Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 409 Divination and Coffee

Han Zhou had considered many possibilities regarding the "problem" Lin Anyu mentioned.

For example, this coffee shop has a group of sexy black-stockinged maids dressed as maids who stand on both sides of the door, bowing and calling each other "master". Or, the coffee shop has pink lighting and intoxicating incense, which can create an ambiguous atmosphere the moment you enter. But it wasn't until he walked into the shop that he realized he had the wrong idea.

This is indeed a coffee shop, and although it offers "special services," the services are quite legitimate—for an extra ten yuan on top of your coffee order, you can get a fortune-telling service provided by a professional staff member.

That's right, this is a cafe with divination elements.

The coffee shop's decor has a magical feel, with strings of decorations hanging inside, including stars and moons, resembling a cascading galaxy that make a crisp sound when touched. Each coffee table has a crystal ball, and the walls are covered with cute patterns featuring brooms and witch hats. A misty fog rises near the bar, and the staff appear and disappear in the fog, giving the impression of a magical world.

"This place is really flashy..."

Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was pushing the wheelchair, muttered to herself, but her eyes kept looking around the room with great curiosity.

Han Zhou breathed a sigh of relief at first, then asked in a low voice with some suspicion, "Is this the 'problematic' coffee shop you mentioned?"

"I meant it's interesting, you understand?" Lin Anyu turned around and gave him a meaningful smile.

Han Zhou had a feeling that this guy's smile was malicious, but before he could figure it out, he heard a familiar voice.

"Welcome! How many of you would like a drink?... Oh, Guzheng? What brings you here?"

Han Zhou was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that one of the cafe's employees would be an acquaintance, Wang Runxue, who was obsessed with divination. At first, he wondered why this girl wasn't staying at school and was working as a waitress here. But when he thought about the cafe's theme, he understood.

A fortune-telling enthusiast working part-time at a fortune-telling cafe—in a way, this is a good fit for his profession…

Gu Zheng was also surprised to see Wang Runxue. After asking around, she learned that the coffee shop was originally owned by the president of the divination club. To be precise, it was actually the business of the president's father, but it was recently transferred to him. The first thing the president did after taking over the coffee shop was to renovate it and use it as the divination club's activity room off-campus, while trying to keep it open to the public.

"Try to stay open... You're not even hiring proper staff, no wonder your business doesn't look good."

Xiao Xiao was outspoken, making her comments while examining the witch's hat on the bar.

Wang Runxue wasn't angry. She smiled and explained, "The president never intended to make money from this store. He said that young people should pursue their dreams and interesting things. It would be too boring to start worrying about money now."

Lin Anyu was fiddling with the crystal ball when he heard this and immediately laughed, feeling as if he had found a kindred spirit: "Your club president isn't a rich second-generation, is he?"

"I guess so. It seems like the president's family business is quite large... But how did you know that?" Wang Runxue asked curiously.

"Because I also think young people should live more freely," Lin Anyu shrugged and replied with a smile.

Wang Runxue didn't quite understand what he meant, but Han Zhou did. Lin Anyu was a rich second-generation, so naturally he wouldn't worry about basic necessities and would have enough energy to pursue freedom and dreams. If people can't even afford the simplest things like food and drink, they usually won't use such lofty terms.

After all, these things can't be eaten as food.

Thinking about this, Han Zhou suddenly became curious about what Mo Yixia was thinking. After all, this girl was also a well-off young woman, and he wondered if she ever thought about dreams or anything like that in her spare time.

"Please be seated and order your coffee."

Wang Runxue didn't dwell on it too much. If she couldn't figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it. However, she didn't forget that she was now a shop assistant. She quickly arranged for everyone to sit down and even took out a menu in a proper manner, bowing slightly to indicate that everyone could order whatever they wanted.

"Whatever you want?"

Han Zhou looked at her with a hint of suspicion. "Aren't you just a shop assistant? You don't actually know how to make coffee, do you?"

He observed that there was only one person in the coffee shop, Wang Runxue, which meant that everyone's coffee had to be made by her. Did she have that skill?
"Who are you looking down on?"

Wang Runxue rolled her eyes at him. "We've already said we need to keep the shop running as much as possible. How can we let an employee who can't even make coffee be in charge? I've received special training."

After saying that, she flicked her ponytail, turned around, and went back to the bar to make coffee.

She knew Han Zhou was a scumbag, and while she didn't feel much ill will towards him, she was still somewhat annoyed. If he hadn't had dirt on her, she would have exposed him long ago.

Watching her retreating figure, Xiao Xiaoxiao yawned and said listlessly, "I wonder if this girl gets paid for running the shop all by herself."

Gu Zheng thought for a moment: "We're all members of the same club, and this is the club's off-campus activity room, so it should be a free favor."

Lin Anyu leaned back in his comfortable chair, shook his head and sighed, "These clubs nowadays are really interesting. They can even let members work for free. I'll try joining a club sometime. Maybe I can get someone to work for me for free too."

Han Zhou gave him an annoyed look: "Weren't you just saying you wanted to be a carefree young man? How come you're starting to think about how to be a capitalist now?"

"There's no other way. I'll have to go back and take over the family business sooner or later. I can't just sit around doing nothing for the rest of my life, can I? Han Zhou, my life is already set, but you and I are different. You must carry on with my free will in the future."

Lin Anyu sighed, making a helpless expression that said, "If you don't work hard, you'll have to go back and inherit the family business." His Versailles-like demeanor almost made Han Zhou want to punch him.

"And what about you?" he asked.

"Me?" Lin Anyu looked at him strangely. "Of course I'm taking the car."

This remark earned him several eye rolls from the girls.

"The rich kids are really hateful," Han Zhou sighed.

Do you have any prejudice against the children of wealthy families?

Mo Yixia turned her head and glanced at him.

Han Zhou's heart skipped a beat, realizing he had accidentally insulted this guy. He quickly corrected himself, saying, "No, what I meant was... the real culprits are the capitalists, otherwise I might have had a chance to become a rich second-generation."

Seeing that the other person kept staring at him while speaking, Lin Anyu was displeased and corrected, "My family just owns a few hotels, that doesn't make us capitalists, does it?"

"Capitalists are generally defined as people who own factors of production, rely on running businesses, and employ workers to make profits."

Mo Yixia rested her chin on one hand and tapped the table lightly with the other, saying unhurriedly, "If we start from this definition, our family should be considered a fairly standard capitalist family."

She turned her head and glanced at Han Zhou again.

"Pfft!"

Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was still feeling sleepy, couldn't help but burst out laughing. Lin Anyu laughed even harder, thinking to himself that Han Zhou had really shot himself in the foot. Han Zhou was a little embarrassed, while Gu Zheng felt refreshed and glared at Xiao Xiaoxiao and Lin Anyu with dissatisfaction: "What's so funny? Capitalists are hateful anyway."

Her words were clearly directed at Mo Yixia.

Mo Yixia took off her mask and baseball cap, tucked her loose hair behind her ears, and said dismissively, "Few people in this world truly hate capitalists; they just hate that they are not capitalists."

Lin Anyu, though suppressing a laugh, didn't forget to change the subject for his good friend, and quickly said, "Forget about capital, this shop offers fortune-telling services, right? Shall we add ten yuan and try it?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao shook her head, seemingly uninterested: "Whatever, I'll pass. It's better to go to a temple to draw lots than to have my fortune told here."

"What, you're a Buddhist?" Lin Anyu asked curiously.

"No, he's a believer wherever it's free."

Han Zhou easily saw through Xiao Xiaoxiao's thoughts. This girl had no religious beliefs, but she usually hated spending money unnecessarily—such as paying someone to tell fortunes. She obviously thought it was cheaper to go to a temple to draw lots.

Seeing the girl's displeasure, seemingly unhappy that her thoughts had been exposed, Han Zhou chuckled and then said earnestly, "Xiao Xiao, times have changed. These days, going to a temple to draw lots might cost more than ten yuan."

"How do you know?" Xiao Xiaoxiao pouted. "On TV, it's clear that you don't have to pay to draw lots at temples."

"Of course because..."

Han Zhou was about to mention that he had recently gone to a temple to draw lots, and that he still vividly remembered the monk who used Baidu on his phone to interpret the lot, when suddenly he felt a chill and was jolted awake—

The trip to the temple to draw lots happened when I went to climb the snow mountain with Mo Yixia. I've been keeping this from Guzheng, and it's best not to let her know now either, so I can't tell her about drawing lots.

So he smiled and said in a half-joking tone, "Of course, it's because times are changing. Temples didn't pay salaries before, but now some temples even offer social insurance and housing fund benefits when they hire people. They have to find ways to make money."

“I’ve heard of that before,” Lin Anyu said with a click of his tongue in amazement. “I heard that incense money is now paid for using QR codes. That’s really keeping up with the times.”

Just then, Wang Runxue walked over with several cups of steaming coffee, placing them on the table as she asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"

"Thank you."

Han Zhou subconsciously wanted to get up to take the coffee, but Gu Zheng had already taken it first and pushed it in front of him, replying with a smile, "We were talking about divination."

"Yes." Lin Anyu nodded, his face showing anticipation. "We'd like to have our fortunes told at the shop, is that alright?"

"Fortune telling? Of course!"

Wang Runxue was initially delighted, but then suddenly thought of something and looked at Han Zhou strangely, "But why don't you ask this guy to do your divination? His divination skills are far superior to mine."

Everyone was stunned by his words, and Lin Anyu was even more surprised. He looked Han Zhou up and down for a moment and asked, "When did you learn divination?"

Han Zhou coughed lightly: "It's just a little hobby, what kind of skill does she have? Don't listen to her nonsense."

He gave a few perfunctory replies before turning to Wang Runxue, "Then I'll trouble you to do a divination for everyone later."

"Okay... just don't laugh at me behind my back."

Wang Runxue didn't think much of it, but suddenly her eyes lit up. "By the way, the president might come to the store in a little while. Why don't we ask him to do a fortune telling for you? Our president is very good."

Anyone can do the divination; it's a trivial matter, so naturally no one has any objections. Only Xiao Xiaoxiao looks wary.

"No extra charge, right?"

"Uh, of course not."

"Then it's up to you."

"..."

Everyone initially thought Wang Runxue was just being forced into this role, but to their surprise, she actually knew how to make coffee, and her skill seemed quite good. The coffee she made was very fragrant, but unfortunately, no one present was used to it, so they could only give her a "so-so" rating under her expectant gaze.

Lin Anyu prided himself on being mature and steady, and mature men don't need sugar in their coffee. So, ignoring Wang Runxue's advice, he didn't add a single drop of sugar. However, he quickly became obedient. As soon as he took a sip of coffee, his face contorted, and he slammed his fist on the table, exclaiming that there was no such thing as something so bitter in the world.

Wang Runxue picked up the crystal ball on the table with heartache, afraid that it would be smashed.

Han Zhou was amused by Lin Anyu's ferocious expression, but considering that the other party had been helping him out of trouble all day, he didn't laugh at him. He took a sip of coffee, shook his head and sighed, "There are many more bitter things, it's just that you haven't had the chance to taste them."

"Pretending to be profound."

Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, then carefully picked up the cup, brought the coffee with two large spoonfuls of sugar to her lips, tasted it, and frowned, saying, "I think I put too much sugar in."

"It's okay, it's better than not adding sugar at all."

Gu Zheng said with her eyes crinkling, "Someone is so eager to rinse their mouth with sugar water right now."

She is a very vengeful person, and this was her revenge for Lin Anyu deliberately causing trouble before the afternoon's competition.

Lin Anyu's face darkened.

"makes sense."

Xiao Xiaoxiao's brows immediately relaxed.

At this moment, Wang Runxue, who was working as a shop assistant, was also sitting with everyone. She had met most of the people present before and had a good relationship with Guzheng. Seeing that there were no customers at the moment, she wanted to come over and chat with everyone to relieve her boredom.

Of course, relieving boredom was just a pretext; her real intention was to seize the opportunity to do something. She certainly recognized the girl who had remained silent since entering the store and was very curious about how Han Zhou, that big scumbag, had managed to hook up with this "Princess Who Doesn't Smile." She really wanted to figure out what the current relationship between these people was.

Hmph, I'll definitely have the club president give this guy a good talking to later...

She had secretly sent a message to the club president, asking him to come to the store as soon as possible. Under the guise of a divination, she would subtly tell Han Zhou the painful price to pay for being a scumbag, hoping that he would see the error of his ways and allow Gu Zheng to find happiness.

This was the only thing she could do as a friend of the guzheng.

(End of this chapter)