MC - Chapter 32

The date of the "Coffee Market" event was approaching, and Zhang Rufan was getting busier. As the saying goes, "The last part of the journey is the hardest." The final stage was the most crucial, where any mistake could undo all their previous efforts.

In the week before the event, overtime became routine. Zhang Rufan left early and returned late every day. Not wanting Shen Mingjin to adjust to her schedule, she stopped letting him accompany her on the subway.

During this period, her days were spent preparing for the "Coffee Market." When she worked late, she would bring her laptop to Jindu, continue working there, and then return to Jinghua Gardens with Shen Mingjin after the café closed.

The "Coffee Market" was scheduled to open on Saturday. On Friday, Zhang Rufan was busy setting up the venue. Although this task was the responsibility of the operations team, she still went to the site to oversee things personally.

Zhang Rufan worked until very late, only leaving after coordinating with all staff and inspecting every aspect of the preparations.

After the first snowfall, Shangjing hadn't seen any more snow, but the temperature hadn't risen either. The thin layer of snow on the roadside trees had melted and refrozen into ice on the ground.

When she stepped out of the office building, the night was deep. Zhang Rufan wrapped her coat tighter and walked to Jindu. At this hour, the café was about to close, with only a few scattered customers remaining. As she entered, she heard no voices, just the flowing instrumental music.

Shen Mingjin was cleaning the counter when he heard the door chime. Looking up and seeing Zhang Rufan approaching, he immediately smiled and said, "All done?"

"Yeah."

"Tired?"

"Not too bad." Zhang Rufan looked around and, not seeing anyone else, asked, "Where's Xiao Mu and the others?"

"Tomorrow I'm taking Xiao Mu to your mall's event. The shop will probably be busy too, so I let everyone go home early tonight to rest."

Zhang Rufan nodded. Looking at Shen Mingjin, she sincerely said, "Thank you."

During this period, Shen Mingjin had helped her tremendously—bringing her meals when she was busy, accompanying her home every night, and even contacting the managers of the participating cafés to coordinate rehearsals. Without him, she definitely wouldn't have been able to plan this event so smoothly.

Shen Mingjin accepted her gratitude without hesitation, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Just a verbal thank you? No other rewards?"

Zhang Rufan hesitated before asking, "What kind of reward do you want?"

"I want..." Shen Mingjin deliberately paused before saying, "A date!"

"Huh?"

"You can't just stop dating me after winning me over," Shen Mingjin said in a plaintive tone. "You've been too busy lately. After the event, you must take me out."

Dates were routine for couples—hardly a reward or an excessive request. Having spent little time with Shen Mingjin recently due to work, Zhang Rufan couldn't help but laugh at his aggrieved expression. She nodded and promised, "Okay, I'll definitely ask you out."

Having achieved his goal, Shen Mingjin immediately brightened and said cheerfully, "It's settled then. You arrange the date, and I'll take you somewhere to relax."

Zhang Rufan's smile grew even brighter.

The café was about to close. After the few remaining customers left, Zhang Rufan went to clean the tables. She collected the used coffee cups, brought them behind the counter, washed them, and placed them on the drying rack.

Previously, to avoid disrupting the staff's work, Zhang Rufan had never gone behind the counter. Tonight was her first time entering that space. Seeing the coffee machines that resembled scientific instruments up close, she found it fascinating.

"Want to try making a cup of coffee yourself?" Shen Mingjin asked when he returned from taking inventory of the coffee beans and saw Zhang Rufan examining the machines.

Zhang Rufan turned around, waved her hand, and said, "I don't know how."

"I'll teach you," Shen Mingjin said, not giving her a chance to refuse before deciding. "I'll teach you how to make the latte you usually drink."

He turned to the coffee bean shelf, took down a bag of beans, returned to the counter, and handed it to Zhang Rufan.

Zhang Rufan rarely attempted things she wasn't confident about, but faced with Shen Mingjin's encouraging gaze, she felt a stir of excitement. Subconsciously, she knew that even if she failed, it wouldn't matter in front of him.

"Well... shall I try?"

Zhang Rufan took the coffee beans and, under Shen Mingjin's guidance, poured an appropriate amount into the automatic grinder.

"For espresso, the beans need to be ground a bit finer," Shen Mingjin patiently explained how to use the grinder. "Turning to the right makes it finer; to the left, the grounds will be coarser."

Following his instructions, Zhang Rufan successfully ground the beans into powder.

Shen Mingjin examined the grounds, pinched some between his fingers, and nodded. "This is good."

He turned and removed the portafilter from the espresso machine, showing Zhang Rufan how to fill the basket with grounds, gently tap to distribute them evenly, and finally use the tamper to press them flat and firm.

"Now we can start extracting with the machine."

Shen Mingjin taught Zhang Rufan how to attach the portafilter, then placed a cup beneath it and pressed the extraction button.

Soon, Zhang Rufan saw reddish-brown coffee liquid flowing from the portafilter. When the liquid turned light brown, Shen Mingjin turned off the machine and examined the cup.

"The extraction looks good."

Shen Mingjin set aside the extracted espresso, took a milk pitcher, poured in fresh milk, and again personally taught Zhang Rufan how to use the machine to steam the milk.

Zhang Rufan learned attentively and soon had a pitcher of properly steamed milk.

"You did well," Shen Mingjin praised at the right moment. He picked up the coffee cup, gestured for Zhang Rufan to hold it with one hand, and said, "Now we can start the latte art."

He briefly explained the techniques for pouring latte art. Noticing Zhang Rufan's nervous expression—like a student before an exam—he couldn't help but laugh and reassured her, "Just try casually. Even if it doesn't look good, I'll drink it all."

Zhang Rufan had seen Shen Mingjin create latte art before. His movements were steady and quick, making it seem simple to outsiders, but it was actually quite difficult. Latte art was the highlight of espresso drinks, requiring real skill to produce beautiful patterns.

Holding the milk pitcher in one hand and the coffee cup in the other, Zhang Rufan—lacking experience despite understanding the theory—looked to Shen Mingjin for help.

Rarely seeing her so helpless, Shen Mingjin chuckled softly, stepped behind her, and placed one hand over hers holding the cup, the other over her hand holding the pitcher.

Feeling the warmth of his body against her back, Zhang Rufan's focus wavered.

"Tilt the cup at 45 degrees, angle the pitcher, first circle around the center point..." Shen Mingjin guided her hands, speaking close to her ear: "When pouring the art, lower the pitcher and push the foam forward."

Guiding her hands, Shen Mingjin slowly poured the milk into the espresso. Zhang Rufan saw a large white dot form on the brown coffee surface. Then Shen Mingjin lifted her hand slightly and pulled it forward—completing a heart-shaped design.

"Done." Shen Mingjin released her hands, took the pitcher from her, and set it aside.

Holding the cup with both hands, Zhang Rufan smiled unconsciously at the perfect heart in her coffee. Even with Shen Mingjin's help, she felt a genuine sense of accomplishment.

"So happy?"

"Yeah, this is my first time making a cup of coffee by hand."

Unable to contain her joy, Zhang Rufan turned her head and suddenly met Shen Mingjin's intense gaze—only then realizing he'd been watching her all along.

Shen Mingjin had noticed that lately, Zhang Rufan smiled more often. When she smiled, it reached from her lips to her eyes—a shimmering, dazzling brightness.

Just like now.

Dazzled by her radiant smile, he couldn't help but lower his head.

Zhang Rufan didn't shy away, closing her eyes naturally as he leaned in.

In the coffee cup, a heart swayed gently.

… 

The "Coffee Market" event was held in the square outside OW Mall. The weather in Shangjing cooperated beautifully that day. Thanks to effective pre-event promotion, crowds arrived by mid-morning. Being a weekend, the event attracted not just coffee enthusiasts but also many casual shoppers.

The venue was divided into zones: a cultural area for coffee education, a tasting section, a hands-on brewing experience area, and a merchandise zone for coffee-related products.

Most attendees were drawn to the rich aromas in the tasting area. OW had invited Shangjing's most renowned cafés to participate, providing baristas with mobile coffee carts and display racks. The carts served as brewing stations, while the racks showcased beans from various regions, promotional materials, and co-branded freebies from the mall and cafés.

Participating cafés had pre-arranged their specialty offerings to prevent overlap and maximize efficiency, ensuring attendees could sample diverse coffee varieties.

On the first day of the event, OW Mall held a promotional campaign. Anyone who followed the mall's official account and registered would receive a free coffee voucher, which could be redeemed at any participating café. Because of this, long lines formed in front of every coffee truck at OW Square that morning, with the longest queues in front of Zhou Kang's Turkish coffee truck and Shen Mingjin's pour-over coffee truck.

Turkish coffee is brewed using an ancient method that many people had never seen before, and its unique taste piqued curiosity. The added fortune-telling aspect also drew in those seeking novelty. Pour-over coffee, on the other hand, excelled at showcasing the rich flavors of beans from different regions, making it a favorite among coffee enthusiasts. Moreover, the moment Shen Mingjin's face appeared at the coffee truck window—without him even needing to demonstrate any skill—it attracted many young women.

"Boss, if I buy a few more cups of coffee, can I add your WeChat?"

Xiao Mu glanced at Shen Mingjin—this was who-knows-how-many-th time a female customer had asked that this morning.

Shen Mingjin, however, showed no impatience. Smiling, he pointed to a shelf and said, "The café's official account QR code is over there. Feel free to follow if you'd like to learn more."

"Will following the official account let me learn about you?"

Shen Mingjin replied smoothly, "It’ll let you learn about my café."

"I just want to learn about you. Can I add your personal WeChat?"

Shen Mingjin, still grinding coffee beans, glanced across the square and spotted Zhang Rufan. He immediately pointed and said, "See that tall girl in the white jacket on the phone over there?"

The customer followed his finger, standing on tiptoe to look, and replied, "Yeah... what about her?"

"She’s the café’s lady boss and the main organizer of this 'Coffee Market' event," Shen Mingjin said solemnly. "If I secretly add other girls behind her back, I won’t be allowed to set up shop here this afternoon. My love life and career would both be ruined."

With that, he took the coffee Xiao Mu handed him and passed it through the window, smiling generously. "Thanks for stopping by."

After seeing off the customer, Shen Mingjin exhaled lightly and was about to resume grinding when a familiar voice called out, "Big Brother!"

Shen Mingjin turned toward the voice and, sure enough, saw Zhang Zitong. Lifting his gaze slightly, he spotted the man holding her hand.

This wasn’t his first time meeting Zhang Rufan’s father—he’d seen him several times at high school parent-teacher meetings. Every time, the man wore the same stern expression, no different from now.

"Make a call and get someone else from the shop to come help," Shen Mingjin said to Xiao Mu.

Seeing him set down the hand grinder, Xiao Mu quickly asked, "Bro, where are you going?"

"Off to handle a life-defining matter."

Shen Mingjin stepped down from the coffee truck and headed straight for Zhang Zitong and her family. He waved at the little girl, then greeted Zhang Shengyi openly when he reached them.

"Uncle."

He then looked at the woman beside Zhang Shengyi. Li Huishu promptly smiled and said, "I’m Zitong’s mom."

"Hello."

Li Huishu gave him a once-over and said kindly, "You’re Xiaofan’s boyfriend, right?"

Shen Mingjin nodded and took the opportunity to introduce himself.

"I’ve heard Xiaofan and Tongtong mention you before. So you’re the handsome young man." Li Huishu glanced at the coffee truck behind him and asked, "Jindu is your shop?"

"Yep," Shen Mingjin said. "It’s right behind the mall. If you have time, you’re welcome to stop by."

"No need." Zhang Shengyi finally spoke, his tone neither warm nor cold. "Go attend to your work."

"Right, don’t let us hold you up," Li Huishu added.

Shen Mingjin checked the time. "It’s almost noon—the crowd’s thinned out, and the staff are rotating shifts. We can manage."

He turned to look where Zhang Rufan had been standing earlier, but she was already gone. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Xiaofan will be swamped today and might not have time to accompany you. How about I show you around instead?"

Li Huishu glanced at Zhang Shengyi, who didn’t refuse—seemingly giving tacit approval—so she smiled and said, "Then we’ll trouble you."

They strolled around the square for a while until Zhang Zitong said she wanted to go into the mall to buy toys. Unable to dissuade her, Li Huishu took her inside, while Zhang Shengyi stayed outside to wait.

Since Zhang Shengyi didn’t go in, Shen Mingjin waited outside with him. His intuition told him that Zhang Rufan’s father probably had something to say.

"Smoke?" Zhang Shengyi pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"No." Shen Mingjin shook his head, then glanced at Zhang Shengyi and added, "I think you’d better not smoke either."

Zhang Shengyi looked up at him.

Shen Mingjin coughed lightly. "Xiaofan just accompanied you to the hospital for a follow-up a few days ago. You only recently had surgery—smoking isn’t good for your health."

Zhang Shengyi fell silent at that. He held the cigarette box but ultimately didn’t open it.

"Rufan said she was the one who pursued you?"

A few seconds later, Zhang Shengyi spoke again. Though the question sounded casual, Shen Mingjin detected a hint of displeasure in his lowered tone.

Shen Mingjin tensed up. Seeing Zhang Shengyi scrutinizing him, he felt uncharacteristically nervous but still answered earnestly, "She did pursue me, but I liked her first."

"I liked her since ninth grade." Noticing Zhang Shengyi’s slight frown, Shen Mingjin quickly added, "Don’t worry—we didn’t date early. It was one-sided all the way until graduation."

"So you don’t need to think that just because Xiaofan pursued me, she’s at a disadvantage in this relationship." Shen Mingjin said solemnly, "I like her more than she likes me."

Zhang Shengyi’s hawk-like eyes fixed on Shen Mingjin, but when he saw the young man stand his ground without arrogance or deference, he looked away.

He looked into the distance, where Zhang Rufan had reappeared on the square, talking to someone. It had been a long time since he’d really looked at her—since college, her visits home had been brief and infrequent. This year, she’d returned to Shangjing for work, but even on weekends, they rarely spent time alone.

Now, upon closer inspection, she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman beyond his line of sight.

Zhang Shengyi suddenly remembered a time long ago.

When Zhang Rufan was born, he’d been away on a mission and couldn’t return in time. By the time he reached the hospital, he saw her tiny form in an incubator—frail due to premature birth.

Later, when her mother passed away unexpectedly, Zhang Shengpin suggested sending the child back to their hometown for their parents to raise. But he refused. She was too young—he couldn’t bear to leave her alone. So he resolutely left the military and changed careers.

When she was little and sickly, he’d worried constantly and made her exercise relentlessly, hoping to build her constitution. As she grew older, he feared she’d be bullied at school, so he taught her to be tough and unyielding. Later, when his own health failed, he worried she wouldn’t withstand life’s pressures alone, so he honed her resilience, hoping she’d one day stand independently.

Her grandmother had once called to berate him, saying he raised her like a soldier, molding her into his own image. He’d once thought that was fine—at least she was strong and independent—until not long ago, when she said she wasn’t the "chosen child."

He’d thought he was merely too strict, but that night, it dawned on him that he’d stripped away her right to be a child. Afraid her branches would grow wild, he’d pruned them before they could even reach the wall—trimming her into something too neat.

"Xiaofan’s coming over."

Zhang Shengyi snapped out of his thoughts at Shen Mingjin’s words and watched as Zhang Rufan approached them, a smile on her face.

He turned to Shen Mingjin, who was waving at her with the same smile.

The over-pruned sapling had regained its vitality, sprouting new branches and leaves. Zhang Shengyi felt both wistful and relieved. This time, he would let her grow freely.

Before Zhang Rufan reached them, he said in a low voice, "Rufan can’t cook. And... I used to be a soldier."

Shen Mingjin, reading between the lines, turned to Zhang Shengyi and vowed firmly, "Uncle, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her and treat her well."

"I swear."

1. 咖啡集市 (kāfēi jíshì) - "Coffee Market," the name of the event featuring various coffee vendors and activities

2. 地摊货架 (dìtān huòjià) - Display racks, used to showcase coffee beans, merchandise, and promotional materials

3. 赏味区 (shǎngwèi qū) - Tasting area, a section where attendees sample different coffee varieties

4. 体验区 (tǐyàn qū) - Hands-on experience zone where visitors can try brewing coffee themselves

5. 品牌区 (pǐnpái qū) - Merchandise zone for selling coffee-related products and branded items

6. 行百里者半九十 (xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔshí) - Idiom meaning "The last part of the journey is the hardest," emphasizing that the final stretch requires extra effort.

Characters

章入凡 (Zhāng Rùfán) – The protagonist.

沈明津 (Shěn Míngjīn) – A former classmate who wrote Zhang Rufan a love letter in high school, in her copy of Anne of Green Gables.

章胜义 (Zhāng Shèngyì) – Zhang Rufan’s father. 

李惠淑 (Lǐ Huìshū) – Zhang Rufan’s stepmother ("惠姨 Huìyí").

章梓橦 (Zhāng Zǐtóng) – Rufan’s much younger half-sister (~18 years age gap). 

章胜嫔 (Zhāng Shèngpín) – Rufan’s aunt (father’s sister). 

程怡 (Chéng Yí) – Rufan’s close friend from middle school. 

谢易韦 (Xiè Yìwéi) – High school class monitor who is getting married, prompting the reunion.

杜升 (Dù Shēng) – Someone Zhang Rufan didn't want to add as a friend on WeChat at first.

刘品媛 (Liú Pǐnyuán) – The planning department manager at OW.

孙璐 (Sūn Lù) – Zhang Rufan’s direct supervisor at OW, who goes by "Sister Lu" (璐姐, Lù Jiě).

袁霜 (Yuán Shuāng) – A friendly coworker in the planning department.

周慈 (Zhōu Cí) – Shen Mingjin’s mother

Sevyn here ~~~

Last section with him reminiscing over how he raised her 😭. Also, the fact that he says she can't cook even though she has learned... sigh, the father-daughter communication needs so much work, but the way he says he's a former soldier as a warning LOL.

Enjoy!