Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

"Well... at least it shows that it's not that you're incompetent!"

"Ugh!"

Zhao Yanxi looked up, her face full of resentment: "Why do I always feel like you're being sarcastic when you talk to me?"

"There's nothing I can do if that's how you think."

Ding Heng spread his hands, his smile utterly irritating.

Zhao Yanxi couldn't help but bump her head against him, then buried her face in the man's chest, muttering and acting coquettishly.

Having run a coffee shop for over half a year, she's now practically an insider in the industry. She understands that the price and supply chain advantages of chain brands are something her independent small shop simply can't compete with; going head-to-head with them would be a dead end.

Of course, as Ding Heng is her unlimited blood bank, the coffee shop will never go out of business as long as she doesn't want to!

But... it's so annoying!!!

Ding Heng sighed and gently stroked the kitten in his arms.

The man's palm was warm and thick, and Zhao Yanxi's anxiety subsided like a cat's fur being stroked.

Su Wan, who was downstairs, couldn't help but become even more curious.

What is Ding Heng's background?

He doesn't look very old, and he's a college student like his boss, but every time he comes to the store, the boss becomes clingy and affectionate, completely different from his usual self.

In addition, Su Wan noticed more than once that, besides Zhao Yanxi, there were other beautiful girls around Ding Heng, constantly circling around him, and each of them looked like a fairy.

Su Wan withdrew her gaze and refocused her attention on the bar.

The next second, the store door was pushed open, and a woman wearing sunglasses walked in.

A loose black short-sleeved shirt paired with casual cargo pants—at first glance, she seemed unremarkable, but she was, after all, the first formal customer in the store that afternoon.

"welcome!"

Su Wan was the first to react, shouting loudly.

At the same time, Zhao Yanxi rushed downstairs, instantly switching back to "boss lady" mode, and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello! What would you like to drink? We have some new drinks..."

Before Zhao Yanxi could finish speaking, the woman in sunglasses ignored her and went straight upstairs to sit down in front of Ding Heng.

"Just a cup of coffee and a snack, please."

Zhao Yanxi's lips twitched, and an alarm bell rang in her mind.

What do you mean? You came to buy a cup of coffee, why are you eyeing my man?

She went back up to the second floor and said politely, "There are still quite a few empty seats in the restaurant. Could you please find another seat?"

The woman reached out and took off her sunglasses, revealing her highly recognizable face.

"Longhe!"

Xiaoli was the first to let out a scream.

Xiao Chao looked up at the same time. Although he was not a fan of celebrities, he found it hard to believe that a big star would sit so casually in their store.

Su Wan reacted the calmest and quickly got into work mode.

"Xiaoli, come help me pour the milk."

"Oh oh oh..."

The employees downstairs started getting busy. Zhao Yanxi plopped down next to Ding Heng, hugged the man's arm tightly, and adopted a protective posture.

She demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Long He raised one eyebrow: "Can you be a little more polite to me? I did promote your store last time, and that Weibo post has prevented me from getting any milk tea endorsements ever since!"

"One thing at a time."

Zhao Yanxi remained unmoved: "You've come here today with ill intentions."

She did owe someone a favor, but it involved a man, so there was no room for negotiation.

Long He was too lazy to argue with a woman, so he turned his gaze directly to Ding Heng.

"Hey bro, you're on summer vacation, right?"

"Um……"

"What did you promise me last time?"

Long He crossed his arms, his eyes filled with resentment: "You promised to be my assistant in your senior year, you haven't forgotten again, have you?"

Ding Heng smiled wryly: "I'm not even a senior yet."

"Come over here first. Anyway, you have nothing to do during summer vacation, so you might as well just relax."

Long He was completely unaware that he was unconsciously mimicking Zhao Yanxi's tone of voice when he spoke, as if he were being coquettish and persistent.

Zhao Yanxi heard it clearly and immediately became extremely vigilant, increasing the force with both hands simultaneously.

"No way! Ding Heng promised to spend this summer with me!"

"Eh..."

Ding Heng's arm ached from being squeezed so tightly. Helplessly, he looked at Long He and gently advised, "Brother, let's talk about it after summer vacation. Also, could you please stop showing up in public so conspicuously? If someone takes a picture of you, you'll be trending on social media again."

Longhe pouted, looking slightly aggrieved.

Realizing that she couldn't reason with Ding Heng, she decided to negotiate with Zhao Yanxi instead.

Long He said deliberately, "Your business doesn't seem to be doing very well lately, does it?"

Zhao Yanxi narrowed her eyes: "What do you mean? Did you come here specifically to mock me?"

"How about I post another Weibo message to attract more traffic for you?"

Long He offered a bait: "You let Ding Heng come with me."

Zhao Yanxi's arms, which were tightly wrapped around Ding Heng's arm, finally began to loosen slightly.

For a coffee shop whose revenue has been halved, Longhe's simple Weibo post is like a godsend.

But what will be the cost?

Ding Heng noticed Zhao Yanxi's dilemma and felt both amused and exasperated.

Good grief, so I'm only worth one Weibo post?!

Zhao Yanxi began to struggle, torn between "men" and "business" for several minutes before finally gritting her teeth and stamping her foot.

"That won't work either, I..."

"Whenever I return to Xingcheng in the future, I will make sure to visit your shop once, and I'll also post a Weibo message!"

Longhe has increased its investment again.

Three seconds later, Zhao Yanxi decisively released Ding Heng's arm.

“Brother Ding Heng, it must be pretty boring for you to stay in Xingcheng with me during the summer vacation. I’m busy at the store every day and don’t have any time. Why don’t you go out and see the world, and at the same time help our store generate some traffic? It’s a win-win situation.”

Ding Heng laughed out loud in anger, raised his hand and smacked the kitten on the head.

"You certainly know how to do business."

Zhao Yanxi wasn't annoyed and just chuckled.

She, Lin Manhua, Qing, and others discussed Longhe's situation more than once.

Everyone knew in their hearts that Longhe would eventually become one of them; it was an unspoken understanding.

She can show jealousy and vie for favor, but at the right time, she also needs to learn to give him a way out.

Long He put his sunglasses back on and stood up: "Let's go."

Ding Heng picked up his phone and car keys from the table: "You can ride in my car. I need to go home first to pack some clothes."

"Oh……"

Longhe obediently responded.

The two walked out of the coffee shop one after the other and got into Ding Heng's Mercedes.

Ding Heng started the car and casually asked, "What brings you back to Xingcheng this time?"

"What could I possibly be doing? It's just participating in a TV show."

Long He took off his sunglasses again and yawned lazily.

"Then?"

"after……"

Long He began recounting his schedule: "After that, I'll go to Shanghai to record a variety show segment, then I'll go to Shenzhen to shoot an endorsement ad, and then to the capital for a magazine cover shoot, and I'm also in talks about two guest appearances on variety shows..."

"Then I'll fly around with you?"

"What, are you afraid of getting tired?"

"I'm not afraid of being tired, but..."

Ding Heng said seriously, "Since you've asked me to be your assistant, you have to give me some proper work, right? You can't expect me to just sit around doing nothing with you every day."

Long He remained silent.

She had never even considered assigning work to her brothers!

She answered blankly, "I don't know."

Longhe genuinely didn't know.

Why did you choose Ding Heng to be your assistant?

In terms of education, Ding Heng, a college student who hasn't even graduated yet, has virtually no understanding of the entertainment industry.

In terms of work experience, he has never even done a proper internship.

She is surrounded by professionals who graduated from prestigious universities and interned at major companies, so she doesn't need Ding Heng to do any specific work for her.

It's just a legitimate reason to keep my brothers around and spend more time with me.

That's it!