Chapter 156

Page Thirteen Lin Shen (Part One)

[November 20th, Wednesday, 10:13]

Since no one wanted to spend money on a taxi, from the commercial area to Ling Shaojie’s place, AJ and I walked for about twenty minutes.

Without Lin spending money, life is really inconvenient.

— “Hey, what kind of freeloader talk is that?” —

The young girl had a small stride and delicate soles, I had to quicken my pace just to keep up with AJ’s long legs.

I was really tired!

In contrast, AJ seemed very relaxed. After all, recent modeling jobs sometimes required her to stand in different poses all day.

“…It looks quite ordinary? Are you really going to waste your whole morning in such a small café?”

This was my first time here, and the café gave me a rather shabby impression.

But after confirming multiple times with Cherry Sauce, the answer remained the same.

— “Don’t ask, this is the place! Look, there’s an attic above. That’s where Ling Shaojie lives. Once we go in, I’ll take you upstairs to see.” —

What? How do I get up there?

— “Dumb, I can use the black thread to sneak in and share the view with you!” —

We pushed open the door, and the bell above the door rang with a clear sound. The café was decorated with dark wooden structures, even the seats were padded wooden chairs, paired with yellow light bulbs, exuding a vintage charm.

Although the café was only as wide as a storefront, it was unexpectedly deep. There were six steps down when entering, and to make room for the attic above, the entire café was half-sunken.

To the left was a bar counter that also served as a kitchen, while the right side and deeper areas were all seating.

Though there were no customers inside, the aroma of coffee was very strong, which was different from what Cherry Sauce had said.

— “Don’t believe me? Then try ordering a cup.” —

Behind the counter, greeting us was a middle-aged woman who didn’t smile much and looked somewhat stern. She wore a bartender outfit but smoked behind the counter… This must be Aunt Lin, right?

She claimed to be Ling Shaojie’s aunt, but they didn’t look very similar. Her face was heavily made-up, but it couldn’t hide her aging, with wrinkles like knife marks from time.

“Oh my? It’s rare to have guests on a weekday morning. I didn’t expect such a small guest.”

Her appearance was indeed intimidating, unlike Sister Shan’s piercing eyes, this woman’s presence came from her aura. Without an approachable boss, running this café would be tough.

— “Yesterday, there was some business unexpectedly.” —

Finally taking a big drag, Aunt Lin extinguished her cigarette, blowing smoke towards another direction before leaning against the counter. “Regardless, everyone who comes is a guest. I won’t ask about why you skipped class. So, little girl, what would you like to drink at the café?”

As someone in business, she wasn’t as hard to approach as I imagined.

Ordering began.

Although Cherry Sauce suggested I try some juice, the scent of coffee was too tempting.

The young girl leaned over the counter, her head barely reaching above the table, looking closely at the chalkboard menu on the wall. Hmm, although the café was small, the prices weren’t cheap. But for the plan, I had to spend the money.

I raised my hand and said, “I want a latte! With extra milk!”

“Would you like it with pure milk then?”

Even Aunt Lin, with her strong demeanor, could joke around. First impressions were indeed unreliable.

I denied, “Of course not, I’m here for the coffee!”

I turned back to AJ.

“So, A姐, what coffee would you like? I rarely offer to treat others.”

AJ lifted me onto a high stool and said, “Stop it, you’re a broke kid. Although I’m poor, I haven’t fallen so low as to spend a child’s allowance.”

She sat next to me, squinting at the menu.

“A caramel macchiato, and give this little brat a piece of tiramisu.”

“I got it, a latte and a macchiato?”

Aunt Lin turned away to start preparing, taking out milk from the refrigerator to froth it.

I fiddled with the counter and said, “Hey, don’t treat me like a kid!”

“Huh, aren’t you a kid?”

“Weren’t you sleeping until three last night watching Yǐjī’s stream? How’s your popularity now? Is there hope for twenty thousand viewers?”

“Just over ten thousand so far, aiming for twenty thousand by the end of the month… I think it’s unlikely.”

AJ sighed pessimistically but quickly perked up. “But Yǐjī is really working hard! She streams for over ten hours a day, and last night she created a fan group. I thought management would fall on me, but it’s Yǐjī interacting intensely with fans, even asking them to promote her… Everyone sees her effort, and it makes us want to help more.”

“You have a fan group? Let me join!”

AJ pulled out her phone and added me to Miss Yǐjī’s support group. In just one day, it already had over a hundred members, many active, creating a lively atmosphere. Though they haven’t reached twenty thousand viewers, her efforts weren’t wasted.

Only, I didn’t see Sister Tao’s social media account in the list.

AJ seemed to read my thoughts, saying, “Don’t bother looking. Tao妹 isn’t around, but she might create a small account to spy.”

“It’s strange if she uses her main account.”

What does Tao姐 think of Yǐjī? If she doesn’t reach twenty thousand viewers, will Tao姐 never forgive her?

— “There’s nothing secret, but should we check now?” —

Aunt Lin was still focused on making coffee, so let’s go up and take a look.

I was curious, what is Ling Shaojie’s room like?

The vision connected to the black thread.

The thread that sprouted from her shoes stuck to the counter, then climbed up through the wooden stairs, and entered the attic through a gap in the door… Darkly, the thread found the switch and turned on the light.

As a high school girl’s room, it was surprisingly bare, with only simple furniture like a sofa, wardrobe, bed, and desk. The only appliance was a small fridge by the sofa.

— “There are drones and camera lenses on the wall, nothing else worth noting.” —

Is this all of Ling Shaojie?

Despite earning a lot from selling information and even profiting from my photo album, her life seems quite frugal.

— “She works part-time as an information broker and secretly investigates Lin Yuhuang. She won’t tell Aunt Lin these things, so even if she has money, she can’t show higher income than a typical high schooler’s part-time job. These drones and cameras are the limit.” —

I think a regular high schooler wouldn’t afford these.

Seeing me lost in thought, AJ waved her hand in front of my eyes.

“Sleeping with your eyes open?”

“No… just distracted.”

I leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Can you find out some information about this aunt for me?”

AJ’s social skills were much better than mine, asking her would be less suspicious.

“Sure, but what do you want to know?”

“Anything, just chat with her.”

“…Really anything?”

I gave her enough freedom, but she seemed troubled.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you good with women?”

“I don’t know what you’re after, but no requirements are the hardest. Hearing designers say ‘free play’ gives me a headache…”

“Then rely on your intuition and deduce her personality.”

AJ thought for a moment and suddenly asked, “Sister, can I try the latte art?”

Being called ‘sister’ by the much younger AJ, Aunt Lin couldn’t hide her delight.

“Oh? Do you want to learn coffee art?”

AJ waved her hands, “No, no need to learn. I can do it.”

Amazing, she actually has this skill?

“Don’t look at me like that. Actually, I’ve worked in a café before… Later, chatting with a lady and treating her with coffee from the store got me fired.”

Serves you right!

Aunt Lin nodded with interest.

“Mm, it’s not an unreasonable request. Go ahead.”

She placed the brewed espresso on the counter and handed AJ the milk frother.

“This is the girl’s latte, you know how to do it, right?”

AJ chose to answer with action.

Holding the coffee cup slightly tilted, she rhythmically poured the white foam along the rim, creating concentric rings. As she slowly straightened the cup, the dense milk flowed, transforming the multiple rings into shapes like wheat or feathers.

AJ presented the latte to me humbly, “I only know basic stuff, fancier stuff I can’t do.”

“Good, already well done.”

Aunt Lin didn’t hold back her praise, acknowledging AJ’s latte art skills.

She then asked, “Since you’ve worked before, do you want to be our café barista?”

AJ seemed surprised by the attention.

“Hmm? I’m completely amateur… I don’t have any certificates…”

Aunt Lin replied, “As you can see, this café is run by just me. Although it’s small, it has a good reputation. During busy times, I struggle. So, I’m looking for a reliable student worker. This small place doesn’t need professionals… If you’re interested in coffee, I can teach you.”

It was strange that this café was managed by just one person. Even street tea shops usually had two or three employees.

— “Ling Shaojie says she sometimes helps out, though it’s hard to notice, but this café does get busy.” —

But this is good. AJ needs stable income, and a barista position would complement her unstable modeling work. Both could be balanced, making it quite appealing.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I’ve decided to be a model.”

I thought she’d accept, but she refused seriously.