【07】How come she turned herself into a trophy and felt so happy about it?
Sundays were Liang Zhiyao's coffee shop workweek. Compared to the four-hour shifts on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the eight-hour shift was obviously more tiring, but it also meant more income. She had to be at the shop by 6 a.m. to make tea and prepare ingredients, and during peak hours, she was completely busy. Standing all day felt like her back wasn't hers, her body reduced from a single solid mass to fragments, with pain and fatigue hitting her randomly. She thought, those who dream of starting a coffee shop business should try working an eight-hour shift. It would surely shatter the artistic spirit of a young person and turn them into a loyal nine-to-five job. The economy has been tough in recent years, and her parents' business has been the hardest hit. But compared to other international students whose mortgage payments have been defaulted, she wasn't the most desperate, as I've seen online. Besides being lucky enough to find various part-time jobs, her family didn't give up on her and kept trying to find ways to borrow money for her tuition. Seeing two middle-aged people in their 50s sell their once large city-center apartment to pay off their debts and settle in a suburban two-bedroom apartment, she couldn't bring herself to continue her comfortable study abroad life, content to continue accepting her parents' support. When the incident occurred, Liang Zhiyao was just finishing her sophomore year, facing a difficult transition period. Returning to China to take the Gaokao was unrealistic, but the hefty tuition fees at private American universities made it difficult to afford graduation. Despite her uncertainty, she feigned composure during a video call with her parents, taking out a calculator and adding and subtracting, solemnly explaining that there were financial aid options available. After selling her car, she could likely complete college through internships and part-time jobs. Her eloquence and acting skills were excellent, and she capitalized on the information gap to coax her parents from shaking their heads to a state of skepticism. Their only bottom line was that they couldn't afford to live in an unsafe neighborhood just to save money. After all, the daily news of shootings and missing international students on WeChat public accounts kept waking them up in the middle of the night. After accidentally discovering the pool hall's lucrative side hustle, Liang Zhiyao's weekly trip to Fortune became a regular "part-time job." However, she knew the income from this speculative venture wouldn't last forever. Living a life of taking one step at a time, her inner anxiety about survival never subsided. For most people, playing pool on a weekend night was just a pastime after a hard day's work. But for her, failure was incredibly difficult to accept. When she occasionally lost, anxiety and self-loathing would wash over her like a tide, leaving her unable to sleep all night...
Sundays are Liang Zhiyao's coffee shop work schedule. Compared to the four-hour shifts on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, which are peak hours, working eight hours straight is obviously more tiring, but it also means more income.
I have to go to the store at 6 o'clock in the morning to make tea and prepare ingredients. During peak hours, I am so busy that I can't even keep my feet on the ground. After standing all day, my waist feels like it is not my own. My body has turned from a whole piece into concrete parts, and pain and fatigue appear randomly in certain places.
She thought that those who dream of starting a coffee shop business should really try working for 8 hours straight. This would ensure that the hearts of young artists would be shattered into pieces and they would be extremely loyal to their nine-to-five jobs from then on.
The economic downturn of recent years has hit her parents' business hard. But compared to other international students whose mortgage defaults I've seen online, she's not the most desperate.
In addition to being lucky enough to find various part-time jobs, her family never gave up and kept trying to find ways to borrow money to raise tuition for her.
But when she saw two middle-aged people in their fifties selling their former large flat in the city to pay off their debts and renting a two-bedroom apartment in the suburbs, she really couldn't convince herself to continue living the same comfortable life as studying abroad and continue to accept her parents' support with peace of mind.
When that incident happened, Liang Zhiyao had just finished his sophomore year and was in a difficult period, caught in a dilemma.
It is too unrealistic to return to China and take the college entrance examination, but the tuition fees of private universities in the United States are huge, and it is difficult to support myself until graduation no matter how I look at it.
Although she was clearly unsure, she forced herself to remain calm when she video-called her parents. She took out a calculator and started adding and subtracting numbers one by one. She said seriously that she could try to apply for some scholarships, and that after selling the car, she might be able to finish college through internships and part-time jobs.
Her eloquence and acting skills were always good, and she used the information gap to coax her parents from shaking their heads to believing them half-heartedly. Their only bottom line was that they could not live in an unsafe neighborhood just to save money. After all, the daily news on the official account about shootings and missing international students would wake them up in the middle of the night.
After accidentally discovering the pool hall's lucrative business, Liang Zhiyao's weekly trip to Fortune became a regular "part-time job." However, she knew the income from this speculative venture wouldn't last forever. Living a life of taking one step at a time, her inner anxiety about survival never subsided.
For most people, playing billiards on weekend nights is just a pastime after a hard day's work. But for her, failure is very difficult to accept. When she loses occasionally, anxiety and self-loathing will hit her like a tide, making it difficult for her to sleep all night.
There was no enjoyment in such a game, which wiped out the joy that a sport should bring, and made her almost forget how pure her love for playing ball was before.
In contrast, working part-time at a coffee shop is a different kind of recharge, a time to relax and recharge your body while being physically exhausted. When she's not busy, she'll hide behind the counter with the American students she works with, chatting about current events and gossip, just as a way to practice her spoken English.
This on-campus coffee shop is located near several business and liberal arts buildings, a bit far from the activity area of their computer science major. Therefore, in the past month since school started, Liang Zhiyao has hardly met any familiar classmates.
Today was an exception, because Han Xingzhou showed up at around eight o'clock in the morning.
He did not come alone. He was accompanied by a popular girl from the Computer Science Department named Lin Jiayue.
She was the typical spoiled rich girl who often treated a large group of people to dinner or parties, spending money like water. She also had a good relationship with most of the international students in the department, although Liang Zhiyao was not among them.
"Aria! What a coincidence."
When they entered the store, Liang Zhiyao was working on the machine extracting concentrate, and another employee was standing at the counter. However, Lin Jiayue chose to go further away and waved loudly to her. She then said hello to her colleague and went to the front to take their order.
Han Xingzhou looked a little uncomfortable, as if he was in a bad mood.
"Aria, so you're working part-time here!" Lin Jiayue seemed very excited. "They all say the coffee here is better than the one next to our college. Xingzhou was too lazy to even make a detour here—luckily I came here today. Maybe it's because of you here that the coffee tastes so much better."
She addressed Han Xingzhou in a very intimate manner and used body language, but she suddenly became more enthusiastic towards Liang Zhiyao than before, which was indescribable.
She was not used to it at first, so she smiled politely and asked, "Well, what would you like to drink?"
"I'd like a large matcha latte with less sugar," she asked, turning around. "Xingzhou, would you still like a hot Americano?"
Only then did Han Xingzhou speak his first words, though it was only a simple "hmm." He seemed to be trying his best to keep his expression natural, but his face was still full of discomfort.
Liang Zhiyao was placing their orders on the screen, but she was secretly gossiping in her heart - she remembered that Han Xingzhou did often drink hot American coffee, and was criticized for liking this kind of coffee that was infinitely close to the taste of traditional Chinese medicine.
Seeing how well Lin Jiayue knows his taste and her eyes are drawn to him, it is estimated that the two of them are either in an ambiguous period or already in a relationship.
"Okay, just swipe the card here."
Even Lin Jiayue, a spendthrift, still enjoys the pampering of having her partner pay for the bill when she's in a relationship. Han Xingzhou instinctively pulled out his credit card to pay, but she stopped him: "Hey, wait a minute. Since it's such a coincidence that Aria is in the store, I should probably give her a tip."
As soon as the words came out, Liang Zhiyao suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a little subtle, and Han Xingzhou's face changed.
Even in a place like the United States where tipping culture is so prevalent, few people tip in places like coffee shops where you pay first and then get your food, and pick up your food and clean up your table yourself.
Despite this, the unified POS machine used by the restaurant industry still provides tipping options ranging from 15% to 30%, and occasionally some people will generously donate as a good deed.
However, this kind of "reward" behavior deliberately expressed among classmates is a bit embarrassing no matter how you look at it.
Seeing Han Xingzhou didn't say anything, Liang Zhiyao came to the rescue and said, "No need. Our tips are actually shared by all employees. Why don't we just forget it?"
Lin Jiayue was adamant. Seeing Han Xingzhou didn't move, she simply reached out and selected the highest 30% on the screen. Then she snatched the bank card from him and swiped it quickly, saying with a smile, "Just consider it a donation. After all, you're really struggling right now."
The condescending and sarcastic meaning in this sentence is even more obvious, and it is a kind of humiliation of pretending to be ignorant while knowing the truth.
Han Xingzhou's face turned pale, but Liang Zhiyao seemed not to understand and said calmly: "Thank you, wait over there, two drinks will take about five or six minutes."
She breathed a sigh of relief only when the two men finally walked out of the store with the prepared coffee.
It's actually quite interesting. Ever since her financial situation plummeted, she seemed to have become a "vulnerable group" and anyone could express sympathy, charity or bullying to her in a variety of ways.
These are just what appeared before her. In some unknown corners, her sudden financial difficulties were tied to rumors of her moral flaws, becoming a topic of conversation among more international students after dinner.
Or perhaps subtle class differences among international students have always existed, but the ivory tower has only blurred their class identities for a time. It wasn't until the unexpected incident that widened these differences to an extreme, clearly exposing the existence of a chain of contempt.
Last semester, Han Xingzhou did not hide his pursuit. Many people in the same major had heard about it. It was even more impossible for a socially active person like Lin Jiayue, who had excellent interpersonal relationships, to be unaware of it.
She guessed that they had just started dating, and Lin Jiayue might still mind that Han Xingzhou had pursued her a few months ago, so she insisted on coming to where Liang Zhiyao worked to show off secretly.
Of course, the reason they came here over such a long way wasn't because of the other party's nonsense like "the coffee tastes better". Looking at Han Xingzhou's face as if he had been stabbed in the back, it seemed like he was forcibly dragged here by Lin Jiayue without knowing it.
"Most people seem to only be interested in parading their current partner in front of their ex, right? How come she did the opposite, turning herself into the 'trophy' and feeling so good about it?"
At times like this, Liang Zhiyao always loved Ye Xin's sharp tongue - after she shared the plot of the drama with him, her roommate immediately lived up to her expectations and gave sharp comments that hit the nail on the head.
Compared to the unseemly quarrels and self-degrading competitions, this Ah Q-style spiritual victory method is more to Liang Zhiyao's liking. She immediately replied with an emoticon of kneeling at the queen's feet, calling it insightful.
But today's working life seemed particularly exciting. Liang Zhiyao, who had not seen any acquaintances in the store for a month, suddenly saw a familiar face again.
That was Thea whom I had just seen in the bar last night. She had flowing curly hair and a pretty face that was still full of energy after staying up all night clubbing. She walked slowly to the counter and ordered a glass of iced American coffee in a pleasant, soft female voice.
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