Chapter 44
He Renyuan was really strange.
Bai Qingyu watched the little one digging into his ice cream with his arms crossed, “Baby, it’s not even May yet, isn’t it too cold to eat this now?”
Bai Xiaocha licked his lips, “It’s okay, Dad.”
There was no ice cream at home. He Renyuan must have bought it on the way back from picking him up.
How despicable, letting the child eat ice cream on the first floor while he went to the study on the second floor to work overtime. Bai Qingyu nudged his son, “Go ask Uncle Boss how many times this bowl of ice cream should be eaten.”
Bai Xiaocha blankly held the ice cream bucket. It had to be eaten in portions?
Bai Qingyu, “Dad will ask for you.”
Bai Xiaocha watched his dad go upstairs and took a big bite. He must be the baby who took the biggest bite of ice cream at his age!
By the time Dad came back, he would have finished it all.
Bai Qingyu stood outside the study and was about to push the door open when he hesitated. What if this was He Renyuan’s trap?
“Something up?” He Renyuan’s voice came from inside.
Bai Qingyu hurriedly said, “Nothing, I’m just here to mop the floor.”
He really went to get a mop and mopped the living room on the second floor, glancing at the study door from time to time. He Renyuan had been too busy recently, what was the point of earning so much money? Just spend frugally.
In the study, He Renyuan rubbed his forehead and answered He Wangzhong’s call.
He Wangzhong didn’t have his son’s worries and had been excitedly working on his business recently. He registered a “Cha Bao Restaurant,” specifically for families with children, perfectly combining children’s meals with educational entertainment.
“Son, what do you think of this name? A place specifically for my grandson to eat.”
He Renyuan heard the word “grandson” and smiled wryly. He couldn’t focus on this now, “It’s good, Cha Bao will know at first glance that it’s a place for him to eat.”
He Wangzhong, “I still need to design some small features…”
He Renyuan suggested, “Why not design a facial recognition payment system?”
He Wangzhong, “What do you mean?”
He Renyuan, “As long as the restaurant is open, anyone with Cha Bao and Bai Qingyu’s face can eat for free. Cha Bao loves free things the most, and those who look similar get a discount.”
A hundred years later, he might be dust, but Bai Qingyu’s appearance wouldn’t have changed. He shouldn’t go hungry in the human world.
There were trust funds and such, but He Renyuan couldn’t guarantee that Bai Qingyu could always use his current ID card to receive them. It had to be changed after a hundred years, otherwise, the household registration system would notice something was wrong.
He Wangzhong thought this was a good suggestion, “Write it into the company’s articles of association, no one can change it.”
A grandpa had to be generous, anyone who looked like his grandson would get a discount.
He Renyuan, “Then you continue with the renovations, remember that taste is the most important.”
He Wangzhong, “Of course, I know that.”
He Renyuan hung up the phone and looked at the door. Bai Qingyu should still be mopping the floor.
He restrained himself. Bai Qingyu should be able to sense the change in his attitude. He was really damned, was this how he treated his lifesaver?
He opened the door, and Bai Qingyu immediately straightened up.
Bai Qingyu, “Have you been worried about something these past two days?”
He Renyuan leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, smiled, and said with a seemingly helpless expression, “Can’t you tell? I’m pursuing you with a roundabout tactic.”
“Huh?” The tea deity had never considered this possibility. He was annoyed that he fell for it, He Renyuan had indeed set a trap.
But… this meant that the tea deity’s charm hadn’t diminished! He Renyuan still liked two-hundred-year-old tea.
Bai Qingyu said, “You can’t use such despicable methods!”
He Renyuan trapped him between the wall and the door, “Then should I use the previous forceful and aggressive methods?”
Bai Qingyu’s momentum weakened, “That’s also not allowed.”
He Renyuan, “This isn’t allowed, that isn’t allowed, it’s difficult for me.”
Bai Qingyu, “You can choose not to pursue me, we can interact like before.”
He Renyuan, “I’ll seriously consider it.”
Bai Qingyu said happily, “Think carefully, I’m going to sleep.”
He Renyuan looked at the abandoned mop, picked it up, and mopped the floor twice, finding that the mop wasn’t wet.
He needed a gentler approach, such as letting Bai Qingyu try working outside, meeting more people. Every human was unique and interesting.
When Bai Xiaocha was carried back to his room by his dad, he had already finished the ice cream. He was placed on the bed and saw his dad take out a pair of scissors from the drawer.
“Baby is getting another haircut!” Bai Xiaocha touched his short hair.
“Not yours, Dad’s.”
Bai Qingyu sat cross-legged on the bed, gathered his long hair in front of him, held a handful of the ends, and snipped off about a centimeter.
The cut hair immediately transformed into tea leaves and fell, rustling like snow.
Bai Xiaocha reached out to catch them, his cupped hands quickly filling with tea leaves.
“Dad has so many tea leaves.” There was also a pile on the bed.
Bai Qingyu “hmm”ed. The adult tea deity’s hair was long and thick. If he cut off a centimeter each time, it would last a long time, because it grew back a little every day.
It showed how despicable the scholar in Old Man Deng’s story was, trapping the tea deity and ruining his long hair.
And He Renyuan, who used to demand tea excessively, hadn’t asked for any since learning he was a tea deity.
He Renyuan was a good person.
“Because Uncle Boss is a good person, Dad will also give him some tea.” Bai Qingyu swept the tea leaves on the bed into a basin.
Bai Xiaocha nodded, “Yes.” Uncle Boss was a good person who bought him ice cream!
Before going to bed, Bai Xiaocha seemed to remember something. He leaned against his dad and said in a sleepy, milky voice, “Teacher Xiao Yu said, this weekend… parent-teacher meeting…”
Bai Qingyu had already booked tickets to go back to his hometown. The parent-teacher meeting wasn’t as important as Old Man Deng, so he said, “Okay, let Uncle go.”
He sent a message to Teacher Xiao Yu on WeChat to ask for leave. Teacher Xiao Yu said that this parent-teacher meeting was to discuss the May Day spring outing and the Children’s Day performance. It was okay if he didn’t come, because Cha Bao was too young to participate in either.
Bai Qingyu, “Thank you, teacher, Cha Bao won’t be participating, I’m afraid he’ll fall asleep halfway through.”
Teacher Xiao Yu also had this concern. As long as the sun was good, Cha Bao would fall asleep. He could fall asleep on the road during the spring outing.
The next day, Bai Qingyu carefully brewed a pot of tea, preparing to take it to He Renyuan’s company to thank him for buying the automatic feeder, so he could go home and visit his family on the weekend.
He was becoming more and more familiar with going to He Renyuan’s company. He wore a mask, discreetly carrying a pot of tea. He also knew He Renyuan’s secretary and knew to find her if he couldn’t find He Renyuan.
Secretary Lin was very enthusiastic and optimistic about Bai Qingyu becoming the CEO’s wife. She secretly told him about the distribution of rivals in the company.
“Openly pursuing President He, there’s only one manager. She loves tea very much. Being able to chat with President He about pre-Qingming tea is like chatting about the stars and the moon. Although she barely speaks to President He, be careful of her proximity to him.”
Bai Qingyu scratched his cheek, “If she likes tea, then she’s President He’s rival, not mine.”
Secretary: ?
Bai Qingyu, “Where’s the young master?”
The secretary, “President He is meeting an important partner today. Please wait here for a moment, I’ll go in and deliver some tea first.”
An important partner? Bai Qingyu remembered that He Renyuan also met an important client last time, and then his mood changed drastically, as if he had been dealt a blow.
Was doing business so difficult these days?
Bai Qingyu, “How about I deliver it?”
Bai Qingyu took off his jacket, revealing the uniform underneath, “I’m also dressed appropriately today.”
The secretary covered her nose, captivated by his beauty, and thought, it’s just delivering tea, it’s President He inside, even if anything unexpected happened to Bai Qingyu, President He would gladly take responsibility.
“Okay.”
“I brought tea, use mine!” Bai Qingyu directly opened his thermos and poured it into a purple clay teapot.
The secretary, “…Alright.”
Bai Qingyu picked up the tray, knocked on the door, and carefully pushed it open.
He Renyuan instinctively glanced over and almost lost his composure. Why did he always wear the uniform when he was trying to restrain himself? He took a deep breath, stood up, and took the tea, “Thank you, have a seat.”
“You’re welcome.” Bai Qingyu sat down on the sofa smoothly, “Pour a cup of Da Hong Pao for this gentleman.”
He Renyuan poured two cups, gestured, and drank one himself to calm down.
The person He Renyuan was talking to was an elderly man in his sixties, surnamed Yu, named Jingtian. Seeing Bai Qingyu directing He Renyuan, a knowing look flashed in his eyes.
Yu Jingtian also picked up his teacup, sniffed the tea fragrance, his eyes narrowing, took a sip, and said almost certainly, “The taste of pure Mother Tree Da Hong Pao. The last time I had this was more than ten years ago, I can’t forget this taste.”
Bai Qingyu, “You’re a connoisseur.”
He Renyuan smiled and introduced, “More than a connoisseur, Mr. Yu is an expert in the field of tea. Almost all high-end tea shops and tea houses are his.”
He Renyuan developed the habit of drinking tea three years ago, collecting good tea from all over the country, but he never thought of making a living from it. But Yu Jingtian truly loved tea and had made a successful business out of it.
Tea was only Yu Jingtian’s side business, he also had a powerful background.
He Renyuan, “Mr. Yu has a special skill, he can determine the age, origin, and frying method of tea leaves from a single cup of tea.”
Yu Jingtian waved his hand, “Family tradition, I’ve been immersed in it since childhood.”
Bai Qingyu blurted out, “Just like me.”
Weren’t they both from “tea families”? He immediately saw the old man as a kindred spirit.
Yu Jingtian became interested, “You too? Then try this tea.”
Bai Qingyu saw that he carried tea with him and felt even more like they were meant to be friends, “I’ll brew it!”
He smelled the tea leaves, brewed them, tasted it, and after putting on a show, said, “This is Fenghuang Dancong from a tree between 110 and 130 years old, stir-fried no more than three days ago.”
Actually, he could be more precise, but he was afraid of being exposed.
Yu Jingtian praised, “I didn’t expect you to be so skilled at such a young age. Are you interested in working at my tea shop? Name your price.”
Bai Qingyu glanced at He Renyuan, “No, I’ve already signed a contract with President He, he’s paying me thirty thousand.”
Yu Jingtian, “I’ll double it, is President He willing to let you go?”
Bai Qingyu thought He Renyuan wouldn’t agree, but he nodded.
He Renyuan said, “Qingyu is very suitable for working at a tea shop.”
Bai Qingyu frowned. What was He Renyuan doing?
He pulled He Renyuan aside, “Are you trying to sell me for sixty thousand like that scholar?”
He Renyuan said firmly, “No.”
Bai Qingyu, “Then give me a reason.”
He Renyuan calmed down and said, “A single believer’s lifespan is limited. Working at a tea shop, you can meet many people who are willing to spend a lot of money on tea, learn some management skills, and in the future, even if I die, you can still find young tea lovers, casually manage a tea shop for them, and provide a carefree life for Cha Bao.” It was better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
Bai Qingyu stared at He Renyuan and summarized, “You die, and I find someone else?”
He Renyuan found these words jarring. Was he willing to introduce Bai Qingyu to other tea lovers? He wanted to keep him to himself, but there was some truth to his words, he would eventually die. Bai Qingyu’s environment as a housekeeper at his house was too simple, but tea was often associated with complicated interests. Not everyone who loved tea was sincere and without ulterior motives. It was best for him to experience the world of tea under his watchful eye, to become more discerning, so he wouldn’t be like Cha Bao, giving his hair to anyone who didn’t drink coffee.
Bai Qingyu suddenly had a realization, “I understand, you’re not using a roundabout tactic, you really don’t want to pursue me anymore, because you’re worried that you’ll die before me.”
He Renyuan, “No.”
Bai Qingyu, “You haven’t even won me over, why worry about something that might not even happen?”
He Renyuan: “…”
