Chapter 19: Proximity

Qiao Lan isn't wearing her big, fat, navy blue school uniform today, she's wearing the uniform of the restaurant staff.

Her hair was simply coiled up, revealing a long and beautiful neckline, a western-style vest, and a white single-collar blouse tucked into a short skirt, framing an extremely thin waistline.

She wore a pair of soft-soled black leather shoes, which made her calves longer, slimmer and straight, and she walked around the restaurant with a light posture, very busy, but very skillful.

Father Tan really couldn't figure out what this son was thinking.

He has always loved this western restaurant, the environment is good, the service is good, the taste of the food is very good.

But he couldn't guess whether Tan Mo liked it or not, looking at Tan Mo sitting in the wheelchair and not moving, his brows frowned unnoticeably, "I often come to this place, it's not bad, but if you don't like it, we can change it", said Tan Mo, "Or you don't want to eat western food? What do you want to eat?"

Tan Mo's eyes were still fixed on Qiao Lan's back, and he spat out three short words.

"Just this one."

Father Tan's brow relaxed.

Tan Tan's father came quite a few times, is considered a regular customer here, and also spends a lot of money, most of the staff here know him, the welcome lady saw Tan Tan's father and immediately greeted him, "Mr. Tan, inside please."

He said and looked down at the teenager in a wheelchair who had followed Tan's father.

The face was excessively pale, and the hair was a little too long, covering the eyes to see the whole thing, and all in all it was a little odd.

But in the end, she was a good professional, and the welcoming lady still came over with a smile on her face, "I'll push you in."

The teenager's voice was cold and stern as he looked at the welcoming lady who was only a meter away from him, "No need."

The smile on the welcome lady's face stiffened a bit, and when Tan Tan's father explained that his son wasn't used to being too close to strangers, the welcome lady busied herself with restoring her smile.

Father Tan looked back at Tan Mo, "Come on, you don't like the noise, let's go inside."

Tan Mo turned her head, her gaze falling back on the familiar back, "You go first."

Tan father frowned, Tan Mo did not pay attention to him, Tan father followed Tan Mo's line of sight to see, are here to eat the guests and back and forth to walk the waiter, there is nothing special.

"Forget it", Tan Tan's father left him alone and instructed the waiter to just bring him over later.

Qiao Lan has been busy all day today.

The business of this western restaurant was unexpectedly good, and if not for the previous experience of working in a western restaurant, it would not have been able to cope with it for a while.

When the table she was in charge of left, Qiao Lan finally had a moment's rest, and with a sigh of relief she walked down the small, uncrowded corridor, squatting down and squeezing her calves.

Not even a minute into the break, a girl wearing the same small suit as Qiao Lan came straight over, pointing impatiently at the two new arrivals, telling Qiao Lan to hurry up and order, don't be lazy.

The girl's name is Meng Xue.

As soon as Qiao Lan arrived today, she could sense Meng Xue's hostility, her condescending attitude, and the way she always tells Qiao Lan to run around like she's been there before.

The reason here is not hard to guess at all, because last night it was Meng Xue who didn't come, and Qiao Lan worked all night in Meng Xue's place.

In the morning, Meng Xue even teased Qiao Lan when she found out that she was only a senior in high school, and sent her to order food for some foreigners.

Meng Xue never thought that Qiao Lan, a freshman in high school, would speak better English than she did, and after ordering smoothly, the foreigners gave Qiao Lan a nice tip.

Meng Xue regretted all his intestines.

After that, it just targeted Qiao Lan all day.

Xiao Liu, who had just greeted the guests, brought them in and told her to hurry up and order, but Meng Xue was a little reluctant to go.

The consumption level of this restaurant is very high, can come here to consume, a large part of them are rich people, stayed for a long time, but also gradually can be seen from the guest's clothes, watches, bags on the guest's economic situation.

Anyone who prefers to be in charge of those with money, because more orders, more commission, and no tipping allowed.

Two tables have just come in. One table is occupied by a Mr. Tan who comes here often and spends a lot of money every time, so Meng Xue naturally wants to go to this table. Meng Xue naturally wanted to go to this table, but the head waiter asked her to take charge of the other table, and Meng Xue didn't find a single luxury item on that guest, so naturally she didn't want to go.

Turning his head, he saw Qiao Lan taking a small break, and immediately pushed this customer to Qiao Lan, while he wanted to take care of Mr. Tan's order.

Qiao Lan looked at Meng Xue and stood up, "Got it."

Meng Xue smiled with satisfaction and turned around in a good mood, but he didn't want to just turn his head and bump into a teenager in a wheelchair.

Qiao Lan's pupils shrunk, in surprise, she couldn't react in time and rushed over, grabbing the wheelchair, she looked at the teenager who didn't know why he appeared here, and was about to ask him if he was alright, when Meng Xue, who was so scared that she almost fell, pushed her away, and came over to Tan Mo's head, "I'm sorry I'm sorry..."

Tan Mo violently pushed Meng Xue away, and the wheelchair backed up so far that it hit the wall.

The sudden approach of a stranger, Tan Mo can't control the repulsion and nausea.

Meng Xue froze, and when he looked up, he met the teenager's extremely disgusted, cold-to-the-bone eyes.

"Fuck off."

Meng Xue's feet froze in place as he tried to move forward.

Anyone who isn't an idiot can hear the annoyance and disgust in Tan Mo's tone.

The other waiters who passed by inevitably gave a second glance, Meng Xue's face turned red, but still managed to squeeze out a smile, lowered his head and hurriedly left the place.

Qiao Lan looked at the teenager she hadn't seen for days, and her footsteps, which wanted to go forward, stopped in place with some hesitation.

A few days ago, Tan Mo told her in no uncertain terms that he likes to be alone and that he hates being approached.

And just now, Meng Xue for getting too close, Tan Mo's attitude is frightening.

Qiao Lan paused, stood two meters away from Tan Mo, and asked him softly, "Are you all right?"

Tan Mo lifted his head, his gaze settling on her face.

Just now, he had been watching her for a long time, but didn't dare to walk up to her. He always thought of the boy who walked with Qiao Lan that day, and he was afraid that Qiao Lan would ignore him, and would say that she wouldn't bother him any more as she did on that day, and then pretend to be a stranger as she brushed past him.

He couldn't understand the concern on her face, but the way Qiao Lan rushed over to pull out the wheelchair, and the words "Are you okay?" Tan Mo thought carefully and cautiously in his heart, "Is this care, is this concern?

Sort of.

But if it was a regular guest who accidentally bumped into it, wouldn't she have done the same thing and then asked if you were okay.

Tan Mo just fluctuating heart, suddenly again some draw tight, and the heart a moment of sourness like a moment tugged the whole body, just been hit by the arm, the afterthought only vaguely painful.

Tan Mo's face shows a few moments of unbearable pain.

Qiao Lan's face changed slightly, "Just hit it? Where?"

Tan Mo finally from this sentence, heard a few points of urgency, he raised his head and quickly looked at Qiao Lan, and then lowered his head, just when Qiao Lan thought that Tan Mo was again resisting the rejection of her, Tan Mo's voice shallow pierced into Qiao Lan's eardrums.

"Arms."

Qiao Lan froze, the teenager who said he didn't like it that day, and the slightly fragile Tan Mo in this moment gradually overlapped, Qiao Lan tentatively took a small step forward, carefully sizing up Tan Mo, "Is it serious."

Tan Mo didn't seem to hear that, he sat quietly as if after a long mental struggle, he raised his head and met Qiao Lan's gaze, "Why are you here?"

If just now Tan Mo had answered her passively, was it Tan Mo's initiative to ask her why she was here now?

It's been a month since I met Tan Mo, and this is the first time Tan Mo has spoken to her on her own initiative.

Tan Mo says he hates it when people approach him, but if he initiates it, does that mean he doesn't hate it when she approaches him?

Qiao Lan couldn't hide her surprise as she said, "I'm working part-time."

A part-time job?

Tan Mo still stares at her, "No school?"

"On it, I'm only on weekends and evenings, regular classes during the week."

The first year of high school is not that easy, so why do you keep on working part-time even though your studies are already very heavy? Tan Mo thought about it for a while and realized why.

"You're short of money?"

The straight ball caught Qiao Lan off guard.

Qiao Lan remembered a passage she read while looking up Asperger's. It said that people with Asperger's don't beat around the bush, they think in a very direct way, and speak even more directly to the point of embarrassment.

Sure enough, it's straightforward as hell.

Qiao Lan chuckled softly, "It's a bit lacking."

If Tan Mo had a normal human way of expressing his emotions, this would be the moment when his brow would be furrowed and he'd be silent for a long time before finally spitting out a shocking statement.

Tan Mo said, "I'll give it to you."

Qiao Lan almost threw the order book out of her hand.

Normal people would never think like that, and normal people don't talk like that.

But Tan Mo is different.

There's nothing wrong with the logic of me giving you money because you're short of it and because I have it.

"No, no, I'm not really short on money, and I don't have a lot of school work." Qiao Lan shakes her head, but she's not interested in Tan Mo, so she hastily changes the subject to, "What are you doing here, are you coming here to eat?"

Tan Mo looked at Qiao Lan for a long time before giving a slow "hmm".

"I'll take you there then", Qiao Lan glanced at Tan Mo's arm, "Do you need me to push you through."

Tan Mo subconsciously declined, "No."

But when she finished, Tan Mo was silent again.

He realized after a little imagination that actually being pushed over by Qiao Lan shouldn't be as unacceptable as others.

Tan Mo pursed his lips, he probably had some regrets, slowly rolling his wheelchair to follow Qiao Lan, waiting for Qiao Lan to drop him off and then said, "You order for me."

Qiao Lan glances at the order taker who is already standing by the table waiting.

Tan Mo didn't even see it.

"You order."

The order taker looked at Qiao Lan and smiled, turned and left. Tan Mo's father, who had been waiting for Tan Mo, looked at Qiao Lan in surprise.

Qiao Lan can only take out her order book and present the restaurant's must-haves to Tan Mo and his father with a professional smile.

Tan Mo came often, the food was very fixed, quickly ordered, Tan Mo looked at the menu, expressionless, ordered one after another, and ordered the top expensive ones.

After ordering a fourth, Qiao Lan couldn't stand still, "The portion is slightly too big for two people."

Tan Mo pauses in her movements, but her eyes are still on the caviar.

Tan Tan's father does not feel anything, Tan Mo's preferences are too difficult to guess, it is rare to take the initiative to order food, just let him come, anyway, the Tan family lacks nothing but money.

"Order if you want."

So another order of caviar was added along with pudding and so on.

When she took the list to the backroom, several ordering staff next to her looked at Qiao Lan with envy.

In addition to the basic salary of the restaurant staff, mainly by commission, responsible for the guests ordered the meal, will draw a small portion of the waiter in charge of the table.

The table that Qiao Lan was in charge of just now had an order of 10,000, and Qiao Lan would be able to take a few hundred dollars, so how could she not be envious?

Qiao Lan's expression was even more subtle.

Although I think it's a bit presumptuous to think so, I still feel that Tan Mo has so many points, and it seems to have something to do with her.

After all, Tan Mo just offered her money and she turned it down.

Holding the list in her hands, Qiao Lan felt her hands trembling a little.

One by one, the dishes were served, but Tan Mo only ate a little, and as expected, by the end of the day, Tan Mo hadn't even finished a fifth of what he had ordered.

Tan Mo remains expressionless, Tan Mo gives her the card to swipe, and when she returns to the table after swiping, Tan Mo and Tan Mo have already left.

The foreman walked up to her with a surprised look on his face, "Mr. Tan swiped an extra thousand dollars."

"??"

"A tip for you!"

Qiao Lan: ......

There is usually a 10%-15% service charge for Western food, but you usually don't have to, especially if you order as much as Tan Mo did, the service charge itself is already included.

Qiao Lan hurriedly looked out the window, Tan Mo had already gotten into a car and disappeared in a flash.

Qiao Lan should have been very happy to reap so much money in one day, but when she thought of Tan Mo, she felt that the money was hot.

When Qiao's mother came home at night, she complained that she hadn't seen anyone all day and didn't know where she had been, and that she hadn't come back until twelve o'clock at night. Qiao Lan didn't explain to Qiao's mother, and quickly washed up and went to rest.

After all, I have class tomorrow morning.

The next day I came to school as usual, and when I walked into the classroom, Pei Ning and the two girls sitting at the back of the room casually said hello, and Qiao Lan said good morning in return, and when I turned my head, I saw Chen Yaoyang who was looking this way.

Chen Yaoyang, why are you here so early?

Qiao Lan is suddenly feeling a little stressed.

Although she has the advantage of the previous foundation, but, Chen Yaoyang after all, is the male lead, the book said Chen Yaoyang, but from childhood to the existence of the eternal first.

Chen Yaoyang's science was already better than hers, and it was so easy to learn, and now she's actually starting to read books, so maybe she'll surpass Qiao Lan again next time.

How can Qiao Lan not be nervous.

She's up for a scholarship.

Qiao Lan didn't dare to waste any time, after the morning study, she rushed to the bottom of the building to fetch water, and when she returned to the classroom after fetching water, she saw Tan Mo at a glance.

After disappearing for two days last week, Tan Mo is finally back.

He still sat quietly, his head down, looking at the book.

Qiao Lan was cleaning today and when she came to Tan Mo, she saw that the book Tan Mo was reading was a thick history handout.

"Good morning," Qiao Lan said to Tan Mo with a smile, but Tan Mo looked up at Qiao Lan, then looked over Qiao Lan's shoulder to the other students who were curiously looking this way, and whispered to Qiao Lan, "Don't talk to me. me."

Qiao Lan froze, if not for the extra money in her pocket, she would have thought that yesterday's Tan Mo was a fake.

Tan Mo lowers his head again, and Qiao Lan walks away with the mop in a daze, looking back after a couple of steps.

What's going on here?

Didn't get it all day.

Until the end of school in the afternoon, Qiao Lan rushed to the western restaurant and changed her clothes. Not long after, a familiar figure appeared in the western restaurant, an old man pushed Tan Mo's wheelchair and walked in.

Tan Mo's light brown eyes searched for Qiao Lan's figure, then his gaze fell on her.

"Order food."