“Let’s have dinner after work tomorrow. I heard there’s a great Thai place,” Ye Qing said, standing at the door with a little white umbrella.
Tomorrow would be the hundredth bouquet—the day we agreed to start dating, the day I’d end my life as a hitman and begin a new chapter.
“Don’t order anything too expensive—I’m broke,” I teased.
“Cheapskate.” Ye Qing smiled, her dimples showing. “Don’t be late. I hate men who are late.”
Her graceful figure disappeared into the rain. I was about to close up when a hand stopped the door, and a lazy voice drifted in.
“What’s this, closing up so early? You two ever actually work? No wonder I lose money every month…”
Boss Li, missing for ages, strolled in, shook the rain off his coat, and settled into his rattan chair with a cup of tea.
He was as ordinary as they come—neither handsome nor ugly, always looking like he hadn’t slept. His tone was always casual, his actions always half-hearted. He’d show up and vanish without warning—that was my boss.
But he was the smartest man I’d ever met. Sometimes I wondered if he had another identity, too.
On the surface, we were just boss and employee, but in those brief moments together, we were always testing each other, trying to see who the other really was.
Rain tapped on the stone slabs outside, adding a refreshing note to the summer night.
“So, Guo Lin, I hear you’re in love?” Boss Li teased.
“Uh… maybe,” I said, scratching my head.
“Be careful. If a pretty girl comes to the shop, don’t even think about flirting. That cop’s skills—I’ve seen them. She’ll beat you black and blue. And you can’t even call the police—she is the police! Hahaha…”
Boss Li’s lame jokes made Wang Xiaoxiao giggle.
“I get it. I’ll keep all the pretty girls’ numbers for your return visits.”
“Smart. I’ll give you a five-hundred yuan raise. Dating’s expensive—you can’t let the girl think you’re cheap.”
“Thanks, boss.” I put on an exaggeratedly happy face.
Wang Xiaoxiao packed up and left for school, leaving just the two of us. The atmosphere turned oddly quiet. Boss Li sipped his tea while I shelved books by number.
“Guo Lin, let’s play a game of chess,” he said, giving me a complicated look and pointing at the board by the sofa.
“Alright.”
I wiped my hands and sat across from him.
Fine. Every test has an end. Let’s see if we’re friends or foes.
Since I started working here, we’d played dozens of games. I’d never won. Even when I cornered him, he’d always find a way out—or maybe he just let me think I could win.
“Knight jump, check,” I attacked aggressively.
“Block,” he countered with his cannon.
“Take elephant, check again.”
“Trade rooks, counter-check.”
The pieces danced in his hands like poker chips, and before I knew it, the tide had turned. In twenty moves, I was finished.
I sighed, put the pieces back, and admitted defeat.
“Guo Lin, you’re too bloodthirsty,” Boss Li said, his tone unusually serious.
My muscles tensed instinctively. That phrase had a double meaning. He’d seen through me.
“Too much bloodlust, too eager to finish the game, and you’ll make mistakes you can’t fix.”
“You’ve got a sharp eye, boss.”
For the first time, I looked at him with a killer’s gaze. Most people would be sweating under that stare, but Boss Li just sipped his tea, unbothered.
“Do you know what’s most important in chess?” he asked.
“What?”
“Winning and losing is normal. But the key is, we must be the players—not just the pawns.” He set the pieces down. I looked closer—the stone chess piece was covered in cracks, then crumbled into dust.
Was that a warning, or advice?
What was this enigmatic man really trying to say?
“Guo Lin, I got a new batch of books today. Stay late and sort them out. Tomorrow’s supposed to be beautiful—take the day off and enjoy your date.”
He stood, patted my shoulder, and walked slowly out into the night
Chapter 09
*