21. First Encounter
“Welcome… Huh? Brother Gu?”
Sunday, Flower Language Coffee Shop.
Jiang Zhi looked at the tall figure in front of her and instinctively glanced towards the deep corner of the shop by the window.
That was where Sister Jiang usually refreshed her presence.
On days when there weren’t many customers, she would play games there while outputting traditional culture.
She asked, “You’re here to find Sister Jiang, right? Do you need me to call her?”
“No need.”
Gu Zhi Nian said淡淡地, “I just came for a cup of coffee.”
Jiang Zhi’s mouth twitched.
This Brother Gu is a regular at the coffee shop, and Sister Jiang had mentioned him before.
Rather than an introduction, it felt more like a complaint.
According to her, their families were old friends, and they had known each other since childhood because of their family ties.
Jiang Zhi remarked that it was just childhood sweethearts.
Jiang Ruyan got angry at the time: “Only being close makes you childhood sweethearts! We’re pure enemies!”
The kind that can never reconcile!
Who would consider someone like this cold-hearted cunning merchant, who loves to obstruct others from finding partners, as childhood sweethearts!
Jiang Zhi fell silent at that.
Later, as Gu Zhi Nian came more frequently, Jiang Zhi and he gradually became familiar.
Only then did she realize this guy was actually the CEO of the first group in Zaoc City, Gu Group, a true domineering CEO.
So the question arises.
Gu Group is a full four-hour drive away from Snack Road. You mean to tell me you drove for four hours just to drink a cup of coffee?
What, doesn’t your company have a café?
I really didn’t have the heart to expose him!
We’re both men, Jiang Zhi knew precisely what kind of look Gu Zhi Nian had when he looked at Jiang Ruyan.
You like her!
If you like her, just be honest and be together! What’s the point of torturing a single mother like this?
Sigh…
Calm down, calm down.
Jiang Zhi maintained her usual expression: “Brother Gu, are you still the same? Rose-scented coffee?”
“Mm.”
Gu Zhi Nian nodded: “Remember to remind her to put less sugar; otherwise it’ll be too sweet.”
After speaking, he casually found a seat to sit down.
Jiang Zhi sighed and walked over to Jiang Ruyan, saying, “Sister Jiang, Brother Gu is here.”
“Huh? Why is he here again?”
Jiang Ruyan took off her headphones, turned around, and immediately frowned upon seeing Gu Zhi Nian.
“Did he place an order?”
“Mm.”
“Ugh, I can’t believe it!”
Jiang Ruyan pouted but unwillingly stood up and headed towards the bar.
Jiang Zhi followed closely.
Since there weren’t any customers for the time being, she propped her chin up with one hand, watching Jiang Ruyan make coffee.
“I’m telling you, Xiaozhi…”
Jiang Ruyan said, “Do you think Gu Zhi Nian has some big issue? Why does he come here every day?”
“Yeah, why does he come here…”
So hard to guess.
Could it be just for coffee? Wow! That’s impressive! Drinking coffee!
Jiang Zhi rolled her eyes in her mind.
She understood that, despite Jiang Ruyan’s usual flirtation, when it came to romance, she was completely clueless.
A typical high offense and low defense.
Jiang Ruyan sighed again: “It can’t be because he likes me, right? No way, no way!”
“Mm, no way, no way.”
Jiang Zhi thought to herself, I’m not going to say anything, just quietly watch how long you two can drag this out.
“Hey, Xiaozhi, do you have someone you like?”
“???”
Jiang Zhi didn’t react for a moment, how did this topic land on her?
Jiang Ruyan noticed her thoughts: “If you don’t want to say, it’s fine; chatting with your sister about women’s topics occasionally is okay too.”
“Not really…”
Although Jiang Zhi felt awkward about Jiang Ruyan’s so-called “women’s topics,” she furrowed her brows and started to think seriously.
After a few seconds, she chuckled self-deprecatingly: “Maybe I do.”
“Wait.”
Jiang Ruyan waved her hand: “Please don’t tell me it’s that person! We can’t afford a love-struck brain.”
“… How could that be?”
“Oh dear!”
Now Jiang Ruyan became curious, quickly pressing for details: “What’s he like? Handsome? Gentle?”
“She… is pretty…”
“Wow! Pretty… Huh? Pretty?”
Jiang Ruyan suddenly felt something was off. Just as she was about to ask, she heard Jiang Zhi, lost in reverie, say:
“Anyway, I think she’s very pretty.”
“Especially when she wears a skirt, in a flowing white dress, she really resembles Lin Zhiling.”
“…”
What Jiang Zhi said afterward, Jiang Ruyan no longer cared about.
Only, the more compliments Jiang Zhi gave that person, the paler her face became, and as it turned paler, it suddenly flushed red.
Oh my…
Xiaozhi is… a yuri fan?
She usually jokes about yuri, but it turns out there’s a real one right next to me.
Jiang Zhi stopped mid-sentence when she saw Jiang Ruyan’s face, stunned: “Sister Jiang, why is your face so red?”
“Could it be a fever?”
As she spoke, she reached out her hand towards Jiang Ruyan’s forehead, startling her to step back repeatedly: “I’m fine, I’m fine, you—you stay there!”
Jiang Zhi: ?
“Ah… I didn’t mean it like that… I wanted to give you a task!”
Seeming to realize her reaction was overly dramatic, Jiang Ruyan handed Jiang Zhi several freshly made cups of coffee.
“A delivery was just ordered from the street; the distance for delivery isn’t accepted, so could you help us run an errand?”
“… Sure.”
——————
The sun was shining brightly.
Walking through the bustling crowd, Jiang Zhi carried the packed coffee, reflecting on the earlier scene, her forehead marked with a big question mark.
What’s happening?
Why does it feel like… Sister Jiang is scared of me?
But I clearly didn’t do anything!
Sigh, women really are complicated.
Unable to figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it. Now, Jiang Zhi realized what she had said earlier and started to feel a little shameful.
She actually got lost in thought!
And it was in front of someone else too!
But when it came to someone she liked, the only one she could think of was Lin Shuwan…
But on the flip side.
Maybe, probably… in the future, she might like a man named Su Yan?
Yuck—
Even after half a month, every time she thought about it, Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but feel nauseous.
She was being ridiculous.
What are you imagining that for? Wouldn’t it be better to use this time to fantasize about being close to some cute girl?
Jiang Zhi studied the coffee in her hand.
Sister Jiang was very considerate; the label on the coffee was written with the destination.
Let’s see…
BLB eSports Club?
Isn’t that the famous eSports club all the way at the end of Snack Road?
In the match Jiang Ruyan had taken her to see before, it seemed that this club participated.
However, she was really not interested in these things; only Qian Qian occasionally nagged to watch matches, only to miss every time the CN team played.
Speaking of which, the reason Snack Road could become an internet-famous street was indeed because of BLB’s influence.
Times are progressing.
It’s no longer the era where playing games is just a waste of time.
Thinking about soon arriving at such a famous club, Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but feel excited.
After all, deep down, she was still a man, and such things related to games had an unparalleled allure for her.
Soon, she reached the end of the street.
What came into view was the huge BLB sign, with the main building primarily in blue and yellow, while the three adjoining buildings were in black and white, exuding a sci-fi style.
At the entrance stood a mascot resembling a two-dimensional beautiful girl, with many tourists lining up for pictures.
Jiang Zhi pushed through the noisy crowd, standing at the club’s entrance, contemplating the tightly closed door.
Here comes the problem; how to get in?
It was her first time delivering, with no experience; plus, the label didn’t include the recipient’s phone number. She couldn’t just stand here, right?
Just as she was dazed in place, the door opened, and a man walked out of the club.
“Hey hey!”
Jiang Zhi finally saw her savior, tiptoed, waved her hand, and smiled, “Hello, hello!”
She approached the man: “I’m from Flower… Whoa, hold on!”
Just as Jiang Zhi was only a step away from the man, someone suddenly pushed her from behind.
Jiang Zhi was taken aback and stumbled, instinctively protecting the coffee in her hands.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Huh?
Doesn’t hurt?
Jiang Zhi trembled slightly, opened her eyes, and found that instead of falling as she had anticipated, she had landed in a wide embrace.
A faint smell of tobacco lingered at her nose.
She looked up, meeting a pair of eyes filled with a hint of confusion, while the buzz of the crowd’s chatter surrounded them.
Jiang Zhi finally recognized her situation.
In front of so many witnesses, she had fallen into a man’s arms, his hands on her shoulders, her head pressed against his chest.
It couldn’t be more ambiguous.
“Delivering coffee?” The man’s cold voice came from above.
“Uh…”
“Can you get up? You’re quite heavy.”
“Ah? Sorry, sorry!”
At his words, Jiang Zhi hurriedly detached herself from the man’s embrace, her ears turning a light shade of red, half from shyness and half from anger.
Then she got even angrier.
Because she realized not a single drop of coffee had spilled on the man’s clothes.
Jiang Zhi felt hopeless.
This is bad, this is bad! I’m going to get Sister Jiang in trouble for a complaint!
She repeatedly bowed, biting her lip, her tone somewhat aggrieved: “I’m really sorry, I… I’ll pay for your dry cleaning?”
“Could you not complain, please…”
The man expressionlessly took off his coat: “I don’t think I ever said I wanted to complain, did I?”
“Huh?”
The man sighed, with a trace of helplessness in his brow: “Could you please bring another coffee over? Just consider it compensation.”
“Okay, okay…”
Jiang Zhi blinked innocently: “Or, or should I help you wash your clothes instead?”
“No need.”
The man draped the clothes over his shoulder: “We can’t lend out team uniforms; rather than that, our coffee…”
“I’ll prepare it for you right away!”
Jiang Zhi, after saying that, slightly bowed to the man again and then bolted out of the crowd.
Ahhh! So annoying, so annoying!
How could she have encountered such an embarrassing situation!
That person who bumped into me, just you wait until I catch you! Or else I’ll make sure you regret it!
But that man seems pretty nice.
He said that jacket is a team uniform… so he’s also a professional player in some game? He looks so young, probably not much older than her.
