Chapter 4 I Was His Secret Crush

His voice wasn't loud or soft, but it struck Andy like a thunderclap, suddenly waking her up.

She remembered what she had said to Charlie last night when she came here.

- "Sorry, this is a proper bar."

- "Well, that's quite a shame."

"..."

Andy slightly pressed her lips together, and a sense of embarrassment overwhelmed her.

Fortunately, the surrounding noise was loud, so the bartender didn't hear Charlie's words and was only puzzled, saying, "Hey, what are you doing?" Then, he pointed at the drawer and raised his voice, "Did you see the bracelet that was put here?"

Upon hearing this, Charlie glanced at it lightly.

The bartender explained, "This customer lost a bracelet last night while she was here. Jack found it, and I-"

He paused, then corrected himself, "You were the one who put it away."

Charlie sat on the high stool and lazily hummed in acknowledgment.

The bartender asked, "Where did you put it?"

Charlie withdrew his gaze, looking indifferent, "Never seen it."

"..."

The bartender was taken aback, seemingly speechless by Charlie's erratic behavior.

At that moment, two young women came to the bar to order drinks.

Seeing them as a lifeline, the bartender quickly said to Charlie, "Boss, you entertain the lady. I'll handle this," then immediately turned to serve the two women.

Jack had already left the area without Andy noticing.

Only the two of them remained.

Despite the crowded and noisy environment, it felt almost like they were alone. After all, the bartender had said those things. The two of them, one standing and the other sitting, created an atmosphere that seemed detached from the surroundings, making it somewhat eerie.

Charlie took a clean, transparent glass and poured alcohol into it until it was half full.

Next, he pushed the glass towards her.

Andy looked at it in surprise.

The man's dark hair fell loosely on his forehead, his lashes like raven feathers, his face half-illuminated and half-hidden in the dim light. He still held half a can of beer in his hand and raised an eyebrow, saying, "How would you like me to entertain you?"

At that moment, Andy truly felt as if she had come here for something else entirely.

She stayed silent for a moment and didn't touch the drink. "No need, thank you."

- Awkward Silence -

Charlie likely felt embarrassed by the bartender's explanation and didn't bring up the contact information anymore. Since this was his turf, Andy decided to give him some face and didn't bring it up herself.

She returned to the original topic, "So, the lost items here are all managed by the boss?"

Charlie laughed. "Who told you that?"

Andy pointed in the direction of the bartender.

Charlie looked over, then casually relaxed his grip, accidentally knocking the can onto the bar.

"Bob."

Bob instinctively looked up. "Hey! What's up, bro?"

Charlie said nonchalantly, "When did I become so free that I have to take care of things like lost property?"

"..."

Bob clearly didn't get it, and since he was busy, he only said, "Hold on, I'll finish this drink for the customer first."

Charlie's attitude was far from friendly.

Andy pursed her lips and placed the business card next to the glass. "Then I'll leave my contact information here. If you find it, you can just call this number, and I'll come pick it up. Thank you."

Charlie didn't even lift his eyes, simply muttering a dismissive "Mm."

Andy had no idea if he treated every customer like this or if it was just her.

How did this bar even manage to stay in business?

Maybe it was only like this with her.

Perhaps it was because of her earlier words, or maybe he still held a grudge about their past encounters and was pretending not to recognize her, giving her no good attitude.

She had gone to the police station earlier this morning, then ran to three different places for interviews. She had to discuss canceling her lease with the landlord and think about finding a new place to stay. She also had to be on guard against the man next door who might take revenge.

A mountain of things awaited her.

Compared to all that, Charlie's attitude didn't seem like much.

But for some reason, maybe because of the remnants of her bad mood, she inexplicably felt a little depressed.

Andy softly added, "It's something very important. I'd really appreciate it."

She was just about to leave.

Charlie said, "Wait."

Andy paused.

Charlie swallowed, then called, "Bob, what are you dawdling for?"

Bob asked, "Huh?"

"The woman's thing is still here," Charlie looked at him, speaking slowly, "Aren't you going to look for it?"

"..."

Since Charlie had said that, Bob had no choice but to reluctantly search again. Miraculously, he found it in a lower cabinet. He sighed in relief and immediately handed it to her. "Is this it?"

Andy took it. "Yes, thank you."

Bob glanced at Charlie, scratched the back of his head, and said, "No, no. We should be the ones apologizing for taking up your time."

Charlie continued drinking without saying a word.

Andy nodded, said goodbye, and left.

It was damp and cold outside, with very few people around. Everything seemed deserted and empty.

Andy, too cold to even check her phone, quickly messaged Sara on Facebook, saying "I found the bracelet," then shoved her hands back into her pockets. She sniffed and drifted off in thought.

Her mind gradually filled with memories.

Because of that bad and somewhat familiar Charlie.

She recalled the scene from their first meeting.

The First Day of Senior Year

Andy was late on the first day of her senior year.

After arriving at the school, she didn't even have time to go back to her dorm. She asked her uncle to leave her luggage with the dormitory aunt, then hurriedly ran to the A building where the first-year classrooms were, climbing to the fourth floor.

She walked through a corridor and headed to the inner section of the building. When passing by the school water dispenser, she saw Charlie for the first time.

The boy was tall and slender, wearing a blue-and-white striped school uniform, with a bag casually slung over his shoulder. His facial features were handsome and noble, his expression indifferent, looking somewhat aloof and hard to approach.

It was completely different from her own state.

As if unaware the bell had already rung, he was there getting water, looking leisurely.

Andy was in a hurry to get to her class, but she only knew that her class was on the fourth floor of this building, not the exact location.

Not wanting to waste time, she stopped and planned to ask for directions, "Excuse me."

Charlie let go of the water tap, and the sound of the flowing water stopped. Slowly, he tightened the cap on the bottle and glanced sideways at her.

He only looked once, then turned his gaze away, showing no intention of answering her.

At that time, Andy didn't know him yet and thought he was the type to not care about being late, strolling leisurely during class hours to get water, with no sense of caution or anxiety like a freshman would have.

He seemed more like a seasoned veteran of the world.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she changed her approach, "...Senior?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow and glanced over again.

"Excuse me," Andy said, "Do you know where Class 17 is?"

This time, Charlie didn't act as if he didn't care. He lifted his chin, and with a somewhat kind tone, he answered, "Go forward and take a right."

Andy nodded, waiting for him to say more.

But Charlie didn't speak again.

Andy didn't hear anything like "it's just up ahead" or any finishing remark.

Worried that he hadn't finished speaking, she nervously asked, "Then?"

"Then?" Charlie took a step forward, his tone casual and teasing, "Then you can read the class number on the door yourself. What, do you want me to tell you one by one?"

He dragged out the last syllable, emphasizing, "Senior, little sister."

"..."

Andy smiled awkwardly and thanked him.

Following his directions, she turned right and saw the door of Class 15. Further ahead, at the farthest end, was Class 17. Andy quickened her pace and softly called out, "Reporting."

The homeroom teacher on the podium looked at her, glanced at the list, and asked, "Charlie?"

Andy shook her head. "Teacher, my name is Andy."

"Ah, Andy." The homeroom teacher looked at the list again, surprised, "It's just you and Charlie who haven't arrived. I thought this name sounded more like a girl's, so I thought it was you."

Before the teacher could tell her to enter, a male voice came from behind her, "Reporting."

At the sound of the voice, she instinctively turned her head.

It was the "senior" who had just given her directions. The two of them were only two steps apart, and when they got closer, she realized just how tall he was.

At this distance, she had to look up to see his face.

His demeanor was cold, giving off an oppressive feeling, with a faint sandalwood scent.

His expression was indifferent, and he said with little sincerity, "Sorry, teacher, I'm late."

"You two can come in now. The seats are over there." The teacher pointed to the last row in the back of the classroom, and asked, "How did you two get late on the first day? Did you come together?"

The teacher was pointing to the last row, where two seats were next to each other.

Andy obediently replied, "I didn't come with him. My family had other things to do this morning, so I was a little late when they dropped me off. Also, I'm not very familiar with the way, so I ended up late."

"I see." The teacher nodded and looked at Charlie. "How about you?"

"My dad didn't know I'm in senior year," Charlie casually walked to the seat on the outside, putting his bag on the table, and lazily said, "He dropped me off at the middle school."

"..."

There was a brief silence.

Then, it was quickly followed by a burst of laughter, and the once quiet classroom became lively.

Andy couldn't help but smile too.

"Next time, remind your dad when he drops you off." The teacher laughed, "Alright, you two sit down."

Charlie nodded in response. He pulled out a chair and was about to sit, but suddenly noticed Andy standing nearby.

His movement stopped, "You want to sit on the outside or the inside?"

Their eyes met.

Andy hurriedly hid her smile, hesitating before saying, "The inside."

The classroom was not large.

The desks were divided into four groups, each with seven rows and two columns. The last row didn't have much space left, with chairs pressed against the wall, so if she wanted to get in, someone on the outside would have to make room.

Charlie didn't say anything. He took a step back, making space for her.

The teacher at the podium continued speaking, "Let me introduce myself again. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year, and I'll also be your chemistry teacher." She patted the blackboard, "This is my name."

On the blackboard were the neat letters spelling "Betty" and a string of phone numbers.

Andy took out her notebook and carefully wrote it down.

After a while, the boy in front of her suddenly leaned back, resting his elbow on Charlie's desk. He seemed to know Charlie and turned to him with a smirk, saying, "Charlie girl, your name does sound more like a girl's."

"..."

Andy froze for a moment.

She immediately remembered what Betty had said when she first entered the classroom.

- "It's just you and Charlie who haven't arrived. I thought this name sounded more like a girl's, so I thought it was you."

Hearing this, Andy's attention shifted to Charlie.

He was tall, and sitting in this cramped space, his long legs couldn't fit properly under the desk, leaving him somewhat constrained. One of his legs was placed outside. His eyelids drooped, giving off an air of impatience and laziness.

He looked at the boy expressionlessly.

"Well, I didn't say it. The teacher said it. But now that I think about it, your name really could drive me crazy," the boy said, barely holding back a laugh. "If you were a girl, I'd definitely try to chase you."

Charlie scanned him from top to bottom, then said slowly, "Alan, don't you have any self-awareness?"

Alan, "What?"

"If I were a girl, would I go after a toad?"

"..."

Alan's face darkened immediately, and after three seconds of silence, he said, "Get lost."

Andy, distracted by their conversation, almost laughed.

The tone of it reminded her of how Charlie had referred to her as "little sister" earlier. She paused and muttered to herself, "Shameless."

At that moment, Betty was called out of the classroom by another teacher.

With no one to keep the peace, the chatter in the classroom grew louder.

"And by the way, my name," Charlie wasn't finished, continuing to talk, "My dad flipped through the Chinese dictionary for seven days and seven nights, held about 180 family meetings, and after careful consideration-"

Andy rested her chin on her hand, letting her thoughts wander as she listened to his words.

She heard him pause for a few seconds, then continue with a lazy tone, "He chose the most 'manly' character."

The loud background noise gave Andy a sense of security. She stared at the words in her notebook, sighed lightly, and muttered under her breath, "But it's still not as manly as mine."

"..."

Alan sarcastically snorted, "Then why not just call yourself 'Charlie the man'?"

Andy was unexpectedly hit by the humor, and she quietly laughed to herself. After a long while, she suddenly realized that Charlie had been silent and hadn't responded to Alan's words.

The silence was overwhelming.

She instinctively looked at Charlie.

That's when she noticed that, at some point, Charlie's gaze had shifted to her. His dark, slightly cold eyes were fixed on her, with a few specks of sunlight falling on his eyelids, but it didn't soften his expression at all.

His gaze was direct and unrestrained, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Andy's heart skipped a beat.

What's going on?

"..."

Did he hear what I just said?

No, no way?

It couldn't be...

Before she could come to any conclusion.

Charlie tapped the edge of the desk lightly with his finger and said slowly, "Ah, right. I didn't get to ask."

Andy's breath caught, and she tightened her grip on the pen.

"New deskmate?" Charlie tilted his head, speaking arrogantly, "What's your name?"