Back at her seat, Lu Haiqiao noticed an extra cup of black coffee in front of her.
Under the sunlight, the usually dark brown liquid had a faint golden hue, and the round ice cube inside slowly swirled as it melted in the cup.
As she sat down, she immediately caught a rich aroma.
"If you don't want dessert, have a cup of coffee."
Hearing Xie Xuan's voice, Lu Haiqiao looked up.
"Thank you," she said.
Xie Xuan suddenly sat up straight, his arm resting on the table, and he lifted his chin slightly. "Try it."
Lu Haiqiao seemed to have guessed something. As she raised the cup, a slight smile played on her lips.
"Did you make this?" she asked.
"Although I've worked in a coffee shop before, this is my first time." The implication was that he had only made coffee for her.
After taking a sip, Lu Haiqiao provided an honest assessment, "It's sweet, sour, and bitter."
After taking a sip, she commented truthfully, "It tastes sweet, sour, and bitter."
When their gazes met, Xie Xuan asked in confusion, "Then what is it?"
Lu Haiqiao made a nonchalant sound and slowly said, "However, it's just right."
Huh?
Xie Xuan narrowed his eyes and ran his thumb along the glass cup.
Little Marshmallow seemed to know how to tantalize one's taste buds.
…
After finishing the coffee, Xie Xuan snapped his fingers at the waiter, indicating that he wanted the bill.
The waiter approached and said, "Hello, the young lady has already settled the bill.".
Xie Xuan looked at Lu Haiqiao.
She elegantly picked up her bag and spoke in a soft and gentle tone, "I'll cover the bill this time. You can treat me next time."
They would have many more next time.
"Where are you going? I'll send you," Xie Xuan said as he stood up, his gaze fixed on her slender figure, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
Lu Haiqiao clearly felt her phone vibrating in her bag twice in a row. It was a signal that her anti-tracking program had been breached.
It took Lu Xuege a total of two hours and twenty-one minutes from the beginning to the end.
It seemed that her anti-tracking skills had improved; she had added thirty more minutes since the last time.
"No need," she said. "My cousin is already waiting for me downstairs."
…
It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when they got home.
She removed her hairstyle, took off her formal dress, and went to the bathroom for a relaxing shower.
As soon as she came out, she heard her phone vibrate.
She walked to her desk, one hand drying her hair, the other picking up her phone.
It was a WeChat message from Xie Xuan.
XX: "Have you reached home?"
She paused in the middle of drying her hair, her hands holding the phone.
She was about to type a reply when her eyes caught the nickname at the top of the chat window.
XX…
It reminded her of solving unknowns in math class back in the day.
But they had already had a meal together; they shouldn't be unknowns to each other anymore, right
She stared at the screen for a few seconds, then tapped on Xie Xuan's profile picture to enter the settings.
She first typed 'Xie Xuan' in the nickname, looked at it for a moment, then deleted it and changed it to 'Ahxuan'. After mumbling it quietly a few times, she deleted it again and changed it to 'Xuan'.
After a few minutes of back and forth, she finally entered 'mystery' and clicked 'Done'.
Back in the chat window, Lu Haiqiao replied, "I'm home."
Mystery replied instantly, "It's good that you're home."
The conversation seemed to have reached its natural conclusion.
Xie Xuan had the same idea, so he put down his phone, his long fingers dancing gracefully on the keyboard.
The foreign IP that bought the painting logged in just fifteen seconds before making the purchase, and the short time frame made tracking more challenging than expected.