Chapter Four: Hopes Within the Heart

More than twenty minutes later, Nangong Yuchen, slightly bent at the waist, stopped on a bustling street, surrounded by towering buildings, dazzling neon lights, and the gentle glow of the night blending together in a scene of extravagant prosperity. His gaze traveled through the surging crowd, finally settling on a refined café just ahead. Gasping for breath, he stammered, "Still late after all!"

The café—this was the place he'd hurried to, and also where he worked part-time every night.

He had no other source of income, so he had to work—not just to support himself, but for his sister as well.

With a restless heart, Nangong Yuchen pushed open the elegant wooden door and stepped inside. It was already 8:13 p.m., thirteen minutes late.

As he walked in, the entire scene of the café unfolded before his eyes.

The lighting inside was soft and subdued. The café, about a few dozen square meters, was laid out with three neat rows of tables and chairs of varying shapes. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling, and a sparkling crystal chandelier glimmered at the center, lending a unique aesthetic to the space. The moment one entered, there was a distinct sense of warmth and tranquility.

At this hour, business was decent. The steady trickle of customers had already filled half the seats.

“Nangong, you’re late today!” A woman’s reprimanding voice came from behind the bar as soon as he entered.

She looked to be about forty, with wine-red, softly curled hair cascading down her shoulders, giving her a slightly languid air. Her face was pleasantly oval, though her features were not particularly beautiful. Her skin was fair and smooth, without a single wrinkle, clearly well-maintained.

“Madam, I’m sorry I’m late!” Nangong Yuchen apologized sincerely as he walked over.

Just then, the owner’s gaze fell on the injury on his face, and she asked in surprise, “Hm? Nangong, what happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?”

“No…no, I just accidentally took a bad fall!” Nangong Yuchen quickly waved his hands to explain.

“You weren’t bullied?” the owner pressed, unconvinced.

“No, no!”

Seeing his insistence, the owner’s stern expression finally softened into a smile. “Alright then, since you made it to work despite your injury, I’ll let your tardiness slide today. Go change and help out Xia Yue and Chen Hao!”

“Thank you, Madam!” Nangong Yuchen exhaled in relief, then hurried into the changing room behind the bar. After putting on his work uniform, he joined the other two staff members to tidy up the glassware.

“Hey, Chenchen, what happened to your face? Did someone bully you?” asked a lively young woman in her early twenties. Her skin was as delicate as porcelain, her pretty face almost dewy with youth. Dressed in a cute maid outfit, her beauty was only enhanced. At that moment, she looked at Nangong Yuchen with evident concern.

“Oh, Sister Yue, no, I just fell accidentally…”

“Is that so?” Xia Yue sounded skeptical. She patted Nangong’s shoulder and continued, “Chenchen, if anyone bullies you, just tell me. I’ll make sure to stand up for you!”

Moved by her genuine concern, something he hadn’t felt in a long time, Nangong Yuchen nodded. “Uh…alright!”

The tall, slender young man named Chen Hao picked up the conversation. “Just tell us who it was. Tonight, Xia Yue and I will sort them out for you!”

Hearing this, Nangong Yuchen couldn’t help but smile wryly. He hadn’t expected the usually gentle Chen Hao to say something like that. He quickly waved his hands. “No one bullied me, really!”

At that moment, a customer called out, “Waiter, another cup of coffee, please!”

Nangong Yuchen hurried over, taking Xia Yue and Chen Hao’s words as nothing more than heartfelt concern.

Including the owner, there were only four people working in the café. Perhaps because of its small size, Nangong Yuchen, Xia Yue, and Chen Hao got along very well, with no conflicts of interest, which made him truly enjoy working there.

Especially the gentle, homely atmosphere—it was something he cherished, reminiscent of the home he once had.

Unnoticed, time passed. After nine o’clock, more guests began to arrive, making the café busier.

“Waiter, another coffee over here!”

“Waiter, I asked for more sugar in my coffee—where is it?”

“Waiter, check please!”

The three of them were soon run off their feet. Though exhausted, the hour between nine and ten was always the most fulfilling.

After clearing away the empty cups and tables, Nangong Yuchen checked his phone and saw it was already past ten. Soon, his shift would be over. Of course, the main reason he checked the time was because tonight was payday—the end of the month. He’d been looking forward to this for ages.

Just then, another table of customers got up to leave. Nangong Yuchen approached with a smile, “Take care! Please visit us again!” Then he began cleaning the area.

“Hey, did you hear? A few days ago, Mu Feng challenged Cheng Tianyou!” came a man’s voice from a nearby table, deliberately hushed.

“Mu Feng? He dared to challenge Cheng Tianyou? I thought Cheng Tianyou reached the first rank years ago. I’ve never even heard of Mu Feng,” another man replied, his voice a touch shrill.

“You don’t know? Five years ago, there was that notorious case—a young girl was assaulted, the Bureau couldn’t intervene, and when her family made a scene, she ended up dying, thrown to her death for no reason. I heard from an insider that the perpetrator was Cheng Tianyou. He used his connections with the Lu family to hush it all up…”

“Sigh, among the three great families, the Mu family is the most admirable. Mu Xiyan not only helped defend the city against the monsters, but half a year ago led the family’s mecha warriors to support another city and hasn’t returned since! The Shangguan family, with the mayor as their head, is hard to comment on, but the Lu family—well, they’re the worst of the lot!” The shrill-voiced man grew more agitated as he spoke. “Every time the city’s attacked by monsters, they always have excuses to shirk their duty. Remember, when Mu Xiyan led her family’s mecha warriors out to support other cities, the Lu family came back after just one month. Pathetic! They’re all scum!”

“Hush! Keep your voice down!”

Realizing he’d gotten carried away, the man quickly lowered his voice and asked, “So where’s the duel? I want to see it myself and cheer for Mu Feng. I hope he cuts Cheng Tianyou to pieces!”

“Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t know the details either.”

As he cleaned, Nangong Yuchen overheard their conversation and suddenly froze.

“The Lu family…” he repeated the name to himself. The next instant, a surge of murderous rage welled up inside him, twisting his handsome features.

It was they who destroyed his family, sending his parents to prison. Even Ningxue…had been driven away.

One day, he would personally see them all destroyed.

“Chenchen, what are you standing there for? Come help!” Xia Yue called softly. With closing time approaching, the café was nearly empty and she and Chen Hao were busy cleaning. Seeing Nangong Yuchen standing motionless, she called him over.

“Coming!” Nangong Yuchen took a deep breath, fiercely suppressing his hatred, and hurried to finish cleaning up before helping the others.

Another half hour passed. By eleven o’clock, the three of them had finished cleaning the café and stood together outside the bar, facing the owner.

“Here you go, your pay for last month. Go change and head home,” the owner said, handing each of them a neatly folded envelope.

“Thank you, Madam!”

...

“One hundred, two hundred, three hundred…” Nangong Yuchen counted his wages on the city’s automated rail car as he headed home.

“Three thousand!”

Once certain, a rare smile broke across his wheat-colored, handsome face. His lips parted, revealing white teeth as he murmured to himself, “Tomorrow, I can finally see you.”

This was what he had been looking forward to for so long.