It was so bitter, yet President Jiang showed no reaction and even praised her for doing a good job.
Did he have no sense of taste?
Tsk.
She had been looking forward to seeing a different expression on his face.
Yan Sui was no fool.
On the contrary, she possessed an instinctive sensitivity to the people around her.
Of course, she could sense that Jiang Yuan’s attitude toward her was strange.
His intentions were also questionable.
Vague and unresolved.
This subtle sense of losing control made her inexplicably restless.
It was as if she were watching him through icy seawater—even his outline was blurred, and everything else felt as oppressive and stifling as an abyss.
She felt a slight urge to peel away his disguise.
Like dissecting him, to see his heart, blood vessels, and bones.
“What’s wrong?” Yan Sui tilted her head innocently. “Sister, how is it?”
Zhou Yue forced a smile:
“Not bad.”
Since President Jiang hadn’t said anything, she naturally wouldn’t either.
Anyway, in the future, the coffee Yan Sui made would only be for President Jiang to drink.
“Really? That’s great.” The young girl’s face lit up with genuine delight.
“One chocolate latte, one grape Americano.”
A woman’s voice came from the entrance.
Yan Sui was very dutiful, responding sweetly, “Welcome~”
It turned out to be someone she knew.
Gu Xin, who had once urged her to drink Long Island Iced Tea at the bar, walked in arm-in-arm with Lin Ran.
Both of them were visibly taken aback when they saw Yan Sui.
Lin Ran was merely surprised, but Gu Xin already wore a mocking smile.
“No way, isn’t this Yan Sui? You’re actually working here? People might think the Lin family mistreated you.”
Yan Sui blinked: “That’s right, the Lin family did mistreat me.”
Gu Xin was stunned.
But the young girl quickly smiled again:
“Just kidding! How could my dad and stepmom possibly mistreat me?
“They treat me especially well, especially my stepmom—she cares about me a lot. I just came here out of curiosity, to experience life~”
She eagerly pointed to the window seat. “Please wait, it’ll be ready soon.”
Gu Xin’s eyes swept over her, finally settling on her face.
“Looks like you’ve found your place.”
The thought of the guy she was flirting with at the bar praising Yan Sui for being cute made her dislike Yan Sui even more.
Now that there was no one else around, she couldn’t be bothered to pretend.
“Yan Sui, you’re only suited for this kind of work—low-level and selling smiles.”
Yan Sui’s smile grew strained. She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, lowered her head with reddened eyes.
Clearly humiliated, she said nothing.
Lin Ran patted Gu Xin, changing the subject:
“Xinxin, didn’t you ask me out to talk about your upcoming competition?”
Only then did Gu Xin shift her gaze away from Yan Sui. “Yes, I’ve been preparing for the Peach Leaf Cup piano competition for so long—winning the championship is definitely no problem.”
Lin Ran: “Of course it’s no problem. I’ve always said you’re the best.”
Gu Xin lifted her chin proudly. “I heard all the shareholders will be there. I refuse to believe President Jiang won’t notice me!”
Lin Ran elegantly tucked her long, curly hair behind her ear, offering ample emotional support:
“He’s sure to notice you. In their circle, who wouldn’t like someone as beautiful, artistic, and good-natured as you? If I were a man, I’d definitely chase you madly.”
Gu Xin smiled smugly. “I think so too. By the way, Lin Ran, why do I feel like you have no strong feelings toward this Yan Sui at all?”
“An outsider who doesn’t belong suddenly becomes part of your family, and you don’t mind?”
“Besides, your dad and your mom were first loves, right? Her mother came between them and broke them apart.”
“The one who isn’t loved is the third wheel. She’s the daughter of that third wheel. If it were me, I’d never let her have the chance to appear in front of me.”
Lin Ran smiled faintly. “There’s no need. No matter what happened between the older generation, she’s innocent.”
Gu Xin: “Lin Ran, you’re so kind. Oh, by the way, about the advisor you asked me to find for you—I had my dad put in a word.”
“That’s great!” Lin Ran’s tone finally shifted a little. “Thank you, Xinxin!”
Gu Xin: “I don’t get you. Why study financial analysis, with a minor in law? Just looking at that stuff makes my head spin. How do you manage to study it?”
Lin Ran: “I’m just interested.”
Gu Xin’s family background was even better than the Lin family’s, and she had more academic resources.
So, from the moment Lin Ran started school, she and Gu Xin became best friends.
Seeing that the coffee over there was almost ready, she stood up and walked over.
She stopped in front of Yan Sui.
The young girl timidly looked up. “Sister?”
Lin Ran sighed, lowering her gaze to look at her.
Her chestnut-colored long curls fell, softening her somewhat striking, beautiful features.
“Don’t take what she said earlier to heart.”
The girl nodded obediently, looking aggrieved. “I know.”
Lin Ran took the coffee and couldn’t help adding:
“When you suffer so much injustice, don’t always think about enduring it. Endurance only makes the other person push harder. Being too weak is never a good thing, no matter where you are.”
“Also, I don’t know why you’re working here, but if you need money, you can tell me.”
Yan Sui blinked, looking at her in surprise.
Lin Ran had already taken the coffee and returned to sit beside Gu Xin.
Was that… concern?
The young girl thought with interest. She had assumed Lin Ran would tell her to go home less often and avoid upsetting He Wan.
More customers trickled in afterward.
Almost everyone’s first reaction upon entering was to pause and let their gaze linger on Yan Sui’s face.
When did they get a new server who looks like a BJD doll?
She’s so pretty!
A few boys secretly took some photos and posted them on the campus forum.
[The new girl at Echo by the entrance is super cute!]
But the post was taken down just one second after it went up.
The poster was puzzled, thinking hard but unable to figure out what forbidden word he had used.
So he posted another one—
And then his entire account was banned.
Pretty girls are dangerous!
Jiang Yuan’s face was dark.
Looking at the photos his assistant had sent from the backend, he saved them and ordered all similar topics to be blocked.
He longed to hide her away, to ensure no one’s gaze could ever reach her.
An intense longing.
But it would only ever remain a longing.
At most, he could only do some shady, underhanded things without disturbing her.
Otherwise, how would he be any different from his father?
Holding the printed photo, his dark eyes fixed on it unwaveringly.
The wounds on his knuckles, the back of his hand, and his wrist had already scabbed over. He hadn’t hurt himself in two days.
His fingertips brushed over her face in the photo.
In the picture, the young girl was smiling sweetly, greeting a customer who had just walked in.
Jiang Yuan’s Adam’s apple trembled. After a long moment, he stood up and walked toward the bookshelf in the study.
He gently pressed a small protrusion.
The bookshelf slid aside, revealing a hidden room inside.
Sensor lights flickered on. Under the dim glow, countless images of her flooded his vision—
An entire wall, densely covered, was filled with her photographs.
The photos were still increasing.
The small secret room contained nothing but walls and display cabinets.
Inside the transparent display cases, like the highest-grade artifacts in a museum, were strands of her hair.
The handkerchief she had used, the cup she had drunk from.
A rose that had once bloomed on her windowsill but had long since withered.
And now, there was about to be one more.
The coffee she had made with her own hands.
Only a little remained, the ice cubes completely melted. Even now, he couldn’t bear to finish it.
He stood there for a while before finally tilting his head back and taking the last sip.
An indescribable bitterness surged onto his tongue at that moment.
Had it been this bitter before? Or was it because it was finished that it tasted so bitter.
His tongue caught the last drop.
And he savored it like sweet nectar.