Chapter 175

"Honey." To Gu Xin Hua: "Good morning, wife, kisses, mua?" "Have you eaten, wife? What did you eat?" "Have you gone to the toilet, wife? How many sheets of toilet paper did you use? How long did it take? Did you have your period?" "Have you drunk water, wife? A glass of warm water in the morning will protect your intestines." "Wife, I'm going out to work now, remember me!" (lettuce a soft, sweet burp). Similarly, when dealing with Xia Yan and Hua Xin, one must speak from two different perspectives. To Xia Yan: "Get lost." To Lao Shui: "Get far, far away!" "This guy turns into this shrimp-like idiot the moment you give him a nice look or a bright smile. Are these even words a human could type?" Hua Xin Red Temperature slightly as she watched Xia Yan become obedient, then turned off her phone. Compared to this... she'd rather give back that seemingly human, sunny, gentle, handsome Shanghai guy. This Xia Yan ... well, better to have him than him. "Love at first sight." The girl silently branded these four words on Xia Yan's face in her mind, her eyes filled with utter contempt and disgust. This kind of shrimp-like idiot shouldn't be allowed into the market; let her bear it alone. "That's fine." When she looked up again, the subway was already packed with people. Sure enough, the holiday had just ended, and everyone was busy again... Then, as if she had seen something, her eyes flashed without hesitation, and her face turned serious as she stood up. However, her face was completely obscured by the hood, making it impossible to see her features. She opened her mouth, and the words she used to find difficult to utter, along with her fear of socializing with strangers, seemed to have gradually changed a lot during Xia Yan's "Hua Xin Transformation Plan" and her work at the cat café. "Grandma... please sit here, I'm almost at my stop." A young girl's soft, melodious voice startled the elderly man beside her, who was holding a handrail with one hand and a cane with the other. He smiled somewhat sheepishly, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes, his face etched with the marks of time. "Thank you, young lady..." Clearly, the old man wouldn't be so embarrassed if he weren't genuinely in trouble. Sometimes, it's not that old people have become bad, but that bad people have grown old. "It's nothing, it's nothing, I'm almost there..." Having lost her earlier confidence, the girl, regaining her composure, was clearly back to her old self, waving her hand hastily. Ah... But giving up your seat to an elderly person... well, it's a good thing, right? Oh God! Can I go to heaven someday and be an angel working in the cafeteria? I'm such a good person, a model youth of the new era, a good man among men, a good woman among women... uh, stop. Hua Xin was moved to tears by her own actions, then she reached up and grabbed the handrail. Her gaze, coincidentally, fell on the subway station sign, and her eyes instantly froze. She seemed to... have to stand for another half hour. ———————— "I almost got crushed..." Hua Xin walked forward silently, still shaken, her figure alone. She didn't stand out in the crowd. Everyone else was just a working stiff. She needed to tidy up her house this morning, so she didn't go with Xia Fen. Thinking about Xia Fen and Li Xue's news yesterday... the girl quickened her pace. This was a crucial matter concerning her salary and whether she would receive the money; she absolutely couldn't ignore it! Hua Xin's eyes revealed determination, like JackeyLove choosing Draven on the field, staring straight ahead. A familiar sign slowly appeared in her vision. "Sacred Fire Meow Cult Cat Cafe." However, compared to the days when it was so busy with customers... The current customer traffic seemed so cold and indifferent, like a neglected wife silently wiping away her tears. No way... The girl fell silent, her mind involuntarily replaying her conversation with Li Xue from that day. [I opened Milk Tea Shop, then one opened across the street, and in the end, I went out of business.] [I opened a pastry shop, then one opened across the street, and in the end, I went out of business.] [I also opened a restaurant, then one opened across the street, and in the end, I went out of business.] Her gaze shifted across the street. A signboard, even more ornate and simple than the Sacred Fire Meow Cult, appeared before her eyes. "Hachimi Cat Cafe." "Those three simple words were enough to threaten Sister Li Xue and activate the debuff that had been lingering over her. Not to mention the larger shop across the street, the flower arrangement at the entrance, and the bustling atmosphere. They even have a second floor?! Customers are queuing outside!! And this is still morning! Don't these people have to go to work?! It seems Xia Fen was right yesterday... The other side has already stolen all the customers from this place. Could it be... that they're going to go out of business? The girl's heart skipped a beat, and with a sense of foreboding, she walked to the entrance of the Holy Fire Cat Cafe. She didn't even need to go inside; she could see a tangible sense of deathly stillness just through the glass. "Gulp."Hua Xin swallowed hard, a "finished" appearing in her left eye and a "gone" in her right. Her arm trembled as she opened the door. The pleasant ringing of the doorbell, meant to welcome customers, now sounded like a harbinger of impending doom. Or perhaps... the despair of shattered hope. "Welcome..." a voice brimming with excitement rang out, like a rebirth of a withered tree, like Xia Yan's release after 1000 seconds of suppressed suffering, like the resilience to defy fate, like... well, I can't keep this up. Upon seeing who it was, Li Xue and Xia Fen's excited expressions slowly and visibly changed into tearful ones, tears streaming down their faces. What? Not customers? Their cheerful tone turned to sorrow: " Xiao Hua / Sister Xin Hua, we're disbanding! We're going bankrupt! Waaaaah..."Li Xue rushed over and hugged Hua Xin, crying loudly, "Why is it that no matter what business I open, someone always steals my business?!" "I don't want to go out Xia Fen business, if it goes out of business I won't have any food to eat, waaaaaah...?" At this moment, Li Xue Hua Xin finally understood what the two words that were forming in her eyes meant. "It's over..."Hua Xin Li Xue cried loudly along with Li Xue and Xia Fen, just as sadly, but she cried even louder after hearing that there would be no food to eat. "My New Year's Eve ahh...