Don’t Even Think About It - Chapter 4

Returning to Kaffa, it was just in time for lunch, neither too early nor too late.

During the peak of noon, business was usually slow. The office workers nearby wouldn’t typically come in until around 1:00 PM to sit down, chat with colleagues, and unwind.

Since it wasn’t time yet, they weren’t busy.

The same two staff members from this morning were holding down the fort on the first floor, moving up and down the stairs to serve the few customers. Meanwhile, Rong Yin was up on the third floor eating lunch, quickly grabbing a few bites to eat.

Qiao Yan went up, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and immediately began digging into the rice and dishes. As she ate, she casually mentioned that the flowers had been rejected.

Since the merchandise hadn’t been delivered, the shop obviously couldn’t just dispose of it on their own. The next step was definitely to contact the buyer who paid for it and ask for their input.

After all, the Blue Enchantress roses sold at Kaffa were not cheap. Even though these flowers were processed and dyed rather than being naturally blue roses, a large bouquet of this type still cost around a thousand yuan. Unless the buyer explicitly stated they no longer wanted it, the shop couldn’t just resell it to someone else. They still needed to get the flowers to the buyer or wait for them to come and pick the bouquet up themselves.

Rong Yin asked, “Are the flowers on the first floor?”

Qiao Yan gave an affirmative hum.

Rong Yin said decisively, “Then I’ll give them a call in a bit and see what they say.”

This wasn’t the first time they had encountered such a situation, so Qiao Yan nodded. “Alright.”

Eating didn’t take up much time, they finished everything within ten-odd minutes.

They chatted briefly about how to divide their work for the afternoon before heading downstairs together.

The afternoon was going to be packed. Rong Yin was responsible for making drinks and managing online orders, while everything else was left to Qiao Yan, such as baking desserts, overseeing the flower shop section, and assigning tasks to the staff.

Running a business to make money was no walk in the park. Kaffa wasn’t a franchised brand, it was an original little shop that the two of them had built from the ground up through sheer hard work. Since it was still in its early stages of development, acting like hands-off bosses was completely out of the question. They didn’t have that kind of capital, so they had to do a lot of things hands-on.

Small-business entrepreneurs were basically glorified corporate drones, except they had it much worse than regular employees, enduring more exhaustion and higher stress.

Before officially getting to work, Qiao Yan massaged the space between her eyebrows and let out a yawn.

She hadn’t slept well last night, leaving her body feeling achy and sore all over today.

It was most likely caused by being pinned down for too long during the night. Qiao Yan still had a vague, hazy impression of Zhou Xiyun suddenly collapsing onto her. She couldn’t push her off, and later on, Zhou Xiyun had even grabbed her hands to stop her from resisting.

Thinking of this, Qiao Yan secretly grumbled to herself. For no reason at all, her mind drifted back to how Zhou Xiyun had looked at her with such open distaste and impatience in the bedroom that morning. The more she brooded over it, the more aggrieved she felt, prompting her to drag the woman out in her thoughts for another round of mental cursing.

Some people looked so proper and exemplary in front of their elders, practically perfect but in private, they were nothing like that. They were simply devoid of basic decency.

Seeing Qiao Yan looking so listless, Rong Yin asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Qiao Yan shook her head. “No, just a bit sleepy.”

“You probably didn’t get enough rest,” Rong Yin said, looking up the number to make the call. “Do you want to go up to the third floor and sleep a bit more?”

Qiao Yan replied nonchalantly, “No need, I’m fine. I’ll make up for it when I get home tonight.”

Rong Yin let it drop, choosing not to meddle further.

The phone call went through a moment later. The customer who ordered the flowers turned out to be quite reasonable, he didn’t make a scene or demand a refund. He didn’t ask them to redeliver either, saying he would swing by to pick them up on his way home from work.

Rong Yin relayed this to Qiao Yan and reminded her to keep an eye out for him so they wouldn’t miss the interaction.

Qiao Yan responded, “Don’t worry!”

Business in the afternoon was quite good, proving to be livelier than the past few days.

It was likely because the temperature was rising during this late spring season, and since it was afternoon tea time, drinks and desserts were selling particularly well.

Both the upper and lower floors of Kaffa were buzzing. Qiao Yan was running in circles trying to juggle multiple tasks at once, unable to catch a single moment to breathe.

The customer who ordered the flowers didn’t arrive until 6:00 PM. He was a handsome young man in his early twenties who seemed a bit shy but possessed excellent manners, giving off the distinct vibe of a polite, sunny boy next door.

It was obvious at a glance that the young man had only recently started working, he was likely still in his internship period and hadn’t even graduated from university yet. Upon arriving, he appeared rather self-conscious, feeling as though he had caused trouble for the shop, which made him hesitant and awkward from the moment he stepped through the door.

This caught Qiao Yan by surprise. She had assumed the person sending the flowers would be in their thirties or forties, but he turned out to be so young.

Ordinary student types were usually broke during their internships and struggled just to support themselves, meaning they rarely had spare cash to squander like this.

Even working-class individuals making a few thousand to ten thousand yuan a month wouldn’t do this, mostly because they couldn’t afford the ongoing expenses. A single bouquet already cost four digits, so any subsequent gifts would only become more draining.

Such gestures typically came from established professionals with a solid financial footing, who would be at least thirty years old or wealthy second generation heirs who enjoyed high material standards to begin with.

Qiao Yan openly sized up the young man. Connecting his appearance with the fact that he came to collect the flowers himself, she deduced that he fit neither category. He wasn’t particularly rich, nor was he poor, he was simply someone with a sincere heart who genuinely liked Zhou Xiyun.

The young man rubbed the bridge of his nose sheepishly and asked softly, “Did she say anything?”

In her mind, Qiao Yan muttered, “What a tragedy,” while silently condemning Zhou Xiyun. On the surface, however, she feigned ignorance and truthfully recounted a portion of what had happened.

Zhou Xiyun did not care for his type at all, whether it came to physique, looks, or even personality, he didn’t meet her criteria in any aspect.

From her brief interaction with the man, Qiao Yan knew he didn’t stand a chance. It was entirely impossible, he probably wouldn’t even get the opportunity to exchange more than a few words with her. Rumors about Zhou Xiyun’s rumored boyfriends indicated none of them were like him, without exception. Even among her pursuers, men of this style were rare.

Even though Qiao Yan had never personally witnessed Zhou Xiyun dating anyone, she could still guarantee that this guy had no shot, and any further struggle would be in vain.

Back in their school days, a young boy who pursued Qiao Yan had taken the gentle approach. He would help her with her homework, constantly send her food, drinks, and small gifts, and sometimes even take the long way around just to create opportunities to bump into her. It could truly be described as a painstaking effort.

In the end, Zhou Xiyun had insisted on making things unpleasant. She made her disdain for the boy glaringly obvious, even mocking Qiao Yan by saying she must be blind at such a young age to consider him. She had dismissed the boy as a clingy tagalong and a spineless coward who lacked a mind of his own.

At the time, it had made Qiao Yan so furious that they nearly came to blows.

According to Qiao Yan’s observations, Zhou Xiyun would probably like a tall, proud, arrogant guy, the kind who completely ignored people would suit her best.

Just like in campus web novels, the goddess star-student should be paired with a fierce, aggressive “bad boy.” It would not only complement each other perfectly but also bring an intense tension and palpable chemistry.

These past grievances and tangled histories were private matters, so Qiao Yan naturally wouldn’t mention them to the young man. Throughout the encounter, she maintained a strictly business oriented attitude. She certainly wasn’t going to help Zhou Xiyun cut off her unwanted romantic pursuits, she held a grudge for a very long time.

Hearing her words, the young man couldn’t help but look disappointed, letting out a soft sigh.

It seemed he had already anticipated being rejected, yet he wasn’t quite willing to give up just like that. He ordered another bouquet of flowers, set a specific time, and asked the shop to deliver them to a corresponding location when the time came.

Taking notes, Qiao Yan asked inquisitively, “Are they still for her?”

“No,” the young man replied. “Deliver them to my place. I’ll hand them over to her myself.”

Unable to wrap her head around what kind of courtship strategy this was, Qiao Yan stopped prying and scribbled down the details.

It was still the same address. Section B, 11th Floor, Venture Capital Department with his own name and number. The young man’s name was Jiang Kaipin, a rather unique name.

Once Jiang Kaipin finished ordering the flowers, he left again, as he had other matters to attend to.

Rong Yin had been watching from the side. Only after he walked away did she smile faintly and say to Qiao Yan, “He’s actually quite handsome.”

Qiao Yan felt indifferent, her tone flat as she said, “He’s alright. Decent enough, I suppose.”

“Your standards are way too high,” Rong Yin countered. “A look like his is top-tier among ordinary people. Tall, prominent eyebrows, big eyes, clean-cut features, and he looks so neat and tidy.”

Qiao Yan raised an eyebrow. “You like him too?”

Amused, Rong Yin said, “Count me out. The genders don’t align, there’s zero spark.”

Rong Yin was a lesbian, naturally oriented toward women from birth, so she had no interest in men.

Qiao Yan wasn’t sure whether she liked men or women. She assumed she should like men, but she couldn’t say for certain. She had never dated anyone before, her only chance at romance had been cut short midway. She remained single to this day, and it felt like she hadn’t encountered anyone who made her heart flutter in all these years, not a single one.

It was likely the lingering curse brought on by being snitched on when she was younger. Thanks to Zhou Xiyun, those among her peers who had married young already had kids running around, while Qiao Yan remained stubbornly single, unchanging for twenty-six years.

The staff in the shop also thought Jiang Kaipin was good-looking, completely agreeing with Rong Yin’s aesthetics.

Qiao Yan didn’t care. She didn’t say anything more out loud, but she still felt he was very average.

Kaffa closed its doors at 10:00 PM sharp, as it didn’t operate into the night.

The cleaning work was handled by the staff, allowing the two owners to leave early.

Rong Yin still had to balance the accounts, which would require another half hour. Qiao Yan didn’t wait for her; feeling quite tired, she drove back home first.

The drive back wasn’t congested, and she arrived home very quickly.

Upon entering the house, Qiao Yan washed up. Once she was cleaned up, she lay down in bed and casually switched off the lights.

It wasn’t even midnight yet, so it wasn’t quite time to sleep.

Qiao Yan played on her phone for a while, scrolling through group messages and checking her friend circle updates.

It was nearly 11:40 PM when drowsiness finally hit her, and she intended to put her phone down.

Right at that moment, a friend request popped up.

Qiao Yan tapped into it.

The other party was very direct, leaving only a period in the note section. The WeChat nickname was their actual real name, and the profile picture was a rather high-end looking piece of artwork.

Wondering who it could be, Qiao Yan took a closer look, and then decisively ignored it.

The annoying person on the other end sent another request shortly after.

Acting up in the middle of the night, disturbing people’s peace.

Qiao Yan played dead, resolutely refusing to respond, showing great backbone by not accepting it.

Half a minute later, a third message jumped onto the phone screen.

This time, a note was added, cutting straight to the chase to state the purpose:

「Reimbursing you. Don’t want it?」

Qiao Yan turned over to lie flat on the bed, refusing to yield to illusions, absolutely determined not to fall for it.

Zhou Xiyun wasn’t in a hurry either, unhurriedly sending one more:

「Forget it then.」

Was she planning not to pay her back?!!!

Qiao Yan’s hands moved faster than her brain. Unable to handle the provocation, she suddenly tapped “Accept.”