Chapter 518 - 517: What If: Has the Big Shot Vied for Favor Today? 86

Chapter 518: Chapter 517: What If: Has the Big Shot Vied for Favor Today? 86

Shi Lan had once thought about getting more cats, but after adopting Ping’an, she realized that raising even one cat properly wasn’t so easy. Add to that the times she was needed at the shop, and her cat adoption plans were put on hold again and again.

She figured it was best to stick with one for now. After all, Ping’an could be unstable at times, prone to sudden tantrums and mood swings. It needed more of her attention.

She scooped up the currently adorable and well-behaved Ping’an from the floor, and just as she was about to resume binge-watching her drama, a WeChat voice call from Jiang Xia came in.

Jiang Xia had been much quieter lately. Aside from his "good morning" and "good night" texts, which arrived like clockwork, he hadn’t been nearly as proactive as He Hanshi. He had, however, sent her red packets worth ten thousand yuan a few times, all of which Shi Lan had forced herself to return.

She was very interested in money, but she couldn’t accept it from people for no reason—especially not from a suitor. She didn’t want to give Jiang Xia the false impression that he had a good chance with her.

Then, Jiang Xia went silent for two days. Even the "good morning" and "good night" texts stopped.

Shi Lan had assumed that after her repeated rejections, he had finally given up on her. She hadn’t expected him to call again.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shi Lan answered.

"Hello, Jiang Xia. What’s up?"

She spoke first. Jiang Xia’s joyful, energetic laugh came through the phone, full of youthful vigor. He didn’t seem to have taken her previous rejections to heart in the slightest.

"Hey, the freshmen and our coaches are holding a friendly basketball match tomorrow afternoon. I went ahead and pre-ordered afternoon tea from your shop for it, so I hope it’s not too much trouble for you tomorrow."

Shi Lan paused. She opened her shop’s backend system to check, and sure enough, there was a pre-order for over two hundred servings of herbal tea and pastries. That was nearly a full day’s revenue on a slow day.

She considered it for a moment before saying, "Okay, our shop will have the order ready on time."

She didn’t press for details, which seemed to make Jiang Xia feel a little hurt. "You’re being so cold. Aren’t you even a little curious if I’m playing in the match?"

Shi Lan couldn’t help but laugh out loud; she truly couldn’t hold it back. A memory surfaced, and she blurted out, "Of course you’ll be playing. Who else was making all that racket playing basketball upstairs before?"

At her words, Jiang Xia’s face flushed. He seemed to recall his foolish behavior, but then a new thought struck him. ’If I hadn’t been disturbing the peace, I might never have met Shi Lan. This just proves we’re fated to be together.’

As he thought this, his smile grew even brighter, his radiant eyes gazing at the sun outside. "The weather’s been beautiful these last two days. Why don’t you come watch me play?"

His voice then dropped, tinged with dejection. "Everyone else has fans bringing them water. I’m the only one who doesn’t."

He’d rejected all the girls who’d shown interest in him, and they weren’t about to make themselves look pathetic by persisting.

This was exactly what Jiang Xia had hoped for. But if the person bringing him water was Shi Lan... he didn’t dare to imagine how happy that would make him.

Shi Lan didn’t buy it for a second. With a face like his, he’d had plenty of girls fawning over him even when he was the resident high school bad boy. Now he was in a good university and played basketball—he had both brains and brawn. His legion of admirers had surely only grown.

She sidestepped his comment. "If you’d like, I can have an employee personally bring you the afternoon tea you ordered."

"You’re just being mean to me."

Jiang Xia grumbled a complaint, but he wasn’t truly angry. He was the one pursuing Shi Lan, after all. He knew it wouldn’t be this easy and had no intention of being defeated so quickly.

Shi Lan chuckled helplessly and changed the subject. "Okay, we’ve accepted your order. It’s a big one, so I need to go discuss the prep details with my staff for tomorrow. I hope your afternoon goes well."

Jiang Xia’s intention was to give Shi Lan money, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her overworking herself. His voice softened. "That sounds like a lot of work. If it’s too much trouble, I can just request a refund."

"Absolutely not. I never said we couldn’t handle it."

Shi Lan shot down his refund idea. The feeling of getting paid in small increments was completely different from the rush of seeing a single, large sum come in.

The order was worth over ten thousand yuan; she couldn’t bear to let it go.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Jiang Xia’s eyes crinkled with delight. ’She’s so adorable,’ he thought.

’She won’t take my money when I offer it, but she’s so enthusiastic about earning it for her shop.’

Shi Lan suspected he was laying it on thick, trying to act cute to win her over. She even found herself tempted to think that it wouldn’t hurt to go watch his game.

Thankfully, she decisively hung up.

As soon as she hung up, Shi Lan was immediately swept up in the joy of a profitable venture.

While she usually found it annoying that her shop had become an internet sensation and that so many eyes were on her, she still reveled in the simple joy of watching payments pop up on her phone, so long as she could minimize her interaction with the customers themselves.

Jiang Xia’s order of over two hundred items was a massive undertaking. Shi Lan needed to coordinate the details with her staff in advance to ensure they could prepare everything at once for the next day without any mistakes.

So, she left Ping’an at home for the time being and headed straight to the shop.

...

Jiang Xia’s order was for 2:30 PM. The next day, Shi Lan had her staff come in early, telling them they could go home and have the rest of the day off once the large order was done. She also posted a notice on her social media video channel that the shop would be closed for the day.

Hearing they’d get the day off, everyone was thrilled, but it only made them work more meticulously, not wanting to disappoint Shi Lan’s good intentions.

By 1:50 PM, everything was packed and ready. The order was so large that Shi Lan ended up calling for a delivery van. She and her staff loaded the boxes of pastries and teas into the back, and then she set off to personally deliver the order to L City University of Technology.

The campus security guard did a quick check, confirmed she was making a food delivery, and waved the van through.

The van drove smoothly through the campus of L City University of Technology. The university valued its classic charm and history, generally avoiding major renovations. As a result, the campus looked very much like the one Shi Lan remembered.

Shi Lan confirmed the delivery location with Jiang Xia, then parked the van on a road near the basketball court and told him to bring some people to help unload.

The basketball game hadn’t started yet, but the players were already in their uniforms and warming up on the court.

Although it was just a friendly match between the coaches and the freshmen, preparations for the game were in full swing.

There were referees, commentators, and even a cheerleading squad. The spectator stands were already filling up.

Jiang Xia, having changed into his basketball uniform long ago, kept glancing at his phone, his eyes occasionally darting toward the entrance of the court in eager anticipation.

He was the team captain. The position had originally belonged to Mu Tangfeng, but he’d unfortunately gone and broken his leg, so Jiang Xia had smoothly taken his place thanks to his financial superpower.

His teammates noticed him repeatedly glancing toward the entrance and followed his gaze. One of them asked excitedly, "Brother Jiang, waiting for the afternoon tea?"

Another one of Jiang Xia’s roommates teased, "Not exactly. The drinker’s mind is not on the wine."

"Huh?"

The first guy scratched his head, confused.

Jiang Xia couldn’t be bothered to respond to them, his eyes fixed on the entrance as he waited for Shi Lan to appear.

The game was scheduled to start at 2:30 sharp. He had deliberately set the delivery time for 2:30, hoping that if Shi Lan delivered the order herself, she would arrive just as the game was starting and get to see him in all his heroic glory on the court.

The very thought made him giddy with delight.