Chapter 32: It’s Alright, I’ll Teach You

Lin Qianfan was a bit surprised, but he still nodded. "Then... thank you."

The next day at noon, Xia Ruo did indeed walk into Classroom 305 carrying two meals, placing one in front of Lin Qianfan.

"Eat up. I ordered two of today's specialty dishes."

Lin Qianfan looked down, a strange, indescribable feeling stirring in his heart.

"You should eat too," he said, looking up at her.

"Okay." Xia Ruo sat down beside him and opened her own lunch box.

The two chatted while they ate, the atmosphere unexpectedly relaxed.

"By the way, the articles on your official account lately have been quite interesting," Xia Ruo said with a smile. "Especially the one about teacher-student romance; I’ve read it several times."

"What did you think of it?" Lin Qianfan asked.

"It’s quite controversial, but the perspective is very interesting," Xia Ruo paused. "However, some of the comments are a bit too intense. You should be careful."

"Yeah, I know," Lin Qianfan nodded.

After finishing their meal, Lin Qianfan cleared away the lunch boxes and stood up. "Let me walk you back to your classroom."

Xia Ruo hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

As they walked out of the classroom, Lin Qianfan’s hand brushed against Xia Ruo’s by accident.

Xia Ruo was slightly startled, but she didn't pull away.

Lin Qianfan glanced down at her, the corners of his mouth curving upward.

They walked side by side along the campus path, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and spilling over them, creating a scene of perfect harmony.

That evening, Lin Qianfan returned to his dormitory and opened his laptop to continue his work.

Yongpan poked his head out from his bed and glanced at him. "Qianfan, your relationship with Xia Ruo has been pretty good lately, hasn't it?"

Lin Qianfan replied coolly, "Don't talk nonsense. We're just ordinary classmates."

Yongpan curled his lip. "Yeah, right. Would ordinary classmates bring you lunch every day? Do you think we’re blind?"

Lin Qianfan couldn't be bothered to argue and kept his eyes fixed on the data on his screen.

"Our official account’s withdrawal limit is almost reached; we need to find a way to drive another wave of traffic."

"Are we going to stir up another controversial topic?" Yongpan asked.

Lin Qianfan explained, "Controversial topics are fine, but we need to control the scale."

"Also, we need to speed up the progress on the novel side. I want at least ten high-quality submissions by the end of the month."

"Fine, whatever you say," Yongpan replied resignedly.

Silence returned to the dorm, punctuated only by the sound of typing.

Lin Qianfan rubbed his temples, his mind occupied with his next plans.

A month from now, the data integration for the food delivery platform would be nearly complete, and he would go negotiate partnerships with the supermarkets then.

Once the supermarkets joined the platform, their order volume could double.

Within two days, Lin Qianfan’s notebook was packed with his attempts at perfecting milk tea recipes.

From boba to coconut jelly, from black tea to milk, he had written down every combination he could think of.

Being in their final year of high school, the students were under a lot of pressure, especially the girls, and milk tea held a natural appeal for them.

As long as the taste was good and the price was reasonable, sales wouldn't be a problem.

Moreover, whatever was trendy in school could easily drive demand.

By leveraging the heat of the delivery platform to build the reputation of the milk tea shop and bundling the sales, he could achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Fortunately, there were good universities in the city, so he could apply for ones nearby; with more people in college, sales would be even higher.

But for now, he would use the last two months of high school to lay the foundation and boost their fame.

On Friday, when school let out, Lin Qianfan grabbed his backpack and headed to Xia Ruo's classroom.

"Xia Ruo, do you have time this weekend? I want to go into the city to pick up some supplies," he said, standing by her desk and getting straight to the point.

Xia Ruo looked up at him. "What kind of supplies?"

"Ingredients for milk tea. I need your advice—you understand girls' tastes better," Lin Qianfan said with a serious expression.

Xia Ruo looked down to pack her books, her voice drifting out softly. "What kind of milk tea? I don't know how to make it either."

Lin Qianfan smiled and said directly, "It doesn't matter if you don't know how; you just need to tell me what flavors girls like."

Xia Ruo stopped what she was doing and hesitated slightly. "But..."

"No 'buts.' Just think of it as getting out for a change of pace. It's better than being cooped up at home; you're turning into a bookworm."

Without waiting for her to refuse, Lin Qianfan added decisively, "Nine o'clock tomorrow morning, meet me at the school gate."

Xia Ruo stopped walking and looked at him. "Do you really think I can help?"

"Of course," Lin Qianfan nodded.

Xia Ruo felt a bit embarrassed by his words and had no choice but to nod. "Alright then, I’ll go with you this weekend."

Xia Ruo pursed her lips and finally gave a nod.

On Saturday at nine, Lin Qianfan was already waiting at the school gate, holding a canvas bag.

A few minutes later, Xia Ruo arrived, dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, a small bag slung over her shoulder.

"Let's go, I’ve already called a car," Lin Qianfan said, waving and leading the way toward a taxi parked by the curb.

Along the way, they chatted briefly as the scenery outside the window shifted from the low-rise houses of the town to the high-rises of the city.

The taxi pulled up at a bustling commercial street. Lin Qianfan paid the fare and led Xia Ruo into a large supermarket.

He had already made a list of the milk tea ingredients: black tea, green tea, milk powder, condensed milk, coconut jelly, boba, fruit jam, syrup... the variety alone was daunting.

They pushed the shopping cart through the aisles. Lin Qianfan picked up a bag of black tea and handed it to Xia Ruo. "What do you think of this one?"

Xia Ruo took it, looked at the packaging and then the price, and whispered, "This is a bit expensive."

Lin Qianfan nodded, put the tea back, and picked up another brand with a slightly lower price. "How about this one?"

"This one is worth a try," Xia Ruo nodded.

They spent their time selecting and discussing, and before they knew it, the cart was filled with various ingredients.

At the checkout, Lin Qianfan felt a pang of pain as he swiped his card, but his expression remained resolute.

Xia Ruo looked at the long receipt and couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you'll be able to use all of this?"

"I will," Lin Qianfan said, lifting the bags. "If milk tea is made well, students will naturally pay for it."

Back at school, Lin Qianfan took Xia Ruo straight to the storefront he had rented.

The shop was empty, save for a few tables and a rudimentary prep counter.

"Let’s leave the stuff here; we’ll try making a few cups this afternoon," Lin Qianfan said, setting down the bags and starting to lay out everything he had bought.

"We're making it now?" Xia Ruo asked, looking at the ingredients with hesitation.

"Yep," Lin Qianfan was already tearing open the packaging. "We have to test it sooner or later; let's get a rough idea today."

Xia Ruo stood to the side, watching him bustle about. "But... I really don't know how to make it."

Lin Qianfan looked up at her. "It’s okay, I’ll teach you."

Xia Ruo was surprised. "You'll teach me? Do you actually know how?"