Chapter 73 - 72: Business Is Better

Chapter 73: Chapter 72: Business Is Better

Chen Momo had noticed long ago that Zhai Ying wasn’t the only one in the cafeteria who was jealous of her! Today was the perfect opportunity to make an example out of her and teach everyone else a lesson. It let them all know that she and her son were not to be trifled with. This way, no one would dare target them in the future!

She had expected her sauerkraut fish business to take a hit after the fight. To her surprise, business at the cafeteria didn’t suffer at all; in fact, it boomed.

She had become famous overnight after yesterday’s battle. Now, everyone knew that the female boss selling sauerkraut fish was a fiery and fierce spitfire. Not only was she beautiful and skilled at cooking the dish, but she was also a formidable fighter. As a result, people scrambled to her window to place their orders. Even those who usually cooked at home and never ate at the cafeteria had brought their entire families today just to try it.

Tales of Chen Momo’s fighting prowess had spread throughout the entire base. People lined up in droves, partly to taste the legendary dish, and partly to catch a glimpse of the "Sauerkraut Fish Beauty."

Before the lunch rush even began, a long line had already formed at her window. Business was even more explosive than their first few opening days. This left Xu Xiaoka absolutely thrilled as she bustled about, helping Chen Momo with everything she could. With a single glance across the dining hall, almost every table had a bowl of sauerkraut fish sitting on it. This was a sight neither Chen Momo nor Xu Xiaoka had anticipated.

Shortly after noon, they completely sold out. Chen Momo had prepared two hundred fish today, originally thinking it would be impossible to sell them all. Yet, by a little past one o’clock, they were already gone.

A few latecomers were quite disappointed. They lingered around the window, reluctant to leave.

"Is there really not a single sauerkraut fish left today?" one of the diners asked.

"I’m sorry, but we’re completely sold out for today," Chen Momo replied. "Please come back tomorrow."

The disappointed diners who missed out lingered a bit longer before finally leaving with great reluctance. Other customers who had also failed to get their hands on a portion departed with equally regretful expressions.

After Chen Momo cleaned the counter and Xu Xiaoka turned off the lights, the sauerkraut fish window closed early for the day. The two of them sat by the window, chatting about their next steps. Their fish supply was running low, so they needed to figure out a way to forage for more ingredients soon.

Meanwhile, Yi Ronghao and a fashionably dressed woman walked into the cafeteria, one after the other. Finding a window seat, Yi Ronghao sat down opposite the stylish lady.

This woman was Yao Meina, the very person his parents had arranged for him to marry.

Yi Ronghao went to order two cups of coffee. He placed one in front of Yao Meina and kept the other for himself. Then, with a calm expression on his handsome face, he said, "Miss Meina, there is no one we know here. You can say whatever is on your mind."

With her long hair cascading down, Yao Meina picked up her coffee, took a sip, and said nonchalantly, "Mr. Ronghao, I’m sure you already know that our fathers want our families to intermarry. The blizzard interrupted their original plans, but now that it’s over, the Yi family has decided to proceed with the marriage alliance with the Yao family."

Yi Ronghao’s attractive brows furrowed slightly. "But, Miss Meina..."

Yao Meina glanced at him and cut him off. "I know what you’re going to say. You want to say that you don’t like me, right? What a coincidence. I don’t like you either."

She offered a faint smile and took another small sip of her coffee before continuing. "However, considering our family interests, a marriage alliance is the most beneficial partnership for both the Yao and Yi families. The blizzard indeed caused massive losses for both sides; the two formerly great families of Han City were nearly left with nothing. That is exactly why the Yao and Yi families must unite. Only through this marriage can we maximize our mutual interests and allow both families to recover from this disaster as quickly as possible."

Yi Ronghao fell silent. The apocalypse had brought devastating losses to his family. Even though he was no longer a wealthy heir and had practically been reduced to an ordinary person, he had felt an unprecedented sense of freedom and happiness.

He just hadn’t expected that, in the end, he was still nothing more than a puppet for the Yi family. The strings of "family interests" continued to control his every move, suffocating him.

Yao Meina looked back toward the cafeteria counters. At the sauerkraut fish window, an aloof-looking woman was discussing something in low voices with a lively young girl beside her.

Yao Meina smiled slightly and looked across at Yi Ronghao. "Is that the type of girl you like?"

Yi Ronghao was bewildered by her out-of-the-blue question. Recovering his senses, he asked in surprise, "Miss Meina, what are you talking about?"

Yao Meina looked back at Chen Momo at the sauerkraut fish window. "That girl with her hair in a bun."

Yi Ronghao’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened, and a sudden flush crept up his cheeks, though he quickly regained his composure.

"I don’t know her," he denied, shaking his head.

Yao Meina smiled faintly. "But while we were talking just now, you looked at her many times."

A woman’s powers of observation and perception were incredibly sharp, and Yao Meina was no exception.

Yi Ronghao froze. "Did I?"

How had he not even realized it himself?

The corners of Yao Meina’s mouth curled upward. "The eyes never lie."

She grabbed her bag and stood up, saying to Yi Ronghao, "I have other things to attend to, so I must get going. Mr. Ronghao, you should think carefully about what we discussed. For people like us, freedom is nothing more than an unattainable luxury."

With a bitter smile, Yao Meina clutched her bag, turned her tall figure around, and walked away.

Yi Ronghao snapped back to reality and gazed at Chen Momo.

Had Yao Meina not pointed it out, he wouldn’t have even realized that he had been subconsciously looking at Chen Momo over at the sauerkraut fish window so many times during their conversation.

They said that a person’s subconscious actions revealed their true inner thoughts.

But he and Chen Momo barely knew each other! He wondered why he had looked at her so many times without realizing it. She sold fish, and he sold fish—that was all there was to it. If one had to look for any further connection between them, there simply wasn’t one.

Even Yi Ronghao couldn’t figure out why his eyes had involuntarily gravitated toward her so often.

What he did know was that he had just returned from graduating overseas. He was twenty-two years old, yet he had never seriously liked a girl or experienced a real relationship.

He had yet to feel what it was like to love someone. Was he really going to bury a lifetime of happiness for the sake of his family’s interests?

Weighed down by his heavy thoughts, Yi Ronghao stood up and left the cafeteria.