CHAPTER 14
After that day, Shu Yanyan continued living her life as usual.
The shop was finally renovated, and before the grand opening, she invited Fang Suqing and her daughter to her home as promised to taste her homemade dishes.
After the meal, the two little girls gathered together to play with toys while Fang Suqing entered the kitchen to help Shu Yanyan clean up.
Shu Yanyan quickly declined, saying, "No need, no need. I'll tidy up quickly. You go to the living room and have some fruit."
Fang Suqing didn't leave and casually put the packed leftovers into the refrigerator for her.
She asked, "It's nothing. I just happened to have something I wanted to ask you..."
Shu Yanyan responded, "Ah?"
Fang Suqing went straight to the point, "Yanyan, it's been almost three years since your wife... disappearance, right?"
Shu Yanyan was momentarily stunned, and the image of Chu Yu flashed through her mind.
But she quickly regained her composure and nodded, "Two months and eighteen days, and it will be three years."
Fang Suqing politely said, "I'm sorry..."
Shu Yanyan looked up at her and asked, "It's okay. But... is there a reason for asking this?"
Fang Suqing said, "When an Omega and their own Alpha are separated for more than three years, various physical discomforts can arise. Considering your current situation, it's time to think about this matter."
Taking advantage of being much taller than Shu Yanyan, she could easily see the slightly protruding gland at the back of her neck. It appeared no different from ordinary skin, but Fang Suqing could imagine—
How sweet it would be if she were to bite into it.
She took a deep breath, shifting her focus away, "After I divorced the other mother of Tian Tian, I accompanied her for the procedure. I was thinking... if you need it, I can help you make an appointment with that doctor."
"When you have time, I can go with you to remove the previous mark."
Shu Yanyan forced a smile, "Hmm, I know."
She politely declined, "If there's a need, I'll go by myself. Suqing, you're so busy, you don't need to worry about me."
Fang Suqing glanced at the living room, "The main concern is that you're currently living alone with Yunmiao. I'm worried... If something were to happen to you suddenly, Yunmiao wouldn't be able to take care of you."
Shu Yanyan bit her lip.
Fang Suqing was right about that.
She vaguely remembered a year ago, when she fell ill due to a sudden virus and had a fever, Yunmiao cried desperately, gasping for breath.
But...
She looked up and smiled, "It's okay, we still have Guan Guan here. If it really comes to that, it will help contact the hospital. Don't worry."
Fang Suqing frowned.
She instinctively looked for the mechanical bird that always seemed to sabotage her good deeds. As their gazes met, it seemed to ignite a spark in the air, silently exploding.
Unfortunately, Shu Yanyan was completely unaware and picked up the prepared dessert after the meal, inviting Fang Suqing, "Let's put aside these matters for now and go out."
Fang Suqing snapped back to reality and obediently followed behind her.
The next day, Shu's Dessert Shop officially opened.
Today was a weekday, and Yunmiao and little Guan Guan were at school, allowing Shu Yanyan to fully focus on her work. Since the shop had just started, she had a hunch that it wouldn't be very busy, so she didn't hire any staff. Instead, she rented a machine capable of performing basic service tasks to greet customers, serve dishes, and handle payments.
As for herself, she could concentrate on making desserts.
However, in reality, the shop was far from "not busy" and there was hardly anything to do.
In the Huaqi Empire, and throughout the entire universe, for some reason, people generally regarded dairy products like milk as nutritional supplements. Almost all dairy products were created for the sake of health, and no one saw them as a delightful indulgence. The popular desserts found on every street were mostly made from vegetables and fruits.
Shu Yanyan had considered bringing over some modern fruit juices, but similar products in this world were already quite mature. Even if she made them exceptionally well, it would be challenging to immediately stand out.
Therefore, she ultimately decided to take a different approach and introduce various double-layered milk custard and taro ball desserts.
Even on weekdays, the street where the shop was located bustled with people. Some curious individuals came to check out the adorable and cozy-looking new shop, but as soon as they heard Shu Yanyan's introduction, their interest waned completely.
"Hm, my mom forced me to finish a whole glass of milk this morning. I don't want to eat this kind of stuff anymore. Let's go to the front, there's a trendy fruit juice shop there, and they import fruits from other countries," said a high ponytailed girl, skipping away with her friend.
Shu Yanyan's spirits, which had just been lifted, immediately sank again, but she maintained a smiling face and waved goodbye to them politely.
After seeing them off, she returned to the shop and, bored out of her mind, opened her smart device and browsed through the Star Network.
Just as she opened the web page, the smart device automatically displayed the latest news about the Emperor's selection of her concubines.
Shu Yanyan felt that it wasn't her fault at all—
She definitely didn't want to pay attention to this matter. It was just that this topic was actively trending, and the annoying web page recommendations always pushed related news in her direction.
She definitely didn't want to see it!
Firm in this thought, Shu Yanyan felt a bit better. So, without any psychological burden, she clicked on the notification.
Today's news was about Chu Yu encountering two noble Omegas at the entrance of the Imperial Parliament. It was obvious that the Omegas were there for her, and in order to get her attention, they even accused each other of being sly fox spirits in front of everyone.
However, Chu Yu remained unmoved and entered the Parliament under the escort of guards, not sparing them a single glance.
The journalist who wrote this article seemed to have a biased stance in favor of the Omegas. So, at the end of the article, without any hesitation, they pointed out that the Emperor's behavior was highly inappropriate. Despite the palace itself releasing news about the selection of concubines, she seemed to disregard the Omegas who flocked to her.
Of course, most of the comments below were refuting the journalist's perspective.
[The palace did release the news about the selection of concubines, but the Emperor didn't invite them to cause a scene at the entrance of the Parliament.]
[Does the Emperor have to speak kindly and guide the Omegas who want to become Empress to rush into the Parliament for the author to be satisfied?]
[Waaah, the Emperor is still so handsome! I'm writing a blood oath begging the Emperor to go out without wearing a mask all the time. I want to see her face!!!]
Shu Yanyan wrinkled her nose and muttered to herself, "Why is she always so irresistible to people?"
But after muttering, she suddenly realized—
She seemed to be one of those people who couldn't help but be infatuated with her.
During the chaotic federation period, it was because she coveted her charming appearance that she...
An inappropriate scene suddenly flashed in her mind, and Shu Yanyan hurriedly rubbed her face. "I shouldn't think about it! I shouldn't think about it!! Stay calm!!! It's all Ah Qing's fault, you're no different from those people..."
Before she could finish comforting herself, a message notification popped up at the top of the smart device screen.
Shu Yanyan focused her gaze and her cheeks, which had just calm down, instantly turned red again.
[Sender: Guan Guan's Previous Owner]
[Message Content: I heard from Guan Guan that your shop has opened? Is the invitation to come and taste your desserts still valid?]
Because Chu Yu's contact information was given by Guan Guan, Shu Yanyan had always referred to the sender as such.
Is there anything more embarrassing than silently complaining about someone and then receiving a message from them at the perfect moment?
Shu Yanyan could only be grateful that she didn't have to face Chu Yu in person right now.
After taking a few deep breaths and calming her heart, she replied to the message.
[Of course...]
Chu Yu: [?]
Shu Yanyan: [??]
Chu Yu smiled: [What's the address of your shop?]
Shu Yanyan was momentarily stunned, then realized her mistake and hurriedly sent the shop's address.
Chu Yu: [I'll be there in twenty minutes.]
Shu Yanyan finally snapped back to reality—
Chu Yu was actually planning to come, and she would be here soon!
Shu Yanyan immediately stood up and grabbed the cleaning tools, starting to clean the place.
However, the cleaning tool had a built-in detection function, and after a while, it gave a prompt: "The cleanliness score of the environment has reached 94 points. No further cleaning is necessary."
Shu Yanyan finally realized that she had already cleaned the shop three times today because there were no customers.
But she didn't give up and changed to a different cloth, starting to clean some easily overlooked corners.
So, twenty minutes later, when Chu Yu arrived, she saw an empty dessert shop that was spotless. Next to it stood the blushing, obviously hardworking and adorable shop owner.
Chu Yu calmly asked, "Just finished being busy?"
Shu Yanyan lowered her head, not daring to look at her. "Um, yeah."
Chu Yu smiled. "Seems like business is going well."
Shu Yanyan felt a bit embarrassed but mustered up the courage to invite her inside.
She brought the digital menu to Chu Yu. "Um, take a look. What would you like to eat?"
Chu Yu had originally intended to try a few things casually. After all, she didn't come primarily for the food. However, when she saw unfamiliar dessert names on the menu, she fell silent for a few seconds.
Shu Yanyan could tell and took the initiative to give her a way out. "Actually, the business in the shop isn't doing well, so it's okay if you don't want to eat."
Chu Yu said, "I'm just curious about the taste of these things."
She asked, "I haven't tried them before. Are these new desserts that you developed yourself? Could you please recommend a few signature items?"
After thinking for a moment, Shu Yanyan said, "Just wait for me."
She turned around and disappeared into the kitchen, quickly returning with four desserts: regular double-layered milk, caramel double-layered milk, and two bowls of taro ball soup with different toppings.
She presented the desserts to Chu Yu and introduced each one.
She used to do this often. Shu Qing, who didn't know much about the pastries she made, would listen attentively as she explained. And Shu Qing, being her loyal supporter, would always finish everything she made.
But after Shu Yanyan finished her introduction, she turned her head and realized that Chu Yu was wearing a face mask.
The Emperor indeed had to conceal her identity when going out. Otherwise, not only would those people block the entrance of the Parliament, they might also crush her little shop on the spot.
Can Chu Yu still taste her desserts?
Before Shu Yanyan had a chance to think it through, Chu Yu pressed a button on her face mask, and the mechanical mask automatically retracted, transforming into a small device that resembled an earphone, hanging on her left ear.
She lowered her head and took a spoonful of the double-layered milk into her mouth.
Shu Yanyan held her breath.
As the double-layered milk melted in her mouth, Chu Yu seemed surprised by the texture, slightly widening her eyes. But in the next moment, she licked her lips and gave Shu Yanyan a faint smile.
"It's delicious."
Shu Yanyan felt excited and confirmed, "Really?"
Chu Yu blurted out, "Yeah, not sweet, but very tasty."
As soon as those words came out, both of them froze.
Chu Yu was naturally surprised at why she said such a thing. "Not sweet" and "Tasty" weren't usually associated. And Shu Yanyan felt a sense of déjà vu.
"Tasty, not sweet" was a phrase she had taught Shu Qing as a compliment. In the realm of Chinese desserts, this phrase was equivalent to the highest praise!
But... how would Chu Yu know?
Did she... remember?
Since they met, Shu Yanyan had always suspected that Chu Yu was similar to the past Shu Qing, having lost some of her memories. But from today's situation, perhaps Chu Yu's condition was better than Shuqing's back then?
She was about to inquire further based on Chu Yu's words when two female customers suddenly walked into the shop.
"Wow, is this a new shop?"
Shu Yanyan snapped back to reality and immediately stood up, blocking Chu Yu from their view.
She smiled and responded, "Um... yes. What would you like to eat?"
The attention of the two customers wasn't on her; they tried to bypass Shu Yanyan to get a better look at Chu Yu.
In fact, because Chu Yu's seat was facing the shop entrance, the two women had caught a glimpse of Chu Yu's appearance as they passed by earlier.
Although it was just just brief glance and they didn't see anything clearly, it didn't stop them from being unable to resist their curiosity to catch a glimpse of the beautiful Alpha.
So the two girls gathered their courage and entered Shu Yanyan's dessert shop.
Upon hearing the inquiry, one of the taller girls replied, "Ah, anything is fine. Give us two servings of this..."
She looked at the sign in the shop and hesitantly pronounced three words, "Double... Layered... Milk..."
Shu Yanyan nodded. "Alright."
She turned her head, thinking that after such a long time, Chu Yu should have reattached her high-tech mask. After all, folding it back up only required a press of a button, so it should be effortless to unfold as well.
But in the next moment, her pupils widened in shock.
Chu Yu had no intention of putting her mask at all.
She propped her chin up with her hand, a pleased curve forming at the corner of her mouth. She leisurely looked at Shu Yanyan as if to say...
"What should I do? I'm about to be discovered. Yanyan, protect me quickly."
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