“Huh?”
Su Ziling hadn’t immediately understood what Lin Yizhou meant.
“Wear what?”
“I mean,” Lin Yizhou quickly glanced around, confirming no one was paying attention, then leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, “no matter how small it is, you still have to wear it.”
After saying that, his gaze casually swept across the open collar of Su Ziling’s chest, the implication obvious.
“Ah?”
Su Ziling finally realized what Lin Yizhou was referring to. She snapped back to reality, covered her collar, her face stiff, staring at Lin Yizhou in disbelief.
“You… saw it?”
“The collar’s so open, it’s hard not to see…” Lin Yizhou’s gaze fell on the name tag on her chest—it had an unfamiliar name printed on it. “That’s someone else’s clothes, right? Where’s yours?”
“Phew…”
Su Ziling took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging emotions.
‘Lin Yizhou sure knows how to talk. Good thing I’m still a man at heart, or I’d have slapped him by now.’
“Are you angry?”
“No.”
After a brief shock, she quickly regained that almost icy calm.
“Listen, I know you might be giving me a friendly reminder.” Her voice was terrifyingly calm. “But next time, if you kindly notice a similar situation on someone else—I suggest you don’t be so direct. Otherwise, a sexual harassment complaint will definitely leave an impression, and the pig trotter rice from the police station will give you a taste to remember.”
“I’m not that stupid.” Lin Yizhou shrugged nonchalantly, watching Su Ziling’s reaction, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. “Reading the room and adjusting my approach—that’s always been my forte.”
“Fine.” Su Ziling looked at his expression of “I have everything under control” and didn’t know what else to say. “I hope you engrave my words in your mind.”
She said no more, just pulled her collar tighter, as if to seal away her embarrassment, then turned and left without looking back, her back carrying a hint of escape.
Watching Su Ziling disappear at the end of the hallway, Lin Yizhou put his hands in his pockets and shook his head.
‘That rumored gentle demeanor toward everyone might just be a mask. The real her might be even more aloof than me.’
His gaze crossed the corridor and landed on the short-haired figure talking to the shopkeeper outside the hall.
At that moment, Su Ziling wore that trademark, spring-breeze-like gentle smile, her voice soft.
‘If I weren’t associated with Su Lili, Su Ziling would probably treat me with that same expression too.’
‘Gentle… but distant from everyone.’
‘Even though her tone toward me was a bit cold, maybe that’s actually her truest self.’
“Grrrrgle!”
A loud stomach growl abruptly interrupted his thoughts.
“Damn!” Lin Yizhou’s expression changed. “Almost forgot the important thing!” Clutching his rebellious stomach, he rushed toward the bathroom in a hurry.
—
“Welcome,” Su Ziling said with an impeccable smile, bowing slightly to the two young customers who had just entered.
The smile was warm, inclusive, with a reassuring magic that immediately relaxed the slightly nervous guests.
“How may I help you?”
“Uh… t-two cups…”
One of the customers was dazzled by the smile and couldn’t speak clearly.
“Please take a deep breath, no need to rush,” Su Ziling smiled maturely. “If you can’t decide, could you tell me your preferred flavors? Feel free to trust me to choose.”
“Okay!”
That single sentence instantly calmed the two customers. Su Xiaomeng, watching this, couldn’t help but show an admiring and amazed expression.
“Even though I expected it, seeing it in person, I have to say—she’s really capable.”
“Indeed, very impressive…” the shopkeeper was also astonished. “Others might need training or have mental blocks when on the job, but she just slips into character instantly, no hesitation. My judgment was right!”
The shopkeeper adjusted his glasses, already scheming how to recruit Su Ziling to work.
Time slid to 3:00 PM. The shop was bustling with noise like a pot of boiling porridge.
Yet Su Ziling’s figure moved naturally through the surging crowd, completely unflustered.
Taking orders, serving food, answering questions… She was efficient, calm, and at ease. That gentle and determined smile on her face never wavered despite the busyness.
This almost superhuman composure and efficiency made even the senior staff break into a cold sweat.
At that moment, Lin Yizhou finally came out of the bathroom. He returned to his seat and, seeing that his latte had gone lukewarm, called out to the waiter.
“Waiter, order!”
Su Ziling, who had just finished serving a meal, heard the call and walked over.
But when she noticed it was Lin Yizhou, her smile couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.
However, she quickly recovered and asked with a smile.
“What can I get for you?”
Lin Yizhou looked up, his gaze falling on the figure in the standard black-and-white maid outfit.
What he noticed first was the collar carefully fastened with an exquisite rose pin—which was much safer than the accidental encounter earlier.
Of course, what caught Lin Yizhou’s attention even more was the smile on Su Ziling’s face.
Undeniably, this smile was extremely infectious, capable of calming anyone restless, even… causing some inexperienced youths to have unrealistic fantasies.
‘No wonder the rumors often call her “Male Mommy”…’
‘No, she’s not male in the first place. How the hell did that Federation trash get her gender wrong?’
The scene he saw at the bathroom door kept replaying in Lin Yizhou’s mind, and the more he thought, the more unsettled he became.
To calm himself, Lin Yizhou took a deep breath, then spoke.
“I’ll have a pudding and a mousse cake, and a bowl of omurice with extra seasoning…”
After saying that, Lin Yizhou’s gaze fell on the similarly busy loli-type staff member not far away, and he pointed at her, adding,
“And finally, have that staff member draw a sweet heart on the omurice.”
Hearing this, even someone as composed as Su Ziling couldn’t help but falter. But fortunately, she was professionally trained and quickly regained her usual calm expression as she quipped,
“That’s going to take quite a shock, sir.”
“I know. Also, one Meiluke limited edition acrylic stand, please.”
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