Ying Ni stared at the man in front of her. The facial features, worn down by time, had become unfamiliar, but the clenched fists during their arguments were still eerily familiar, especially his helpless and aggrieved expression when he allowed her to scold and hit him.

It was as if she had returned to many years ago, to the moment when Zhou Siyang had begged for her forgiveness, shaking her arm while holding onto her tightly.

But that was a long time ago, so long that reason had returned in the present moment.

Ying Ni picked up the bag from the floor and looked him straight in the eyes. “Sorry.”

Sorry?

Was she saying that to him?

Zhou Siyang froze.

These two words felt like a slow death sentence.

He remembered how after their arguments, he would always ask her: “If I’m wrong, I apologize. Are you wrong or should I apologize?”

Ying Ni would snort and jump up to wrap her arms around his neck, pinching his ear and saying, “I won’t apologize to my own person!”

Because she liked him, he was hers, he was her person.

Though happy, he still felt she was being unreasonable and always tried to correct her views on love.

But now, he realized he had been wrong.

In love, there’s no such thing as being unreasonable, only love and not loving.

His heart felt like it was being torn apart, more painful than a chain hitting his arm, and the kind of pain he couldn’t even bear to think about.

He would rather she say something else, or just continue hitting him without looking at him.

“Ying Ni.” Zhou Siyang grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop and turn around. His tone was filled with resentment. “You’re only now apologizing?”

“You want to hear an apology from when?”

Her tone was flat, and Zhou Siyang knew he couldn’t provoke any more emotion from her. His voice suddenly softened. “When we broke up.”

The shell of peace between them was finally torn open by the sharp blade of truth.

Up until today, she didn’t know who was right or wrong. There were so many things she wanted to say. Just because I was wrong, does that mean you were never wrong? Is it too late to feel pain after eight years? What’s the use of questioning now?

“Sorry.”

Aside from this, Ying Ni didn’t want to say anything else.

Zhou Siyang felt like all the blood had drained from his body, and his soul turned pale. He moved his lips, but no words came out, allowing Ying Ni to pry his hand off, one finger at a time.

“I take back what I said earlier.” Chen Jingjing, who had been watching the whole thing, thought of a saying that was quite true—reconciliation only happens in novels.

She looked at Chen An. “Brother, it’s your turn.”

“Turn for what?” Chen An said, “Turn to be scolded?”

Chen Jingjing: “…”

Well, maybe that’s not such a good idea. Seeing Ying Ni was walking towards them, Chen Jingjing quickly shifted her gaze, took a step forward, and then, in a quiet voice, asked, “You go.”

“You mean, go?”

Chen An asked, “What if she scolds me?”

She thought, if you just stay here, she can’t scold you openly.

“It’ll be fine,” Chen An said. “She doesn’t know you well, plus, you’re her mother’s nurse.”

“But I—” Chen Jingjing looked over, then immediately realized. “Here she comes!”

“What’s coming?” Ying Ni hurried over and coldly asked Jingjing, “Why are you standing out here in the sun, is it not hot, or do you think arguing is fun?”

Chen Jingjing lowered her head, glancing at her brother and muttering softly, “Obviously…”

“You too,” Ying Ni turned her attention to Chen An, “A big boss like you, I don’t even know what to say about you.”

Chen An: “Then don’t say anything.”

Ying Ni’s temper cooled off entirely, and she was left speechless.

—

Half a month passed, and Lin Rongyuan was transferred from the ICU to a regular ward. That day, a torrential rain fell, and the temperature dropped, signaling the arrival of autumn.

Because she had been taking care of Lin Rongyuan, Ying Ni had asked Xuanzi to cover nearly 20 hours of shifts. After returning to normal, Xuanzi took compensatory leave, and Ying Ni worked extra shifts, staying busy from morning until night.

Every day after work, her feet were numb from standing, and she had to soak them in hot water for a long time to recover.

During this period, Zhou Siyang came to the milk tea shop several times to block her. Ying Ni ignored him, and he forced her to speak by ordering milk tea.

The shop manager and colleagues watched, and Ying Ni couldn’t ask him to leave, so they just pretended not to see him and treated him like one of the many customers.

The salary was barely enough, the manager was easy-going, and the colleagues had simple relationships.

The days passed like this, dragging on without much excitement.

Until one evening, a delivery customer started causing trouble.

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “It’s so cool, and you’re giving me an iced drink?”

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “I want a refund.”

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “@Shop”

Ying Ni handed the cup to a colleague and patiently replied:

Miche Tea (City Center Store): “Sorry, we cannot refund after the order has been prepared.”

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “No refund, huh?”

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “I’ll leave a bad review.”

Ying Ni took a deep breath. The store policy clearly stated that employees were responsible for bad reviews, which would result in wage deductions and impact the month-end performance bonuses.

Her salary was already low, and after confirming the order, she replied in a friendly tone.

Miche Tea (City Center Store): “You ordered it iced.”

Miche Tea (City Center Store): “We made it as per your request.”

Miche Tea (City Center Store): “If you’re not satisfied, you can reorder or heat it up yourself.”

The message was read, but the other side didn’t respond. Ying Ni thought it was over and started packing up to leave for the night. But then her work phone suddenly popped up with a new message.

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “I ordered iced, so you just made it iced?”

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “I’m speechless.”

Who’s speechless now? Ying Ni responded with a question mark.

Wang** (Last digits 0481): “Crazy!”

Ying Ni’s patience finally wore thin.

Miche Tea (City Center Store): “If you want it, drink it. If not, don’t.”

Miche Tea (City Center Store): “Get lost.”

Immediately, the customer left a bad review with a lengthy post, tearfully accusing the milk tea store staff of insulting her. Ying Ni just smiled and moved on, filing an appeal.

The world is full of strange things. She had encountered even more difficult customers before, and this incident seemed trivial.

However, she didn’t expect the customer, Wang**, to be a somewhat famous influencer. That night, the influencer tagged Miche Tea’s official account on a public platform, claiming that she accidentally ordered iced tea and asked if she could exchange it for a warm one. The staff had told her to “get lost” and called her crazy.

Fans responded: “Hugs! How could you not afford it!”

The influencer replied: “I’m to blame (crying.jpg). I made a mistake ordering, and I was just asking. But, emmmm, heartbroken. Well, I guess it’s because I grew up poor and can’t shake the cheap habits from my childhood.”

Fans replied: “You’re so kind, you’re not cheap at all, you spend all your money on charity.”

The influencer continued: “One thing is one thing. I just think that a tea shop with such a price shouldn’t treat customers this way. If they can’t change, I’ll just order another cup. Why insult someone? It really broke my heart (whispering, so embarrassing). Thankfully, I have fans who stand up for me. What would you do if this happened to you?”

This reply was pinned to the top.

Soon, Miche Tea’s official accounts on various platforms were flooded.

— “So you’re too good for us? A 30-40 RMB cup of tea, who can’t afford that?”

— “I make 3000 a month, I can still buy three cups a day, hahaha.”

— “@Miche Tea, stop pretending! I’m talking about your City Center store!”

#BoycottMicheTea became a trending topic in the local area.

Miche Tea’s emergency public relations: “Our brand has always adhered to the customer-first philosophy. The individual behavior of some employees at certain stores may not align with our regulations, and we are investigating.”

Netizens weren’t giving up:

— “Ask that employee, how many cups of tea can her salary buy?”

— “What’s up with this attitude from milk tea girls, acting like they own the place!”

The next morning, the regional manager arrived at the City Center store. The only person being questioned was Ying Ni, as the store manager had confirmed the details of the incident the night before.

In the narrow storage room, the regional manager, with dark circles under his eyes, scolded her. Ying Ni leaned against the wall and listened. She had slept quite well last night. In the online world, no one knew who anyone was. Being scolded was no different from dogs barking.

“Did you swear at her?” the regional manager asked her.

Afraid of being caught by the store manager and losing money, Ying Ni had deleted the chat after saying “get lost” and didn’t screenshot the appeal evidence. The other party, however, had kept a record of the chat—though it had been trimmed and pieced together.

“I didn’t swear.” Ying Ni paused, thought for a moment, and added, “But I did tell her to get lost.”

The regional manager gasped, “Then you can get lost too.”

…

Ying Ni took off her uniform and placed the hat in the locker. Her section was empty, and as she walked out of the milk tea store, she only carried a hammer stick she had bought for her sore back from standing for so long.

She couldn’t help but think of the scene when she left Huaxing. Though she was also fired then, at least she had been holding a cardboard box against her chest, so it didn’t feel so empty.

“Hey!”

Xuanzi’s voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned around. The store was quiet, and Xuanzi leaned against the decoration outside the door, smoking a cigarette.

Their relationship had softened after Xuanzi helped with the shift, and they had finally become normal colleagues. But now Ying Ni was about to leave.

Xuanzi walked over and asked, “What kind of job are you going to find?”

Job?

It wasn’t up to her.

There were very few places that would want her.

Ying Ni answered, “I don’t know.”

“I know a place that’s hiring, the salary’s much higher than here.”

“Where?”

“A bar.”

When Ying Ni heard this, her brow furrowed instantly. “If the salary’s so high, why don’t you go?”

“They want women!” Xuanzi said. “I’ve got a friend there. This is the salary.”

He made a gesture with his hand

, indicating the height of the pay.

Ying Ni was silent. The night was dark. Xuanzi shrugged. She walked out of the milk tea store, her back bent low.

After a moment, Xuanzi took another drag from the cigarette and murmured under her breath: “There are no more jobs to find, or maybe it’s the choice you made.”