The next day, Murphy returned to the office a bit late. Jin Yingming was already waiting on the sofa, with Mo Xiaojuan chatting alongside him.
"Teacher Jin, sorry I'm late," Murphy said apologetically.
Jin Yingming smiled. "It's nothing. Miss Xiaojuan told me you stayed up very late last night, so it's perfectly normal to wake up a bit later today."
It was clearly an excuse Mo Xiaojuan had made up for her. Murphy's face flushed slightly as she glanced at Mo Xiaojuan, but the teasing look in her cousin's eyes made her quickly turn away, unable to meet her gaze.
"Your voice sounds a bit hoarse. I think we shouldn't record this morning. Let's listen to some old tracks, analyze where the singing could be improved, and take notes," Jin Yingming continued.
"Mm, okay." Murphy nodded faintly, reverting to her usual cool demeanor in front of others.
"Sis, come on, let's get some water. I'll brew you some throat-soothing tea!" Mo Xiaojuan's eyes sparkled mischievously as she stood up with a grin, grabbing Murphy's arm and dragging her out.
"You can go by yourself. I need to work." Murphy frowned, puzzled. She already felt guilty for being late, as if she was wasting time.
"I can't carry it all by myself. I need to bring a cup for Teacher Jin too!" Mo Xiaojuan giggled.
Hearing this, Jin Yingming quickly stood up. "How about I go?"
But Mo Xiaojuan had ulterior motives. She waved her hand and laughed. "No need, no need!"
Before they reached the break room, Murphy was pulled into a quiet corner outside. The girl looked at Murphy with a sly grin, making her feel uneasy. "What's up with you?"
"Tsk tsk! Sis, look at your smooth, glowing skin, your rosy, tender cheeks!" Mo Xiaojuan grabbed Murphy's hand, grinning like a flirt. "Did you and brother-in-law get up to some mischief last night?"
"What mischief? Don't talk nonsense." Murphy's face turned bright red as she reached out to pinch Mo Xiaojuan's waist.
Mo Xiaojuan agilely hopped back, making a playful face. "You're hiding it from me! Who asked brother-in-law to take you home last night? You didn't even thank me!"
"What's there to talk about?" Murphy was thin-skinned. Even with Mo Xiaojuan, she felt too embarrassed to say anything, stammering in defense.
"Hmph, your little sister here has been through it too. You think I don't know?" Mo Xiaojuan covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Look at your face, it's practically glowing. Our little night-blooming flower has definitely been watered!"
Murphy pursed her lips, her shyness written all over her face. She didn't deny it, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it either.
"Tell me, is brother-in-law impressive?" Mo Xiaojuan's eyes sparkled with gossip as she tugged at Murphy.
Murphy pushed her hand away, feigning annoyance. "Alright, stop asking. Go make the tea!"
But Mo Xiaojuan snickered behind her hand. "You don't have to say it—I can guess. He must have been relentless. Brother-in-law really doesn't know how to be gentle. Look at your voice; it wasn't this hoarse last night!"
Murphy recalled the passionate night and the tender morning after, her face burning even more. To cover it up, she deliberately put on a stern expression and scolded Mo Xiaojuan, "Are you done or not? Go make the tea!"
Knowing her cousin was shy, Mo Xiaojuan stopped teasing her. Grinning, she linked arms with Murphy, and the two headed to the break room.
...
Yang Yi, the instigator, had no idea about any of this. After dropping Murphy off at the company, he returned to the coffee shop feeling refreshed. He opened the door, hung up the sign, and prepared to start business.
The first person to walk in wasn't a customer but Guo Ziyi. He came in with a girl, bursting through the door and shouting, "Brother Yang, did you not open this morning? My senior sister came early and waited for a long time without seeing you."
"Mm, I took Xixi to kindergarten," Yang Yi replied simply. He was checking the coffee bean inventory on the shelves. When he finished and turned around, he froze at the sight of the girl.
"Well, I thought you might have overslept. I couldn't get up that early either. After my senior sister told me, I thought I'd come with her to knock on your back door." Guo Ziyi kept talking. "This is my senior sister. Her surname is Ding..."
"Ding Xiang?" Yang Yi looked at her, recognizing her, and smiled faintly.
"Yeah, Ding Xiang. Hey, Brother Yang, how did you know?" Guo Ziyi asked in surprise.
Ding Xiang also recognized Yang Yi now. She had seen him twice before, and each time he had a cute little girl with him. She exclaimed, "Ah, I remember! You're the father of that little girl. Um, her name is Xixi. Such an adorable little girl—I remember her clearly!"
Yang Yi smiled slightly. "Yes, we've met twice. I didn't expect Guo Ziyi's senior sister to be you!"
"You two really know each other?" Guo Ziyi chimed in.
Ding Xiang laughed. "Yeah, last month at the temple fair, I was selling cotton candy and saw the boss and his daughter. Back then, I only remembered his daughter's name—it's really nice."
"Mm, Xixi still talks about your cotton candy," Yang Yi said with a faint smile.
In truth, once he learned that the student applying for the job was Ding Xiang, Yang Yi had already made up his mind. Though they had only met twice, he had a good sense of her character. Such an optimistic, hardworking young girl couldn't be bad!
"Since you know each other, that makes things easier!" Guo Ziyi grinned. "Brother Yang, what do you think of my senior sister? Does she meet your standards for a coffee shop employee?"
But Ding Xiang herself hesitated. She looked at the coffee shop's artistic decor and the grand piano nearby, feeling a bit inferior. "I don't think I'm suitable. I'm not pretty. What if I affect the shop's business?"
There were things Ding Xiang didn't say. She had tried to find part-time work at the bubble tea and coffee shops near the east gate before, but was turned down as soon as the owners saw her. Though they were polite, the message was the same: she was too dark. Others would rather pay more for a pretty, soft-spoken girl than hire her at a lower wage.
"What does being pretty have to do with it?" Guo Ziyi was a bit annoyed. He genuinely wanted to help this kind-hearted senior sister. "Let me tell you, Brother Yang has turned down countless pretty female students. He's not hiring a mascot."
Yang Yi smiled faintly. "Exactly. I'm hiring someone who can work and help me out. Look at my job posting—nowhere does it say you need to be good-looking."
"My senior sister's face is fine. She's just a bit dark and thin," Guo Ziyi said, ruthlessly exposing Ding Xiang's insecurities. "But the main thing is, she's really hardworking and strong. She can carry heavy stuff!"
Ding Xiang didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused by him. But she couldn't afford to bicker with Guo Ziyi now. She asked Yang Yi nervously, "Can I really do this?"
"Whether you can or not isn't up to me. It depends on your performance." Yang Yi wiped his hands, opened the small door of the counter, and smiled faintly. "Come over. I'll teach you how to brew coffee and see how fast you learn."
Ding Xiang looked at him with surprise and quickly said, "Thank you for giving me this chance, boss. I'll work hard!"