Chapter 3: Early Morning Part 1

Xia Yu walked away dashingly, leaving behind Jiang Huaining with a sullen face and the trembling Yu Ruoyin.

The air still held a lingering aroma of wine. Perhaps from smelling it too long, Yu Ruoyin gradually developed a headache. Her body swayed uncontrollably backward, and her footsteps grew more erratic.

Jiang Huaining silently moved behind her and steadied her shoulders, half-supporting her as she sat down in a chair.

She gazed at Yu Ruoyin’s pale face and gripped her shoulders tightly. “Good girl, don’t be afraid. You won’t die.”

Jiang Huaining seemed to want to reassure her, to dispel the fear and unease in her heart, but for some reason, the hands lingering on her shoulders trembled severely.

‘It couldn’t be that Jiang Huaining was afraid too, could it?’

‘What could Jiang Huaining possibly fear?’

‘Was she afraid that Yu Ruoyin would die?’

But the Jiang Huaining before her eyes seemed to be the very existence threatening her life. Non-human, not a ghost, not a spirit or monster—what else could she be?

Jiang Huaining could peer into her inner thoughts, but this time she showed no reaction to Yu Ruoyin’s mental voice. Instead, a pair of eyes stared fixedly at Yu Ruoyin’s bare feet.

Yu Ruoyin knew Jiang Huaining’s eyes were beautiful. She had just learned that those eyes also held a scorching heat capable of burning.

The stared-at instep burned intensely, and both feet instinctively shrank back.

Yu Ruoyin tugged at her pant legs to cover them, but before she could, Jiang Huaining suddenly squatted down and grasped her ankle.

Jiang Huaining’s palm felt smooth and warmly textured, enveloping the now-heated ankle with just the right temperature. It drew away the excess heat, leaving behind a perfect warmth.

This perfect fit left Yu Ruoyin momentarily dazed. By the time she snapped back, Jiang Huaining had already placed her foot on her lap.

Jiang Huaining wore a moon-white cheongsam, the soft, fine fabric looking expensive at a glance.

Afraid of dirtying that patch of lunar white, Yu Ruoyin subconsciously tried to pull her foot back. The hand gripping her ankle sensed the resistance and added force, pushing the delicate pale foot toward the even whiter fabric. A bit of dust from the side of her foot smeared the hem of Jiang Huaining’s skirt.

Yu Ruoyin’s heart clenched.

She might feel sorry for the skirt, but Jiang Huaining did not. She continued holding Yu Ruoyin’s ankle, rubbing her foot against her leg.

The fabric was too soft, and a bit too thin.

Yu Ruoyin felt as if the sole of her foot glided over Jiang Huaining’s upper thigh. If Jiang Huaining tugged her upward just a little more, it would approach the heat source.

Her increasingly wayward thoughts froze up like a jammed machine, and a faint blush rose on her face.

She felt the intimacy had gone too far, yet Jiang Huaining’s expression remained utterly serious, her movements both natural and swift.

In short order, Jiang Huaining slipped slippers onto her feet and released her hand.

The ambiguity hadn’t even extended further when the distance was pulled apart. Only the lingering heat in her sole and cheeks continued to torment her heart.

Yu Ruoyin’s gaze toward Jiang Huaining grew ever more complex. She gradually came to believe that Jiang Huaining truly did not intend to harm her, but Jiang Huaining was also somewhat strange.

They had clearly just met for the first time, yet Jiang Huaining showed neither propriety nor distance toward her.

The strangest part was that she, who was usually slow to warm up and timid, was neither frightened into fleeing nor repulsed.

‘Could it be because of Jiang Huaining’s face?’

Yu Ruoyin stole a glance at the now-standing Jiang Huaining. The flush at the corner of her eye had faded to invisibility, leaving only that bright red mole, vivid and eye-catching, which made Jiang Huaining appear all the more alluring and seductive.

Jiang Huaining was indeed very beautiful. She had never seen anyone as beautiful as her.

She forgot.

Jiang Huaining was not human.

Yu Ruoyin withdrew her gaze, her brow furrowing slightly.

She found an excuse for herself, yet could not fathom the reason for Jiang Huaining’s appearance. She could not understand why Jiang Huaining had given her a job and shown her kindness—what did she want to gain from her?

Yu Ruoyin had no ability to read Jiang Huaining’s mind, nor could she discern more from that face.

She looked at Jiang Huaining and voiced her suspicion word by word: “Jiang… Auntie Ning, you… did you know me before?”

Yu Ruoyin had originally wanted to call her boss, but since she hadn’t decided whether to come to work, she followed the customers’ example and called her “auntie.”

Jiang Huaining stiffened slightly. After a long moment, she forced out a smile. “You can call me boss, like Xia Yu does.”

She seemed reluctant to hear that “auntie” from Yu Ruoyin, even though everyone else clearly called her that.

Yu Ruoyin thought so to herself but didn’t dare argue.

She shrank back, pressing her back tightly against the chair for a bit of security before replying: “Okay.”

Yu Ruoyin had given her response, but Jiang Huaining offered no reply.

She didn’t even give Yu Ruoyin a chance to ask more, preemptively introducing the shop’s situation: “Four Spirits is a milk tea shop, but we’re different from others. We only operate at night, from 9:40 p.m. to 4:40 a.m. It’s a bit dangerous for a little maiden like you to travel at night, so you’d best move in here. Wages as we discussed—paid in advance each month before you start work. If you move in, the shop covers three meals a day. Good performance gets bonuses; poor performance has no penalties. Some regular customers are quite chatty—if you find them noisy, you can chase them out. New customers have big mood swings; don’t find anything strange no matter what you see.”

Yu Ruoyin didn’t quite catch Jiang Huaining’s later words.

Her attention was completely captured by the promise of three meals covered and bonuses without penalties. Setting aside that the boss and coworker weren’t human, this was practically her dream job.

Jiang Huaining lightly patted her shoulder, drawing back her attention. “There are only you and Xia Yu as employees. When I’m not here, listen to her. If you run into troublesome customers, find her too. She loves to drink, but she rarely gets truly drunk.”

“Boss, I…” Yu Ruoyin felt a bit unhappy that Jiang Huaining was assigning her work so directly, but on second thought, it would be hard to escape from a spirit or monster’s grasp. Objectively speaking, ignoring Jiang Huaining’s identity, the salary and benefits were very attractive to her.

She cherished her life, but she truly needed money.

After struggling for a moment, Yu Ruoyin gritted her teeth and accepted her fate. “Boss, what should I do?”

Jiang Huaining immediately froze, her obvious daze making Yu Ruoyin suspect that she hadn’t even thought about what to have her do when hiring her.

“You…” Jiang Huaining snapped back and pointed at the door. “Open at the set time, close at the set time. Try not to conflict with customers…”

Jiang Huaining spoke earnestly, but there was no substantial work content.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t think she could justify the salary by just opening and closing the door every day.

Taking wages for nothing was nice, of course, but she wasn’t one to owe others. It made her conscience uneasy.

Yu Ruoyin clutched her money, her gaze roaming the shop. “The shop probably needs cleaning, right? You… any dirty or tiring work, you can have me do it. I’m not afraid of hardship or fatigue. You’re paying me so much; I should at least…”

“Have you had a hard time these past years?”

Her unfinished words caught in her throat. Yu Ruoyin had meant to declare she wouldn’t let Jiang Huaining waste money on her, but Jiang Huaining’s attention had completely shifted.

She wasn’t looking at Yu Ruoyin, but her voice held pity.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t know how to respond, and Jiang Huaining probably didn’t need one. She had raised the topic and now dropped it herself. “Cleaning… they’ll clean themselves.”

Jiang Huaining didn’t specify who “they” were, but Yu Ruoyin thought of those customers who hadn’t even left a scrap of paper behind.

The shop apparently had no need for another employee.

Jiang Huaining seemed to realize she’d assigned too little and paused before saying, “You can clean too.”

No need to guess—Jiang Huaining had hired her on a whim.

Yu Ruoyin surveyed the shop environment, looking for work she could do. “Boss, for a milk tea shop, I should learn to make milk tea, right?”

“You don’t need to learn.” Jiang Huaining slowly turned around, her expression turning more serious. “Every customer’s needs differ. Only I can make the shop’s milk tea.”

No matter how different, there should at least be recipes.

Yu Ruoyin pondered silently, then suddenly remembered Jiang Huaining’s identity and asked uncertainly, “Special?”

Jiang Huaining tugged at the corner of her mouth and reached out to stroke Yu Ruoyin’s head. “Very clever.”

Her tone felt deliberate, and for some reason, Yu Ruoyin recalled what had just happened.

It was as if Jiang Huaining was reiterating that she truly didn’t think her stupid.

Yu Ruoyin eyed Jiang Huaining suspiciously. Jiang Huaining avoided her gaze and slowly withdrew her hand. “You guessed right. I’m indeed not human. The shop’s milk tea isn’t for ordinary people either. Four Spirits Shop tailors different milk teas to customer needs. Some customers get to drink it; some don’t have that luck.”

Jiang Huaining’s lips pressed into a tight line as she looked at Yu Ruoyin again. “You’re very lucky.”

Yu Ruoyin hadn’t understood at first, but when Jiang Huaining went behind the counter and picked up a glass, she realized she was about to make her a custom milk tea.