pertwk Chapter 63 Blind Date
Chapter 63 Blind Date
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Beichuan appeared at Xiamo Coffee on time.
Pushing open the door, the wind chimes tinkled.
The shop was filled with the faint aroma of coffee and baked goods. The ambiance was more refined than he had imagined, with warm yellow lighting and natural wood tables and chairs.
"Welcome, Mr. Zhang!" Jiang Xia, who was behind the bar, looked up and saw him. She swallowed the rest of her sentence and instead broke into a bright smile. "Oh, Mr. Zhang, what an honor to have you here! I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"
Today she wore a beige knitted sweater, her hair loosely tied back, with a few wisps of hair hanging down beside her ears, making her look more gentle than usual.
Zhang Beichuan walked over and leaned against the bar.
"Don't give me that crap, how's business lately?"
Jiang Xia handed the coffee to the waiter and looked at him with a worried expression.
"Disaster!"
"That's exactly what makes it difficult!" Zhang Beichuan said with a smile. "I told you not to listen to me back then. With this spare money, you could have just put it in the bank or gone out and had fun for two years. Why did you have to force yourself to work and pay for a job yourself?"
As soon as Zhang Beichuan finished speaking, Jiang Xia rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.
"Shut up, you talk like you have some kind of foresight. Starting a business is normal, it's hard to get started."
But as his eyes swept over the rather deserted seats, a hint of fatigue was still revealed.
"Why don't you just close down? Your coffee shop has no brand and no price. It's a miracle you can compete with a chain store," Zhang Beichuan bluntly exposed.
Jiang Xia's cheeks puffed out in anger. Was this guy deliberately trying to annoy her today?
But upon closer reflection, what he said makes a lot of sense.
There are two chain coffee shops on this street, and Xue Wang came again last month.
If you sell a cup at a high price, no one will come; if you sell it at a low price, you'll lose money but still gain publicity.
If they continue to stubbornly hold on like this, bankruptcy is only a matter of time.
"You jinx! If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all," Jiang Xia scolded him, then muttered, "My mom just called a few days ago to ask how business was going. If it's really not going to work out, she told me to go to Shaodong and help the family run the factory..."
"Hmm, I think your aunt is much smarter than you."
"Are you trying to force me to hit you today?"
Zhang Beichuan smiled as he looked at her sullen face, knowing that she wouldn't give up so easily.
"Jiang Xia, we're brothers after all. I advise you to listen to your mother and become a factory heir, wouldn't that be better? Why bother?"
Jiang Xia felt quite helpless. A lighter parts factory, to put it nicely, is a factory; to put it bluntly, it's just a slightly larger family workshop. What kind of second-generation factory owner is this?
The factory workers were either relatives who had come to stay with them or elderly people; Jiang Xia had absolutely no interest in running the business.
"Get lost! Who said we're buddies?" Jiang Xia said, clearly annoyed, but still unwilling to admit defeat. "Instead of spouting sarcastic remarks, why don't you help me think of a solution!"
Zhang Beichuan: "..."
"How about we consider switching to a different track?"
"Change the track?" Jiang Xia looked into his eyes. "Tell me more about it?"
"I just came by and took a look around this area. Your shop has a great location, plus the interior space and outdoor seating area are quite large. How about you switch to a craft beer + barbecue combination? Summer is coming soon, and that's when business will be booming."
"How about barbecue and craft beer?" Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the slightly artsy interior, as if imagining it filled with grills and draft beer mugs. "That's quite a leap, isn't it?"
Zhang Beichuan shrugged, his tone becoming more serious.
"Look at what young people do at night these days. They either go to bars or find a place to eat barbecue and drink beer. Your place is already pretty good, so you can make a slight adjustment."
"Let's give it an industrial vibe, add some ambient lighting, and hire a few resident singers. Keep the prices reasonable; even if we don't make a profit, at least we won't lose everything."
As Jiang Xia listened, his eyes gradually brightened, but then he thought about it again.
"Easier said than done. What about the grilling technique? The recipe? And the sourcing channels for premium grain beer...?"
"Stop! You're the boss, and I'm the boss?" Zhang Beichuan glanced at the time. "Get me a glass of lemonade. I'm here for a blind date, not to give you advice!"
"Tch~" Jiang Xia watched him turn around and walk towards the seats outside, and almost threw the rag in her hand at his head.
At 4:30, a white Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan parked in the parking space outside Xia Mo Coffee.
The car door opened, and an incredibly long leg stretched out first. The dark gray tight yoga pants made Zhang Beichuan pause for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, he saw a girl who looked very innocent and pure, about 25 or 26 years old, about 1.65 meters tall, wearing sneakers and with her hair in a ponytail, walking gracefully towards him.
"Zhang Beichuan?"
"Li Yue?" Zhang Beichuan stood up and saw her nod. "Sit down, would you like something to drink?"
"I'll order myself." Li Yue picked up her phone, scanned the QR code on the table, and after choosing for a while, ordered a 20-yuan Americano and a 15-yuan order of fries.
The two people sitting opposite each other fell silent for a moment.
This was Zhang Beichuan's first time on a blind date, and he had no idea where to begin.
Or perhaps he never intended to talk; he just wanted to get through the motions quickly.
"plum......"
"How did you get here?"
"The driver brought me here."
Jiang Xia, who was walking out with a drink and fries, happened to hear this and almost burst out laughing. How could she not know Zhang Beichuan's situation?
"Driver? What driver?"
Zhang Beichuan cleared his throat. "Bus driver."
"Oh." Li Yue leaned back in her chair. "I heard you work as a game planner. How's the salary? If it's inconvenient, you don't have to say. After all, it's your privacy."
"Hmm...it's not very convenient."
Li Yue was slightly taken aback. She was just being polite, but she didn't expect Zhang Beichuan to take it seriously. Was he really stupid or just pretending?
Do you have a room?
"Not at the moment."
"Didn't my aunt say you own a house?"
Zhang Beichuan glanced at Jiang Xia, who was standing beside him, listening and stuffing fries into her mouth, then picked up the lemonade from the plate she was holding and took a sip.
"Those belong to my parents, not me."
"Oh...I see." After saying that, Li Yue noticed Jiang Xia, who was listening intently. "If I remember correctly, you were eating the fries I ordered, weren't you?"
"Huh?" Jiang Xia noticed that both of them were staring at her, and hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron. "I'm sorry, I'll get you another one."
"Are you out of your mind?" Li Yue muttered under her breath.
After putting down the drinks, Jiang Xia quickly ran inside to serve the fries again. As for the previous serving, he would save it for later while he continued eating.
"I understand your situation. Can you tell me about mine?"
"Okay." Zhang Beichuan listened while drinking his lemonade.
"I work as a trainer at a gym. My salary isn't fixed, but it's at least a little over ten thousand. I enjoy cycling and reading in my spare time, which not only help me stay fit but also improve myself. Oh, and I occasionally do some part-time work too."
"Hello, here are your fries."
Li Yue looked at the fries on the table and continued, "Since we're on a blind date, I'll be frank with you."
"Okay, go ahead."
"First, we must buy a house before getting married, as I don't like living with my in-laws; the house doesn't need to be too big, three bedrooms and two living rooms will do. But it must be in my name, that's for security."
"Secondly, as for the car, I don't need anything too fancy. It should at least be in the same class as mine, even if I have to take out a loan. A person needs to be ambitious..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Beichuan saw Jiang Xia sit down behind Li Yue, turn to the side, eat fries, and listen attentively to what Li Yue was saying.
He was listening even more attentively than Zhang Beichuan, and he was even nodding!
"Just to update you, I have a car," Zhang Beichuan said earnestly, his fingers interlaced.
Li Yue was slightly taken aback. "Oh, really? What kind of car?"
"A Wuling Hongguang." Zhang Beichuan, seeing her surprised expression, added, "Oh, by the way, I don't like installment payments, I pay in full."
"Pfft—cough cough cough!" Jiang Xia, who was sitting in the booth behind Li Yue, was amused by Zhang Beichuan's words. A French fry got stuck in his throat, and he turned his head and coughed violently, his shoulders shaking.
Li Yue's face instantly darkened. She glanced at Jiang Xia behind her, then turned back to stare at Zhang Beichuan with displeasure in her eyes.
"Mr. Zhang, I'm seriously discussing potential future life plans with you, not here to listen to your lame jokes! Goodbye!"
"You were the one who told me the joke first," Zhang Beichuan said seriously, his playful expression fading. "But still, today was quite enjoyable. Goodbye."
Seeing Li Yue angrily get into the car, Jiang Xia couldn't help but laugh even harder, tears streaming down her face.
"Hahaha, are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my Alipay bill?"
Zhang Beichuan rolled his eyes at her, glanced at the time on his watch, and realized it was about time to go find Wang Ping, so he turned and left.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
"what?"
Jiang Xia jogged over to stop him, "You haven't paid yet! It's 60 in total, but round it up, just give me 100."
"This bill isn't right, is it? A glass of lemonade costs ten yuan, doesn't it?"
"Two fries, one Americano, one lemonade, isn't that exactly sixty?" Jiang Xia said, reaching out to ask him for the money.
"I'm fed up with you! You eat it yourself and then try to charge me. You deserve to go bankrupt!"
"Mr. Zhang, you're so generous! May you prosper!" Jiang Xia said with a smile as he watched him pay 100. "Take care, Mr. Zhang. Welcome! Please come again anytime!"