The next day, Yulan was still half-asleep when she heard someone knocking on the roll-up shutter outside. The rhythmic clattering was enough to make her head spin. Pulling her phone from under her pillow, she saw it was only six-thirty, and a surge of fury rose to her head.
With a dark expression, she stomped down from the loft and pulled the door open, her face still stormy.
The flamboyant man from yesterday stood outside, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket. His wolf-cut hair swayed gently as he tilted his head, his dark sunglasses hiding his eyes, leaving only a hint of a playful smile visible.
His voice drifted into the doorway, lazy and slightly raspy, filled with amusement: "Surprise? Boss?" The tone was flippant, the inflection rising at the end as if to intentionally provoke her.
Before Yulan could respond, he added another line, his smile deepening: "Am I not the most ambitious second-generation rich kid you’ve ever met?"
The scene made Yulan’s fists clench involuntarily. She spoke through gritted teeth, "Are you done playing yet?"
"Playing? What do you mean? I’m genuinely here to experience life." Chu Shi removed his glasses and hooked them onto his T-shirt, his eyes filled with earnestness.
Yulan closed her eyes and took a deep breath, chanting to herself, *He’s a young master I can’t afford to offend. Don't hit him.*
"You aren't planning to hit me, are you?" Chu Shi tilted his head, asking like a curious child.
Yulan’s lip twitched. "Ha, what are you talking about, young master?"
"Pfft." Chu Shi let out a laugh. "You’re really quite interesting." With that, he walked inside as if he owned the place, sat heavily on a booth, and asked, "Boss, what do I need to do today?"
"My name is Yulan."
Chu Shi hesitated for a moment. "You can just call me Young Master; I quite like that title."
His brazen attitude made Yulan laugh in frustration. Having lost all desire to communicate with him, she pointed to a pile of ingredients by the door. "Sort them by category and put them into boxes according to the labels."
After giving the order, she strode upstairs.
"Yue Shi. My name is Yue Shi."
Yulan’s footsteps faltered for a second, then continued on. She had just spoken off the cuff, but when she finished washing up and came back downstairs in her uniform, she saw Yue Shi crouching by the door, sorting the supplies with clean, efficient movements. His features were bright and refined, his posture upright.
For a fleeting moment, Yulan felt as though her old, cramped shop had been brightened up by his presence.
*Ugh, spit it out! Bad luck!*
As the old saying goes, "A day's planning starts with the morning." Starting the day in a rage meant the whole day would go poorly.
Yulan was so busy she thought her back would break. She had no idea how people found out there was a handsome man working in her shop. By noon, there were only a few people lurking outside, but by evening, they weren't even pretending anymore. They crowded inside in a swarm, desperate to take photos with Yue Shi.
Yue Shi, being quick-witted, smiled and told them, "Two cups of milk tea, and you get a photo for free."
His single sentence had Yulan shaking her drink mixer until her hands felt like they were going to catch fire.
"Here, your performance fee." Yulan held her aching back and handed him two hundred yuan.
Chu Shi, who was busy cleaning, looked up, took the two thin bills, and asked with a smile, "Boss Yulan, is this a bonus?"
"Severance pay. Don't come back tomorrow; I have a boyfriend." Yulan laid it out plainly. She didn't believe a word of his story about a rich kid experiencing life. People like him, even if they wanted to experience life, would do so at their own family’s company—why would they end up in a tiny shop like hers?
Cinderella meeting Prince Charming was something that only happened in fairy tales or scams.
A flash of cunning crossed Yue Shi’s eyes, and his expression turned suddenly crestfallen. "Did I do something wrong to make you misunderstand?" He hung his head in defeat, dragged the floor in silence, and then left with two large bags of trash.
Everything seemed to confirm his claim that he was truly here to experience life.
Yulan watched him silently, not saying a word until he had left.
On the surface, Chu Shi appeared indifferent, but he walked exceptionally slowly. He had great confidence in his ability to handle women; he had never failed in the romantic arena.
His confidence only wavered when, having reached the street across from the shop with the trash, he still hadn't heard anyone call him back. Growing impatient, he tossed the trash away and casually threw his leather jacket and sunglasses into the bin as well. He leaned against his car to fish out a cigarette, only to realize after a long search that his lighter was in his jacket pocket.
"Damn it!" Chu Shi ran a hand through his hair in frustration, pacing back and forth.
*Click.*
The sound of a lighter sparked. Chu Shi turned around in surprise to see the woman standing across from his car. She was smiling, her face cool and clear, clean of any worldly pretense. Yet, her eyes held a sharp, aggressive intensity. She was flicking the lighter with her slender fingers, watching him with a playful expression.
Beautiful, flamboyant, and yet seemingly fragile.
Li Chuchu was wrong when she said Yulan fit his aesthetic; Yulan was someone who fit the aesthetic of humanity itself.
"What’s the point, Young Master?" Yulan’s gaze rested on the leather jacket hanging off the edge of the trash can.
Chu Shi felt awkward for a moment, but meeting Yulan’s mocking gaze, he relaxed. "A thousand gold pieces can't buy a beauty’s smile. I’m happy to do it; I like it."
Seeing him like this, Yulan knew this "dog-skin plaster" wouldn't be shaken off. Since the soft approach didn't work, she had to make him give up out of sheer difficulty. She tossed the lighter to him and turned back toward the shop. "We open at nine. Don't come too early."
Chu Shi narrowed his fox-like eyes, looking at the cheap lighter in his hand. "What did Xi Mingzhou ever do to deserve you?" he whispered.
The next day, Chu Shi regretted what he said the night before.
He realized he couldn't actually afford it.
Yulan was truly treating him like a pack mule. In the morning, he sliced lemons; at noon, he delivered orders; in the afternoon, he had to wear a mascot suit to hand out flyers; and at night, he had to accompany young girls to take photos. After taking the photos, he had to carry piles of raw materials. By the end of the day, he was so exhausted he didn't even have the energy to flirt, let alone think about wooing Yulan.
This life of being worked like an ox continued for half a month. Chu Shi, the young master who had never lifted a finger, began subconsciously asking the suppliers if there were any discounts...
When Chu Shi realized he had fallen this far, his expression turned foul. His eyes were narrow, and without a smile, he looked entirely unapproachable.
The supplier swallowed hard and took a half-step back. "You’re from Wang Xiaomei’s shop, right? I heard business has been so good you’ve snatched away all the customers from the nearby milk tea shops?"
Chu Shi looked up, gave a cold sweep of his eyes, and grunted a "Yeah" from his nose.
The supplier felt a chill down his spine. The advice he was about to give died in his throat, replaced by: "The stock for next week is all here. The prices have gone up a bit..."
Chu Shi cut him off impatiently. "If it's up, it's up. Stop rambling. Where is the stuff?"
The supplier pointed to the darkest, dampest corner of the warehouse, where the cardboard boxes were covered in white frost. He received another glare from Chu Shi for his trouble.
Yulan called this state of Chu Shi’s the "enlightenment phase." When what a person pursues is vastly disproportionate to what they invest, they are on the verge of giving up.
Yulan happily directed him to carry the supplies in, throwing in a few jabs about how slow he was. Seeing Chu Shi’s face turn darker and darker, Yulan knew it would only take one more spark for him to drop those twisted intentions.
"Young Master, hurry up and finish so you can go home and sleep. Tomorrow will be even busier."
Chu Shi didn't speak, just buried his head in his work.
"Young Master, tomorrow I’ll need you to use your charms. Do you have any of those, you know, male maid outfits? The kind with cat ears would be best."
Chu Shi still didn't say a word.
"Young Master, thanks to you, my shop’s revenue has doubled. It’s become a must-visit spot. I’m practically drowning in people’s drool these days."
Chu Shi wheezed, snapped back at her, "Popularity brings trouble. If you have the spare energy to use reverse psychology on me, you might as well help me out!"
Yulan propped her chin on her hands, her round eyes blinking. "So, how much longer will it take for my reverse psychology to work?"
"Tomorrow! I’m done! Who pursues a girl by suffering like this!"