Chapter 30
Just as the message was sent, while outside came exclamations of surprise, accompanied by the sound of a flatbed truck rolling over the ground, startling the seated customers near the door. Ji Ting put down her phone and hurried outside.
There she saw Tan Yucheng holding a bouquet of large red roses, with a flatbed truck beside him, the kind used for hauling goods. On the truck was another large pot of pink roses, with a man-sized lucky cat in the middle. The lucky cat held a customized sign that read “Prosperity in Business at Sunset,” causing the onlookers to gasp in surprise.
They had never seen such a large lucky cat before, so cute that it made their eyes sparkle. They eagerly took out their phones and started taking pictures of the cat. The combination of pink roses was also very beautiful, pink and tender, extremely enticing.
Ji Ting stood there in astonishment.
Instinctively, she looked at Tan Yucheng.
Tan Yucheng was wearing a black shirt inside and a black suit jacket on the outside, with his sleeves rolled up casually. He crossed the crowd and approached her with scattered lights behind him. He extended the bouquet of roses towards her, his voice low and lazy, “Prosperity in business.”
Ji Ting’s heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. She reached out to take the bouquet of roses.
The roses were fragrant, with a card attached. They were vibrant and appealing. It took her a while to find her voice, “About that lucky cat…”
“Isn’t it cute?” he asked.
Ji Ting pursed her lips and nodded, “Very cute.”
“Should we place it at your shop entrance?”
Behind them, Meng Jia, Long Kong, Yu Xi, Feng Yingying, and others swayed slightly, especially Meng Jia, who almost stood up to watch Tan Yucheng and Ji Ting talk, her gaze falling on the roses in Ji Ting’s arms.
Ji Ting was still in a state of disbelief. She murmured in acknowledgment, and Tan Yucheng turned around and gestured with his hand. The young man pulling the cart pushed it through the crowd and approached, asking where to place it. Ji Ting looked around and pointed to the empty space by the left door. The two young men carefully lifted the lucky cat from the bouquet and placed it gently in the vacant space between the two shops.
After it was placed, it strangely blended with the style of this street area, adding a noticeable touch to the Sunset Branch which used the Maillard color scheme. Some customers, upon seeing it placed there, approached to take photos. They turned back and said, “Boss lady, it’s my first time seeing such a large lucky cat in my life. Bringing in wealth every day, it’s so cute!”
Ji Ting paused for a moment and looked at Tan Yucheng.
Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow slightly. “Bringing in wealth every day.”
Ji Ting’s ears turned slightly red. She murmured, “Thank you.”
“Oh, so cute!” Customers crowded around to take photos, and others happily squeezed in for photos with the lucky cat. Yu Xi also stood up excitedly and said, “Tan Yucheng, you’re quite savvy. Buying such a big lucky cat, it must have been custom-made.”
Tan Yucheng lazily replied, “Could it be anything other than custom-made?”
Yu Xi took photos of the lucky cat and commented, “Compared to you, those gifts fall far short. Listen, Tingting, don’t dislike it, I am not as thoughtful as him.”
She turned to look at Ji Ting and blinked.
Ji Ting, feeling helpless, smiled and asked him, “What will you drink?”
Tan Yucheng looked at her and said, “Latte.”
“Okay,” she replied softly.
Tan Yucheng turned and walked towards Long Kong’s table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. When Feng Yingying saw him sit down, her face blushed slightly. She pursed her lips, glanced at him a few times, then turned to watch Yu Xi continuously taking photos next to the oversized lucky cat. The lucky cat was adorned with many flowers, so beautiful that it was hard to look away. Meng Jia bit her lip, gazing at Tan Yucheng, and then glanced at Ji Ting not far behind.
What she cared about was the bouquet of roses in Ji Ting’s hands.
The bouquet she received could fill a cart, and the number of roses represented heartfelt sentiments.
Ji Ting’s bouquet consisted of nineteen roses.
In the language of flowers, it represented the pinnacle of love.
The pinnacle of love.
Her heart beat fiercely.
Long Kong covered his face and laughed while looking at Tan Yucheng. “I just sent a huge teddy bear that I couldn’t even hold with both hands. I thought mine was big enough, but who knew yours would be bigger.”
Tan Yucheng leaned back in his chair, legs apart, and his well-defined arm muscles visible as he tapped on his phone, lips curling slightly.
After entering the shop, Ji Ting placed the bouquet of roses next to the gifts she had received. The red roses were vibrant and glamorous, and the wrapping paper clearly showed the brand. The words “business prosperity” were written by his own hand, with his name next to them.
With these roses placed here, they were no less impressive than the adjacent gifts.
Xiao Wan was busy making coffee, bustling around so much that she hardly touched the ground, even standing on tiptoe. She exclaimed, “Such beautiful roses!”
“Brother Tan Yucheng is so kind. When I saw that lucky cat, I started drooling. I want to hug it, but I’m so busy!”
Ji Ting snapped out of her thoughts at Xiao Wan’s words. She smiled, grabbed her apron, and stepped behind the counter to help them. The long list fell to the ground. Zhang Yang wiped his sweat, and glanced at the list, feeling overwhelmed. He said, “It’s been a while since we’ve been this busy.”
Ji Ting replied while making coffee, “It’s busy these days. I’ll arrange for you guys to rest afterward.”
Zhang Yang responded, “Sounds good.”
After finishing up some of the orders at hand, Ji Ting finally found the order for Long Kong’s table in the stack of papers. She began preparing the coffee listed on the order. Once done, she took the tray and placed the completed drinks on it. Glancing at the list, she noticed it wasn’t as long as when she started. Xiao Wan and the others seemed to manage well enough. Ji Ting picked up the tray and headed towards the table where Long Kong and the others were seated.
She stopped beside Tan Yucheng, right next to Long Kong’s seat. The small table was a bit low, so Ji Ting bent down and took out the coffees. Tan Yucheng put away his phone and took the coffee she placed down with his clearly defined fingers.
Long Kong took the coffee and smiled, saying, “Thank you.”
Feng Yingying raised her eyes and softly said, “Thank you.”
Meng Jia took the coffee, stirred it, and took a sip while looking at Ji Ting.
Long Kong immediately called out to Ji Ting, “Are you still busy? Sit down and take a break.”
Ji Ting also had this intention, so she made an extra cup. She turned around to fetch a chair, and Tan Yucheng casually reached back to pull over a chair that was a bit farther away, placing it beside him. Ji Ting watched his action, her cheeks slightly warm, and sat down. The chair was somewhat like a small recliner, allowing one to lean back comfortably.
Ji Ting lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. She looked at Long Kong and asked, “The avocado coffee you ordered is a new item. How does it taste?”
Long Kong took a sip, licked his lips, and pondered, “It’s quite good. I think if you enjoy the Velvet Latte, you’d like this one too.”
Ji Ting smiled and replied, “That’s good to hear.”
Meng Jia released her grip on the coffee, legs crossed, gently rocking her toes. She looked at Ji Ting and asked, “Is there a fee for tea here?”
Ji Ting nodded.
Meng Jia continued, “I want to open a jewelry shop. Are there any available shops here now?”
Ji Ting thought for a moment and replied, “There probably aren’t any available right now. Shops in this district get snapped up quickly; once they’re listed, they’re gone in no time.”
“Oh, I see.” Meng Jia pursed her lips and glanced at Tan Yucheng. “Do you have connections here?”
Ji Ting’s fingers paused, then she turned to look at Tan Yucheng.
Leaning back lazily in his chair, Tan Yucheng lifted his gaze from his phone and replied nonchalantly, in Cantonese, “No.”
He spoke Cantonese casually, yet it sounded incredibly pleasant.
Meng Jia pursed her lips in response.
She looked back at Ji Ting, who was sipping her coffee. When Ji Ting initially acquired this shop, there were some procedural issues. To expedite matters and avoid complications, she had planned to settle it with money, but Tan Yucheng intervened after making two phone calls, swiftly resolving the problem without additional cost. Meng Jia was likely unaware of this.
Yu Xi finished taking photos and sat down. Upon hearing Meng Jia’s plan to open a shop, she found it unbelievable. She looked at Meng Jia and said, “You’re opening a shop just like that? Do you have the patience for it?”
Meng Jia glared at her. “Do you think I don’t have patience?”
“Hey, Miss…” Yu Xi held her coffee cup, trying to persuade her. Long Kong nodded in agreement with Yu Xi’s words. Feng Yingying had been silent all along.
She leaned over and asked Ji Ting, “Are we staying here for New Year’s Eve?”
As she leaned over, she crossed over the small table slightly, getting closer to Tan Yucheng. When Tan Yucheng leaned back as she leaned forward, someone passed by Ji Ting’s side. He reached out to pull Ji Ting’s chair closer, causing Ji Ting to startle. While responding to Feng Yingying and avoiding passing customers, she settled back into her seat.
She ended up next to the armrest where he was seated.
Tan Yucheng rested his elbow on the armrest, alternating between checking his phone and chatting with Long Kong.
Ji Ting sat drinking her coffee, catching a faint scent of sandalwood emanating from him. His arm’s contours were right beside her, and she could easily touch his arm with her hand. As she listened to him and Long Kong chatting intermittently, Feng Yingying finished her question and leaned over again, asking her, “Did you invite a DJ for tonight? Will there be fireworks?”
Ji Ting smiled and shook her head, “No, we can’t have fireworks, but there might be drones.”
Feng Yingying nodded, “That’s great. I usually don’t celebrate New Year much; my family always wants me to sleep early.”
Ji Ting chuckled, “Then tonight, you’ll get to experience it.”
She remembered that Feng Yingying’s family was strict, despite being wealthy. They enforced strict rules, making her the type who goes to bed and wakes up early. Both she and Meng Jia came from large families, with Meng Jia being more carefree and bold, while she was raised with strict discipline.
Feng Yingying nodded slightly, “Okay.”
She whispered softly, “It’s quite rare, Ji Ting. Thank you.”
Ji Ting smiled, “Thank me for what? It’s nothing.”
A lazy voice came from beside them, “Xiao Wan is calling you.”
Ji Ting was caught off guard and turned her head towards him. Tan Yucheng leaned against the chair back, holding a coffee cup in one hand and playing with a lighter, chatting with Long Kong. He subtly reminded her.
Ji Ting quickly realized Xiao Wan was calling her again. She sighed softly and immediately stood up, setting the cup down on the way.
Hastily passing by him, the lingering scent of her Pure Color Mark Imprint drifted away. Tan Yucheng sipped his coffee, legs apart, and lips slightly curved.
Seeing Ji Ting leave, Feng Yingying instinctively glanced towards the man leaning against the back of the chair in the shadows, legs spread apart. Tan Yucheng noticed her gaze and furrowed his brow slightly.
Xiao Wan was looking for a bag of coffee beans but couldn’t find it. Zhang Yang said Ji Ting took it, so when Ji Ting went in, she immediately searched. She remembered leaving it behind the warehouse door, retrieved it, and handed it to Xiao Wan.
Xiao Wan took it and said, “Thank goodness, I thought we were missing a bag of beans.”
Ji Ting watched her packing and stepped forward to help pack the bags of coffee Xiao Wan was preparing to take away. With all the takeout orders closed for the night, they were busy with direct purchases made in the shop.
There weren’t too many orders. After packing five cups, Ji Ting’s phone beeped. She took it out from the counter and checked.
Unexpectedly, someone she didn’t expect sent her a WeChat message.
Shu Xiao: Ji Ting, are you busy?