Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 73

A Change in Attitude

One had to accept failure in life; Sun Miao had said this to Su Ruixi before. Sun Miao also knew that she and Su Ruixi could never be together. Setting aside all external factors, Su Ruixi was straight! Just based on this point alone, they had no future.

No matter how much more she did, it would only lead to her sinking deeper and deeper alone. She really didn’t want to end up like those people drowning their sorrows at the bar she saw last time she went to a les bar, weeping bitter tears and saying, “I never should have fallen for a straight girl.”

Straight girls weren’t worth it.

Thinking of this made Sun Miao’s heart ache slightly.

In the end, she still didn’t save a portion for Su Ruixi. She thought, it was time for her—to stop making herself so cheap.

After Sun Miao sold out, a few of her regular customers who hadn’t left yet gathered around, saying she hadn’t chosen a good spot.

“If it was the old spot where you sold duck blood and vermicelli soup, there wouldn’t be so many new customers competing with us.”

“Little Boss Sun, whatever you do, don’t tell the student crowd you have a group chat, otherwise, how could we manage? It wouldn’t be the Miao Miao’s Mobile Food Bar Customer Group anymore, it’d turn straight into a student friendly exchange group.”

“Right, right, definitely don’t tell the students about your group!”

Sun Miao couldn’t help but laugh listening to them. “Alright, alright, I get it. I won’t tell them, okay?”

“Then we’ll come earlier tomorrow. Those damn students are really too good at grabbing things; you sold out by noon. What time is it even? Not even one o’clock, and it’s all gone.” It really wasn’t Sun Miao’s fault she sold out so quickly; there were simply too many people, and the changfen were fast to make.

Most importantly, while she was packing one portion, she was already putting another one in to steam. There was never a moment’s pause. Portions flowed out one after another like water from a stream; of course, it was fast.

After chatting with them for a bit, Sun Miao added, “I’ll post in the group, just in case anyone else comes over and finds nothing.”

She explained the situation in the group: 【No need to come today, already sold out. Getting ready to pack up and go home now. Everyone, come early tomorrow!】 She added another sentence: 【There are a lot of students here, so things sell out faster… Everyone, please check if it’s convenient for you first. The students are very enthusiastic; you might not be able to beat them to it.】

Sun Miao felt like saying this made her sound a bit like she was putting on airs¹, but to prevent people from making a wasted trip or coming only to find they couldn’t even get in line, she had to tell everyone the situation exactly as it was.

Hip-hop Mei was the first to speak up: 【Huh? So you’re saying not many people in the group actually got to eat changfen? Seriously, guys, you really have no foresight. You knew it was at the Education Park, why didn’t you go early? I went first thing in the morning and even got several portions to go!】

【Delicious, it was really too delicious. I even felt like one portion wasn’t enough for me! That noodle skin, that filling, I don’t even know how to describe it to you all! This is the best changfen I’ve ever eaten.】 She dramatically tagged several of her fuerdai² friends: 【Couldn’t wake up from your lazy sleep, huh? Serves you right for being lazy, can’t even get changfen!】

Hip-hop Mei instantly incurred the wrath of the group and was relentlessly flamed.

Anyway, they weren’t cursing her to her face, so she didn’t feel like she’d lost anything. Instead, she bantered back and forth with people in the group.

Little Nurse was much smarter. She was a big buyer, having bought twenty portions directly. Hip-hop Mei was nothing compared to her, but she didn’t even show her face in the chat.

What was happening in the group didn’t really concern Sun Miao right now. She tapped on Su Ruixi’s profile picture, caught in a dilemma. Because Su Ruixi wasn’t in the group, she had to notify her separately. Especially since they had agreed yesterday that Su Ruixi would come today.

Su Ruixi was someone who kept her promises. Since she said she would come, she definitely would. Even if there was a Category 10 typhoon, she would come.

Although Sun Miao had already decided not to keep falling deeper, not to be so cheap anymore, it didn’t mean she wanted to see Su Ruixi make a wasted trip. Even though she had resolved not to like her anymore, Su Ruixi was still her crush.

But how to phrase it was a big problem for Sun Miao.

Sun Miao didn’t know that although Su Ruixi’s main account wasn’t in the group, she had joined using an alternate account. She had also seen the message Sun Miao posted in the group, because Sun Miao had tagged @everyone. It was currently Su Ruixi’s lunch break, and she often read the group chat while eating.

The food was already bad enough; without something interesting to accompany it, it was hard to swallow.

Seeing Sun Miao say everything was sold out, Su Ruixi didn’t think much of it. She knew very well that she and Sun Miao were good friends; Sun Miao would definitely save a portion for her. So she could watch the group chat with a relatively good mood, watching Hip-hop Mei stir up trouble over there.

Because deep down, Su Ruixi believed: she would have food to eat.

And because she had pleasant expectations for dinner, even though lunch was bad, she could still eat it, managing quite a few bites. When Su Ruixi had almost finished eating, she asked her assistant to clear the things in front of her before switching back to her main account.

Only at that moment, her eyes widened.

Wait, did she switch accounts incorrectly? Was she actually still on her alternate account?

Su Ruixi, unconvinced, switched back and forth twice more, finally confirming that this message was indeed received by her main account.

Sun Miao: Susu-jie, sorry, today’s changfen is already sold out. I’m heading back now, so you don’t need to come over tonight.

Although the final particle “la” softened the sentence considerably, Su Ruixi still sensed some kind of change. Su Ruixi found it a little strange but didn’t dwell on it. After all, Sun Miao didn’t bring her food every day.

Bringing her a packed lunch was something that only happened occasionally, and besides, she had already tasted the changfen before anyone else. Sun Miao had delivered some to her yesterday evening.

She felt Hip-hop Mei was absolutely right; it really was the best changfen. Recalling it now, Su Ruixi felt a bit hungry just thinking about it. It was just a pity… she wouldn’t get to eat it today. Su Ruixi had initially been quite happy, but thinking about this, her mood soured.

Even while handling work in the afternoon, she was somewhat absent-minded, enough that her assistant noticed.

The assistant had always been a bit straightforward³, and Su Ruixi’s usual demeanor made her feel that Su Ruixi prioritized work. Seeing her like this, she knew: she was probably suffering the bitterness of love again.

Ever since their Boss Su showed signs of being in love, her expressions had become increasingly easy to guess; her joys and sorrows were practically written on her face. She had been fine during lunch; when the assistant came in to clean up, she even had a slight smile.

But half an hour later, when she came in to deliver documents, she saw Su Ruixi’s expression was off. As Su Ruixi’s personal assistant, she knew quite a lot. Firstly, Boss Su definitely wasn’t in a bad mood because of work matters.

Although the collaboration with Director Zhang had fallen through, Director Zhang had somehow suddenly changed her tune. Even if the deal falls through, goodwill remains⁴; she had even given their company some compensation. They were currently liaising with other companies to renegotiate cooperation.

Looking at the work situation, it could be described as smooth sailing. Although they wouldn’t earn as much as cooperating with Director Zhang’s company, it felt comfortable.

So it definitely wasn’t about work.

As for family… hmm, even less likely to be about family matters. Rather than Boss Su worrying about her family, it was more like her parents were always finding ways to show concern, so it probably wasn’t family matters either.

Considering all this, it must be about love. Combining this with previous speculations, the assistant couldn’t help but think: most likely, she really has fallen in love!

The assistant couldn’t resist mentioning, “Boss Su, my dear boss, don’t keep a long face and let your unhappiness show. You still have to discuss cooperation this afternoon.”

Su Ruixi paused, “Is it that obvious?”

“Yes, very obvious.”

Hearing her assistant say this, Su Ruixi reached up and poked her cheek. She hummed in acknowledgment, “I’ll get my emotions in check.” When meeting the clients in the afternoon, Su Ruixi had indeed switched to her professional expression: calm, composed, and although unsmiling, she wasn’t wearing a stony face.

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief. But after the discussion was settled and the partners had left, she turned back to look, and Su Ruixi still looked unhappy. The assistant was stunned, and the words slipped out before she could think: “Boss Su, does that person really make you worry so much?”

She had never dreamed that one day, Su Ruixi would wear such an expression of deep concern⁵ for someone. Yet Su Ruixi wouldn’t admit it. She frowned slightly and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Focus on your work.”

After getting off work in the evening and returning home, Su Ruixi sat in the dining room. The housekeeper, having received her call in the afternoon, had already prepared dinner for her. Facing a table full of dishes, Su Ruixi didn’t even feel like picking up her chopsticks.

This environment was far better than Sun Miao’s little stall.

Sun Miao’s stall was exposed to the elements⁶, unable to provide shelter from wind or rain. That time they had dinner together at the golf course, strictly speaking, the experience wasn’t good. The wind howled, messing up her hair, and even when tied up, strands still danced around.

Leaves were swept about, some landing on her.

In that kind of environment, it was impossible to eat properly.

And now, she sat in her meticulously decorated living room, facing an exquisite dinner prepared by the housekeeper. Four dishes and a soup, not in disposable containers or cramped insulated boxes, but displayed brightly and elegantly on white porcelain plates.

The ceramic plates made the dishes look even more appetizing, and having just come out of the pot, their appearance was truly superb.

The taste… couldn’t be called bad either. After all, among so many housekeepers, she was the only one Su Ruixi had kept. But compared to Sun Miao’s cooking, it was definitely lacking by a large margin.

Eating it wasn’t impossible.

Su Ruixi looked at the food before her, hesitating slightly, but finally picked up her chopsticks and took some green vegetables. She didn’t want to eat, but she had to. If she didn’t eat, her stomach problems would act up, and Sun Miao would surely nag her about it.

She didn’t want to be nagged by Sun Miao, didn’t want to hear Sun Miao’s rambling reminders to eat properly, nor did she want to see Sun Miao looking helpless as she brought her food.

She also didn’t want to eat Sun Miao’s food; that would make her reveal a contented smile completely different from her usual self…

The green vegetable entered her mouth. Su Ruixi chewed mechanically a few times and then swallowed. After swallowing, she ate a few mouthfuls of rice.

Su Ruixi thought: Tomorrow, should I go over earlier? Go to Sun Miao’s stall early, so I can eat something delicious.

But then again, she didn’t want Sun Miao to feel that she was special to her.

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