"Oh, isn't this the young princess? What a coincidence!" The voice was sarcastic, but He Yi recognized it immediately.
She slowly turned around.
Zheng Yutang walked gracefully over from the entrance of the teahouse across the street, a strange smile plastered on her face.
He Yi never expected to run into Zheng Yutang here. At this moment, Zheng Yutang was so openly provoking her, her eyes filled with hostility.
Ever since Minister Zheng made Lin Shi and Zheng Yutang leave with nothing, He Yi hadn't seen her for the past few months and assumed that she and Aunt Lin had gone to the outskirts of the city.
Little did they know that the two of them would seek refuge with Lin Shoucai. At that moment, Zheng Yutang walked over triumphantly with her arms crossed, her eyes practically brimming with laughter.
He Yi glanced at the uninvited guest opposite her and saw that Zheng Yutang was wearing a brand-new pomegranate skirt and dazzling jewelry in her hair, so she had obviously dressed up specially.
"Zheng Yutang?"
He Yi remained expressionless, her voice devoid of any emotion. "What a coincidence... What are you all doing here..."
Her gaze unconsciously drifted to the opposite side, where Lin Shoucai and Lin Shi were busy with several people, who were occasionally cursed at by Lin Shi.
Zheng Yutang smiled, but raised her chin even higher, and pointed exaggeratedly at Lin Shoucai and Lin Shi at the entrance of the teahouse across the street with her hand painted with menacing red nail polish.
Then, with a mischievous grin, she said, "Oh dear, sister, don't you know? We're about to become neighbors. My uncle and mother have been planning to buy a shop here these past few days, and..." Zheng Yutang pointed to the teahouse across the street and said with a grin, "They've got their eye on this prime location across from you, so our family just bought this shop!"
[A green tea b*tch showing off! Tsk tsk.]
She deliberately drew out her words in a sarcastic tone, and then admired the expression on He Yi's face.
Unfortunately, He Yi remained remarkably composed, her face showing no emotion whatsoever. Zheng Yutang gritted her teeth inwardly, thinking, "Zheng He Yi, Zheng He Yi, don't you even ask what kind of business our family does?"
Seeing that He Yi didn't seem to care about asking any further questions, Zheng Yutang continued on her own, "My mother and I are planning to open a pastry workshop. From now on, we'll be proper neighbors who see each other all the time!"
She emphasized the word "neighbor" and gave the heavy gold signboard of Tianxiangfang a defiant look. Zheng Yutang was practically saying, "We'll see."
[This is blatant provocation, not neighborly talk.]
He Yi could naturally sense the schadenfreude in Zheng Yutang's eyes.
[The villainous female supporting character maintains her composure!]
Yes, let's not just steam buns, let's fight for our pride.
He Yi sneered inwardly. Before they were kicked out, the Lin family had already taken over the business. Take Tianxiangfang for example, it was originally managed by Zheng Yutang and the Lin family.
In fact, considering the location, style, and management, they should have made a fortune. However... the Lin family got the best script but produced the worst film.
Xiangfang suffered heavy losses that day. After Zheng Yu took over, He Yi improved many of the pastries and other dishes, and now the business is gradually picking up again.
Upon hearing this, He Yi didn't even raise an eyebrow, and even nodded politely, but her tone carried just the right amount of aloofness and indifference.
"Oh? I see? Then congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Lin! I wish you a prosperous business and abundant wealth in the future." Zheng He pronounced the word "prosperous" with particular clarity, carrying a certain profound meaning.
Zheng Yutang thought that He Yi would be furious and embarrassed after learning that they were going to open a pastry shop across the street, and would at least point her finger at her and curse her.
This was clearly an attempt to steal the order, but little did Zheng Yutang know that He Yi's eyes remained calm and unmoved. Zheng Yutang didn't see the expected anger or even panic in He Yi's eyes.
As a result, Zheng Yutang felt as if her combination of punches had hit cotton, and her smugness immediately dissipated by more than half.
She wanted to say a few more sarcastic things to He Yi, but Zhu Shao told He Yi to "feel bad" for a while. Little did she know that He Yi was too lazy to argue with her anymore. She pointed to the opposite side and cut off Zheng Yutang's eager words.
She said calmly, "I have a bunch of chores to take care of, so I won't bother you any longer, sister. Excuse me."
After saying that, she turned around and walked calmly into Tianxiangfang, leaving Zheng Yutang stunned on the spot. Just now, Zheng Yutang was dealing with He Yi, but now the fake smile on her face disappeared completely.
"Hmph! What are you? What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? If it weren't for Brother Zheng Yu helping you, your shop would have closed down long ago."
Zheng Yutang stomped her foot, her eyes cold, "Once our shop opens, what business will your shabby shop have left to starve? Let's see how smug you'll be then!"
Zheng Yutang spat at He Yi's retreating figure before swaying her hips as she walked towards the teahouse.
As soon as we entered Tianxiangfang, Qingju rushed over to greet us.
He Yi noticed the anxious look on Qing Ju's face and found it strange. Qing Ju grabbed He Yi's wrist and pointed impatiently at the other side: "Little Princess, you're finally back! Those people over there..."
Qingju pointed at the teahouse, her words tumbling out: "Lin Shoucai and Aunt Lin actually took over the teahouse across the street! You were saying a while ago that we should buy it, what are we going to do now?"
"Let them do their business."
Qingju frowned. "Lin and her shifty-eyed brother, and that damned troublemaker Zheng Yutang, are definitely going to target us from now on. They're deliberately trying to make things difficult for us, Princess. They're just making the sounds of pastries."
Upon hearing this, the workers who had been busy nearby and the cook in the kitchen all gathered around, their faces filled with indignation.
He Yi could naturally understand everyone's worries and anger. Most importantly, Lin Shoucai and the Lin family had come with great force this time, so everyone had no choice but to be worried.
He Yi seemed oblivious to everything and walked behind the counter with a smile on her face.
She slowly poured herself a cup of tea, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. Only then did her gaze sweep over the cook and the few young waiters, and she said calmly, "What are you panicking about? The sky isn't going to fall! They want to open a pastry shop, that's their freedom. But opening one across the street is just courting death. Who in the capital doesn't know that our Tianxiangfang is now the number one shop?"
However, no one could relax.
Qingju said resentfully, "That's true. Opening a pastry shop across the street only shows that they are short-sighted and only dare to take advantage of what is readily available."
He Yi glanced at everyone, her eyes gradually sharpening, and reminded them: "In short, we'll meet force with force and water with water. What makes Tianxiangfang stand out? It's the genuine quality of our ingredients, our unique craftsmanship, and our honest and trustworthy reputation! It's not something we steal by snatching business from others."
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