CHAPTER 87

"Did they get your information from the school?" Qin Zhaoci turned over and sat on the sofa.

Ye Lianyin frowned. "It seems so."

"Then I'll call the principal and ask him not to disclose your information." Qin Zhaoci held Ye Lianyin's hand and gently squeezed her palm.

"No need." Ye Lianyin looked down at their hands. "It should stop in a few days. How was your day? Did you find someone?"

Qin Zhaoci nodded. "Yes, I've already let Sun Sui signed a contract with a fourth-year student majoring in food safety at the Imperial Academy. She's an Omega and quite capable. I plan to have Sun Sui mentor her for a while, and once she matures, she should be able to handle things on her own."

"Omega?" Ye Lianyin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Qin Zhaoci nodded with a smile. "What's wrong? Are you jealous?"

"What are you talking about?" Ye Lianyin rolled her eyes at her speechlessly. "I'm just a little surprised."

"Hehe." Qin Zhaoci leaned over and kissed Ye Lianyin's cheek. "Since we want to change the social norms, we have to start with ourselves. Don't worry, I didn't give her any special treatment because of her gender. The proposal she presented was the best among the interviewees."

"Do you know what else she mentioned in her proposal?" Qin Zhaoci looked at Ye Lianyin with a smile.

Ye Lianyin frowned. "What did she mention?"

"She said we could invite you to promote the milk tea shop. You can buy a cup, take a photo, and post it on the forum. She's sure that many people will come to buy it. Hahaha! When I saw this proposal, I thought she had some good ideas, knowing how to make good use of resources." Qin Zhaoci laughed heartily.

Ye Lianyin looked at her cheerful laughter and shook her head helplessly. "What good use of resources? I didn't agree to that."

"You're the boss, of course, it's making good use of resources." Qin Zhaoci hugged Ye Lianyin's waist and pressed her down on the sofa.

Ye Lianyin looked at her, her lips slightly curved but without saying a word. Qin Zhaoci leaned closer, and their noses touched lightly, their warm breaths mingling together, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

A faint blush spread across Ye Lianyin's ears as she slightly tilted her head, remaining silent.

Qin Zhaoci continued to get closer, kissing Ye Lianyin's jawline, then her cheek, and finally placing a kiss on the corner of Ye Lianyin's lips. Her warm breaths brushed against Ye Lianyin's neck and cheek, sending shivers down her spine.

After a moment, Qin Zhaoci's voice became seductive as she coquettishly said, "Of course, our lady boss can do anything she wants. Mmm, I love you the most."

Ye Lianyin had never seen an Alpha who could be so playful. Helplessly, she closed her eyes, turned her head, and kissed Qin Zhaoci's lips before nodding. 

"Okay."

"Hehe, then let the lady boss allow me to kiss you again." Qin Zhaoci immediately acted cute after taking advantage. She cupped the back of Ye Lianyin's head with her palm, pulling her closer into her embrace. She lowered her head, capturing Ye Lianyin's lips and savoring the moment.

Once their relationship was confirmed, Qin Zhaoci's kissing skills became more proficient, and each time she became bolder. However, she always maintained a sense of propriety and never crossed any boundaries.

After the kiss, Ye Lianyin's breath was slightly erratic, and she gently gasped for air. After a moment, she pushed Qin Zhaoci's shoulder, indicating that she needed to get up.

Qin Zhaoci moved away from her body and held Ye Lianyin's waist, helping her up.

Ye Lianyin looked at her with slightly flushed cheeks and composed herself before saying, "Regarding what you said about starting a business, I've thought it through."

"Really?" Qin Zhaoci looked at her. "What are your plans?"

"Well," Ye Lianyin pursed her lips, "I asked Sister Lin today and wanted to see if she would be willing to be my partner and start a business together."

"Lin Jiayi?" Qin Zhaoci frowned, recalling the first time she met Lin Jiayi. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when she saw the loving gaze in Ye Lianyin's eyes.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Ye Lianyin noticed Qin Zhaoci's slightly gloomy expression and remembered her attitude towards Lin Jiayi before. "Don't you want me to start a business with her?"

Qin Zhaoci pursed her lips. Considering Lin Jiayi's abilities, she was indeed a more suitable candidate. However, the thought of Lin Jiayi's inappropriate feelings for Ye Lianyin made her quite displeased.

After a moment of silence, Qin Zhaoci asked, "Did she agree?"

Ye Lianyin nodded and shook her head at the same time. "She was surprised and said she needed time to consider it."

Qin Zhaoci bit her lower lip. "Then tomorrow, I'll go with you to meet her and see what she really thinks."

After contemplating for a moment, Ye Lianyin nodded and held Qin Zhaoci's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Okay."

The next day, the three of them met on the rooftop of the Imperial Academy. Lin Jiayi was somewhat surprised to see Qin Zhaoci by Ye Lianyin's side.

Noticing that Qin Zhaoci didn't show her previous temper, Ye Lianyin pursed her lips and asked, "Sister Lin, have you made up your mind?" 

Lin Jiayi nodded. "Yes, I've thought it through. But, can I talk to Qin Zhaoci first?"

Lin Jiayi took the initiative to propose this, which surprised Qin Zhaoci. She glanced at Lin Jiayi, furrowing her brows slightly, but eventually nodded in agreement.

Ye Lianyin wasn't sure what Lin Jiayi wanted to discuss with Qin Zhaoci, but she didn't want to pry, so she walked to a corner of the rooftop and waited for them to finish their conversation.

"You know that I have feelings for Ye Lianyin, right?" Lin Jiayi looked at Ye Lianyin, who was walking away, and openly spoke about the long-held thoughts buried in her heart.

Qin Zhaoci nodded. "Yes, I know. That's why I wanted to come with her."

Lin Jiayi nodded, her gaze subconsciously lowered. She pursed her lips and said, "You don't need to worry about that anymore. My feelings for her will only go as far as liking her, especially after you and she got married."

"Besides, I can see that your relationship with her is great now. You might not know, but on the online forum this week, there were posts criticizing you, saying that you're not worthy of Ye Lianyin. But she shut them down and even fired back at those who insulted you."

"Really?" Qin Zhaoci was surprised. She turned her head and glanced at Ye Lianyin, who was standing several meters away, waiting for them. A gentle smile flashed in her eyes. 

Lin Jiayi nodded. "Yes, whenever we're conducting experiments, she always stops and checks her messages when you send her one. She even replies to you. It's evident to anyone with keen observation that she treats you differently. So, you don't need to worry. Even if I like her, it won't make a difference because she doesn't have feelings for me."

"Besides, she doesn't know about my feelings for her. Let's keep it that way. Please don't mention it either. I don't want to cause unnecessary trouble for her."

Qin Zhaoci looked into Lin Jiayi's eyes and saw sincerity, without a trace of panic. She nodded. "Okay."

After a moment, Qin Zhaoci pursed her lips and asked, "So, can you start a business with Yinyin?"

"Yeah, actually, I haven't signed with any company yet, but I have plans for that. However, with An Group still around, it's difficult for me to make a move in that direction." Lin Jiayi hesitated.

Qin Zhaoci shook her head. "You don't need to worry about that. I'll provide the funding, and as for the projects, I should have quite a few in the future. The rest will be up to you and Yinyin. I won't interfere with anything else."

"Alright." Lin Jiayi glanced at Ye Lianyin not far away and nodded

.....

"What did you talk about?" On the way back to their respective classrooms, Ye Lianyin was curious. "What did you and Senior Lin discuss?"     

Qin Zhaoci tilted her head. "I definitely asked her to take good care of you and mentioned the projects as well. She doesn't need to worry. I'll entrust them to you."

"Mhm," Ye Lianyin nodded. "I've saved up some money over the past few years, so I should have enough for startup capital. Oh, by the way, you rejected the collaboration with the Ye Group a few days ago. Have you found another company?"

Qin Zhaoci smiled and said, "Your sister talked to me before she left. She mentioned that she has a small company under her name, and she asked if I could collaborate with her using that company. I agreed."

"I also did some investigation. It seems that your sister established this small company while she was studying in the Empire. It even has its own production chain factories. You can learn from your sister's experience."

Qin Zhaoci playfully pinched Ye Lianyin's nose and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Alright, go to class now. I have to go to class too."

"Okay." Ye Lianyin hesitated for a moment, turned to look around, and after a while, she shyly stood on tiptoe, gave a peck on Qin Zhaoci's cheek, and then waved her hand before hurrying to her classroom.

As Qin Zhaoci watched Ye Lianyin pretend to be calm, memories of Lin Jiayi's words and the image of Ye Lianyin eloquently firing back at people on the internet flashed through her mind. With an indulgent smile, she shook her head.

A week later, a shop quietly opened near the Imperial Academy.

In a state of curiosity, many students stopped and lingered, curiously observing this unprecedented shop.

The shop was named "Melody Tea." The word "tea" in the shop's name was written in a front that incorporated a moderately-sized logo. The design featured a green musical note, with the note's two small feet standing on a bed of green tea leaves.

There were no salespeople inside the shop. Instead, a sign stood at the entrance, stating: "Grand Opening, New Product Tasting."

Below the sign, a copy of the shop's valid certification was attached.

"Hold on a moment." a car stopped at the entrance of the Imperial Academy. Shan Pan unbuckled her seatbelt, and Wan Baiyun got out of the driver's seat, carefully assisting her out of the car.

Shan Pan, now almost six months pregnant, had a rapidly growing belly that resembled an inflated balloon, making her movements increasingly inconvenient.

After getting out of the car, Shan Pan supported her waist and curiously surveyed the shop.

"What's wrong?" Wan Baiyun, who intended to accompany her to the classroom, became curious when she saw her suddenly stop.

"Look at that shop. Let's go and take a look." Shan Pan tugged at her sleeve and pulled her towards the shop.

As they reached the entrance of the shop, a robotic voice sounded, "Welcome to Melody Tea. Please choose your preferred tea, temperature, sweetness level, toppings, and type of milk on the screen."

"When making a purchase, please read the reminder carefully. For individuals with severe allergies or lactose intolerance, please choose with caution."

"Wow, they're quite considerate." Shan Pan raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at the screen in front of her. She discovered that the shop offered five beverage options.

The signature drink was Pearl Milk Tea, followed by Caramel Milk Tea, Pudding Milk Tea, Watermelon Coconut, and Strawberry Juice.

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