Ming Ze paid, thanked Lao Shen, and left the shop with the laptop tucked safely in his bag. His steps were light, but his stomach reminded him of reality-he hadn't eaten all day. The laptop had drained nearly all the savings he'd painstakingly earned through part-time jobs. He needed something cheap.
Across the street, he spotted a small noodle shop with cracked tiles and fading awning. It looked humble and clean but the smell wafting from inside was rich and comforting. He made his way in without hesitation.
Unbeknownst to him, a student lingering near the tech market entrance had been watching. The boy snapped a quick photo of Ming Ze walking into the noodle shop and sent it off with a smug smile.
The message arrived a few seconds later, lighting up the screen of a sleek phone resting on silk sheets.
Ming Yu, lounging lazily on his luxurious bed, opened it with one hand and stared at the image. His lips curled into a sneer.
"So that's where you ended up". he muttered.
The silk sheets rustled as Ming Yu shifted on his bed, propped up against the pillows. He looked at the photo again.
Ming Ze, caught mid step, his expression calm-walking into a dingy noodle shop, dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans, carrying an old backpack. But the camera had caught something else too. The way the light hit his beautiful feature. Even in such a modest setting, he stood out.
Ming Yu stared at the image longer than he meant to, his chest tightening in jealousy. He took a deep breath and smirked. No matter how Ming Ze looked, it didn't matter. Not in this house. His parents and brother barely acknowledge Ming Ze, and when they did, it was with cold tolerance. That was all Ming Yu needed to feel secure.
His fingers moved over the screen, quickly masking envy with concern.
Ming Yu: Thanks for the update. Can you please keep an eye on him for me, okay? I'm just worried. I don't want him getting into trouble when no one's watching.
The words were warm, brotherly. But the cold twist in his heart remained.
Chen Lei: You are so kind, Yu'er. He is just a country bumpkin. Stop wasting your time on him. He is an ungrateful white eyed wolf.
Ming Yu: Stop saying that. He is my brother. Just keep an eye on him. Don't let him see you.
Chen Lei: Got it. I'll be discreet. But stop worrying about him.
Ming Yu tossed the phone onto the bed and smiled to himself.
Worried? Perhaps. But not in the way anyone would think.
.....
The noodle shop was nearly empty, just a few late lunchers scattered around. Ming Ze chose a seat by the window, where he could watch the street. Old habit. He ordered a simple bowl of beef noodles-cheap, filling-and kept his backpack close to his side.
As he slipped the hot broth, a strange prickle ran down his spine. His fingers paused around the chopsticks.
He glanced up casually, pretending to look out the window, but his eyes scanned the reflection in the glass. A boy was sitting at a plastic table across the street, not eating, just scrolling on his phone-but every seconds, his eyes flicked towards the noodle shop.
Ming Ze's expression didn't change, but his grip on the chopsticks tightened.
He recognized the feeling all too well. Being watched. Followed.
In his past life, it had started the same way-quiet eyes behind corners, footsteps a little too steady behind him. And then it had escalated.
Ming Ze observed the boy through the reflection, something clicked.
That face.
Chen Lei.
One of Ming Yu's loyal lackeys. Chen Lei has always been the one lurking at the edges, running errands, delivering gossip, and snitching like a dog eager for scraps of approval form Ming Yu.
Ming Ze knew it was Ming Yu who asked Chen Lei to follow him.
Ming Ze stood slowly, brushing invisible dust from his hoodie, the dropped his chopsticks into the empty bowl. As he walked out of the shop, he didn't look directly at Chen Lei but his shadow passed right over the boy's table.
Chen Lei flinched slightly, pretending to look at his phone. Ming Ze walked past him without pause.
But just before he turned around the corner, he glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with Chen Lei for a split second.
It lasted less than a second, but something in that look froze the air in Chen Lei's lungs.
Knowing.
Cold, restrained, and sharp like a blade still in its sheath.
Ming had seen him. Not just seen-understood.
Chen Lei sat frozen, staring blankly at his phone even after Ming Ze disappeared from view. A bead of sweat tolled down the back of his neck. For a long moment, he couldn't move.
The message to Ming Yu sat half typed in the chat box.
His thumb hovered over the send button... then pulled away.
Instead, he locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket. "Tch", he muttered, standing up too quickly. "What's he even looking smug for? Acting like some drama lead just 'cause he has a half decent face."
"Whatever. Bet he's too broke to even afford a drink with those noodles."
Chen Lei stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked off, trying to shake off the image of Ming Ze's eyes.
'It's just nerves, he told himself. Nothing special. He's just good at pretending.
But no matter how much he sneered, the chill stayed with him.