My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 200

Chapter 200: Poem of Spring

Around the same time, Cheng Shizhu’s tea and coffee shop also opened in the nearby “Youth Market.”

She had originally planned to use her long-time online ID as the shop’s name, but “Spring and Love” sounded too much like an adult store, so, combining it with the shop’s decor, she finally settled on “Poem of Spring.”

It was a shop with a refreshing and cozy color scheme, lime green and sky blue everywhere, like a sheltered harbor, or a spring lawn.

Cheng Shizhu sincerely hoped that every customer who came to her shop could find a moment of relaxation and respite.

Just as she had envisioned, the background music and wall decorations in “Poem of Spring” were provided by Xiao Luohan, and the small photo frames displayed pictures of natural scenery taken by Cheng Shizhu with the camera Jiang Xue had given her.

The deep, lush green forests evoked a sense of mystery and magic, and customers who liked fantasy even jokingly called it the “Druid’s Happy Place.”

For some reason, Xixi, the white cat, also loved coming here.

The two shops were very close, just across the street from each other. While Cheng Shizhu was busy, she would often see a large, fluffy white creature push open the door, then randomly find a customer it liked and curl up beside them, sometimes even getting a petting session.

She had recently seen a video on M-Station of a café by the seaside, where the uploader often posted funny, abstract drawings of a “fat dog,” so she also drew a series of abstract “Beware of Fat Cat” signs and displayed them prominently in the shop.

But she genuinely meant it as a warning for customers, so they wouldn’t be startled.

Xixi, however, strongly objected. On the first day the drawings were displayed, it stared at them for a long time as soon as it entered the shop, pretending they didn’t exist during business hours, but as soon as the shop closed and the customers left, it would rush to the drawings and tear them down with its “cat punches.”

Cheng Shizhu had initially thought that the drawings were too ugly, but after catching the “culprit” and asking Xie Xitong, Xie Xitong’s answer made her speechless: “It thinks this is its territory, its ‘kingdom.’ You drawing a bunch of white things and displaying them everywhere is clearly a provocation.”

So the “Beware of Fat Cat” exhibition was canceled, replaced by a simple text sign: 【This shop randomly spawns a pure white Maine Coon. Clingy. Feel free to ignore.】

Unexpectedly, this change actually increased the number of customers, who, when asked, said they “wanted to see if they were lucky enough to have the white cat ‘spawn’ beside them.”

And the white cat was also very good at “marketing.” Almost everyone who saw and petted it liked it.

Cheng Shizhu once casually searched for reviews of her shop online and unexpectedly found many positive comments. She had invested all her funds in maintaining the quality of the drinks and desserts and hadn’t considered marketing yet, but the customers had spontaneously promoted her shop for free.

Surprisingly relaxing, cozy and comfortable, with a clingy cat.

These were the most common phrases in the “organic” promotion.

“…I really think this cat is a bit special,” Cheng Shizhu whispered to Jiang Xue, looking at the white cat, when Jiang Xue came to the shop alone during summer vacation. “Even for established businesses, this is rare.”

Because of this, she even bought an extra-large cat tree with a soft bed from Xie Xitong’s clinic and placed it in a less crowded area with a good view, so the white cat could enjoy its “kingdom” from the best angle.

Jiang Xue was also a senior this year, but her major was a five-year program, and if she wanted to pursue the “plus three” combined bachelor’s and master’s degree, she would have to face another round of intense studying after summer vacation, comparable to the college entrance exam.

But she had become completely accustomed to this intensity, finding time during her studies to research new recipes, doodle, take pictures, and hone her “skills” in both the kitchen and the bedroom, maintaining a balance in her and Xiao Luo’s life together.

But when she truly relaxed in a familiar shop, she still showed her vulnerable side, even ordering a coffee with an “excessive” amount of osmanthus honey.

“I’m so tired, I’m even thinking about giving up on the ‘plus three’! Studying from the moment I wake up until I go to bed, my mind filled with knowledge! And it will be like this for the rest of my life!” Jiang Xue sighed, stirring the ice cubes in her glass. “But I’ve already worked hard for four years, giving up now would be a complete waste!”

Cheng Shizhu was familiar with her personality and knew that she was just venting. She just listened quietly, knowing that after this emotional outburst, Jiang Xue would still do her best.

When fatigue accumulated to a certain point, people needed an outlet and someone to confide in. She had talked to many customers, and Jiang Xue’s behavior was considered mild.

Just then, the wind chimes at the door rang.

Xiao Luohan entered, followed by the white cat.

It was a scorching hot day. Jiang Xue, having just driven home, couldn’t wait for a cold drink made by Shizhu Jiejie, while Xiao Luohan couldn’t wait for a shower and had come looking for her, carrying a faint plum blossom fragrance.

“Xiao Luo is here~ What do you want to drink?” Cheng Shizhu asked with a smile.

“Bamboo-scented Pu-erh, no coffee, one-third sugar, no ice,” Xiao Luohan said after ordering, then picked up the white cat, which was about to leave, and placed it in Jiang Xue’s arms. “A-Xi said that petting a cat can make you feel better when you’re feeling down.”

“You noticed…” Jiang Xue hadn’t expected her to shower so quickly, she hadn’t even had time to compose herself.

But since there was a cat, she would still pet it, immediately turning the dazed white cat over and rubbing its soft belly and fur.

Xiao Luohan quietly watched her “absorb the cat,” and after her drink arrived and she finished half of it, she asked softly, “Do you want to go to Moonlight for a drink tonight?”

She remembered that being slightly tipsy could also be relaxing.

“Let’s not, my sister and A-Xi’s wedding is in two days, we can drink then. Drinking too often isn’t good for your stomach,” Jiang Xue said, shaking her glass. “Shizhu Jiejie’s tea is enough for me.”

Their wedding was at the end of June, and they would be spending their honeymoon at the resort Xie Xitong liked, planning to stay for about a month before returning.

Rejected, Xiao Luohan didn’t insist. Seeing the clear blue sky, she checked the information about the stars and sent a message to Cang Ling.

【Yu: Is the power of the stars strong tonight?】

【Mu Mu Loves Stargazing: What kind of scenario do you want?】

【Yu: I’ll transform into a cat, some wine that Jiang Xue likes, and the rest is up to you.】

After sending her request, Xiao Luohan immediately transferred some money to Cang Ling, and a few minutes later, she heard the same amount being announced from Cheng Shizhu’s phone.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, this is a donation from Cang Ling,” Cheng Shizhu said, a helpless and slightly distressed look on her face, explaining while there were no customers in the shop. “She’s accumulating merit—I don’t know how it works, so I just do as she says. Anyway, she sends me money from time to time, saying she hopes that in her next life, she and Xiao Luo’s elder sister can be reborn in this world as two ordinary girls.”

According to Cang Ling’s speculation, since “Heaven” or “fate” allowed their souls to exist in this world, it might also mean that after their souls dissipated, they would be eligible to enter the cycle of reincarnation in this world.

They couldn’t have a wedding like living people, so they could only, witnessed by their acquaintances, leave a mark on each other’s souls. This way, if they had the chance to meet again in their next lives, these marks would guide them to each other, allowing them to live together as ordinary people.

No longer a general’s younger sister or an astronomer, just two ordinary girls, perhaps like Jiang Mei and Xie Xitong.

“It’s a good thing Cang Ling is a ‘virtual streamer’ now and doesn’t have any material needs, otherwise, I would feel uncomfortable keeping this money…” Cheng Shizhu said, opening her accounting app and showing them her balance sheet since they were all family. “Her donations this month are almost twenty percent of my total revenue! I run a restaurant!!”

Even if she had daydreamed about “money falling from the sky,” actually receiving it made her feel awkward.

“I’m even thinking about donating a golden statue for her and General Xiao at the temple… sigh, I’ll discuss it with them next time,” Cheng Shizhu said, then, hearing the wind chimes at the door, quickly switched to “work mode.” “Hello~ what can I get for you?”

They spent the hot afternoon at “Poem of Spring.”

After ending her livestream that night, Xiao Luohan prepared a rose-scented bath for Jiang Xue, who was still studying, and they enjoyed it together before bed.

Patiently waiting for the optimal time for entering a dream that Cang Ling had predicted, she hugged Jiang Xue and closed her eyes peacefully.

Starlight wove the dream, and the scene materialized.

When Jiang Xue opened her eyes in the dream, she thought she had simply fallen asleep in Cheng Shizhu’s shop.

She looked around and found that the decor was indeed that of “Poem of Spring,” but Cheng Shizhu, standing behind the counter, was dressed as a bartender.

“Hello~ what can I get for you?” Cheng Shizhu even gestured towards the shelves of alcohol behind her.

“…Can I have a ‘Peach Blossom Spring’?” Jiang Xue asked uncertainly.

Cheng Shizhu skillfully took down bottles of alcohol, poured them into a shaker according to a certain ratio, added ice, and shook vigorously, the sound soothing.

Jiang Xue watched, curious and captivated, when she suddenly heard the wind chimes and turned to see… a giant Ragdoll cat push open the door and enter.

She immediately recognized the Ragdoll cat as Xiao Luo and realized where she was.

This wasn’t their first time entering a dream woven by Cang Ling, but she hadn’t expected Xiao Luo to spend money and ask Cang Ling to create a dream just to make her happy.

The Ragdoll cat, as large as Xixi, gracefully walked over to her, jumped lightly onto a bar stool, and gazed at her with its beautiful sapphire eyes, as if waiting for her to reach out.

After staring at each other for a while, with a clink, a glass was placed in front of Jiang Xue by Cheng Shizhu, who then transformed into a lime green bird, its long, scissor-like tail feathers trailing behind it as it glided out of “Poem of Spring.”

“Meow,” Ragdoll cat Xiao Luo meowed softly, as if inviting her.