Chapter 8

Tsk, tsk.

The opportunity had finally come.

Another 100 red envelopes for this chapter. See you tomorrow.

Chapter 8

Lin Yu had been busy since early morning. A newly ordered batch of tableware had just arrived, and the delivery truck had spent ages trying to back out of the entrance without success. Electric scooters darted about on the sidewalk and the road, leaving the truck almost completely blocked in. Lin Yu had to help direct traffic so it could get out.

Even so, the truck driver kept grumbling. He leaned out of the window and said, "Boss Lin, there are way too many electric scooters around here. Not one of them follows the traffic rules."

Half joking, Lin Yu said, "It's the morning rush hour. It would've been better if you'd come half an hour later."

"Well, I was passing through here, so of course I had to deliver to you first. I came straight over as soon as I got off the expressway. If you don't like the timing, why don't you just order online from now on?"

Lin Yu laughed. "A courier wouldn't handle it as carefully as you do."

"Glad you know it." The driver pulled his head back in and continued backing up. More than ten minutes later, he finally managed to get out, and the congested road gradually cleared.

Customers passing by came and went, leaving as soon as they'd made their purchases. Lin Yu had the store manager prepare some juice and bread for the truck driver. With the truck out, the driver was less annoyed. He thanked them and drove off, taking great care with his truckload of clattering ceramics.

Back in the shop, a long string of delivery orders awaited her, and Lin Yu also received a personal order from Jiang Zao. She had just finished a livestream and wanted something warm, specifically milk with brown sugar and osmanthus. Lin Yu knew she was going to sleep after she'd eaten, so she delivered it herself. When Jiang Zao had rented a place, she had wanted to live in Lin Yu's residential complex too, but it was too far from her company. With no other choice, she had rented an apartment-style place near the office. The one drawback was that the soundproofing wasn't very good. On the first floor, she could often hear the person next door coughing and scraping a chair. Fortunately, the neighbor was a single dog too.

Otherwise, she might accidentally hear things she shouldn't.

Back then, Jiang Zao had even bowed to the wall, praying that a single dog would always live next door.

On her way out, Lin Yu also took Jiang Zao's trash out for her, then returned to the shop.

Everyone at the shop was less busy now and was unpacking the new tableware. Lin Yu went over to help.

A little after three in the afternoon, Lin Yu was wiping down the tableware at the counter with the store manager when the doorbell rang. She craned her head to look and saw Li Yin smiling at her. Surprised, Lin Yu's eyes curved into a smile. "What brings you here?"

Li Yin brought out a bouquet of yellow roses from behind his back and handed it to her. "We've been together all these days, and I still haven't come to see your shop."

Lin Yu pressed her lips together in a smile and accepted the flowers.

"You've been busy. It's fine."

Behind her, the store manager and Xiao Li asked with beaming smiles, "Who's this, Sister Yuyu?"

The other employees, including the barista, all looked over too. Smiling, Lin Yu walked to Li Yin's side and said to them, "His name is Li Yin, my... boyfriend."

"Li Yin, this is the store manager, that's Xiao Li, and Xiao Cao, the barista Lian Kai..."

Li Yin said shyly, "Hello, everyone."

"Hello, hello!" Xiao Li greeted him enthusiastically, making Li Yin even more embarrassed. Smiling, Lin Yu led him over to a table. "Sit."

"What would you like to drink?"

Li Yin sat down and looked up at her with a smile. "Anything's fine. The one you ordered for me before will do."

Lin Yu asked Lian Kai to make an iced hazelnut Americano.

Lian Kai nodded with a smile and turned to get to work.

Lin Yu went back and sat down beside Li Yin. "Aren't you busy this afternoon?"

Li Yin thought of how he'd worked overtime until two thirty last night, and of the frequent messages from his boss. He pulled a smile. "Yeah, I took the afternoon off. I've been working overtime like this for the past two days, and my body can't take it."

Lin Yu nodded. "That's true. Didn't the project end? Do you still have to keep going?"

The mention of it made Li Yin angry, but he couldn't very well tell Lin Yu about it. Catching her faint fragrance and seeing her pretty face, he felt much less irritated. He said, "The project's over, but there are still a few loose ends to deal with. Do you blame me?"

Hearing this, Lin Yu hurriedly smiled. "What would I blame you for? Being busy with work is a good thing."

Li Yin gazed steadily at her, relieved.

He looked around at the shop's decor and the famous garden across the way. "No wonder everyone says the setting here is nice. It really is."

Lin Yu smiled. "Ye Xi and I designed the garden."

"Ye Xi?" Li Yin didn't register the name at first. A second later, he remembered. "Your business partner."

Lin Yu nodded. "Yes."

"You two have a clever eye for design," Li Yin praised.

Lin Yu smiled, her eyes curving.

Xiao Li brought the coffee over with a grin. Li Yin thanked her, then took a sip. "That's the taste. It's really good."

Lin Yu asked, "Would you like some bread or cake, or something else to eat?"

Li Yin took her by the wrist. "No, let's sit and chat."

Smiling, Lin Yu sat back down.

Li Yin looked at her smiling face, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red. Still holding her hand, he chatted with her about some trivial, amusing things from the office.

Lin Yu listened with a smile.

Just then, the doorbell rang again.

The store manager called out, "Good afternoon, President Chen."

Lin Yu and Li Yin looked up. Chen Lüli was wearing a black outdoor jacket and a pair of black gloves. He took them off, and when he raised his eyes, he saw the two of them.

At a glance, he saw the vivid yellow roses and Lin Yu's hand in Li Yin's.

The moment Lin Yu saw him taking off his gloves, she knew he'd ridden his heavy motorcycle. He'd only just recovered from being sick, and he was already riding it-he really had no regard for his life. Chen Lüli said mildly, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Lin Yu met his gaze and realized he was speaking to her. She also came to her senses and said to Li Yin, "Chen Lüli from Star Rise, my friend."

Li Yin recognized Chen Lüli. He released Lin Yu's hand and stood up. "President Chen, I'm Li Yin from Yousitu, right across from your company."

He held out a hand to Chen Lüli, the very one he had just been using to hold Lin Yu's.

"Hello." Chen Lüli reached out and gave it a light shake.

The faint scent of Lin Yu still lingered on Li Yin's palm. After releasing his hand, Chen Lüli put away his gloves and went over to sit down. He still looked a little tired and paler than usual, which only made him seem more aloof. He said to Lin Yu, "A latte."

Lin Yu agreed.

She asked Li Yin to sit for a while, then went to the work counter. Seeing her approach, Lian Kai asked quietly, "Is President Chen sick? He looks a little pale."

Lin Yu nodded.

"Then the latte?" Lian Kai asked. How could he drink something so cold when he was sick?

Lin Yu said, "Go on with your work."

Lian Kai assented.

Lin Yu opened the fruit refrigerator, took out a grapefruit and a snow pear, and made a glass of grapefruit and snow pear juice. She carried it out and set it on Chen Lüli's table.

Chen Lüli looked up from his phone, glanced at the juice, then raised his eyes to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu asked, "Are you feeling any better today?"

Chen Lüli said, "Yes."

"Did you go to the office this morning?"

"No." His voice was still a little hoarse.

Lin Yu said, "Oh," and pushed the juice toward him. "Then drink this. The latte's too cold; it wouldn't be good for you."

Chen Lüli leaned back in his chair, his gaze resting on her face. The fragrance that had lingered around him last night seemed infinitely stronger now. She wasn't wearing a scarf today. Her light blue base layer and dark gray dress set off her exceptionally fair skin, still rosy beneath the paleness. He withdrew his gaze, glanced at the juice on the table, and nodded. "All right, I'll drink this."

Lin Yu turned and went back to Li Yin's side.

Li Yin finished replying to a message and took her hand when she returned. Lin Yu sat down, and Li Yin glanced at Chen Lüli. "When did you and President Chen meet?"

He had seen Lin Yu replace Chen Lüli's latte with juice she'd prepared for him, with the ease of a close friend.

Sitting next to Li Yin, Lin Yu said, "We were high school classmates."

Li Yin was surprised. "No wonder you look so close."

Lin Yu smiled. "Mm."

"Oh, right. Didn't you say you wanted to go to the Donghua Oceanarium? I made some plans. Take a look, and then we can pick a day to go." Remembering this, Li Yin opened the notes on his phone. As expected of someone who worked with data, he had prepared three separate itineraries for a one-day trip.

Lin Yu hadn't expected him to prepare so many, but when she remembered the coffee flavor summary chart he had given her that day, it was no longer surprising.

She took his phone and listened carefully as he explained the pros and cons of the three itineraries.

The Donghua Oceanarium had recently opened. It had a mermaid and was very famous. The mermaid was beautiful, much like the one in the fairy tale. Lin Yu had loved the story since she was little and wanted to find a day to go see her.

"Look, if we take this route, we can go to a concert."

"If we take the other route, we can watch the sunset..." Li Yin spoke enthusiastically, and Lin Yu listened attentively. She and Li Yin sat very close, their breaths mingling.

Chen Lüli lowered his eyes to reply to messages, occasionally coughing softly into his fist. They weren't far away, and he could hear her boyfriend speaking. He picked up the juice and took a sip. When he looked up, he saw Li Yin gently tuck Lin Yu's hair behind her ear. She looked a little surprised and turned to Li Yin, pressing her lips into a smile, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Chen Lüli's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before he looked away. He set down the glass, his fingertips tapping unconsciously as his other hand scrolled across his phone screen.

Just then, a message popped up in the WeChat group.

It was from Ming Yu.

Ming Yu: @Chen Lüli, did you work overtime last night?

Chen Lüli: I did.

With two notification sounds, Lin Yu's phone vibrated on the table. She glanced at it and saw his reply to Ming Yu: he had worked overtime last night. But he clearly hadn't. Holding her phone, Lin Yu turned to look at him instinctively. He was leaning back in the corner, a hand against his lips, tapping on his phone with an indifferent expression.

Her phone vibrated again. She had received a private message.

She tapped it open.