BEAT

Beat: the regular repeated pulsation in music.

◇

With a black backpack hanging from his back, Yang Liu walked slowly toward a place. His eyes usually looked sure and steady, but tonight, the sharp eyes looked unsure and doubtful. His steps usually gave strong pressure on the pavement, but tonight it looked light as a feather, the beats were weak and slow.

Even when the footsteps had stopped moving in front of a building, Yang Liu still looked lost and blank, just like a thin paper that floated confusedly in the air. Only after sighing for a moment, Yang Liu felt a little better and raised his hand to push the glass door in front of him.

As expected, he was welcomed by a sharp glare as soon as he stepped in. The guy's gaze usually looked warm and friendly, but now it looked like it was a knife that pierced his soul mercilessly.

Another thing that had changed from the young guy behind the counter was that he did not wear glasses now. The guy usually looked childish and innocent with his round glasses, but without the ragged thing, the guy looked more mature and gave off a stronger aura.

Trying hard to ignore the brown-haired guy, Yang Liu finally walked to the staff room. He put down his backpack and put on the vest which was his new work attire at the convenience store. Yes, Yang Liu got a part-time job at the convenience store, the same workplace as his classmate Zhou Yongliang. His shift was also the same as Zhou Yongliang, starting from six to ten in the night.

Yang Liu came on time, but his coworker turned out to be earlier. After spending a few minutes getting ready, Yang Liu finally walked out of the staff room. He was wearing a yellow and blue vest wrapped around his blue hoodie.

He walked to the front side of the store, and then he was puzzled; what should he do? He had never worked before. He lived comfortably using his best friend's money, so he didn't have any experience in this field. That was why he was so clueless now. The black-haired youth just stood awkwardly beside the snack shelf.

Zhou Yongliang, who had just finished serving customers at the cashier counter, now glared at Yang Liu. "Hello, Sir. Do you think you are a golden statue in the museum? Do you think you get paid just by standing there to let the customer admiring you?" He asked in a tone full of sarcasm. "No! You are not a golden statue, and no one admiring you here. So, move your lazy ass and work properly!"

Yang Liu was a bit taken aback by the harsh scolding, but he just stared at him blankly as he raised an eyebrow. "What should I do?" He asked in a flat tone.

Zhou Yongliang gave a harsh snort before he left the counter. He picked up two piles of medium-sized cardboard boxes that had been sitting in front of the cashier counter. "Do the easiest of tasks. Arrange these canned drinks on the beverage shelf and also into the refrigerator," he instructed as he handed the boxes.

"I have to put it all in the refrigerator?" The taller boy asked again dumbly.

"You didn't listen to me, did you?" Zhou Yongliang asked back in an annoyed tone. "I said, arrange these canned drinks on the beverage shelf and also into the refrigerator. One box of canned drinks is for the display on the shelf, and another box is put in the refrigerator. Is that too difficult for you to understand? I thought you are the best student at school!"

It was a long conversation for them for the first time, but for some reason, Zhou Yongliang seemed so sensitive and emotional. Perhaps it was caused by the incident that happened at school this morning.

It was obvious that Zhou Yongliang was upset. During his time at school, he was tortured by the pain. Aside from that, he also experienced another torment when he could not see clearly without glasses. He couldn't even read the writings on the whiteboard.

He only regained his clear vision after Huang Bo's brother bought him several packages of contact lenses and advised Zhou Yongliang to just wear contact lenses to make it more convenient. Using glasses was not convenient when he was doing physical activity like sports. For some reason, Zhou Yongliang took the advice.

Actually, Hwang Jihyuk also bought a pair of glasses for him that had a similar design to his broken glasses. Hwang Jihyuk said, "Just wear those glasses at home occasionally."

And Zhou Yongliang obeyed. The handsome man was too kind, after all. Zhou Yongliang was originally wanted to pay for the items with his money, but his intention was rejected by the taller man.

Returning to Yang Liu, the cold guy took over two boxes of drinks from Zhou Yongliang's hands, then headed for the drink shelf. His hand opened the box and arranged the canned drinks on the shelf. The position of the empty shelf was at the bottom, so Yang Liu had to crouch down.

Seeing that Yang Liu had started working properly, Zhou Yongliang finally returned to the back of the counter. Not long after, a young girl entered the store. Zhou Yongliang politely greeted her, and the girl walked over to one of the display shelves.

Zhou Yongliang silently watched the girl and noticed that she spent quite a long time in front of the liquid soap shelf. Feeling that something was off, Zhou Yongliang left the counter and walked over to the girl.

"Excuse me, Miss. Are you looking for something?" The brown-haired guy asked politely.

The girl frowned slightly when Zhou Yongliang asked her, but before long, the girl asked for a brand of soap that could not be found on the liquid soap shelf.

"I apologize, Miss. The supplier of the brand is being constrained by several things so that they can't supply goods to our store at this time," Zhou Yongliang politely explained the situation to the customer.

"Ah, that's why I couldn't find the product." The girl showed a disappointed look. "Thank you for your help, anyway," she continued.

"You're welcome, Miss. If you have trouble finding a product, you can ask my coworker there." Zhou Yongliang pointed at Yang Liu, who was currently arranging canned drinks into the refrigerator.

"Um, I was scared to ask that man. His face looks cold and creepy."

Zhou Yongliang raised his brows at the girl's answer, but he didn't say anything. In the end, the young girl excused herself and did not buy anything because the item she was looking for was not in the store.

After the girl's departure, Zhou Yongliang walked over to Yang Liu, who was still crouched down to arrange drinks in the refrigerator. "You scared the customer," he warned the new worker.

Zhou Yongliang's voice interrupted Yang Liu's activities, but the cold man continued his task. He put three cans of drink into the refrigerator, then stood up and turned to face Zhou Yongliang. Yang Liu silently felt proud because he was taller than the young man in front of him.

"That cold expression of yours, you should leave it for a moment while you are working," the shorter guy spoke up again.

Yang Liu seemed displeased with Zhou Yongliang's criticism. "That's none of your business," he replied coldly.

"It's my business because now you are my coworker. Your performance will affect the customer's assessment of this convenience store," the brown-haired guy tried to explain. "You have to learn how to smile. I can teach you if you want."

This time, Yang Liu changed his expression. No, he still didn't smile, but he smirked. "I don't need your help," he replied as he walked past Zhou Yongliang, deliberately nudged Zhou Yongliang's shoulder a little hard.

Zhou Yongliang could only sigh, and the two of them went back to work without saying anything again. That condition stayed until it was time for them to get off work. Yeah, it was 10 pm already, and their shifts had ended now.

Zhou Yongliang entered the staff room to get his belongings and to take off the vest he was wearing. Once he was inside the staff room, his eyes caught Yang Liu talking with Manager Huang. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he was curious, so he quietly listened while pretending to be busy with his belongings in the staff locker.

"You have only been working for a day, but you are asking for a day off tomorrow?" Manager Huang's voice sounded exasperated.

In front of him, Yang Liu still maintained his cold expression. "I apologize, Manager. But, I really can't work tomorrow. The day after tomorrow I'm willing to work overtime to pay for my absence."

Manager Huang shook his head and said, "How can we let minors work overtime? Even employing you and Zhou Yongliang until 10 PM is risky for us." From his tone, it was clear that Manager Huang was a little disappointed in Yang Liu. "Never mind, just this once I will permit you. Afterward, do a good job and don't disappoint me."

Yang Liu was a bit surprised, but then he gave a small bow as he thanked him. After that, the tall guy excused himself and left the store.

Zhou Yongliang still pretended to be busy with his belongings and pretended not to hear the conversation between the manager and Yang Liu, but in his heart, he had a thousand questions about Yang Liu's absence tomorrow.