Urban Soldier Young Master

Chapter 932 - 931: Different Perspectives

After Chu Ge finished ordering, Mu Xiaoting was still standing aside, feeling extremely uncomfortable with everything in her line of sight. Her eye twitched slightly involuntarily.Chu Ge took a big gulp of the ice-cold beer the vendor handed over, exhaled a large puff of alcohol, turned, and looked at Mu Xiaoting, who was visibly conflicted, and raised the corners of his mouth teasingly.

"What? Are you used to eating while standing?"

"Uh... of course not." Mu Xiaoting's expression froze, forcing a smile. She glanced at the vendor who had stepped aside to attract more customers, "Boss, could you please wipe the table?"

"Sure."

The vendor happily agreed, though her smile harbored a hint of disdain for this picky young lady. Nevertheless, she quickly grabbed a cloth, white but yellowing, and hastily wiped the table twice in front of Mu Xiaoting before moving on.

The table was still dirty, at least Mu Xiaoting thought it was dirty. The thin layer of grease was clearly visible under the streetlights, making her suspect that the cloth only added more stains.

Chu Ge watched with a half-smile, as Mu Xiaoting helplessly pulled a few sheets from the napkin dispenser — too rough to be called napkins, she thought — and carefully wiped the long bench before she finally sat across from Chu Ge and began to wipe the table repeatedly.

After wiping the table, Mu Xiaoting faced a new problem—where to throw the paper?

When you're uncertain about something, asking others or observing how others do it is always a good option.

Mu Xiaoting didn't want to ask Chu Ge such a seemingly silly question, so she looked around and noticed that everyone else just threw the greasy paper directly on the ground.

Alright, since others did it, she'd do the same. Though when she tossed the paper on the ground, it felt incredibly awkward.

"Nice place, isn't it?" Chu Ge said with a smile, raising his beer glass.

"It's okay." Mu Xiaoting replied, her words not quite matching her true feelings.

"Do you want something to drink to quench your thirst?"

"No, I'm not thirsty."

Before coming here, Mu Xiaoting had planned to have some drinks over the meal, but after what she saw with the glasses, she lost all interest.

Chu Ge didn't press her, giving her a half-smile, tapping his fingers aimlessly on the table, humming a tune, and glancing at a group of scantily clad girls who looked like university students not far away.

Mu Xiaoting felt speechless; wasn't her appearance and figure much better compared to those girls? Here she was, a beauty sitting right across from Chu Ge, and he was looking at other girls?

Moreover, at this critical moment with problems at Tianqing Company, how could Chu Ge seem to be in such a good mood when he had said over the phone earlier that he was troubled?

Puzzled, Mu Xiaoting asked, "Chu Ge, aren't you annoyed anymore?"

Chu Ge chuckled, "I am, a bunch of crappy things lately, I'm nearly worried to death."

"Then... you still have the mood to hum and check out girls?"

"No matter how troubled, life goes on, right?" Chu Ge shrugged. "Even if I walk around with a gloomy face, things won't go from bad to good."

"You have a point. Actually, I was so frustrated earlier I wanted to smash my phone, but I held back. Looks like we do have some things in common after all." Mu Xiaoting smiled and shifted the topic, "Speaking of which, about the company, you..."

Before Mu Xiaoting could finish, Chu Ge interrupted her with a smile, "Let's talk about that later."

"Hmm... okay."

Talking about the company's issues made Mu Xiaoting quite anxious too. She had thought her father might help, but things ended up like this. However, not discussing this matter left her a bit lost on what to say to Chu Ge.

The two engaged in casual conversation, and soon, the dishes Chu Ge ordered were brought to the table. Chu Ge dug in ravenously, while Mu Xiaoting looked at the food without any appetite.

Mu Xiaoting didn't eat, and Chu Ge didn't force her—this was within his expectations. He ate, she watched.

After the meal, Mu Xiaoting paid the bill. Chu Ge had a large amount of food and two bottles of beer, totaling less than a hundred yuan.

After eating and drinking to his fill, Chu Ge stretched lazily and stood up from the table, "Let's go, time for another meal."

Mu Xiaoting was taken aback, "Another meal?"

Chu Ge turned back with a smile, "You didn't eat anything just now, aren't you hungry? Consider the last meal as you accompanying me, now it's my turn to accompany you. You can't come out and go home on an empty stomach, right?"

After speaking, Chu Ge started walking, Mu Xiaoting took a few seconds to catch up, looking at his back, more confused about what Chu Ge was really thinking.

Chu Ge called a taxi and told the driver "Jindian Business Club" before closing his eyes as if dozing off.

This move left the driver puzzled. Didn't this guy just finish a meal at a roadside stall? And now he's heading to a place like "Jindian" with such high expenses?

Uh... he probably isn't going there to eat. It's just a famous spot; he must be going nearby, right?

Puzzled as he was, the driver didn't say much and quickly drove Chu Ge and Mu Xiaoting to the place. When he saw Chu Ge really entering Jindian Business Club with Mu Xiaoting, he was left speechless.

Chu Ge is a top VIP here. He not only has the privilege of eating, drinking, and playing for free but can also bring guests in for free. He opened a private room, which was the epitome of luxury.

Carrying the smell of the roadside stall, Chu Ge entered the private room, turned his head, and smiled at Mu Xiaoting, "What do you think of this place?"

Mu Xiaoting glanced around briefly and sincerely said, "It's excellent. Even in the provincial capital, it would be considered a top-notch environment."

Chu Ge sat down by the table covered with a white tablecloth and adorned with crystal goblets, and asked again, "And what do you think of the roadside stall we just went to?"

Seeing Mu Xiaoting's embarrassed expression, Chu Ge shrugged, "No doubt, from your perspective, the place is terrible, or perhaps... should we call it vulgar?"

Mu Xiaoting looked even more embarrassed and confused. "Chu Ge, you are..."

"You called your father, didn't you?"

Out of the blue, Chu Ge dropped this bomb, and Mu Xiaoting froze, "You... how did you know?"

"And he dismissed Tianqing Company's issues with righteousness, right?"

"I... he's..."

"Haha, just as I thought, otherwise you wouldn't be calling me so late without any reason."

Mu Xiaoting pursed her lips, a wry smile spreading across her face. She hadn't said anything, and yet Chu Ge guessed everything, spot on.

"Sorry, I didn't expect it to be like this either."

Chu Ge shook his head, raised his right hand with a smile, signaling to the seat opposite him, "There's nothing to apologize for. Sit down, and I'll tell you something else you probably haven't thought of yet."

Mu Xiaoting quietly sat on the chair opposite Chu Ge, locking eyes with him, her gaze puzzled yet complex.

"You didn't expect me to take you to a roadside stall. You probably can't understand how I and others there could eat so joyfully. You feel that formal invitations should naturally be in a place like this, where everything exudes a formal elegance. In your eyes, the roadside stall is vulgar, and you don't fit in there at all."

Mu Xiaoting remained silent. Every word Chu Ge said hit home. Although she still felt it was not wrong, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

"Silly girl, don't stress, and don't overthink it. I'm not saying this to target you. Consider it idle talk between friends."

"Friends?" Mu Xiaoting was taken aback. "Do you already consider me a friend?"

Seeing Mu Xiaoting's serious look, Chu Ge burst out laughing, "I'm just making a comparison."

"Oh... so, you still dislike me," Mu Xiaoting forced a smile, a self-deprecating curve appearing at the corner of her mouth, "You probably dislike me even more since my father won't help Tianqing, right?"

"I'm really amazed at how you jump to conclusions like that," Chu Ge rubbed his forehead speechlessly, "If I really disliked you that much, would I bother meeting you or having two meals with you?"

"Then what exactly... do you want to say?"

"Actually, when you called me, I guessed it was about this. You think your father should help me like you think inviting someone to a meal should naturally be in a place like this. In reality, it's not like that at all."

"With different identities come different perspectives. Our backgrounds and life experiences are different, so whether I'm at a roadside stall or here, I can enjoy eating, but you simply can't."

"You can't accept your father refusing to help, and you feel guilty for that, but have you considered things from his perspective?"

"His perspective? Of course, I've thought about it. You're the savior of his daughter, and for such a small thing, why can't he lend a hand? No, he doesn't even need to lift a finger, just utter a vague phrase to let others ponder over."

"Yes, I did save you, and you think he should be grateful to me. But why were you kidnapped in the first place? Isn't it because of me? If I'm not mistaken, your father probably harbors more dislike than gratitude for me. You weren't staying nicely in the provincial capital; instead, you came specifically to my company. Your father might dislike me even more for that."

Hearing this, Mu Xiaoting shook her head immediately, "No, I told him... told him..."

In her anxiety, Mu Xiaoting nearly blurted out her excuse, and only halfway through did she realize how awkward it was, stumbling over her words and unable to continue.