Chapter 25

A miscalculation. A terrible miscalculation… What a mistake!

Whatever the reaction elsewhere might have been, Boss Qin was deeply annoyed with herself. This was probably the greatest mistake she had made since leaving the hospital.

At the time, when she saw Director Jin taking photographs and encouraging the other two to photograph the food they liked, she had not thought much of it. She had assumed the old rascal was merely acting on a passing whim.

Who could have known that the moment she turned around, the three of them would publicly interact online?

It was completely unexpected. Weren’t people in the entertainment industry supposed to be extremely cautious in public, no matter how wildly they behaved in private?

In truth, Qin Cheng understood that this was Director Jin’s way of showing goodwill—perhaps even repaying a favor.

The old man was not foolish. Although he often complained that the shop’s booming business interfered with his evening relaxation, once someone offered him convenience, he naturally hoped their business would flourish. Only a mutually beneficial arrangement could last.

Any ordinary small-business owner would have been overjoyed to encounter something like this. Even someone who genuinely regarded Director Jin as a friend would probably have gratefully accepted his kindness.

Unfortunately, Boss Qin was no ordinary small-business owner.

She wanted to make money, certainly, but if the shop became too popular and attracted too much attention, she would genuinely worry.

What if a certain person noticed some tiny clue?

Her plan to secretly help that person improve her health would probably fall apart.

So as Qin Cheng watched the topic’s popularity climb steadily that night, she felt no joy at all. She was practically consumed by anxiety.

The only fortunate thing was that Director Jin perhaps had not wanted to make the promotion too blatant, so he had used a subtle and indirect method.

Neither the photographs nor the captions showed the shop’s name or tagged its location.

In particular, Best Actor Li Xinyu, who attracted the most attention, had posted only an empty bowl after finishing the pear stewed with rock sugar.

Although this sparked plenty of speculation, the main focus of the discussion was not the food.

Hopefully, the topic would continue drifting further and further away from the truth instead of triggering an unnecessary craze and bringing unnecessary trouble.

Qin Cheng prayed desperately that she and her little shop might somehow activate an invisibility function.

At the time, she did not yet know that the topic’s rapidly rising popularity had already triggered a series of internal response mechanisms at Shengtang.

“Although the topic isn’t negative, the public relations department is already following it as a precaution and has developed a preliminary response strategy to prevent the situation from suddenly changing and spiraling out of control.”

In the dim room, the brightest source of light was a screen.

On it appeared Jiang Rong’s attractive face and confident voice.

“At present, aside from speculation about their private friendships, the mainstream theory—because of the identities of the three people involved—is that they’re warming up publicity for the company’s next project.”

“The public relations department originally planned to steer the discussion in that direction and take advantage of the momentum by introducing food-related elements into the next script.”

“However, the creative planning department rejected that proposal. You know Screenwriter Guo’s attitude toward work… Ahem…”

Guo Wenyu might normally appear sleepy and easygoing, but she became a completely different person when it came to work.

She refused to yield even an inch and especially could not tolerate outsiders giving creative directions or interfering recklessly.

It was easy to imagine the furious response the public relations department’s proposal must have received.

“I understand. The planning department is right.”

“The company doesn’t need to borrow this kind of attention. Have public relations guide the discussion toward their personal friendship instead.”

“After all, this was only a small private action between the three of them. Don’t let it expand into something involving Shengtang.”

Outside the screen, a woman stood by the window.

Although she had removed her makeup, let down her hair, and dressed in relaxed casual clothes, her expression remained tense in the darkness, maintaining a strictly businesslike demeanor.

After listening to the entire report and giving these instructions, she waited until her subordinate confirmed everything had been noted.

Then she paused briefly and asked, “The food Director Jin and the others photographed came from the shop where you’ve been buying juice and fruit recently, correct?”

“It seems quite a few people in the company buy from there. What is its reputation like? Do you consider it reliable?”

At a time like this, asking about the shop’s reputation clearly did not mean whether its food tasted good.

That made sense.

Although the topic was not negative, a person with ulterior motives might still exploit it for fame, profit, or simply the pleasure of gossiping, creating unnecessary misunderstandings and losses.

Jiang Rong understood the seriousness of the question.

After thinking carefully, she replied, “From what I’ve observed, the shop seems quite respectable.”

“The employees appear to be sisters or something similar. There are only two of them, and neither talks much…”

Remembering the unusually quiet atmosphere during her visits, she could not help smiling slightly.

“In fact, they could both be described as taciturn. They work seriously and don’t seem like the type to stir up chaos for attention.”

“Director Jin has always had fairly good judgment about these things. There shouldn’t be any trouble outside the plan.”

“That would be best.”

“Tell Director Jin that helping a friend is fine, but he should pay attention to his methods next time. Besides, empty popularity isn’t necessarily a good thing…”

As she spoke, the woman glanced again at the food photographs on her phone and finally could not help frowning.

“Also, isn’t this supposed to be a fruit juice and beverage shop? Why do they serve egg pancakes?”

“They didn’t have them when I went.”

“Unless it’s a newly introduced snack, perhaps it was VIP treatment?”

“Should I try ordering one the next time I go? That shop genuinely makes good food.”

After the work discussion ended, Jiang Rong’s voice became noticeably lighter.

When her superior did not immediately reject the suggestion, she became even more cheerful.

The fruit she had bought on her previous visits had always been eaten immediately, and her superior’s appetite seemed to have improved slightly.

Clearly, that meant she also approved of the shop’s food.

To be honest, because of this, even Jiang Rong felt she could understand Director Jin’s feelings to some extent.

A conscientious, high-quality shop like that truly was worth recommending and sharing.

Now she could only hope the little shop was genuinely as calm, restrained, and unmoved by fame as it normally appeared, and that it would not resort to underhanded publicity and disappoint everyone.

Over the next several days, observations from every direction showed that the shop lived up to expectations and proved its integrity through its actions.

Forget making small moves to attract attention.

On the contrary, the shop treated fame and sudden popularity as though they were a natural disaster, avoiding them as desperately as possible.

Of course, in the age of the internet, trending topics always rose quickly and faded just as quickly.

Besides, the public’s main focus had not been the food, and neither the shop’s name nor its address had been directly mentioned.

There was no sudden overnight fame that caught anyone completely unprepared.

Even so, a portion of people—especially Best Actor Li’s fans—analyzed and discussed the few details visible in the photographs.

They tried to locate the shop their idol had visited and praised so that they could follow in his footsteps.

Compared with the general public, these fanatics were not numerous.

However, given the enormous size of the fanbase, their actual numbers were still considerable.

As a result, even several days after the topic’s popularity had faded, young people continued appearing in pairs and small groups outside the shop, peeking through the windows or entering to ask questions.

Fortunately, after reflecting on her mistake, Qin Cheng had anticipated this possibility and prepared a response early.

No matter who came in or how they attempted to inquire, the answer was always the same:

No. Incorrect. We don’t know them. We know nothing.

Let the winds blow from every direction—I remain unmoved.

The measures might have seemed blunt, but they proved remarkably effective.

After all, an employee like Nuonuo could not possibly charm people with clever words, but asking her to say nothing was easier than anything else in the world.

Seeing her employee calmly invoke the sacred word “no” and send away group after group of curious visitors, Boss Qin finally felt slightly comforted by her belated damage control.

At least the shop was not placed under intense scrutiny.

Some of the young people who had casually bought drinks during the height of the topic later became returning customers, so the entire commotion had not been completely pointless.

Once the dust gradually settled and Shengtang showed no sign of paying special attention to the shop, Boss Qin finally relaxed.

Coincidentally, Director Jin did not appear for several days.

Perhaps he was avoiding the spotlight, or perhaps he was simply busy.

Either way, he gave off the distinct impression of causing a stir and then immediately fleeing the scene…

Since the shop could close earlier at night, Qin Cheng had more time to handle matters in the small realm.

When the shop first opened, Qin Cheng had intended not to expand the variety of fruits and vegetables growing beside the lake for the time being.

First, her energy was limited.

Second, although the land was divided into eight major [unauthorized copy]regions, the correspondence between the trigrams and the example of the blood orange tree showed that not every region was suitable for growing crops.

At present, the only area where she could confidently grow plants was the Kun trigram region corresponding to earth.

Two-thirds of that land was already in use, so she naturally had to be extremely cautious about how to use the remainder.

However, some time earlier, thanks to Nuonuo, Qin Cheng had learned how to make compost.

This caused subtle changes to the crops beside the lake.

She noticed that every crop given compost grew better.

The change was especially apparent in the fruit trees.

After being fertilized twice in succession, their ripe-fruit period actually became longer.

Previously, the fruit would begin spoiling and disappear on the fourth day.

Now it could remain hanging on the branches for several additional days, extending the ripe period to approximately six days.

Two extra days might not sound significant, but they greatly eased the previously rushed harvesting process.

Combined with the time difference between the stolen content small realm and the real world, Qin Cheng suddenly had much more room to work.

In view of this, after careful thought, she decided to try adding several more crops: the fruit cucumbers Director Jin had requested, as well as grapefruit and watermelon.

Fruit cucumbers were also called mini cucumbers or snack cucumbers and were currently among the most popular varieties eaten fresh.

They were shorter than ordinary cucumbers, with smooth, bright green skin rather than rough peel.

Their flesh was also crisper and juicier, making them very suitable for eating raw like fruit.

Qin Cheng had not known much about them before.

After doing some research, she discovered there were many varieties.

Since she was an amateur anyway, she simply bought two packets of seeds—an original Dutch variety and a domestically improved variety.

She planned to grow a small amount of each and compare the results.

As for the grapefruit and watermelon, the former had naturally slightly bitter flesh, and the externally purchased fruit had not entirely suited her taste.

She wanted to see how it would turn out if grown inside the small realm.

The latter was an essential summer fruit with high demand.

It was also heavy and easily damaged, so rather than ordering it wholesale online, growing it herself seemed more practical.

Once she had decided what to plant, the next question was where.

This time, Qin Cheng came fully prepared.

She carefully researched the crops’ places of origin and their tolerance for heat and cold.

In the end, she planted the cucumbers in the Kun-earth region.

The grapefruit and watermelon, one being a fruit tree requiring substantial warmth and the other a fruit that ripened in summer, were both placed in the Li-fire region beside the dragon fruit and mango trees.

As the variety of crops increased, her skill also improved.

Although cucumbers were climbing vines that required the troublesome construction of supports, Qin Cheng now possessed all the necessary equipment and quickly completed everything.

The fruits and vegetables beside the lake had gained several new companions.

There was no denying that completing all this was exhausting.

After finishing, Qin Cheng exhaled deeply, wiped [bailiantales.com]away her sweat, and decided to observe the results for a while.

Before leaving, she did one more thing.

She went specifically to fertilize a certain tree.

Although the compost was produced quickly compared with real-world time, the fact that it still required around two weeks meant it remained a relatively precious fertilizer.

It was impossible to satisfy every crop at once, so Qin Cheng generally fertilized them in rotation.

There was only one tree she never forgot to give a little compost each time.

Naturally, it was the blood orange tree she had mistakenly planted in the Qian-heaven region.

Even now, the stunted blood orange tree was only half the height of the others, and its branches and leaves looked sparse.

Even so, because of her emotional attachment to it, Qin Cheng had never considered abandoning it and planting a new tree elsewhere.

Besides, she no longer had any seeds available.

After repeatedly replenishing its nutrients, however, the tree’s condition had indeed improved.

During its most recent fruiting period, the fruit still looked miserable in both quantity and appearance, but at least the taste had improved.

It was no longer quite as sour and astringent and now possessed the faintest hint of sweetness.

That trace of sweetness greatly encouraged Qin Cheng.

She began tending the tree even more carefully.

Although the shop had no urgent need for blood oranges, she still hoped the tree would gradually recover.

Then one day, it might produce fruit equal to that of any other tree.

“Keep going. Let’s work hard together.”

After fertilizing it, Qin Cheng patted the somewhat lonely tree and spoke these words before turning away.

A moment later, a breeze from an unknown source swept past.

The tree’s green branches swayed, and its leaves rustled as though answering her.

Qin Cheng was full of anticipation toward the crops in the small realm.

She was far less enthusiastic about the shop’s business.

To be honest, after the trending-topic incident, she became increasingly dissatisfied.

The reason was almost comical:

Business was too good.

As mentioned earlier, although she had played dead and successfully driven away many fans who came searching for the shop, a small portion of them were attracted by the quality ingredients and became returning customers.

As more of these people appeared, they indirectly affected Shengtang employees who wanted to shop there.

Naturally, ordinary lower-level employees who attracted little attention were unaffected.

Some recognizable middle- and upper-level personnel, however, had reservations.

After all, not everyone was willing to wait until closing time to visit like Director Jin.

Among the middle- and upper-level employees whose routine purchases were disrupted were Screenwriter Guoba and… Assistant Jiang.

Miss Guo was not much of a concern.

For food, she could devise endless methods and persevere without shame.

When it was inconvenient to visit personally, she called in her order.

Even though Shengtang did not allow irrelevant outsiders inside, she would always come down to the front desk and wait eagerly.

Boss Qin did not normally provide delivery service, but VIP customers were an exception.

Whenever she received a call, she still sent Nuonuo over with the order.

The distance was not far anyway.

Jiang Rong’s long absence, however, left her helplessly anxious.

Previously, although Assistant Jiang did not visit especially often, after her first juice purchase, she averaged two or three visits per week.

Now nearly two weeks had passed since the trending-topic incident.

Such a long absence inevitably made Qin Cheng worry that the shop had somehow left a negative impression on her.

Thinking even more pessimistically, perhaps the person who had formed a poor impression was not Assistant Jiang at all, but Assistant Jiang’s direct superior.

Perhaps that was why she had never again…

The moment Qin Cheng imagined this possibility, she felt terrible all over.

Yet she could think of no method to test it, much less any solution.

All she could do was wait day after day.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, one afternoon, the completely unaware senior assistant finally strolled back into the shop.

She approached the counter, expecting the younger employee who usually handled customers to take her order.

This time, however, the person who appeared before her was the taller employee who normally stood with her back turned, preparing the food.

“Welcome. What would you like?”

Compared with her usual natural friendliness, Boss Qin appeared unusually formal and slightly expressionless.

“Uh…”

Since it was not the familiar younger employee, Jiang Rong felt momentarily uncomfortable.

Then she reconsidered and decided this was actually convenient.

“Do you serve savory food?”

“What? Savory food?”

The expressionless tall woman repeated the question in confusion.

Although she did not seem as shy and withdrawn as the younger employee, she was equally quiet and even looked slightly slow-witted.

“Yes, savory food.”

“I realize the request may sound strange, but I previously saw photographs of snacks from your shop on the social media accounts of employees at my company.”

“Provided it’s possible, I’d like to purchase similar items.”

Because the earlier incident had left her with a positive impression of the shop, Assistant Jiang patiently explained.

She took out a business card and presented it formally with both hands.

The previously blank-looking woman opposite her showed a subtle flicker in her eyes.

Beneath the shadow of her hat brim, her clear, watery eyes appeared exceptionally bright.

They probably really were sisters…

Being stared at by those shining eyes, Jiang Rong could not help arriving at that conclusion.