Chapter 310 : So Broke, All I Have Is Money!
Zheng Yun, immersed in the world of desserts, suddenly remembered that she hadn’t come here just to eat sweets! How had she ended up like this?
Realizing her lapse, Zheng Yun quickly took out her phone to call her mentor, only to get a message that their phone was turned off. She felt torn.
Since the mentor’s phone is off, should I leave or stick around?
After a moment of thought, Zheng Yun decided to stay. She didn’t have any other plans today, and the desserts here were pretty good. There was even an entertainment area, so spending a whole day here wouldn’t be boring.
As for money, that was never a concern. As a wealthy young lady, the only thing she lacked was things other than money.
Zheng Yun’s decision to linger left Li Si in a bind. She’d thought Zheng Yun would leave after finishing her food, but instead, she’d decided to settle in, ordering something every so often. This meant Li Si couldn’t even ask her to leave.
“What’s going on?”
Noticing Li Si’s unease, Ling Ning asked with a hint of curiosity. She’d noticed her acting strangely for a while now—her usually swift and confident movements were hesitant, and she kept her head down so much that she’d nearly walked into people several times.
At Ling Ning’s question, Li Si sighed and pointed in Zheng Yun’s direction.
Following Li Si’s gesture, Ling Ning saw Zheng Yun playing on her phone, and she immediately understood why Li Si was so on edge. She hadn’t expected Zheng Yun to show up here.
“She… hasn’t recognized you, has she?”
Li Si shook her head and recounted her earlier encounter with Zheng Yun.
After hearing her explanation, Ling Ning nodded thoughtfully. “If she couldn’t recognize you up close, just act naturally. You’re more likely to draw attention acting like this, so just go about things as usual.”
Taking Ling Ning’s advice, Li Si managed to relax, moving more naturally. Sure enough, Zheng Yun didn’t seem to notice her, and Li Si realized she’d been overthinking things.
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The day passed quickly, and before long, it was time to close up. Apart from the maids, the only person left in the café was Zheng Yun.
“Excuse me, we’re about to close,” Chu Mengyao said politely.
Zheng Yun, engrossed in her movie, looked up at Chu Mengyao and glanced out the window at the darkened sky.
“It’s so late already?”
Stretching with a contented sigh, she got up, realizing she’d spent the entire day here without seeing the “surprise” her mentor had promised. Was my mentor playing a trick on me? But no, after all the time she’d spent with her mentor, she knew they wouldn’t joke about something like this. Maybe I just lack the awareness to see it, she thought, deciding to call her mentor to report back later.
Once Zheng Yun finally left, Li Si heaved a sigh of relief. She hadn’t expected Zheng Yun to stay the entire day, and the stress had been exhausting. It was time to find a moment to clear things up with her—if Zheng Yun took a liking to the café, Li Si felt it was only a matter of time before she’d be exposed.
“Alright, everyone, thank you for your hard work today. I’ll handle the closing duties from here, so you can go ahead and get changed,” Chu Mengyao announced.
In the dressing room, Li Si tried to avoid looking at Ling Ning as she changed. Though she was also a girl, she couldn’t shake the strange nervousness that came over her every time she stepped into the changing room. It was almost like a guy walking into the women’s locker room—despite being a girl herself, she still felt out of place.
Why do I feel like this? she wondered. At least it’s better than when I first started—I don’t blush unless I actually see Ling Ning changing.
Watching Li Si and Ling Ning chatting as they left, Xia You’s eyes gleamed with a mysterious light. She couldn’t believe her clueless apprentice had spent an entire afternoon in the café without noticing a thing. She’d been tempted to give her a hint, but after some thought, she realized that having her apprentice as a regular might be more entertaining than letting her find out about Li Si’s secret right away.
After some thought, Xia You decided not to call Zheng Yun.
“So, Ling Ning, are you coming to the café tomorrow?” Li Si suddenly asked as they walked together.
“Tomorrow?” Ling Ning thought for a moment. “I don’t have any plans, so I should be there. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing, just curious. Well, this is my stop, so I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye!” Li Si said, waving before disappearing around the corner.
As Ling Ning watched her go, she turned and smiled mischievously at Xia You. “Hey, Xia You, how about we grab a drink tonight?”
“Sounds good~”
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On her way home, Li Si took in the familiar scenery, estimating she was about ten minutes away. She felt exhausted from dealing with her “tail” all day and just wanted to go home, take a shower, and relax with a book before bed.
“Maybe I’ll take a shortcut.” Spotting an alley, she knew she could shave five minutes off her walk by going that way.
However, just as she entered the alley, she heard a girl’s voice calling out from deeper within. The voice sounded strangely familiar.
No matter what, I should check it out, Li Si thought to herself.
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Author's Note:
Time to go play some games. Using my stockpile for today!