Newly Opened Café, Chance Encounter with Liu Yuanyuan

Cantonese dim sum is incredibly nourishing, and Su Bai can certainly vouch for that.

Every time he finishes a meal, the system reminds him of the positive and negative effects of the food on his body, while conveniently eliminating the downsides of indulgence.

However, there's one drawback—it's packed with carbs.

After eating, drowsiness is inevitable.

Chen's mother wanted to keep chatting with Su Bai—after all, as the saying goes, a mother-in-law grows fonder of her son-in-law the more she sees him.

But her eyelids grew heavy, and she simply couldn't fight it anymore.

In the end, she succumbed to an afternoon nap.

"So, what do you say? Should we take a nap too?"

In the hospital hallway, Su Bai blinked at Chen Yusheng. "The presidential suite at the Marriott is still booked."

Lately, Su Bai had been booking hotel rooms left and right, practically maxing out the system's cashback limit.

It almost felt like he was preparing multiple hideouts, just like a cunning rabbit with three burrows.

"No way, I really need to rest," Chen Yusheng shook her head vigorously, instinctively taking two steps back.

Her black-stockinged legs pressed tightly together.

Sigh, it's all that damn "Big White Goose's" fault.

Watching anime had taken a real toll on her energy.

Then, Chen Yusheng suddenly pursed her lips into a smile, hugging Su Bai and lightly headbutting his chest twice.

"Big White Goose, thank you for coming to see Mom with me. She was so happy to meet you—she said I finally have someone reliable to lean on."

"...Wasn’t Auntie herself someone you could rely on?"

"Well, yes, but Mom always says her abilities are limited, and she can’t offer me much help."

"Honestly, if parents can raise their kids well and stay open-minded, that’s already pretty great, in my opinion."

"That’s how I feel too, but she always thinks I’m too lonely. Hehe, now that I have you, I’m not lonely anymore! From now on, I can play all the two-player games with you!"

Even in such a sweet, romantic moment, her mind was still fixated on games.

Is this your ninja way, Haki Sheng?

...

Su Bai drove Chen Yusheng back to campus.

With the holiday coming to an end, she planned to get back to work in the lab.

Even though she didn’t really need to earn money by working on projects for Professor Luo in the computer science department anymore, she still had to finish what she started—that’s the professional integrity of an excellent coder!

Su Bai expressed his support and, after dropping her off, wandered around campus for a while.

Mainly, he strolled along the street lined with commercial facilities.

Plenty of students were out and about.

Though it was a holiday, it was only three days long, so most students couldn’t be bothered to go home—some didn’t even bother traveling.

They just stayed in their dorms to rest or took casual walks around campus.

Going home or traveling both cost money.

Going home wasn’t so bad—usually, parents would cover the expenses if their child was willing to visit.

Traveling, on the other hand, was a different story. For those from average-income families, budgets were often tight.

In reality, most of the time, traveling on a tight budget was less enjoyable than just staying in the dorm and gaming.

Not every college student was into "special forces-style" travel.

At that moment, inside a newly opened café on the campus commercial street—

Liu Yuanyuan and a female friend stood at the counter.

The café was decorated with full glass walls, giving off a sleek, modern-tech vibe, while the interior followed a minimalist Nordic aesthetic.

Just a glance from afar had caught Liu Yuanyuan’s attention.

Sigh, girls just couldn’t resist places that naturally exuded an air of sophistication.

So, she and her friend went in to check it out.

But once inside, a quick look at the menu revealed that the prices matched the intimidatingly upscale decor.

The most basic iced Americano cost over 20 yuan.

Milk-based coffees started at over 30.

"How is this so expensive? Are they robbing people?" her friend muttered. "Domestic chain coffee shops sell drinks for 9.9 yuan with coupons..."

The barista, unfazed, smiled and said, "Classmate, our café is different—we specialize in premium coffee. Our beans, milk, and other ingredients are all top-tier. For example, our iced Americano uses G1-grade Geisha beans, sourced from Ethiopia’s golden coffee region..."

A whole spiel later—

Liu Yuanyuan, who had been about to leave, was now tempted.

Admittedly, the café did look high-end, exuding a refined, bourgeois charm.

But what really sealed the deal for Liu Yuanyuan was...

The other customers inside—all women dressed in stylish outfits with flawless makeup—seemed to be upperclassmen or grad students.

Their attention had been drawn by the conversation between Liu Yuanyuan, her friend, and the barista.

Some had been sipping coffee or working on their MacBooks, but now they were sizing up the two newcomers.

Though none of them made any obvious expressions,

Liu Yuanyuan couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being silently judged.

Yes, she was always overly concerned with others’ opinions.

In short—she was vain.

That was also why she had reluctantly become Xue Tao’s girlfriend.

Xue Tao could take her to upscale places and buy her expensive clothes.

Sure, he was a little too obsessed with his Volkswagen Magotan 330, but still—

Riding in his car for dates was way more convenient than walking, biking, or taking the subway like ordinary couples.

If the weather turned bad, at least they had shelter.

It wasn’t like they’d be left looking completely pathetic.

In reality, the women in the café were just glancing around aimlessly—

Maybe stretching their necks after staring at their laptops for too long.

They hadn’t meant to look down on Liu Yuanyuan at all...

But she couldn’t help overthinking it.

Gritting her teeth, she said, "I’ll take an osmanthus-flavored cappuccino! And yes, I’ll go with the G1 Geisha beans you recommended."

"Of course, your order has been placed. Please wait a moment."

This was one of the pricier items on the menu—

Over 40 yuan.

The basic 20-yuan options just felt too cheap in comparison.

At least, that’s how Liu Yuanyuan saw it.

This was consumerism’s core logic at work—

Always feeling like you shouldn’t skimp here, that you deserve to treat yourself there.

The result? Every little lifestyle upgrade adds up, and before you know it, your monthly expenses are through the roof.

"I’ll have an iced Americano, Caturra washed, thanks."

A somewhat familiar voice spoke up beside her.

Liu Yuanyuan turned her head—and froze.

It was Su Bai!

But at the same time, it didn’t quite feel like the same Su Bai from before.

His level of attractiveness had clearly skyrocketed.

During the summer after high school, Liu Yuanyuan had attended a minor celebrity’s fan meet-and-greet, so she’d seen firsthand how good-looking male stars were in real life.

Honestly, Su Bai was now on par with—if not better-looking than—that actor!

"Su Bai?!"

"Oh, Liu Yuanyuan. What a coincidence."

Su Bai gave a brief greeting before turning his attention back to the menu.

The barista, too, seemed momentarily dazzled by Su Bai’s charm.

With an 86-point appearance stat, a keen sense of fashion, and the subtle air of luxury cultivated from his recent lavish spending—

Any woman could instantly tell he was extraordinary.

Snapping out of it, the barista’s polite customer-service smile melted into a genuine, involuntary grin.

"Sir, you have excellent taste. Our Castiyo washed coffee is rarely ordered—in fact, you're the first in... well, the past three days."