"Here's your Twilight Dark Roast Americano, and this is the Papaya Oatmeal Latte. The mousse cake is being prepared, and the macaron basket is waiting."
"??"
The female barista, wearing a brown apron with a lollipop in her mouth, put on a sour face as she took the drinks from the tray and placed them one by one in front of Lu Qing.
Thud, thud.
The liquid swirling at the top of the glass cups nearly spilled over from the momentum.
The excessive force was clearly visible, making Lu Qing furrow his brows.
Due to the loud noise, it startled Su Ling awake in his arms.
The young girl curled up in her brother's embrace like a frightened bird, unaware of what was happening outside.
"Although our shop doesn't explicitly prohibit couples from entering, I personally hate couples the most. So I need to warn you that while kissing and cuddling are fine, absolutely no making noises, and definitely no 'stacking games,' or I'll call the police right away, got it?"
The female barista said with obvious disgust.
"..."
What's a "stacking game"?
Lu Qing's mind spun quickly.
Though he hadn't heard of it before, judging by the name, it must be some kind of game that requires two people to stack on top of each other - definitely not something innocent.
Good grief, had he encountered some hardcore FFF clan leader who absolutely despises couples?
If he remembered correctly, since they entered the door, her gaze had been particularly hostile, and her attitude was dismissive.
It was bad enough that she assumed they were a couple right off the bat, but what's more ridiculous was that he had been chatting with Ruby for a long time, browsing sugar flower's updates and spicy pictures for quite a while too - it had been at least an hour, and she only now brought the coffee...
Lu Qing had ample reason to suspect that she had finished her game first before starting to make their drinks, even after receiving the order.
"Listen..."
Just as he was about to say something, surprisingly, he saw her turn and walk towards the stairway corner as soon as he opened his mouth... while leaving behind these words:
"If customers want to complain about staff, they can go find the manager, but unfortunately, I am the manager."
"??"
"Tch."
"Hey! You just clicked your tongue, didn't you?"
"Why do customers care so much about these trivial details? So troublesome."
"Hey hey, you definitely did!"
"Tch, can't you just drink the coffee I put so much effort into making? It won't taste good when it gets cold, and that would make me very angry. Understand? Now drink up, oh and don't worry, I didn't poison it."
"..."
Lu Qing had to admit, his perception was being refreshed.
What was this shop's main appeal?
Super S dominant female manager's verbal abuse theme??
Who was the target audience? Masochistic customers?? Could this actually make money???
"Brother, this shop..."
"You think there's something wrong too, right? Su Ling, let's leave. We should definitely switch to a normal place instead of staying here to be insulted."
"No, I think..."
"Hmm?"
"...it's interesting."
Lu Qing was just about to gather their things and stand up when he heard his sister's bewildering words spoken softly.
He glanced at her puzzledly, only to see her eyes filled with curiosity.
"You're not joking?"
"...Mm-hmm."
Lu Qing gave in, sitting back down with a complicated expression, and after a long pause said, "Didn't expect you'd be into this sort of thing."
"It's- it's not like that. Just... somewhat intriguing."
Su Ling released his arm, after all, they had just been misunderstood by others, and she didn't want to cause her brother any more trouble.
"Alright then, we'll do as you wish."
Lu Qing had no choice but to hand his sister her drink, while casually picking up his own "Twilight Dark Roast Americano," taking a small sip with the prejudiced notion that "coffee made by such a rude barista must taste terrible."
"Whoa!"
The smoothness and richness that hit his throat seemed to instantly lift his spirits back to morning freshness.
He could taste that this Americano used Sirius coffee beans, and it was a double shot version, with high-quality light cream and concentrated syrup added, half-sweet, which explained the subtle sweetness that completely exceeded his expectations.
Due to years of writing and needing one or two cups of coffee daily for stimulation, he had developed a certain discerning eye for coffee appreciation.
Now turning to look at Su Ling, he found she had already picked up her Papaya Oatmeal Latte, and her eyes lit up after the first taste.
"Wow. There are marshmallows in it! I've never had anything this delicious..."
"Marshmallows?"
Lu Qing's pupils contracted. Looking closer, he could indeed see high-quality marshmallows melting in his sister's cup.
Such a combination would clearly add layers of complexity to the drink, using marshmallows instead of syrup was not only avant-garde but also suited to young girls' preferences.
Looking at the menu again, sure enough, he could see small illustrations of colorful marshmallows next to his sister's drink, matching the actual product perfectly.
"...There's something to this place after all."
Though reluctant to admit it, he had slightly improved his opinion of the ill-tempered barista.
He handed the menu to Su Ling and asked, "If you're enjoying the drinks, would you like to order anything else?"
"Yes!"
His sister had developed a strong interest in the shop's products, especially when she received the handcrafted menu, which made her realize at first glance that this shop had substance, and that the manager must have put in considerable effort.
She turned to the ice cream and desserts section, but because the illustrations were so cute, she fell into choice paralysis and became indecisive.
"No rush, take your time. Let me know when you've decided, and I'll place the order."
"Okay."
...
Using this interval, Lu Qing cast his gaze through the half-wall railing to the floor below.
From this top-down perspective, he could take in the entire layout of the coffee house.
He noticed that in the right corner by the entrance, there was a small stage, or rather, a display platform.
It held several A-frame guitar stands, some music stands, a familiar-looking high-quality digital piano, a set of pure black Roland electronic drums, a grass-green American-made PRS Birds electric guitar, a cream-colored Japanese Fender electric bass, and various Vivie effect pedal matrices.
"Wow..."
He hadn't noticed earlier that this coffee shop had so much professional musician equipment.
"Add a mixing console, and wouldn't this be at the level of a live house? Could she be into rock music...?"
Lu Qing knew a thing or two about equipment, and seeing so many quality instruments left him quite shocked.
He knew that just the green electric guitar alone cost over 30,000 yuan, so if these belonged to the manager, it would mean she must be quite wealthy.
Thinking this, he continued looking around—sure enough, directly facing the instrument display was a person-height tripod with a DSLR camera already mounted on it.
Just from the length of that lens alone, you could tell it wasn't cheap.
Come to think of it... the café's décor had something special about it too. Upon careful observation, it had quite a Western flair, not looking like it was casually decorated.
Hmm, a barista with a bad attitude, a Gothic-style secluded environment, fully equipped underground band gear, excellent original drinks...
With all these elements combined, he finally decided to take a proper look at that customer-despising person down at the counter.
After confirming that she was busy making cake and wouldn't notice him, Lu Qing studied her carefully.
—She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, with a baby face, petite loli build, and an overall world-weary expression.
Her features were quite decent, scoring 8.5 out of 10 (reduced to 8 due to her terrible attitude). Most notably, she had dyed orange-red shoulder-length hair, wore a single earring, and looked somewhat like a delinquent girl who might wander the streets.
She seemed about the same age as his sister, probably a second or third-year high school student.
Yet at such a young age, she had opened her own coffee shop, making drinks alone in this customer-less establishment, entertaining herself with photography and musical instruments.
At this moment, she wore a medieval-style lady's dress with a barista's apron around her waist, focused intently on making mousse cake and preparing macaron treats.
Lu Qing could tell that only when making coffee and baking pastries did this person put aside their "ready-to-crush-the-world" aura, quietly and seriously dedicating all their energy to the task.
"Oi, what are you staring at? You have a girlfriend and you're still looking at other women? Haven't you learned any male etiquette? How am I supposed to make cake with someone staring at me? You're being a nuisance, get it?"
"..."
Sure enough, one shouldn't have any expectations from this sharp-tongued loli...
Her rebelliousness seemed innate; she probably wouldn't speak kindly to anyone... he was just an unfortunate customer who happened to be convenient for venting her emotions...
Lu Qing silently withdrew his gaze.
Shortly after.
His sister Su Ling had already chosen something new she wanted to eat and cast a pleading look at him, "Brother, I want this."
She pointed her pristine finger at a cute dessert illustration on the menu.
"Chocolate pancakes?"
"Yes! It says it comes with truffle cocoa powder and tri-colored ice cream. I want to try it."
The young girl knew very well that occasionally making simple requests to her brother would give him an endless supply of achievement and satisfaction. This way, when she made more difficult requests in the future, he would agree without hesitation.
Everything was going according to plan.
"No problem."
Lu Qing affectionately patted the girl's head, gathered his courage for a moment, and carefully raised his hand to call downstairs: "Excuse me, I'd like to place an additional order."
"Huh?"
The sharp-tongued loli raised an eyebrow, curved her lips, and shot him an annoyed look, "Don't think you can order whenever you want. Can't you see I'm still making cake?"
"..."
"Such a nuisance."
"..."
Somehow, as he kept getting scolded by the loli, Lu Qing felt a strange sensation in his heart.
This feeling was hard to describe, as he'd never been treated this way before. Confusion and bewilderment, mixed with curiosity and concern, gradually merged into a novel sensation... making him unconsciously wonder, "Why does she hate me so much?"...
—Invisible emotional manipulation can be the most lethal.
"Brother... how about I talk to her instead?"
Su Ling, seeing him being constantly targeted, felt sympathetic and volunteered.
"Can you handle it?" Lu Qing worried.
"Mm, I'll try."
In this quiet space where no outsiders would enter, the young girl felt relatively secure, making her willing to attempt the challenge of communicating with a stranger.
Lu Qing nodded in agreement, watching his sister stand up and lean against the railing, addressing downstairs with a pitiful expression:
"Big sister, I'd like to have chocolate pancakes... is that okay?"
"."
Upon hearing this, the other party turned and gave her a glance. Her previously fierce expression actually softened a bit upon seeing the girl's delicate face, and she went straight to the refrigerator to get cocoa powder.
"Wait, what? This is definitely preferential treatment, right? This has to be preferential treatment??"
Seeing that his sister hadn't received any harsh scolding while he couldn't even look without being fiercely attacked, Lu Qing's eyes widened in confusion.
"What's the meaning of this? Do I look like I deserve to be beaten up?!"
He couldn't understand.
"Hehe... it's okay, it's okay."
Su Ling, having successfully completed the communication, sat back down beside him, her small face flushed as if she'd accomplished something significant.
"That big sister doesn't seem to have much hostility towards me... I think she might just have a bias against men..." she said.
"Maybe. Even if you're cute, this kind of differential treatment is pure double standards."
Lu Qing shrugged, "I don't really care, since I'm only coming once. It's just a one-time deal, there definitely won't be a next time. Though with her running the shop like this, it would be strange if the place becomes popular."
"Hey, what are you muttering about? Stop discussing me, got it?"
"See what I mean..."
Realizing that the sharp-tongued loli seemed to have superhuman hearing, Lu Qing had no choice but to fall silent again.
The two quietly drank their coffee, and after a little while, footsteps could be heard from below.
Lu Qing sat up straight, waiting for the sharp-tongued loli to bring up their order.
"This is the mousse mille-feuille, and these are six-colored macarons."
Bang!
She heavily placed the white porcelain plate with triangular cake in front of him, then gently set the pastry basket next to Su Ling's candlestick.
"Eat the macarons quickly, they're not good once they melt. The cocoa pancakes should be eaten with chocolate ice cream, otherwise they're not much different from waffles. Nod if you understand, don't make me repeat myself."
"...Alright."
Lu Qing responded compliantly as he watched her bring up plate after plate of desserts.
However, even after placing the last plate, she didn't turn to go downstairs, but continued standing beside him, looking at him like garbage, letting out a light "tch" sound with an impatient expression.
"???"
"When someone goes through the trouble of making and bringing you delicious desserts, what should you say?" she asked.
"...Th-thank you for the meal?"
"Hmph."
Having heard what she wanted to hear, she gave him a side-eye and left downstairs with her tray.
"...Damn."
Such! Such utter disrespect!
Somehow, after being looked at with such disdain, his initial anger and frustration began to transform.
Lu Qing was absolutely certain that from childhood until now, no one had ever looked at him with such contempt.
"Am I really that worthless?" he couldn't help but furrow his brows.
"Brother."
At this moment, Su Ling seized the opportunity and gently took his hand.
"Don't take it too seriously, that big sister probably just has that kind of personality."
The girl spoke softly.
The reason she liked this shop was that the more others looked down on her brother, the more she could comfort him.
Only when her brother was hurt by the outside world did she have the chance to take advantage of his vulnerability, to comfort and heal him, just as he had healed her, right?
The young girl thought this with a smile, while using her other hand to pick up a fork and carve off a triangular tip of the mousse cake, aiming it at him.
"Ah~"
"Wait..."
Being at a moment of self-doubt, Lu Qing's defenses were practically non-existent. In a moment of weakness, he followed the young girl's direction.
As the sweet taste entered his mouth and he was about to savor the cake's texture, he suddenly saw her use the same fork to carve off another piece of cake, and under his watchful gaze, at a distance of less than three inches, she put it into her small cherry-like mouth.
"..."
"What's wrong, why are you staring at me? Wasn't that bite just now sweet enough?"
She tilted her head, looking innocent.
...
...