Not as Good as a Potted Plant.

"Ah Hai, I knew I wasn't wrong about you! You really kept your promise! Hehehehehe, we didn't even exchange WeChat, and I thought you might just stand me up and not show up!"

Lin Mu quickly trotted over to the two of them, her eyes landing on the strange large bag in Lu Qing's hand. She asked curiously, "What's that?"

"A potted plant, for you."

Lu Qing handed over the potted plant he had bought earlier at the flower shop.

"A plant??"

"Yeah."

Lin Mu's face froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the gesture.

"Why are you giving me a plant? That wasn't part of our bet."

She took the bag, glancing at the lush green leaves inside, utterly baffled.

"Well, I noticed your shop is filled with all sorts of equipment but lacks any greenery, so I bought you a spider plant. Thought you could use some fresh air."

Lu Qing delivered this very serious explanation with a completely straight face, which even made his younger sister, Su Ling, feel a bit puzzled.

"?"

[So, my brother used the time he was supposed to have lunch with me to go buy a potted plant instead??]

"..."

——「I’m not as important as a potted plant」.

…

…

Lin Mu was beaming.

She happily held the spider plant and placed it in the most prominent spot on the windowsill, right where the sunlight could hit it.

"Hehe, Ah Hai, look at you, being so polite! Coming to spend money and even bringing a gift! Really, I don’t know what to say!"

Being the mischievous little brat she was, Lin Mu didn’t hold back her words, always saying whatever came to mind—

"Though you’re a bit of a playboy, you’re surprisingly thoughtful!"

"? Say that again!"

"...Hey, what’s the big deal!? Kids say the darndest things, if you get mad, you’re just petty!"

"Huh?? Don’t think just because you’re a rich loli you can do whatever you want."

"I can and I will! Just watch me!"

Lin Mu giggled as she ran back behind the counter, gesturing for the siblings to take their favorite seats. "Look, today I’m not taking any other customers. I’ve locked the door, and I won’t open it until you’ve had four cups of coffee~"

"Wow, imprisoning your customers, huh? Your shop’s theme is getting wilder by the day."

"? Are you questioning my business strategy!"

"Not questioning, just criticizing."

"...You!"

The two of them bickered almost nonstop.

Su Ling watched this exchange, feeling a sense of unease:

Why does my brother seem so relaxed and natural around her, unlike how he is at home or outside?

He looks so at ease, so comfortable, and so... himself.

The fatigue on his face disappears when he jokes with Lin Mu.

In this Twilight Café, he seems to find a sense of peace and comfort that’s hard to come by elsewhere.

Su Ling knew that this kind of experience was priceless.

After all, there’s no place where the shop is opened just for one person, and the music played just for one.

If,

for Lin Mu, "Yin Ci P" was like an unattainable dream—a mentor, a role model, someone she admired but dared not approach—

then the brother now disguised as a playboy was someone who was both down-to-earth and deeply intertwined with her life, someone who could penetrate her heart—

someone who could simultaneously "encourage her," "challenge her," "guide her," "control her," "influence her," "observe her," and even "redeem her when necessary."

Yes, no one else could even come close to entering Lin Mu’s life.

And Lin Mu herself didn’t seem to realize that no other customer could possibly understand her as well as he did, or even dissect her every motive.

Would she ever open up to anyone other than "Yin Ci P"?

Hadn’t she noticed that her brother had already anticipated her thoughts and emotions?

This kind of precise approach was undeniably effective.

Without thorough preparation, who could possibly break into the heart of a rich loli?

"She’s so naive."

Su Ling shook her head inwardly.

……

The two of them quickly took their seats.

Today, Lu Qing seemed to have a plan.

He swiftly set up his equipment, opened his laptop, and, under Lin Mu’s curious gaze, connected to the Wi-Fi and launched the premium version of WPS.

He even created a new document and typed three words—

【

"..."

Su Ling, sitting close by, knew that her brother was likely planning to work today.

He intended to use the large chunk of time in the afternoon to write and polish the beginning of his new book, probably to submit it to that editor.

Sure enough, he placed his hands on the keyboard and, before starting, turned his head and said,

"Order whatever you want to eat or drink, I’ll pay later."

"Okay…"

The girl, knowing he was about to enter work mode, nodded understandingly and scanned the QR code on the table with her phone, deciding to order some of his usual favorites.

At that moment, Lin Mu couldn’t hold back any longer. She came up the stairs with a tray, saying, "Here, I made some treats for you... they’re samples! Help me taste them...!"

Su Ling’s eyes sharpened as she looked over.

On the tray were several exquisitely crafted pastries—colorful macarons, caramel cream Danish, chocolate canelés, and other delicacies that were clearly prepared in advance.

This made her frown slightly. "Lin Mu... are you giving away this much food again? This is way beyond the portion for samples."

"Ah, just call me Xiao Mu. I think we’re about the same age, so calling me 'sister' might just confuse things."

Lin Mu happily walked over and placed the treats on the table in front of them, completely unfazed by Su Ling’s concern.

However, there was some debate about the age issue.

Strictly speaking, Su Ling had taken a two-year break from school and hadn’t started college early, so she didn’t know that Lin Mu had also taken a break.

In her network, the mischievous girl never mentioned anything about school, leading to some misjudgment.

But calling a loli "sister" wasn’t exactly a smooth title either.

"Alright, Xiao Mu." Su Ling didn’t dwell on it and simply accepted the suggestion.

Lin Mu, hearing this, was delighted and giggled,

"Great! Now, what should I call you..."

She paused at the table, thinking for a few seconds, then suddenly had an idea!

"Oh! Ah Ling! Perfect, Ah Ling, Ah Hai~ Yeah! I’ll call you Ah Ling, that’s a great nickname!"

"...Enough already."

Lu Qing wanted to say something but held back, thinking: Does your shop also give nicknames to customers?

Suddenly, he felt like the mischievous girl had a natural talent for running a business into the ground.

Just the items on the table in front of them would easily cost over a hundred yuan.

"Hehe, Ah Hai, by the way, what do you want to listen to today? I’ve been practicing a lot of songs, all from anime and games! I’m sure you’ve heard some of them! You pick, I’ll play! For free!"

Lin Mu was eager, completely ignoring the usual boundaries between shop owner and customer.

"No, I need to write today, so I won’t be playing with you. You can practice on your own, play whatever you want, just keep the volume down. I’ll treat it as background music."

"! Ah~? You’re busy?"

Her face immediately fell, clearly disappointed.

"Of course, I can’t always keep you company, can I?"

Lu Qing put on a tough act, speaking to her with a sense of distance. "Go make those four cups of coffee for me—latte, americano, mocha, flat white. Once I’ve paid my debt, we’ll be even, okay?"

"?! Are you serious?" Lin Mu’s eyes widened in shock.

"Absolutely. I lost the bet, and I’m not one to back out of a deal. Plus, you’ve given so much already, I should at least order some drinks to help you recoup some losses."

He glanced at the pastries on the table and muttered, "Though I doubt it’ll make much of a difference."

"..."

Lin Mu had only been teasing him, not actually expecting him to drink four cups of coffee. After all, that much caffeine wouldn’t be good for his heart, and it could overstimulate his nerves.

As a barista, she knew this well.

But since Ah Hai had said so, she couldn’t go against his wishes. So, she decided to approach the problem differently:

"...Alright, I’ll make them, but I’ll go easy on the beans. Oh, and you don’t have to drink four cups every time you come. Even if you just come to eat, or don’t order anything at all, freeloading off me... is, is fine too. I won’t starve."

After speaking, Lin Mu picked up the tray and, under Su Ling's ambiguous gaze, turned and dashed downstairs as if fleeing.

……

……