Chapter 3
Since that sweet latte, Percy seems to have come more regularly. Still the same corner, still the bitterest black coffee, still silent and distant.
Lin Xiaotang tried to break down that invisible barrier. Sometimes, when serving coffee, she would try to give him a warmer smile than she would give other customers; sometimes, when the shop wasn't busy, she would casually walk over and ask, "Is the coffee alright?" or "The weather is nice today."
However, each attempt felt like triggering some kind of invisible alarm.
As long as her smile was clearly directed at him, as long as her voice was directed towards him, Persian felt as if he had been suddenly pricked by a needle. He would tense up abruptly, his gaze sweeping frantically over her before quickly dropping like startled prey, his fingers unconsciously clenching until his knuckles turned white. The next time, he would definitely disappear for two or three days, and when he reappeared, the pain that had settled in his deep black eyes had not lessened at all; on the contrary, it seemed to have been nourished by her unintentional "offense," becoming even thicker and heavier, almost drowning him completely.
Lin Xiaotang felt an unprecedented sense of frustration and...irritation.
She even began to doubt herself. The image of him spilling coffee and fleeing in a panic that day, superimposed on his current reaction of avoiding her like the plague, twisted a knot in her heart.
On one occasion, after she simply said, "Mr. Bai, your coffee," Bai Sinian almost immediately stood up and left early, nearly in a disheveled state, forgetting to pay for the almost untouched cup of coffee.
Lin Xiaotang stood there, holding the bill he had left behind, staring at the still slightly swaying glass door. Finally, she couldn't help but turn to Xiao Wei, who was wiping the table, and asked with a puzzled frown, "Xiao Wei, am I that scary?"
Xiao Wei looked up, confused: "Huh? What did you say, Sister Xiaotang? How could you be scary? You're the most beautiful and gentlest boss!"
"Then why..." Lin Xiaotang's voice lowered, carrying a hint of grievance and self-mockery that she herself didn't realize, "Why does he act like he's seen a ghost every time he sees me smile or when I say something to him?"
She couldn't find a more reasonable explanation for that reaction than fear and disgust. But what had she done? She didn't even know him.
Xiao Wei followed her gaze to the empty corner and suddenly realized: "Oh, you mean that handsome guy who always has a stern face? No, I think he's pretty normal, just doesn't like to talk and is cold."
"Cold and aloof?" Lin Xiaotang caught the word.
“Yeah,” Xiaowei nodded, wiping the table vigorously as she spoke, “When I brought him coffee, he just nodded and said ‘hmm,’ without any expression, but he didn’t avoid me either. He paid for it readily. It’s just that… well, he’s not very approachable, like a big block of ice.”
Lin Xiaotang was stunned.
It turned out that only she. Only her proximity, her smile, her voice could evoke such a violent and painful reaction in him.
This realization was like a tiny thorn, pricking her heart and making her feel very uncomfortable, the irritation growing stronger. She no longer felt it was just curiosity; a strange sense of suffocation gripped her. What had she done wrong? Why should she be treated like this?
In the following days, when Persian reappeared, Lin Xiaotang made a decision.
She stopped looking at him.
As he pushed open the glass door, the wind chimes jingled. She was intently wiping the coffee machine, her head bowed, not even lifting her eyelids. As he walked towards that corner, her back didn't falter; she went straight to the kitchen to check the oven temperature. When he habitually sat down in silence, she simply turned her head and calmly said to Xiaowei, "Xiaowei, a cup of black coffee, for that gentleman in the corner."
Xiao Wei said "Oh" and quickly went to prepare.
Lin Xiaotang picked up the order book, walked to another table of regular customers, and put on a warm yet distant smile again. She chatted with the customers, recommended new products, and spoke in a light and natural tone.
She could feel a gaze, just like it had many times before, piercing through space and silently landing on her back. That gaze carried emotions she couldn't decipher, and no longer wanted to bother trying to decipher.
She simply persisted, refusing to look back, to greet him, or to give him any attention that might "frighten" him again.
Xiao Wei brought the cup of black coffee over and placed it in front of Fu Bosinian, saying routinely, "Sir, your coffee."
Persian stared silently at the cup of coffee, then glanced up at the busy figure behind the bar, whose back was completely turned to him. His hand, resting on his knee, curled slightly at the fingers.
Xiao Wei turned and left without any apparent sign of anything amiss.
The black coffee in front of him, like him, quietly exuded a lonely bitterness in the noisy and warm shop until it went completely cold.
He still didn't drink it.
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