After a brief moment of surprise, Guan Qingtong turned around with a smile and said, "Of course!"
That had been her initial plan all along.
She had been considering how to put it into action, but Su Yirao's straightforward suggestion made things much easier.
"Well then..." Su Yirao pondered aloud, "My burn won't heal anytime soon. How about you don't move into the staff dormitory for now and stay at my place instead?"
"Ah!" Guan Qingtong was pleasantly surprised.
The staff dormitory was certainly more comfortable than staying at the hospital, but it couldn't compare to Su Yirao's offer.
Not to mention the specific living conditions, just the fact that the dormitory was full of gossiping coworkers was enough to give Guan Qingtong a headache.
Those who gossiped behind Lin Youqi's back today could easily gossip about her tomorrow.
Guan Qingtong, freshly out of school and still carrying a bit of that student aura, naturally had no interest in associating with people who liked to gossip.
"What's the matter? Don't want to?" Su Yirao raised an eyebrow when Guan Qingtong didn't respond immediately. "If you don't want to, I can always take care of it at the hospital."
Guan Qingtong snapped out of her thoughts and immediately replied with a beaming smile, "Of course I want to!"
...
The long night faded into darkness, and dawn was about to break.
As the sky lightened, Guan Qingtong had already dressed and prepared a pot of century egg and lean meat congee.
"So early?" Su Yirao, still sleepy, sluggishly walked into the kitchen to wash her hands.
"This is my usual routine at home," Guan Qingtong said nervously. "Sis, I went ahead and used your kitchen without asking..."
The last time she had used Su Yirao's things without permission, it had caused quite an uproar.
Though she had learned her lesson, this time, for some reason, Guan Qingtong impulsively decided to test Su Yirao's attitude again by doing something without asking first.
If there was a change, it would mean Su Yirao had truly accepted her.
Su Yirao dried her hands with a towel and slowly sat down at the dining table, gently blowing on the steaming bowl of congee.
Unaware of the thoughts running through Guan Qingtong's mind, she simply smiled and said, "It's no big deal. You used the kitchen, and now I get to enjoy some congee. Thanks."
Guan Qingtong's eyes brightened a little more, and she suppressed her happiness as she added, "Sis, I also need to take a bowl of congee to the hospital later for my mom..."
"That's fine. Just be at the café on time before work starts."
As she spoke, Su Yirao seemed to remember something, and her previously relaxed expression turned serious.
"Where's Xiao Lin? Is she up? Where did she go?"
"She's already left," Guan Qingtong replied after a brief pause, somewhat regretfully. "She didn't want to disturb you early in the morning, so she just left. Before she did, she mentioned she's considering quitting… maybe..."
"Because I turned her down?" Su Yirao found it amusing. "She had the guts to confess but not the guts to face rejection? So now she plans to run away?"
Guan Qingtong pulled out a chair and sat across from Su Yirao, pondering aloud, "That might be part of it. But mostly, she doesn't want to face the coworkers who look at her differently."
Su Yirao gently stirred the congee with her spoon to let off some steam, then took out her phone and dialed Lin Youqi's number.
The call was rejected twice before it was finally answered.
"What's going on? Can't face us, so you decided to run off?"
Guan Qingtong thought that in such a situation, Lin Youqi would need comfort, and Su Yirao's sharp words might only make things worse. So, she quietly felt a bit worried for Xiao Lin.
"Yao-jie, I..."
Su Yirao continued, "Liking someone isn't wrong. The ones at fault are those who gossip and wait to see you fall. If you back down and run away now, you'll only encourage their behavior."
"If I were you, I'd stay."
"I'd work on becoming better step by step, not just to impress the person I like but also to show those gossipers how wrong they are!"
Su Yirao paused, her voice softening with a hint of a smile. "Besides, does liking me make you feel so ashamed that you have to flee?"
Up until this point, her words had been full of encouragement. But hearing this last sentence nearly made Guan Qingtong choke on her congee. She quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from coughing and interrupting Su Yirao's conversation.
Su Yirao glanced at her, raising an eyebrow before slowly saying, "Is it not normal for someone to like me?"
It wasn't clear who she was addressing, but under Su Yirao's raised eyebrow, Guan Qingtong could only nod repeatedly.
With a smile still on her lips, Su Yirao turned her attention away from her.
On the other end of the line, Lin Youqi seemed a bit moved. "Yao-jie, liking you isn't shameful. I… I just can't get over it."
"You had the courage to confess in a game, so why not find the courage to challenge those people in the game of life?" Su Yirao continued, "I won't accept your confession. But since you call me 'jie,' I have to tell you: life is yours to live, and other people's opinions are just that—opinions."
Su Yirao added, "As your boss, I expect you to be at the café on time for work today. That's all I'll say. Think it over."
Without waiting for Lin Youqi to respond, Su Yirao hung up the phone decisively.
"Do you think she'll come?" Guan Qingtong asked curiously.
"I don't know," Su Yirao replied bluntly, showing none of the seriousness or confidence she had just displayed.
"Oh, and send me the summary of everyone's salary for this month when you have a chance."
Guan Qingtong nodded, then her eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, "Sis, are you going to fire someone?"
Salaries were usually calculated monthly, and the month was only half over.
Requesting the salary summary now could only mean someone was getting fired, right?
Was it because of the gossiping behind Xiao Lin's back?
Guan Qingtong lowered her eyes, stirring the steaming congee with more force as her thoughts drifted.
Su Yirao's expression grew serious as she said calmly, "Let's have a talk first. If it doesn't go well, we'll see."
"Oh..." Guan Qingtong responded lazily, taking a sip of her congee, only to find it still too hot.
She frowned and began stirring the congee with her spoon again, trying to cool it down.
As if sensing her thoughts, Su Yirao explained, "Rong City, as an international metropolis, is known for its openness and freedom. Their discriminatory views are narrow-minded and short-sighted, which is not good for the team and could eventually affect the café's business..."
So, it was still a business decision.
Guan Qingtong suddenly understood and found that the congee had finally cooled enough. She began to eat in large spoonfuls.
Oddly enough, though it was her own cooking, the congee tasted even better today...
...
Perhaps it was Su Yirao's words that had an impact, as Xiao Lin arrived at the café early, neatly dressed and on time for work.
Guan Qingtong arrived a bit later after delivering breakfast to her mother, just barely making it on time.
"Guan Qingtong, thanks for helping me last night," Lin Youqi said quietly, apologizing. "You and Yao-jie were the only ones who were willing to help me."
"It was nothing, just a small favor," Guan Qingtong replied casually.
Lin Youqi hesitated before saying, "There's something I've been wanting to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Are you… my love rival?" Lin Youqi asked directly, looking her in the eye. "During the game at the KTV last night, you didn't confess to Yao-jie, but I could sense that you also want to get closer to her."
A woman's intuition had made Lin Youqi feel a sense of urgency.
That was why she had taken the risk and confessed to Su Yirao during the game.