Chapter 21 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: It was you who cried and said you didn't want to go home.
More than a year later.
After graduating from university, Yao Ye officially joined the advertising company where she had interned. The new employee phase was naturally incredibly busy, with projects requiring almost non-stop work. These past few days, with Valentine's Day approaching, she participated in the offline promotional event for "Love Heart" chocolates. Only after the event successfully concluded tonight did she finally drag her tired body home.
The colleagues were all exhausted and couldn't wait to go home and lie down in bed. A kind colleague, Yu Fei, asked Yao Ye, "Xiao Ye, are you alright? I drove here, could you give me a ride if it's on my way?"
Yu Fei and Yao Ye's homes are actually in opposite directions, but Yao Ye had a sudden thought, "On your way home, did you pass by the Belle Shopping Mall?"
“That’s right,” Yu Fei smiled knowingly. Yao Ye’s boyfriend, who owns a bubble tea shop, often delivers drinks to the company, and all the colleagues benefit from it. Everyone knows they are a loving couple. “Get in the car, I’ll make sure to get you to your boyfriend’s arms as soon as possible… ah, I mean, to the shop!”
So Yu Fei really did drive incredibly fast. And Yao Ye, too, swept away the gloom of going to work as the car sped up. The closer they got to Kazamado, the lighter her heart felt, as if it were about to take flight.
...
It had been a while since I'd been here, and Kazamado's signboard now displayed their new Valentine's Day products. Yao Ye stopped to take a look.
May you find your own peach blossom after drinking our peach blossom milk tea.
She couldn't help but laugh: Li Fengjian was definitely slacking off, simply using a new product from the last two years. But it seemed this new product was quite popular; a young woman holding a cup of peach blossom milk tea was pushing open the door of Fengjian Hall, her smile bright and radiant.
But the girl hadn't gone far when she paused, as if summoning her courage, and turned back, pushing open the door and walking back into Kazamado. Yao Ye followed her, puzzled. She watched as the girl rushed to the bar, her voice filled with girlish shyness.
"Boss Li, did you put extra peach blossoms on my table today?"
Li Fengjian, with his back to her, was washing cups at the counter. "Hmm, I put in a lot."
"Thank you, boss, you're so kind!" The girl left with a shy yet expectant smile, pursed her lips, and turned to leave. She didn't notice Yao Ye behind her at all, while Yao Ye watched her departing figure with a furrowed brow.
Hmm... that girlish, lovestruck smile of hers really makes one think a lot.
………………
After washing up, Li Fengjian turned around and met Yao Ye's gaze. He was taken aback at first, then greeted her with delight, "Why are you here?"
"Can't I come?" Yao Ye couldn't help but pout.
Li Fengjian, of course, had no idea what she was thinking. He just smiled and said, "I know you're busy with an event tonight. I just sent you a WeChat message to ask what time you'll finish and if you want me to come pick you up."
"Really?" She glanced down at her phone: oh, it really was; she'd received the WeChat message about ten minutes ago. She'd left it in her bag because it was almost out of battery. She looked around. "Where are Aunt Sun and Xiao Dong?"
"Because I planned to close early to pick you up, I let them go home first. I was just about to close up after finishing that last order," Li Fengjian said. "Wait for me a bit, I'll pack up and take you home."
“Okay.” Yao Ye’s face still looked like a puffed-up little pufferfish.
Li Fengjian sensed something was wrong. "What's wrong? Would you like a drink?"
"No, I'm on a diet..." She pouted, but then glared at him fiercely. "No, I'll still drink it! I want a peach blossom milk tea like that girl from before! And you have to put extra peach blossoms in it!"
………………
Well, once these words were spoken, Li Fengjian belatedly realized what was going on.
He made the milk tea, locked the shop, and helped Miss Yao, whose cheeks were puffed out, into the car. As soon as he started the engine, he began a deep self-reflection.
“Um…” he cleared his throat, “That customer just now is a regular customer recently. She’s a new sales clerk in the women’s clothing store upstairs. Of course, to me she’s just an ordinary customer.”
"Since you're just a regular guest, why did you specifically tell me?" Her lips were so pouty they could hang an oil bottle on them.
"Because I was thinking, was it her comment, 'Boss, you're such a nice person,' that upset my Miss Yao?"
"So..." Yao Ye glanced at him, "Does she always talk to you like this?"
"...I didn't pay much attention."
"Li Fengjian!"
“I can assure you, I treated her just like any other customer. She came back to the shop to thank me, and I didn’t even turn around, did I?”
“That’s true…” Li Fengjian had only turned his back to the girl’s sweet words and smile, but Yao Ye was smarter this time. “But that’s precisely what explains the problem!”
Li Fengjian paused, then shut up.
Yao Ye glared at her coldly, "You keep saying she's just an ordinary customer, but if an ordinary customer specifically came back to the store to express her gratitude, would you deliberately turn your back on her like this?"
Li Fengjian swallowed hard: How come Yao Ye has become so shrewd since she started working?
Holmes Yao continued, "So the truth is, you're clearly avoiding her because you can sense that she's interested in you!"
Li Fengjian swallowed hard, but had no choice but to confess honestly, "...I don't want to be presumptuous, but I did have some suspicions...but apart from normal transactions, I have no communication with her. You are welcome to check my phone or the store's surveillance footage at any time."
His expression was open and honest, so she didn't actually suspect anything, but she still crossed her arms and said unhappily, "Tell her, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Yes, I told her that indirectly."
"Did you clearly tell her that you love your girlfriend very, very, very much?"
"this……"
"Is there none?"
"...After all, she didn't explicitly tell me anything, I..."
"You mean, if she's flirting with you, you can secretly enjoy it?"
“That’s not what I meant! I was just saying that she didn’t explicitly express her feelings to me, and I was just being abrupt to ask her if she liked me. There’s no need for that. I’ve already told you that I have a girlfriend, and I love her very, very much. You don’t have a chance. Isn’t that a bit abrupt? After all, we’re colleagues in the same shopping mall.”
"Fine, then you can try a different way to show your love for me. You have to find a way to make her back down, right?"
"How about another method, for example?"
"Like what? Of course, you have to figure out a solution yourself! Do you expect me to help you? You caused this trouble, so of course you have to clean it up yourself. You...you..."
As Yao Ye spoke, her chest heaved violently, her eyes blinked rapidly, and suddenly tears streamed down her face. Li Fengjian was terrified at the sight. He hurriedly tried to comfort her while searching for a parking spot.
"Okay, okay, it's my fault. I'll go see her tomorrow and tell her clearly that I love my girlfriend very much, that I pursued her with great difficulty, that it has to be her, and that there's no other possibility! Don't cry, wait for me to find a place to park the car..."
Yao Ye covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her expression. But a few words escaped through her fingers; she choked out, "..."
"I'm sorry... I... I know I was being a bit unreasonable... I'm just really tired today..."
"I know you're exhausted. I'll take you home quickly so you can get some rest."
"No..." she took a deep breath, "I don't want to go home..."
………………
Yao Ye didn't want to go home. Facing her parents, she seemed unable to honestly express the grievances and hardships she had endured at work, nor did she want to bother her sister and brother-in-law. At this moment, all she wanted was to nestle comfortably in his arms and let her emotions run wild.
Li Fengjian understood immediately, and so, a little over ten minutes later, they were lying on the hotel's large bed. Li Fengjian reached out and hugged her, while she poked his chest with her finger, baring her teeth and saying...
"He's such an outrageous guy, all he does is flaunt his leadership position!"
"right!"
"I checked the event venue, media, materials, and equipment over and over again! I tested them last night and they were fine, and I tested them again at noon today, and they were working perfectly. But then they suddenly broke down during the actual event tonight. How was I supposed to know that? I'm not a prophet!"
"Yeah yeah."
"And what can he, as a leader, do besides talk? You have no idea how fierce he was when he yelled at me; he even spit in my face. Our group had a backup plan, and we were just asking for his opinion, but he pointed his finger at my nose like a demon and said, 'Of course you have to figure it out yourself! Do you expect me to help you? You caused this trouble, so of course you have to clean up your own mess. Do you expect me to clean up your mess?'..." Yao Ye was so aggrieved that tears streamed down her face, not only for herself but also for dragging the whole group into this mess. "Luckily, no one blamed me; they even told me about the mistakes they'd made in the past to comfort me... but I still feel so sad..."
"Going to work is unavoidable. No one's life is always smooth sailing," Li Fengjian comforted her, patting her back as if soothing a child.
Yao Ye curled up in his arms, feeling his heartbeat, and her own heart gradually calmed down.
"Actually, I worked overtime on this project for a whole month, and I was really tired..." she sighed. "One day, I even asked my sister if I could still work as a receptionist at Tulip instead of going to work anymore."
What did Yao Qin say?
"...She flatly refused." Yao Ye pouted. "Hmph, so-called sisterhood is nothing but this!" With that, she raised her head and looked at him intently. "Li Fengjian, what about you?"
"I?"
"If I don't want to go to work anymore, can you take me in at Kazamado?"
She was full of anticipation and confidence. Unexpectedly, Li Fengjian paused, then replied, "No."
"What?" She was incredulous, then angrily flipped herself up and sat on him, looking down at him and saying, "What do you mean? You were willing to take Xiao Dong in to work at Kazamado back then, but now you can't tolerate me? What exactly do you mean by this?"
Li Fengjian winced in pain, but still afraid she would fall, he dared not resist. He could only smile wryly and ask, "Then may I ask, why didn't your sister take you in?"
"...She said it wasn't worth it..." Yao Ye muttered with a grin, "I used to work at Tulip as a receptionist, only earning a meager allowance. My sister said that even if I were no longer in this position, they could hire a part-time person, or she could take over herself if she was busy. But to offer me a formal salary and support me with social insurance and housing fund benefits would be too much of a waste..." She vividly remembered Yao Qin's eloquent argument that Tulip's income and expenses were barely balanced, and they had to be very careful with everything, unable to support an idle person. She opened her mouth, but ultimately had nothing to say.
“Yes, me too,” Li Fengjian said. “From a business perspective, it’s not a worthwhile thing to keep another idle person like you.”
“Okay…” Yao Ye said dejectedly.
“But…” Li Fengjian was pinned down by her, but he slowly took her hands in his, “but if it’s about keeping a wife, that’s a different story.”
Yao Ye was stunned. These sudden words, which sounded like a marriage proposal, made her heart flutter. Her mind went blank, and she subconsciously shrank her shoulders, then her knees buckled and she fell off him. Li Fengjian quickly steadied her, caught her, and adjusted his position to pull her steadily back into his arms.
Her slightly nervous look made him smile wryly. He then rubbed her head and quietly changed the subject, "So you understand now, life is not easy. It's like that for you, for your sister, for me, or for anyone around you."
Yao Ye nodded thoughtfully, recalling the year her sister first started her business, how she and Lu Yufeng scraped together money from all over the place, carefully budgeting every penny, and how she was moved to tears when she saw the opening flower baskets. She also remembered that Li Fengjian had once said that Fengjiantang had worked its way up from a small roadside shop, and when it moved into a large shopping mall, it was prepared to lose all its savings and go back to being a roadside shop.
Thinking of this, her heart suddenly brightened, and she looked up at Li Fengjian, seeing that his eyes were full of tenderness.
“And then there’s Xiao Dong,” Li Fengjian smiled, “He’s been looking at shops everywhere, researching interior design and menus for the sake of his future with Su Yan. Of course, he promised me he would open a shop far away from Kazamado, so he still has some conscience.”
Yao Ye couldn't help but laugh.
Li Fengjian added, "Ah, thinking about Xiao Dong's heroic act yesterday, I can't help but sigh. I've watched that kid grow up bit by bit. I still vividly remember him running away from home in a huff to play games and loitering in the milk tea shop. In the blink of an eye, he's getting married."
Yes, yesterday Xiao Dong accomplished a major life event. He found a shop he liked, a shop far away from Kazamado, and after doing his homework, he prepared to finalize the deal with the landlord. He went to the shop with his girlfriend, Su Yan, and they negotiated the price with the landlord.
"Your price is a bit high. I'll need to renovate it after I rent it."
"Young man, it's your business to renovate, but you can't just cut off my flesh to pay for it."
"I'm genuinely interested in renting this place, and I'm willing to sign a longer lease. I'm very sincere. I just hope you can lower the price a bit more."
"I can't give you that much money, young man. If you're serious about opening a shop, you should at least have enough money prepared. Where did all your money go?"
"There's no other way, I used a portion of my money to buy this! After all, opening the shop is important, but another major life event is even more important!" With that, Xiao Dong, who had been arguing with the boss just a second ago, suddenly pulled a velvet box from his pocket, opened it, and solemnly knelt on one knee.
Of course, it's aimed at Su Yan!
"Su Yan, will you marry me?"
Su Yan was completely bewildered. Just moments ago, she had been listening intently to the price war between the two, even contemplating offering her help. But suddenly, Xiao Dong pulled out a ring, and the landlord, clearly in cahoots, began clapping enthusiastically, smiling kindly as he said…
"Marry him, marry him! If you're willing to marry him, I'll give you both a 10% discount on your rent... ah, a 5% discount!"
…………
"It's interesting just thinking about it," Yao Ye said, nestled in Li Fengjian's arms, giggling. "Little Dong is quite creative!"
"Do you think it's very creative?" Li Fengjian asked her with a smile.
“Yes, it’s very interesting! In our advertising company, creativity is the most important thing. Every time we have a discussion meeting, everyone racks their brains and is so eager to come up with something new, all for the sake of a creative idea!” Yao Ye said.
Li Fengjian raised an eyebrow slightly. "So... if you're creative, it's easier to succeed, right?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Ye instinctively looked up at him. In the dim light, Li Fengjian's eyes seemed somewhat dangerous, causing her to clear her throat and stand up, changing the subject.
"I'm a little thirsty, where's the milk tea?"
The peach blossom milk tea I made for her before closing time tonight, she didn't drink it because she was in a bad mood, and brought it into her hotel room. She used the excuse of drinking milk tea to sit up, stick in the straw, and take a big gulp to calm her pounding heart.
"Huh?" But after taking a few sips, she felt the taste was off. "Isn't this peach blossom milk tea? Didn't you put any peach blossoms in it?"
"It's just pink frosting with a peach flavor, you're on a diet, aren't you?" Li Fengjian sat up, but stubbornly hugged her from behind, burying his face in her neck and whispering, "Besides..."
"Hmm?" she murmured softly, "What?"
"Besides, what more do you need? Your destined lover is right beside you." With that, he kissed her passionately, lingering there. "Is that enough?"
"Enough, enough..."
"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to put in more...?"
"snort……"
"By the way, are you very tired today?"
"Hmm... a little..."
"Okay, if I'm too tired, then forget it..."
"Hmm...it's not actually that tiring...ah, wait...um, is it?"
"Yes, I always keep one in my car. I put it in my coat pocket when I came..."
"You planned this all along..."
“You were the one who cried and said you didn’t want to go home,” Li Fengjian smiled deeply, “We just happened to be on the same page…”
……………………
That evening, Yao Ye, who was originally exhausted, gradually calmed down under Li Fengjian's "tireless" healing. Her body was still tired, but her mind gradually calmed down.
She fell asleep immediately after that peaceful moment. When she groggily woke up, grabbed her phone, and saw it was already past 2 a.m.
"My goodness, it's already so late!"
Li Fengjian woke up groggily, his eyes still sleepy. "Um... what time is it... should I take you home?"
Seeing that he was so sleepy that he could barely open his eyes, yet still forced himself to sit up, Yao Ye pulled him back down to lie down.
"Never mind," she chuckled. "Going back this late or not going back at all makes no difference. You can go back to sleep and we'll talk about it when you wake up."
"Ah, that's great." Li Fengjian was so sleepy that he lay down flat, then pulled her back into his arms with a quick turn, muttering to himself, "Wife, sleep a little longer..."
He must have been so sleepy that he blurted out his innermost thoughts without realizing it.
Yao Ye was taken aback, and wanted to poke him: Humph, who's your wife?
But for some reason, she suddenly felt incredibly at ease, a sense of peace that, no matter how turbulent the world may be, there would always be a light shining just for her.
So she tiptoed back into his arms, and looking at Li Fengjian's tightly closed eyes, she began to have all sorts of wild thoughts.
Is this what it feels like when we get married and sleep together every night?
That doesn't seem like such an unacceptable thing...
……………………
A few days later, Yao Ye went to Kazamado after work and suddenly noticed that the sign at the entrance had changed. Li Fengjian had gone to deliver food nearby; Aunt Sun had told her that.
"Yeah, they changed the billboard. Actually, Valentine's Day is over, and the peach blossom milk tea is almost out of season, so changing the billboard is a waste of money. But..."
Aunt Sun looked at her and chuckled. Yao Ye pursed her lips shyly, because it was clearly written in bold, peach-pink lettering above.
May you, like me, find your own most precious peach blossom after drinking our peach blossom milk tea.
This was the most creative way Li Fengjian could think of to spread the word.
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