bystanders

Although Qu Shiyao left the troublesome place of [Cloud·LUXE], she was still full of energy and made a direct battlefield transfer.

I ran from the bar entrance to a small milk tea shop across the street, a few shops away, with warm yellow lights.

"Hey bro! A bubble tea, please!" Qu Shiyao burst through the door and called out to a figure behind the counter who was tidying up cups with his back to her.

[Host, haven't you had enough to drink yet?]

The system's tone was slightly exasperated: "That drink at the bar didn't even get you out of there? And now you're asking for a refill?"

"Tongzi, you don't understand!" Qu Shiyao retorted in her mind, her face full of sorrow.

"I desperately need another drink to cleanse my mouth of the lingering taste! Understand?"

She added to the cashier's retreating figure, "I want an extra-large! Fill it to the brim!"

"Sister Shiyao???" The shop assistant turned around upon hearing the voice, revealing a clean and handsome face—it was Yi Yu!

His eyes widened instantly, his mouth opened slightly, and his face was filled with shock and confusion, as if asking, "Who am I? Where am I? What's wrong with Sister Shiyao?"

[Holy crap! They can even recognize this?!] The entire system was shocked.

"Huh? Yi Yu?" Qu Shiyao was also taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "Working part-time again?"

She looked at Yi Yu's apron with a cute milk tea logo printed on it, and the rag she was holding in her hand.

Yi Yu seemed to have just come to her senses, her face instantly turning bright red. She hurriedly threw aside the rag and rushed to the sink to wash her hands frantically: "Yes...yes, Sister Shiyao! You, you sit down, I'll make it for you right away!"

While operating the machine at lightning speed, he couldn't help but steal several glances at Qu Shiyao, his ears turning bright red.

His voice was filled with barely concealed excitement: "Sister Shiyao! You look especially beautiful today! It's very... um... artistic!"

The system looked at Yi Yu with horror: You better tell the truth!

Qu Shiyao, who was looking down at her phone, suddenly stood up as if she had been injected with adrenaline upon hearing this!

"Really?!" Her eyes lit up, and she rushed to the bar, grabbing Yi Yu's freshly washed and still-dry hand across the counter.

She shook Yi Yu's hand vigorously, her expression one of perfect agreement, and said excitedly:

"Yi Yu, you understand! I think so too! My style is at the forefront of fashion! Most people just can't appreciate it!"

Yi Yu's brain was completely overwhelmed by her sudden enthusiasm, and her whole body turned red from her neck to the top of her head, like a boiled crab, with steam visibly rising from the top of her head.

He nodded dumbly, stammering, "Um! It's...good-looking!"

The system, watching from the side, twitched at the corner of its mouth: [...]

It felt as if it were witnessing two entirely new species from outer space engaging in a cross-dimensional aesthetic exchange.

One dares to speak, the other dares to believe, and both are incredibly sincere!

[Host! I have something to say!] The system felt obligated to enlighten these two aesthetically distorted individuals as the only conscious being.

Qu Shiyao released Yi Yu's hand and, without thinking, firmly refused: "No! You don't want to! Hold it in!"

If a system were obedient, would it still be a system? It directly broadcast at maximum volume within Qu Shiyao's consciousness:

[I think you two should go see an ophthalmologist right now! A renowned expert said your aesthetic sense is a severe visual perception disorder, commonly known as blindness! You need treatment! And you can't stop taking your medication!!!]

Qu Shiyao activated her traditional skill: selective deafness, treating it as background music played by the system, and continued to enjoy the milk tea that Yi Yu was making for her.

"Sister Shiyao, your milk tea is ready!" Yi Yu blushed and carefully pushed a super-sized cup of milk tea over.

The system scanned the inside of the cup: 【！！！】

It let out a short, startled cry: [Host! Isn't this milk tea a little too honest in its ingredients?! The tapioca pearls are practically overflowing! Where's the milk tea?! Where's the milk tea?!]

Qu Shiyao also looked down.

Goodness! The tapioca pearls in the cup take up almost three-quarters of the entire cup! A thin layer of milk tea liquid floats symbolically on top!

When Yi Yu saw Qu Shiyao staring at the milk tea cup, she quickly blushed and stammered, "It's so late, there are hardly any customers left, and there are still a lot of pearls left... It would be such a waste to throw them away, so I gave them all to you..."

Qu Shiyao looked up, her face filled with genuine gratitude: "No matter what, Yi Yu, you're such a good friend! I'll remember you!"

This portion size is absolutely generous!

"You're too kind..." Yi Yu turned her head away shyly, a blush spreading from her ears to the base of her neck, like a ripe tomato.

Just then!

Woo-woo-woo!

The sharp wail of police sirens pierced the night's hustle and bustle as they drew nearer, growing louder and louder until they finally stopped in front of the [Cloud·LUXE] bar!

Police lights flashed, their red and blue lights illuminating half the street in alternating patterns.

The bar manager rushed out to greet them, his face plastered with a stiff, ingratiating smile, while frantically gesturing to his trusted subordinates.

The confidants understood immediately and were preparing to slip away quietly, but they didn't expect that the police captain leading the team this time was so experienced.

While showing his credentials to the general manager and explaining the reason, he walked without stopping, leading his men straight towards the private room, giving those who wanted to make trouble no chance.

The general manager's smile completely vanished, and he inwardly wailed: What the hell have I done?! It's only been a short while, and it's happening again?!

[Here it comes! The show is about to begin!] The system was so excited that it wished it could grow legs and run over to watch the live broadcast.

Qu Shiyao took a big sip through the straw, her face flushed red, and she almost choked on the pearls in her mouth.

She quickly adjusted her posture, stretched her neck, and tried to get a view of the bar entrance.

Seeing Qu Shiyao so intently watching the spectacle, Yi Yu assumed she enjoyed it.

Taking advantage of the shop owner's absence and the lack of customers, he quickly took off his apron, walked around from behind the bar, and carefully sat down in the chair opposite Qu Shiyao.

After he sat down, he blushed and secretly glanced at Qu Shiyao several times. He found that Shiyao's attention was entirely on the bar across the street and she didn't notice him at all. He felt both happy and a little disappointed.

Before long, the area in front of the bar became lively.

The police filed out, followed by a string of dejected, disheveled young men.

Some had messy hair, some had their shirts buttoned up incorrectly, and some still had a flushed face and the dissatisfaction of having their good time interrupted.

Several of them, who were used to being arrogant, clearly hadn't grasped the situation and were still shouting defiantly:

"What right do you have to arrest me?! Do you even know who my father is?!"

"Let me go! I need to see your bureau chief! Now! Immediately!"

"Believe it or not, I'll make sure you regret it!"

Several young police officers seemed intimidated, their steps faltering, and they looked at their captain with some hesitation.

The leader was a policeman in his forties.

Far from being angry, he instead flashed a smile that could only be described as "amiable," and slowly strolled over to the young master who had been shouting the loudest, his tone tinged with curiosity:

"Oh? I really didn't know! Tell me, what kind of deity is your dad?"

A few of the young masters who were still relatively clear-headed immediately changed their expressions and frantically tried to signal the idiot to shut up.

Unfortunately, my teammate got carried away and started shoving his neck around, looking down his nose at people, and yelling so loudly that the whole street could hear him:

"You poor cops! Listen up! My dad is Zheng Degang! Mayor Zheng! You better let me go right now, or you'll all be fired!"

Those few young men with clear minds instantly closed their eyes in despair, wishing they could disappear on the spot.

The onlookers were in an uproar!

"Holy crap! The mayor's son has been arrested for smuggling?"

"Really? Take a picture!"

"Wow! This is big news!"

Even more surprising, a small-time streamer holding up his phone to broadcast live was so excited that his voice was practically splitting into two.

"My darlings! My family! We've witnessed history! Look! That guy in the floral shirt! He admitted himself to being Mayor Zheng's son! He was caught red-handed by the police in a bar! Follow the anchor so you don't get lost! We'll be keeping you updated on the latest developments!"

The smile on the police captain's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, businesslike demeanor.

He addressed the boastful young master, his voice booming so that everyone around could hear him:

"So you're Mayor Zheng's son! My apologies! But..."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone laced with sarcasm, "Then we need your father to come to the station in person to pick him up! Take him away!"

With a wave of their hand, the police officers, without any further hesitation, swiftly stuffed the group of people into the police car one by one.

The last one to emerge was Sicheng.

He was clearly just "coincidentally" there, and was very well-behaved, simply chatting with friends and not participating in any "group activities".

The police were just routinely taking him back to make a statement.

When he walked out, he was calm and composed, his suit was impeccably tailored, and not a single hair was out of place. His aura was so powerful that he didn't seem like someone who had been arrested, but rather like a leader inspecting grassroots work.

Even the young policeman who was in charge of escorting him seemed a bit reserved.

The bar's general manager and several related staff members were also taken away in disgrace.

A "Temporarily Closed" notice was quickly posted on the bar's door.

A deputy manager bowed and apologized to the customers who hadn't yet left the door: "I'm so sorry! We're temporarily closing for renovations today! All purchases made in the store are on the house! We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause!"

The police car arrived quickly and left just as fast, disappearing into the night with its siren blaring.

The young streamer was still enthusiastically broadcasting when he read out a comment: "Huh? I remember Mayor Zheng has only publicly stated that he has one daughter? Where did this son come from?"

The anchor's eyes widened instantly, his excitement almost overflowing, and his voice rose eight octaves:

"Oh?! Did you guys hear that?! Either that guy is bluffing and pretending to be a second-generation official! Or... our beloved Mayor Zheng has been caught cheating on his wife and having an illegitimate child! Huge news, everyone! Follow the streamer! Tune in to the live stream! I'll do everything I can to dig out the rest for you!"

Qu Shiyao swallowed the last chewy pearl in her mouth with a "glug," and sighed regretfully as she watched the police car drive away.

She touched her handbag, where the brand-new urea bag was still lying.

I originally planned to take advantage of the chaos to have a "friendly exchange" with Sicheng when he was alone, but I didn't expect this guy to be so lucky and manage to escape unscathed?

Just then, the colleague who came to pick up Yi Yu finally ran over, panting.

As she put on her apron, she apologized, "Oh, Yi Yu, I'm so sorry! It was too lively up ahead! I've delayed you!" Her face was flushed with excitement from watching the excitement.

"It's alright, Xiangke, thank you for your trouble." Yi Yu smiled politely and quickly packed her things.

Seeing that Qu Shiyao had finished her milk tea, he quickly walked over to her, his voice filled with a mixture of caution and barely concealed anticipation: "Sister Shiyao, are you... going home?"

Qu Shiyao was worried about how to get back. She had forgotten to charge her electric scooter that night and had taken a taxi.

Upon hearing Yi Yu's question, she sighed sadly, "Oh, don't even mention it, my little electric scooter is out of power..."

Yi Yu's eyes lit up instantly!

He immediately pointed to a well-maintained electric scooter parked in front of the milk tea shop, his voice becoming cheerful: "I'm riding it! Sister Shiyao! I'll give you a ride!"

Before he finished speaking, he rushed over like a gust of wind to unlock the door, moving so fast that he was afraid Qu Shiyao would change her mind.

Lin Xiangke stared in disbelief as Yi Yu diligently carried the bag for the extremely "shocking" dressed woman, then carefully watched her sit on the back of his electric scooter before Yi Yu himself got on and drove her away into the night.

Lin Xiangke's jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"My goodness... Yi Yu's flavor is so unique!"

She muttered to herself, then shrugged, "Garlic bird, garlic bird, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, let's respect and wish them well." She shook her head, turned and went into the shop to take over the shift.

She habitually checked the materials, her gaze sweeping over the pearl bucket, and she immediately let out a surprised exclamation:

"Huh??? Why are the tapioca pearls gone so quickly today? There's not a single one left?! Is business this good tonight? Is the bubble tea selling out?"

She scratched her head, completely baffled.