Zhu Yanyi felt a faint pang of guilt. She hadn’t spent enough time with Yan Aohan lately. No wonder she insisted on dragging her out today; she felt neglected.
On this journey of love, she had given much, but she sensed Yan Aohan had given even more. So, she naturally agreed to this small request.
They held hands and walked into the café. They didn’t ask for a private room, just a window seat, and ordered a pot of tea.
In Chinese cafés, tea is always available. It was winter, so Zhu Yanyi ordered authentic black tea.
She asked for a tea set and a portion of black tea leaves. She began brewing, then handed the cup to Yan Aohan. "I’ve been too busy to brew tea lately. I wonder if my skills have rusted."
Yan Aohan smiled, took a sip, and said, "It’s good. Your skills have always been excellent."
Zhu Yanyi glanced at her. "With you, even if I brew it badly, you’d say it’s good. You never criticize my tea."
Yan Aohan laughed. "Since you know that, why ask?"
"I just felt like asking." Zhu Yanyi made a funny face at her.
Seeing her like this, Yan Aohan was satisfied. her resentment over her neglect these past few days vanished.
They didn’t need many words. Often, a single glance conveyed their meaning. Zhu Yanyi knew Yan Aohan was unhappy about being ignored, and Yan Aohan understood her care through that cup of tea.
The atmosphere between them was particularly warm.
"You two look so cozy." Silver Fox appeared, sitting with them.
Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan looked at her. "How did you get here?" Zhu Yanyi asked.
Silver Fox raised an eyebrow. "Coincidence. This café is mine."
Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan chuckled. They passed by often but never guessed it belonged to Silver Fox.
"Tell me, which teahouse or café isn’t yours?" Zhu Yanyi asked directly.
Silver Fox glanced at her and signaled for some nuts and fruit snacks. "I don’t have much time in the capital for this. I only opened one teahouse and one café."
His implication was clear: I barely opened two places, and you’ve already visited both. What more do you want?
Zhu Yanyi looked at her with disdain. "You really can’t manage much. Look at your locations. The teahouse is in a deep alley, relying on 'good tea doesn’t fear deep alleys.' And this café? A library in front, a moat behind, a free park to the left, and a herbal medicine shop to the right. What kind of location is this?"
"I’m not opening shops to make money," Silver Fox defended himself. "I just liked the building. It was empty, so I opened a shop."
"What shop is hard to open? Why a café and teahouse? Honestly, Silver Fox, you’re no businessman. You can’t compare to my Aohan." Zhu Yanyi was thoroughly dismissive.
Yan Aohan smiled. If his wife said so, it was so. He didn’t care about anything else.
Silver Fox pointed at Zhu Yanyi, looking at Yan Aohan. "You just let her bully others like this?"
"You’re right," Yan Aohan nodded seriously. "She bullies others. They suffer, not her. Why should I be sad? I don’t worry. I actually enjoy seeing others suffer."
Silver Fox pointed at Yan Aohan, speechless. "You’re unbelievable. I have no words for you. You’re absolutely henpecked."
Yan Aohan didn’t deny it. "If you have the ability, try being henpecked too."
Silver Fox was speechless again. "Just you wait. One day, I’ll become henpecked too."
Zhu Yanyi: …
Yan Aohan: …
It seemed becoming henpecked was a trend, an honor, a spirit to pursue.
Zhu Yanyi coughed. "I don’t know if you’ll become henpecked, but I’m curious why you’re here today. Even if it’s your café, you wouldn’t necessarily come here."
"I’ve been staying here recently." Silver Fox looked out the window. With no moonlight, the streetlights seemed brighter. Snow was falling, adding a hazy, romantic mist to the scene.
Zhu Yanyi raised an eyebrow, looking at Yan Aohan. Yan Aohan looked at Silver Fox. "Because of Chonglou?"
"Not entirely for him," Silver Fox said calmly. "It’s nearly year-end. I need to review my assets. Staring at a boring person isn’t interesting. Besides, Chonglou won’t cause major trouble in the short term."
"He might cause minor trouble," Yan Aohan instantly caught the implication.
Silver Fox nodded. "Chonglou now knows that the information about Zhu Guifu and Gan Juhua coming to the capital was leaked by your father. Feeling guilty, he will target your father."
Zhu Yanyi raised an eyebrow. "Guilty? Why is she guilty? My father got the info from me. She should target me."
"He bullies the weak and fears the strong," Silver Fox said bluntly. "Who are you? The Little Divine Doctor. You have five or six bodyguards openly. How dare he target you?"
Zhu Yanyi glanced at Silver Fox. "I don’t think that’s the real reason she dares not target me."
Yan Aohan took over. "If I’m not mistaken, he doesn’t know your full strength, so he dares not target you. Instead, he targets my parents. In his mind, they are the easiest to deal with. After all, they came from Four Towns, so he thinks he understands them."
Zhu Yanyi nodded, sighing. "They say enemies know you best. But how can Chonglou think she understands my parents after years of no contact?"
"That’s confidence," Silver Fox grinned.
"Are you sure it’s confidence and not arrogance?" Zhu Yanyi doubted. "But Chonglou wanting to target my parents clearly means she’s bored and idle lately."