In the sweltering heat of July, Zhao Jiening's enthusiasm was even hotter.
The girl's eyes sparkled with joy. "Ru Feng, I like you so much. Will you be my boyfriend?"
Although his colleagues at the coffee shop often joked about Blue Mountain coffee, he mostly ignored it, reasoning that good coffee has an empathetic quality, and Zhao Jiening only liked the coffee he made. Besides, apart from coffee, their lives didn't seem to intersect.
“Miss Zhao…” Lan Shan opened her mouth, but the words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat.
"Don't call me Miss Zhao, call me Jie Ning, or Ning Ning."
The change in address signifies a change in status. Zhao Jiening gazed at him, waiting for the wind, and also waiting for his answer.
Her heart was pounding, like a drum, but her throat was dry. Lan Shan's face flushed slightly with nervousness. "Thank you...for liking...my coffee..."
“It’s not just your coffee, it’s you too.” Zhao Jiening corrected him, her gaze intense, pressing him relentlessly.
Lan Shan barely managed to maintain her composure, "But I... don't understand you..."
Zhao Jiening grasped his hand, pressing closer to him, "You've already taken me home twice. Don't you know me well enough? Do you think I'd let someone take me home if we were just ordinary people?"
That was a service exclusively for V-VIP customers, Lanshan thought, but didn't say it aloud.
Zhao Jiening tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. "What do you want to know? I'll tell you everything. Zhao Jiening, 23 years old this year, born in 1987 in a compound in Beijing. My father, Zhao Sheng, is the founder of Tiansheng Capital, and he dotes on me. I have an older brother. Oh, my mother divorced my father early on, and I still have a sickly stepmother. What else do you want to know?"
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Lan Shan said, her eyes lowered. “I meant that you don’t know me. We’ve only known each other for a month.”
Their clasped hands became an entanglement, and Miss Zhao had climbed onto his neck, looking at him like a lover. "I know you, a pure coffee lover and promoter, someone who sees coffee as life itself. Has anyone told you? The way you focus on making coffee is so captivating. I can't control myself every time; I want to kiss you, hide you away, and make coffee just for me."
It's very fulfilling to receive heartfelt recognition. Blue Mountain's heart is burning with passion, a testament to youthful fervor.
“So,” Zhao Jiening paused, her eyes gentle, “time cannot be a reason for us to be together. Some people know each other their whole lives and remain strangers, while others are forever separated at first sight. You are my forever, I know, I have fallen hopelessly in love with you. Ru Feng, tell me, you love me too.” She offered her lips to his and pressed them against his.
Lan Shan's mind went blank for a moment. The girl's perfume filled his nostrils, and her words echoed in his ears, threatening to devour his reason.
Lan Shan broke free from her grasp, blinked, and took a deep breath. "Miss Zhao, listen to me, coffee isn't everything in life. I consider you a friend, nothing more."
Zhao Jiening pursed her lips. Her first confession had ended in failure, and her eyes were filled with shyness and resentment. "Just friends? Then why did you make 'Amour'? Can you honestly say that you didn't think about me at all when you were making the coffee?"
All he could think about was Miss Zhao. Lan Shan had told himself this before; because she was a V-VIP customer of the coffee shop, if she was satisfied, it meant the other customers would be too. Yes, that was it. "I... just want the coffee shop to do better. I... I should go."
He turned around, and if he stayed there for even a second longer, he could hardly breathe properly.
"Lan Rufeng! Lan Shan! I like you!" Zhao Jiening didn't chase after him because she was afraid of scaring him. Perhaps she should give him more time.
The aroma of coffee beans requires prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Zhao Jiening believes that once she's had enough sun exposure, she'll truly appreciate it.
*
Xue Qiandai arrived at Chaoyang Hospital.
The nurse is performing a routine check.
Yu Xue, lying on the bed, was no longer on a ventilator. She was sleeping soundly, with even a slight blush on her face, showing no signs of being in a vegetative state.
"Nurse, how is she?" Xue Qiandai asked softly.
"Everything is normal, but it's hard to say when she'll wake up. Talking to her more and recalling unforgettable experiences will help her recover faster." The nurse left after the check-up.
Xue Qiandai first sent Huo Yunchao a message: "Girlfriend checking in. Today is the second day of watching her love rival. Everything's fine. How about you?"
With a "beep," a message arrived—a photo. In the photo, Huo Meiren was sharing her insights on stage, surrounded by a densely packed audience—half of China's internet industry. "Tonight, after the Internet Conference ends, I'm heading south to the Pearl River Delta for more presentations. What gift does my little princess want?"
Xue Qiandai smiled and said, "Oh, she's a princess. Then she'll want a crown and a scepter, as well as a prince's kiss."
On QQ, I received a string of pictures: "a crown, a certificate, and luscious red lips."
She chuckled softly and pressed the reply button, "I'm not saying anything more, or I'll wake up my rival. Jian Yan taught me a massage technique yesterday, but I don't know if it will work."
A cartoon character appeared on QQ, depicting a boy passionately kissing a girl; the image was incredibly lifelike. "Dai Dai, my dear Dai Dai, I want to kiss you."
Xue Qiandai almost dropped her phone; she dared not look at it. Her beloved Huo Meiren, even a simple chat could stir up her passionate feelings.
She recalled Jian Yan's appearance as she helped Yu Xue with her spa treatment.
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