"Okay." Su Jinning shrugged, looking at his somewhat dejected appearance, and couldn't help but laugh: "About being fired?"
Shen Moyu was somewhat surprised that he had guessed correctly. After thinking for a while, he rolled his eyes, which was a way of admitting it: "It wasn't you who was resigning."
Seeing that his eyes were somewhat unfocused, Su Jinning picked up the serving chopsticks and added some fish balls for him: "I see you like this, should I add some more?"
"No need." Shen Moyu seemed flattered, and his eyes were no longer as unfamiliar as before. He pursed his lips: "I've almost finished eating."
Su Jinning had no choice but to nod, add the last fish ball in, and said, "You did nothing wrong, you don't need to regret this."
The surroundings were noisy, but his words suddenly became clear.
Shen Moyu chewed the fish ball that he had picked up, as if he were chewing on his words.
He knew it wasn't his fault. But this wasn't the first or second time this had happened; he'd been fired from almost every job because of arguments with customers.
He wasn't a good-tempered person, and after working at this noodle shop for so long, he'd learned a lot. But for some reason, he just couldn't take it anymore today.
"I know, but I just feel it's a bit unnecessary." Shen Moyu lowered his eyelashes, his baseball cap completely covering his face.
“There’s nothing unnecessary.” Su Jinning suddenly became serious: “They bullied you first, you don’t need to swallow your anger for the sake of a job.”
Su Jinning felt that repeated forbearance was the least effective approach, and he never forgave anyone who bullied him a second time, no matter what.
Shen Moyu knew he was right, but many things are just born without a reason.
He didn't need to tell him his thoughts; he felt Su Jinning wouldn't understand, and might even find it strange.
"You're right, but some things can't be done without restraint just because you think they're right."
Su Jinning was puzzled for a moment, but she still continued, "I just think it's unreasonable to be cowardly for a lousy job."
Something must have touched a nerve with Shen Moyu. He paused, looking up at Su Jinning's face. His voice deepened: "Do you truly understand what cowardice is?"
Su Jinning frowned.
Shen Moyu looked at Su Jinning's black trench coat, which he couldn't imagine how expensive it was, and suddenly felt a little powerless.
This piece of clothing cost him a month's salary, and he really didn't know how to tell him.
"This is not cowardice, this is the rule."
Perhaps it sounds ridiculous coming from him, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, working in such an inconspicuous noodle shop, he has to know how to endure and clearly calculate the consequences.
But this is not a fair world to begin with, so fairness is not an option in this matter.
But indeed, Su Jinning just didn't understand.
He didn't understand why he had to start working at sixteen or seventeen, nor did he understand why he couldn't directly solve the problem when others bullied him, and he didn't understand why he was so angry about losing a job that was already bad.
But when he saw those dull, watery eyes, he was stunned for a moment.
He couldn't understand the complex emotions in Shen Moyu's eyes, but he felt that the not-so-gentle gaze in those peach blossom eyes was like a torrential downpour, instantly shattering the ten thousand words he wanted to say but couldn't utter.
The two looked at each other, but remained silent. The ringing of a bell in their pocket broke the silence first.
Shen Moyu finally looked away and turned to pick up the phone on the table.
It was his mother calling. He paused for a second, then put down his chopsticks and answered the phone.
The voice softened: "Mom?"
A middle-aged woman's gentle voice came from the other end of the phone: "Moyu, it's raining so hard today, did you forget your umbrella at home?"
Shen Moyu was stunned for a moment, and then a smile finally appeared on her face, which had been stern for a long time, as if she had been comforted: "It's okay, Mom, I didn't get wet in the rain."
Upon hearing this, Su Jinning couldn't help but glance at Shen Moyu, whose clothes were still damp.
He was practically soaked to the bone.
Thinking this, he still added a piece of vegetable leaf and put it in his mouth.
The private room was quiet, and Su Jinning could hear the voice on the phone very clearly.
"Mo Yu, is everything alright at the noodle shop? When are you coming back?" the woman asked on the other end of the phone.
"I..." Shen Moyu hesitated. He pursed his lips, looking at the muddy puddles outside the window and silently clutching the hem of his clothes. After a moment, he laughed: "It's fine, I'll be back soon."
Hearing Shen Moyu's answer, Su Jinning fell silent once again.
He looked at Shen Moyu's forced smile, a smile that seemed less than perfect, as if it were created to conceal something.
Perhaps there are some things he really doesn't understand.
Shen Moyu hung up the phone, sniffed, and took a big gulp of mineral water.
He suppressed his grievances and told himself that maybe things wouldn't be so bad tomorrow.
He put his phone away and finished eating.
"I'm done eating. Thank you for today." Shen Moyu thanked him again.
Su Jinning touched the tip of her nose: "It's nothing, it's what I should do."
Shen Moyu didn't know what to say for a moment, but just glanced at his cheek and said, "Then I'll go back first."
"Hey!" Su Jinning stood up and looked at Shen Moyu, who had walked to the door of the private room. She scratched her head and asked, "I still want to know what your name is. I can't keep calling you something like Fish."
Shen Moyu chuckled softly as she turned around, her voice a little louder: "Shen Moyu."
Su Jinning wrote it down, but she wasn't quite sure which "Mo" and which "Yu" were.
It's just that it seems they won't have any contact again in the future, and he feels it's a pity.
It was a strange encounter, and even though it was absurd, Su Jinning still felt like laughing when she thought about it.
——
When he got home, his mother had already fallen asleep. He took off his soaked work clothes, put on his pajamas, and prepared to rest for a while before doing his homework.
Lying on the bed, he idly opened WeChat and saw a message on the school forum's official account. He clicked on it reflexively.
Then I saw a news article.
[School bully Su Jinning and rising star Shen Moyu team up at a noodle shop to fight off some thugs from No. 8 Middle School on the street! The scene is spectacular!]
He clicked on it in disbelief. One photo showed him fighting with those people in the noodle shop, and the other showed him being taken away by the police. The photos were very clear, enough to make out their faces.
"Su Jinning??" Shen Moyu exclaimed and stood up from his chair.
He's the student who hasn't been in class for more than half a month since the start of the semester.
Is that the school bully they always talk about?