After class, Shan Ye was scrolling through his phone when he saw the coffee shop's Moments post-our new Crimson Mist Latte! Come in and give it a try. Half price today!
Shan Ye immediately perked up. He happened to be craving coffee, so he decided to order delivery. But when he checked the delivery app, the shop was listed as closed.
What was going on? He sent the shop a WeChat message.
[Can't order delivery today? Or are you closed?]
It took a while for a reply to come: Hello, Mr. Shan. We're running a promotion for the new drink today, and the shop's too busy for deliveries. If you'd like one, you can wait until later, and I'll bring it over.
Shan Ye didn't hesitate: Then I'll come buy one at the shop.
A heaven-sent opportunity. He'd been worrying that he was visiting too often lately and making his intentions too obvious. But he really did miss Boss Fan's coffee.
Shan Ye walked over, bringing some cookies with him. They were local specialties Tan Yi'an had brought back for him from abroad. Shan Ye couldn't finish them alone, so he'd shared them at the office, but there were still some left.
Shan Ye pushed open the shop door. The hinges creaked softly, and the wind chime murmured in response.
The shop was actually full today. Shan Ye looked around and couldn't find a single empty seat. Their new drink seemed to be popular.
Shan Ye immediately spotted Fan Jin making coffee behind the counter. He was so busy he didn't even glance at the door. But today, there was someone besides Zhang Nan and Fan Jin behind the counter-another man, a striking one.
It was Yaoyao's biological father.
Shan Ye walked over, and the man asked with a smile, "What would you like to drink? Though it looks like we don't have any seats left."
"That's fine. I'll take it to go."
Zhang Nan spotted Shan Ye and greeted him at once. "Mr. Shan, you're here."
Hearing that, the man looked up at Shan Ye again. "Someone you know?" he asked Zhang Nan, turning toward him.
Fan Jin's hand paused as he made the coffee. He looked back, saw Shan Ye, and nodded to him.
Shan Ye smiled and handed Zhang Nan the cookies. "Brought you some snacks. A friend brought them back for me."
Zhang Nan took them. "Thank you, Mr. Shan."
Seeing how familiar they were with one another, the man couldn't help growing curious about Shan Ye. Two males coming face-to-face-Shan Ye was just as curious about him.
Good thing he'd learned last night that Boss Fan wasn't seeing anyone and was single. Otherwise, wouldn't this have been a full-blown romantic showdown?
Shan Ye placed his order. "I'll have the new latte, to go."
His eyes stayed glued to Fan Jin. He quietly slipped to the other end of the counter, a little closer to him.
The counter was fairly high. Resting both arms on it, he said with a smile, "Boss Fan, you've got so many customers today. Can you keep up?"
Fan Jin nodded. "It's manageable."
"Don't you have classes this afternoon?"
Shan Ye answered quickly. "I do. I've still got classes this afternoon."
One casual question from Boss Fan was enough to cheer him up.
Shan Ye glanced along the counter, feeling that something was missing. "Where's the vase that was here yesterday?"
He'd put a vase of flowers on the counter yesterday too, a vase of red roses, but he hadn't seen it today.
Fan Jin said nothing. Yaoyao's father heard him and said, "That vase was a bit in the way. I accidentally knocked it over while taking orders. The flowers fell on the floor and got crushed too." He pointed to the trash can behind the counter. Shan Ye looked over and saw the bright red roses bent and tossed inside.
The man said to Fan Jin, "Since when did you like flowers? And you got so many."
Fan Jin said, "I didn't put them there."
Shan Ye stared at the trash can for a moment. Plenty of petals had fallen onto the floor, and he could see how badly the flowers had been mangled. But they'd only bloomed today. Yesterday, they'd still been buds.
What a shame...
Shan Ye lowered his head without saying anything, grumbling inwardly, Were the flowers I arranged really that much in the way?
Fan Jin noticed the change in Shan Ye's expression.
He picked up a cup to make his coffee, his movements a little quicker.
Halfway through the extraction, his hand paused. "There isn't enough rose syrup."
Shan Ye waited beside the counter.
Fan Jin glanced down at the worktop. The rose syrup bottle was empty. So many people had ordered it that morning that it had quickly sold out. The new Crimson Mist Latte needed it, and that was what Shan Ye had ordered.
"You'll have to wait a little," Fan Jin said. "I'll make a fresh batch."
He turned to the storeroom to get the ingredients. The man was still going on about the vase. "Those flowers really were lovely. I felt pretty bad when it broke, even picked them up for a look. The petals were nice and thick. Must've been a good variety..."
Shan Ye listened, still wearing a smile, but tapped his fingers twice against the counter.
Fan Jin came out of the storeroom with a fresh bottle of rose syrup. He glanced at Shan Ye and was about to open it when Shan Ye said:
"Forget it."
Fan Jin's hands stopped.
Shan Ye stood there, his gaze sweeping over the bottle of rose syrup before shifting away.
"Just make me anything," he said. "An Americano."
Fan Jin looked at him without moving.
"Iced," Shan Ye added.
Zhang Nan froze for a moment beside them. "Mr. Shan, aren't lattes your favorite?"
"I don't feel like one today." Shan Ye smiled. "Thought I'd try something different."
Fan Jin set down the rose syrup.
Without a word, he turned to get another cup and began making an Americano.
Shan Ye leaned on the counter, watching him extract the coffee, add ice and water, and push it toward him.
"Thanks, Boss Fan."
He picked up the cup and took a sip. The plain Americano was bitter.
He drank Americanos normally too and had never thought much of it. But this sip was so bitter that he frowned. Maybe it was because he was feeling upset.
Watching from beside them, the man suddenly sensed something odd about the atmosphere. He wisely shut his mouth and went to greet a customer who had just come in.
Only Shan Ye and Fan Jin remained by the counter.
Shan Ye set the cup down. "How much?"
"Don't worry about it."
Shan Ye paused and looked up at Fan Jin.
Fan Jin stood there, his expression as impassive as ever.
"You didn't charge me for the coffee last time either," Shan Ye said. "I can't get it free every time I come."
Fan Jin said nothing.
Shan Ye waited two seconds. When Fan Jin still didn't speak, he took out his phone and scanned the payment code himself.
"I sent fifteen," he said. "That's the price of an Americano, right?"
Fan Jin nodded.
After paying, Shan Ye turned and left without a word to Fan Jin, not even a goodbye.
For some reason, he felt pretty awful right now. Was he throwing a bit of a tantrum? Boss Fan hadn't done anything. He wasn't the one who'd broken the vase. What was Shan Ye even taking his anger out on him for, turning around and walking away like that?
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became, with regret mixed in. He should have said something before leaving.
Then, as he kept thinking, he somehow started feeling wronged. He'd spent so much time and effort on those flowers yesterday, going to the flower market first thing in the morning to pick out fresh flowers of the best varieties.
He was as heartbroken now as he'd been delighted while choosing them. He hadn't expected the vase on the counter to be smashed the very next day, or for someone to say it was in the way.
Someone had smashed his flowers, and he hadn't even gotten to try the new drink. He glanced at the Americano in his hand.
Unable to swallow his anger, Shan Ye kicked a roadside tree trunk like a child.
A McLaren had pulled up by the road at some point and honked at him.
Shan Ye looked up. When he saw the person inside, he frowned.
"What are you doing here?"
Tan Yi'an took off his sunglasses, the corners of his mouth lifting. "I saw a handsome guy taking his anger out on a tree by the road. What did the tree do to you?"
Shan Ye shot him an irritated look.
Tan Yi'an said, "Get in. What are you standing there for?"
Shan Ye got into the passenger seat and put his coffee in the cup holder. Tan Yi'an glanced at it. "Bought that for me?"
"Mine." Guarding his drink, Shan Ye immediately snatched it back up.
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