Chapter 1: A coffee shop on a rainy day
It was the end of August, around dusk, when an unexpected rainstorm began. The pedestrians, caught off guard, sought shelter in the tea or coffee shops lined in the nearby streets.
However, for He Yu, the rain was an unexpected boon as more customers arrived, and the coffee shop’s profits increased more than it did yesterday.
Stopping outside the shop’s glass door, a customer carrying a black messenger bag over her shoulder shook the rain from her clothing before entering. She had shoulder-length hair and was around 175 meters tall. She wore a simple outfit of a white t-shirt with camouflage overalls, and the water dripped from her clothes, forming a steady puddle on the floor.
He Yu recognized the girl, although not by name, she knew the girl was a student from a nearby university and a frequent customer.
historical
“Black Coffee, no sugar.” the girl ordered.
The usual order. However, the girl’s voice sounded scratchy and rough, perhaps due to her discomfort from the rain. If she didn’t change out of her wet clothes soon, she would catch a cold.
He Yu frowned as the wet hair stuck to the girl’s face, and she softly said,
“Student, there is an umbrella behind the door. Why don’t you go ahead and take it? Go home and change into a pair of warmer clothes. You can return the umbrella at another time.”
The other party heard her words, paused, and then took out a cell phone to pay for her coffee.
“Ok.” the girl said, and before He Yu could reply, she took the umbrella and rushed into the rain.
He Yu stared at the girl’s retreating figure and thought, what a weird person.
After a little over half an hour, when He Yu was making the coffee, the girl returned. She sat at a table near the bar, her hair now half-dry and no longer sticking to her face. With the hair out of the way, a noble face revealed itself. Her thin lips and high nose bridge, combined with a pair of eyes light in color that lifted at the ends, made her look very eye-catching.
To put it simply, she was beautiful.
He Yu carried the coffee over to the girl: “Here’s your black coffee.”
“Thanks.”
“Your welcome. Enjoy.” He Yu replied and returned to the counter.
This customer was not one for words and could be considered the quiet type. Except for ordering or delivering the coffee, the two rarely exchanged any other words.
Due to the rain, except for the rush of customers from earlier, no new customers were coming in. So He Yu could only whittle away the time by sitting behind the counter and checking her phone. She had received a message from her friend, Jiang Yun, inviting her to eat hot pot Sunday night at Guan Yin Qiao.
She thought about it and replied- “Ok, but only if you can drive me there after work.”
She pressed the “send” button, and a shadow covered her screen, she looked up-
“Hello, is there anything you need?” He Yu asked as she placed her phone down and stood up to greet the girl.
“En.” the other person nodded, her face tense and unsmiling “I don’t have any money left on my WeChat. Could I use some cash to exchange for 200 credits?”
“It’s urgent,” the girl added.
“Ok, let me scan your phone.” He Yu responded, quitting out of her chatbox and clicking on the “scan” option.
The other person’s QR code required a friend request to access, and so without thinking much about it, He Yu clicked and directly sent a friend invite.
The other side immediately accepted the request.
“What’s your name?” He Yu asked as she transferred the money.
“Ye Xun.”
“Ok, my name is He Yu.”
“En. Thank you.” Ye Xun still didn’t say much and handed 200 yuan to He Yu before returning to her table.
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The coffee shop closed exactly at ten pm. He Yu locked up the shop and walked home.
He Yu had rented a place only a few minutes away. She lived in a gated community, on the fifteenth floor of a tall apartment building, in apartment 1504. There were only two spaces rented out on this floor, so the apartment across from hers, 1503, was empty.
After taking a shower, she checked her phone and saw a notification on WeChat from Ye Xun. Drying her hair with a towel in one hand, she responded to the message with the other.
Ye Xun: Are you busy?
He Yu: No, just getting ready to blow dry my hair and go to sleep.
Ye Xun: En.
Their entire conversation was only three sentences. It seemed like there was nothing else for the two to talk about, so without a second thought, He Yu casually threw her phone onto the bed and took out a blow dryer.
He Yu’s hair was dark and voluminous, and reached to her waist, making her soft and thin waist look even more tantalizing. When women reach the age of twenty-five, they needed to put in more effort to maintain their figures, and at the age of twenty-six, He Yu was no exception. She spent her time doing yoga, going to fitness classes, and patronized the local beauty salon, allowing her to maintain a fit, toned, and healthy body.
Although He Yu wasn’t considered tall, with her height barely passing the 160 cm mark, her perfect proportions made up for it. Her pale skin complimented her thin waist, round hips, and C-cup breasts. According to her friend Jiang Yun, He Yu’s looks could even make a woman like her fall in love. Along with He Yu’s gentle personality, she was almost perfect, and someone others can only attain in their dreams.
After her hair was dry, He Yu, out of habit, checked her phone one last time before going to bed. When she saw the message the other party sent, she was stunned.
Ye Xun: Do you have a boyfriend?