Chapter 11

Li Shenglin still highly approved of Han Shengyan's work attitude—optimistic, enthusiastic, and dedicated to her job. Unfortunately, she often had to leave, and her working hours were intermittent.

Due to the popularity of "Cafe Prince," his cafe attracted many fans of the TV drama, and business was good. Since it mainly served freshly ground coffee, he was often too busy when he was the only one there. So, he had a sudden idea and turned it into a DIY coffee shop, providing only coffee beans, with customers having to roast and grind them themselves. Surprisingly, this lazy move unexpectedly attracted a large number of young people...

Time flew by, and it was already late October 2007. Li Shenglin's life hadn't changed much, except that Xiao Hu Hu had grown a bit and became more difficult to take care of.

It was around 8 PM, but the cafe had already closed. There was no way around it; Han Shengyan's visits had become less frequent and irregular, and he himself had to prepare for the college entrance exam in mid-November. Despite his confidence, he still needed to adjust his state, as he couldn't afford to fail and wait another year. Besides, his family was known for its scholarly tradition, and he couldn't afford to lose face...

Suddenly, someone came in. Li Shenglin looked up and saw a pretty girl, about 13 or 14 years old, who was already nearly 1.6 meters tall, curiously looking around.

"Sorry, we're closed for the day!" Li Shenglin said while playing with Xiao Hu Hu in the stroller.

"Is this the cafe from 'Cafe Prince'?" Another fan, he thought.

At first, Li Shenglin found it quite nice that more fans meant more business. However, after two months, he was no longer happy about it, as it wasn't his own quality that was remembered, which was quite frustrating.

"Uh-huh!" Li Shenglin wasn't very interested in her, even though his goal was to find a young and beautiful stepmother for Xiao Hu Hu and get his ex-wife as far away as possible. He wasn't so low as to be interested in a 13 or 14-year-old girl.

Then, there was silence...

Li Shenglin looked over and saw the girl staring at Xiao Hu Hu with stars in her eyes, "So cute!"

Indeed, praising his son made him happier than anything else. Without her knowing, his affection for her had already increased to a friendly level.

"Thank you!"

Suddenly, a growling stomach sound came from the girl, and seeing her blushing cheeks, Li Shenglin couldn't help but smile, "You must be hungry. I'll make an exception and treat you today!"

Cheng Xiu Jing, an S.M. Entertainment trainee, had only been training for a little over a year. Under her sister's influence, she had also become a fan of Korean dramas, especially the popular "Cafe Prince." She had always wanted to visit this place, but the life of a trainee was too demanding, and she never had the time.

She never thought that when she finally had the time to come, the cafe would be closed. It was only 8 PM; this depressed uncle must not know how to run a business...

With no choice, she resorted to her trump card—complimenting the baby. She remembered how her parents would always smile when others praised her as a child.

But unexpectedly, her stomach growled, and she felt embarrassed, "Stupid uncle!"

The girl's resentment was irrational. "If the food isn't good, I'll go online and trash you, making sure you go out of business..."

Li Shenglin had no idea about the girl's plans and was making a cheese cake. He knew it wasn't his best, but it should be passable, and he couldn't let a child go hungry.

...

"Hmm, the coffee is not bad, but the roasting was a bit off. The cake has too much cheese, some of it hasn't melted, and it's too sweet..."

Hey, if it's so bad, why are you eating so quickly...

Cheng Xiu Jing had already decided to go online and trash this uncle after she left...

"Uh, I was a bit rushed, so it's not my best. If you come again, I'll definitely make the best food for you!" Li Shenglin was surprised that the girl, despite her young age, was quite discerning...

Well, her attitude wasn't bad. Cheng Xiu Jing was a bit conflicted about whether to trash him after eating...

Finally, she was full. Cheng Xiu Jing reached into her pocket and was shocked to find she had forgotten her wallet, "Um... Uncle, do you need someone to wash dishes..."

Li Shenglin understood immediately. He hadn't planned to charge her, but teasing the girl was a good way to liven up his day, "No, we don't!"

"Can I owe you the money?" Cheng Xiu Jing really wanted to find a hole to hide in.

The unkempt uncle across from her said with a stern face, "Who are you?"

"I... I'm a trainee at S.M. Entertainment. I'll definitely become a big star in the future. If I don't pay, you can expose me and hate me!"

Seeing the girl's serious face, Li Shenglin was laughing inside but kept a stern face, "We'll see about that. I only live for the moment!"

The girl got angry and said without thinking, "My sister is Jessica from Girls' Generation, a big star!"

Please, I don't care about these things. Wait, Girls' Generation, that sounds familiar, but I can't be bothered to think about it, "I don't know her!"

Her sister was always Cheng Xiu Jing's pride. Despite being a new group, a young girl group should be the favorite of middle-aged men, right? But she had met a tough one, "Uncle, can I use the phone? I'll get someone to pay for me!"

On the surface, she was polite, but in her heart, she decided to find a dark and windy night to smash his windows...

Li Shenglin decided to stop playing, "No need for that. If you promise me one thing, I'll let you off the hook!"

Suddenly, the uncle in front of her turned into a creepy man with a lollipop, trying to lure her to catch goldfish. She took a step back, "Don't you dare! My dad is a boxer, and I've trained too!"

Li Shenglin was speechless and gave her a light tap on the head, "You're so young, but your thoughts are so dark. I just want to know your name so I can call you next time!"

Rubbing her slightly sore head, Cheng Xiu Jing felt she might have overreacted but was still a bit uneasy, "Really?"

"Of course not!"

The girl was relieved but her sly side kicked in, "Phew, you scared me, Uncle. You owe me for the mental distress. If you don't, I'll call the police and say a creepy uncle tried to take me to catch goldfish..."

What kind of person is this? Li Shenglin was embarrassed, "I didn't mean to..."

"Who do you think the police will believe?"

Oh, now the girls are so bold. I can't be blamed, "Hehe, since that's the case, I won't be blamed either. Let's go catch goldfish!"

Seeing the creepy uncle grin and move closer, Cheng Xiu Jing forgot her boxing and running, only feeling a wave of heat, and then...

Rubbing her head, Li Shenglin looked at the dazed girl, "Go home quickly, or a real creepy uncle might appear!"

Cheng Xiu Jing didn't remember how she left the cafe, only that she had mumbled her name, Krystal, and her nickname, Xiao Shui Jing.

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