Chapter 619: Chapter 619: A Bit Strange
It might just be Gu Ningyue’s illusion, but the girl before her, similar in age, seemed different from their previous meeting.
Gone was the prior ease; instead, there was a subtle hint of hostility.
This hostility wasn’t very obvious, so even someone like Gu Ningyue couldn’t draw any conclusions about the person before her.
Yet, even so, Gu Ningyue became more cautious of this young shop owner.
What has this girl experienced in the past few days?
"Cake? When do you need it?" Gu Lingxue looked at Gu Ningyue and asked.
Gu Ningyue replied, "Now. Is there anything ready? Doesn’t need to be too big."
Gu Lingxue nodded, "You came at the right time. I just made a few and haven’t had time to place them in the display. Xiao Lan, take out the cakes I just made and show them to the customer!"
Saying this, Gu Lingxue turned her head and shouted into the back room.
Only then did Gu Ningyue realize that since coming in, the shop had only Gu Lingxue.
The previous young shop assistant was nowhere to be seen, not showing up all this time.
"Hey, coming right up, please wait!"
Having heard Gu Lingxue’s call, there was quickly a response from inside. The voice sounded like the assistant Gu Ningyue had met last time.
Gu Ningyue glanced toward the direction of the voice and, while waiting, asked Gu Lingxue, "Is this shop just the two of you? Can’t you handle everything?"
In a bustling city like A Town, having just two girls manage a shop seems quite a challenge.
Moreover, the assistant is likely just temporary staff, right? She couldn’t possibly be with Gu Lingxue in the shop every day; there must be days off or times for leave.
If that’s the case, she should be very tired, right?
Could her family be so trusting, letting her manage the shop alone?
Gu Lingxue heard Gu Ningyue’s question and smiled faintly, "It’s alright. If it’s not peak season, two people can manage. When things get really busy, we’ll usually hire a temp to help out. Once past that, things get easier!"
"And your family? Don’t they come to help?" Gu Ningyue asked curiously, looking at Gu Lingxue.
Gu Lingxue glanced at Gu Ningyue, "My parents aren’t in this city, and considering their age, I don’t want them to tire themselves here."
"True, elderly folks do suffer when working, especially in managing family businesses, which is quite taxing!" Gu Ningyue smiled and said, "With that being the case, you ought to be careful when hiring. Nowadays, people can have all sorts of ill intentions. Just two girls, you need to protect yourselves well."
The more she looked at this shop owner, the more peculiar she seemed. The hostility within didn’t seem directed at her, but it definitely existed.
What was going on? Had she offended someone? Or... was she waiting for someone?
Why did Gu Lingxue seem so wary the moment she came in?
Gu Lingxue acknowledged what Gu Ningyue said, "Indeed! Nowadays, people are getting worse and worse!"
Strictly speaking, she herself might be considered a bad person, right? A bad person hidden amongst good people is actually the most dangerous!
Gu Ningyue looked at the cakes Cheng Yulan brought out and suddenly said, "How much for this one with the bear on top?"
Gu Lingxue replied, "This one is 120, 6 inches, is it enough for your family? How many people in total?"
Gu Ningyue thought about Liu Liu’s red, teary eyes and told Gu Lingxue, "Just for a little kid; it’s enough!"
Though Liu Liu didn’t resist these things, given the situation now, she probably wouldn’t be able to eat anything, right?
Although she herself liked eating, today there’s a ’task’ at hand, so focusing on Liu Liu seems best.
Gu Lingxue responded, "That’s good to hear. Xiao Lan, help the customer package it. Don’t miss anything!"
Cheng Yulan acknowledged and then told Gu Ningyue, "Please wait a moment."
Gu Ningyue nodded and was reminded of the middle-aged man she encountered here before, wanting to inquire about the situation.
After probing subtly, Gu Ningyue strangely found that the shop owner seemed to be hiding something.
Logically, the shop owner shouldn’t disclose customer details to others; Gu Ningyue understood this. But for some reason, it seemed like the shop owner wasn’t hiding it to protect the customer’s privacy.
Instead, it seemed like there was some connection with the customer, and she was protecting him.
Strange... Previously, when she came, Gu Ningyue hadn’t felt this way at all.
What exactly happened in between?
Gu Ningyue pondered, scanned the payment code, and asked Gu Lingxue, "Alright, did you receive it?"
Gu Lingxue nodded, "Thank you for the support, and welcome to come again."
By this time, Cheng Yulan had already packed the cake and handed it to Gu Ningyue, "Take care!"
Gu Ningyue nodded, turned away carrying her suspicions, and left.
Gu Lingxue watched Gu Ningyue’s departing figure, and a shadow loomed over her eyes.
Gu Ningyue’s clear smile made her reluctant to act, pondering whether the grudges of the older generation should really implicate the younger ones?
Most importantly, there’s an indescribable feeling on Gu Ningyue’s face, seemingly pulling her to want to know more about her.
Seeing Gu Lingxue’s expression, Cheng Yulan spoke, "What’s wrong? Still can’t make up your mind?"
Gu Lingxue nodded, "Kind of! Maybe waiting a bit longer will do."
Cheng Yulan smiled at Gu Lingxue, "Then it’s up to you! Sometimes following your heart might make life easier! You’re too constrained!"
Gu Lingxue glanced at Cheng Yulan, "How’s your preparation lately? When are you leaving?"
Cheng Yulan hesitated slightly and told Gu Lingxue, "It’s still too early! Do you want me to leave so badly?"
Gu Lingxue casually replied, "Not really. But before the competition last time, didn’t many people head to that city a month in advance?"
Cheng Yulan replied, "This time the plan’s changed; we’ll discuss it later. Who knows what the situation will be then? Maybe there’ll be a reshuffle, and the timeline might be pushed back..."
Gu Lingxue seemed to have expected this too, without much surprise, "Doesn’t matter; whenever it happens, I’ll figure out a way to go with you..."
"Speaking of which..." Cheng Yulan told Gu Lingxue, "What name will you use if you go this time? It’s probably not good to use your real name, right? If your family’s elder finds out, they might punish both of us together!"
Gu Lingxue reassured her, "No need to worry. I’ve already thought about it."
"What is it?" Cheng Yulan was somewhat curious.
Gu Lingxue smiled without a word, "You’ll know when the time comes!"
