Chapter 1: Selling Lamb Skewers
As night fell, Yang Chen cleaned up his stall and pushed his single-wheeled cart back to his shabby rented apartment. The building had stood for many years, and the rent was only a 100 yuan（17dollars） per month, which was so cheap because no one lived there. Yang Chen wasn't worried about the building collapsing, and since it was so affordable, he decided to move in.
The furnishings in Yang Chen's room were very simple, almost all secondhand items that he had found outside - a bed, a cabinet, a chair, and a TV that could only receive one channel. After pushing the items from his cart into his small room, Yang Chen looked at the calendar on the wall, calculated the date, and suddenly remembered something, so he immediately ran into the bathroom.
Less than five minutes later, he had taken a cold shower and walked out of the bathroom naked. His skin was a healthy wheat color, and his figure was well-proportioned, with each muscle not particularly prominent, but upon closer inspection, one could sense a hidden masculine beauty.
Walking to the large wooden cabinet by the bed, Yang Chen anxiously ran his wet hair and looked at the messy clothes inside. He finally picked out a few pieces and put on a beige shirt and lightweight linen pants. He still wore his plastic slippers on his feet.
After leaving the apartment, Yang Chen headed straight for the busiest commercial street in the western district, which was also the only decent street in the rundown area, known as "Bar Street". The colorful nightlife was already in full swing, with women in all kinds of colorful dresses and fragrances. As soon as he entered the Bar Street, he was swept up in the city's atmosphere.
Unlike other young people who either blatantly ogled or sneakily peeked at the white thighs of women on the street, Yang Chen walked straight to the entrance of a bar called "ROSE". The neon sign of the bar wasn't very dazzling, and it was just a medium-sized bar with a hint of ambiguity, with multicolored rose-shaped lights on the advertising board.
After entering the bar, Yang Chen walked smoothly along the edge and sat down in the corner near the bar counter. "Chen Ge, you're here," said the young bartender in a black suit vest. He flashed a warm smile at Yang Chen and handed him a glass of water. "Rose Sister has been waiting for you for a long time."
Yang Chen smiled and took the glass, drinking a sip of water. "Is Sister Rose angry? I'm sorry I'm late, I had to go home first."
"Don't worry, she's not angry at all," Xiao Zhao replied with a round face. The pimples on her face seemed to be smiling too. She whispered to Yang Chen, "Brother Chen, can you teach me your ways? You're the only one who managed to woo our boss, Sister Rose. You know, there are plenty of men interested in her in this city. But in all these years, she's never been so invested in a man before. Today, she asked me five times if you were coming..."
"Don't talk nonsense, Xiao Zhao. Sister Rose and I don't have as much going on as you think," Yang Chen replied helplessly.
Xiao Zhao had a "I won't believe you even if you kill me" expression, then sighed. "Ah... Brother Chen, you really have a way with being cold. You managed to win over Sister Rose, who is so beautiful and attractive. Which man wouldn't want to stick to her all day long? But you... you only come once in a blue moon and make her wait for you. You know, they say the things you can't get are the best. This applies to women too..."
Just as Xiao Zhao was showing off her skills as a love guru, a gentle and seductive voice interrupted her from behind. "Xiao Zhao, how many times do I have to deduct your salary?"
Xiao Zhao seemed to have been struck by lightning and froze. When she came back to her senses, she quickly moved to one side and continued to pretend to be seriously making drinks, as if nothing had happened. However, the cold sweat on her forehead betrayed her fear.
A young woman in a modern and gorgeous cheongsam walked over. Her full chest and slender waist were complemented by her delicate and porcelain-like face, and a few strands of light purple hair hung from her shoulders. She was a painting come to life.
Yang Chen smiled, meeting the woman's gaze without embarrassment. He sincerely said, "Sister Rose, you're so beautiful. Happy birthday."