"Excuse me. Where is Harker Jones?"
Kian was too busy playing on his gameboy. He was shocked and wondered why this Asian goddess was approaching him.
But then he heard Harker's name, and his shoulders slumped again. Of courrsseee….
"Harker's just right here, tying his shoelaces." Kian went back to his game.
Xi Hua heard a chuckle. "Ah, Kian. You won't get girls by acting cool around them when you actually want to get their number, you know~"
Kian reddened and walked away. "T-That's not how it is at all! I'm just busy playing Titris, I'm about to beat my high score! I'll finish it in the bathroom, you take over for now!"
"Right, right." Harker rolled his eyes as he continued fiddling with his shoelaces.
Xi Hua peered over at him. "Wow…. That's really big and long."
"Huh?" Harker blinked. "Oh, you mean the shoelaces. Yep, I made them myself and made the holes on my shoes bigger."
"What for?" Xi Hua asked, her chest hitting the counter even when she leans down ever so slightly.
Harker looked up. "Well, I always lose my shoes for some reason. So I just tie the end of my shoelaces into an Alpine butterfly knot like so…."
He demonstrated his weird shoe lacing technique. "Then, I pull the ends of my shoelaces all the way up to my waist, and use my belt to secure the loops like so…. And voila! Problem solved!"
Xi Hua blinked. "Um…. You went through all that trouble because you keep losing your shoe? Can't you just buy a new one?"
"Haha! I always plan to every payday, but then I have to buy medicine for Chloe and Dad, pay our hospital debt, pay for the repair of our leaky roof, yada yada yada. And before you know it, all my money's gone POOF!"
"I see…. How about you ask Roland? You seem like very good friends, just buying you a pair of Nykes must be nothing—"
"Hah, no way." Harker snorted. "I don't leech off my friends, we already owe the Fausts WAY too much. And the shoes are in perfectly good condition too. I'm fine using my secret technique."
Xi Hua frowned. Harker recognized that look.
"You must think I'm pretty weird, eh?" He laughed. "I'm damn used to it. People often wonder if I have a few screws loose in the head. They always get it twisted."
Xi Hua shook her head. "No, I think that makes you pretty unique. Plus I like it, it adds a flair to your outfit."
"Hahaha! That's true…."
Harker and Xi Hua just stared at each other for a while, smiling.
"Is the girl still not done ordering yet? We're starving here!" More customers came and interrupted this moment.
Harker straightened up. "Oh right, right. Well, what can I get for you, Xi Hua?"
"I'd take whatever you recommend." Xi Hua said, twirling a stray hair strand.
"Tough luck, coz I never actually tried any of the burgers here." Harker said. "I just know that all of 'em must be greasy since Boss Bob cooks them with oil reused from frying pork fat. Then, he reused the same oil all over again for the next batch of patties, then the next, then the next. Says it adds to the flavor."
Harker may seem to be saying too much information randomly, but…..
He was actually testing Xi Hua's reaction. He can't date a choosy girl because he's too poor to afford fancy, high-quality stuff.
But all she said was. "Is that so? I haven't tried that before. I wanted to see if there really was a change in the taste."
Harker felt relieved. "So you're not a picky eater, huh?"
"I'm not, haha! I eat everything. I especially LOVE meat."
"A fellow carnivore! That's why I got a good feeling about you." Harker chuckled. "Well, if you wanna go all out, you can just order the Tower of Doom by the Yellow River."
"Tower of…. Huh?"
"It's a 10-layer burger with a long cheese platter to dip it in." Harker explained.
Xi Hua rubbed her chin. "I see. I'm surprised you used the Yellow River. It's actually a very important and symbolic river in China, and considered both a blessing and curse."
Harker was genuinely interested. "Really? How so?"
Xi Hua was pleased by his interest. "Huang He was our Mother River, our cradle of civilization. But also our Sorrow, as it causes many floods and deaths. It's where I was—"
"Can you two lovebirds chitchat later!?" An old man said. "I want my burger, dammit!"
"Aight, Old Hugo! Don't get your diapers on a twist." Harker chuckled and turned to Xi Hua. "I'll talk to you some more once I bring the Tower to your table."
She smiled. "Ok. I'll wait for you there."
Harker can't help but feel hopeful about this one. Their personalities really clicked, as Xi Hua was not like the other rich girls he had met. They're both people that were not as they seem at first glance.
Her flowery scent spread around much more than an air freshener. It can make everyone feel happy and relaxed. Even the grouchy customers like Old Hugo were being calmer than usual with her holding the line. Some even started to have a conversation with her, wearing smiles on their faces.
It's just very easy to like Xi Hua.
Once the order was done, Harker insisted on carrying it himself. But as he did so….
He remembered that she came here with Roland in the first place.
"Roland and I will be sharing this, thanks." Xi Hua smiled. "Hmm, but it is much bigger than I thought…."
"How about you join us? I can excuse you to your manager."
He turned to Roland, who was keeping quiet this whole time. The blond boy just observed the both of them.
Roland was the one guy he can't read despite knowing him for years. He always maintained a calm poker face. Was he quiet because he's upset?
Even if Harker feels like Xi Hua may be a cool girl…..
He can't upset Roland. They've been best friends since childhood, and his family has gratitude and respect for the Fausts.
"No, it's fine." He forced another smile. "I gotta finish my shift anyway—"
"Xi Hua's right. Your shift is almost over, so why not let Kian handle it?" Roland smiled. "There's not much customers around this time anyway."
Harker was ecstatic, but hid his excitement. "Really? Well, if you guys insist…."
They all ate the burger together and talked some more. Harker sat beside Xi Hua while Roland sat in front of them, alone. He barely spoke and was focused on his food.
'He doesn't look upset', Harker thought. 'So maybe it was fine after all.'
Once the meal was finished, Roland suddenly brought up: "By the way, Xi Hua transferred midterm so she's having trouble catching up with Biochemistry. She asked me for help, but I study Law. You're taking Biochem courses too, right?"
Harker blinked. "Yeah…. Coz I'm taking Biotechnology and Genetics."
"Really? I'm taking Medical Technology, so our courses are kinda similar." She smiled. "Maybe you could tutor me, then."
"Harker is very smart and I've seen him tutor his own siblings before. I'm sure he could be a good tutor for you too." Roland said.
"Is that true, Harker?" Xi Hua turned to him. "Will you be willing to tutor me?"
Roland gave Harker a wink while Xi Hua wasn't looking.
Kian was wrong after all! Since the start, Roland had been playing Cupid for the both of them! Harker felt touched by his friend's efforts and wanted to jump at the offer…..
But he reconsidered when he remembered his tight schedule.
"I'm not so sure…. I still have to attend classes and work here, then take care of my family—
"I'll pay you 1000 dollars per session." Xi Hua said quickly.
He blinked.
"One….. One thousand dollars!???"
And so it was a close deal. Harker would tutor Xi Hua at a hotel this Saturday night, for 1000 dollars*.
Little did he know that he could have lost his life for a thousand dollars.
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A/N: This was the 90s and so 1000 US dollars at that time would be worth 1,856.76 dollars today, almost double the amount. To those who aren't aware, costs inflates over time. So you can buy things for a much 'lower' price in the past compared to today.
Just keep in mind to add 85% or just double the costs mentioned here when dealing with monetary values.