Chapter 534: Chapter 532: Lin Xi Swindles People

"This isn’t just in your head. As a fellow guy, I’m warning you: if you don’t want to be publicly humiliated, you’d better keep a low profile."

After saying his piece, the roommate went quiet. He had said what needed to be said. If Xia Tian insisted on looking for trouble, it was none of his business.

Besides, what if he actually succeeds? Then I’d be the one to blame. Of course, the probability of that is practically zero. Even without Xue Yang, Xia Tian stands no chance. It’s a man’s sixth sense. You can tell at a glance which girls are easy to pursue and which aren’t. But that never stops some people who refuse to give up until they hit a brick wall.

As the roommate predicted, Xia Tian didn’t listen.

The next day, he arrived at the freshman rest area with two cups of milk tea.

"Junior, military training must be tough, right? I bought you some milk tea. Here you go."

Lin Xi and Si Wen had just sat down to rest when Xia Tian appeared right on cue.

Seeing the milk tea he offered, Lin Xi smiled and declined, "No, thank you."

"Come on, Junior, I already bought it. Just drink it."

"Senior, really, there’s no need. You don’t have to buy us milk tea anymore."

"Junior, I’m only doing this because I can’t bear to see you working so hard. Don’t feel pressured."

Lin Xi’s brow furrowed.

Was my "heroic deed" on the pedestrian street the other day not intimidating enough? Maybe I should do it again.

Just then, the drill instructor walked over.

"What’s going on here?"

With the instructor’s arrival, Lin Xi had to drop her idea. However, another one quickly took its place. She blinked and said to the instructor, "Instructor, this senior said it’s too hot and he wants to buy milk tea for everyone."

Xia Tian mentally calculated the number of students in Lin Xi’s class. His face went pale with fright, and he quickly waved his hands in protest.

"No... Instructor..."

The instructor had already noticed Xia Tian multiple times. He always showed up on time during breaks. Under the guise of caring for fellow students on behalf of the student council, he would bring water or milk tea to Lin Xi and Si Wen. They had already refused him, but he wouldn’t give up.

He turned and announced to the Business Management class, "Class, this senior has offered to buy everyone milk tea! Let’s all thank him. By the way, what’s your name?"

The moment the other students heard this, they erupted in cheers.

"Xia... Xia Tian..."

"Xia Tian, a name that really fits the season. With your milk tea, I’m sure our class will no longer fear the scorching summer sun. Class, let’s thank Senior Xia Tian!"

"Thank you, Senior Xia Tian!"

A thunderous cheer echoed across the field.

This time, Xia Tian couldn’t refuse even if he wanted to.

He instantly regretted it. If only he had left when Lin Xi first declined. There were at least thirty people in the Business Management class. A single cup of milk tea cost at least ten yuan, so one for everyone... Though it wasn’t a huge amount of money, the feeling of being played for a sucker was extremely unpleasant.

At that moment, Lin Xi spoke up again.

"Senior, I’d like a milk tea from the shop called Xi Tea over by Yonghui Supermarket."

"Senior, I want one from that shop too," Si Wen added.

"Alright..."

With both campus beauties making a request, Xia Tian could only grit his teeth, agree, and go buy the milk tea.

The cheapest drink at Xi Tea was fifteen yuan, which further inflated his unexpected expenses. Still, if it earned a smile from the beauties, maybe it wasn’t a total loss. He did have some savings from his years at university; he just usually had a strict budget he never exceeded.

"Xiao Xi, why make him go all the way to Yonghui? The shops on campus are much quicker. Don’t tell me Xi Tea is yours, too."

Si Wen truly was Lin Xi’s best friend. She guessed it immediately.

"You got it."

"I knew it. But Xia Tian is obviously into you. If he finds out you’re ripping him off, his face will be priceless."

"I’ve told him so many times to stop bringing things, but he won’t listen. Should I ask Song Fan to give him a discount?"

Fifteen yuan with a twenty percent discount should be about right.

Si Wen hurriedly stopped her. "Absolutely not! Give him that discount and, believe me, within a day, rumors that you accepted his confession will be all over campus."

Lin Xi thought for a moment and understood.

"I’ll ask Song Fan to raise the price instead."

"Hey, just leave it alone."

"Oh..."

「Yonghui Supermarket」

Cui Hao was in the middle of a handover with Ming Yue. Some of the finer details required Xue Yang’s final approval, turning their pair into a trio.

"Godfather, we haven’t had milk tea in ages. On a day this hot, let’s get a cup. My treat." Cui Hao stretched and got ready to go buy some.

Xue Yang put down the contract. "Let’s go to Xi Tea."

"Why? There’s a milk tea shop right here in the supermarket. Why go all the way outside?"

Even though the storefronts on the perimeter were part of the supermarket’s revenue, Cui Hao didn’t see the point of the extra trip. Ming Yue was a bit confused, too.

"I’m in the mood for theirs," Xue Yang stated simply.

"You got it!"

With a single word from Xue Yang, Cui Hao eagerly complied. Ming Yue also put down her contract. A glance at the time told her it was her usual afternoon teatime. An occasional milk tea sounded quite nice.

The three of them walked toward the supermarket exit.

The Xi Tea shop was located on the outer perimeter of Yonghui Supermarket. It was only a few steps away from the exit. The shop used to be called Gu Ming. It had suffered collateral damage from the reckless reforms at Yonghui Supermarket. The shop, which once had good foot traffic, saw its customer base plummet, forcing it to close down. Xue Yang then swooped in and bought it for a bargain, renaming it Xi Tea.

Business had been mediocre since then. On some days, they only sold a few cups. If it weren’t for the guaranteed base salary, Song Fan would have definitely quit.

The sight that greeted them today, however, was magical. As they entered, they saw Song Fan zipping around behind the counter like a spinning top. The counter in front of her was packed with milk tea cups.

The scene even took Xue Yang by surprise.

In the midst of the chaos, Song Fan spotted them and exclaimed in delight, "Boss, you’re finally here!"

"Boss?"

Cui Hao and Ming Yue turned to look at Xue Yang in unison.

No wonder he specifically wanted to come here. This shop is his, too.

Cui Hao’s reaction was the strongest. I’m with him almost every day, yet I had no idea he’d bought a milk tea shop, let alone the entire supermarket. What kind of surprise will he spring on me next?

"A customer ordered thirty-one cups at once today," Song Fan explained. "I’m about to collapse from being so busy."

"Was it a student?" Xue Yang asked. An order this large had to be from a student.

"Yes, it was a student, but not a freshman. I’m guessing he’s trying to woo some girl, so he’s treating her whole class. It’s romantic, sure, but it’s killing me."