As Su Yirao stepped out of the bright airport terminal, the oppressive heat of Rong City engulfed her, making "stifling" the word most commonly running through the minds of passersby.
But despite the scorching heat, the sight of Guan Qingtong's cheerful smile ahead of her sent a chill through Su Yirao, momentarily dispelling the sweltering discomfort.
Since the system awakened her, it had instructed her to maintain the original character settings and continue the plot as it was. However, after giving these instructions, the system had gone dormant, allowing her the chance to distance herself from the male and female leads, potentially avoiding the absurdities of the original storyline.
As Su Yirao wrestled with her conflicting emotions, a cup of iced milk tea appeared in front of her.
"Sister Su, it's so hot in Rong City today. Here, have a cold drink to cool off," Guan Qingtong said, her bright eyes full of expectation.
"Thanks, but no," Su Yirao replied coolly, casting a glance at her before dragging her luggage past without taking the drink.
Distance and indifference—two strategies Su Yirao hoped would gradually widen the gap between her and Guan Qingtong, forcing her to retreat on her own.
But to her surprise, Guan Qingtong quickly caught up, slipping her arm through Su Yirao's and gently shaking it. Her voice was full of exaggerated sorrow as she began to plead.
"Sister, I heard from Sister Zhou Huiying that you don't want to see me, and that really hurt me. You saved my life, and you saved my mom's life too. You're my life's benefactor…"
"Stop!" Su Yirao pulled her arm free, gritting her teeth. "Zhou Huiying said I didn't want to see you?"
Zhou Huiying sold her out that quickly? Unbelievable!
Seeing the anger on Su Yirao's face, Guan Qingtong blinked innocently and played dumb. "Sister, I really made a mistake last time, touching your things. Please forgive me."
Guan Qingtong hadn't actually done anything wrong, and now she was apologizing and acting cute. Su Yirao found it hard to stay mad.
Awkwardly rubbing her nose, Su Yirao cleared her throat and changed the subject. "You look a little pale. Have you been sick, or are you just not getting enough rest?"
Guan Qingtong was taken aback by the concern in Su Yirao's voice. "Sister, you're so observant! I've been feeling a bit stuffy and nauseous the past couple of days. I'm definitely not in the best shape."
Su Yirao pondered for a moment. "I heard from Zhou Huiying that you were supervising the renovation site?"
"Yes," Guan Qingtong replied. "I wasn't feeling well, so Sister Zhou Huiying let me come out to pick you up and get some fresh air."
"You didn't get an air purifier?"
"No…" Guan Qingtong hesitated. "Sister, do you think my poor condition is because of the air quality at the renovation site?"
"You're smarter than you look," Su Yirao nodded.
The blazing sun beat down on them as they walked, and soon, a fine layer of sweat formed on Su Yirao's forehead.
Glancing at the milk tea in Guan Qingtong's hand, Su Yirao licked her dry lips and casually remarked, "So… you're planning to drink both of those yourself?"
Guan Qingtong looked down at the milk tea and then back up at the sweat beading on Su Yirao's forehead, letting out a giggle.
Realizing what she had just said, Su Yirao's expression froze, and she quickened her pace toward the parking lot.
"Sister, wait up!" Guan Qingtong called out, rushing to catch up. "I really can't drink both of these. Please help me out and have one."
Su Yirao eyed the milk tea again, wiped the sweat from her brow, and said firmly, "We're almost at the underground parking lot. It's cooler there. I don't need it."
Ignoring her protests, Guan Qingtong blocked Su Yirao's path, suppressing a laugh as she forced the milk tea into Su Yirao's hand.
"Sister, please help me out. I really can't finish both."
The coolness of the cup in her hand was undeniably refreshing.
Feigning reluctance, Su Yirao sighed. "You really can't finish it? You need my help?"
Guan Qingtong nodded eagerly. "Yes, Sister, please help me."
"Alright, I'll help you," Su Yirao agreed, as if doing her a big favor.
She took a small sip of the iced milk tea, hiding her satisfaction with an air of forced nonchalance.
Having accepted the drink, Su Yirao felt slightly indebted. She spoke casually, "Guan Qingtong, tell Zhou Huiying that we're heading to the appliance store to buy an air purifier. We'll meet her later."
Guan Qingtong agreed, catching a glimpse of Su Yirao's feigned indifference and the way she eagerly drank the milk tea.
Suddenly recalling how Su Yirao had been so reluctant yet eager to ask for the drink, Guan Qingtong couldn't help but laugh again.
"Sister Su, you're so cute!"
Su Yirao paused mid-sip, her expression stiffening as she stopped in her tracks.
Realizing her mistake, Guan Qingtong quickly closed her mouth, her eyes darting as she scrambled to think of something to say.
But Su Yirao's face suddenly loomed closer, her subtle fragrance filling Guan Qingtong's senses.
"Guan Qingtong, me, cute?" Su Yirao's tone was calm, almost gentle, without a hint of anger.
The close proximity allowed Guan Qingtong to study Su Yirao's features more closely.
Her almond-shaped eyes were captivating, her nose delicate and perfectly shaped, and her lips just the right fullness. Each feature was attractive on its own, but together on Su Yirao's face, they were stunning. The confident aura and the elegance she exuded only enhanced her beauty.
She's really, really, really beautiful!
And her skin was flawless, glowing with a healthy radiance under the sunlight.
Guan Qingtong struggled to maintain her composure, fighting the urge to reach out and touch Su Yirao's face.
Su Yirao continued, "Guan Qingtong, with this face of mine, I'm more of a mature type, even if I'm not exactly an ice queen. How could I possibly be cute?"
Whether it was the heat or the warmth of Su Yirao's breath, Guan Qingtong's ears began to burn.
She touched her flushed earlobe, instinctively taking a few steps back to put some distance between them.
Guan Qingtong's gaze darted around, unsure where to look. She stammered, "Uh-huh, I was wrong. Sister Su, you're more of an adult beauty, not cute. We should hurry to the appliance store. Sister Zhou is waiting for us."
As she watched Guan Qingtong hastily retreat, Su Yirao couldn't help but smile triumphantly, her lips curving into a wider grin.
Does the female lead think she can mock me?
Ha, not so easily.
…
After Su Yirao's return, "Qi Yu" café was finally ready to open after a month of intense preparations, launching on the romantic day of May 20th.
Despite a multi-pronged promotional campaign—grand opening announcements, online delivery platform ads, and collaboration with local businesses—the opening day's foot traffic fell short of expectations.
Standing at the entrance of "Qi Yu," Su Yirao anxiously noted the dwindling number of customers, all seemingly heading in the same direction.
Five minutes later, Guan Qingtong returned after investigating where the crowd was going.
Catching her breath, she reported, "Sister Su, there's a big outdoor terrace event ahead. The mall seems to be hosting something for Valentine's Day, and everyone's heading over to join in."
Su Yirao recalled hearing about this event earlier.
At the time, the mall's partner had mentioned canceling the event in favor of renting the space to a high-paying exhibitor for Valentine's Day.
Plans changed quickly, and the exhibition was canceled.
The mall event was back on.
Su Yirao lowered her head, deep in thought. "Your Sister Zhou chose this day to open so we could ride the wave of Valentine's Day traffic. Now that the mall is hosting this event, we can't just sit back and do nothing."
"What should we do, Sister?" Guan Qingtong asked.
"Send Xiao Lin to the back to tell Sister Zhou what's happening. Then we'll go to the event and do some promotion," Su Yirao instructed. "Bring some free coffee vouchers and discount coupons, and take one of our 'Qi Yu' café's promotional pillows for visibility."
Having worked with Su Yirao for over a month, Guan Qingtong was now accustomed to her meticulous approach, ensuring every detail was covered.
Soon after, the two of them were out promoting at the Valentine's Day event.
The area was buzzing, with the crowd growing larger by the minute.
Dutifully, they handed out coffee coupons and advertised the opening day promotions, hoping the post-event crowd would stop by the café and boost business.
But their dedication to the task meant they didn't pay much attention to the emcee's announcements over the loudspeakers.
They only noticed when the bustling crowd suddenly surged forward, pushing them closer to the stage.
"Whoa!" Guan Qingtong exclaimed as she was jostled by the crowd, particularly a pushy couple behind her.
Standing close, Su Yirao saw Guan Qingtong being shoved and grabbed her to keep her steady.
But Guan Qingtong, startled by the sudden grip on her arm, almost stumbled.
Almost, because at the last moment, Su Yirao's quick reflexes pulled her back, avoiding a fall.
Well, Guan Qingtong avoided falling but ended up in Su Yirao's arms instead.
"Be careful in the crowd," Su Yirao advised just as they were pushed forward by the couple behind them.
Wait… it was getting less crowded near the stage.
Were people getting onstage?
Curious, Su Yirao calculated their position and was about to release Guan Qingtong when another shove from behind sent them both onto the stage.
"Oh wow! Look at this newly arrived couple… two girls, and they're hugging! They're so cute!" The emcee's voice, now loud and clear, finally reached their ears.
Suddenly, the crowd erupted in surprised cheers.
"Ha ha ha, Rong City has always been open-minded and respectful of all kinds of love," the emcee smoothly continued, "and same-sex couples are welcome to participate in the event too."
"Let's count them up. Including them, we have ten couples on stage."
"Alright, those who didn't make it this time can join in the next round."