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

At 7 p.m., only a few customers who had finished shopping and were taking a break remained in the shop. Ye Shu was doing her usual pre-closing work.

Chen Xing left early as usual, changed out of her apron, and slung her large canvas shoulder bag over her shoulder. She rummaged through her bag for a while, took out a rather thick-looking paper envelope, and walked up to Ye Shu.

"Xiao Ye, here, this month's."

Ye Shu hastily wiped the water off his hands on his apron, took the envelope, and was slightly taken aback by its thickness and weight. He subconsciously squeezed it, then directly tore open the envelope and glanced inside under the light from the counter. Judging by its thickness, it clearly exceeded his salary.

Ye Shu looked up at Chen Xing, who was adjusting the strap of his satchel, and asked:

"Sister Chen Xing, this... seems to be more than two thousand six hundred. Isn't that too much?"

Chen Xing struggled for a long time before finally turning the twisted bag strap right side out, then waved his hand dismissively:

"Not much. Even though you took a few days off this month, the sales revenue is still much higher than before. It's all thanks to you, my little lucky cat. You deserve a bonus, here you go."

"But......"

"Oh, no buts."

Chen Xing interrupted him, slung his bag over his shoulder, and patted his arm:

"Business is good, I'm happy, so giving you a red envelope is only right! Okay, the rest is up to you. Before you leave, make sure to carefully check the plumbing, electrical work, doors, and windows. I'm off!"

After saying that, she turned around, pushed open the glass door, ran into her boyfriend's car, and disappeared around the street corner in the distance.

That's Chen Xing for you; she expresses her care and approval in her straightforward and genuine way.

Holding the envelope in her hand, Ye Shu felt a warm glow in her heart, and even more so, a sense of reassurance.

Carefully putting the envelope away, I returned to the counter and continued working. There was still an hour left. Chen Xing was the boss and could leave early, but Ye Shu couldn't.

The doorbell rang softly, and a young couple who looked like college students walked in hand in hand.

"Hello, are you still open for business?"

"We're open for business, please come in."

Ye Shu immediately put on a professional, gentle smile and walked back behind the counter.

"Um... I'd like two lemon teas, one with regular ice and one without ice, please."

The girl placed her order in a soft voice.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Ye Shu placed her order and turned to walk towards the control panel.

After more than half a month of diligent study and practice... actually, after closing the shop at night, I would just ponder over that "Almost Secret Manual" and then take it home for my family's guinea pigs to try it out.

From the initial comments like "It's a bit sour," and "Tsk, is sugar free? Why put in so much!", to later comments like "It's alright, drinkable," and then occasionally hearing "Hmm, this tastes good today" or "It's an improvement over last time."

Although it was far from amazing, Ye Shu could feel that he had indeed gotten the proportions of the ingredients much more accurate.

He once asked Chen Xing how to properly prepare a drink and what constitutes a "good" one, trying to narrow down the possibilities based on her feedback.

As it turned out, Chen Xing was busy picking coffee beans at the time and didn't even look up before blurting out:

"If it tastes good, then it's good. Your taste buds don't lie. If one day you make something that tastes even better than mine, then yours is the standard. There aren't that many hard and fast rules when it comes to this kind of thing."

This sounded a bit mystical, but Ye Shu slowly began to understand its meaning.

What makes something delicious is ultimately determined by the taste buds of the guests, by the approval of the judges in the family. The standards may be vague, but the feelings are real.

Thinking of all this, Ye Shu couldn't help but chuckle. It's true, despite Chen Xing's usually carefree and easygoing nature, she really does have a kind of seemingly foolish but actually quite wise demeanor... no, more like a wise fool.

After seeing off the last table of guests, Ye Shu had just finished wrapping up her work for the day. She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already 8:10. She had to go back and cook dinner; there was still someone hungry at home.

I checked the water and electricity switches one last time to make sure everything was working properly. I picked up the two pre-packaged sample cups from the counter, locked the shop, and disappeared into the nighttime commercial street.

This street is one of the famous commercial districts in the south of the city. Even after eight o'clock, it is still brightly lit and bustling with people.

Logically speaking, this is the time when office workers and college students go shopping, which means it's the time when these businesses make the most money.

But Sister Chen Xing's shop closes precisely at this time every day.

Carrying her drinks, Ye Shu's gaze swept over the still-open shops, and the familiar question once again flashed through her mind:

Based on Chen Xing's previous turnover, after deducting the rent, utilities, costs, and labor in this location... is it really possible to still be making a profit? Could it be that she's actually working from a loan?

Every time he thought about this, he found it a little funny. But then he thought about it again, and Chen Xing seemed to be under no pressure at all. Opening this shop was probably more out of interest and a lifestyle choice, and making a profit might not be the only purpose.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Ye Shu shook her head, putting this irrelevant speculation out of her mind. This is Chen Xing's own business; as long as she's happy.

The street became more and more lively as you walked further on, especially when you passed a small square, where it was packed with people and the loud music made your heart pound.

Ye Shu's attention was drawn, and she looked up.

In the middle of the square, a makeshift stage had been set up, surrounded by backdrops of anime characters. A large group of young people had gathered there, all dressed in brightly colored clothes, wearing wigs, and cosplaying.

This is interesting. Ye Shu had been to comic conventions twice before, but this was the first time he had been to one at this time and place.

He walked over, thinking he'd join in the fun, but once he got closer, he understood. It turned out that a nearby shopping mall was organizing an offline joint promotional event with a popular game to attract customers.

Ultimately, it's still a form of commercial promotion.

Ye Shu's interest vanished instantly. Just as she was about to walk around the crowd and continue forward, her gaze unconsciously fell upon two people among the magical girls.

There was a man and a woman standing side by side, slightly off to the side, seemingly observing the event. But unlike the cosplayers busy taking photos, the aura around them seemed a little subtle.

The man, who looked about the same age as Ye Shu, was wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, which made him look older. The worst part was, not only did he wear it, but he didn't even button it up; it was just left open.

And his hairstyle, a slicked-back style that seemed to belong to Ye Shu's father's era, made his hair look like it had been licked by a calf when the light from the big screen in the square shone down on it.

And look at the woman next to him, she's even more remarkable.

They appeared to be around the same age, dressed in a simple, dark blue Taoist robe. Their long hair was simply tied up at the back of their heads and secured with a wooden hairpin. They also had something bound with strips of cloth slung across their backs...

Among a group of magical girls, this fellow cultivator suddenly appearing is quite conspicuous.

Ye Shu was a little stunned.

To be honest, this cosplay... has quite a personality, but I really can't tell which game these two are from.

However, she really nailed the vibe, especially that inner calmness, unlike many young people around her who deliberately pose for photos.

Perhaps his gaze lingered a little too long, or perhaps the surprise on his face was too obvious.

The young man in the Zhongshan suit seemed to have sensed something, and turned his gaze toward Ye Shu.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Ye Shu felt a slight jolt in her heart, as if she had been caught red-handed peeking, and felt a little embarrassed.

He was about to look away when he saw that the young man in the Zhongshan suit didn't seem annoyed at being disturbed and gave Ye Shu a polite nod.

The movements were so natural, as if the two knew each other. But Ye Shu was absolutely certain that he had never seen the two of them before.

But sometimes, the wonderful understanding between men is achieved in such silent moments.

Seeing the young man nod at him, Ye Shu, though not understanding why, subconsciously nodded back slightly in response.

After doing this action, he himself felt a little confused.

Meanwhile, the young man in the Zhongshan suit had already withdrawn his gaze, turned slightly to the side, and whispered something to the girl cosplaying as a Taoist priest beside him.

Upon hearing this, the girl also glanced at Ye Shu.

Then, the two stopped and turned to disappear into the bustling crowd.

That's quite a character...

He muttered something to himself, but didn't take it too seriously.

These days, young people have all sorts of fun activities; what kind of hobby don't they have? Maybe they're a big shot in some niche cultural circle, or maybe they just have a unique aesthetic sense.

Looks like we'll have plenty to talk about when we get home.