Milk tea isn’t exactly a rare commodity; at least nowadays as you walk down the street, you will essentially find a milk tea shop every so often. And there are all sorts of brands, with franchises being incredibly nurous, though most who go into franchising for milk tea ultimately get a taste of what could only be described as cruelty.
Chen Ze rembered a female college classmate of his whose dream was to open a small shop and revel in the sensation of being her own boss without worrying about being late or other issues.
Over a year after graduation, it was during a random chat with her that Chen Ze learned the girl had franchised a milk tea shop and now felt like she could barely hang on, possibly facing a substantial loss, a truly tragic situation.
The carefree life she had imagined was nowhere to be found. To franchise a milk tea shop, one must first pay up, and it is only upon reviewing the contract that one realizes taking on a milk tea franchise is like falling into a trap, and a very deep one at that.
These milk tea shops, not officially registered on franchise websites, already spend a hefty sum on lawyers to craft contracts that, once signed, make it nearly impossible to back out of the franchise fee without a loophole to be found.
The girl, having franchised a milk tea shop, was also duped into performing designated renovations by the headquarters, costing her a good amount of undue expense. Later, she realized that the sa milk tea ingredients were available for just a few dollars on certain platforms, but because she was bound by a contract, she could only source from designated suppliers, preventing her from lowering the costs.
Later, Chen Ze heard that the girl was vigorously persuading others to franchise in order to recover her own fee, as her contract stipulated that if she recomnded a certain number of people to franchise, her own fee could be refunded.
However, all this had little to do with Chen Ze. Although the girl had discussed the matter of franchising with him later, Chen Ze declined tactfully, thinking he would rather remain a corporate drone than add to his family’s burdens.
"But the taste of this milk tea is actually quite good," Chen Ze stretched languidly, and then placed the cup of milk tea on the plate.
Just a cup of milk tea was trivial for Chen Ze; he didn’t even bother using the common powdered mixes available on the market and instead made a cup of pearl milk tea by hand, naturally in its original flavor, before having Betty serve it.
"Thank you..." the girl nodded in gratitude toward Betty, then picked up the straw and took a slow sip.
With its soft texture, rich flavor, and pronounced sweetness without being cloying, this milk tea was leagues above what was available comrcially and left the girl extrely satisfied. Since passing on, she hadn’t had the chance to enjoy milk tea.
Betty stood to one side, silently observing the custor before her. The client herself wasn’t particularly remarkable—what kind of ghost hadn’t Betty seen before? And this girl could only be described as delicate, far from outright beautiful.
However, Betty noticed sothing peculiar: the girl looked very attractive when she smiled while drinking her milk tea, her eyes forming crescent moons, exuding a warm aura. But soon, the girl lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and Betty saw tears falling onto the table.
"What’s going on?" Betty was a bit stunned. The milk tea slled wonderful when she had carried it out, so it couldn’t be one of the manager’s culinary disasters. Moreover, the manager had principles; he rarely tested dishes on custors, as that would cross a chef’s line.
Why, then, was the girl crying?
"Um, custor, are you okay?" asked Betty, concerned.
"No... No, I’m fine, I’m sorry. It’s my own issue," the girl replied, raising her head and working to wipe the tears from her face.
It was odd; the girl had clearly cried but her eyes weren’t red.
"Well, you can tell if there’s sothing bothering you," Betty nodded and stepped back, wondering whether to inform the manager.
"It’s nothing," the girl shook her head, then continued to sip her milk tea in small mouthfuls.
Betty didn’t speak, and then she suddenly saw sothing faintly visible appearing around the girl.
"What is this?" Betty rubbed her eyes and took another careful look. Indeed, there were so black things, like gas, swirling continuously around the girl, and as these gases appeared, the girl’s body also began to tremble incessantly.
"Manager!" Betty ran into the kitchen. The situation in front of her was beyond her control, and she could only ask the manager for help.
"What’s wrong?" Chen Ze looked at Betty curiously. When Betty ca in, Chen Ze had been studying dicinal cuisine.
dicinal cuisine was sothing Chen Ze had not encountered before, so now he was learning from scratch. Chen Ze planned to read more books, preparing for the developnt of other dicinal dishes in the future.
"It’s that custor, her situation doesn’t seem right." Betty pointed at the restaurant and described what she had just seen.
"Hmm, let take a look." Chen Ze walked out, then he was surprised to find himself suddenly on a rooftop.
Chen Ze looked around. It was clearly a rooftop, but the environnt was strange, with only the rooftop and the crowd below watching the spectacle like ants. Other buildings and traffic were indistinct.
"What is this?" Betty also walked out, her face filled with shock.
"An illusion." Chen Ze sensed the Magic Circle. The Magic Circle showed that the two of them were actually at the kitchen door. If Chen Ze wanted, he could easily break through this illusion, but Chen Ze didn’t move. He decided to see what kind of illusion it was.
The illusion before their eyes sped up, as the girl sat on the rooftop, with a bustling crowd below, and countless voices were shouting.
"Jump already, are you going to jump or not!"
"Don’t waste my ti, I’m still waiting to have dinner!"
"If you have the guts, then jump down!"
Like the haunting voices of Hell, they sent shivers down one’s spine.
Chen Ze watched a firefighter, grabbing the girl’s hand, but the girl lifted her head, her face streaked with tears.
"Brother, thank you, I’m going now."
That was the girl’s last voice, and then she broke free from the firefighter’s hand and fell, dropping among those mocking devils.
All that was left was the firefighter’s heartbroken cries, and then the entire illusion completely shattered. Chen Ze and Betty reappeared in the restaurant, and Chen Ze saw the girl, crying inconsolably. Around her, black gas kept swirling, all consisting of various words. Chen Ze saw all kinds of statents, all uttered by the spectating, rciless devils.
Chen Ze remained silent.
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