After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

October 1st marks the start of a seven-day holiday for National Day.

The café's normal business hours are from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Lan Yujuan had made an appointment with Teacher Kong for coffee, so she arrived at the shop half an hour early.

She thought she would be the first person to arrive at the store, but to her surprise, Qi Lei was already there, opening the door and boiling water to prepare to make coffee.

"Good morning!" Lan Yujuan greeted her with a smile.

"Is this... the first cup of coffee of the morning?"

She eagerly approached the bar, hoping to get a cup of coffee to try.

Qi Lei glanced at her, nodded slightly, and then began to make coffee seriously.

He knew Lan Yujuan had a sweet tooth, so he chuckled and gently advised her:

"Boss Lan, why don't you go upstairs and get busy for a bit?"

"It's not a good time for you to drink coffee right now."

Even if I'm really craving it, I wouldn't dare make you coffee.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Lan Yujuan's eyes, and she awkwardly replied:

"Hehe, who said I'm greedy? I'll just look and smell it, that's enough."

"Don't worry about me, just make what you want to drink."

After saying that, he sheepishly went into the bar and poured himself a glass of warm water.

Seeing how determined she was, Qi Lei stopped paying attention to her.

After all, as long as the shop is open, the aroma of coffee will almost never stop.

He was also reflecting on whether he had misread it just now.

The boss probably wasn't greedy; he was just saying hello.

With that in mind, Qi Lei relaxed and started brewing the tea on his own.

After arriving at the shop in the morning, before going to work, Qi Lei usually makes himself a cup of hand-drip coffee, giving himself about half an hour of leisure time alone.

On the one hand, it's about practicing and improving your skills while focusing on making coffee for yourself; on the other hand, it's also about using coffee to stay alert.

As boiling water steeps the coffee grounds, a rich coffee aroma spreads through the air, so enticing that it can make one feel slightly dizzy.

Lan Yujuan was holding a glass of water, and before she could even drink it, she was already swallowing.

This looks so damn tempting!

Lan Yujuan thought to herself silently.

She even started fantasizing that once she finished her postpartum confinement, she would drink coffee all day long until she was completely satisfied!

Qi Lei, who was making coffee, didn't even need to turn around to notice Lan Yujuan's appearance.

A smile gradually appeared in his eyes.

Because people who truly love coffee all look the same when they crave it.

Although he has never been pregnant, sometimes when he has to go on a business trip or go out without coffee or a coffee machine with him, and he is really craving coffee, his situation is not much different from Lan Yujuan's now.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

While Lan Yujuan wasn't looking, he quietly took two small coffee cups, tasted their strength, and then poured half a cup for Lan Yujuan, softly urging her:

"Want to try a bite?"

"Don't worry, as long as it's not a large amount, a small bite is fine."

"Anyway, you drink water and exercise every day, and all your health indicators are up to standard."

Lan Yujuan accepted the coffee, feeling incredibly flattered. She picked it up and smelled it carefully, her face beaming with happiness.

He took a small bite and nodded repeatedly in approval, exclaiming, "This is exactly the taste!"

"This is exactly the kind of coffee I imagined when I smelled it!"

Although she drank it sparingly and slowly, she still finished the small half cup of coffee very quickly.

After finishing her coffee, Lan Yujuan held the cup and carefully smelled the lingering aroma until it faded away. Only then, satisfied, did she put down the coffee cup.

"Manager Qi, thank you for sharing my coffee this morning!" Lan Yujuan said sincerely.

"Don't worry, I will repay you!"

Lan Yujuan spoke very seriously, but Qi Lei clearly didn't take it to heart.

Holding a coffee in one hand, he leaned casually against the bench and chuckled, "Oh?"

"I'd really like to hear how Boss Lan plans to repay me?"

"Could it be that you're planning to give me a raise at the end of the year?" Qi Lei said with a wicked grin.

Who among us working people would complain about having too much money?

Lan Yujuan snapped her fingers and said confidently, "Don't worry, no problem!"

"However, rather than a raise, I'd like to introduce you to a good partner."

Lan Yujuan blinked, speaking with a serious expression, yet her laughter was utterly bewildering.

For a moment, even Qi Lei couldn't tell whether she was serious or just teasing him.

"Sure!" Qi Lei's ears turned bright red, but he remained stubborn.

Upon hearing this, Lan Yujuan immediately became interested and asked earnestly:

"Honestly, what kind of girl do you like? Tell me your requirements first."

"An employee's life-long event is related to the stability of the store's staff."

"As your boss, I naturally hope that you can settle down as soon as possible, get married and have children, and ideally, buy a house and a car in Xiangnan and settle down there."

Sometimes, Lan Yujuan doesn't even want to think about it in detail.

If Qi Lei's younger sister leaves Xiangnan after graduating from university, will Qi Lei also leave this place?

If Qi Lei leaves Hunan, whether he returns to his hometown or goes to other big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen, it will be a huge blow to Banshan Xiaoyin Cafe.

She believes that Lan Qingqing will gradually grow and one day become an excellent store manager and barista.

The other junior baristas in the shop will also become more skilled day by day.

However, they are all just themselves, and cannot replace the unique Qi Lei.

Qi Lei listened to her words and indeed began to seriously consider them.

He tapped his coffee cup lightly with his fingers while looking up at the air, pondering his words.

"I like......"

"I like older women because I am more mature in my thinking and older in my mind."

"I hope the other person has at least a bachelor's degree."

"After all, I myself didn't get much education, so in the future, at least one of us as a couple needs to be educated, right?"

"I love my partner; she's responsible and has a career she's passionate about!"

That's all I can think of for now!

Hearing his earnestness, Lan Yujuan couldn't help but press him further:

"What about the other aspects?"

"For example, are there requirements for height, weight, appearance, or family background?"

After hearing this, Qi Lei grinned and shook his head, saying:

"There are no specific requirements; it all depends on fate!"

"Look at my height, weight, and appearance; they're nothing special. As for my family background, I'm practically a loner."

"If you're like this yourself, what right do you have to demand anything of others?"

Upon hearing this, Lan Yujuan fell silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

In her eyes, Qi Lei was handsome, not very tall, but not short either.

Although it's a bit lonely, there's no messy family to drag me down, so these aren't really negative factors.

In particular, he has a skill that provides him with a stable income, which is quite good.

Seeing that she was holding her water glass and not saying anything, Qi Lei added another sentence, seemingly considering Lan Yujuan as a potential matchmaker.

"However, Mr. Lan, there's something I need to say upfront."

"My future partner, no matter who she is, must have one thing in common: she must like and respect my profession."

Upon hearing this, Lan Yujuan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, absolutely!"

The two chatted and drank water, and time flew by.

Before we knew it, it was 9:50, and the other employees in the store started arriving one after another.

The two put down their cups and prepared to get on with their own business.

In front of the other employees, he made no mention of the conversation that had just taken place.

Lan Yujuan was about to go upstairs to put her things away when she suddenly heard a familiar roar of a motorcycle coming from the shop entrance.

She instinctively stopped and turned to look.

Lin Feng's conspicuous motorcycle was parked blatantly in front of the coffee shop, with a person on the back.

After the car came to a stop, a familiar, nimble, and adorable figure jumped off the motorcycle.

The girl who was hitchhiking took off her hat, handed it back to Lin Feng, waved goodbye, and came in with her bag on her back.

Lan Yujuan was stunned when she saw that cheerful figure.

"Qingqing?"

"Why did you... come by motorcycle today?"

Normally, Lan Qingqing would take the bus and come alone.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, Lin Feng should be busy with his own things in the studio at this time and would not usually go out.

Lan Qingqing clearly didn't expect to be caught red-handed by Lan Yujuan.

However, she clearly wasn't going to hide it, and blushing, she said frankly:

"Lin Feng said he was fine and offered to drive me to work!"

"So, you two..." Lan Yujuan hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

She looked at Lin Feng on the motorcycle at the door, who waved to her, turned the motorcycle around, and drove away, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

What's going on between these two people?

She had heard someone say that Lin Feng was the only son of the Lin family in Beijing, a rebellious runaway rich kid, but she hadn't verified it yet.

"Sister! Lin Feng and I are together!" Lan Qingqing understood the deeper meaning in her eyes and openly admitted it.

After listening, Lan Yujuan took a deep breath.

However, at the same time, it seemed that a stone that had been hanging overhead was slowly falling to the ground.

She cleared her throat and, unusually hesitantly, gave her instructions:

"That's great, best wishes to you both!"

"You're an adult now, it's normal for you to date."

"However, you must be careful, you know what I mean?"

Lan Qingqing didn't take Lan Yujuan's explanation seriously, but she herself felt guilty and blushed.

Lan Qingqing, however, approached her with a grin, patted her shoulder, and said:

"Don't worry, sis! I understand all of this!"

"However, we're not at that stage yet. I'm just temporarily agreeing to date him and seeing how it goes!"

Lan Yujuan nodded, raised her hand and gently pinched her cheek. "Yes, if anything happens, remember to tell me right away!"

"To me, you're like my own sister, you know?"

Lan Qingqing grinned even more sweetly and nodded vigorously.

She was just about to turn around and greet her master, Qi Lei.

Before she could even open her mouth, Qi Lei rolled his eyes at her and turned his back on her.

The fire in Lan Qingqing's heart flared up instantly.

Fine, you're ignoring me, huh? Well, I won't bother with you either!

Lan Qingqing immediately grabbed a broom and rag, and called to Zhang Fengjiao, "Let's go, let's sweep the fallen leaves by the door and wipe the table!"

Behind the bar, Chen Ping had already put on an apron and was pestering Qi Lei to teach him how to make coffee.

Clearly, Chen Ping didn't want to get involved in the matter of cleaning up the store upon arrival.

Although Zhang Fengjiao didn't want to do it either, she went to the door with Lan Qingqing for her sake.

Although unwilling, I didn't slack off.

Lan Yujuan had just gone upstairs to put down her things and hadn't even had a chance to catch her breath when she received a phone call urging her to come downstairs immediately.

"Boss, you'd better go downstairs and check. Someone's come to the door."

Lan Yujuan felt a little strange listening to these serious words.

Logically speaking, even if Teacher Kong came to the shop, it shouldn't be this scary, right?

She quickly grabbed her phone and went downstairs to check.

Unexpectedly, before Teacher Kong even arrived, the fire safety inspectors came knocking.

"You're the person in charge of the store, right?" The fire inspector took the initiative to approach her and speak with her.

Lan Yujuan nodded slightly, her expression serious. "Yes, I am the owner of this coffee shop."

The two officers in charge of the fire safety inspection immediately showed their credentials and spoke in a businesslike tone:

"We received a report from the public that your store's fire safety standards are not met, so we came to check and verify."

Faced with this situation, Lan Yujuan dared not object and could only comply with the other party's request for inspection.

"Comrade, the fire safety facilities in our store have always been legal and compliant, and there is absolutely no situation as the other party reported."

"If that doesn't work, I'm willing to cooperate and accept inspections at any time."

After saying that, she stepped aside and followed closely behind the fire inspectors, showing great cooperation.

However, despite cooperating, he still called Chen Mo immediately to explain the situation at the store.

Lan Yujuan knew very well that this kind of surprise fire inspection under abnormal circumstances was definitely caused by a rival who didn't like her and thought they had something on their store, so they took the opportunity to launch a heavy attack.

The firefighters first checked the fire extinguishers and fire hydrants. The fire extinguishers were very recent, and the fire hydrants were all in good working order.

Then, the safety escape routes were checked. Everything was normal, from the safety exit signs after the power outage to the backyard, including the back door and side door that could be opened at any time to evacuate guests.

The two inspectors exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Clearly, the coffee shop's fire safety measures are in excellent condition.

Even the number of gas masks in the store far exceeds the normal requirement.

The coffee shop not only did not ignore this matter, but it could even be said that it took it very seriously.

After inspecting the building upstairs and downstairs, the fire safety inspector returned to the backyard and immediately pointed to several locked rooms, asking:

"What are these rooms in the backyard for?"

"Someone reported that your production, operations, warehousing, and employee accommodations are all mixed up. Is that true?"

Lan Yujuan took a moment to process what she heard before she understood.

It seems the trigger for this incident was that someone saw that she had hired a new barista at her shop, and that he was provided with food and lodging.

Moreover, the other party must have been in the store, as several rooms in the backyard remained locked and not open to the public.

So, with suspicion and accusations combined, this whole situation has come to this.

Without saying a word, Lan Yujuan immediately took out the key and led the comrades in charge of the inspection to the empty rooms, explaining as she went.

"These rooms are empty. I was planning to use them as a studio for my husband, but he hasn't moved in yet."

"It also occasionally occupies space when there are meetings in the store."

"The shop has a dedicated warehouse for storing both coffee beans and coffee equipment. Because the hillside is quite humid and it's far from the high-quality coffee roasting studio we have a long-term partnership with, our warehouse isn't located here."

"As for the staff dormitory, we rented a three-bedroom, two-living room apartment in a well-established residential area, which is a few hundred meters away from here."

"Most of the staff in the shop are girls, and there's nothing in the back of the shop, so how can we make it convenient for them to live there?"

"Providing food and lodging is not just about giving you a bed and food."

"They're all young women with dignity; at the very least, they should be able to sleep soundly and eat well after get off work, right?"

The fire inspector nodded slightly after hearing what she said.

However, despite passing all the tests, she showed no intention of leaving.

Instead, they started strolling around the store, as if they wouldn't give up until they found something wrong with it.

Lan Yujuan had a bad feeling!

Suddenly, one of the fire inspectors pointed to the security camera on the roof and said:

"I noticed that your store has a lot of surveillance cameras installed, and they seem to cover 360 degrees without blind spots?"

Lan Yujuan smiled and nodded, "Yes, indeed."

"Whether it's the first floor or the second floor, inside the store or at the entrance, the surrounding area is all within the coverage of the surveillance cameras."

"The main concern is that unnecessary misunderstandings might occur during business hours."

"If there were surveillance cameras, they could capture the images and record the sounds. If any misunderstandings occurred, the footage could be reviewed later to find out the truth."

Upon hearing this, the two comrades' expressions changed instantly, and they certainly didn't look good.

Finally, one of the comrades received a phone call.

After receiving the call, the other party quickly walked to the side, bowed, nodded, and smiled as he responded. He only returned after the other party hung up the phone.

"Alright, that concludes today's inspection!"

"Excellent! Everything here meets the standards perfectly. Keep up the good work!"

After saying that, he quickly pulled his colleague away from there, as if there was something he was afraid of chasing after them.

Lan Yujuan didn't understand, but she didn't want to understand too much.

After seeing off the fire safety inspectors, it was almost 10 a.m.

She quickly picked up her phone to check and indeed had not received any messages from Teacher Kong.

She almost thought that Teacher Kong had forgotten about their appointment to meet today.

As she walked into the store and dialed Teacher Kong's number, she unexpectedly heard the phone ringing next to the bar.

"Hey? Boss Lan, I've arrived!"

Teacher Kong turned around and looked at her, smiling and waving at her.

It turned out that Teacher Kong had arrived long ago and knew that she was receiving the visiting leaders, so she naturally found a seat and sat down quietly.

However, it's clear that Professor Kong's wait was worthwhile!

It's a rare holiday, and there aren't many customers in the store at this time of morning.

Qi Lei, having finally found some free time, leisurely made coffee for the customers sitting at the bar.

Perhaps it was a rare moment of relaxation for Teacher Kong, as he watched Qi Lei make coffee with fluid, effortless movements, completely mesmerized...

"Boss Lan, is this coffee easy to learn?" Teacher Kong asked with amusement.

"That's so cool! I'd like to learn how!"