Chapter 26

Ming Yu bit the rim of her disposable cup and nodded. "That makes sense, but I prefer a simpler style."

Lin Yu brought over three cups of freshly ground coffee, one for each of them, and set one down beside Ming Yu. She sat down next to Jiang Zao and glanced at the strikingly beautiful Ming Yu. "Did you come straight here from the airport?"

Ming Yu nodded. "Yeah, my luggage is still in Jiang Zao's car."

Lin Yu nodded. "Jiang Zao picked you up?"

"Mhm," Ming Yu said. "They're developing a new game right now, so Chen Lüli's probably busy. I called him, but he didn't answer, so I asked Jiang Zao to pick me up."

"Mhm," Lin Yu said.

Just then, Jiang Zao's takeout arrived. She got up to collect it, brought it back, and set it on the table. As she opened it, she said, "Yuyu, let's talk about you and Li Yin."

She opened the bag and looked at Lin Yu. "Are the things I heard true? Did something really happen between Li Yin and his boss?"

Ming Yu looked over too, holding her coffee.

Lin Yu nodded.

The next second, Jiang Zao launched into a tirade. What a pretty boy! You could know a man's face but not his heart! The way he'd stood Lin Yu up last time had already shown what kind of person he was! A dog of a man who couldn't resist temptation, with no self-control whatsoever-what kind of man was he? Scumbag! She'd curse him to death! What a piece of work!

Ming Yu blinked in shock.

Lin Yu sipped her coffee and patted Jiang Zao, who turned around and wrapped an arm around her. "The next one will be sweeter and better. He's nothing. A man should have some backbone, resist every temptation, and hold you in the palm of his hand."

Lin Yu laughed. "Yes, yes, yes."

Ming Yu said, "So now you know why I don't date, right? Not one of these men is dependable. I've seen even more of them in France."

Jiang Zao ruffled Lin Yu's hair and looked at Ming Yu. "Your suitors must line up all the way from here to France, right? Hasn't a single one made your heart flutter?"

Ming Yu shook her head.

"Oh~," Jiang Zao drawled.

Lin Yu lowered her head to sip her coffee and popped a few strips of squid into her mouth. She waited for Jiang Zao's next sentence, certain she would drag Chen Lüli into it.

But after Jiang Zao finished her drawn-out "oh," she paused. Images of the car and the underground parking garage the night before last surfaced in her mind. Her brain froze for a few seconds, and she shut her mouth.

She swallowed the rest of her words.

Jiang Zao had ordered from a long-established teahouse nearby. There were more than enough little snacks for the three women, so they wouldn't need a proper meal.

After eating the snacks, they all felt a little carb-drunk.

Ming Yu's phone kept ringing. Her family had found out she'd run back to China and were urging her to come home. Jiang Zao had a livestream that afternoon, and her place was in the same direction as Ming Yu's, so she would drop her off on the way before going home to stream.

After seeing them off, Lin Yu tidied up and returned to the shop. Unlike yesterday's overcast weather, the sun was shining just right today as Lin Yu pushed open the door.

The bell rang, and the shop manager and Xiao Li's eyes lit up as soon as they saw her. Xiao Cao came over and linked arms with her, looking at her cautiously. "Sister Yu, the weather's nice today. Are you in a good mood?"

Lin Yu smiled, reached up to ruffle her hair, and said, "My mood is as bright as the weather."

"Wow, that's good."

The two of them cheered. The shop manager's expression relaxed too, the barista smiled and lowered her head to make drinks, and the head chef put on gloves and smilingly lowered the curtain before returning to the kitchen.

Lin Yu glanced around the shop. "Why did we make so little bread today?"

Xiao Li cleared a tray from a table and said with a smile, "There have been lots of annual company parties lately, so bread sales are down. The master baker said to make less."

Lin Yu realized why.

There were only about ten days left until the New Year.

Some of the smaller companies nearby were already arranging their holiday breaks, and their annual parties were also in preparation. The shop would have to gradually reduce the ingredients it stocked, too.

Lin Yu went to the back to look through the accounts and the plans for the New Year.

There were indeed fewer customers that afternoon, so Lin Yu gathered the staff for a brief meeting. A little after six, Xiao Li's eyes lit up. Ming Yu walked in arm in arm with Jiang Zao, wearing a gray coat and carrying a gift bag. Jiang Zao said with a smile, "Yuyu, we've come to mooch dinner off you tonight."

"Wow, two gorgeous ladies!" Xiao Li immediately praised them.

Jiang Zao wore a cropped leather jacket and jeans. Hearing that, she laughed. "Little Sister Xiao Li, you really know what to say."

Xiao Li grinned.

Lin Yu's eyes curved as she said, "Meeting dismissed."

"Woo~~"

Xiao Li and Xiao Cao cheered. Lin Yu stood up and glanced at the two women. "What would you like to drink?"

"Fruit tea."

Jiang Zao said.

Ming Yu handed the gift bag to Lin Yu. "Gifts for you and Zaozao."

Lin Yu accepted it and thanked her.

Ming Yu and Jiang Zao found a place to sit, choosing a large round table for six. Ming Yu rested her cheek on her hand as she looked around the shop. "The place is getting more and more refined."

Lin Yu picked up a menu and was about to respond with a smile.

The doorbell rang, and Xiao Li's eyes lit up again. Lin Yu turned to see Chen Lüli push his way in, his suit jacket draped over his arm. Their eyes met across the room.

Lin Yu's heart gave a violent leap.

Fragments of last night flashed through her mind, interweaving with a scene from her dream.

"Wow, no wonder this place is so popular online. The atmosphere is great, and that coffee aroma is just what I love." Another man walked in behind Chen Lüli, wearing a white shirt and a loose black jacket. His eyes lit up when he saw Lin Yu. He blinked and said, "Hey."

Lin Yu came back to her senses and smiled. "Hello."

"Jiang Yingshan!" Ming Yu called out. Lin Yu then remembered that she had met him once before: he was Chen Lüli's business partner, Jiang Yingshan.

Jiang Yingshan turned to her and smiled. "Miss Ming, how does it feel to have sneaked back to China?"

Ming Yu rested her cheek on her hand and blinked. "Not bad. It's not that terrible."

"You're the apple of your father's eye. How could he bear to scold you?" Jiang Yingshan said with a smile.

Ming Yu scoffed.

Her gaze shifted to Chen Lüli as he and Jiang Yingshan walked toward the round table.

Lin Yu watched them.

No wonder they'd chosen a table for six. They had invited the two men. Jiang Yingshan strode over and sat down beside Ming Yu to chat with her. Ming Yu frowned and looked toward Chen Lüli.

Chen Lüli hung his jacket over the back of a chair and went to the restroom.

Jiang Zao leaned forward to look at Jiang Yingshan. "So you're Jiang Yingshan?"

"What? You've heard my famous name?"

Jiang Zao grinned. "I have, on WeChat."

Jiang Yingshan raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I'm honored. Were they saying good things or bad things about me?"

Jiang Zao grinned wickedly.

Jiang Yingshan: "..."

Lin Yu stepped forward, set the menu on the table, and asked, "What would you like to eat? I'll have the head chef make it."

Jiang Zao grabbed Lin Yu's wrist. "Sit down. We can just scan the code and order. Chat with us."

Lin Yu had no choice but to sit down.

Xiao Cao hurried over to take the menu away and pressed a hand to Lin Yu's shoulder with a smile. "Boss, be a customer for once today. We'll take care of the service."

Lin Yu could only agree.

A tall, slender figure approached, pulled out the chair beside her, and sat down. A faint scent of cedar drifted over, and Lin Yu could feel his presence.

She hardly dared glance his way.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zao held her wrist and pinched her fingers. "Where's your ring? You didn't wear it today?"

Lin Yu lowered her eyes to her fingers. "I forgot."

"That ring of yours really is pretty. Several streamers at our company bought the same one, though theirs are all imitations."

Lin Yu's had been custom-made by a craftsperson and was quite expensive.

Ming Yu pushed the talkative Jiang Yingshan aside and rested her cheek on her hand as she looked at Chen Lüli. "It's almost New Year's, and your company is still putting out a new game?"

Chen Lüli picked up his fruit tea and took a sip. "It'll be released over New Year's," he said lazily.

Ming Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then won't you have no holiday?"

Chen Lüli lifted his eyes, his gaze sweeping briefly over the hand Jiang Zao was holding. He set down his cup. "We're all in Li City. What difference does a holiday make?"

Ming Yu shrugged. "True."

Jiang Yingshan clicked his tongue in protest. "You're all in Li City, but I still have to go to my family's ancestral home in Hai City to pay respects to our ancestors. All that running around is exhausting."

Jiang Zao leaned forward curiously. "You're from Hai City?"

"Yeah. I just came to Li City to build my career."

"Oh, oh. Even someone from Hai City has to come to Li City to get ahead. You really aren't leaving us Li City people any way to make a living." After saying that, Jiang Zao realized she wasn't from Li City either and clicked her tongue.

Everyone chatted as they ordered.

Even though Lin Yu had sat down, they were still in her own shop, so she had to look after everyone, taking plates from Xiao Cao now and then. Chen Lüli glanced at her and helped take one, setting it down near Jiang Yingshan.

Night fell outside, and customers came in to get takeout. Lin Yu got up to help and occasionally chatted with them, unable to focus on the conversation the way the others did.

Ming Yu brought up spending New Year's Eve together again. This time, she naturally meant Lunar New Year's Eve, though this year there was no thirtieth, only the twenty-ninth. They needed to spend it with their families but also make time to get together, whether to set off fireworks, play chess or mahjong, or count down together. They settled on Lin Yu's shop for the countdown.

That was how Ming Yu arranged it. When Jiang Yan'an learned they were getting together, he clamored in the group chat for a video call. Jiang Zao started one, and they discussed it together.

Lin Yu wiped her hands at the counter and looked back at Chen Lüli's seat. He wasn't there; he had probably gone outside to take a call.

Just then.

Her phone, which she had left on the table, rang. She opened the message.

Chen Lüli: Come out.

Lin Yu was startled. She asked: Where?

Chen Lüli: Outside the door.

Lin Yu looked outside. The street was bustling, with cars speeding past and pedestrians hurrying by. Through the broad floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see the street opposite, but he wasn't there. She glanced at the others at the round table. They were still on the video call with Jiang Yan'an. She pressed her lips together, and her phone sounded again.

Chen Lüli: You don't want me to come in and take your hand and lead you out, do you?

Oh.