The Slacker Academic Always Gets Caught (SLACKER)
It happened to be the time when the household staff were having dinner, so Chi Ning didn’t bother the chauffeur and instead took a taxi to the storefront at No. 26 Yongning Road.
The pool hall had a sizable front, with a conspicuous price list displayed at the entrance: 20 yuan per hour, which was already considered expensive.
Chi Ning lifted the drooping PVC soundproof curtain at the glass door and pushed inside. A wave of cool air rushed over him, dispelling the summer heat.
The hall was quiet, with only hushed conversations and the occasional muffled laughter. The sound of billiard balls colliding stood out starkly.
The owner, sitting behind the counter polishing walnuts, called out, “Hey, handsome, first time here? What’re you standing around for?”
Chi Ning turned to look at him.
The owner froze.
In business, harmony brings wealth—calling someone “handsome” was just polite small talk. But today, he’d actually stumbled upon the real deal.
The young man before him was clearly someone who’d been doted on. Though a bit thin, his demeanor was unmistakable.
A delicate balance of innocence and the steadiness unique to adults coexisted in him.
Most striking were those pure, bright eyes beneath long lashes. Standing under the relatively bright lights at the entrance, he looked like a little sprite that had wandered out of the mountains.
The owner stopped polishing his walnuts. “My surname’s Xu. You can call me Brother Xu.”
Xu Jiahao, clad in a floral shirt and a gold chain around his neck, instinctively softened his voice. “Looking for someone, or here to play?”
“To play.” Chi Ning absentmindedly reached for money, but when his gaze caught the VIP membership process on the counter, he put the 20-yuan bill back and pulled out 300 instead. “I’ll get a membership card.”
“You need an ID to sign up. You’re not of age, are you?”
“I have an ID.” Chi Ning pulled his resident ID card from his wallet’s inner pocket.
Since middle school, he’d been traveling all over for competitions, both abroad and domestically, so he’d had his ID for years.
Xu Jiahao stole glances at the ID photo while processing the card.
In all his life, he’d never seen someone—let alone a guy—look so good in an ID photo. He was even more striking than the young celebrity singing on TV.
Damn, was he actually gay?
Was this the reason he was still single at thirty-five?
With a world-weary expression, Xu Jiahao handed the blue-black membership card to Chi Ning. “300 yuan’s loaded in. How many hours do you want? Playing Chinese Nine-ball, American Pool, or Snooker?”
In his past life, Chi Ning’s world had revolved around experiments. It had never occurred to him that “pool” was just an umbrella term. “What’s the difference?”
Xu Jiahao stared at him, stunned. After a moment, he rummaged under the counter, pulled out a brochure, and tossed it over. “It’s all in there. Go sit somewhere and read it yourself.”
Chi Ning picked it up and sat at the bar, flipping through the over-20-page promotional booklet.
Just as he turned to the tournament introduction section, two unexpected figures walked through the door.
It was Zhang Qiuwen and Qin Heng, both dressed in brand-new suits, looking surprisingly presentable.
Chi Ning absentmindedly turned another page while pricking up his ears.
Zhang Qiuwen stood properly before the counter, none of his usual slouching demeanor from daytime visible, speaking somewhat awkwardly: "Brother Xu, we're here."
"Hmm." Xu Jiahao glanced at their outfits. "Now that's more like it. Even part-timers should dress decently, or people might think I'm running some shabby operation. If the suits are too small, let me know—I'll reimburse you for larger ones."
Zhang Qiuwen seemed at a loss for words and looked helplessly at Qin Heng.
Qin Heng responded with perfectly measured politeness, neither obsequious nor arrogant: "Thank you, Boss Xu."
Boss Xu said, "Come here. Today I'll teach you how to set up tables."
The two walked past Chi Ning at the bar without so much as a glance, standing obediently by the boss to learn the procedures.
Their positions shifted until they were facing each other.
Chi Ning's gaze stealthily crept over the top of his booklet, settling on Qin Heng.
The suit wasn't made of good material—nothing compared to the bespoke tailoring the CEO Qin of his past life usually wore. On the young man's not-yet-fully-developed frame, it made him appear somewhat slender. Even the habitual fierceness between his brows seemed tempered by this formal attire.
Chi Ning studied him thoughtfully.
If Qin Heng had only lied about which school he attended, that might still be forgivable.
After all, Class 18 of No.1 High School didn't exactly have a stellar reputation.
As the worst-performing Blue Sky Class in this prestigious high school, it was mostly filled with government-subsidized students from impoverished families, some with intellectual or physical disabilities.
The government allocated 50,000 yuan to each school to ensure these children—who otherwise couldn't afford education—could complete high school, creating some political achievements before abandoning them to their fate.
If the future CEO Qin had fudged his academic background for a prettier resume, that was somewhat understandable.
As long as he remained upstanding.
This thought had barely formed when Xu Jiahao said, "I hired you because you're good at fighting. Know why I need people who can fight?"
Qin Heng remained silent while Zhang Qiuwen shook his head.
"A good environment needs enforcement." Xu Jiahao's expression turned inscrutable. "Gangnan area is full of shady characters—small-time gangsters and people involved in illicit businesses. You can't survive here without knowing how to handle yourself."
He pointed at the rules posted behind him.
Fifteen in total, including the no-smoking policy.
"Memorize these. If customers violate them, politely remind them once. If they don't comply, escort them out. I don't care who you ran with before—now that you're with me, stay in line and learn the rules."
Boss Xu paused before adding, "Be smart with solo customers—ask if they want a Playing Partner. Ten yuan per hour, you keep the earnings. If they decline, don't push. You're adults now..."
Chi Ning's mind buzzed as the rest of the words faded into white noise.
He wasn't so naive as to miss Xu Jiahao's carrot-and-stick approach, nor the implications of lacing every word.
Even phrases like "who you ran with"...
Staring at the gold chain around Boss Xu's neck, Chi Ning found the words in the booklet blurring into double vision.
Qin Heng in his youth hadn't just been some ordinary troublemaker.
He actually got the real deal.
Fortunately, Xu Jiahao seemed like a decent guy, unlikely to do anything as extreme as murder and robbery—at most, just some smuggling. Judging by his demeanor, the businesses under him had probably all been legitimized, and he was on the verge of retirement.
Chi Ning was so angry he felt dizzy.
Boss Xu said Qin Heng and Zhang Qiuwen were adults.
Qin Heng was actually an adult?
In his past life, that guy had told him they were only a year apart. He was 16 now, so Qin Heng should have been 17.
A complete liar!
The only thing real about him was that handsome face.
All that talk about being a model youth and an exemplary student was fake!
He even claimed the meals he brought were homemade. Looking back, that might not have been true either.
After all, they always met near the lab. Who knew if Qin Heng had cooked those meals himself or just had a chef prepare them and packed them in a lunchbox to fool him?
Ha!
Chi Ning let out a short, cold laugh in his heart.
A CEO with a packed schedule—how could he possibly have time to cook for him personally? And yet, he had actually believed it! He’d even seriously considered giving Qin Heng a chance.
What a joke!
No.
Wait.
Thinking more carefully, he might have just been too moved by those "fake meals" and too lonely at the time, craving someone’s company. It wasn’t necessarily love—just that Qin Heng had seemed like a good fit back then.
But it didn’t matter now.
His whole family was alive, and he wasn’t lonely at all.
Chi Ning consoled himself and gradually calmed down. As his vision refocused, the words on the brochure no longer appeared blurry, reading smoothly and clearly.
"...The prize money for the Nine-Ball China Open is $40,000, the American Pool China Open is $50,000, and the Snooker China Open is £85,000, equivalent to $105,000.
Other private tournaments are settled based on sponsor contributions, with no fixed amount."
Chi Ning quickly calculated the funds needed to set up his personal lab based on the prize money listed in the brochure, and the last remnants of his anger faded away.
Assuming he won the championship, he’d need to participate in the Snooker China Open twice to fully equip the lab.
Love?
Nothing but an obstacle.
Chi Ning calmly set down the brochure and said to Boss Xu, "Set up a Snooker table for two hours."
Xu Jiahao stood up, pulling Zhang Qiuwen by the shoulder and pushing him toward the computer. "Come on, I just taught you. Show me how to do it."
Only then did Zhang Qiuwen realize who had spoken, momentarily forgetting his fear of the boss as he exclaimed cheerfully, "Wow, Second Young Master Chi, you actually came?"
Chi Ning frowned. "Just call me by my name."
Xu Jiahao gave Chi Ning another glance.
I hadn’t noticed earlier, but now that I think about it, Chi isn’t a common surname. In Yangcheng, there’s only one prominent family with that name. He didn’t pay much attention to high society, so he hadn’t recognized it immediately.
Who would’ve thought the two guys he casually recruited would have such connections?
Xu Jiahao asked offhandedly, “Are you friends?”
Qin Heng was about to speak when Chi Ning cut in first, “No, just a passing acquaintance.”
Qin Heng raised an eyebrow, then closed his mouth without saying anything.
Earlier in the day, Chi Ning had walked up to him, smiling before even speaking—sweet and amiable. But the moment he learned Qin Heng wasn’t a student from Gangnan International High School, his demeanor turned cold and distant.
Qin Heng lowered his gaze, recalling the customer who had later approached him holding two hundred yuan.
That person wasn’t one of the regulars who bought bayberry juice from him. He remembered every paying customer, and that face was entirely unfamiliar.
It was strange—someone who had never bought a single bottle of bayberry juice suddenly purchasing an entire crate.
Suspicious, Qin Heng followed the man for a short distance and saw him board a silver-gray business van. Through the window, he spotted Chi Ning in the back seat.
It was Chi Ning who had made the purchase, likely worried that standing too long would aggravate his injury, so he bought everything in one go.
But Qin Heng knew Chi Ning had a bit of a cleanliness obsession—he would never drink from recycled bottles others had used. So where did all that bayberry juice end up?
At this thought, Qin Heng’s mind suddenly stalled.
How did he know such a personal detail about Chi Ning?
It was as if it had been etched into his soul from the start.
But never mind, it didn’t matter. Someone like Chi Ning, a pampered young master, probably just took a passing fancy out of curiosity and kindness. He’d disappear soon enough.
Disappearing would be for the best.
Qin Heng glanced at Chi Ning and noticed his gaze fixed intently on Zhang Qiuwen’s side. Before his brain could catch up, his tongue moved on its own: “Need a playing partner?”
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