"Yougege, if you have time, can you come to my workplace?"

I opened my phone and received a message from An Lisi. I lazily turned over and lay on the bed, not wanting to get up at all. It was already considered breaking the rules to go back to sleep at this point since I was already dressed to go out, but I just didn't feel like leaving and preferred to lie in bed because it was so comfortable.

Isn't it nice to feel like this? It's just another day to get through, and it's not worth taking risks when it's so hot outside with so many cars and people. It's much cooler lying in bed with the air conditioning on.

"Sorry, it's too hot," I replied, and then threw my phone on the corner of the bed in frustration.

Ding... Another message came in, and I picked up my phone to read it.

"Do you want to try the new ice sour plum juice I learned to make? It can help you cool down quickly in the scorching heat."

Ice sour plum juice, it's definitely just sour plum juice with ice, such a simple thing.

"Of course, if you want to try something else, I will try my best to make it for you, as long as you're willing," she added.

"I'm not in the mood," I typed out these words but didn't send them. What am I doing? Taking out my unhappiness on someone else just because Su Yuqian made me feel upset.

I can't do this. I slapped myself on the cheek, telling myself that even if I'm feeling down, Su Yuqian wouldn't know or understand.

I sat up, as if persuading myself, "Okay, give me a moment to get ready, and I'll be there soon." In the end, I agreed.

"Yougege, I'll be waiting for you," she replied.

"Yo!" I cheered myself up, got off the bed, grabbed my wallet, and tidied up my clothes before leaving the bedroom.

In the living room, Feiya was watching a TV drama as usual. It was always the same. My unreliable sister, what's so interesting about this drama?

"Youjie, where are you going?" Mom, who was cleaning, stopped pushing the vacuum cleaner and asked me.

"Just going out for a bit," I answered while putting on my shoes at the entrance.

"Is it a date?" Mom asked with a smile.

"If only it was," I replied expressionlessly, then walked out the door.

"A date?" Since Zhiye left, I haven't experienced what a date is anymore. Each day feels like living as a normie without any excitement. Am I unsatisfied or just genuinely pitiful? Who knows, I don't care.

In my self-indulgence, I arrived at the maid café where An Lisi worked. As expected on a Saturday, there were quite a few people. I wondered if there would be a seat available. I pushed open the door and was greeted by the crisp sound of wind chimes, followed by the maids welcoming me.

"Welcome home, master," the maid said with a smile, her expression truly healing.

"Yougege," An Lisi, holding a tray, saw me and ran over with joy.

"Um...can I be the one to serve him?" An Lisi asked the maid who was leading me to the seat.

"Sure, go ahead," the maid happily accepted, then walked away.

"Yougege, you really came," An Lisi said shyly. She looked so cute in her maid outfit.

"Yeah...because it's hot, and someone mentioned ice sour plum juice," I replied half-heartedly.

"That's right, Yougege, I promise you won't be disappointed. I guarantee that you'll be addicted to it after you drink it."

It's just a cold drink, sour plum flavor.

"Yougege, for now, please have a seat here. I'll go prepare the ice sour plum juice."

I sat down as per An Lisi's instructions, and she seemed quite happy as she ran to the backstage. Could it be that she was really going to prepare the sour plum juice herself? Well, it wasn't really a challenging task, and she seemed capable of handling it. It seemed like she had been doing a good job this week too.

Just as I was thinking about this, An Lisi came over with a smile on her face, carrying a cup of sour plum juice. The color of the drink in the cup looked a bit like chilled cola, probably because the color of the sour plum juice was similar to that of cola. But it was fast, and I couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed as An Lisi looked at me with a happy expression. So, I picked up the cup and took a sip, not really expecting much.

The first sip was sour and refreshing, just as I expected. Well, there shouldn't be anything else to it. "How is it?" An Lisi asked. She seemed eager to know, as if she would be greatly disappointed if my answer was the same as the sour plum juice sold in the market, just with the addition of ice.

"It's very good," I said, lying. Hopefully, I wouldn't swallow any needles. It was a well-intentioned lie.

"That's great! I was worried that you wouldn't like it," An Lisi said, relieved, with a satisfied smile on her face.

"There's plenty more, so don't be shy, you can have as much as you want."

No, no, if the manager finds out, you might get fired.

"Ah, um, An Lisi, you should go back to work. Don't worry about me." The maid cafe was unexpectedly busy, and An Lisi had been focused on me. She was likely to be accused of slacking off.

"But... I want to..." An Lisi seemed to have something to say.

"No, if other managers see you chatting with customers during work, they might scold you. It'll cause trouble," I reminded her.

"Ah..." An Lisi looked reluctant but helpless.

"Alright, when you're at work, you should focus on your job. I'll be here. If you can, we can leave together after your shift," I said.

"Yeah, sure," An Lisi finally agreed. It would be my fault if she lost her job because of this.

Relieved to see An Lisi back to work, I spent the rest of the time browsing the news on my phone and drinking the ice-cold sour plum juice.

"An Lisi, I didn't expect you to become a maid here. What a coincidence!" a flirtatious voice suddenly reached my ears.

"I don't know you," An Lisi said, her arm grabbed by a man wearing earrings and with a ring on his mouth.

"You don't know me? Don't joke around. We're in the same business," the man said with a mischievous smile.

"Do you not know about those powders?" The man seemed surprised by An Lisi's reaction.

"Shut up!" An Lisi's face darkened, wanting to resist, but the man had a tight grip on her arm.

"Oh? What's wrong, An Lisi? Have you forgotten about the thing that can help you forget your troubles and pains and make you feel like a god? Or perhaps you already-" the man's expression suddenly changed, and I noticed it too. He was definitely the guy who had gotten An Lisi involved in drugs.

Just as he was about to say something, I rushed over and punched him in the face.

"Eugh!" he let out a pained groan.

"Who the hell are you? You've come out of nowhere!" The man was clearly angry, after all, his nose was bleeding.

"I don't care who you are, but you're not allowed to bother An Lisi. An Lisi is not the same as she used to be, so please don't bring up the past. If you insist on doing so, then I will have to call the police."

"Call the police!?" The man seemed panicked, wiping the blood from his nose. He stood up and confidently said as he walked away, "I'll repay this punch, you foolish little kid who doesn't know any better. But today is not the right time to show off. Next time, you'll be picking up your teeth from the ground!"

I thought he would immediately leave, but he turned back and said to An Lisi with a hidden meaning in his expression, "If you ever need anything, feel free to find me, An Lisi."

"Is An Lisi okay?" I asked once the man left the store.

"I-I'm fine," An Lisi's body was visibly shaking.

"An Lisi, if you're not feeling well, you should go home for the day," the store manager said.

"But..."

"Your work might be affected in this state."

"..." An Lisi didn't respond. She was clearly shaken and not in a suitable state to continue working.

"It can't be helped. Take some rest then," the manager said.

"Mm." An Lisi nodded after hearing my suggestion.

After An Lisi changed out of her uniform, I accompanied her home. Seeing her distressed expression, I didn't bother asking who that man was. It didn't matter who he was; what mattered was that he didn't bother An Lisi anymore.

"I'm sorry. It was me who invited Brother You and made him worry and unhappy," I apologized.

"It's not a big deal. Just take care of yourself," I replied with a smile.

"Mm, bye."

"Goodbye." An Lisi entered her room and closed the door. I hope this incident doesn't cause her to be downcast for a long time. I hope so. Afterward, I returned home. It seemed like I would have to spend the rest of the day at home again, but the chilled plum juice was quite refreshing.