Chapter 1 — Coffee Pairing Queen

I am the "coffee ordering king" recognized by the whole company. Because I have an annual Chi Ton card from Luckin Coffee, a Gold Star membership from Starbucks and a black card from Manner, every time I help a colleague put together an order, I only collect the correct amount after applying the discount. The odd part I compensate myself. Until the new intern Phuong Di looked at my Starbucks app and gagged exaggeratedly. "Oh my god, you have accumulated more than forty thousand stars!" "What are you doing to help? You clearly see your colleagues as tools to earn stars for you!" "Everyone, don't be fooled anymore. My boyfriend imports specialty coffee. From now on, I will bring high-quality coffee beans from farms to everyone, free of charge!" I explained that the number of stars is the foundational reward for the ordering account, moreover, I have never overcharged anyone. But my colleagues felt like they had lost hundreds of millions, scolded me for "cutting off people I know", and forced me to convert my points into money to pay them back. I was so angry that I burst out laughing. Right in front of everyone, I canceled my accounts on all three platforms and left the chat groups. PART 01 “Sister, still the same, a fresh coconut latte from Luckin.” “I want flat white, half sugar, one more shot.” “Help me buy a flat white from Starbucks, don't forget to redeem the buy one get one free offer.” The messages in the work group kept jingling non-stop. I mastered opening three applications, counting people, receiving coupons, matching enough discounts and then paying. Luckin's Chi Ton card has two free coupons every week, and can also add single pairing incentives; Starbucks Gold Star members buy eight get one free and double the number of stars per membership day; Manner's black card brings your own cup and gets five yuan off. A glass of flat white has an original price of thirty-five yuan, and when I order it, everyone only needs to pay twenty-four yuan. Twenty-four dollars and three dimes, I only collected twenty-four. The remaining three dimes, I compensated myself. Just for everyone to transfer money for convenience. Over the past three years, the amount of coffee I've saved for the whole office is at least more than ten thousand yuan. In return, bonus points on the platforms naturally belong to me. Starbucks' stars, Luckin's points, Manner's black card level, are all things I have accumulated one by one. Every day at noon I make a trip down to the closet to pick up the items, then make another trip in the afternoon, then bring them to each person's desk. Those time costs, considering the bonus points as my hard work, are not too much. Everyone also implicitly accepted this rule, even jokingly said: "Drinking coffee with Ms. Ninh is much more economical than ordering it yourself." Until today. Phuong Di, a new intern in the design department, broke that understanding. I don't know when she got close to my computer screen and suddenly screamed. "Oh my god! Your Starbucks account has more than forty thousand stars!" That scream caught the attention of half the floor. Phuong Di pointed at my screen, her hands were shaking. "Forty thousand stars! One star is equal to one yuan, so isn't that forty thousand yuan!" "And this gift exchange area, everyone, look! Coffee makers, suitcases, limited edition cups..." She turned around, looking at her colleagues who were curiously looking around. "Sister, you used everyone's money to accumulate so many stars, why have you never shared them with everyone?" The office immediately fell silent. suddenly. The coffee I just got back is still hot, the paper bag hasn't been opened yet. Phuong Di conveniently picked up a paper bag and took out the bill inside. "Everyone, look, this bill actually costs 187 yuan, but she collected 190 yuan from everyone in the group!" "Where are the extra three yuan? And these forty thousand stars?" "Isn't it all up to each of us?

If I drink each glass, how can it accumulate?" She spread her hands. "Sister, what are you helping everyone with? You treat your colleagues as cash machines, using our money to accumulate benefits for yourself! ""Isn't this a murderous attack on an acquaintance?" There was a loud bang. The whole office exploded. Mr. Trieu from the finance department was the first to stand up, heavily placing the latte in his hand on the table. "I was wondering why you were so enthusiastic about helping us order coffee every day, and it turned out that you secretly earned forty thousand yuan." Tieu Tran from the administration department, who usually eats lunch with me, also said one more sentence. "Oh my god, before I thought Ms. Ninh was kind. Turns out I was the one who got scammed.” “That Starbucks collaboration version of the coffee maker was ours, right? No wonder her house has such complete coffee equipment." I put down the paper bag and stood up. "First, I collected 190 yuan because I still lacked three yuan to meet the discount. I added those three yuan myself, otherwise each of you would have to pay an additional eight yuan for each glass.” “Second, stars are the foundational rewards for those who order. I used my account and membership to place the bet, the points belong to me. That's the rule." "Third, for the past few years, every day I've spent half an hour counting, ordering and running to get things, regardless of wind and rain. Do you guys think that's not worth a star?" Phuong Di laughed coldly. "Sister, you can't say that. Without us spending money, where would we get forty thousand stars?” “Besides, isn't it a good thing for colleagues to help each other? I even calculated these bonus points, it's really a narrow field of vision." She cleared her throat and looked around. "Everyone, stop being stupid!" "My boyfriend imports specialty coffee, specializing in supplying goods to five-star hotels and high-end clubs." "Later, I will bring everyone their own internal beans, all farm-grade beans from Ethiopia and Panama!" "Handmade brew, Americano or latte can all be made right in the room. tea!" "The most important thing is... it's free!" As soon as they heard the words "free", everyone's face changed. Mr. Trieu took the lead and patted the table: "It's still the generous Phuong Di! Unlike some people, everything is calculated." "That's right, young people really have a big vision." "In the future, we will drink Phuong Di's farm coffee beans, not make chives for people to cut anymore!" PART 02 I thought this was the end of this matter. Not helping them put together orders anymore would be fine, I could still have leisure. But I underestimated people's greed. At 4:30 p.m., Mr. Trieu led six or seven people to surround my desk. Phuong Di followed. behind, holding the phone and opening the computer. "Miss Ninh, we just did a calculation." Mr. Trieu pushed his glasses. "In the past three years, you have helped us place more than seven hundred yuan." "On average, the number of stars you earn each time is about fifty yuan." "Plus the coffee maker, cups and souvenirs you used to exchange." "You should return one thousand two hundred yuan to each of us." I leaned back in my chair. "One thousand two hundred? Please report to the police.” “Photos of all payments are in the group, and the application also has documents of the actual amount paid. Just look back and see if I ever overcharged?" "The stars were given to me by the foundation, not deducted from your pockets." "You bought a bottle of mineral water, the supermarket gave you shopping points, did you share them with the people in line behind you?" Ms. Ly interjected, her expression full of matter-of-factness. "Oh, Tieu Khuong, don't be stubborn." "Phuong Di has already said, forty thousand stars can be exchanged for a lot of things." "Your cups and coffee pots." It's not all thanks to our blessings

Why?" "As a person, you can't swallow all the benefits alone." "After paying, everyone is still good colleagues." Phuong Di stood next to add fuel to the fire. "That's right, Ms. Ninh, your monthly salary is not low, why do you need to pay attention to this small amount of money?" "It's very difficult to hear when it is spread out." "The type of people I hate the most are... who have taken advantage and pretend to be good people." I looked around at the people in front of me. Last month, Mr. Trieu's computer broke down, and I ran to the center. The warranty center helped him twice. Ms. Ly couldn't complete the presentation and report, each time I helped fix it until midnight. Last time Tieu Tran twisted her leg, I brought her lunch for a whole week and all of that was not worth twelve hundred yuan. "What if I don't pay?" Mr. Trieu's face darkened. "Not paying? Then we will find the human resources department." "What is it called, taking advantage of work relationships for personal gain?" "How will you still stay at the company at that time?" I looked at him and suddenly burst out laughing. The smile made Mr. Trieu take a half step back. "Okay." I stood up, took out my phone. The account page... canceled the account. The system displayed a notification: After canceling, all stars, ranks and discount coupons will be erased, unable to be restored. Phuong Di's eyes opened loudly. "Don't be impulsive..." I clicked confirm. 【Account canceled】 Next was Luckin. 【Account canceled】 Manner. 【Account canceled.】 Three black diamond accounts, more than a hundred coupons. I looked up at them. Why is it no longer there, the money is no longer there." "The one thousand two hundred yuan you want to be returned, just find the platform to ask for it." Having said that, I picked up my phone and opened WeChat. "Coffee order pairing group"... left the group. "Afternoon tea chat group"... left the group. "Company activities group"... turned off notifications. I packed up my thermos and manual brewer on the table. Put on my headphones. Open my work documents. From today, I only worry about my cup of coffee. PART 03 The next day, when I arrived at the company, there was a long line in front of the tea room. Phuong Di stood in the middle, like a missionary. Two large cartons were opened on the table. "Come here, everyone!" "This is the farm-grade coffee beans my boyfriend sent me!" "Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia, Esmeralda farm from Panama, and also Hoa Nguyet Da from Colombia!" Twenty yuan, everyone can drink for free now!" She took out a bag of coffee with colorful packaging from the box. The packaging had all kinds of English and small letters printed on it, a golden patterned background, and an embossed effect. It was quite intimidating at first glance. As I passed by, I glanced at it. The word "Estate" on the packaging was written as "Easte". The place of production was written as "Ethopiya". There was an extra letter Y, missing an I. The roasting date field... was blank. I Without stopping, he walked straight back to his desk. There were a series of exclamations behind him. "Wow, this packaging is so high-end!" "Look at this logo, it's definitely a very expensive brand." "Phuong Di is really good, even has such a source of goods!" Phuong Di was extremely pleased. "Of course, my boyfriend has been working in this industry for five or six years, specializing in supplying goods to high-end customers." "This type of grain cannot be bought outside at all, only through domestic channels." "As she spoke, she ground the beans for everyone. The grinder in the tea room made a buzzing noise. Very quickly, a strong fragrance spread out. But that smell... How should I say it? Too fragrant. Fragrant in the wrong way.