After the engagement-breaking banquet, Su Yirao went to Yu Corporation to finish the remaining work, officially severing ties with the male lead, Yu Xingye, from the original storyline.
Typically, after dealing with the mess left by the Yu family, she would have gone to a seaside city for a few days to relax and reset her mood.
However, just as she was packing her suitcase, the doorbell rang.
With a guest at the door, Su Yirao had no choice but to put down what she was doing and answer it.
Zhou Huiying, her ambitious friend who had been frequently calling her about their coffee shop startup, stood at the door. But what puzzled Su Yirao was that she had brought Guan Qingtong along, the newly appointed manager.
She had just managed to escape the male lead, but now the female lead had found her at home?
It seemed the effort of changing her phone number was in vain.
Su Yirao felt a bit speechless.
She invited the two to sit on the luxurious leather sofa and then turned to pour them each a glass of water.
"Please, have a seat."
Su Yirao had no personal issues with Guan Qingtong, so she was still polite and accommodating.
"The next month is Valentine's Day, and I want to open the coffee shop on that day," Zhou Huiying, a straightforward and efficient person, got straight to the point.
"Up until now, we've only just settled on a location for the store. The renovation and promotion haven't even started. At this critical moment, how can you just abandon everything and go on vacation?"
As she spoke, Zhou Huiying quickly moved to Su Yirao's suitcase. Before Su Yirao could react, Zhou Huiying closed the suitcase, zipped it up, and pushed it into a corner of the living room.
Watching her friend's fluid actions, Su Yirao couldn't help but smile wryly and shake her head.
"You were torn between a mid-range and high-end brand before. Have you made a decision yet?"
"Why choose? I want both," Zhou Huiying replied without hesitation.
"You're quite greedy," Su Yirao sighed, glancing at Guan Qingtong before continuing. "Alright, you two don't need to guard me anymore. I'll start working on the grand opening event's proposal now, and I should have it ready by tonight."
"I've got other things to handle, so I won't stick around," Zhou Huiying said with a faint smile. She walked over to stand behind Guan Qingtong and patted her on the shoulder.
Then, she turned back to Su Yirao, "But given your history of running away, I'll have Qingtong keep an eye on you."
Just when Su Yirao wanted to avoid Guan Qingtong, it seemed she wouldn't be able to escape.
Su Yirao tried to smile but failed.
"Qingtong, make sure she stays put," Zhou Huiying instructed. "Don't let her leave until the proposal is done."
"Zhou Huiying, you're restricting my freedom! This is illegal detention!"
Zhou Huiying shrugged, "You brought this on yourself. You promised me that proposal ages ago, but here we are."
Feeling a bit guilty, Su Yirao rubbed her nose and refrained from arguing further.
"Alright, I'm off to finalize the renovation plans with the company. You stay here and finish the proposal. Bye."
With that, Zhou Huiying shot a meaningful glance at Guan Qingtong and quickly left.
In an instant, the living room was empty, leaving only Su Yirao and Guan Qingtong, who exchanged awkward glances in the silence.
The sudden quiet made Guan Qingtong uneasy, so she asked, "Sister, is there anything I can help with?"
Su Yirao pressed her lips together, then glanced at the clothes still lying outside of her suitcase. She covered her forehead and said, "There's not much you can help with... How about you put those clothes back in the suitcase for me?"
"Sister, are you still planning to go on vacation?" Guan Qingtong asked, surprised.
Su Yirao nodded as she walked into the room, answering, "I can still leave after finishing the proposal."
Vacation opportunities were rare; she had to cherish them.
...
After helping Su Yirao pack, Guan Qingtong sat idly on the sofa, listening to the occasional clicking of the keyboard and the sound of the mouse in the study.
Guan Qingtong remained silent for a long time, feeling uneasy about just sitting in someone else's home doing nothing.
She hesitated for a while before picking up the vacuum cleaner and starting to clean.
Two hours later, Su Yirao emerged from the study.
The freshly cleaned living room caught her by surprise. She walked quickly to the bathroom, where she found Guan Qingtong finishing up with a cloth.
"Guan Qingtong!"
The sudden shout startled Guan Qingtong so much that she nearly jumped.
With a face full of anger, Su Yirao demanded, "Why did you touch my things?"
Guan Qingtong turned around in confusion, her once-bright eyes now dimmed. She nervously clutched the damp cloth in her hands and whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't consider it thoroughly."
She tried to explain, "I just wanted to do something helpful, to assist you, Sister. I can't just take the salary without doing anything..."
"I don't need your help," Su Yirao's voice was calm but cold. "I've already sent the proposal to Zhou Huiying. You can leave now."
Su Yirao's cold and unrelenting demeanor left Guan Qingtong feeling wronged.
She fought back the urge to cry, forcing a smile and apologizing, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't like people touching your things. I'll leave now..."
Despite Su Yirao's harsh attitude, Guan Qingtong still finished rinsing the cloth before she left.
Finally, the living room was quiet again.
Su Yirao relaxed, the anger on her face fading as she surveyed the now-tidy living room.
Guan Qingtong... the female lead...
After a long moment, a pang of guilt made her frown and sigh deeply.
...
As the sun rose over the sandy beach, its rays shimmered on the horizon.
Soon, the dawn broke, filling the sky with golden light.
Su Yirao lounged in a deck chair, wearing an elegant, fashionable dress. She lazily leaned back, squinting against the sunlight, slowly waving a sunhat to ward off the heat.
In the past, she had suppressed her free-spirited nature to chase after Yu Xingye, becoming a complete workaholic.
Now, with the engagement broken and no more expectations or restraints, she was free and enjoying her own company.
If she could avoid the female lead in the future, her fate would likely change completely.
Su Yirao breathed in the salty sea air, feeling utterly content.
While she basked in her peaceful life, Zhou Huiying was dealing with a chaotic situation.
Zhou Huiying had anticipated that Guan Qingtong wouldn't be able to stop Su Yirao from going on vacation. After all, with the full proposal in hand, Zhou Huiying decided to let her friend enjoy her break.
First, it would give Su Yirao some time to relax. Second, it would help her process the emotional fallout from ending the engagement.
However, she hadn't expected that even with Su Yirao's detailed plan, she would still run into so many obstacles.
Su Yirao had indeed joined Yu Corporation to be closer to her fiancé, but she had earned her position there through skill and hard work.
With her experience in promoting major projects at Yu Corporation, creating a marketing plan for a small café was indeed overkill. But it also meant she overlooked some critical points.
Yu Corporation had a deep-rooted reputation in Yongcheng, and while not every project was a hit, they were trusted by the public.
However, trying to apply the same promotional strategies to a small, unknown café proved much more difficult.
For example, the strategy of partnering with nearby businesses for cross-promotion might have been easy for a Yu Corporation project, but for a small café, it was met with resistance from other businesses.
Zhou Huiying had visited numerous businesses, spent money, and given gifts, but the number of willing partners remained small.
Out of options, she called Su Yirao for help.
After explaining the situation, Zhou Huiying sighed, "Starting a new brand is so tough. You wouldn't believe what the few businesses that agreed to partner with us said. They only agreed because 'Miss Su and Miss Zhou are trusted customers,' and they're giving us face."
Listening to the complaints, Su Yirao sighed, "Don't worry. I've got a Plan B."
"What's Plan B?" Zhou Huiying paused before adding, "You've been on vacation for five days now, haven't you? It's time to get back to work and implement your Plan B."
Su Yirao opened her mouth to agree but hesitated. It felt like she was about to bite her tongue, and at the last moment, she changed her mind, asking, "By the way, is Guan Qingtong still there?"
"Of course, she is," Zhou Huiying replied. "The girl's smart and hardworking. I've got her overseeing the renovation right now. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing..."
"By the way, given the size of our store, we'll definitely need to hire a few more people later. Could you help me calculate the costs and figure out how to maximize efficiency?"
"Isn't that a bit outside my expertise..."
"It's our own store, so we need to save where we can. And you're perfectly capable of doing it."
"Suddenly, I don't want to come back."
"Don't be difficult!" Zhou Huiying said, "We're close to opening. If you bail now, what am I supposed to do? Come back; I'll book your flight."
After a brief hesitation, Su Yirao weakly asked, "Can I make a request?"
"Anything you want, as long as you don't run off on me!" Zhou Huiying promised confidently.
"I don't want to work with Guan Qingtong."
Zhou Huiying thought she had misheard and asked Su Yirao to repeat herself.
After a moment of silence, she asked, "What's the grudge between you two?"
"Did she steal your fiancé?"
In the original plot, sort of.
That's why the current Su Yirao wanted to avoid any chance of meeting the male and female leads.
"Wait, that's not right. You were the one who wanted to end the engagement, and the girl even helped you out," Zhou Huiying continued, still puzzled.
"Stop guessing. There's no grudge. I just don't like her. Some people's energies just naturally repel each other."
Zhou Huiying seemed to understand, "Ah, so you're saying your energy might be a bit off?"
"You once told me that Yu Xingye was destined to be your soulmate..."
Hearing her past mistakes brought up again, Su Yirao cringed, wanting to cover Zhou Huiying's mouth but unable to do anything over the phone.
"Don't make declarations you can't back up. They tend to come back to haunt you."
"Alright, I surrender. I have no demands. I'll take the next flight back." Su Yirao quickly gave in, fearing Zhou Huiying would dig up even more of her embarrassing past.
But it seemed fate had other plans.
The more she wanted to avoid Guan Qingtong, the sooner Guan Qingtong appeared in front of her.
Sure enough, as soon as she stepped out of Yongcheng Airport, she was greeted by Guan Qingtong's bright, youthful smile.