You're reluctant to part with it, aren't you?

The next morning, Shen Qiong brought Gu Liming to his old shop, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

Gu Liming had already scrolled through Shen Qiong's Weibo from beginning to end the night before, and now he arrived at the shop full of interest.

The first thing Shen Qiong did upon entering the shop was to brew tea, then sweep the floor. The shop wasn't actually dirty, but Shen Qiong habitually did a simple clean-up.

Gu Liming took a sip of the tea and immediately said, "This tea is great!"

"A neighbor gave it to me. This pot is Puerh tea from YN," Shen Qiong introduced.

Shortly after, a small white car stopped at the entrance. Gu Liming called out, "Quick, look! Is that a customer?"

Shen Qiong glanced over. "No, it's our beautiful assistant."

Ren Tianxue walked into the shop, looking at Gu Liming strangely. She muttered, "Are guests coming this early today? He doesn't have an appointment, does he?"

Shen Qiong smiled. "He's my buddy. I'm handing over my Weibo management to him from now on. He'll come by the shop occasionally to browse and collect some materials."

As she tidied the appointment box, she chuckled, "You only have a few followers, what's there to manage? I bet half of them have cursed you before."

Shen Qiong rolled his eyes and glared at her. Can't you leave me some dignity?

Gu Liming secretly leaned towards Shen Qiong's ear and whispered, "She's a knockout. Does she have a boyfriend?"

Shen Qiong knew this guy hadn't changed his ways and immediately warned him, "You're not allowed to have any ideas about her."

Gu Liming grinned, revealing a look that men would understand, his smile full of unspoken meaning.

Seeing the two men exchanging knowing glances, Ren Tianxue became displeased. "What are you two doing? Being so secretive."

Shen Qiong quickly said, "This guy wants to make a move on you! Just ignore him."

Seeing Shen Qiong's anxious expression, Ren Tianxue deliberately looked at Gu Liming and said, "Oh really? That's interesting! Do you want to ask me out? Want to go see a movie tonight?"

Damn it! Shen Qiong was about to collapse. This little girl was clearly doing it on purpose to mess with him!

Gu Liming, though experienced, rarely encountered such a gem. Perfect figure, high attractiveness, and an extraordinary aura. It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. But since Shen Qiong had spoken, he definitely couldn't pursue her. He chuckled, "I'm afraid Shen Qiong will kill me."

Ren Tianxue deliberately glanced at Shen Qiong. "Why are you afraid of him? Our date doesn't concern him."

Shen Qiong gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do.

She loved seeing Shen Qiong like this and smiled, revealing charming dimples.

Gu Liming could tell this beauty was deliberately teasing Shen Qiong. He played along. "Alright then! Let's pick a time. I don't care what movie we see, you can choose. The main thing is we can get a room tonight..." He smirked.

"Get lost! A room?" Before Gu Liming could finish, Shen Qiong stepped forward and kicked him. Damn it, a guy who prioritizes girls over friends.

Gu Liming clutched his backside as if in pain. "Ouch, ouch, it hurts! It's over, Master Shen is angry. Just don't deduct my salary."

"Ahem, can you be serious? Don't pick up girls during work hours," Shen Qiong said sternly.

Gu Liming immediately stood at attention, looking like he was taking orders from his superior. "Yes, boss! I swear I won't hit on girls during work, especially the ones the boss fancies." He deliberately glanced at Ren Tianxue.

Ren Tianxue's face flushed, and she turned to leave. "Too lazy to deal with you guys."

Shen Qiong poured himself a cup of tea. "From now on, when you're free, help me boil water. We need to have hot tea ready at all times, as customers will keep coming."

This small task was naturally no problem, but Gu Liming asked curiously, "What about her?"

"Cough, she's not one to be ordered around. I usually do it myself," Shen Qiong explained.

Gu Liming looked at Shen Qiong with amusement. "I think you're just reluctant to ask her, aren't you?" He deliberately spoke loudly so Ren Tianxue could hear.

Shen Qiong shot him a glare.

Ren Tianxue, who was organizing the customer appointment data, heard this and stifled a laugh, biting her lower lip. She muttered, "No wonder that guy Shen Qiong is so unserious all the time. He probably learned it from this scoundrel friend."

Fang Yongkang was in a very bad mood today because his previous exam results were out. His total score was still hovering outside the cutoff for second-tier universities, and his class ranking had dropped seven or eight places.

"I think you shouldn't turn on your computer tonight, okay? Just read your books. The girl next door didn't go online at all when she was in her third year of high school, and now she's gotten into a first-tier university," Fang Yongkang's mother nagged.

"I don't play games," Fang Yongkang protested.

"Exactly! If you don't play games, why do you need to turn on the computer? Listen to your mom, don't touch the computer this year. Once you get into university, your dad and I won't care how you play."

The kid next door, once you get into university...

Two universally mocked clichés, yet he had no power to refute them. Fang Yongkang was very depressed.

"Mom, it's really fine, it won't affect anything. I just didn't perform well this time," Fang Yongkang explained.

"No, if you insist, I'll have your dad disconnect our internet. We can reconnect it next year." Fang Yongkang's mother was resolute.

In the end, Fang Yongkang had no choice but to agree to his mother's request, securing the right to use the computer on holidays.

He lay alone on his bed in his room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Today, he heard she had scored in the top five of her class, while he had been steadily declining. The gap between them seemed to be widening.

The girl Fang Yongkang had a crush on was named Fu Panxue. She was slightly chubby-cheeked but had a very beautiful smile.

Besides playing music, Fang Yongkang's only other interest was scrolling through her WeChat and Weibo, secretly saving her photos.

He was a rather introverted person, so he had harbored a crush on his classmate for two years without confessing. Now, seeing the gap in their academic performance widening, he became even more agitated.

Maybe I really should give up on music? And focus on studying for a year?

Can he let go? The answer was no!

Whenever Fang Yongkang stopped, he couldn't help but hum a song; he had no control over himself.

"After we break up, I'll smile and say, when friends ask you about me."

"I'll play it down, as if I never loved you."

"In truth, I have no one to tell."

"In truth, I can't live without you."

"In truth, the love I give you is more than you think..."

He blurted it out involuntarily, but his mother's voice came from outside the door: "Study hard!"

His enthusiasm was instantly extinguished. He replied helplessly, "Got it!"

Some things, if you keep them bottled up inside, you'll forget them after a while.

But some things are the exact opposite; the longer you keep them bottled up, the more you want to do them.

Fang Yongkang gritted his teeth. Tomorrow was Saturday. He decided to go to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion early in the morning to make an appointment. It didn't matter if Master Shen could actually tell fortunes or not; he needed an answer for himself.

Was he actually suited for singing?

At this moment, Shen Qiong was more like a spiritual anchor for Fang Yongkang, a reason to convince himself.

As for whether Shen Qiong was truly as miraculous as rumored online, that was no longer as important.