Still too young

“Why did you introduce Xia Ye to that kind of place?” Lin Yuan directly threw out the question.

“Then what kind of place do you think I should have introduced her to?”

“There are 360 trades under the sun, why does she have to do that one?” Lin Yuan, out of his simple values, naturally thought Song Xiaoxiao was trying to lead her astray.

“Then… are you suggesting she follow you and deliver food?” Song Xiaoxiao stopped pretending, instead pulling out a cigarette and lighter from her bag. After lighting one, she crossed her legs, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at Lin Yuan with a hint of disdain.

Lin Yuan was startled at first. How could she think he was still delivering food?

Then he recalled that the first time he met Xia Ye was when he delivered bubble tea to her. So it seemed that girl Xia Ye still thought he was delivering food. This actually made Lin Yuan feel a little more favorably towards Xia Ye, because she didn't look down on him because of it.

“See? Even though Xia Ye knows I’m just a food delivery guy, she still asked me to dinner. She seems very simple.”

“Simple? Heh~~. Buddy, are you insulting me?”

Lin Yuan rubbed his temples. In this day and age, praising someone for being simple… it really does sound a bit… sigh, I don’t know when it started, but simple has become an insult.

Song Xiaoxiao took a deep drag from her cigarette, then leaned closer and blew a smoke ring at Lin Yuan, with visibly practiced skill.

“Miss, no smoking here.”

The timely appearance of the waiter brought the atmosphere back from the smoky scent of a nightclub to a regular friends' gathering.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention just now.” Song Xiaoxiao politely apologized and quickly put out the cigarette.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lin Yuan, in front of Song Xiaoxiao, was observing her carefully with his arms crossed.

“See? When you’re not smoking, not dressed flashy, and sitting properly, aren’t you quite nice? You look just like the senior classmate from the next class who often appears in a loser’s dreams.”

“Are you trying to make me turn over a new leaf?” Song Xiaoxiao said with a hint of mockery.

“No, I absolutely have no such crazy idea.” Lin Yuan was just a little regretful seeing a girl like Song Xiaoxiao go down that path. But regret is regret, he had no interest in judging someone he didn’t understand.

“What crazy idea?” Song Xiaoxiao didn’t quite understand.

“Trying to make someone turn over a new leaf is a crazy idea.”

Watching Lin Yuan say such a thing so seriously, Song Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment before finally managing to blurt out, “Then you’re still a decent person.”

“For us who deliver food,” Lin Yuan went along with it, too lazy to explain that he no longer delivered food. “If there’s ever an opportunity to work in a high-end service industry, we would cherish it greatly.”

“High-end service industry? You speak so nicely, even I wouldn’t dare describe my own job that way.”

“Hey~~, when a country develops to a certain extent, the proportion of the tertiary industry, which is the service industry, will naturally increase significantly. Because industrial production capacity will eventually become excessive. No matter how rich wealthy people are, even if they eat delicacies every day, they only have one mouth.

To balance the wealth gap, you have to make rich people spend money. But how do you make them spend money? Only through high-end luxury consumption. And the core of high-end luxury consumption is high-end service, and the most high-end service must revolve around the ‘person’ factor.

Therefore, your industry is a product of economic catalysis.

For such an objectively existing product, I don’t think it needs to be viewed with any prejudice.”

Song Xiaoxiao listened to Lin Yuan’s words as if he were speaking in tongues, but she still understood his meaning of treating people like her equally.

“Brother, since you’re so easy to talk to, I’ll be direct.”

Lin Yuan, flattered by the term “Brother,” specifically made a welcoming gesture with his hand, “Speak freely.”

“Don’t string Xia Ye along. I don’t mean anything else, you understand what I’m saying, right?” Song Xiaoxiao didn't say any sarcastic words, nor did she use any hurtful language; her tone was so casual it was as if she was about to offer a cigarette.

Just a brief “Don’t string Xia Ye along.” All the meaning was in that.

“I understand,” Lin Yuan nodded very seriously, “But I never intended to string her along. No, that’s not what I want to talk about.”

“Then what do you want to say?”

“Xia Ye is clearly not cut out for your line of work.”

“Who do you take me for?” Song Xiaoxiao was a little angry, “I’m not some madam who pulls people into the industry.”

“Then why did you recommend her to that kind of place?”

“What’s wrong with that kind of place? It’s in the bustling city center, very proper, with cameras everywhere.”

Looking at her nonchalant expression, Lin Yuan thought: This sister doesn't even consider working as a maid a big deal, so what would she consider serious? This clearly shows she's a seasoned professional.

Song Xiaoxiao then added, “If I really wanted to screw her over, I would have introduced her to a commercial KTV. It’s dark and chaotic there, she’d be taken advantage of countless times.”

“Alright, alright,” Lin Yuan adopted a posture of surrender, “In your worldview, you’ve already tried your best to consider your friend. I misspoke just now, I apologize.”

“You don’t need to apologize. Compared to how ordinary people look at me, you’re already very merciful.”

“Compared to the people at commercial KTVs, those otaku at the maid cafe really don’t amount to much. It was my oversight, you really did your best for Xia Ye within your capabilities.” Lin Yuan now had a general understanding of Song Xiaoxiao. Given her profession and circle, it was inevitable that she would follow a path of least resistance.

“Heh~~, you really aren’t some holy monk.”

Facing Song Xiaoxiao’s sudden remark, Lin Yuan was a bit confused, “What do you mean?”

“You, a food delivery guy, know quite a bit about commercial KTVs, huh? Did you throw all your earnings in there?”

“Huh? I… I occasionally get orders to deliver alcohol to commercial KTVs.” Lin Yuan had actually heard some things about commercial KTVs through his interactions with colleagues at the company. Because Professor Zhang had recommended him, Lin Yuan was quite well-connected at the Good Group Zijin Branch. Therefore, his colleagues wouldn't avoid him when talking about foot massages, commercial KTVs, and the like; they even offered to take him to experience it several times, but Lin Yuan refused.

Recalling his colleagues' excited expressions when talking about commercial KTVs, Lin Yuan could even visualize the scenes inside. He heard there was even something called a 'blackout session.'

“Deliver alcohol? Tell me which commercial KTV allows you to bring your own alcohol?” Song Xiaoxiao said with a slight smile, looking like she knew everything.

“I really… I really haven’t been.”

“No need to explain further. Among all the scoundrels I’ve seen, you don’t even rank.”

“What? Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Of course it’s a compliment, brother. Come,” Song Xiaoxiao stood up and specifically refilled Lin Yuan’s glass of water, “No alcohol today, so I’ll use tea as a substitute and speak frankly with you. Xia Ye is a really good girl. We shared a dorm for four years, and she never even had a boyfriend. She’s a bit simple-minded. So I have to protect her.”

Lin Yuan teased, “So you’re going to be the mother who breaks up the lovebirds?” Of course, Lin Yuan only had some goodwill towards Xia Ye; it hadn’t reached the point where he absolutely had to pursue her.

Song Xiaoxiao put down the teapot, her face showing the clear understanding of someone who had seen much of the world. “It’s not easy for you to deliver food. You really shouldn’t waste your money in places like that. Save some money, marry a wife, and live a good life. There are thousands of girls in the world, please be kind and let Xia Ye go.”

Lin Yuan picked up his water glass, feeling a bit amused. It seemed the other person truly thought he was lusting after beauty and wanted to harm Xia Ye.

Song Xiaoxiao continued, “If you really like Xia Ye’s type, I’ll treat you. I’ll find you a sister, I guarantee you…”

Pfft~~, at that moment, Lin Yuan felt he was still too young.