He is Too Stingy, This Sand Sculpture Cannon Fodder

At three in the afternoon, Shu You leaned on the wall and walked out of the guesthouse. He loved this place because the food was delicious and he didn’t have to spend his own money.

He ate too much and now felt sleepy with every step he took. He sat in the passenger seat and Wu Youzhe started the car, asking casually, “Are you going home now, Shu You?”

“…Not going back.”

Shu You suddenly remembered that he still had to buy pajamas. So he said to Wu Youzhe, “Go to the last pajama shop.”

After careful selection and comparison among several shops, he found the best value for money. No other shop could beat it.

Wu Youzhe was curious and asked, “Didn’t you buy pajamas last time?”

“I’m buying another set.”

Shu You blushed and looked down. “My boyfriend said so.”

Wu Youzhe: “…”

At the entrance of the underwear store, the two big men looked strange as before, but the shopkeeper recognized them immediately because of Shu You and had a deep impression of them.

She quickly put on a guarded look and asked, “What are you buying today?”

Shu You walked in and immediately became energetic. “Let me have a look first.”

The shopkeeper remained vigilant. “…Just look.”

Shu You smiled. “Can’t help but look.”

Thin pajamas were not uncommon in small shops in winter, but there were only a few. Shu You wasn’t very satisfied with any of them.

The shopkeeper reorganized the shelves and was determined to make a sale. She slowly walked over and said, “Hey handsome, you have a good figure. These suits would all look good on you. Why don’t you try them on?”

Shu You blushed and lowered his head. “No, I’m afraid they’re not light enough, my boyfriend won’t be satisfied.”

The shopkeeper’s expression was indescribable.

She moved her lips and suddenly thought of something, whispering, “I have a set…”

“Special price?” Shu You asked.

The shopkeeper gritted her teeth. “If you really take it, I’ll give it to you at cost.”

This was a tricky statement – after all, no one knew how much the cost price was except for the shopkeeper. But Shu You decided to take a look.

The shopkeeper turned and went into a small warehouse, soon bringing out a set of men’s pajamas.

The material was indeed very light and soft, and it would be very comfortable to wear to sleep. Shu You roughly examined it and found it quite nice.

It consisted of a top and bottom in light blue, with a beautiful black and white panda print.

“This is a good material,” the shopkeeper began to promote. “But… ahem, to be honest, the pattern is slightly off.”

“But what does it matter? It doesn’t affect the wear. Besides, it’s pajamas, not something you would wear out on the street where people could see.”

“If it weren’t for this little flaw, I would charge at least twice the price for it.”

She pointed out to Shu You that the cuff had a slightly messy pattern, but it was not noticeable unless you looked closely.

Shu You pretended to hesitate. “Really? I don’t believe it.”

The shopkeeper sighed deeply and said, “Okay, I’ll give it to you for the price I paid. I just want to get rid of it.”

Shu You smiled. “Okay, I’ll take it.”

“I’ll take it for 80 yuan,” Shu You’s gaze was firm as he stared into her eyes. In the blink of an eye, it was like a battle of masters, with flying sand and rocks, and surging waves… In the midst of the electric sparks, the landlady’s forehead was covered with sweat, but she held on stubbornly…

Three seconds.

“No, I can’t do it!” she gritted her teeth. “If I sell it to you at that price, I’ll only make five yuan. I won’t even be able to pay the rent.”

Shu You made a decisive move and turned to leave, but the landlady grabbed him!

“…You can take it.”

Her hair was in disarray, she was panting heavily, her eyes filled with determination and hatred as she gritted her teeth and said, “Next time… Next time I will definitely win!”

Shu You raised his head proudly, walking out with the smile of a victor.

Wu Youzhe: ???

He watched the whole thing in awe.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t grasp it when he thought about it carefully.

Wu Youzhe pondered as he drove, and it was getting dark outside. He arrived at the residential area, bid farewell to Shu You, and hummed a song on his way home.

He unlocked the door with his key and found that the house was completely dark. Huh?

Where was Lin Mingxu? Wasn’t he supposed to be back in the afternoon?

Oh… there was movement in the side room.

He must be busy.

Shu You didn’t think much of it and tossed his pajamas into the washing machine to quickly wash and dry them. Then he went into the kitchen and started cooking.

He decided to make lamb today.

He was going to try a different way of cooking it, with scallions.

He marinated the lamb, washed and cut the scallions and garlic, heated up the oil in the pan, and then added the marinated lamb to stir-fry it…

The aroma wafted over, and Shu You’s mouth watered. He immediately put it on a plate and went to call Lin Mingxu.

Since he hadn’t received the reimbursement for his pajamas yet, Shu You was particularly nice and went to the door of the side room and knocked. “Lin Mingxu? Boyfriend, are you there?”

There was no answer from inside the room.

“…Lin Mingxu?”

Shu You couldn’t help but raise his voice a little. He pushed the door gently, and it opened easily. Lin Mingxu was sitting behind the desk, but he hadn’t turned on the light.

The blue light from the screen cast a faint glow on his face, and in the dimness, his expression was hard to make out. Shu You heard him say coldly, “You’re back?”

“Yes,” Shu You replied cheerfully. “Dinner’s ready, and I bought some pajamas. Do you want to come eat?”

Lin Mingxu: ???

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

It went from a dark suspenseful thriller that was about to kill someone to something pink and fluffy.

…Not suitable for a young man to watch.

The party involved, Shu You, was completely unaware and had a bright smile on his face. He walked over to the desk with a sincere look and asked, “Was dinner good?”

He hinted crazily, “The pajamas could be thinner.”

“Would you like to see your boyfriend?”

Lin Mingxu’s face remained expressionless. “I don’t associate with anyone who isn’t reputable.”

He didn’t understand Shu You’s hint and suspected that Shu You was doing it on purpose.

Shu You’s pupils trembled. “How can you not associate with them? Didn’t you say you wanted to buy them?”

Lin Mingxu glanced at him lightly and forcibly turned the conversation back to the right track. “Where did you have lunch today?”

“At the staff canteen!”

Shu You shook his dull hair. “The employee meal was pretty good.”

“Employee meal?”

Lin Mingxu sneered. “So everyone you’re with is an employee there?”

“Well, not all of them.”

Shu You fiddled with his fingers. “There’s also my agent, Brother Wu.”

Lin Mingxu’s tone was eerie. “No one else?”

“Nope.”

Shu You stared at him blankly and suddenly remembered something. His expression changed. “Are you saying there are spies among them?”

Lin Mingxu: “…”

The man squeezed out a response from between his teeth. “No.”

“Oh…”

Shu You breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought their store was haunted.”

The atmosphere turned tense, like in a horror movie.

Seeing that he wouldn’t get any results from his questioning, Lin Mingxu’s phone was right beside him. He resisted the impulse and asked directly, “What did Zhu Feiche say to you?”

However, Shu You widened his eyes and curiously asked, “Who’s Zhu Feiche?”

Lin Mingxu’s temples throbbed. “Your new boss.”

“Oh…”

Shu You nodded. “So his name is Zhu Feiche.”

He suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help asking, “Do you know him?”

Could it be that his earlier suspicion was true?

Is Zhu Feiche really one of Lin Mingxu’s enemies?

Thinking of Zhu Feiche’s strange attitude during the day, Shu You’s hair stood on end. “It’s over, he’s already targeting me!”

Lin Mingxu’s fingers tightened as he asked in a deep voice, “What did you say?”

Shu You clenched his fists and said in despair, “He did something today…”

Lin Mingxu’s body also tensed up, his eyes dark as if brewing a storm. “What did he do?”

“He…,” Shu You said in a rage, “He actually said I’m a part-time employee, so I have to pay the cost for the employee meal!”

Lin Mingxu almost had a heart attack.

He couldn’t catch his breath and gritted his teeth, his expression dark. “Is that all?”

“Isn’t that enough!” Shu You said in grief, “He charges me ten yuan a day, which is three hundred yuan a month, and three thousand six hundred and fifty yuan a year!”

“Three thousand six hundred and fifty yuan! That’s equivalent to thirty-six thousand five hundred mineral water bottles!”

Lin Mingxu’s temple throbbed. “You don’t have to eat at his place.”

“But where else can I go!” Shu You exclaimed in shock, “Where else can I find such cheap and delicious food?”

Lin Mingxu felt an urge rising in his heart…to kill someone.

Shu You continued confidently, “Part-time employees are also employees and should enjoy the benefits and treatment that employees deserve. So I reasonably suspect that Zhu Feiche is deliberately targeting me.”

Lin Mingxu almost clapped for his reasoning. He smiled instead of getting angry and said, “Very good, so what do you plan to do?”

“I want to fight for my rights!” Shu You said passionately, “I will write about his stinginess in my jokes and tell all the guests at the Little Inn!”

Lin Mingxu began to feel that tonight might be a mistake.

But at the same time, he felt a little bit of pleasure. Perhaps it was like…having your own subtle moments of today?

Although there was still a chance to remedy the situation, he looked at Shu You and hesitated before finally speaking up, “Forget it, let’s go eat.”

Shu You immediately turned around.

The two sat at the dining table, and Lin Mingxu saw the onion stir-fried lamb on the table. He suddenly remembered something and asked, “Is this lamb?”

“Yes,” Shu You said matter-of-factly, “I bought so much yesterday and haven’t finished it yet.”

Lin Mingxu suddenly had a bad feeling. “How long can we eat all this lamb for?”

“I’ll calculate.”

Shu You flicked his fingers a couple of times and came up with a number. “We can probably eat it for a week.”

A week…

Lin Mingxu’s proud self-control was creaking as if a dam emptied by ants.

His mouth twitched, and he asked slowly, “Did you buy anything else?”

“I did, I did,” Shu You replied obediently. “I also bought seasoning, vegetables… and a special spice pack for stewed lamb.”

A chorus of sheep bleats seemed to echo in Lin Mingxu’s ears.

He ate his dinner with a straight face and said nothing.

Shu You finished his meal with great satisfaction and spent the night as usual. Before going to bed, he lay down and thought for a while before asking, “Lin Mingxu?”

Lin Mingxu didn’t feel like responding to tonight’s bedside conversation and remained silent.

“Boyfriend?”

Shu You was always persistent and changed his address with ease. He continued, “Should I not have signed with Little Inn? Do you have a grudge against Zhu Feiche? Or do you just dislike him?”

“…”

Lin Mingxu was silent.

“If it’s inconvenient for you, I don’t have to go,” Shu You said considerately, thinking about the reimbursement of eighty yuan. “There’s not much of a penalty for breaking a part-time contract.”

“No need,” Lin Mingxu said at last. “I don’t have a grudge against him.”

…Why didn’t you say so earlier?

Shu You was relieved by half and said happily, “Then I’ll go to his dinner invitation this weekend.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Mingxu turned over and said coldly, “You can’t go!”