The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

The days are getting hotter and hotter. Once April or May arrives in the southern part of the city, it's already like an air fryer outside.

If it were to drizzle even a little bit, hey, guess what? A steamer!

When it gets hot, people need more water.

With such a high demand for water, Corner Tea House enters its peak season. And with Ye Shu bringing good fortune, it's truly a case of prosperity upon prosperity.

From the moment the store opens in the morning, the sounds of taking orders, the hum of the coffee machine, and the clatter of ice cubes never stop.

The air conditioning in the store was on full blast, but even so, Ye Shu kept wiping away sweat, and the back of his T-shirt was soaked.

His movements became faster and faster, his body moving in a sequence of taking orders, cooking, serving food, taking orders, cooking, serving food...

All they could think about was making money, making money, making money!

This is the only motivation that keeps him going. When he makes a good cup of tea, he thinks about how much profit he can make, and that brings him one step closer to his goal.

It was really tiring, but it was a bittersweet experience.

He had just finished making a cup of "beaten lemon tea" and was waving his arms and panting in the back when the wind chimes at the door started ringing again.

"Welcome to Corner Tea House. What would you like to drink today?"

Before Ye Shu even turned her head, her voice preceded her words, and she was already preparing cups for the next order.

But the person at the door didn't say anything.

Ye Shu felt something was off, so he turned to look at the door and saw Xia Qing standing there, glaring at him with a displeased expression.

She looks really cool today. She's wearing a black jacket open, revealing a matching tight-fitting crop top underneath, showing a bit of her waist.

She wore black trousers and sneakers.

Her hair wasn't tied up; it was just hanging loosely down her back.

Um... it's just that her "keep away to strangers, but be even more annoying to acquaintances" expression is really irritating.

However, Ye Shu could probably guess why she was so unhappy; she was probably angry that he hadn't asked her to come to the store with him that morning.

Actually, he had hesitated about this matter that morning. Just before washing up, while staring blankly at the ceiling and admiring his girlfriend's sleeping face, he did think about whether or not to wake her up.

On the one hand, seeing her sleeping so soundly, I really couldn't bear to drag her out of her dreams and make her get up early and suffer with me.

On the other hand, it was Sister Zhi Qiu who offered to help last night, but... who knows who's sleeping right now? What if they don't want to get up?

After much deliberation, Ye Shu decided to leave on her own.

But now it seems he guessed wrong; Xia Qing is very dissatisfied with this.

The other customers in the store also saw this stylishly dressed woman. They didn't say anything or come in, but just stood at the door, glaring fiercely at the bar counter behind the bar.

What kind of scene is this? Is this the legendary story of an ex-girlfriend coming to collect her debts of love, and a devoted woman waiting for her unfaithful lover, which I'm finally going to witness live?

The customers tacitly slowed down their drinking pace. Even those who had been urging Ye Shu to hurry up stopped. They found a place to sit down and, from who knows where, pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds and started cracking them open.

As it turned out, the scene everyone was eagerly anticipating—a head-to-head brawl—did not occur. The girl at the door simply glared at the boss again, then walked behind the bar without saying a word.

"Hey, Sister Xia Qing..."

But Xia Qing completely ignored him, only glancing at the somewhat messy counter behind her before turning and waving to the customers still waiting in line to order:

"I'd like to order here."

The couple at the front of the line looked like college students. They exchanged a glance and quickly and obediently walked over.

Ye Shu quickly put down the cup in her hand and leaned closer to say:

"Sister Xia Qing, let me teach you how to use it. Look, the prices are all listed above..."

"No need, I can do it. You go ahead with your work."

Xia Qing didn't even turn her head. She simply raised her hand and waved at Ye Shu, sending him flying back.

Well, she's really angry.

Ye Shu, feeling snubbed after her attempt to be friendly, sighed and obediently went back to making drinks, like a wronged wife.

After Xia Qing chased Ye Shu away, she looked up at the young couple. Although she still looked displeased, her attitude was much milder than when she had treated Ye Shu.

"What would you like to drink?"

The young couple seemed to be intimidated by Xia Qing's aura. Whenever the boy saw Xia Qing's eyes, he, like Han Yang back then, couldn't help but feel nervous.

"One... um, one cup of their signature milk tea, no ice, half sugar, one cup..."

"Bubble tea, regular ice, regular sugar."

The girl next to her quickly chimed in, her eyes constantly glancing at Xia Qing with a mixture of envy and curiosity.

Xia Qing nodded without saying a word, placed the order, and told them to scan the code themselves before moving on to the next person.

The young couple finished ordering and found a place to sit down. The girl tugged at the boy's sleeve and whispered:

"That shop assistant is so cool!"

The boy nodded, glancing furtively at Xia Qing as he said:

"She looks pretty fierce, though. That guy seems a bit afraid of her; he doesn't dare say much. Maybe the woman is the boss, and the guy is just an employee?"

"You mean...they're not a couple, are they? The boss and his wife? Or...that kind of relationship?"

The girl stared at Xia Qing and began to imagine the whole story:

"Look at that woman's clothes, they're all designer brands, and her demeanor is so sophisticated, she definitely doesn't look like an ordinary working woman."

The more she explained, the more reasonable it seemed to her, and she looked excited.

"Hey, do you think they might be the kind of couple where the daughter of a rich family, or a female CEO or something, falls in love with a poor guy who owns a bubble tea shop, and comes to work there under a different identity for love..."

In just a few seconds, the girl had conjured up an entire novel in her mind: "The Domineering Female CEO Falls in Love with the Poor Boy Who Owns a Bubble Tea Shop."

What? A cold, aloof female CEO transforms into a milk tea girl for love, and she and a gentle, resilient, poor shop owner develop feelings for each other in the kitchen. After overcoming family obstacles and business battles, the lovers finally get together and work together to turn the milk tea shop into a multinational brand, blah blah blah…

Let's leave aside what the girl is imagining for now. On another note, let's talk about something else entirely. Pigsy... no, Ye Shu is in a terrible situation.

He always stood with his back to the outside, making drinks at the counter. Lemons had to be beaten, milk tea had to be shaken, and coconut jelly had to be stolen... However, his attention was never on his hands, but on his back.

He always felt like someone was watching him from behind, and it was obvious who that unpleasant feeling was coming from.

Ye Shu originally intended to ignore it, but Xia Qing was staring at him too intently, which made Ye Shu break out in a cold sweat.

He couldn't take it anymore and turned around sharply, only to see Xia Qing standing next to the ordering machine, her face turned to the side, her eyes looking at the business license posted on the wall, not at him.

Ye Shu sighed and turned back to continue making drinks.

But five seconds later, the feeling of being stared at returned.

Ye Shu steadied himself and suddenly made a gesture as if to turn around, but it was just a feint; he didn't actually turn around.

However, he saw from the reflection of the stainless steel cup in his hand that Xia Qing was indeed startled and quickly turned her head back.

Sure enough, Ye Shu smiled and continued wiping the cup, but the next second, he got kicked in the butt.

Fine, I'll keep staring. I'll behave myself after getting kicked.