Chapter 311 : The Person I Like
Today, Ling Ning, finding herself idle once again because her daughter was out with her friend, had no choice but to head to the café for some pocket money. Lately, her daughter seemed to always be meeting up with this friend of hers—she was so secretive about it, too.
Oh well, Ling Ning thought. She’s growing up and deserves her own secrets. No need to pry too much as her parent.
When she arrived at the café, she was surprised to find that, besides Chu Mengyao, someone else had arrived even earlier: Li Si. This was unusual. Normally, Li Si arrived just a bit after her.
Seeing Li Si busy preparing to open the café, Ling Ning approached and asked, “Li Si, why are you here so early today?”
Li Si, startled by Ling Ning’s voice, took a moment to gather herself before responding, “L-let’s talk in a bit.”
“Oh, okay.” Ling Ning looked at her, puzzled. Something seemed off about Li Si today. But since she’d asked to talk later, Ling Ning left it alone.
With Ling Ning’s help, the opening preparations went by quickly. They had a little time before opening, which was perfect for a chat.
“What’s going on with you?” Ling Ning asked, noticing Li Si’s defeated expression.
“Sigh…”
Thinking about what had happened the previous night, Li Si sighed and began recounting the story.
After parting ways with Ling Ning, she had decided to take a shortcut home to get a head start on a bath and some rest. But she hadn’t expected to run into a girl being mugged in that quiet alley.
When she saw the girl in trouble, she couldn’t stand idly by. Without hesitation, she’d stepped in and taught the thugs a lesson, only to realize afterward that the girl she’d helped was none other than Zheng Yun.
At that moment, she’d wanted to hunt down those thugs and beat them all over again. How out of touch were they to be mugging the daughter of the security mogul, Road Boss? They were asking for trouble.
The suddenness of the attack, combined with the dim light in the alley, had left Zheng Yun too disoriented to recognize her rescuer as either the maid from the café or Li Si.
After a bit of thought, Li Si had made a decision—to tell Zheng Yun the truth, that she was actually a girl. Dragging things out any longer was unfair to both of them. But, to her surprise, Zheng Yun’s reaction wasn’t to give up—in fact, she seemed even happier.
“Your gender, whether male or female, doesn’t matter to me. I like you, Li Si, not your gender!” Zheng Yun had declared.
At that moment, Li Si had felt a surge of emotion. She couldn’t deny how touched she was; it was the first time someone had confessed to her in such a heartfelt way. She realized then that Zheng Yun’s feelings for her were deeper than she’d thought.
Initially, she’d assumed Zheng Yun’s feelings were fleeting, something that would eventually fade. But she’d been wrong.
“And then?”
Hearing how Zheng Yun had reacted to learning Li Si’s true identity, Ling Ning leaned in expectantly, but Li Si fell silent.
“And then… I walked her home.”
“Huh!? That’s it?”
“What else did you expect to happen?”
Seeing the disappointment on Ling Ning’s face, Li Si was certain that she must be imagining something inappropriate.
“Honestly, with how much Zheng Yun likes you—even after finding out you’re a girl—why not just go out with her?” Ling Ning teased. “Her family runs a big company and she absolutely adores you. Isn’t that a great deal?”
At this, Li Si quickly shook her head. “I… I already like someone else…”
Realizing what she’d just said, she clamped her mouth shut. But it was too late; Ling Ning had heard every word.
“Ohh~” Ling Ning grinned widely. “Alright, spill. Who do you like? Some handsome guy from your class? A dashing young teacher? Or is it some married man?”
Li Si gave a small, bitter smile, one that Ling Ning didn’t catch. The person I like…
Before she could say anything more, Chu Mengyao’s voice called out, “Hey, you two, enough chatting! We’re about to open!”
Glancing at the time on her phone, Ling Ning saw that it was indeed time. “Alright, but if you ever need advice on romance, come to me. They don’t call me the ‘Master Strategist’ for nothing!”
‘Master Strategist’ my foot, Li Si thought, rolling her eyes. She got up and went to the door, flipping the sign to “Open” just as someone she least wanted to see appeared outside.
“Ahaha! I knew I’d find you here!” Zheng Yun said with a grin.
She had staked out Li Si’s building from early morning, waiting until she realized Li Si had already left. Hurriedly, she’d made her way to the café, figuring she’d be here.
After all, if Li Si wasn’t at home, the café was the most likely place she’d be.
“Wh-why are you here?”
“Of course, I’m here for tea and dessert! I discovered yesterday how delicious and affordable this place is. I’ll probably be coming here often from now on~”
Zheng Yun’s tone was matter-of-fact. Good food was one thing, but the real draw was Li Si herself, especially dressed in a maid uniform. Just thinking about seeing her every day in that outfit made Zheng Yun excited.
Li Si opened her mouth, but no words came out. She suddenly felt like quitting her job. If I’d known, I would’ve waited a bit longer before telling her I was a girl.
Her peaceful workdays seemed to be slipping further and further away.
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Author's Note:
The lazy fish is out having fun today. This is a scheduled post—if it’s late, it’s definitely not my fault!