Shen Yuan froze, her eyes suddenly stinging with an unexpected wave of bitterness.
Zhou Yan turned his head back toward the man in the black jacket.
“If you are a legitimate debt-collection party, please file a formal lawsuit through legal procedures. If not, you can leave now.”
The man in the black jacket’s face went pale, then flushed red. His pride was thoroughly wounded.
He abruptly stood up, pointing a finger at Shen Yuan through the air.
“Fine, you’ve got guts. Shen Yuan, you can dodge me today, but not forever. We’ll see about this!”
Zhou Yan replied without changing his expression: “That statement was also recorded by the surveillance camera. It constitutes a threat of personal harm.”
“Damn it!” The man in the black jacket muttered under his breath, kicked a chair aside, and slunk out the door with the other two men.
The wind chime rang again as the door slammed shut.
The shop fell into dead silence.
The customers’ gazes all landed on Shen Yuan—some sympathetic, some curious, and some whispering among themselves.
Shen Yuan stood still, her hands hanging at her sides, her fingertips ice-cold.
She knew that with this window paper torn open, she could no longer act as composed and at ease in this shop as she once had.
Linda looked at her, her brows furrowed into a deep crease, as if weighing what to say.
But Zhou Yan was the first to break the silence.
He turned around, faced the customers in the shop, and gave a slight nod.
“My apologies, everyone. That unexpected disturbance just now affected your dining experience. As compensation, all dine-in drinks today will be buy-one-get-one-half-off.”
Zhou Ning reacted quickly and immediately chimed in loudly: “Sorry for the trouble, everyone! If any guests need a refill, you can register at the counter now!”
The stagnant atmosphere was finally pulled back to a semblance of everyday warmth by those few words.
Shen Yuan lowered her head, her voice very soft but full of apology: “I’m sorry, boss.”
Zhou Yan turned to look at her, his gaze sweeping over her pale lips.
“Go to the back break room for ten minutes.”
“I can still work…”
“This is the boss’s order.” Zhou Yan’s tone was gentle, yet brooked no refusal.
Shen Yuan pressed her lips together and finally nodded silently.
She turned and walked toward the back room. Only after she was out of sight of the crowd did she realize her legs were actually a bit unsteady.
Just as she reached the break room door, Zhou Ning quietly followed and grabbed her hand.
A fruit candy wrapped in glassy sugar paper was pressed into Shen Yuan’s icy palm.
“Ningning…”
Zhou Ning lowered her voice and winked at her: “Eat something sweet, replenish your blood. Don’t be scared. Our shop may be small, but we’re definitely not cowards.”
Shen Yuan looked at the tiny candy in her palm, and her nose suddenly stung.
She tugged at the corners of her mouth and let out an extremely faint smile.
…
Meanwhile.
On the street across from the coffee shop, beneath a tall plane tree.
Xu Anran stood there quietly in his formal attire.
He had slipped out today under the pretext of meeting a client.
For some reason, ever since he saw those text messages last night, a stone had been lodged in his heart that he couldn’t seem to set down.
Through the transparent glass window, he had witnessed everything that just happened.
He saw those three thuggish men barge in.
He saw Shen Yuan walk out from behind the counter alone, facing those aggressive cameras and interrogations.
Meanwhile, on the street across from the coffee shop, beneath a tall plane tree, Xu Anran stood quietly in his formal attire.
He had slipped out today under the pretext of meeting a client.
For some reason, ever since he saw those text messages last night, a stone had been weighing on his heart, refusing to settle.
Through the transparent glass window, he had witnessed everything that just unfolded.
He saw those three thuggish men barge in.
He saw Shen Yuan walk out from behind the counter alone, facing their aggressive cameras and interrogations.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly from fear, yet she still straightened her back, stubbornly standing her ground without taking a single step back.
Xu Anran’s hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, his nails nearly digging into his palms.
When he saw that man sit down arrogantly, the string in his mind snapped, and he lifted his foot to dash across the street.
But in that very second, he saw Zhou Yan step out.
He watched the man in the trench coat shield Shen Yuan behind him with an absolutely protective posture.
He watched Zhou Yan force those people back with just a few words, and saw Shen Yuan lower her head, standing beside Zhou Yan like a child who had done something wrong.
Xu Anran’s outstretched foot froze mid-air, nailed to the spot.
The glass window reflected his taut jawline.
The surging anger in his chest suddenly transformed into an indescribable bitterness and helplessness, like a rusty needle stabbing viciously into his heart.
She would rather be humiliated in front of a stranger than ask him for help even once.
Xu Anran lowered his eyelashes, concealing the turbulent emotions in his eyes.
He took out his phone from his pocket and lit up the screen.
On the screen was the result of his morning-long investigation.
The so-called debt-collecting “Orange Blossom Loan” was not a legitimate platform at all—just a makeshift high-interest loan operation.
And in the electronic file of Shen Yuan’s loan application, the referrer column was conspicuously filled with two characters.
Chen Lu.
Xu Anran stared at that name.
After a long moment, the warmth in his eyes cooled inch by inch.