"You think I wanted to do something so thankless? What do I get for introducing Li Bing to the maid cafe? Just don't you dare tell the Boss. If I wasn't trying to help her out, I never would have let her work this part-time job with me."

"Is this really helping?" Chen Yuan asked, conflicted.

"Of course it is! She used to do all sorts of part-time jobs—tutoring, waitressing, handing out flyers. That work was exhausting and didn't pay well. Now she gets to work in a safe place with air conditioning. It's way better than standing on a street corner, shivering in the cold," Wei Zhen said with a pout, continuing in a hushed voice. "Besides, her income is pretty substantial now. I bet she has enough to cover her living expenses for all four years of college."

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if Yafeng found out?"

"What's he going to do…?" Wei Zhen's expression faltered. He looked at Chen Yuan and said, "Let's be blunt. The Boss's feelings are completely one-sided. We can't stop Li Bing from doing what she wants just because of his opinion, can we? It has nothing to do with him. We're all just classmates."

Wei Zhen had already thought it all through.

'Only an immature Quan Yafeng would blame him for this. It was all Li Bing's personal choice. She wasn't anyone's property. She was a living, breathing person who could make her own decisions!' 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"You seem to feel a lot better after dumping all that on me, but now we're both stuck with this secret," Chen Yuan said, exasperated.

"This is great. We can be treacherous together."

"Don't tell me you invited me to the cafe just so I would see her, did you?"

"Well…"

"You bastard!"

It all clicked for Chen Yuan. He grabbed Wei Zhen by the neck, about to give him a piece of his mind.

The soft TAP TAP of footsteps sounded on the hardwood floor.

Like the lovely notes of fingers tapping on piano keys.

A figure in a white dress seemed to float to the side of Chen Yuan's sofa.

"Wei Zhen, your hair tie."

The familiar voice made Chen Yuan freeze, and he quickly let go of his grip on Wei Zhen.

"It's fine. You didn't have to rush to return it. You could've just left it on my desk in the dressing room."

"I was afraid I'd lose it."

Li Bing's voice was as light as a little lark's, with a somewhat childish, doll-like tone. It was so delicate that it almost made you want to snatch the little bird and squeeze the life out of it.

Wei Zhen took the hair tie she had just taken off.

"Oh, Chen, you're here too."

Chen Yuan was sitting bolt upright, doing his best to be invisible. When she suddenly addressed him, he froze completely.

It was completely unexpected.

Not only did Li Bing recognize him, she had actually spoken to him first.

"Uh… yeah. I just came along to hang out."

"That's nice. Well, I'm heading downstairs now."

With that, Li Bing slowly walked down the stairs by herself.

"Where's she off to?"

"Probably to the dressing room in the basement to study. She has a tutoring session tonight."

"Didn't you say she was already making enough for living expenses?"

"Who knows? I've asked her a few times, but she just says she's saving up for something."

"What a good person she is…"

Chen Yuan was filled with a solemn respect. The scholarship list for the semester had already been released before winter break, and Li Bing had received a full scholarship. And yet, despite studying so hard, she was still working all over the place.

A young woman like that truly deserved respect.

'That animal Quan Yafeng… say what you will about him, he's got good taste in women.' Thinking about it now, Chen Yuan felt Quan Yafeng didn't deserve Li Bing at all.

...

While Chen Yuan and Wei Zhen were talking upstairs,

a group of people in formal business attire entered the lobby on the first floor.

The group consisted of three men and two women. Their leader, a woman in a form-fitting skirt and a shimmering earring, immediately began to survey her surroundings upon entering.

"Hello, welcome. May I ask…?"

The manager greeting them at the door was taken aback. She could tell at a glance that these people weren't here for fun; they looked more like official inspectors.

For any business, big or small, people like this were treated as a major threat. The fear was always about being fined for failing to meet some standard.

"Hello. We're from Bauhinia Investment Company."

"An investment company?"

The manager was even more confused.

Just then, another man with a conspicuously bald head pushed his way in.

"Ma'am, this is the location I've selected. It's backed by the commercial district and faces the city moat. A corner lot that breeds dragons and phoenixes! It's a truly once-in-a-lifetime spot."

"It is indeed an excellent location," the woman in the lead said with a nod.

"Wait a minute, what are you people doing here? What do you mean, 'selected location'!?"

The manager blocked the group as they started to head further inside, frowning as she asked in a cold voice.

"Oh, you must be the owner of this shop," the bald man said, looking her over. "Your lease is about to expire. I plan on taking over this location for my own business."

"That's bullshit! I just spoke with the property owner a few days ago! Look at how much business we do! Why would he possibly lease it to you instead? Are you dreaming?"

"Doesn't matter how well your chat went. I've already signed the contract, little lady," the bald man said, pulling a printed document from his briefcase. "The down payment has already been transferred."

"How is that possible!?"

The manager of the maid cafe took the contract, her eyes wide with disbelief.

But by the time she finished reading, she was frozen to the spot, as if she'd been struck by lightning.

Meanwhile, the group was already casually touring the maid cafe's layout, chattering amongst themselves, "This second floor is nice, we can tear it out and put in a glass railing," "This central platform is perfect for product display," and "The place is very spacious, too," as they walked further inside.

The manager, as if drained of all strength, didn't move to stop them.

After a long moment, she finally gasped for breath like a drowning person being pulled from the water. She rushed to the counter, snatched up her phone, and desperately dialed the property owner's number as if it were her last lifeline.

A maid cafe is a business that requires a massive initial investment.

The manager had opened the shop with her husband. They had both worked abroad, and after returning with some savings, they decided to start a brick-and-mortar business. They had been running the shop for three years, had just recouped their initial investment, and were finally starting to turn a profit.

If the lease were taken away now, forcing them to find a new location—wouldn't that be the end of them?

After all, a customer base is something you cultivate over a long time. One move could make you lose more than half of it.

Moreover, commercial property prices in Lanjing were skyrocketing; every square foot was worth its weight in gold. That was precisely why the manager had spent days negotiating with the owner, and had just reluctantly agreed to a rent hike of over ten percent.

The call connected.

The manager spoke in a frantic rush, but the reply she received was like another bucket of ice-cold water thrown in her face.

In that instant, all her hopes turned to ash.

"How could you do this!? You already promised me!"

...

Chen Yuan and Wei Zhen were just coming down the stairs.

"Hey, what do you say we go for a picnic sometime? After Quan Yafeng and the others get back, you can bring your girlfriend…"

"A picnic? I don't know if my girlfriend would be into that."

'It's not a bad idea,' Chen Yuan thought, 'but Jiang Ning probably doesn't want anyone from school to know we're dating…'

Just then,

a group of people started up the stairs.

The woman in the lead, the one with the earrings, looked up and immediately spotted Chen Yuan.

As if by reflex, she blurted out, "Chairman!"

The exclamation silenced half the lobby. Wei Zhen peeked out from behind Chen Yuan, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.