Opening his own store?
Su Pu froze.
Him? Really?
Li Jichuan, however, only grew more certain the more he thought about it.
“You’ve long been skilled enough to handle it on your own.”
“I’ll sponsor the startup costs, like a shareholder; the café can run entirely the way you like, every decision is yours!”
The promise—“every decision is yours”—was undeniably tempting to Su Pu.
He couldn’t help but wonder: what would a café entirely under his control look like?
His thoughts lingered on the imaginary café as he descended the stairs, finding Pei Zhicheng waiting in the shop.
“Here’s the USB. Plug it into your computer. The comic hasn’t been released yet; uploading to the cloud risks leaks, so this is the only way.”
A few days ago, Su Pu had resolved to finally face the comic Pei Zhicheng had drawn based on him.
He was now ready to confront the past he had long avoided.
Pei Zhicheng scratched his neck. “Art always involves some processing, so it’s not a perfect recreation. Some events are omitted, some are what I hoped might happen—depending on what I want readers to see.”
“But if there’s anything you particularly dislike, tell me; I can change it…”
Su Pu nodded, clutching the USB thoughtfully.
The next day, Su Pu met Pei Zhicheng again, this time at a different café.
Pei Zhicheng was buzzing with excitement, eager for feedback.
“How is it? Did I do okay? No OOC moments, right?”
Su Pu nodded.
He genuinely liked the version of himself depicted by his good friend.
Pei Zhicheng’s strokes were gentle and kind, sculpting even the smallest expressions, always delivering warmth and happy outcomes.
Seeing his own story drawn this way, Su Pu could, for the first time, step back from his subjective view and reassess his life and those around him.
It turned out that, whether it was his past self or his present self, Su Pu’s life had always been full of light, with countless things to be grateful for and celebrate.
As for artistic liberties… Su Pu thought it might be best to simply accept the life Pei Zhicheng had depicted for him, trusting that it reflected the essence of his own reality.
People—if you cannot accept yourself, at least let yourself be at peace.
Seeing that Su Pu liked it, Pei Zhicheng relaxed and rewarded himself with two small pieces of cake!
Coincidentally, Su Pu still had something to ask.
“Chengcheng, the café in the comic—was that your artistic interpretation too?”
Pei Zhicheng froze for a few seconds, mouth holding a dessert spoon.
“Oh, right. The café where you work now has several branches, and combining your and Li Jichuan’s experiences, it would be easy to piece together details. So I created a separate setting, placing the café outside the building so it wouldn’t cause any trouble for you.”
Su Pu nodded. “Then… do you want to make this café a reality?”
Pei Zhicheng furrowed his brow. “Hmm? Reality?”
Su Pu smiled mischievously and typed a few words: “Chengcheng, shall we open a café together?”
The café in the comic was entirely Pei Zhicheng’s design, its layout and decorations bearing his unique style, which Su Pu adored.
After finishing the comic, he almost imagined that his workplace café looked exactly like that.
“You handle all the visual design, I’ll manage and make the coffee. Let’s turn your comic into reality, okay?”
Pei Zhicheng felt dizzy and quietly finished both pieces of cake, telling Su Pu he needed to think about it at home and would give him an answer later.
Three days later, Pei Zhicheng arrived at the café, choosing a table by the window to wait for Su Pu to finish work.
After clocking out, Su Pu nervously removed his apron and sat across from him.
Before speaking, Pei Zhicheng pulled a bank card from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“This contains all my savings from these years. Later, when the comic starts serialization, there’ll be additional revenue…”
He took a deep breath, summoning courage. “Twenty thousand in total, Xiao Pu. Let’s open the café together!”
At the start of summer, Su Pu and Pei Zhicheng spent all their free time preparing for their little café.
When scouting locations, Pei Zhicheng wore a heavy helmet, startling several shop owners, who then hesitated to rent the space to them.
Su Pu didn’t say anything—this was Pei Zhicheng’s way of feeling safe, and he supported it.
Under these conditions, they found a decent storefront facing a commercial district—not too noisy or busy, yet not too remote.
Both were satisfied and happily signed the lease.
Ouyang began preparing for his junior-year internships, sending applications to several interested companies.
Raimondo responded the quickest with an offer, John’s signature sprawling like a dragon beside Anderson’s neat one.
Li Jichuan grew even busier, preparing for a business trip to the UK.
Su Pu lay on the bed, watching Li Jichuan pack each item, heart aching at having to part.
Li Jichuan smiled at him. “This trip will last over a week. Mainly to greet colleagues at the UK branch, convey future strategy, and meet some partners.”
Su Pu nodded in understanding. After all, his husband was excellent at what he did.
As Li Jichuan continued packing, Su Pu noticed something—he had even packed Su Pu’s clothes.
The little mute jumped off the bed to remind him.
Li Jichuan, looking certain, said, “Come with me, Xiao Pu…”
Su Pu: ?
He tugged Su Pu’s hand to his front and kissed him, earnestly whispering sweet words.
“Xiao Pu, I’m addicted to you. If I don’t kiss you even once a day, I’ll die…”