Fang Dongxu felt he was living in hell.
Hell was not a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, nor a cauldron of oil refining souls.
Hell was this café he had opened himself.
His childhood friend Sui Yiming had personally designed the interior, claiming it was good enough to win awards. The paintings on the walls, the arrangement of the tables and chairs, the angle of the counter-every detail exuded a sense of sophistication.
But now, that sophistication felt like a palm slapping him hard across the face.
It was three in the afternoon, a time when the café should have been reasonably full.
He looked around. Apart from two students sleeping with their heads on the tables, there was not a single customer.
The aroma of coffee filled the air, but it no longer smelled sweet to him.
It had all begun when the three childhood friends, full of dreams, decided to open this café.
Fang Dongxu had two childhood friends, one named Sui Yiming and the other Qin Haitao.
The three of them had grown up in the same residential compound, their friendship dating back to playing in the mud naked. They had gone to elementary and middle school together. Although their social circles had gradually changed afterward, the three of them had always remained closest to one another.
Sui Yiming was a year ahead of Fang Dongxu, and they had attended the same high school too.
Sui Yiming had studied design. After graduation, he had used his family's connections to get into a well-known local design firm in Jiangcheng. But he had lofty ambitions and always felt his talent went unrecognized. He was forever saying things like, "Just wait till I strike out on my own," and calling himself "a future chief designer."
Fang Dongxu