Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

Upon hearing this, the boss immediately shook his head: "No, storefronts are too expensive, I can't afford them."

He was able to open a coffee shop at No. 8 Middle School thanks to his relatives, which is commonly known as "going through the back door," and the rent and other fees were very low.

If this were opened outside, especially in a storefront near a school, the rent for a single room would be tens of thousands of yuan a month. He couldn't even imagine spending that much money.

"It's okay, you can find someone to invest," He Ziyu said. "Although I don't know much about coffee, I feel that your coffee beans are different from what I've had before. The taste seems cleaner and purer."

"It's already quite remarkable that you can taste this difference." When the conversation turned to a topic of interest, the owner simply pulled out a chair and sat down next to the two of them. "My coffee beans undergo strict drying and roasting processes before entering the coffee machine. Every step of the process is strictly controlled in order to present a better taste."

He Ziyu nodded and asked, "How long have you been researching coffee?"

"This is the eighth year," the owner said. "I've been running this coffee shop since my wife passed away. It was originally located outside, but business was bad, so I asked someone to move it here."

"At first, I didn't expect many people to support me. I thought if I really couldn't keep it going, I would just close down and leave, so as not to take up the school's space."

"Unexpectedly, more and more students started coming, and the profits gradually increased."

"Just a few days ago, I was still naively thinking that my luck had turned around and I had funds to develop new products..."

The boss hesitated for a moment, then sighed helplessly.

The Education Bureau's order cannot be disobeyed; closing down is only a matter of time. Rather than dragging it out in such anxiety, it's better to die sooner rather than later.

Seeing that it was still early before class, He Ziyu decided to have a good chat with his boss.

He really liked this coffee shop. Firstly, the decor was very tasteful, and secondly, the coffee quality was far above average. Of course, most importantly, the owner himself had a deep passion for coffee.

Eight years.

It's very difficult to stick to doing one thing for such a long time unless you love it to the extreme.

In He Ziyu's view, while business acumen is important, passion is also indispensable.

"Boss, here's the thing, I have some funds on hand right now that should be enough to cover your rent for a year. If you're interested, we can discuss it in detail."

Upon hearing this, the boss immediately adopted a surprised expression.

"You want to invest in me?"

He Ziyu nodded. "This coffee shop has all the necessary qualifications, it just lacks a suitable location. Ordinary commercial areas are basically saturated, so opening it near a school is indeed a good choice."

"Although moving the coffee shop off-campus will affect daytime customer traffic, there is a university town next to No. 8 Middle School, which is only a ten-minute walk away. If we open the shop here, we should be able to generate good revenue."

The shop owner said, "But... the rent for the storefront is very high, and I'm afraid I won't be able to break even in a short time."

With his current profits, even if someone invests, the return on investment will be very slow, and the short-term returns will not be high.

"You can rest assured about that. I will help you with simultaneous online promotion, so attracting customers won't be a problem. But to truly build a reputation, you need to highlight the unique features of this store."

"Highlight..." the owner thought for a moment, "My shop is just an ordinary place. The only highlight might be the story behind it."

"A story?" He Ziyu's eyes lit up. "Would you mind telling me?"

The boss crossed his arms, took a deep breath, and began to explain.

……

After the bell rang, He Ziyu and Jiang Chengyu left the coffee shop.

On the way to the teaching building, Jiang Chengyu asked him, "Have you really thought this through regarding investing in the coffee shop?"

He Ziyu: "I think the boss's story is very touching, and you can tell that he really wants to do this business well."

"Actually, there are many business people these days, and even more people who are familiar with business operations. In this situation, when we talk about whether a project can succeed, we don't look at its existing value, but rather how much value can still be extracted from it."

"This boss has a story and can produce good products, that's enough. When the time comes, we'll find some marketing experts to manage it, and we won't have to worry about not having customers."

He Ziyu spoke eloquently, applying everything he had learned at the He family during this period.

After a while, Jiang Chengyu looked at him.

"Ayu, you've really matured a lot."

"Especially when you were speaking just now, it sounded a bit like my dad in a meeting."

He Ziyu paused for a moment, then hooked his arm around Jiang Chengyu's shoulder.

"What do you mean by 'like your dad in a meeting'? Do I look that old?!"

You're saying my dad's old?

"No, I didn't mean your dad is old, oh dear..."

Unable to defend himself, He Ziyu simply locked Jiang Chengyu's neck tightly.

"To tell you the truth, I'm only using less than half of my abilities right now. Once I've figured out how to run the company, you'll know what true maturity looks like!"

"Then I'll have to work hard to catch up with you."

"It's okay if I can't catch up with you, you're so beautiful, I'm willing to take care of you~"

……

The two chatted as they returned to the classroom.

The first period in the afternoon was the class taught by the "female devil." The students in the class were all ready. When passing by Han Zhiruo's seat, He Ziyu saw that the girl at the next table had pulled her chair next to her and was reading the same book with her.

He Ziyu didn't think much of it, returned to his seat, and opened his textbook.

Not long after, Li Na walked into the classroom with her lesson plan and began to teach.

Even in an environment full of top students, studying was still a very boring thing. Especially after the class was divided, his seat was far away from Jiang Chengyu's. He couldn't even be distracted in class, and He Ziyu's eyelids were drooping with sleep.

After yawning, He Ziyu secretly used his phone under his seat to check the rent for storefronts.

The storefronts in this location cost tens of thousands of yuan each, and renting them for a year would cost at least hundreds of thousands of yuan. A large portion of his assets on paper would be emptied out.

Fortunately, the studio has stabilized now, so allocating some money to this area shouldn't be a problem.

After checking the rent, He Ziyu rested his chin on his hand, recalling what the boss had told him at noon.

The owner said he opened the coffee shop because his wife loved coffee and the two first met in a coffee shop in Moon City.

The proprietress's favorite drink is cold brew, which is icy cold and has a clear, refreshing taste, just like the kind of relationship she pursues, pure and without any impurities.

Since then, the owners have embarked on a journey to taste coffee all over the country and even abroad.

In every new city and at every new coffee shop, the owner takes photos to commemorate the occasion.

Finally, one day, the proprietress told the boss that she wanted to open her own coffee shop.

The boss had been thinking about this for a while, and the two hit it off immediately, starting by choosing a shop location and applying for a business license...

However, on the very day the shop was rented, the proprietress was diagnosed with a very serious illness.

A bolt from the blue struck the boss, and he completely panicked.

That period was the darkest time in the boss's life. He had to accompany his wife to get treatment while also managing the newly established coffee shop.

After enduring this torment for less than two months, the proprietress's condition deteriorated rapidly, and she passed away before she could witness the fruits of her business.

Next comes the funeral procession, choosing a burial site, and the burial...

After finishing everything, the boss returned to the coffee shop alone, took down all the photos of himself and his wife hanging in the shop, and closed the shop for a week.

During that week, he dreamed about the landlady every night.

In his dream, the proprietress appeared healthy and encouraged him with a smile, urging him to keep the coffee shop running and to use the money he earned to take "her" to more places to taste more coffee.

So a week later, the boss hung up the business sign and started afresh, carrying the boss's wife's belief.

He Ziyu felt quite uncomfortable when he first heard the story.

Although he had experienced life and death in his previous life, it was precisely because of this experience that he could better understand this kind of excruciating pain.

The current boss, rather than loving coffee, is more passionate about the memories he shared with his wife.

Since you can't continue this journey, I will continue your life and take you to see the world.

Nothing could be more romantic than this...

"He Ziyu, you can do this problem."

The female demon's icy voice pulled him back to reality.

He Ziyu snapped out of his daze and glanced quickly at his deskmate.

"Page 20, question 3," his deskmate whispered, pointing to it.

Thanks!

He Ziyu took a deep breath, picked up his textbook, and walked onto the podium.

The female demon didn't mention his distraction; she simply watched him quietly, giving him an invisible pressure.

He Ziyu quickly looked down at the question.

He hadn't done this problem in class, but Jiang Chengyu had explained a similar one to him, and he should be able to solve it by applying the same method.

Thinking it over, He Ziyu picked up the chalk and made calculations on the blackboard from memory.

After finishing one question, he looked at the female demon with a sigh of relief.

The female demon's sharp gaze paused on the blackboard for a moment, then she parted her lips slightly and uttered three words.

"not bad."

He Ziyu immediately smiled.

The female demon actually praised him?

It's really not easy to get a nice word out of her...

"It's clear you've put in the effort in your spare time," the female demon said. "Go back now."

"Um……"

He Ziyu returned to his seat, feeling a sense of triumph for the first time.

Back when we were in Class 7, Teacher Lu always used Jiang Chengyu as a benchmark, saying that only a top student like him was qualified to daydream in class.

Today, He Ziyu finally got to enjoy this kind of top student treatment!

……

After school, He Ziyu went to discuss things with the boss again. By the time he left the coffee shop, it was already dark.

"Winter is almost here again. Time flies." He Ziyu rubbed his arms, feeling a bit cold.

Jiang Chengyu took off his coat and draped it over him. "Yeah, that was fast."

It has been a year since they started dating.

So much happened this year, and looking back now, it still feels unreal.

The two walked forward side by side.

As I approached the school gate, I heard a familiar voice.

"There's no way I can lose to you. If I do lose, I'll have Bei Yao treat you to milk tea!"