As October approached, Shen City was already bustling with excitement.
All the malls, big and small, had put up new banners for their latest events.
The vibrant colors assaulted the eyes, and the festive atmosphere was lively everywhere.
The renovations for the new shop were complete. The wood-grain tiles gleamed brightly, and fresh wallpaper adorned the pure white walls.
Artistic photo frames and wooden shelves were nailed up at intervals.
On the shelves, lush green pothos plants flourished, their emerald vines hanging down, filling the space with a vibrant, verdant energy.
The opening was scheduled for National Day.
The servers had already been hired ahead of time, starting work three days before the grand opening.
Each day, they handed out flyers and coupons at the entrance to promote the shop.
The old customers from the night market street had also been notified. Qu Yanning was sprawled over the cashier counter, muttering to himself as he edited messages on his phone.
Xie Qi, meanwhile, was lying on the tall barstool beside the cashier, his chin resting on his front paws, tail draped over the edge of the stool.
He half-closed his golden eyes, watching as Qu Yanning repeatedly revised his message on the phone.
Qu Yanning didn’t have many friends. With the new shop opening, he wanted it to be lively. Counting on his fingers, the only ones he could really call familiar were Master Xie, Zhang Ren, and Wang Li—just those three.
Wang Li and Zhang Ren probably wouldn’t be an issue, but inviting Master Xie was a different story. Qu Yanning frowned in worry.
For such a lively gathering, he felt that even if he invited Master Xie, he probably wouldn’t show up. But if Zhang Ren came and he didn’t invite Master Xie, that just wouldn’t sit right.
Besides, Master Xie had helped him many times. Though he always looked cold and distant, he was surprisingly easy to talk to.
Qu Yanning scratched his cheek, carefully wording his message before sending the invitation to Master Xie as well.
Wang Li and Zhang Ren replied quickly, both saying they’d definitely come. As expected, there was no response from Master Xie.
Qu Yanning poked the cat’s face, muttering to himself, “If he doesn’t come, then he doesn’t come.”
Secretly observing, Xie Qi licked a paw, opened his golden eyes, and rubbed his head against Qu Yanning’s hand.
……
On the morning of the National Day opening, Zhang Ren and Wang Li arrived early with congratulatory flower baskets.
The bright, beautiful baskets lined up in a row.
Qu Yanning, embarrassed, invited them inside, “It’s enough that you’re here. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”
“It’s your first day of business, gotta bring some good luck.” Wang Li laughed, patting his shoulder, then took a look around the shop and praised, “Looks great, very professional. What time do you open?”
Qu Yanning said ten o’clock at noon.
During the holiday, there was a huge flow of people. Even though it wasn’t time yet, quite a few curious customers had already come to the shop entrance to ask about it.
After greeting the two of them, Qu Yanning asked Chu Zhou to help entertain the guests while he went into the kitchen to prepare ingredients.
Now, he was the only head chef, and the assistant could only help with prepping ingredients. To save time, Qu Yanning was already busy.
Zhang Ren sat on a chair behind the cashier counter, while Chu Zhou leaned on the counter playing with his phone.
Today, he wore a wine-red modified qipao, the floral button fastened just above his Adam’s apple, exposing a slender, elegant neck that exuded a delicate beauty.
Zhang Ren glanced at him, his eyes flickering slightly. He took out a gift he’d prepared in advance and handed it to Chu Zhou. “This is a congratulatory gift from Master Xie. Mr. Qu is busy, could you please hold onto it for him?”
Chu Zhou was stunned, put away his phone, and hesitated about whether to accept it.
After a moment, he turned and called into the kitchen, “Qu’er, Master Xie asked Zhang Ren to bring a gift. Should I take it or not?”
Qu Yanning paused his work and poked his head out, saying Master Xie was too kind. “I appreciate the thought, but please take the gift back to Master Xie for me.”
Zhang Ren looked helplessly at Xie Qi.
Xie Qi narrowed his eyes, reached out a paw, and dragged the gift bag over, pressing it under himself, then lazily meowed.
Qu Yanning & Chu Zhou: “……”
Zhang Ren laughed, “Well, since it’s been accepted, what you just said doesn’t count anymore.”
Now that the cat had accepted the gift, it would be rude for Qu Yanning to refuse again. He thanked them and made a mental note to repay the favor when he had the chance.
At ten o’clock sharp, the grand opening began. Colorful confetti cannons went off, and the seats were quickly filled by old customers who’d been waiting and new customers attracted by the discounts.
Business was even better than expected. Qu Yanning was running around in the kitchen, the servers weaving through the tables with trays, and even cashier Chu Zhou was almost too busy to keep up.
Zhang Ren and Wang Li rolled up their sleeves and started helping out, working together seamlessly.
The grand opening was more successful than anyone expected. By evening, all the ingredients Qu Yanning had prepared in advance were gone.
Without restocking, he handed out coupons to customers still waiting in line, apologizing for having to close early due to lack of ingredients.
Fortunately, the customers were understanding, leaving happily with their coupons and planning to come earlier the next day.
After the last table of customers left, Qu Yanning checked the accounts and waited for the staff to clean up before closing up and leaving.
The dinner location had been reserved in advance, at Deyuan. Last time, Xie Qi had taken him there, and Qu Yanning remembered the taste. So this time, he simply booked a private room there.
Zhang Ren and Wang Li had stayed at the shop all day and helped out a lot.
Qu Yanning felt a bit embarrassed— he’d originally wanted to treat them to dinner, but ended up having no time to entertain them and even made them help out most of the day.
“It’s nothing,” Wang Li said with a hearty laugh.
Zhang Ren didn’t say much, but nodded in agreement.
The October evening was a bit chilly. Chu Zhou, wearing a sleeveless qipao, hadn’t noticed it inside the shop, but once outside, the chill raised goosebumps all over his bare arms.
“Here, be careful not to catch a cold,” Zhang Ren handed him the suit jacket draped over his arm. The scar on his nose looked less fierce under the gentle light.
He still accepted it, smiled, and thanked him.
There wasn’t much more to say.
The four of them flagged down a car by the roadside and headed over.
When they arrived at the private room, Xie Qi wasn’t there yet. Qu Yanning hesitated, then asked Zhang Ren, “Is Master Xie unable to make it tonight?”
Zhang Ren glanced silently at the cat in Qu Yanning’s arms and replied, “Master Xie got held up with something, but will be here soon.”
Qu Yanning was inexplicably happy, and even his motions while petting the cat became lighter.
Xie Qi rubbed against his arm, then took out the small paper slip Zhang Ren had slipped to him earlier. The little slip was cut into the shape of a cat.
Xie Qi tapped the paper cat gently with his paw, and, as if inflated, it puffed up and turned into a tiny cat that looked just like him.
Xie Qi jumped to the floor. The paper cat took his place in Qu Yanning’s lap, and soon fell asleep, purring softly. Qu Yanning scratched its chin and gently set it on the sofa.
As for the real Xie Qi, striding out with dignity, no one but Zhang Ren noticed him leave.
After the four of them finished ordering, Xie Qi finally arrived, a bit late. Today, he wore a more formal outfit: a white shirt with a dark gray vest and matching suit pants. The thin trousers hugged his long legs, making him look like a gentleman heading to a banquet.
“Sorry I’m late,” Xie Qi apologized to everyone.
“Master Xie,” Qu Yanning stood up to welcome him and led him to a seat, dimples appearing as he smiled shyly, “Not late at all, just in time.”
Xie Qi pressed his lips together and sat down reservedly beside him.
Wang Li and Chu Zhou, looking at his cold, refined face, both felt a little queasy.
Only Qu Yanning, for some reason, seemed even more cheerful than usual, hugging the sleeping cat from the sofa and chatting non-stop with Xie Qi.
“I don’t know what’s up, but it just suddenly fell asleep and won’t wake up no matter what I do.” Qu Yanning poked the cat’s belly. The paper cat purred twice, rolled over, and continued sleeping.
Xie Qi raised an eyebrow, took the cat, petted it a couple of times, then put it back on the sofa. He said maybe it was just tired from the busy day. “Let it sleep.”
Qu Yanning just nodded dumbly.
The servers brought out the dishes one after another. Chu Zhou and Wang Li both loved a lively atmosphere.
Though Zhang Ren didn’t talk much, he could have fun once things got going. Halfway through the meal, the three of them started drinking.
None of them dared invite Master Xie to drink, so the three passed drinks around each other, tacitly ignoring Xie Qi, who was still chatting with Qu Yanning.
After a few rounds, the atmosphere at the table was in full swing. Even Qu Yanning, dragged along, had a few drinks, his pale face blushing and his smile turning silly.
Xie Qi rubbed his fingers together, resisting the urge to poke at those dimples. With a calm expression, he nudged Qu Yanning closer and said, “Let’s go. Change of venue.”
Chu Zhou and the others hadn’t drunk enough yet and suggested going somewhere else to continue.