, but for some reason, he always felt the dishes weren't quite up to par. Perhaps it was a psychological thing; the ingredients grown on this foreign land seemed to lack the authentic taste.

Fortunately, Wen Ai quickly discovered a newly opened takeout place online, right near the university. The taste was almost identical to his favorite small shop at the entrance of his high school. Back then, he and Xu Changzhou frequented the place, trying every dish on its extensive menu. Now, being abroad, finding a takeout place with such a high resemblance felt like hitting the jackpot.

This takeout service had an exceptionally fast delivery. The first time, a burly Caucasian man delivered it, dressed in an all-black suit, looking serious. He didn't resemble a typical delivery guy at all. If it weren't for the bag he was carrying with the food containers, Wen Ai might have hesitated to open the door.

After handing the bag to Wen Ai, the man left. As he turned, Wen Ai noticed a concave scar on the back of his neck, resembling a gunshot wound.

Immediately, Wen Ai thought of Xu Changzhou, even suspecting the food might be poisoned. He hesitated to take a bite. It wasn't baseless paranoia; considering the severity of their last falling out, Wen Ai had genuinely offended Xu Changzhou. Moreover, the contrast in Xu Changzhou's attitude before and after was quite significant.

From the second time onwards, the delivery person for the takeout became a Vietnamese girl, dressed in a mustard-colored uniform, with a simple and honest appearance that didn't seem deceptive. Wen Ai casually asked about the man from the previous delivery, and the girl smiled and explained that he was the owner of the restaurant. On that particular day, the restaurant was too busy, so he personally took on the delivery. The scar on the back of his neck was from an accident during his previous military service.

Wen Ai found the girl's appearance genuine and didn't seem like she was lying. Considering Xu Changzhou's personality, he concluded that if Xu wanted to get back at someone, he would directly use his infamous burlap bag technique without taking such a detour. Consequently, Wen Ai quickly dismissed his suspicions.

Since then, Wen Ai began to order takeout with confidence. The restaurant recognized him as a "valued customer," and each time they would include an additional dessert as a token of appreciation. Most of the time, they sent him mango mousse.

This friendly and reciprocal relationship between Wen Ai and the takeout restaurant continued for three years. During this period, Wen Ai's life remained calm and uneventful. Gradually, he stopped worrying about the possibility of retaliation from Xu Changzhou. He believed that Xu Changzhou might have even forgotten about someone as carefree as him.

With the psychological burden lifted, Wen Ai gradually loosened up, making new friends and even joining them at the bar.

Upon hearing about these activities, Jiang Cheng hurriedly made his way over.

When Jiang Cheng found Wen Ai's table, the group was getting ready to play a game of mouth-to-mouth poker. One person held the playing card with their mouth, and another person leaned in to receive it. If a card accidentally fell to the ground, their lips would inevitably meet.

This is a very ambiguous game, carrying a suggestive undertone right from the start.

Jiang Cheng excelled in such nightlife scenes, seamlessly integrating himself with the group after a brief introduction. He strongly suggested changing the game to "Truth or Dare," which dampened the enthusiasm of the others. However, for the sake of the new friend, they reluctantly switched to the game using an empty bottle as their indicator.