“Waitress!”
The female voice rang out abruptly.
It was piercing, carrying undisguised anger.
The shop’s originally relaxed atmosphere was shattered in an instant.
Behind the counter, the sound of the coffee machine continued, but the chatter outside stopped all at once.
The shop fell silent instantly.
Several tables of customers turned their gazes over the backs of their chairs toward the window seat.
Linda paused what she was doing and looked up.
The one who had spoken was a female customer.
She sat at a four-seat table by the window.
Her wavy hair draped over her shoulders, her red lips striking.
Beside her hand sat a latest-model leather bag with a large logo.
At that moment, she shoved her coffee cup hard toward the edge of the table.
The bottom of the cup scraped against the surface with a dull thud.
A few drops of coffee splashed out over the rim, staining the wooden tabletop.
The female customer’s brows were knitted tightly, her expression full of dissatisfaction.
“Why is this coffee lukewarm?”
She pointed at the cup, her voice rising another notch.
“I ordered a hot latte, not foot-washing water. Is this how your shop cheats people?”
Beside the counter, Zhou Ning was startled.
She quickly set down the ordering tablet in her hand and hurried around the counter.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am.”
Zhou Ning usually dealt with mostly students and office workers, rarely encountering someone with such a sharp temper.
She walked to the table and instinctively bent down.
“I’m really sorry, I’ll get you a new one right away.”
The female customer wasn’t having any of it.
She glanced at the employee badge on Zhou Ning’s chest and let out a cold laugh.
“A new one? That’s it?”
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
“It’s this cold out, and I came in specifically to order a hot drink to warm my stomach. You give me lukewarm coffee—are you trying to give me diarrhea?”
The more she spoke, the angrier she got.
“I’m paying to enjoy myself, not to suffer. If you can’t even control the temperature, why are you running a coffee shop?”
The silence in the shop persisted.
Customers at nearby tables turned their heads one by one, staring at the scene.
Some frowned slightly, feeling the female customer’s loud voice was ruining the atmosphere.
Others had already pulled out their phones, screens lit, lenses pointed at the window area with deliberate casualness.
Behind the counter.
Shen Yuan said nothing.
Her gaze passed over the crowd and landed on the latte on the table.
The cup was white.
Printed with the shop’s logo.
It was the first finished product she had made with her own hands, under Linda’s guidance just moments ago.
From grinding the beans, to extracting the espresso, to steaming the milk foam.
Every step she had done with great care.
Before serving, Linda had personally measured it with a thermometer.
Sixty-five degrees.
That was the standard temperature for the sweetest, most velvety milk foam.
From the moment Shen Yuan placed the cup on the serving counter, to when Zhou Ning carried it over and set it on the customer’s table.
The entire process took less than a minute.
A liquid at sixty-five degrees, placed in a shop at room temperature of twenty degrees.
In one minute, it could never turn into the “foot-washing water” the female customer described.
Zhou Ning stood by the table, her face already turning pale.
She opened her mouth, trying to explain the temperature standard, but faced with the female customer’s aggressive glare, the words caught in her throat.
Linda set down the latte art pitcher.
She grabbed a napkin, wiped her hands, and prepared to step out to handle it.
She had seen plenty of customers like this who loved to nitpick—the manager stepping in was the best way to defuse the situation.
But just as Linda took her first step forward.
Shen Yuan moved first.
She set down the half-damp towel she used to wipe her hands, placing it on the counter.
Then she walked straight around the counter, heading toward the window.
Shen Yuan knew exactly what she was doing.
She was just a new hire on a trial shift today.
By all logic, when something like this happened, she should stay quietly in the back and let the manager handle it.
The early bird gets shot.
In the workplace, the worst thing a newcomer could do was overstep their bounds.
But that cup of coffee—she had made it with her own hands.
If she cowered behind the counter now, letting Zhou Ning take the blame for her, letting Linda clean up her mess—
Even if she passed the trial and got the job today,
she wouldn’t be able to hold her head up.
Shen Yuan’s steps were steady.
She walked to the female customer’s table and stopped.
Then, she bent slightly at the waist.
Her movements were precise, not a hint of insincerity.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to everyone nearby.
“Ma’am, I’m very sorry.”
Shen Yuan looked the woman in the eye.
“Ruining your dining experience is our fault.”
The female customer had been staring at Zhou Ning, but suddenly someone else appeared.
Seeing Shen Yuan’s young face, the woman’s momentum grew even stronger.
“And who are you?”
“Did you make this coffee?”
“Yes.” Shen Yuan nodded, not denying it.
“This is the first latte I made during my trial shift today.”
Her tone was calm, not rushing to defend herself.
“Perhaps my control over the machine and temperature isn’t good enough yet, and I failed to meet your expectations. I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Behind the counter.
Linda stood still, watching Shen Yuan’s back.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the counter.
Shen Yuan didn’t mention “sixty-five degrees.”
She didn’t mention “standard range.”
She didn’t push the blame onto Zhou Ning’s serving speed either.
She simply took the problem onto herself.
Shen Yuan straightened up and continued.
“If you’re willing to give us another chance—”
She gestured toward the counter.
“I’ll make you a fresh cup right now. A hot Americano, or a hot latte—whatever you prefer.”
She paused, then added.
“Or I can switch it to any other drink of equal price on the menu. Whatever you’d like, I’ll make it right away.”
“We’ll prioritize your order. I promise we won’t waste your time.”
Shen Yuan’s attitude was soft.
Her words were polite, impossible to find fault with.
But her spine was straight.
Neither humble nor arrogant.
No trace of the cowardice of someone scared witless by a customer.
The female customer had been ready with a bellyful of harsh words.
She’d even thought up the complaint hotline number.
But after Shen Yuan’s speech, she suddenly found herself stuck.
The young girl in front of her had clear, bright eyes and a sincerity that couldn’t be more genuine.
No excuses.
Directly admitting fault, directly offering a solution.
If the woman kept slamming the table and yelling, she’d look like nothing more than an unreasonable shrew, bullying a girl still on her trial shift.
The gazes of the nearby tables shifted subtly too.
The person who’d been holding up their phone quietly put it down.
Someone lowered their voice, murmuring to their companion.
“This girl’s attitude is pretty good.”
“Yeah, she said it was her first cup on a trial shift. That’s understandable.”
“She just needs to make a new one. No big deal.”
The murmurs drifted over.
The female customer’s expression flickered, a little embarrassed.
She reached for her leather handbag on the table, her fingers tightening around the strap before loosening again.
“…Fine, fine.”
She waved a hand, her tone still a bit stiff, but her volume had dropped.
“Just switch it to an Americano for me. And remember, it needs to be hot.”
“Of course.”
Shen Yuan bowed slightly once more.
“Please wait a moment.”
She reached out, picked up the rejected latte from the table, and turned to walk steadily back to the counter.
The crisis was over.
The atmosphere in the shop gradually returned to normal.
The soft background music became audible again.
Zhou Ning let out a long breath and followed Shen Yuan back into the work area.
As soon as she stepped behind the counter, Zhou Ning quietly sidled up to Shen Yuan.
She patted her chest, still shaken, and lowered her voice.
“Shen Yuan, you’ve got some nerve.”
Zhou Ning recalled the way the female customer had slammed the table just moments ago.
“When I was standing there, my legs went weak. I was afraid she’d throw the coffee all over me.”
Shen Yuan poured the latte into the sink.
She turned around and lowered her voice as well.
“Honestly, mine went weak too.”
Zhou Ning froze, turning to look at her.
Shen Yuan kept a straight face, rinsing the cup as she added one more line.
“But I’m broke.”
“The broke can’t afford to fall.”