Chapter 2 Two
Chapter Summary: A sense of déjà vu of 'being caught cheating on your husband'.
Li Fengjian's troubles finally came to an end on the last day of the week.
When the wind chimes rang as the petite figure hesitantly entered Kazamado, Li Fengjian paused in his fruit-cutting motion before slowly handing over his work to Xiao Dong and moving to the cashier to greet her.
"Miss Yao, long time no see." He blurted out, only belatedly realizing his tone sounded a little sarcastic. So he coughed lightly and tried to ask her in a normal tone, "What would you like to drink today?"
He secretly hoped that during the week she wouldn't come, Kazamado would launch new guava-themed fruit teas and milk teas. He even put up a huge billboard at the entrance of Kazamado! At this moment, he was expecting Yao Ye to be pleasantly surprised and order his painstakingly crafted new creation, but…
But after hesitating for a moment, Yao Ye waved her hand and said, "Never mind, I won't drink today. I'll come another day!" After saying that, she actually turned around and was about to leave.
Li Fengjian panicked and instinctively grabbed her arm. When he came to his senses, he suddenly realized that he had leaned most of his body out from behind the cashier and stretched out his arm just to keep her there, which was quite an exaggerated sight.
He quickly released her, then cleared his throat and said, "Miss Yao..."
"Huh?" Yao Ye was taken aback, glancing at her arm that had just been grabbed and then at Boss Li, who was trying to appear calm, completely confused.
"Actually, our store also offers a buy-one-get-one-free deal."
"Huh?" Yao Ye was even more stunned.
"...I don't know if you've noticed our new guava series. As a loyal customer, I can offer you a buy-one-get-one-free deal."
He fully expected the "buy one get one free" offer to sway Yao Ye, after all, wasn't that why she queued for a week in front of the Hehe Milk Tea shop? Hmph, he had been watching her every step of the way, of course, secretly observing.
Unexpectedly, Yao Ye said, "Buy one get one free is great, but today, Teacher Liu, who I'm sharing an order with, is on leave..."
"Forehead……"
"If I get two drinks by myself, I might not be able to resist the temptation and drink them all..."
"Um……"
"That won't do! I've gained so much weight this week! I'll come back another day."
"Wait," Li Fengjian hurriedly called out to her as she was about to turn and leave, but suddenly grasped the key point, "You just said that you've gained a lot of weight this week?"
“Yeah, all that running I did recently has gone down the drain…” Yao Ye said, her voice trailing off until it became a murmur, “My waistline has gotten a whole size bigger, that’s just awful…”
Li Fengjian didn't quite catch the second half of her sentence, but he roughly guessed what it was. He raised an eyebrow slightly, "You've gained a lot of weight in just one week. What did you eat or drink?"
"Forehead……"
"Excuse my bluntness, is it because you drank Hehe Milk Tea for a week straight?"
“Yeah… wait a minute,” Yao Ye frowned, “how did you know?”
“…Because I saw it.” Li Fengjian turned his face slightly away. “There’s nothing I can do. The store’s doors and windows are all floor-to-ceiling glass, and my eyesight is excellent…”
Upon hearing this, Yao Ye's round face flushed red instantly, and for a moment she felt as if she had been caught cheating on her husband.
She stammered a few words to explain herself, "Yes, they were having a promotion across the street, buy one get one free! So Teacher Liu asked me to join her. Then, after we drank it once, Teacher Liu said it tasted great, so she started asking me to join her every day."
"And what do you think?" Li Fengjian turned his face and looked at her meaningfully. "You also think that Hehe Milk Tea tastes very good?"
"Hmm..." She nodded hesitantly.
"It tastes even better than Kazamado?" Li Fengjian frowned.
"...It's a little different, but the food here is definitely good...Of course, the most important thing is that it's buy one get one free!"
Upon hearing this, Li Fengjian's lips curled up, and he couldn't help but mischievously say, "Oh, and then after drinking it for a week straight, you found yourself getting a lot, a lot fatter, right?"
"Hmm..." Yao Ye had nothing to say.
"Speaking of which, your face does seem rounder."
Yao Ye gasped. "Stop talking. That's why I'm not drinking any beverages today, no matter what. Goodbye!" With that, she turned to leave again.
"Wait," Li Fengjian called out to her again, pulling out his trump card, "Half price... no, free!"
"What?" Yao Ye indeed moved her feet back.
Li Fengjian sighed, "Guava series, you choose one, it's free. Consider it a special treat for our regular customers."
"Wow!" With a valid reason now, Yao Ye immediately beamed, all her worries vanishing in an instant. "The boss is offering it for free, so it wouldn't be right for me to refuse. I'll have a guava tea, just three-tenths sugar... Hmm, are toppings free too?"
Li Fengjian rolled his eyes at her, then silently turned around and went to make it for her.
A customer who had just entered asked with a sharp ear, "Hey, which drink is free today?"
Aunt Sun, who took over the cashier, smiled and said, "No, no, that's an exclusive privilege for our store's special VIPs."
Meanwhile, Yao Ye, a special VIP, loudly instructed the boss, "Boss, if it's free, I want an extra serving of taro balls!"
………………
After that, Li Fengjian specifically asked Xiao Dong to go to the Hehe Milk Tea shop across the street and buy a cup to try. Then, he looked at Yao Ye with disdain and said...
"You've been a regular customer of Kazamado for over a year now. Can't you tell that this drink is full of creamer and diluted milk? It's so unhealthy, no wonder you've gained so much weight!"
Yao Ye chuckled awkwardly, "...Actually, I can tell the difference, it's just that the unhealthier something is, the better it tastes..." She then crossed her arms, adopting a detached, worldly air, and said wistfully, "Ah, isn't life just a constant struggle against our own desires? We know we shouldn't, but we often still succumb to our instinctive urges."
"……For example?"
"When I was in school, I knew it was wrong to be lazy, but I still succumbed to my lazy instincts."
"...That's you, isn't it?"
"It's the same with buying things. Even though I know it's wrong to spend money recklessly and my allowance is limited, I still can't help but like those cute but flashy things."
"...That's you too."
"It's the same with losing weight. Even though you know that high-oil, high-salt, and high-sugar foods are unhealthy, you still instinctively stuff food into your mouth and lie to yourself that you'll start dieting after this meal."
"...That's still you, isn't it?"
“This isn’t just about me, it’s about everyone, it’s about the entire ‘human’ species,” Yao Ye raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Li, haven’t you ever had moments where you knew it was wrong, yet still instinctively liked it, wanted to possess it, and thus struggled with your own desires?”
"No."
"Really not?"
"...I don't think so..."
"How could there not be?"
Why is it absolutely necessary to have it?
“Because it’s impossible not to have it,” Yao Ye retorted, bracing herself with both hands and leaning half her body over the bar. “Everyone has it… well, especially since you’re a man!”
"What's wrong with men?" Her beautiful face suddenly loomed large in front of him, startling Li Fengjian. He instinctively took a half step back.
"For example, when you men see a beautiful girl, you always have all sorts of fantasies and inappropriate thoughts, right? That's a basic instinct, but beautiful women are unattainable. You know you can't have them, so you have to fight against your instinctive desires! There will always be times like this!"
Xiao Dong, who was listening intently, nodded, but then shook his head hurriedly after noticing Yao Ye's gaze.
"...Hey, why are you suddenly launching a collective attack on the 'men' group?" Li Fengjian said with a wry smile. "I really didn't."
"I don't believe it! How could you not have?" Yao Ye treated the scene before her like a debate, her bright eyes blinking excitedly. A few strands of hair drifted into her mouth, and she subconsciously stuck out her tongue to lick them, then haphazardly brushed them aside, still arguing her point, "Mr. Li, have you never been attracted to any girl in your life?"
Li Fengjian was stunned, completely stunned. He was not only stumped by the question, but also by the way she lightly licked her lips and her earnest, sparkling eyes.
"Really? He's never been attracted to any girl?" Yao Ye thought incredulously. She wondered, "He's almost thirty years old, has he never been in a relationship?"
Li Fengjian still didn't answer, but Xiao Dong couldn't help but interject, "Even if the boss has had feelings for a girl before, it doesn't mean he has to fight against his desires. If he likes her, he should just go for it."
Yao Ye was taken aback, then realized he made a lot of sense. “Indeed… I think my example wasn’t quite right.”
Xiao Dong then beamed with pride and said to Li Fengjian, "Hehe, boss, wasn't I right!"
Li Fengjian then belatedly turned around, "...What did you just say?"
“I’m telling you,” Xiao Dong repeated, emphasizing each word, “If you like someone, just go for it! Aren’t I right?”
………………
Okay, so the strange topic of 'a person's life is a struggle against desire' has finally come to an end. But certain scenes, certain moments, certain fragments of thought from today seem to have crawled into Li Fengjian's head and taken up residence there.
Even the following night, when Yao Ye pushed open the door again and walked straight up to him, with only a bar counter separating them, Li Fengjian looked at her trembling long eyelashes and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.
“Mr. Li,” Yao Ye smiled particularly brightly today, “you’ve always said I’m Kazamado’s No. 1. We’ve known each other for over a year, so we’re pretty close, aren’t we?”
"Hmm..." Li Fengjian nodded. "What's wrong?"
"Well..." Her eyelashes began to flutter like tiny fans again, as if she had something to say, but she hesitated, "Well... if your No. 1 made a small request of you, you would..."
Li Fengjian wanted to say, "You're Kazama-do's No. 1, not mine." But for some reason, he didn't say it. He just subconsciously swallowed and asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'small request'?"
What exactly is she asking for? Why is her face getting closer and closer? So close, as if he could reach out and touch those mischievous eyelashes? She's smiling so brightly, what is she trying to get him to agree to?
It was as if, at this very moment, he couldn't refuse any request she made...
"Go ahead and say it, I agree." He took a half step back, otherwise he would have difficulty even breathing.
"Really?" Yao Ye smiled broadly.
"Really, either way is fine."
"Then I'll just say it directly, I want you..."
"Um……"
"I'd like you to reserve a time slot for us; our art class wants to book the entire venue for an experiential activity."
"...Oh." Li Fengjian thought to himself: That's it?
…………
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