Chapter 363: Chapter 287: The Gathering of the Three Women Chapter 363: Chapter 287: The Gathering of the Three Women Inside Youu Tea, Chen Jieyu was blissfully unaware, merely tasting the Mango Pomelo Sago in her hand.

As the person physically closest to Cheng Zhu, she had no idea that two school beauties from Technology University were on their way.

At this moment, she inserted the straw into her cup, about to take a sip, when she suddenly remembered that she needed to take a photo first.

The people around her simply thought that Mr. Chen was about to help Cheng Zhu promote his business on social media.

In reality, that was only part of the reason.

The other aspect was because Cheng Zhu had personally made the milk tea, so she wanted to take a picture to cherish the memory.

Liu Feng and others watching could only feel that the counselor was indeed treating Brother Zhu in a special way.

Helplessly, Chen Jieyu’s demeanor was too serious, causing her–although much more beautiful than the other female classmates and also in her twenties–to still emit an air of distance to the average student.

Moreover, Chen Jieyu’s social media profile was always so meticulously crafted; she always appeared so refined, which only increased the sense of distance from everyone else.

Nobody imagined they would see Mr. Chen one day taking photos with a cup of milk tea with such fervor.

She sought various angles to shoot from, taking four or five pictures before feeling dissatisfied and starting over to find new angles.

This kind of scene, they felt, was something you’d see with the younger girls like Chen Tingting, not a mature city woman like Chen Jieyu.

“It seems she’s really putting her heart into supporting Brother Zhu!” the three godsons thought.

Once the counselor finally snapped a satisfying photo, everyone started to look forward to her opinion on the Mango Pomelo Sago.

Especially Zhao Xiaoqian, the slightly plump woman who could hardly wait. If you don’t drink it soon, I’m going to snatch it away and drink it myself!

Helpless, because Youu Tea was just so much better than the milk tea they usually drank.

Whether it was the cup, the straw, or even the aesthetic appeal of the drink inside, they were crushingly superior to any street-side milk tea!

Look at the real fruit layers, then at this color scheme–it’s all about the details!

In Youu Tea, some special products even came with their own custom cups and straws.

To this end, Cheng Zhu had always placed great importance.

Just think back to the milk teas you used to drink compared to the appearance of today’s mainstream high-end milk tea–the gap is immense.

In fact, later on, even those budget milk teas underwent a unified aesthetic upgrade, including renovations to their shops too.

Among them, a representative budget brand would be Ancient Tea.

In Cheng Zhu’s view, the gap between high-end trending milk teas and the current 2.0 era of regular milk teas was like the difference between a Michelin-star restaurant and a roadside stall.

Roadside stalls only need to taste good; no one cares about the presentation.

But for a Michelin-starred restaurant, that wouldn’t be appropriate–it would seem lacking in class.

Just like Zhao Xiaoqian right now; she had originally wanted Cheese Mixed Berries, but after seeing Chen Jieyu’s Mango Pomelo Sago, she also suddenly wanted to try it, feeling that it must be tasty.

Chen Jieyu first sipped a small amount through the straw.

Cheng Zhu was still by her side, saying, “You won’t get any of the fruit that way.”

He even provided a tip.

Chen Jieyu then indeed took a much larger sip.

For a moment, the pulp of mango, the pulp of grapefruit, and the texture of the sago pearls all enriched her taste buds.

Sweet, yet not overwhelmingly so.

She could clearly taste a difference from the typical milk teas found outside the school.

It was just a cup of milk tea, so she couldn’t say it tasted luxurious.

But the texture and layers were unquestionably different!

And it was more enjoyable to drink.

Many milk teas taste good at first sip but become cloying after a few more, becoming hard to finish.

As people grow older, they seem to no longer enjoy overly sweet and cloying things the way they did as children.

“Is it tasty, is it?” Zhao Xiaoqian continuously asked.

“It’s tasty,” confirmed Chen Jieyu.

She looked towards Cheng Zhu, saying, “I came here with great expectations all the way, but it’s even better than I imagined.”

Cheng Zhu watched her and said something that would sound incredibly conceited to others, but held a different meaning between them:
“Of course, you should see who made it for you.”

Leaving Zhao Xiaoqian beside them unable to help but lament, “Ah! When will my Cheese Mixed Berries be ready!”

…
…
Meanwhile, Shen Qingning was driving that Land Rover Range Rover Executive Edition, with Lin Lu as her passenger.

The seat belt stretched across Milk Deer’s body, making for a rather spectacular sight.

They had both already tasted milk teas personally made by Cheng Zhu, but since today was the new store’s grand opening, they felt inclined to show their support.

Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Minglang probably would come during the evening.

Little President Jiang was occupied with work during the day, while Shen Minglang planned to bring a girl along in the evening.

All along the way, Lin Lu’s mouth didn’t stop chattering.

“I wonder if the business is going well in the shop.”

“This person didn’t even inform us in the chat group.”

“Qingning, did you see the post he made in the forum?” she turned her head to ask.

“I saw it; someone sent it to me,” Shen Qingning said while driving.

“Did you see the replies underneath?” Lin Lu continued to inquire.

“I saw those too.”

“These people with no vision actually think the business won’t be good. If the store is opening in Star City, it has to be different from those street-side milk tea places,” Lin Lu said, dissatisfied with the responses.

Shen Qingning commented on the matter at hand, “The truth is, not many people do what he’s doing, and most have failed.”

“There are often self-created coffee shops, afternoon tea, and those shaved ice or dessert places in malls.”

“But very few of them really catch on.”

Lin Lu wasn’t concerned at all, not bothering to follow Shen Qingning’s line of thought, simply retorting, “That’s others!”

She didn’t care about how well others did, nor did she want to reflect on the challenges involved.

She just believed Cheng Zhu would definitely succeed!

After all, his shop had my lucky scratch cards; I’ve practically lent him all my luck for this life!

Moreover, fortune-tellers have said that I am very auspicious… auspicious for friends!

Shen Qingning gave her a helpless glance, not continuing the topic, but added, “However, I do have faith in Cheng Zhu’s shop.”

She could sense Cheng Zhu’s Youu Tea had a more mature approach.

It felt less like his first venture into the field and more like he was making a disruptive move.

Shen Qingning wasn’t a Reborn, but with her business acumen, she believed there was definitely a market for high-end milk tea.

And running this kind of store did have one clever aspect–the competition with those budget milk teas would initially be less.

You have your promotions, you wage price wars, you cluster together and cannibalize each other–what’s that to me?

I’m going to charge around 30 per cup and not be in the same price range as you. I’ll open in a high-end shopping area, far away from you all.

Shen Qingning being aware of these aspects showed she had sound business logic and talent.

Unlike Shen Minglang, who, every time he started a business, didn’t know to position his product or identify the void in the market he aimed to fill.

He’d just get an idea, think it was freaking amazing, and immediately start throwing money at it.

And truth be told, he did have strong execution skills.

Problem is, execution is a great thing if applied in the right direction. But if mishandled, it’s just a super-efficient way to lose money!

Lin Lu, sitting in the passenger seat, had her phone out, looking at the Youu Tea price list Cheng Zhu had posted in the forum.

“Hmm–I want to try something I haven’t had before, but I just can’t decide what to get; I sort of want to try everything!” she lamented, clutching her phone.

“The Herbal Jelly Grand Slam sounds tempting, but I still haven’t had my fill of the Black Sugar Boba Milk Tea.”

“Mango Pomelo Sago seems good as well!”

“Ah! If only drinking milk tea didn’t make you gain weight, I’d guzzle it down, three cups in one go!”

Hearing this, Shen Qingning couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “You think your little tummy can handle three cups of milk tea?”

“I should be able to, right?” Lin Lu guessed, patting her stomach.

At that, she looked at Shen Qingning and said, “Qingning, surely you’re going to get Cheese Mixed Berries, right?”

“Let me check–yep, it’s still a flagship product! One of the winter promotions!” she glanced at the price list.

Shen Qingning, reminded of a certain night, suddenly felt a tingling sensation on her delicate, pale neck.

“I want to try something different,” she said while driving.

“What? You, a strawberry fan, not having strawberries?” Lin Lu was shocked and puzzled.

Unbeknownst to her, Shen Qingning had already experienced Cheng Zhu’s special version of Cheese Mixed Berries made with the finest ingredients.

And considering everything that happened that night…

She felt she would never taste a better Cheese Mixed Berries again in her life.

Shen Qingning didn’t plan to order this milk tea again anytime soon.

Because she feared it would mar her memory of that special version.

“I’m thinking of trying the Mango Pomelo Sago.” She stated.

“Mango Pomelo Sago is what I really want to try too, but since you’re ordering it, I’ll pick something else, hehe!” Lin Lu giggled.

Being best friends, I’ll have a few sips of hers, and she’ll have a few sips of mine–totally normal.

That’s the friendship between us girls.

If Cheng Zhu, that darn man, heard this, he’d probably think:
Being best friends, I’ll kiss her a few times, and then you a few–also totally normal.

That’s me elevating your girls’ friendship!

The car was nearing Star City.

“I’ll let you know beforehand, I want half-sugar for my Mango Pomelo Sago,” Shen Qingning warned her sweet-tooth friend.

Lin Lu would definitely go for full-sugar.

“Ah? Half-sugar…” Lin Lu fell into a struggle before resigningly saying, “Then I’ll just order my own cup.”

In truth, for two little rich ladies, ordering every kind and just tasting them wouldn’t put a dent in their wallets.

But since this was Cheng Zhu’s shop, such extravagance would be disrespectful to the products, so if they ordered them, they were certain to finish them.

The car parked in the VIP area of Star City, and Shen Qingning and Lin Lu took the elevator up together.

When the two women appeared outside Youu Tea, many in the long queue couldn’t help but cast their glances their way.

Shen Qingning and Lin Lu, though different in style, were top beauties in their respective fields.

Together, they certainly turned too many heads.

Cheng Zhu glanced outside and quickly spotted them.

Then, he couldn’t help but frown and inwardly cursed, “Damn!”

As a grandmaster-level character, Cheng Zhu undoubtedly possessed numerous extraordinary talents.

Some things can indeed be taught, while others undoubtedly require innate skill.

For instance, the minor ability to be detail-oriented!

His keenness for detail and memory for certain specifics were otherworldly.

Like at this moment, he immediately noticed the shoes worn by Shen Qingning and Lin Lu.

–Hiss! They were actually wearing the same white sneakers as Chen Jieyu!

…

(PS: First update, this month we’ve already taken the daily champion for monthly tickets twice! Continuing to ask for monthly tickets!)