Outside the training school, the old director of the welfare home stood at the entrance, peering inside.
"Teacher, why didn't you come upstairs to find me directly? Please, have a seat in my office for a while." Xie Youlin, who was about to leave work, happened upon the scene.
The old director quickly shook his head. "I won't go up. I came to find Xiao Yun. They said Xiao Yun wasn't here, and I didn't know if you were at school. I thought I'd just wait and see."
Xie Youlin helped the old director. "Xiao Yun doesn't have classes today, so she's not at school. Teacher, what is it you need her for?"
The old director took out a file bag from his bag. It looked quite old, and the original yellowish-brown cover had faded from the sun.
As he took it out, the old director said, "I'm planning to move in with my daughter. When I was tidying up my home, I found this bag."
"Seeing the bag made me remember. This was given to me by the man who brought Xiao Yun here back then. I thought it might be something related to Xiao Yun. It's my fault, too; so many years have passed, and I've completely forgotten about it. Now that Xiao Yun has left the welfare home, I should return it to her."
Xie Youlin took the bag and weighed it curiously. "I'll deliver it to her for you. Xiao Yun will surely be happy when she knows."
"That's great. Xiao Yun never told me where she lives now. If you hadn't told me she was still working as a sign language teacher for you, I wouldn't have been able to find her! This child is always so alone; it makes me worry!" A hint of worry showed on the old director's face.
Xie Youlin forced a smile to appease the old director. He knew where Mo Qingyun lived and that she was still working as a waitress at the bar, but he couldn't tell the old director, as it would only make him worry more.
Xie Youlin said with a smile, "Xiao Yun lives in a remote place. Even if I told you where, it might be inconvenient for you to visit her."
The old director patted Xie Youlin's hand, hoping he would look out for Xiao Yun.
"Actually, if you can stay in touch with Xiao Yun, I'll be half relieved. You're a good child; please help Xiao Yun more in the future."
Xie Youlin nodded in response. "Don't worry, Teacher. Xiao Yun is my family. I'll take good care of her."
***
Even after Ou Yunchen left Athena, rumors about him never ceased in the bar.
The gossip about him had now shifted from how he pleased customers to how he managed to leave unscathed.
Waiter A: "Did you hear? Brother Yunchen has completely fallen out with Sister Hong!"
Waiter B: "Huh? What happened? Tell us quickly, how did it go down?"
Waiter A: "I'm telling you guys, but you're not allowed to betray me, okay!"
Waiter C: "Definitely, definitely. Hurry and tell us!"
Waiter A: "Sister Hong's rule is that bartenders are not allowed to have private contact with VIP clients..."
Waiter B: "And then?"
Waiter A: "It seems Brother Yunchen was... taken care of privately by a customer!"
Waiter C: "What the hell! No way? That's a huge taboo!"
Waiter B: "Which customer was it?"
Waiter A: "I only heard about it. It was that customer who came a few times, and Sister Hong always entertained her personally!"
Waiter C: "I remember her. Mrs. Su... Mrs. Su! I heard Ou Yunchen call her that!"
Male Bartender D: "I remember now. The first time this customer came, Sister Hong told all of us to show up!"
The male bartenders and waiters looked at each other, their faces filled with a knowing understanding.
Waiter A: "Now that you all know, it's said that Brother Yunchen had quite a bit of private contact with Mrs. Su. Everything that should have happened, surely did, which is why Mrs. Su took him away!"
Waiter B: "Then how did Sister Hong find out?"
Waiter A: "Are you stupid? She must have been discovered secretly. Mrs. Su directly made an offer, paying a sum to buy Brother Yunchen out!"
The male bartenders gasped. This wasn't impossible in their profession. Good bartenders were like pandas in the industry; for someone of Ou Yunchen's caliber, it was normal for people to poach him constantly, let alone every few days!
Waiter A: "So, think about it, Sister Hong had invested heavily in Brother Yunchen. When her star attraction left, wouldn't Sister Hong be angry?!"
Waiter C: "Tsk tsk tsk, Brother Yunchen is really amazing. He's hooked up with such a rich woman, and he won't have to serve other customers anymore! Why don't we have such luck?"
Waiter B: "If you were bolder and willing to sell your charm, maybe you could do it too!"
They started speaking sarcastically. While they appeared to be genuinely congratulating and envying Ou Yunchen, in reality, they wished they could drag him through the mud. In short, no kind words were spoken.
Mo Qingyun, who was cleaning nearby, overheard their conversation. However, she didn't believe a word of it. Just as they could slander Ou Yunchen today, tomorrow they could form alliances and badmouth others because someone snatched a customer from Ou Yunchen.
Seeing them get more animated, Mo Qingyun grabbed a rag and squeezed into their midst, vigorously wiping the coffee table. When she saw they had no intention of stopping, she vigorously shook the rag in front of them, flinging dust everywhere and making the male bartenders cough.
Bartender A: "What are you doing! Waving your rag around here! Look at my freshly styled hair!"
Bartender B: "Exactly, you got my shirt dirty! So annoying!"
Bartender C: "Let's go, let's go, it's time to work!"
With Mo Qingyun's interference, the gossips dispersed. Mo Qingyun put away the rag, looking at the group of greasy, perfumed men. She became even more certain that Ou Yunchen would never be like them. Those people, while complaining about their work environment, were unwilling to escape or change!
The surroundings suddenly became quiet. Mo Qingyun surprisingly missed the grumpy-faced guy on her phone.
It had been quite some time since she had seen any updates from Ou Yunchen. He seemed to have started a new company in Swartz. His most recent WeChat Moments post was about his company's logo design proposals.
Perhaps Mo Qingyun would never see Ou Yunchen again, as he had started a new life.
"Xiao Yun, are you busy?"
A Ming, a waiter who walked over, saw Mo Qingyun staring blankly at her phone. Mo Qingyun quickly put her phone in her pocket and took out a pen and paper, writing, "Not busy."
"That's great. I need a favor."
Mo Qingyun was very helpful. She didn't have many friends here, and A Ming, the waiter, was her closest friend.
Perhaps it was also because A Ming always followed Ou Yunchen around that Mo Qingyun subconsciously felt A Ming was a reliable person.
"Can you help me deliver this to my girlfriend?" A Ming pleaded.
Mo Qingyun took the thermos bottle from A Ming's hand and pointed.
"I made brown sugar water for her. She said she's been feeling unwell lately," A Ming said, scratching his head, a little embarrassed.
Mo Qingyun nodded and then wrote, "Wouldn't it be better if you delivered it to her yourself?"
A Ming said awkwardly, "She said she doesn't want to see me, and it's inconvenient for me to go there. Could you go for me?"
Mo Qingyun wrote, "Don't worry, I'll make sure it gets to her!"
"Be careful on your way!" A Ming called out, watching Mo Qingyun's retreating back.
Speaking of A Ming's girlfriend, Mo Qingyun had met her a few times and happened to know about her.
His girlfriend worked as a hostess at the small bar next door, her name was Apple.
A Ming had mentioned that once, when Apple was drunk and couldn't get a taxi, A Ming happened to be passing by and gave her a ride home.
It was like that, that two lonely souls came together.
A Ming had repeatedly tried to persuade Apple to quit her job, saying he could work an extra shift to support her. However, it seemed that their significant differences often led to arguments, and they were now in a cold war.
Mo Qingyun, carrying the thermos bottle, arrived at the bar next door. Unlike Athena, this place operated in the opposite way of Athena in terms of receiving guests.
Mo Qingyun stood at the entrance for a while, looking at the beautifully dressed, even slightly sexy hostesses standing at the door. She looked as plain as a roadside weed, but that was good; it would prevent her from being targeted by guests looking for pleasure.
Mo Qingyun watched for a while and didn't see Apple. She had written a note beforehand and approached a hostess waiting for a customer, handing it to her to read.
"Apple? I saw her go to the back alley just now. It seemed someone was waiting for her there," the hostess said, looking at Mo Qingyun with a hint of confusion.
After thanking her, Mo Qingyun quickly ran towards the bar's back alley.