Translator: Lynn
Thank you Crazy mama for the ko-fi! Here are your bonus chapters <3
Sponsored chapter (1/3)
Cheng Ke was lost in thought for a while after ending the call, only snapping back to reality when Jiang Yuduo placed a cup of iced milk tea in front of him.
“From your shop?” He glanced at the milk tea.
“What are you thinking?” Jiang Yuduo responded, “I only have cement and tiles in my shop right now.”
“Did you buy it from the neighboring shop?” Cheng Ke grinned.
“I had it delivered from next door,” Jiang Yuduo whispered, referring to a shop run by an older sister, “Chen Qing is already acquainted with her.”
“Chen Qing seems quite friendly,” Cheng Ke observed, eyeing Chen Qing chatting amicably with the older sister at the bar. “I never realized he was this sociable.”
“He’s only like this because the older sister’s daughter is a college freshman who occasionally comes to help,” Jiang Yuduo explained. “Without that, you’d see how little he would talk to her.”
“Don’t you have someone like that in your shop, the young girl? Isn’t she attractive?” Cheng Ke inquired.
“She’s quite attractive…” Jiang Yuduo started but stopped abruptly. “Young master, what are you getting at?”
“Am I really that petty?” Cheng Ke responded.
“I don’t know. Since I’ve been with you, this is the first time I’ve seen you show interest in a young girl,” Jiang Yuduo stated. “I have no idea how you handle these things, big or small.”
“It’s a big deal,” Cheng Ke remarked. “After all, I’m almost forty.”
“The young girl is quite pretty,” Jiang Yuduo noted.
“Oh,” Cheng Ke nodded and took a sip of his milk tea. “Then why doesn’t Chen Qing make a move on the young girl in her shop? They see each other every day, and the circumstances seem right.”
“I don’t know,” Jiang Yuduo shrugged.
“I do know,” Cheng Ke grinned.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Jiang Yuduo squinted, “I can pretty much guess what you’re holding back.”
Cheng Ke couldn’t help but laugh and pointed at him. “Show some civility, Boss Jiang.”
“I’ll beat you up if you dare say it, and I won’t even report it to you,” Jiang Yuduo threatened.
Cheng Ke chuckled and settled under the parasol, savoring his milk tea while observing the materials in the store.
“Who called you just now?” Jiang Yuduo joined him and asked. “You were lost in thought for quite some time, and you didn’t hear me when I called you.”
“Huihui called,” Cheng Ke furrowed his brow. “It seems that Xu Ding brought… my dad to the restaurant.”
“Your dad?” Jiang Yuduo was taken aback. “Is Xu Ding familiar with your dad?”
“Not previously,” Cheng Ke replied. “But I’m not sure if they’ve gotten acquainted now.”
“Why would he do that?” Jiang Yuduo questioned. “Is Xu Ding planning something?”
“It’s impossible. Xu Ding isn’t that type of person,” Cheng Ke said, the cigarette hanging from his lips. “Remember when that benefactor sent those high-end plants to the restaurant? Xu Ding didn’t disclose their identity to me.”
“So, your father might be planning something rebellious?” Jiang Yuduo raised his eyebrows. “If he goes that route, can Cheng Yi just let you off? It would be easy for him to intervene.”
“I’m not sure how my dad intends to handle the situation afterward. We’ve had no contact for a long time,” Cheng Ke revealed.
“Did you let him listen to the recording?” Jiang Yuduo inquired.
“No,” Cheng Ke admitted. “He already knows. Whether he listens to it or not, he can deduce Cheng Yi’s intentions. I think he probably wants this effect, to create competition.”
“Ask Xu Ding about it,” Jiang Yuduo suggested. “What on earth is your father planning? Honestly, if Cheng Yi tries to trouble you again, I’ll give him a beating.”
“You’re quite bold, third brother,” Cheng Ke chuckled.
“Let’s hope you don’t uncover too many secrets about the remarkable residents in our community after meeting me,” Jiang Yuduo remarked, his brow furrowing as he sipped his milk tea. “Don’t give me a reason to.”
Cheng Ke chuckled and ruffled his hair.
The matter of the mysterious benefactor had never been broached between Cheng Ke and Xu Ding. Despite Xu Ding’s regular attendance at the theme restaurant’s monthly meetings on the first day of each month, the topic remained untouched.
After the meeting on the first day, when everyone else had left, Cheng Ke and Xu Ding remained seated on the small balcony on the second floor, their silence almost palpable.
“You seem remarkably composed,” Xu Ding observed, a faint smile playing on his lips as he took a sip of tea.
“I was preoccupied wondering what my dad was up to,” Cheng Ke confessed.
“He visited me before,” Xu Ding revealed in a hushed tone, “a few times, actually, but you never noticed.”
“When did he visit?” Cheng Ke was taken aback. He practically frequented the restaurant daily, yet he hadn’t noticed his father’s visits.
“I wasn’t aware until recently. His last visit was last month when business was flourishing,” Xu Ding disclosed. “He came to see me again.”
“Did he take any money?” Cheng Ke inquired.
“He’s quite the fan of wealth,” Xu Ding chuckled. “He asked me about the restaurant’s style, and I mentioned that you wanted it to be genuine and of high quality but down-to-earth.”
“That’s right,” Cheng Ke nodded in agreement. “That’s the intention behind it. Those who genuinely understand appreciate it, while those who pretend to understand don’t dare to enter.”
“Mr. Cheng seems to have the right idea,” Xu Ding acknowledged. “I also suggested that you’re considering expansion and looking for a suitable location to open another branch. He wants you to check out this place.”
Xu Ding slid a business card in front of Cheng Ke.
Cheng Ke glanced at it, not recognizing the name but familiar with the address on the card. It was a commercial plaza developed by his father last year. To be precise, it was the project he was pushed out of when Cheng Yi banished him from the family.
“I can’t afford the rent,” Cheng Ke stated.
Xu Ding simply smiled, offering no further comment.
“Is he attempting to provoke Cheng Yi or me?” Cheng Ke sighed.
“Not at all,” Xu Ding reassured him. “This area is the best in the city. I think it’s more of a reconciliation gesture. You’ve been away for so long, and I assume you have no intention of giving in.”
“What else is there for me to yield to?” Cheng Ke asked, looking at Xu Ding. “Did he share anything else with you?”
“What could he possibly share? He’s a pure investor,” Xu Ding replied. “Not a word… Oh, wait, maybe I shouldn’t tell you.”
“So should I continue pretending not to know? Act oblivious?” Cheng Ke proposed.
“Just keep pretending,” Xu Ding nodded.
Cheng Ke picked up the business card and shook it. “With this in my hand, can I still pretend?”
Xu Ding rose from his seat with a smile. “You’ll figure it out. My only advice: make more money.”
The decoration of Meow proceeded swiftly, likely due to the limited space, completing in less than a month. When Cheng Ke passed by the shop for the second time, even the Miss Lucky Cat had been put away, replaced by a cat climbing frame in the corner.
“Is this for Meow?” Cheng Ke inquired. “When did you purchase this? I had no idea.”
“Well…” Jiang Yuduo hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the little girl standing with Chen Qing at the store’s entrance, under a parasol. “She bought it.”
Cheng Ke glanced at the young girl. She appeared fair and delicate, considerably more agile than Chen Qing when it came to work.
“Is Chen Qing…” Cheng Ke stared for a moment and felt that Chen Qing’s gaze seemed fixated on someone’s face and never wavered.
“Did you notice?” Jiang Yuduo approached him. “He doesn’t visit the elder sister’s shop for milk tea anymore.”
Cheng Ke chuckled. “You think there’s a spark?”
“No chance,” Jiang Yuduo promptly shook his head.
“I concur,” Cheng Ke said. “After all, Miss Ren is here for the boss.”
Jiang Yuduo clicked his tongue and began wiping the table with a rag.
When the young girl entered the store, she spotted Cheng Ke sitting at the bar and looked surprised. “We haven’t opened yet.”
“Do you think he came for milk tea?” Jiang Yuduo teased.
“Oh,” the young girl responded with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“This is Sun Qinqin,” Jiang Yuduo introduced to Cheng Ke. “She’s our store’s only technical support.”
“No, no,” Sun Qinqin waved her hand quickly.
“And this is…” Jiang Yuduo gestured to Cheng Ke.
From his expression, Cheng Ke had already sensed what Jiang Yuduo was about to say. Even though he was mentally prepared, when Jiang Yuduo actually said it, he felt a bit dizzy, excited, satisfied, and… indescribable. He was surprised to find himself feeling this way about such a thing.
“My boyfriend, Cheng Ke,” Jiang Yuduo declared.
“Oh,” Sun Qinqin didn’t seem particularly surprised. “Brother Ke, I’ve heard Chen Qing talk about you.”
“Yeah,” Cheng Ke smiled.
Sun Qinqin’s composure surprised Jiang Yuduo, and he turned to look at her.
“I used to work in a fried chicken restaurant,” Sun Qinqin said with a smile as she went behind the bar to organize the cups. “The boss there was a man, and he had a boyfriend. They’d been together for years, argued every day, but never broke up.”
“Ah,” Jiang Yuduo responded.
“This box of cups doesn’t have the Meow logo,” Sun Qinqin said. “Let’s make some stickers and put them on. It would be a shame not to use them. Plus, we’re planning to make stickers anyway, right?”
“Okay,” Jiang Yuduo nodded.
After a brief conversation with Sun Qinqin, Jiang Yuduo and Cheng Ke exited the store. Chen Qing saw them coming out and immediately went inside.
“There’s not much to do here this afternoon,” Jiang Yuduo suggested. “Let’s go to the mall; I want to buy some clothes.”
“Don’t you usually buy clothes from the wholesale market?” Cheng Ke asked.
“It’s not our shopping mall,” Jiang Yuduo pointed to the other end of the street. “Keep going straight; there’s a clothing wholesale market. Chen Qing discovered it and said the prices are practically a giveaway.”
Cheng Ke sighed. “If you don’t want to go, we can just buy clothes at the mall.”
“Do you think that just because I’m opening a store, I’ll suddenly become rich?” Jiang Yuduo said. “We haven’t even opened yet, and I’m outside counting money. Not a single penny has come in.”
Cheng Ke didn’t reply immediately; instead, he pulled out his wallet and searched for a while, finding a dime that had gone unused for several months.
He took Jiang Yuduo’s hand and placed the coin in his palm. “One dime, come in.”
“Damn,” Jiang Yuduo chuckled, “Alright, alright, we’ll go to the shopping mall.”
After shopping at the mall for just half an hour, Cheng Ke’s phone rang as he picked out two T-shirts for Jiang Yuduo.
He checked the call and said, “It’s the restaurant calling; I wonder what’s going on.”
“Brother Cheng,” Huihui’s voice came through as soon as he answered. “Boss Cheng called a couple of minutes ago.”
“Which Mr. Cheng?” Cheng Ke didn’t catch on immediately.
“Your father,” Huihui clarified, pausing and repeating, “Your father.”
“Oh, is he alone?” Cheng Ke couldn’t help but smile a little.
“Alone, on the second floor,” Huihui said, “Sister Fang went up to take his order.”
“Is there an event happening on the second floor this afternoon?” Cheng Ke inquired.
“Yes, there’s a performance going on,” Huihui replied, “Maybe he’s watching it right now.”
“Got it,” Cheng Ke said. He hung up the phone and glanced at Jiang Yuduo. “I have to go. My dad’s at the restaurant.”
“I’ll go with you,” Jiang Yuduo offered.
“Sure,” Cheng Ke nodded.
Dad had gone alone, likely in an attempt to find him, but he couldn’t bring himself to drop his airs and had insisted that they could only meet by chance. If he didn’t head over now, Dad might leave, and it was uncertain if they’d have another chance encounter.
Dad must be aware that the people at the store would inform him. If he decided to go, it was likely that Dad would reclaim the store, which had already begun the search for a designer, in a fit of anger.
“I’ll stay outside when we arrive, won’t go inside,” Jiang Yuduo, driving Chen Qing’s private electric car, informed Cheng Ke, “I don’t want your father to be upset if he sees me.”
“What’s the matter?” Cheng Ke inquired.
“I’m still on medication,” Jiang Yuduo explained with a frown.
“You weren’t afraid of him before, even without treatment,” Cheng Ke remarked. “Why are you still worried now that you’re under treatment?”
“I don’t want to influence his perception of you. Things have just started improving,” Jiang Yuduo replied.
“My dad and I,” Cheng Ke sighed and massaged the space between his eyebrows, “With or without you, whether we put in the effort or not, we can’t have a normal father-son relationship. We haven’t been close for so many years. It’s enough if we avoid a cold war. There are things we’ve missed and things that have happened, and they can’t be undone.”
“Yes,” Jiang Yuduo replied, although he wasn’t sure if he fully understood.
“If you don’t want to talk to him, you can stay on the first floor and have a drink,” Cheng Ke suggested.
“Okay, I’ll wait on the first floor then,” Jiang Yuduo agreed.
The car pulled up at the restaurant’s entrance and parked in their designated employee-only parking spot.
Cheng Ke was using this parking space for the first time. He didn’t own a car, and none of the staff at the store had one. When Xu Ding visited, he usually parked in the customer area.
As they got out of the car, Jiang Yuduo glanced at it and commented, “Taking a taxi would have been more convenient. Why did we take Chen Qing’s car?”
“I… I don’t know,” Cheng Ke replied, looking at Chen Qing’s compact car, which was dwarfed by the neighboring vehicles.
“Dad,” Cheng Ke called out and took a few steps forward to greet his father. “Why are you here?”
“Good afternoon, Uncle,” Jiang Yuduo added politely.
This seemingly familiar greeting seemed to stir up some less-than-pleasant memories for Dad, and Cheng Ke noticed his brows furrowing even more.
“I’ll head inside first,” Jiang Yuduo swiftly entered the store after uttering these words.
“Let’s have a conversation,” Dad continued to gaze at Jiang Yuduo’s departing figure until he disappeared into the shop. He then turned his attention back to Cheng Ke and spoke.
“Alright,” Cheng Ke hesitated for a moment and then opened the car door, “Let’s chat in the car.”
“In the car…” Dad seemed visibly surprised.
Without even looking at him, Cheng Ke got into the car.
It took Dad several seconds to join him, as if he had made up his mind. He couldn’t hold back his first question, “Is this your car?”
“No,” Cheng Ke lowered the window and turned his face to look outside, “Jiang Yu borrowed it from a friend.”
“That skinny guy who helped stop the car last time,” Dad remarked.
“Yes,” Cheng Ke nodded, “This car is quite good, and it comes with subsidies for new energy vehicles.”
Dad gazed at him for a while before asking, “Are you angry with me?”
“No,” Cheng Ke turned around to face him, “I hadn’t planned on buying it anyway.”
There was a pause, and Dad cleared his throat, “The branch store over there, has it started yet?”
“It’s in the design phase. There’s a lot of space, and we’re discussing various functional areas with the designer,” Cheng Ke explained.
“Good,” Dad nodded, “You… don’t think I have ulterior motives.”
“I’ve never thought that,” Cheng Ke replied with a smile.
“Don’t assume that Xu Ding is hiding something from you. I didn’t know him before, but over the past two months, I’ve come to know him as a person,” Dad said, “Cooperation still requires trust.”
“I understand,” Cheng Ke said as he looked at his father. It was quite unusual for his father to say these things. It was the first time he had heard his father explain something to him as he had grown up.
“That boyfriend of yours…” Dad began to speak but then abruptly paused, “Why is he coming over again!”
“Huh?” Cheng Ke was equally surprised and quickly turned his attention towards the store.
Jiang Yuduo approached with two large mugs, walked all the way to the car door, placed the cups on the car roof, and opened the car door on his father’s side.
“Care for a drink?” Jiang Yuduo offered.
Dad stared at him without uttering a word.
“Good afternoon, uncle,” Jiang Yuduo greeted him.
Cheng Ke had a feeling that his father might be on the verge of losing his composure.
Jiang Yuduo’s demeanor was notably different when facing his father. While others might not pick up on it, Cheng Ke could sense his friend’s nervousness, even to the point of being unable to muster a smile.
It gave off the impression of a stern shop owner who’d quickly send customers packing if they didn’t make a purchase, making them scurry out of the store within seconds.
“Have a drink, what’s the deal with these two glasses?” Cheng Ke responded promptly.
“Watermelon juice,” Jiang Yuduo replied as he handed over the cup from the car roof.
Cheng Ke took both glasses and then offered one to his father, saying, “Dad, have some watermelon juice.”
“Sure,” Dad accepted the glass, lowered his head, and took a sip.
Jiang Yuduo slammed the car door shut with a loud bang and swiftly departed.
The abrupt noise startled Dad, who hadn’t expected such a lack of shock absorption and muffling, causing him to nearly jump out of his seat. He coughed for a while to recover.
“Well, he…” Cheng Ke was also taken aback and took the cup from his father, “He’s a bit nervous.”
“I see,” Dad furrowed his brow, “It’s not a big deal.”
Cheng Ke remained silent.
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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