Chapter Twenty-Three: No Room for Negotiation

There were quite a few onlookers gathered at the entrance of the milk tea shop, but in reality, there weren’t many customers coming in to buy drinks. The manager eyed the crowd blocking the doorway, his expression darkening. He rolled up his short sleeves to his shoulders, revealing strong, muscular arms, and then sauntered slowly to the entrance. He called out to the onlookers, “If you’re here to buy milk tea, come in. If not, don’t block the door—I still have a business to run.”

After speaking, the manager turned to the show’s director. “That’s not what you said before, was it? If this affects my business, I won’t do this job anymore.”

Sang Yijia, hearing the manager’s words, turned to Lu Wenchuan. “It seems we’re in their way.”

“Mm,” Lu Wenchuan nodded. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Uh…” Sang Yijia hadn’t thought of a solution yet. She fell silent for a moment. “Everyone’s here just to see the spectacle.”

Lu Wenchuan understood this perfectly. He raised his eyebrows at her, then glanced inside the shop, noticing a sign advertising a summer refreshment event—buy one, get one free.

“Do you have any good ideas?” Sang Yijia had seen the sign when she came in, but hadn’t given it much thought. As the crowd outside grew, some people even started recording videos on their phones.

Lu Wenchuan glanced over. “I’m not sure. We’ll only know if we try.”

Just as Sang Yijia wondered what Lu Wenchuan would do, the girl beside her stepped out and grabbed the manager’s arm. “What are you doing?”

“If people want to watch, let them watch.”

The manager’s bravado faded as soon as his arm was seized. “But they’re blocking the entrance, it’s affecting business.”

“It’s fine, let them look.” The cashier waved her hand dismissively, wanting to say more, but Lu Wenchuan stepped out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a summer refreshment event today—buy one, get one free. Would you like to come in and take a look?” Lu Wenchuan was handsome, and his voice was pleasant.

As soon as he spoke, two bold girls stepped forward, one clutching her friend’s arm tightly and covering her mouth, clearly excited but trying to keep composed. “Is it really buy anything and get one free?”

“Yes.” Lu Wenchuan nodded. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Let me see.” The girl’s earlobes reddened as she looked at Lu Wenchuan, then at the sign. “Any recommendations?”

Lu Wenchuan wasn’t usually familiar with these things, but he looked at Sang Yijia, his thin lips curling into a smile. “I don’t really know, but you can ask my girlfriend.”

Even though they knew they were filming a show, after hearing his answer, the girls’ eyes showed obvious disappointment.

“All right then,” one girl looked at Lu Wenchuan again, unwilling to give up. “Can we add you on WeChat?”

“No.” Lu Wenchuan smiled, lips curved. “My girlfriend is watching.”

Sang Yijia’s mouth twitched. She whispered, “Even if you wanted to, I wouldn’t stop you.”

They all heard it, and their eyes lit up in delight, looking at Lu Wenchuan with anticipation. “Is that okay?”

“No, my girlfriend is already angry,” Lu Wenchuan replied gently.

Seeing this, the two girls didn’t press further, bought some milk tea, and waited nearby.

Once the first customer entered, the rest of the crowd began trickling in, placing orders for milk tea.

Lu Wenchuan returned, glancing at Sang Yijia as he passed by, saying nothing, but his thin lips were pressed tightly together.

Sang Yijia felt a shiver down her spine, a pang of guilt.

[Even if it’s just a show, he’s still her boyfriend. She didn’t help at all.]

[She only cares about Shen Jin, doesn’t bother with anyone else.]

[Suddenly, I find Lu Wenchuan quite pitiful.]

Viewers in the livestream began to sympathize with Lu Wenchuan, thinking he’d chosen an unreliable girlfriend.

Outside, the manager and cashier exchanged glances, quietly held hands, and went inside. Sharp-eyed netizens caught this moment, and soon began shipping them.

[The manager and cashier are definitely a real couple!]

[I noticed it earlier—they’re so sweet!]

[I want to keep watching, can we get more camera time?]

[Exactly, who wants to watch Sang Yijia? Isn’t the manager more interesting?]

[The cashier girl is quite pretty.]

The audience’s attention shifted, leaving the director helpless, forced to go with the flow.

Business inside the shop picked up. Sang Yijia had worked part-time before, so she was familiar with the job. As she got busy, she forgot entirely about the show, becoming more adept at her tasks, to the point where she completely ignored Lu Wenchuan behind her.

When a delivery order came in, Sang Yijia called out to the back, then turned to see the delivery person entering, drenched in sweat, his lips pale, seemingly suffering from heatstroke.

Sang Yijia hurried over, asking and checking his condition. “What’s wrong?”

“What happened?” The cashier joined her.

Sang Yijia found the delivery man’s limbs cold and clammy, his temperature rising. “He’s got heatstroke—call an ambulance.”

The delivery man was still conscious. Hearing them mention an ambulance, he quickly raised his hand to stop them. “I’m fine, I just need to rest.”

“It’s important, you have heatstroke,” Sang Yijia firmly refused his request. “Missing one order won’t matter.”

“I’ll call an ambulance,” the cashier said, recognizing the seriousness.

Lu Wenchuan fetched some herbal cooling water from the manager and gave it to the delivery man. “Drink this.”

“Thank you.” The delivery man’s face grew redder, showing signs of impending faintness.

Sang Yijia grabbed some tissues to wipe the sweat from his face. “Go get some ice,” she instructed. “He needs to cool down.”

“Right.” Lu Wenchuan didn’t hesitate, turning to bring a large cup of ice and placed it beside the delivery man, then fanned him.

“I’m feeling better,” the delivery man moved his dry lips. “Thank you all.”

He tried to get up, but Sang Yijia stopped him. “You’re still not well—rest first.”

“How many orders do you have?” Tangxi checked his phone, seeing several orders on the app. Her tone brooked no argument. “I’ll deliver these for you. Afterwards, you should go to the hospital and rest.”

Lu Wenchuan raised his eyebrow at this, glancing at the blazing sun outside. “I can do it.”

“You?” Sang Yijia arched an eyebrow, remembering his trouble with directions, unable to suppress a snort. “Are you hoping I’ll have to come find you?”

“???” Lu Wenchuan was puzzled, his brows furrowing, but he patiently explained. “There’s a map—I can read it.”

“There’s also a map on the task card,” Sang Yijia exposed him mercilessly.

“I’ll go. I can ride the scooter, you can’t.” Sang Yijia was blunt with Lu Wenchuan, then turned back to the delivery man. “Leave it to me. Just rest well.”

[Wow, Sang Yijia is so domineering, doesn’t let anyone discuss, decides everything herself.]

[Lu Wenchuan’s patience is impressive.]

[If it were me, I’d have argued long ago.]

[By the way, does this mean Lu Wenchuan is actually bad with directions?]