Deng Feng didn't expect to run into Ji Minglun and Jiang Lin by chance while shopping in a supermarket. Just as he was about to say hello, he heard a sneer from the side. Turning around, he saw Deng Yi with his hands in his jeans pockets, looking at the things in Jiang Lin's hands with sarcasm: "Great, you can't judge a person by his appearance."
Jiang Lin was hit by her words, and suddenly felt that the condom became as thorny as a hot coal. It was not right to put it back, and it was even worse to keep it. At this time, Ji Minglun took away the box of condoms, turned around and took two more boxes of the same taro flavor and threw them into the cart, holding his hand and said, "Let's go to the first floor to buy some cold dishes, and take more of your favorite vinegar seaweed."
Jiang Lin was so embarrassed that he couldn't say a word. If Deng Yi was the only one around, this wouldn't have happened. The problem was that Deng Feng's eyes were also fixed on him, without a single mistake.
Ji Minglun pulled him around, and just as they were about to move forward, they heard Deng Feng calling them: "Minglun, Jiang Lin, wait a minute."
Jiang Lin paused, and Ji Minglun became a little impatient, but before he turned around, he heard Deng Feng say coldly: "You go back first, I'll talk to them for a while."
Deng Yi said unhappily: "Why did you ask me to go back? You were the one who dragged me to the supermarket."
Deng Feng looked even more unhappy: "Can you understand a little bit? Can't you talk about it when you get back?"
Deng Yi was embarrassed after being scolded by Deng Feng. Her eyes suddenly turned red. She looked at Ji Minglun who was a few steps away. She saw that his attention was always on Jiang Lin. Not only did he whisper something in Jiang Lin's ear, he even smiled happily.
Deng Yi felt aggrieved, but she also knew that staying any longer would only bring embarrassment. After giving Jiang Lin a look, she finally turned around and left.
As soon as she left, the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before. Deng Feng sighed, pushed the cart in front of them, and said to Jiang Lin, "I'm sorry, my sister has been spoiled by her family since she was a child. She is used to speaking and doing things arbitrarily. I will talk to her in a good way when I go back."
Jiang Lin shook his head. He didn't want to continue this topic. Fortunately, Deng Feng didn't continue talking. He asked, "Why are you here to shop in the supermarket?"
This supermarket is not near Ji Minglun's home. Ji Minglun said, "I was accompanying Jiang Lin back to get something and just happened to pass by."
Deng Feng's attention was on Jiang Lin. He had let it go after talking with Ji Minglun last night, but he didn't expect to see Jiang Lin so soon, and to see them picking out that kind of thing.
Deng Feng felt a bit unspeakable in his heart, especially when he saw Jiang Lin didn't want to look him in the face. He wanted to ease the situation, so he asked, "Have you two had dinner?"
Ji Minglun said: "Not yet."
"I haven't eaten either," Deng Feng looked at his watch, "Let's have a meal together."
Before Ji Minglun could say no, Deng Feng continued, "Deng Yi was ignorant and talked nonsense again. Last time, she pushed Jiang Lin into the swimming pool. As her brother, I feel very sorry. Let me treat you to a meal as an apology."
Deng Feng said this to Jiang Lin. Ji Minglun went to see Jiang Lin. After a moment, Jiang Lin looked up at Deng Feng and said, "Okay."
Unexpectedly, he would agree. Deng Feng's expression brightened instantly.
The three of them paid the bill and left the supermarket together. Jiang Lin walked on Ji Minglun's left, while Deng Feng walked on Ji Minglun's right, and they took the elevator to the basement.
After putting the shopping items into the trunk, Ji Minglun and Deng Feng drove two cars, one after the other, to a nearby hot pot restaurant.
Jiang Lin couldn't touch seafood, and he wasn't suitable for spicy food, so Ji Minglun chose the mild Yunnan hot pot. Deng Feng was the one who treated them, but he had no objection. The three of them sat down and ordered dishes. While waiting for the hot pot to be served, Deng Feng and Ji Minglun talked about the landlord's notice of rent increase at noon.
The store location of [ChaKa] was chosen by Deng Feng, and it was Deng Feng who went to the landlord to sign the contract earlier. Now, when he heard that the rent was going to increase by 25%, Deng Feng was a little hesitant.
He opened the coffee shop simply because he had nothing to do, and he was obsessed with making handmade coffee at that time. After opening the shop, he got to know more people, and he spent most of his time in the shop, becoming more and more devoted.
In fact, compared to Ji Minglun's major, Deng Feng's postgraduate studies seem to be a way to avoid his family's arrangements. The store has been open for nearly a year now, and next year is their graduation season. It's time to think seriously about it.
"What do you think?" Ji Minglun asked Deng Feng what he thought first.
Jiang Lin beside him was looking down at his phone, and Deng Feng's eyes would always unconsciously drift towards Jiang Lin, then he would pull them back with self-awareness. Ji Minglun pretended not to see it and waited patiently for Deng Feng's answer.
"You know my family's situation," Deng Feng thought for a moment and said, "I don't want to close Chaka. Even if I have to go back to work at home, I want to keep the store open."
Deng Feng's family situation is not much better than Ji Minglun's. His parents are not divorced, but they have lost their love for each other for a long time. They continue to be a family only for the sake of their children and the property that is difficult to divide. Deng Feng is not short of money like Ji Minglun, but he envies Ji Minglun for being able to live alone early without being dragged down by family relationships.
"I did some calculations this afternoon. It will be difficult to maintain a balance between income and expenditure." Deng Feng frowned but said sincerely, "Please think about it. If you don't want to continue, I will find another partner, or I can do it myself."
Ji Minglun turned to look at Jiang Lin beside him. Noticing his gaze, Jiang Lin raised his head and saw him asking himself, "What do you think?"
Jiang Lin was stunned for a moment.
Just now he was looking at his phone, but his attention was on Ji Minglun, so he heard clearly what Deng Feng and Ji Minglun said. But he didn't know why Ji Minglun asked for his opinion.
Seeing Jiang Lin's hesitation, Ji Minglun clasped his hands and rested his chin on them, and said to Deng Feng, "List the possible losses first. It's unreasonable to raise the price so much all at once. The landlord should think that our business is good. If you want to continue but can't find a way to balance the income and expenditure, then my suggestion is to change the address."
“The Chaka sign will remain the same, but we can find another location nearby.”
"Moving the store?" Deng Feng looked a little confused. "This will affect the stickiness of old customers, right?"
"It will definitely have some impact, so what I mean is to look for one nearby." Ji Minglun explained, "There is no shortage of shops in the Shapowei area, and if we look for another store, it will have some impact on the landlord. After all, not every tenant is easy to talk to."
"Besides, he has raised the price so much at once. If we don't do it, it will be difficult for him to get such a high rent by finding a new tenant. He will definitely have to lower the rent by then, so this is also a way to retreat and advance."
Deng Feng had originally planned to swallow the loss first and then find a way to increase the store's sales. However, after Ji Minglun's analysis, he suddenly had an epiphany. He slapped the table and said with a smile, "Sure, after all this trouble, maybe the landlord will lower the rent himself."
Ji Minglun smiled and said, "Have you ever calculated how much you need to raise to balance your income and expenditure?"
Deng Feng raised his right hand and shook the five fingers: "No more than 10%."
"Then negotiate with him for 5%. If that doesn't work, we can reduce it to 7 or 8%. In addition, we can think of ways to increase sales," Ji Minglun said as he considered, "I think we can make the simple meals more formal. There are many customers who come to the store for takeout and dine-in at noon, but we don't have many dishes to choose from."
"Yeah," Deng Feng agreed. Before they opened the shop, they thought they were just doing it casually, and having fun was the most important thing. Now that they have decided to continue and do it well, they must improve their weaknesses. "I will hire a professional chef and renovate the storage room to make a kitchen."
While they were talking, the waiter brought the pot base. Ji Minglun turned up the heat to maximum and urged the waiter to bring the ordered roasted bait blocks to Jiang Lin first.
Jiang Lin did not interrupt their conversation, but half of Ji Minglun's mind was always on him, so he caught a glimpse of him staring at his phone but stroking his stomach under the table.
After the roasted rice cakes were served, Jiang Lin pushed the plate to the middle and asked them to pick up their chopsticks. Ji Minglun picked up a piece and put it in his bowl: "Eat it while it's hot, or your stomach will be upset again."
Jiang Lin picked up the food and started eating. Deng Feng saw Ji Minglun pouring him coconut milk and giving him a tissue to wipe his mouth, so he also picked up the chopsticks. Unfortunately, after taking a bite of the roasted bait, he lost his appetite and put it back in the bowl.
Although he had let it go, at this moment Deng Feng suddenly understood Deng Yi's feelings.
Wanting to let go is one thing, but when you really have to face it, it's another feeling that is hard to digest.
Fortunately, he did not indulge in this emotion. He made an excuse to go to the bathroom and came back looking normal again. He continued to chat with Ji Minglun about the arrangements in the store.
Throughout the meal, Ji Minglun was doing two things at once, either answering Deng Feng's questions or serving Jiang Lin some dishes and soup. Later, Deng Feng noticed that the atmosphere between them was very natural. Thinking about the relationship between them as they grew up together, he probably thought that they had been getting along like this before.
Before leaving after dinner, Ji Minglun went to the bathroom.
Jiang Lin had just been there not long ago, so he sat there and continued to look at his phone. Deng Feng paid the bill and returned to his seat, saying to him, "Are you full?"
Jiang Lin looked up at Deng Feng: "Well, thank you for your treat, I ate very well."
He still reacted a little indifferently like before, but Deng Feng understood him a little better than before and knew that it was just his nature. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I don't know when we'll have a meal together like this next time. You're leaving in half a month, right?"
This was a topic that Jiang Lin didn't want to face but couldn't avoid, and he was forced to think about it twice in one day. He didn't want to show his emotions in front of others, so he hummed as an answer and continued to scroll through the phone screen.
Deng Feng sensed his mood change and realized that what he said was inappropriate, so he immediately changed his words: "My sister pushed you into the water that day. I only found out about it last night when Ming Lun told me about it. I scolded her when I got home yesterday. Maybe because I said it too harshly, she is still a little upset today, so..."
"It's okay," Jiang Lin didn't want to make Deng Feng more embarrassed, and took the initiative to speak, "It was my fault that I didn't stand firmly that day and disrupted her birthday party. Please apologize to her for me."
Deng Feng nodded, and after Jiang Lin finished speaking, he continued to look down at his phone, as if he had nothing to say to him. He felt a little depressed. He curled his fingers and pressed his palm, and suddenly asked, "Do you feel happy when you are with Minglun?"