Chapter 64: Hot Beverage Stronghold

"Double the ingredient stock directly for the afternoon shift," Lin Qianfan instructed while mixing drinks, "And prepare a bit more of both the pearl milk tea and the Oreo milk tea."

The store clerk nodded quickly and turned to notify the kitchen staff.

Meanwhile, some female customers, after drinking their milk tea, immediately posted updates on their WeChat Moments or official accounts, tagging them with "Hand-Warming Milk Tea."

"The hand-warming milk tea my boyfriend bought me is so sweet!" One girl's post featured a photo of her holding the milk tea, with the store's signboard in the background.

Seeing posts like this, quite a few male students could no longer sit still.

"My girlfriend wants this kind of milk tea too; I can't let her lose to anyone!"

"Place the order quickly and have it delivered right away!"

In an instant, order volumes on both the milk tea shop's delivery channels and third-party platforms surged once again, making it the top consumer choice for local students and office workers.

That night, Lin Qianfan was sitting in the dorm sorting through data when Yongpan waddled over.

"Brother Fan, this new product launch has made us a fortune!" He pointed excitedly at the computer screen, "Today's revenue directly shattered our historical record!"

"The colder the weather gets, the higher the sales of hot drinks will be," Lin Qianfan said calmly, looking at the report.

Yongpan leaned back in his chair, staring thoughtfully at the screen.

"Brother Fan, Gu Haotian's shop hasn't made any moves lately. Do you think he's plotting some nasty trick?"

"Him? What kind of trick could he possibly have?" Lin Qianfan closed his laptop.

"His usual routine at best is just imitation. No matter how close the imitation is, a cold drink is still a cold drink. Who wants to drink ice smoothies in the winter?"

Yongpan nodded in agreement.

"True, his shop only has a few cold drinks and doesn't even have a hot drink menu. I guess his business is about to freeze over completely these few days."

"Never mind him, just focus on our own work."

Over at Gu Haotian's milk tea shop, business remained desolate today.

Inside the empty shop, only a few employees stood behind the counter, desolately wiping down a countertop they had already cleaned three times over.

Outside the door, the wind rattled the glass door intensely. Gu Haotian sat on the sofa in the corner, staring at his phone screen and tapping his fingers incessantly.

The screen was filled with photos and comments about Xiafan Milk Tea.

Every single post was grating on his nerves.

"This bastard Lin Qianfan, why should he be the one to succeed like this?"

He slammed his phone down onto the table and turned to look at Xiao Liu beside him.

"Xiao Liu, did you buy all the hot drinks from his shop?"

Xiao Liu nodded and placed several cups of newly acquired milk tea on the table.

"Boss, I bought them all: the osmanthus milk tea, the goji berry and red date milk tea, and the Oreo milk tea. They are all their bestselling hot drinks."

Gu Haotian reached out, picked up the osmanthus milk tea, took a sip, and frowned.

"Isn't this just ordinary milk tea? What's so special about adding a bit of osmanthus syrup?"

He tried the goji berry and red date milk tea next, smacked his lips, and set the cup down.

"Healthy, I suppose, but the taste isn't exactly stunning."

Xiao Liu hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"Boss, should we start selling hot drinks too? The weather has gotten cold recently, and having only cold drinks in the shop really doesn't make sense."

"Nonsense, you think I can't see that?" Gu Haotian sneered, "Still, whatever he can do, I can do."

After a brief pause, he looked at Xiao Liu.

"Go, find those milk tea technicians, tell them to study these cups, and have hot drinks ready for me by tomorrow."

Xiao Liu nodded and scurried out hurriedly.

The next day, a new promotional sign was hung up at the entrance of Gu Haotian's milk tea shop.

[New Hot Drinks Launched, Buy One Get One Free!]

The staff stood at the entrance handing out flyers, but foot traffic remained sparse.

"Boss, the hot drinks are launched, but still nobody is coming," Xiao Liu said quietly, standing off to the side.

Gu Haotian frowned as he looked at the hot drinks inside the counter.

He picked up a cup to try it himself, and his expression instantly turned rather ugly.

"Why does this taste so strange?" Xiao Liu hesitated.

"Boss, it might be an issue with the ingredients. We couldn't find good osmanthus syrup, so we just used the generic version."

"The goji berry and red date milk tea is the same; the red dates weren't fresh enough, so the brewed flavor tastes a bit astringent."

Gu Haotian slammed his hand on the table. "Useless idiots! Can't even make a simple cup of milk tea!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew, and his gaze drifted back toward the direction of Lin Qianfan's milk tea shop.

"Lin Qianfan, don't celebrate too early. I will definitely make you lose miserably!"

Meanwhile, Lin Qianfan's milk tea shop was still packed to capacity.

Standing inside the shop and watching the constantly refreshing order counts, he turned to the clerk and said, "Double the stock preparation volume again, especially for the raw materials of hot drinks. We absolutely cannot run out."

The clerk nodded repeatedly and immediately went to make arrangements.

At the same time, Lin Qianfan's new apartment had finally finished renovations.

The formaldehyde had long since dissipated, and the heating system had been fully tested and adjusted.

Taking advantage of the weekend, Lin Qianfan made a special trip back to their rented apartment.

"Grandpa, Grandma, let's move."

Grandma was boiling water in the kitchen. Hearing this, she froze for a moment. "Move? Move where?"

Lin Qianfan handed over the keys in his hand.

"A new apartment I bought. The heating is already turned on, and we'll move over today."

Grandma took the keys, examined them repeatedly, and muttered under her breath.

"A new apartment... it really is a new apartment!"

Grandpa stood up from the sofa, remained silent for a moment, and asked, "Buying a house must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Lin Qianfan smiled. "It's enough, don't worry."

Grandpa didn't ask any further, just nodded. "Alright, then let's move."

The new apartment was not far from the school; the neighborhood environment was quiet, and right downstairs were a supermarket and a vegetable market.

As soon as Lin Qianfan stepped through the door, he opened the windows to let in some fresh air.

"This is our new home. Take a look—are you satisfied?"

Grandma walked into the living room, touched the brand-new sofa, and looked at the bright windows, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise.

"This place is really nice. Living here is bound to be comfortable."

Grandpa stood on the balcony, his gaze lingering on the tall buildings in the distance with a complicated expression.

Lin Qianfan glanced at him without saying anything.

That evening, Lin Qianfan simply prepared a few dishes, and the family sat around the dining table for dinner.

Grandma took a sip of the soup and sighed, "Qianfan, these past two years haven't been easy for you at all."

Lin Qianfan smiled and placed a piece of meat into Grandma's bowl.

"As long as you and Grandpa are living well, I can rest easy."

Grandpa kept his head down, eating his meal without responding.

Yet from the glances he occasionally lifted, a trace of deep emotion could faintly be discerned.

"How did you manage to buy this apartment?" Grandpa suddenly asked.

Lin Qianfan didn't look up; he picked up a mouthful of greens and put it in his bowl.

"Bought it with the money I earned."

The room instantly grew quiet, save for the gentle sound of Grandma stirring her soup spoon.

Grandpa didn't press further, but the motion of setting down his chopsticks slowed down as if he were pondering something.

"Qianfan, our family has always been poor in the past, even tuition fees had to be counted down to the last penny."

He paused, as if trying to suppress the doubt in his heart, "As a student, being able to make this much money and buy a house... it couldn't have been easy, right?"

Lin Qianfan looked up, his expression calm. "Indeed, it wasn't easy."

He said it lightly, without the slightest hint of boasting.

"But every single penny I have was earned step by step through my own efforts."

Hearing this, Grandma quickly chimed in.