“Oh, you… hello, um… I’m here with a friend, I came first… he’ll be here a bit later…”
Lin Xinyuan spoke somewhat nervously, his expression a bit awkward.
This was his first time coming to a place like this, and for someone like him, it felt a bit too upscale.
He hadn’t expected there would even be staff dedicated to welcoming guests…
“Alright! Please come this way and have a seat!”
The waitress was a girl who looked a bit older than Lin Xinyuan.
She nodded knowingly, her face full of smiles as she looked at the girl in the white dress before her, inwardly full of admiration.
What a strikingly beautiful girl!
Definitely one of the prettiest she had ever seen.
“Mm, thank you,” Lin Xinyuan said shyly, his cheeks tinged with red.
Seeing this, the waitress thought to herself that the lovely girl before her was really shy and absolutely adorable…
She covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, saying, “It’s nothing, this is what we’re supposed to do.”
Just like that, Lin Xinyuan followed the waitress, looking around as he walked.
All the way, she glanced everywhere.
The decor was consistent inside and out.
It was almost noon, but there weren’t many people around, which made him feel much more at ease.
Finally, led by the waitress, they arrived at an empty table.
She politely said to the girl, “Please have a seat. If you’d like to order anything, you can take a look over there!”
As she spoke, the waitress gestured in a certain direction.
Following her indication, Lin Xinyuan saw an elegantly framed price list.
Lin Xinyuan sat down, looked up, and saw that the cheapest item was twenty-five.
He wasn’t sure if that was expensive.
Either way, for someone like him, it felt like a waste.
That was enough for a whole day’s meals.
With no other choice, he ordered the cheapest classic option.
Lin Xinyuan forced a smile on his face, but inside he was in agony.
So expensive…
He couldn’t come here again.
This kind of place really wasn’t for him.
If only he had picked the place himself!
Thinking this, Lin Xinyuan could only sigh and reluctantly accept it.
“Alright, how much sugar would you like? We can also make it iced if you prefer.”
The waitress was still just as polite, not at all fazed by the awkward situation.
Her etiquette was impeccable.
As if guessing this was the girl’s first time here, she added:
“If you haven’t tried it before, we usually recommend half sugar!”
Lin Xinyuan thought for a moment and said, “Uh… then I’ll have half sugar, hot.”
“Okay, please wait a moment.”
After the staff left, Lin Xinyuan, once his heart stopped aching over the price, quickly recovered.
He glanced around a bit more, but the curiosity he felt when he first arrived was already gone.
He didn’t check his phone.
He just stared out the window at the deliberately arranged flowers and greenery, lost in thought.
A while later, an unfamiliar female voice sounded by Lin Xinyuan’s ear:
“Hello, here’s your coffee… please enjoy. If you need anything, just let us know! Thank you!”
He looked up at the sound. It wasn’t the girl from before, which made sense—the previous one was clearly the receptionist.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, I’ll leave you to it!”
The girl looked at the steaming coffee before her, dark and rich, with a unique and indescribable aroma wafting to her nose.
She picked up the cup, and as she brought it closer, the scent grew stronger.
Lin Xinyuan watched the rising steam, blew on it lightly, and cautiously took a small sip.
It tasted bitter at first, but then a sweetness followed, and on careful savoring, there was a mellow aftertaste.
Lin Xinyuan found it acceptable, something he could get used to, but now that his curiosity was satisfied, he felt that was all there was to it.
In his opinion, tea was still better.
Slowly savoring the drink, Lin Xinyuan rested her delicate chin on one hand, gazing out the window, looking peaceful.
The graceful girl sat quietly, like a blooming white magnolia.
Just sitting there, she became a scene all by herself, drawing the attention of the few other people in the shop, even those who had been absorbed in work on their laptops.
There was even a couple nearby.
The girl noticed her boyfriend sneak glances at the girl’s back from time to time.
Without changing her expression, she quietly reached out and pinched the flesh at his waist, twisting hard.
The boy grimaced in pain and let out a string of muffled cries.
Not far away, two boys watched the lovely figure and egged each other on to go over and introduce themselves.
After some time, one finally couldn’t resist, stood up, and was about to walk over.
Just then, a tall and imposing figure entered his line of sight, heading straight toward the girl.
Seeing this, the boy stopped in his tracks, deciding to wait and see.
The other boy, whose view was mostly blocked by his friend, hadn’t noticed what was happening.
Seeing his friend stop, he teased:
“What’s wrong, chickening out? Don’t be scared, just go for it! A girl this hot—if you don’t make a move, you’ll regret it forever!”
“Chickening out? You’re the one who’s scared! Me? Didn’t you see that guy heading over there? I bet they’re a couple. I told you—girls this great always have boyfriends! Yet you kept pushing me to go instead of going yourself?”
The boy turned around and sat back down, feeling a bit speechless at his friend.
“Ah, come on… it doesn’t hurt to try! Just ask, what if she doesn’t have one?”
The other boy was embarrassed but stubborn.
“What a pity. ‘What if’ is just ‘what if.’ This time, it’s not that one-in-ten-thousand chance.” The boy snorted.
“…” The other boy could only stay silent and keep sipping his now lukewarm coffee.
A few minutes earlier, outside the entrance of Encounter Café, Qin Nanfeng had just finished playing basketball, showered back at the dorm, and come straight over.
He got off his bike, parked it, and took out his phone to check the message he’d just received.
Yuan An: “I’m at Sixteenth Table, by the window.”
Qin Nanfeng tapped a few times on the virtual keyboard and replied:
“ok”
He put his phone in his pocket, walked steadily to the glass door, and pushed it open.
As soon as he entered, the receptionist came over to greet him:
“Boss, you’re…”
Qin Nanfeng waved his hand, knowing she wanted to ask why he hadn’t given advance notice.
He didn’t mind at all and said in a low voice:
“No need, I’m just here to meet someone and take a look around. You go ahead with your work! Get me an espresso, Sixteenth Table.”
“Alright, Boss.”
After the receptionist left, Qin Nanfeng glanced around the shop.
Although he wasn’t managing it at the moment, he still visited his own shop often enough to be familiar with the layout, so he quickly found the right spot.
At a glance, he saw the girl not far away.
Just one look, and the young man couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.
The girl wore a Sunhat, her long hair cascading like a waterfall.
She had a graceful figure, her fair skin not at all dulled by the white dress she wore.
Looking out the window, only a small part of her profile was visible, but even that glimpse revealed an overflowing charm.
Like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley, like a blue butterfly quietly blossoming in the gentle rain—beautiful, but not gaudy; delicate and subtle, touching to the soul.
Even though Qin Nanfeng had seen all sorts of beauties, he had to admit that this girl in white was one of the most beautiful he’d ever seen.
But that was all…
Though he was briefly amazed by the girl’s looks, the feeling lasted only a moment before a sense of surprise arose in his heart.
Because the girl was sitting exactly at the Sixteenth Table he was looking for, which meant this must be the person he’d come to find: “Wind Blows, Shorts Cool as Ice.”
Qin Nanfeng thought for a moment, then casually sent a dog emoji to ‘Yuan An.’
As expected, the girl seemed to hear her phone, took it out to check, and her slender fingers tapped quickly:
Yuan An: “What’s with the dog emoji? Are you here?”
q,: “Yeah, I’m here. Look to your left.”