Chapter 27: I Want to Kiss You Part 2

Word was, the shop was in for a major overhaul.

Terrified of getting fired, she hadn’t slept a wink all night.

But what if she could latch onto a big shot?

This miss in front of her—her clothes didn’t scream designer labels, but they were clearly expensive. And that air of refinement? She wasn’t ordinary, that was for sure…

Zhou Jianghao had quit so decisively because she’d snagged a sugar mama, right? If she could do it, why not Meng Ling? With Zhou Jianghao’s stiff, boring personality, her looks were all she had going for her. In bed, she probably couldn’t hold a candle to Meng Ling’s charms.

Even if she didn’t hook this one, at least… at least she shouldn’t let Zhou Jianghao have all the luck.

They were all working stiffs in the same place—why should Meng Ling lose sleep over her job while Zhou Jianghao ran wild, quitting because someone was bankrolling her?

With that in mind, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, then regretted not putting on makeup that morning—her mind had been too consumed with the fear of getting canned.

She set the taro mud thousand-layer cake in front of the woman and glanced toward the break room before whispering, “Are you Little Zhou’s friend?”

“Hm?” Tan Qingya raised an eyebrow.

She watched as the woman clumsily feigned hesitation, then stared straight at her with naked calculation in her eyes—while trying to look envious.

“Oh wow, I’m so jealous of Little Zhou. So many people like her—folks come looking for her all the time!”

“Men, women, young, old—they all adore her. Little Zhou’s quite the social butterfly, super likable. Tons of people come by just to hang out with her.”

Seeing the woman’s face remain impassive, Meng Ling’s eyelid twitched. She pressed on.

“Not long ago, there was this older woman. I thought she was Little Zhou’s mom at first, but then I saw them embracing, and I realized…”

A calm, icy voice cut her off. “Realized what?”

Meng Ling’s words died in her throat. She turned stiffly, stunned that Zhou Jianghao had returned so quickly. Gritting her teeth, she thought, Of course—she spots money and comes running like a starving dog to a bone. So worried someone might steal her meal ticket?

Meng Ling had always bullied Zhou Jianghao to her face and felt no guilt at getting caught. Fury surged instead. She sneered. “Realized that was your sugar mama! Old enough to be your mom—and you can stomach that? You’re not picky, huh!”

“Sugar mama?” Tan Qingya let out a soft chuckle, the chill in her eyes sharpening.

Meng Ling misunderstood and rushed ahead. “Miss, with your looks, you could do way better. Zhou Jianghao isn’t worth your time!”

“Looks like you’ve got the wrong idea.” Tan Qingya picked up her iced tea, giving it a gentle swirl. She met Meng Ling’s eyes, her beautiful face coolly detached. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Joy flashed across Meng Ling’s face.

Zhou Jianghao froze.

Had Tan Qingya believed it?

“I don’t have a sugar mama,” she blurted, desperate not to be seen as that kind of person.

“Of course.” Tan Qingya nodded. “You’re a good girl.”

Meng Ling’s expression twisted. She started to speak—”She…”—but Tan Qingya had run out of patience. With elegant poise, she flung the iced tea right into Meng Ling’s face, still smiling. “Sorry, I have a bad temper. I don’t like people badmouthing my wife.”

Then she turned to the Boss Lady. “Your employee’s manners leave much to be desired.”

The comment seemed out of nowhere, but the Boss Lady’s face hardened as she looked at Meng Ling. “Little Meng, we’ll settle your wages later. You’re done here.”

Meng Ling had been dumbfounded since hearing “my wife.” She stared blankly at Zhou Jianghao, then at the stunning woman, in disbelief. “You’re married?!”

The Boss Lady frowned.

Whether Zhou Jianghao was married or not was beside the point. Shouldn’t Meng Ling be more worried about getting fired?

Meng Ling realized her outburst was too much. She composed herself for a few seconds, then her face shifted again. She grabbed the Boss Lady’s hand. “Boss Lady, give me another chance!”

She hadn’t gone far in school—skipping more days than she attended in middle school, scraping by with a diploma before hitting the workforce. Jobs were getting harder to find, and compared to others, the Dessert Shop gig was a breeze.

Plus, the Boss Lady was great—barely supervised them, rarely docked pay…

She’d even gotten perks out of the Boss Lady now and then by sweet-talking her.

But the Boss Lady just shrugged helplessly and nodded toward the beautiful woman. “Can’t help you. The new boss says your attitude’s a problem. I’m just an employee now.”

Meng Ling wasn’t the only one stunned.

With a defeated look, Meng Ling packed her things and left. Zhou Jianghao couldn’t help glancing at Tan Qingya, who was calmly eating her dessert.

Naturally, it was tiramisu—the one Zhou Jianghao had made herself.

Tan Qingya had given the taro mud thousand-layer cake to the other coworker. Even though she’d smiled and said nothing harsh, that coworker looked terrified.

She shrank back like a quail, avoiding eye contact entirely. If their gazes accidentally met, she’d flash a fawning smile— a rare sight.

A hint of mockery slipped onto Zhou Jianghao’s face.

She wondered if the Tan Family juniors would flip their attitudes like this too, now that she had Tan Qingya as her backer.

“What’s wrong?”

Sensing Zhou Jianghao’s distraction, Tan Qingya set down her fork leisurely, dabbing at her lips with a handkerchief as she asked, “Are you upset?”

“No.” Zhou Jianghao shook her head quickly, then couldn’t hold back after a pause. “Why’d you buy the shop?”

If it was for her, it was completely unnecessary.

She was leaving this place anyway—buying it served no purpose.

Tan Qingya arched a brow. “Wanted it, so I bought it.”

Did she need a reason to buy things? In her twenty-odd years, Tan Qingya had never justified her purchases. Besides, this shop wasn’t even as pricey as one of her skirts—no need to overthink it.

With that, she looked at Zhou Jianghao. “Bought it in your name. If you ever miss it, you can come back anytime.”

Ah—

That was probably reason enough.

Hesitating for a moment, Tan Qingya finally remembered that she should first ask the girl’s own opinion. After several seconds of silence, she asked unhurriedly, “Would you be upset? Because I acted on my own.”

Whether it was buying the dessert shop without consulting her, or showing up here and firing her coworker on a whim.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, gazing at Zhou Jianghao with a probing look. Tan Qingya had always followed her heart in everything she did, but right now, she wanted to know what her little wife thought.

“No.”

After a long pause, Zhou Jianghao finally spoke.

She clenched her fists and forced a smile. “You’re doing this for me. I know.”

Truth be told, she didn’t like this high-handed approach. But she didn’t dare say so—after all, she might still need to rely on Tan Qingya’s boldness in the future to deal with Li Zhenyu.

Yet there wasn’t much genuine mirth in her smile.

Tan Qingya couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch Zhou Jianghao. She grasped a soft handful of cheek and gently rubbed it with her fingertip, wiping away the fake smile entirely before saying, “Baby, don’t be too understanding.”

That single word “baby” ignited her like a spark, flushing Zhou Jianghao’s face bright red in an instant.

An overwhelming wave of embarrassment crashed over her. She didn’t even dare glance at Tan Qingya. Her tightly gripped palms had grown slick with sweat; she clenched and unclenched her fists over and over, trying to shake off the dampness.

Only after repeating the motion countless times did she steady her nerves. In a soft, protesting murmur, she added, “I’m not.”

She wasn’t understanding at all.

She deliberately ignored that “baby,” pretending it hadn’t been said.

The dessert shop didn’t usually see a flood of customers, but today was unusually busy.

Because of her injured foot, Zhou Jianghao was stationed at the counter handling cashier duties. She was always diligent in her work, but today her eyes kept drifting toward the window seat.

Tan Qingya hadn’t left. She was still sitting there at the window, tapping away at her laptop.

This was the first time Zhou Jianghao had seen her working. She had to admit, it was a far cry from her usual self. Tan Qingya’s expression was serious, radiating the quiet confidence of someone who had everything under control. Zhou Jianghao couldn’t quite find the words for it—only that she seemed to glow from within.

It made Tan Qingya look like moonlight itself: cool and elegant, utterly untouchable, yet irresistibly captivating.

“Little Zhou.”

The Boss Lady’s voice snapped Zhou Jianghao out of her reverie. She quickly pulled her gaze away, pursed her lips to tamp down her emotions, and turned to her. “What?”

“You really like her that much, huh?” The Boss Lady lowered her voice and covered her mouth, though she couldn’t hide her grin. “I’d like her too if I were you. She’s gorgeous, comes from money, and she’s sweet on you. Who wouldn’t? Right?”

Zhou Jianghao’s eyelashes fluttered. She quietly dug her nails into her palm, her face betraying no emotion as she stared straight back.

“What, did I get it wrong?” They’d known each other for years, so the Boss Lady wasn’t one to back down. She glared right back. “You don’t like her?”

Zhou Jianghao fell silent, offering no reply.

Seeing this, the Boss Lady kept chattering away. “I always worried you were too pretty for your own good. Figured sooner or later, someone would sweep you off down the wrong path…”

What Meng Ling had said wasn’t entirely made up. Ever since Zhou Jianghao started at the shop, plenty of people had pursued her—and even more had eyed her covetously, from all walks of life.

For years, the Boss Lady had fretted that the girl might lean on her looks to take an easier road. Now that she knew Zhou Jianghao was married, though, she could finally relax. She couldn’t resist teasing, “With a main wife as stunning as you, your spouse has gotta be head over heels. She probably wouldn’t give those outside temptresses the time of day.”

Zhou Jianghao pressed her lips together tightly. “It’s not like that. Please don’t say such things.”

Tan Qingya wasn’t head over heels for her, and she might not ignore those outside temptresses either. Someone of Tan Qingya’s stature—would she ever lack for beautiful women?

“Alright, alright, my bad.” The Boss Lady chuckled and passed over a cup of freshly brewed sweet tea. “Made this for you. Give it a try.”

Zhou Jianghao reached for it absentmindedly.

The mishap happened in a flash. A harried customer rushed up and accidentally jostled the Boss Lady’s hand.

The Boss Lady kept her grip steady, but the momentum sent the tea sloshing from the cup—straight onto the gauze wrapping Zhou Jianghao’s toes.

“Oh god!” The Boss Lady’s face fell. She set the cup down in a hurry. “Are you alright?”

The customer flustered too. “Sorry! I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t hot.” Zhou Jianghao shook her head.

No sooner had she spoken than a familiar fragrance enveloped her. She turned, and there was Tan Qingya—fresh from her work, now right beside her.

“You sure you’re fine?” Tan Qingya’s tone was sharp.

“I’m fine.” Zhou Jianghao replied with conviction, dreading another trip to the hospital. She, who rarely strung together more than a few words, forced herself to elaborate. “We can just change the bandage later.”

“Alright.” Tan Qingya nodded. Before Zhou Jianghao could exhale in relief, however, she reached out and clasped her hand without argument. “I’ll do it.”

With that, she shot a glance at the Boss Lady.

The Boss Lady caught on instantly. She pulled Zhou Jianghao from behind the counter and took her place. “Go on, you two. It’s not busy right now—I’ve got this.”

The offending customer chimed in, full of remorse. “Miss, hurry and take care of it! Truly sorry!”

Zhou Jianghao had no choice but to let Tan Qingya lead her obediently toward the break room.

Just before the door, she tugged Tan Qingya back. “It’s really dirty in there.”

At those words, Tan Qingya lowered her gaze.

It seemed the girl in front of her kept misunderstanding. If Tan Qingya truly minded her background or her living conditions, she never would have married her in the first place.

This was her own failing as a wife—not upholding her duties, leaving her little wife so lacking in confidence.

After a long moment, she smiled.