Stop Misleading My Kitty

The little boy pattered over to the display case, his small finger tracing back and forth against the glass.

Mrs. Lin stood up. Her gaze swept over the dazzling array of desserts in the cabinet before finally settling on her usual spot.

"I'll have my usual, a lemon tart."

"I want to eat this banana caramel toffee pie," the little boy turned his head to look at his mother, pointing at the dessert inside the case.

"Alright, we'll get that one." Mrs. Lin nodded to the server, her tone full of doting affection.

Pleased, the server swiftly opened the case and took out the toffee pie with tongs.

"No need to box it up, he's going to eat it right now."

The server obliged, placing it on a paper tray and carefully handing it to the little boy.

The child took the tray, completely ignoring the fork beside it. He grabbed the pie with his bare hands, opened his mouth wide, and took a huge bite.

The very next second, his entire little face scrunched up.

"Blegh! Pfft, blegh!"

A mouthful of cream mixed with pie crumbs was ruthlessly spat out.

"Mommy! What is this stuff! It's too sweet! It's like eating a lump of sugar, it's so gross!"

He shrieked, and with a fling of his small hand, the toffee pie—with only one bite taken out of it—flew out in a parabolic arc.

With a splat, it smashed into a pile of mush on the pristine tile floor. Pale yellow cream sauce smeared everywhere in a disastrous mess.

The entire shop instantly fell silent.

The server's face paled. She quickly grabbed her cleaning tools and ran over. "It's okay, it's okay, I'll clean it up."

Mrs. Lin looked a bit embarrassed. She walked briskly to the cash register and pulled out her phone.

"I am so sorry, my child has been spoiled. Let me settle the bill first."

The server had to put down the broom and turn around to ring her up.

Just as she was about to include the cost of the toffee pie, a cold, clear voice came from behind.

"Forget about the money for the toffee pie."

Yue Yiqing had walked out at some point. She looked expressionlessly at the mess on the floor, her gaze entirely unruffled.

She walked up to Mrs. Lin, her voice terrifyingly calm.

"Our food didn't suit the child's taste. It's not his fault."

Seeing that Boss Yue wasn't going to pursue the matter, Mrs. Lin was relieved. She paid the bill and nodded with a smile.

She really did like their lemon tart; the sweet and sour balance was perfect, and she came to get one for afternoon tea every day.

As for the rest... they were so sweet it made people want to keep their distance.

At this moment, Lin Mo suddenly walked out from the back.

"Please wait a moment, miss."

Lin Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced clearly through the quiet of the shop, causing Mrs. Lin, who was just about to leave, to stop in her tracks.

She turned around in surprise: "Is something the matter?"

Yue Yiqing's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and an ominous premonition surged up.

Lin Mo didn't look at her. His gaze landed on Mrs. Lin, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Pardon me for asking, but you must be a regular at this shop, right?"

"Yes, I quite like the lemon tart here," Mrs. Lin nodded in admission.

"Only the lemon tart?"

Lin Mo pressed on. His tone was flat, but it cut to the core of the issue like a precise scalpel.

"You must have tried the other desserts here too. For your palate, aren't they... a bit too sweet?"

As his words fell, Yue Yiqing's spine instantly stiffened.

This question was too sharp, and far too lethal.

This Mrs. Lin had indeed bought other things in the past, but recently, rain or shine, she only bought the lemon tart.

Could a regular customer's choice with their wallet not explain the problem? If even she felt this way, then what did her proud, authentic recipes brought all the way back from France amount to?

Mrs. Lin froze. She looked at Lin Mo, then subconsciously glanced at the pale-faced Yue Yiqing, looking somewhat conflicted.

She was a decent person and didn't want to embarrass anyone to their face.

"Actually..."

She chose her words carefully, "Actually, I've had the other desserts here. Whether it's the appearance or the taste, they are almost exactly the same as what I tasted at famous local shops when I went abroad. They are very authentic."

Yue Yiqing breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed the Mrs. Lin in front of her was still quite knowledgeable.

"But?" Lin Mo added.

Praise first, then criticize.

Hearing this word, Yue Yiqing also instantly understood; Mrs. Lin just hadn't wanted to be too blunt.

She took a deep breath, her throat a bit dry, but still managed to squeeze out a bitter smile. "Mrs. Lin, please speak frankly. I can understand."

Hearing this, Mrs. Lin finally made up her mind and said honestly, "But they are too sweet, so sweet that it's cloying. Your bread here is fine, but most of the French desserts have this problem. You can't handle more than a bite or two. It's just as sweet as what I had abroad."

After saying that, as if afraid the scene would become too awkward, she hurriedly pulled money from her wallet and placed it on the counter, then dragged her child away in a rush, as if staying a second longer would be unbearable.

Yue Yiqing stood frozen in place, her vacant gaze falling on the counter.

But right now, she felt that those certificates didn't seem to add any points to the taste.

Then, she saw the Basque cheesecake and macarons on the counter, each with only a single bite taken out of them.

"I hope you can understand, the highest praise a Guangdong local can give a dessert is that it's not sweet."

He pointed at the discarded macaron. "And yours isn't just sweet anymore, it's cloying."

With that, Lin Mo casually strolled to the counter and tapped the glass lightly with his knuckles.

"Is there coffee on the menu?"

The server next to them, made nervous by the highly oppressive atmosphere, answered instinctively, "N-no, but there's a coffee machine in the kitchen."

"Heh."

Lin Mo let out a short sneer and shook his head, looking at her as if she were an idiot.

"Unbelievable. When the French eat desserts, they pair them with either coffee or black tea. Who eats them dry? You sell sweets that could choke someone with sugar, yet you don't provide anything to cut the richness?"

He looked around. The shop was clearly very large, yet there wasn't even a single table where someone could sit and rest.

"You make people buy and leave, to eat at home? Do you think on a hot day like this, your mousse and cream will last until the customers get home? Or do you think a melted lump of dessert is going to be some wonderful experience?"

His words grew more cutting and piercing with every sentence.

Yue Yiqing's face flushed red and then turned pale. Her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Because everything he said was the truth.

Lin Mo turned his head, his gaze falling back onto her. The previous playfulness was gone from his eyes, leaving only a pure, condescending scrutiny.

"Boss Yue, you don't know how to do business at all."

He paused, then delivered an even more fatal blow.

"Furthermore, I seriously doubt whether you actually know how to make desserts."

Finally, he dropped a warning. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone.

"So, stop misleading my Miaomiao."