Chapter 13: A New Person Comes to the Shop
After quickly getting dressed, Gao Ming went downstairs.
He only glanced at the person sitting properly in the driver’s seat before getting into the back seat. The two of them stayed silent the entire trip.
“About earlier…”
“I didn’t see anything! There was… there was a flower pot blocking sister-in-law! Really!”
After saying that and seeing no reaction, Ye Dong thought the “true feelings” rule had struck again.
After all, she was such a beautiful woman. How many men in this world could really stay calm like saints?
“But seriously, you two should at least lock the door.”
Gao Ming pressed his lips tightly together, his face dark enough to drip water. Unconsciously, he clenched his fists.
……………………
More than ten minutes later, inside the office.
While looking at the data on the screen, Ye Dong kept rubbing his shoulder.
The knocking on the door made it even harder for him to focus.
“Come in.”
“Boss, about the event… huh? What happened to you?”
Ye Dong curled his lips.
“I went out for breakfast this morning. When I got out of the car, a speeding motorcycle hit me and knocked me back into the door.”
“……”
What kind of excuse was that?
Could he make it any worse?
……………………
Meanwhile, Cheng Fei, who was still driving on the road, also looked completely hopeless.
Everything had been seen earlier.
You could even call it total exposure!
She had been lying across the table with messy clothes while breathing heavily. Anyone who saw that would think something had happened afterward!
It’s over… her innocent reputation was ruined in one morning…
Sigh! Wait, that did not seem right.
According to Gao Ming’s request, they were supposed to act like husband and wife in front of outsiders.
No matter what she personally thought about it, at least that scene had completely confirmed their relationship.
Besides, she had not really suffered any loss.
Buying medicine outside would have cost money. Instead, she got free medicine and someone even helped apply it properly.
If anything, she had gained something from it!
And so what if someone saw?
People at the beach wore bikinis all the time, and nobody lost a piece of flesh because of it.
Hiding beauty away was the real waste. Beautiful things should be shown proudly.
Yes!
She should appreciate it more today too.
Lowering her head, Cheng Fei glanced at the T-shirt covering even her collarbone and silently strengthened her determination.
After thinking through all that nonsense, her mood suddenly improved a lot. She even started whistling as her steps became cheerful again.
Opening the shop door, she mopped the floor and cleaned the tables.
Another bright and sunny day had begun.
Good start, good business.
The moment she opened the rolling door, the first customer arrived.
What had she just been thinking about again?
Oh right! A bright and sunny day.
She had not even finished mopping yet before the first order came in. Putting down her work, she happily ran behind the counter.
The moment she saw the customer outside, Cheng Fei narrowed her eyes.
The young man’s style was… hard to describe.
White shirt, white pants, white leather shoes, that part was fine.
But the gold rings, gold watch, and thick gold chain around his neck made things awkward.
“Morning.”
When he opened his mouth, his teeth were black, probably from chewing too much betel nut. Even simple words carried a strong coastal accent.
“One coffee… classic-style…”
Well then!
She had thought he was some rich small business owner who suddenly got lucky, but one sentence immediately destroyed the image.
What era was this already? And people still thought this outdated style was fashionable?
Still, a customer was a customer.
Even though Cheng Fei felt uncomfortable inside, she smiled politely.
“Morning! Coffee, right?”
“Yeah. It’s hot today, add more ice. Feels better that way.”
“Haha, after sweating, nothing feels better than an iced drink.”
After chatting briefly, she turned around to start making it.
The coffee powder had run out yesterday and had not been restocked yet, so Cheng Fei bent down to grab some from the lower shelf,
The moment she bent over, she sharply sucked in a breath.
The bra clasp tightened against her burned skin again.
Right on the injured part of her back.
Her expression only changed slightly, but the sharp-eyed man noticed everything immediately.
Turning around awkwardly, Cheng Fei forced a smile.
“It’s nothing. I already put medicine on it.”
“Oh… young people shouldn’t overdo things. Otherwise, when you get older, your body will be full of pain and sickness…”
The man kept talking endlessly.
Meanwhile, Cheng Fei endured everything with gritted teeth.
She really did not know where this Tang Monk-level chatterbox had come from. Nor did she know whether her first customer of the day was lucky or unlucky.
Finally, after awkwardly finishing the drink, sealing the cup, and inserting the straw, she handed it over.
The veins on Cheng Fei’s forehead were practically about to burst.
“Thank you.”
After showing Cheng Fei what he believed was a bright and cheerful smile, the chatterbox man took out two one-hundred-yuan bills and placed them on the counter. Without waiting for any response, he turned and walked outside.
It was true that Cheng Fei loved money, but she still had her own principles. Money should be earned properly and honestly.
Things without a clear price tag…
For example, that disgusting kiss from yesterday morning.
Only something like that could justify asking for a huge amount.
But charging two hundred yuan for a coffee clearly marked at eight yuan? That was either robbery or some shady black shop run by bandits!
Cheng Fei grabbed the money and ran after him, but by the time she got around the counter, the man had already crossed the street. Just as she wanted to chase him, several cars blocked her way.
“Your change! I haven’t given your change yet!”
“I saw what happened last night. Thank you, brave young lady.”
Ah!
So it really was because of last night.
Cheng Fei watched as he ran into the park across the street and disappeared into a small forest area.
She was the only person in the shop, so she could not exactly close the store just to chase after him.
Besides, she was not that stubborn. Since he had appeared both yesterday and today on foot, he probably lived somewhere nearby.
There would surely be another chance to meet him and return the money later.
Thinking that way, she returned to the shop and placed the lucky “first sale” money into the cash register.
And the effect brought by that lucky opening sale…
Well, her arms were almost falling off from exhaustion.
After two days like this, Cheng Fei really felt she could not handle it alone anymore. So she took out her phone and posted a hiring notice on a local job website.
While waiting for replies, she also actively searched through candidates herself.
This one looks nice. Cute type.
This one’s not bad either. Mature older-sister type.
Oh! This one has a classical beauty style. Exactly her taste.
The only problem was the expected salary…
She was hiring someone to work, not bringing home an ancestor to worship.
And this cute girl-next-door type…
If the photos were not fake, then her upper body was seriously…
Right now, Cheng Fei already had two high-quality best friends whose looks were absolutely not below hers.
But one was a model constantly busy making money everywhere, while the other was a teacher focused on educating students.
Those two busy women only came here for relaxation once in a while. Coming often was impossible.
Now she finally had a new addition.
Even if this girl was not on the same level as them, she still had her own unique charm.
Happily, Cheng Fei added her contact information.
Whistling as she put away her phone, Cheng Fei felt extremely happy.
Not only was business booming, but the girl she liked today had also been successfully tricked into coming over.
A fresh university graduate from this year, just beginning the first steps of independent life outside school.
Actually, Cheng Fei had noticed that detail too. It reminded her of her former self.
Back then, she had wandered around like a headless fly, suffering through many hardships before finally learning some lessons.
So when she saw newcomers like this who had just stepped into society, she naturally felt some sympathy.
The tip of Cheng Fei’s nose seemed a little itchy, so she pressed it with her finger.
Ahem!
It definitely was not only because the girl was pretty.
Definitely not…
She had worked in sales for many years. All that time, she had only been a worker under someone else, constantly ordered around like a tool.
As the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance.
The desire to rise above others had long taken root inside her.
Right before the accident, she had finally managed to gain “recognition” through thick skin and shameless flattery, earning herself a promotion.
She had not even enjoyed her success for two months before suffering two devastating blows within a single hour.
If saying her love life had been destroyed earlier was a slight exaggeration, then saying her physical body had later been destroyed too was completely accurate.
Years of hard work had been wiped out just like that.
If that were all, then fine. She could just start over in another life.
But instead, they placed her male soul inside a woman’s body…
That sigh carried far too much helplessness.
It also made her wonder whether staying out late again today instead of going home early like yesterday was really the right choice.
Thinking about it carefully, yesterday truly had been terrible luck…
No.
Not only yesterday.
Ever since waking up inside this body, she had been unlucky the entire time.
And the source of all of it was Gao Ming!
Summer sunlight burned fiercely over the earth that afternoon.
Within a thousand meters in every direction, everything remained under the attack of the blazing heat.
Back in the day, every street and alley in Yunzhou City had been planted with plane trees.
Even now, despite endless modern landscaping and decorative plants, these trees remained as one of the city’s final old witnesses.
Under the shade of the trees was the perfect place to cool off.
The tables set outside nearby shops quickly filled up with people.
Watching the lively crowds outside other stores and then looking at her own empty outdoor space made Cheng Fei feel jealous.
Going outside to set up tables herself would be risky.
If city officers caught her without permission, not only would they confiscate everything, she would also get fined.
Not only was that troublesome and expensive, but she was currently fighting alone just to handle the inside of the store.
How could she possibly manage the outside too?
Around two in the afternoon, people with free time were taking naps, while office workers were still struggling at work.
It was the quietest time for business.
Cheng Fei lay across the counter, half asleep.
In her drowsy state, she felt someone standing in front of her.
She forced the lullaby playing in her mind to stop and slowly opened her eyes.
“Hello, welcome to… mm? What do you need…”
The visitor answered softly,
“Hello… are you ‘Feifei Flies to the Sky to Catch Frogs’?”
Huh!?
That was her online username?
She had chosen it randomly back then without thinking much about it.
Now that she heard it again, it honestly sounded pretty silly.
But that was not the important part. The girl standing in front of her was the rare type who looked even prettier in real life than in photos.
Her clothes also looked naturally comfortable: ponytail, gray T-shirt, overalls.
She looked exactly like a fresh and natural girl-next-door.
Seeing Cheng Fei stare without speaking, the girl became a little nervous.
She started wondering if her outfit looked too casual and had left a bad impression.
Subconsciously, she grabbed the strap of the bag hanging across her chest, looking slightly tense.
Cheng Fei noticed the changes in her expression and movements and immediately showed her trademark smile.
“Miao Lei?”