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“Come in.” Jie Xi’s voice came from inside the room.
Wang Zhi pushed the door open and stepped in, finding Jie Xi wiping her greatsword. As he approached, she sheathed her sword and looked up, asking, “Captain Wang, what brings you here?”
Without a word, Wang Zhi placed a paper-wrapped box on the table and opened it. The reason for the special paper wrapping was simple—he didn’t want others to know about Jie Xi’s hobby. Usually, she would buy coffee beans herself, and she preferred to keep it private.
Jie Xi picked up the wooden barrel inside the box and examined it. “This is?”
“Captain Jie Xi, I don’t mean anything by this. It’s just that this was the last barrel left at the café. Since coffee beans are a limited resource here, I thought I’d buy them all. I also overheard the café owner mention that you come by often, so I figured I’d bring them to you.”
Just as Wang Zhi finished speaking, the door to Jie Xi’s room swung open, and a man entered. He was dressed in the uniform of the Liyan Tower and held a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
The moment he noticed Wang Zhi, he hesitated slightly before turning to Jie Xi and asking, “Xi’er, what are you two doing?”
“Captain Zhao Yan, let me correct you—please call me Captain Jie Xi. And does what I do require reporting to you?” Jie Xi said coldly.
“I actually came here to—”
“If it’s nothing important, then don’t bother telling me.” Before Zhao Yan could finish, Jie Xi cut him off.
“Fine. I won’t disturb you two, then.” With a dark expression, Zhao Yan tossed the bouquet onto a nearby table and left without another word.
Watching him leave, Wang Zhi turned to Jie Xi. “Captain Jie Xi, who was that?”
“He’s the head of logistics inspection on the first floor. An annoying guy,” Jie Xi replied, then stood up, grabbed her greatsword, and said, “Follow me.”
Seeing this, Wang Zhi quickly grabbed the coffee from the table and followed her out.
“Where are we going?” he asked as he caught up.
Jie Xi didn’t respond and continued walking silently.
They entered the elevator, and without hesitation, Jie Xi pressed the button for the fourth floor.
Having only been at Liyan Tower for a short while, Wang Zhi was familiar with the first and second floors. Access to the third floor required a third-tier team membership, making it off-limits to him. And now, he was bypassing the third floor entirely and heading straight to the fourth. Even for someone as composed as him, this was a bit unsettling.
Ding! They had arrived.
As the elevator doors opened, Wang Zhi was met with the sight of rows of luxurious residences, each two or three stories tall. The street was lined with lampposts, and with no sunlight, the place resembled a quiet neighborhood at night.
“Are all these homes occupied?” Wang Zhi asked as he looked around.
“Yes. The residents are all shareholders from Liyan Tower’s founding days. The least any of them invested was ten billion credits,” Jie Xi explained.
“So, does that mean people like us will never get to live here?” Wang Zhi mused.
Jie Xi thought for a moment. “In theory, it’s possible. But as of now, there’s no plan in place, because there are no vacant houses here.”
Yet, Wang Zhi noticed that most of the houses had their lights off—meaning they were likely unoccupied.
After walking for a while, they stopped in front of one particular house. Wang Zhi glanced at the nameplate: 010. Jie Xi pushed open the gate and led him through a small courtyard before arriving at her residence. Wang Zhi couldn’t help but feel that this courtyard alone was bigger than his current living space.
Inside, the home wasn’t overly extravagant. The decor was simple and minimalistic, with large open spaces—likely to accommodate Jie Xi’s training, ensuring nothing would get in her way.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Jie Xi said as she changed into more casual clothes.
Wang Zhi awkwardly sat on the couch in the center of the living room. He never expected the first time he’d visit a woman’s home would be under such circumstances.
After changing, Jie Xi returned with two coffee cups. She opened the barrel, grabbed a handful of coffee beans, and began crushing them one by one between her fingers before tossing them into the cups. Once she finished, she poured in warm water and stirred.
Wang Zhi stared in disbelief. Crushing coffee beans by hand? And just pouring hot water over them? What a waste! He inwardly sighed.
Curious, he asked, “Captain Jie Xi, do you always drink coffee this way?”
“Hmm? Yes. Is there a problem?” Jie Xi took a small sip.
“Uh… no problem at all.”
Wang Zhi decided to take matters into his own hands. He picked up a handful of beans, carefully measured out ten grams, and placed them on filter paper. He then ground them into fine powder before placing the filter paper into a cup.
“The temperature of the water is crucial to making good coffee. The ideal brewing temperature is 90°C. If the water is too hot, it releases undesirable substances, making the coffee taste burnt and bitter. If it’s too cool, the aromatic compounds won’t fully extract, leaving the coffee too acidic.”
As he spoke, he poured a small amount of precisely heated 90°C water into the cup, allowing the grounds to bloom for about 30 seconds.
“Next, we let the coffee steep briefly, which enhances the flavor. Finally, we slowly add more water until the cup is full.”
Once he finished brewing, Wang Zhi pushed the freshly made Blue Mountain coffee toward Jie Xi with a gesture inviting her to try it.
Having watched Wang Zhi’s elaborate process, Jie Xi was intrigued. She took a sip and then glanced at her own hastily prepared coffee. In an instant, she realized her version was nowhere near as good.
Wang Zhi didn’t need to ask which one tasted better—her expression said it all. Since he had already given her his coffee, he reached for her original cup and took a sip himself. After all, wasting coffee would be a shame.
“Hey!” Jie Xi suddenly exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” Wang Zhi followed her gaze to his cup, suddenly realizing—this was the same cup Jie Xi had just drunk from.
“Uh… actually, Captain Jie Xi, your way of making coffee isn’t bad either!” Wang Zhi said awkwardly.