Chapter Seventeen: An Old Friend's Visit

The next morning, Zhang Jiaxin and I parted ways in a hurry. After grabbing a quick bite at a breakfast spot, I headed straight back to the cold drink shop. Surprisingly, Yang Xiaoyu had arrived exceptionally early today. Before seven-thirty, she was already in her uniform, pacing around the shop and busying herself with tasks, though I had no idea what she was actually doing.

As I had expected, the moment she saw me walk in, Yang Xiaoyu gave me a knowing smile.

"About that..."

"Don't tell me. I am a very pure girl; I have no interest in the sordid affairs of you adults. Of course, if you intend to describe your actions and feelings from last night, I might be interested in listening."

I had originally planned to offer a brief explanation, but after hearing that, I couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on it.

Li Qiao, having taken some time off, finally returned to work. Her presence was a clear asset to the shop, and as a part-time waiter, I personally felt much more relaxed.

Everything seemed to return to normal after that night. Yang Xiaoyu continued to work diligently, often enthusiastically experimenting with new flavors for drinks and frozen desserts. Li Qiao was also a very hardworking girl; although she might not stay here long-term, she carried out her duties as a server with remarkable efficiency. I also put some of my planned ideas into action, recording thoughts beneficial to the shop and the staff in a notebook to study whenever I had spare time. These included plans for hiring more staff, building an overall online presence, and providing reasonable raises for employees—all matters vital to our future.

Without realizing it, a week passed quietly in the midst of our busy routine. During this time, my little cold drink shop finally welcomed two new female servers and one male server. This number wasn't chosen at random; it was the optimal result calculated after Sister Shi Yu and I considered our profitability and the feasibility of our payroll.

The two new female servers were mainly tasked with assisting Yang Xiaoyu in drink production. I asked Xiaoyu to teach them well, hoping they would soon be up to speed and help share her burden.

The week was busy but lonely—busy with work, yet lonely because I hadn't seen Luo Qing again.

I didn't know if Luo Qing could truly manage to "never see me again." I only knew that, at the very least, I hadn't been able to forget her.

During this period, what made me feel particularly uneasy was that Zhao Kewen came to my shop on Wednesday with Zhang Chuang. Although my repeated inquiries about their relationship yielded no results, the smiles Zhao Kewen and Zhang Chuang exchanged were so sincere and warm. They were always holding hands when they were together—was this intimacy a tacit confirmation?

Deep down, I truly wanted Sister Kewen to find a good partner, but I didn't want that man to be Zhang Chuang. It wasn't because of Zhang Chuang's character or whether they were a good match; it was because every time I saw them, I was reminded of Li Huixin, that straightforward girl from the hospital. I wondered what she was doing or thinking now, and whether she knew about Zhang Chuang's emotional fatigue and his choices.

After seeing Zhao Kewen and Zhang Chuang off, though I wore a smile on my face, my heart felt incredibly bitter, and I was even burdened by a deep sense of guilt. It was my fault that Zhang Chuang had the chance to meet Zhao Kewen, and it was my mistake that led to their further contact and development. I felt as though I had destroyed the years-long love between Zhang Chuang and Li Huixin.

Occasionally, I would talk about these things to "Angel Fish" during my spare time, omitting the names of the people involved, just to hear her opinion. Her words always left me deep in thought.

"I believe that in such choices of love, there is no right or wrong. It is precisely these difficult choices that better test whether a love is truly loyal, don't you think?"

I was amazed that nineteen-year-old Yang Xiaoyu could say something so philosophical. Her words made me think of many people and events—the choices made by Rose, Zhang Jiaxin, Zhao Kewen, and even Luo Qing’s current choice, or An Ye’s. Everyone implicitly determines the direction of their love through their choices. Whether it leads to joy or sorrow is often just a matter of perspective, independent of right or wrong.

Sister Shi Yu still came by every Friday to enjoy her "lifetime free" treatment. However, perhaps due to not resting well lately, I noticed a trace of haggard paleness on her beautiful face. I deliberately avoided talking to her about work or business, instead sharing some trivia I had collected, which always managed to make her smile.

Today marked the start of a new week. As usual, I went over early to prepare for the day. Watching the turnover change every day, I occasionally looked forward to what kind of miracles "Seek" might create once spring arrived after the New Year. The thing that gave me the most headache now was that some of the novel themes I had conceived were being shelved one after another due to the weather. It wasn't that I hadn't considered the seasons, but once I truly became a boss and entered the circle of business development, I realized how irrational it was to focus solely on customer expansion without any profit.

The shop had been open for a few months, and I had saved the first sum of money in my life. I never used to carry bank cards, because the total amount was so small that a wallet could hold it all—why go through the trouble of getting a card just to put on airs? But things were different now. At the very least, I had over twenty thousand yuan in my bank account.

Sitting in the black chair, I would occasionally take out Luo Qing’s expensive bank card when I was bored and look at it silently. Whether it was wishful thinking or some other reason, at least when I was alone, looking at it made me feel a little better.

I had only paid back ten thousand of the fifty thousand I borrowed to lend to An Ye. At this rate, I estimated it would take at least half a year to pay it all off.

While lost in thought, the shop door was pushed open gently. I didn't look up to see who it was, as I knew no one else came to the shop this early besides Yang Xiaoyu.

"Hey, don't you know how to greet a customer when they arrive?"

It wasn't Angel Fish. Hearing a voice that sounded somewhat familiar, I looked up in confusion. I couldn't help but feel surprised when I saw who it was—it was Qin Xiaomo, a high school classmate I had only seen once that summer.

She still had that neat, silky short hair, and her fair, pretty face was devoid of makeup. Her large, dark eyes were bright and clear. She was wearing a white women's coat and looking at me with a faint smile.

"Old classmate, long time no see." I stood up to greet her, pulled out a chair, and signaled for her to sit.

"People change after three days apart; I haven't seen you in a few months, and you already have your own shop!" Qin Xiaomo looked at the decor of the shop, appearing somewhat surprised. "This decoration is really bold; it's just like your personality."

"Don't mock me. I don't know how many customers I've scared off because of this eccentric decor." We exchanged polite pleasantries. In truth, it wasn't out of any deep etiquette or affection—Qin Xiaomo and I were just classmates in the same high school class. Having not seen each other for years, besides being polite, I really didn't know what else there was to talk about.

After chatting for a bit, I noticed Qin Xiaomo didn't seem to have any intention of taking off her coat. Knowing she wouldn't come to visit without a reason, I spoke first: "Old classmate, what instructions do you have for me today?"

"What is this 'old' and 'young' talk... Yang Chen, your mouth is still as glib as ever. Be careful, or your girlfriend might beat you up if she finds out," Qin Xiaomo laughed.

"My girlfriend?" I looked at Qin Xiaomo, who was checking her phone while sitting across from me, and raised my left hand with a serious expression, shaking it. "Are you talking about this?"

"Who?" Qin Xiaomo didn't seem to understand what I meant.

"This," I spread my fingers and shook my hand again.

This time, Qin Xiaomo finally understood. She gave me a hard look and said, "I'm talking to you about something serious, and you're just spouting nonsense."

"It's not nonsense. When did I ever say I had a girlfriend?" I looked at her with an innocent expression. "Did I tell you I had a girlfriend when we had dinner last time?"

"It seems... no," Qin Xiaomo said after thinking for a moment, looking up slightly.

"Exactly," I shrugged, feeling quite speechless. "Just a loser, destined to be alone for life."

"Not bad, you have quite a bit of self-awareness," Qin Xiaomo covered her mouth and smiled, then added, "Let's talk about the real business..."

"Wait, before we get to the real business, I have a small question... Xiaomo, how did you know I opened this shop?" I hesitated before asking. Although the timing and way I asked weren't very appropriate, this was indeed what I wanted to know most. I didn't remember telling her I opened a shop, and since she came so early, she must have known our shop's habits beforehand, otherwise, how could she have met me here so early?

"I went to your shop's opening day, okay? Your memory is terrible..." After hearing my question, Qin Xiaomo didn't even bother to give me another eye roll.

I was too lazy to verify the truth of this. Since she said so, I just listened. In any case, I hadn't seen her on the opening day...

"Alright, you can tell me your real business now."

"I'll keep it short. Yang Chen, you'd better clear out a day tomorrow—if not a whole day, then half a day will do." Qin Xiaomo smiled mysteriously. "Go to the airport and pick someone up."

"Go to the airport? To pick someone up?" I was a bit confused by her request. I had never picked anyone up at the airport in my life. Why would she suddenly tell me this? Who was coming? A master of the cold drink industry?

"Who on earth is coming?" I was completely baffled.

"Your goddess, Su Xuefei."