Chapter 2 — Bakery After the Rain

I said slowly: "Go find your current girlfriend who has a well-off family and ask her out." The woman's scream hit the speaker until it was a bit muffled. "Giang Nghien! Didn't you say you and she broke up a long time ago? You also said you went to graduate school on a scholarship!" Giang Nghien growled low: "Manh Tinh, calm down!" I hung up the phone. It took a while for Tieu Vien to find her voice again. "Miss Duong, that woman is..." I turned on the oven light. The surface of the croissants has turned a beautiful golden color. "The guests are about to arrive." "Place the plate first." Tieu Vien bit her lips and nodded, but the edges of her eyes were a bit red. "He's really too much." I said nothing. Is it too much? Maybe so. But what really hurts me isn't that there's someone else next to him. It's that he used my hard work to give himself a layer of dignity. Then he left me standing outside that face.04After the phone was hung up, the back kitchen was quiet for a long time. The oven's timer made a "ding" sound, like knocking out the frozen air. Tieu Vien quickly put on gloves and took out the croissants. The heat rushes out, the aroma of butter is rich and sweet. She put the baking tray on the rack, bowed her head and said: "Sister Duong, I didn't mean to listen just now." I took the clip and picked out the ones with the most perfect shape. "Turn on the speaker, it's hard for me not to listen." Tieu Vien bit her lip. "So did he come to the store to make trouble?" "Yes." I spoke too calmly, but on the contrary, she was stunned. I put the croissants in the rattan basket, flattening the edges of the lining paper. "Now he's short of money, and he's afraid that woman knows too much." "So he will definitely come to find you." Tieu Vien heard that, her face turned pale. "So do we need to call the police?" I smiled lightly. "He hasn't done anything yet, reporting to the police is just to keep a record." "Let's open for business first." The morning after the rain, the road surface was washed until it was shiny. When the first group of guests entered, the wind chimes at the door rang clearly. Some people bought coffee, some people ordered birthday cakes, and there was a boy in a school uniform lying on the counter, seriously choosing a cream puff for a long time. Life doesn't stop because of my breakup, even for a moment. Dough still has to ferment, cream still has to be whipped, guests' candles still have to be placed neatly. At half past ten in the morning, the store was pushed open. The person who walked in was not Giang Nghien. It's the woman on the phone. She was wearing a short rice-white coat, her hair was curled very delicately, she was carrying a bag, her heels were stepping on the tiled floor, the sound was both crisp and urgent. She stood in front of the counter, her eyes scanning from my face to my apron. "Are you Wen Duong?" Tieu Vien's back immediately tensed. I dried my hands and walked out of the back kitchen. "Yes." She stared at me for a few seconds, as if wanting to see something dirty on my body. "I'm Manh Tinh." "Jiang Nghien's current girlfriend." She emphasized the three words girlfriend very heavily. There were two customers in the shop who were choosing cakes. I didn't raise my voice. "If you buy cakes, you can look in the refrigerator." "If talking privately, go out the door and turn left to find a cafe." Manh Tinh's face changed. Obviously she didn't expect me to be so calm. "You don't need to pretend to be so generous." "I came today to ask for clarification." "What did you mean by what you said on the phone just now?" I glanced at the guest next to me. One middle-aged girl among them deliberately slowed down, her ears almost standing up. I neatly placed the number card next to the cashier counter. "Then go out and talk." But Manh Tinh didn't move. "Say it here." "I'm not afraid of losing face." I looked at her. "You're not afraid, it doesn't mean I'm willing to let customers listen." "My store is open for business, not to stage emotional disputes for you to watch." She choked, her chest heaving.

Intense swelling. Finally, he still followed me out under the canopy in front of the door. Tieu Vien was not reassured and stood behind the glass window to watch. I signaled her from the door, telling her to come back to the counter. Manh Tinh opened his mouth and asked: "Jiang Nghien's tuition for the past few years, was it really you who gave it to me?" I didn't answer right away. The oil pan of the breakfast restaurant opposite was still sizzling, the air smelled faintly of fried onions and sweet bread, two food delivery staff squatted next to the tram eating dumplings. What a normal morning. Yet someone brought lies exposed in front of my shop. "Do you want to hear the truth, or do you want to hear something that makes you feel comfortable?" Manh Tinh's eyes immediately turned red. "The truth." "The fifteenth day of every month, ten thousand." "Lasts four years." "Other fixed expenses, computer, rent, documents, clothes, social gifts, I also spent a lot." "Total of more than seven hundred thousand." She looked like someone had poured a basin of water on her. Cold on the head. "He said he received a scholarship." "He said you were just an acquaintance from the countryside who had been following him for many years." I laughed. The smile didn't reach the bottom of his eyes. "He really knows how to save work." "Take my money, then erase my personality." Manh Tinh's fingers tightened the bag handle. "So why did you give it to him?"