You can even kill me if you want.

While the two were enjoying their coffee, Xia Zhiyu walked over, having already washed the dishes with practiced ease.

She had been working since she was a child, so all kinds of chores were a piece of cake for her.

Actually, she was quite a good cook. If Su Yang didn't have his God of Cooking skill, he wouldn't be a match for her at all.

But who could blame Su Yang for having such an overpowered skill?

Seeing Xia Zhiyu approach, Su Yang immediately waved his hand. "Little Yu, come here. What do you want to drink? I can make coffee or fruit tea. This place is basically a coffee shop."

Xia Zhiyu smiled and curiously looked at the setup on the bar counter. Then, she walked behind the counter and asked, "What is Sister Xiaolu drinking?"

"I'm having a latte."

"Then I'll have a latte too."

"Sure. How about you? Do you want another cup?"

"Alright, you've already drunk most of mine anyway," Lu Yun joked.

"No problem." Su Yang snapped his fingers and quickly made two more lattes for them.

However, the latte art for the two cups was different. This time, Su Yang poured a large, solid heart for Lu Yun.

For Xia Zhiyu, he poured a rather complex swan.

In truth, how could Su Yang not understand what Lu Yun meant?

Lu Yun was a very pure girl with almost no scheming thoughts. What else could wanting a heart shape mean?

How could Su Yang not indulge her occasional little romantic thoughts?

But he also had his own reasons for pouring a more complex swan for Xia Zhiyu.

He hoped that Xia Zhiyu, who used to be an ugly duckling, would one day transform into a beautiful white swan loved by everyone.

Seeing the beautiful swan on the surface of Xia Zhiyu's coffee, Lu Yun's face was filled with envy.

Xia Zhiyu held her coffee cup and bit her lip. Perhaps in that moment, she understood Su Yang's intention.

"Thank you, Brother Su Yang."

"What are you thanking me for? Don't be so polite with me! You guys can come here anytime you want from now on, you know? Do whatever you want. Whatever you want to eat or drink, I'll make it for you."

"Don't be shy or feel awkward about it at all."

Lu Yun certainly wouldn't be shy, but Xia Zhiyu still felt a bit self-conscious.

After all, she hadn't known Su Yang for very long. Even though he had helped her a lot and could even be considered a noble benefactor in her life, she still needed some time to truly open up.

Whether as friends or lovers, both sides start out as strangers, and the process of growing closer always takes some time.

Looking at Xia Zhiyu's cute face, Su Yang smiled with a hint of fondness.

In truth, he had never had that kind of romantic interest in Xia Zhiyu from the very beginning. At first, it was purely out of sympathy.

Later on, he started to treat the girl like his own little sister.

Mainly, Xia Zhiyu's past life had been too miserable, and he couldn't bear the thought of taking advantage of her.

He genuinely wanted to help this girl, but being overly enthusiastic for no apparent reason could sometimes backfire.

Su Yang stared at Xia Zhiyu and thought to himself: Little Yu is really well-behaved. Hey? Why don't I just acknowledge her as my god-sister?

Wait? That actually seems like a good idea. I don't have any siblings, and this girl Little Yu has no family left in this world. If I take her as my sister, I can protect her in the future. Treating her well openly and honestly would then be perfectly justified, wouldn't it?

Hey? It works, it really works!

System, what is Little Yu's affection level towards me?

[80]

Damn, it's that high?

Su Yang naturally knew what an affection level of 80 meant. That was love, not friendship or any other emotion.

When someone deeply likes you, but you want to become sworn siblings with them, it would inevitably make them feel a bit disappointed.

Su Yang suppressed his thoughts, planning to discuss it with Lu Yun later and have her sound it out first.

If it was possible, he would go ahead with it. If she wasn't willing, he would drop it and let nature take its course. He would deal with it when the time came.

Seeing Su Yang staring at her continuously, Xia Zhiyu said shyly, "Brother Su Yang, what... what's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thought of something."

"I need to get a cup for myself too."

He stuck to his usual: simple and straightforward, just an iced Americano.

The three of them took their coffees, sat down on the sofa, and chatted idly.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was 1:00 PM.

Su Yang had originally wanted to cook a sumptuous lunch for the two of them, but a friend of Lu Yun's had something to discuss with her.

Xia Zhiyu felt a bit too embarrassed to stay alone with Su Yang, so she left with Lu Yun.

Su Yang suddenly remembered that his Turbo S was still parked near the barbecue restaurant, so he hopped into Lu Yun's car to head out together.

Arriving at the roadside, Su Yang said goodbye to the two and got out of the car.

Before getting out, he specifically chatted with Lu Yun on WeChat about that matter. Lu Yun was very supportive and told him to wait for news.

After the two left, Su Yang hailed a taxi and headed toward the street where they had eaten barbecue last night.

In less than fifteen minutes, he arrived at his car, opened the door, and got in.

Sitting in the car and watching the busy street, Su Yang muttered to himself, "What should I do now? I'm alone again."

"Hmm... Right, that little girl I met at Yulong Snow Mountain is still waiting for me to treat her. The deadline is within thirty days, so it's still early. After I finish tomorrow's business, I might have to go to Panpan's house for dinner again."

"I'll contact that girl after dinner. Wait, what was her name again?"

[Li Muhan, Chen Xiaowan]

The system reminded him right on time.

"Oh, right, Li Muhan and Chen Xiaowan. I forgot to ask where they were from at the time, but it doesn't matter. I have their WeChat anyway. I'll go find them in a couple of days and turn in this quest."

"The main issue is, where do I go now? There's nothing to do at home. How about I go find Lin Yiyi for a chat?"

At the thought of this, the corners of Su Yang's mouth curled up unconsciously.

After struggling for a few seconds, he eventually dismissed the idea.

"Ah, forget it."

"I know, I'll go to Lianwu Lake and check on the construction progress."

No sooner said than done. He started the car, pulled out of the parking spot, stepped on the gas, and drove toward Lianwu Lake.

Over the next few hours, Su Yang arrived at the Painting Village by Lianwu Lake and checked on his small courtyard, which was nearing completion.

Looking at the construction progress, there was absolutely no problem finishing it within the quest's time limit. A small fortune would soon hit his account.

Su Yang was very satisfied. He stayed at the site for a while before driving back to the city.

By the time he reached the city, it was already 6:30 PM.

While stuck in traffic, a WeChat message popped up.

Su Yang opened it. He had thought it would be from Pan Ning or one of the girls, but it was actually from his good bro, Song Anquan.

"Good bro, is your road trip over? Are you back in Haicheng yet?"

Su Yang typed a reply: "I got back yesterday. What's up?"

"After my honeymoon ended, I went back to Hangcheng to wrap things up there. Now I'm in Haicheng."

"Oh? Are you already here or on your way?"

"I'm here."

"That's perfect! I was just worrying about having nothing to do by myself. Did your wife come with you?"

"That is a given, she follows me wherever I go~"

"Haha, alright, alright, so where are you guys right now?"

"Oh right, I was just about to tell you. Why don't you take a guess first?"

Su Yang scratched his chin and replied, "How am I supposed to guess? You don't come to Haicheng often, and it is not like we have some secret base."

"Do you remember my distant cousin?"

Seeing the words 'distant cousin', Su Yang immediately recalled the girl he had met at Song Anquan's wedding.

The two of them had a pretty good chat back then. Su Yang had kept saying he would drop by her coffee shop for a bit once he returned to Haicheng, but he still had not gone.

"Jiang Mengyun!!"

Su Yang quickly typed a reply, "Of course I remember, it is Mengyun~ What is up? Are you at her shop?"

"Yup~"

"Aren't you guys not that close? You still keep in touch privately?"

"We really aren't close. I haven't contacted her since my wedding."

"Then why are you at her coffee shop?"

Song Anquan replied, "It is hard to explain in just a few words. Aren't you free right now? Why don't you come over and we can talk in detail?"

"Alright, wait for me, I will be right there!!"

"Great, I will wait for you. We haven't eaten yet anyway, so we will wait for you to join us. My treat!"

Su Yang smiled and replied, "Alright~ I am definitely going to fleece you for a good meal!"

"Forget about fleecing me for a meal, you could even butcher me if you want~"

......