"Yuriko..."

After typing just three characters, Leng Shuang’s fingers trembled slightly. A flicker of conflict crossed his eyes—but he steeled his resolve and sent the rejection to Higashikawa Yuriko.

"Yuriko, I’m sorry. I already like someone else. I hope you can forget me and find someone better."

The moment he hit send, Leng Shuang closed his eyes and let out a regretful sigh.

A heavy weight lingered in his chest, stubbornly refusing to fade.

But when he opened his eyes—a red exclamation mark glared from the screen.

*"The other party has deleted you as a friend..."*

Huh?

Leng Shuang froze.

She confessed to me… then deleted me?

Just one or two days later? Why?

Could it be… she’s already moved on?

He scratched his head, recalling Yu Mo’s words from yesterday: *“Did you see anyone else?”*

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He shot to his feet.

Did Yuriko see me on a date with Lin Mo?!

He walked to the window. Cicadas chirped their summer protests—but he didn’t mind the noise.

"If she really saw me with Lin Mo…"

Deleting me would make sense.

*Sigh.*

The sigh melted into the scorching summer air, carried away by the breeze.

Yet the tangled melancholy in Leng Shuang’s heart refused to loosen.

---

"Eh?! Only been a few days and you’re already hunting part-time jobs? Haven’t even finished relaxing~"

Inside the room, Yu Mo lounged beneath the whirring fan, voice laced with surprise.

"The Gaokao’s over. Honestly, I’ve had no clue what to do. Might as well earn cash and replace this junk first." Leng Shuang waved his cracked-screen phone.

"Uh…"

Yu Mo pulled out his own battered secondhand phone—screen equally shattered.

"Well, I thought we’d wait till we got the subsidy to swap phones."

"Why are you *always* fixated on the subsidy?"

"What choice do I have? My mom’s a total tightwad—she’d sell me if she could. Hoping she’d soften up and buy me a phone? Easier said than done… These days, the mandatory subsidy’s basically Sakura Country’s coming-of-age gift for guys."

Receiving it meant adulthood. Moms could "retire with honor," handing sons off to society.

That subsidy was the sole safety net after leaving maternal shelter.

No income later? Work or marry.

Marrying a woman was the smoothest path: stay home as a househusband, care for your wife well, and earn freedom.

Of course—it hinged entirely on her wealth. Only a rich wife granted real liberty.

Hence, in this world, men always sought to "marry up."

Nothing wrong with that—but status mattered. Don’t demand perfection while offering nothing: six-figure salary, 180cm height, movie-star looks, tolerance for your tantrums…

Yeah. Way too high.

"I’ll wait till exam results come out before applying for the subsidy…" Leng Shuang’s cheeks flushed.

"Hehe~ Don’t think I don’t know—you’re waiting for Lin Mo to get her acceptance letter, lock things down with her, *then* apply. Right?"

"You—"

Seeing Yu Mo’s sly grin, Leng Shuang opened his mouth, words failing. He just shot him a glare.

(He’d planned to handle the subsidy with Yu Mo before… but now Lin Mo was his girlfriend. Easier to ask her.)

"Sigh… You’ve got a girlfriend. I don’t. How ‘bout…" Yu Mo sighed dramatically, then smirked. "You help *me* out~"

"Huh?!"

Leng Shuang’s eyes widened. His flawless face burned crimson. "Get lost!!"

"Hahahaha!"

Yu Mo’s carefree laughter filled the room, lightening the mood instantly.

"No big deal! Yesterday after the amusement park, two guys skipped the machine—they *helped each other* and scored a 10,000-yuan subsidy. Made me green with envy!"

"I almost did it too… waited for you. Shame you’re counting on Lin Mo. I’ve been betrayed."

Yu Mo’s laughter softened into a theatrical, mournful sigh.

"I’m *not* doing ‘boy help boy’ with you. Go find a girlfriend—plenty chase you."

"Chasers? Please. Rotten apples. Makes me nauseous."

"Well…" Leng Shuang raised an eyebrow. "Don’t say that outside."

"Hehe, obviously not. Only you see my true colors." Yu Mo shrugged. "Oh! You wanted part-time work? Yesterday I spotted listings—daily pay, hiring guys: convenience store, supermarket attendant, restaurant server, bubble tea shop, internet cafe manager… Most pay 150–200 a day. No heavy labor."

He ticked options off his fingers.

Without graduation certs, they couldn’t enter Sakura City proper—only suburbs. But suburban Sakura rivaled downtown elsewhere. Decent pay. Plus, gender bias helped: for gender-neutral roles, guys earned ~20% more. Male faces drew more customers.

"Which suits me?"

"If you’re lazy and tolerate smoke—internet cafe. Want more cash? Supermarket cashier. Me? Bubble tea shop. Free lunch, free drinks, scroll videos on breaks. Flexible. Good pay."

Yu Mo answered instantly—he’d clearly compared everything already.

"Deal. Bubble tea shop. Together."

"Yep. I’ll call the owner today. Practice tomorrow, then start."

Yu Mo dialed.

"Hello, shop owner? It’s the guy from yesterday. Brought you another handsome recruit—*way* better-looking than me! Fair skin, sharp features, long legs… full oppa package. Don’t forget my commission~"

Leng Shuang’s expression twisted.

"Yu Mo! You *sold* me?!"

"Hahaha! What are brothers *for*~"