10: Chapter 10: Let's see who can spray the furthest in the toilet!

At eight o'clock on the morning of the grand opening, You Ge arrived at the shop riding his battered tricycle.

On the vehicle were the framed posters, roll-up banners, whiteboards, and stands that Yang Shiguang had customized at an advertising shop yesterday, along with Yang Shiguang and An Miaomiao, who were chatting and laughing.

A huge sign hung on the glass door.

The aquamarine background was decorated with wave patterns, with three large white characters in the center: "Shuicifang."

Seeing the three of them arrive, You Li, who had been busy with preparations since early morning, and the two waitresses who had quit the cotton mill to join came out to welcome them.

You Li and the others had already reported to the shop yesterday and were already in the zone today.

Yang Shiguang clapped his hands to organize everyone to start working.

"Less than three hours left, let's get to work!"

"Alright, Young Master Yang."

Originally, You Li and the other two wanted to call him President Yang yesterday, but Yang Shiguang felt it wasn't the right time yet, thinking it too flashy, so he told them to keep calling him Xiao Yang.

"Calling you Xiao Yang at home is fine, but outside, we are employees and you are the boss, so that naturally won't do."

You Li refused first, and the other two naturally followed suit. With no other choice, Yang Shiguang was forced to accept the title of Young Master Yang.

An hour later, the roll-up banners displaying the dishes had been set up at the entrance of Shuicifang, the red carpet had been laid out, and all the posters had been hung inside the shop.

The posters featured promotional slogans for various dishes, which were naturally invented by Yang Shiguang.

Nine-Child Spicy Crab: "Eat Nine-Child crab, dominate the world like a king."

Steamed Scallops with Garlic Vermicelli: "You are the scallop, I am the vermicelli; you understand my smoothness, I understand your roundness."

Spicy Stir-fried Razor Clam King: "You don't understand the Razor Clam King that can spray water."

Foil-Baked Turbot: "I am ugly, but my taste is immortal; being handsome doesn't mean you can find a girlfriend."

...

The first to arrive were An Miaomiao's father, An Tian, and her mother, Liu Qing. Because the restaurant was opening for business at noon, they came early and would be leaving shortly.

Seeing them arrive, Yang Shiguang and You Ge put down what they were doing and went up to greet them.

"Uncle, Auntie, welcome, welcome!"

"Xiao Yang, congratulations on your business!"

They were all very familiar with each other, so there was no excessive formality. They placed the flower baskets at the entrance and started looking around.

An Miaomiao, who was cutting vegetables in the kitchen, heard her parents' voices and trotted out, starting to show them around.

"These dishes were all invented by Shiguang Ge, and the customers rate them very highly!"

"These potted plants were all chosen by Shiguang Ge. Aren't they pretty? And that sunflower in my room was also a gift from him!"

Every sentence revolved around Yang Shiguang, her peach-blossom eyes shining with adoration.

As the people who understood their daughter best, An Tian and Liu Qing had long known that their daughter had already given her heart to someone.

However, they wouldn't oppose it. Not to mention that Yang Shiguang was their daughter's lifesaver, the fact that he could own a shop bigger than theirs at such a young age meant he was definitely no simple person.

But they also knew that their daughter's unrequited love was very painful. They saw it in their eyes and felt anxious in their hearts, but there was nothing they could do about such matters.

...

After 11 o'clock, once An Miaomiao's parents had left, Yang Shiguang's classmates arrived one after another.

"Whoa, such a big shop, you've done well, Young Master Yang."

"Shiguang Ge, congratulations on your business! The money tree I brought is definitely the biggest one!"

"It's big, alright, but why does this tree look so much like the one in the school garden?"

"Big is enough, haha."

"This shrimp claw looks quite formidable. Come on, you two, have a fight!"

"Ah, f***, this b**** crab pinched me!"

"Oh my, this razor clam really can spray water. Come on, follow me to the restroom and let's see who can spray further!"

"Turbot, fly!"

"Hey, hey, look quick, isn't that the class beauty from Class 4, An Miaomiao?"

"Stop looking, you can't handle her, in every aspect."

The group of boys who came to congratulate him began to amuse themselves.

"Sigh, so childish."

"Yeah, yeah, we're all adults, yet we're still like children."

"Don't know when we'll ever grow up."

Unlike the rowdy boys, the girls were significantly more reserved.

Science proves that boys really do mature later than girls, especially at the age of 18, where the difference is quite obvious.

What's more, when multiple boys gather together, something called a "clown aura" or "intelligence-lowering aura" tends to manifest.

"Brother Shi! Best of luck with the opening, congratulations on your business!"

The person hadn't arrived yet, but his voice came first.

A Long walked in with four henchmen.

A Long held a large lucky cat, while his four henchmen each held a jade cabbage, a gold ingot, a wooden Pixiu, and a money tree.

The girls were a little scared to see this group of tattooed underworld figures, while the boys looked at Yang Shiguang with full admiration—to think he actually knew such a big boss.

Yang Shiguang went up to meet them, cupping his hands in a greeting.

"Thanks, thanks, A Long, you've spent too much!"

After saying this, he led the five of them inside.

"Uh, A Long, actually, my surname is Yang."

A Long looked surprised.

"Is that so? You should have told me earlier, Brother Shi."

"Umm, my surname is Yang."

"Right, surname Yang, Brother Shi."

"My surname is Yang, not Shi!"

"Yeah, I know, Brother Shi."

"My surname is Shi... sigh, forget it, thanks again, A Long."

A Long and his five men sat down at a table and waved their hands.

"Don't be polite, Brother Shi, don't worry about us, Brother Shi, go get busy, Brother Shi!"

You f***ing...

...

"Miaomiao, is that Yang Shiguang?"

A girl stood beside An Miaomiao, pointing at Yang Shiguang, who was chatting with a group of classmates, and asked.

The girl was slightly chubby, 164cm tall, a bit taller than An Miaomiao. She was An Miaomiao's classmate and best friend, Zhou Fang.

"He really is quite handsome, and to be able to open such a big shop, he's a bit of a hidden gem, huh."

The girl continued. Although she hadn't seen much of Yang Shiguang, she had heard An Miaomiao mention him often, and she wasn't the only one who had said he was handsome.

"Mm-hmm!"

An Miaomiao answered with a smile, her eyelashes curved and her peach-blossom eyes blinking slightly. Hearing her best friend praise her Shiguang Ge, she couldn't suppress her happiness.

"You like him!"

Struck right at the bullseye, An Miaomiao's pretty face instantly flushed crimson, and she lowered her head, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands.

"No... no, we are... childhood friends, he... he is just my brother."

Zhou Fang bent down, tilted her head, and deliberately looked at the blushing, head-lowered An Miaomiao.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, our usually open and confident Miaomiao actually has moments of shyness. Your face is all red, and you still say you don't like him!"

"Brother? I think you mean 'lover brother,' hahahaha!"

"You're annoying! I'm not playing with you anymore, hmph!"

An Miaomiao knew she had been exposed by her best friend and stopped arguing. She gave her a light punch, pouted, and turned her head to the other side.

Zhou Fang didn't continue to tease her and looked back at Yang Shiguang.

"Does he know you like him? Our Miaomiao is the class beauty, after all. You're so cute and pretty; if you just showed a little interest, wouldn't you have him in the bag?"

"He... doesn't know. We are too familiar with each other, he... he treats me like a little sister. And..."

An Miaomiao paused, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing slightly. The crimson flush on her cheeks faded, replaced by a touch of paleness on her delicate skin.

"He... has been chasing Zhang Zishan. For three years."

After saying this, An Miaomiao felt her eyes ache. Her heart gave a sharp throb, hurting as if it had been grabbed, yet suddenly it felt like a big hole had been dug out, leaving it feeling empty.

Zhou Fang looked at her best friend, who was staring at her Shiguang Ge, her eyes filled with a mix of happiness, sadness, love, and reluctance. She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

An Miaomiao seemed to sense Zhou Fang's hesitation, turned her head, and smiled at her:

"It's okay, Fangfang, I'm used to it."

"I've told you before, he saved my life."

"Ever since then, I have already... It's been 8 years."

"He is very gentle, I... I don't want him to know, I don't want to put him in a difficult position. He treats me as a little sister, and I will always treat him as a brother, always... always."

"I can hold it in... yeah, I can do it."

"Sigh..."

Looking at her best friend pretending to be strong, her cute face and charming smile revealing bitterness everywhere, she could only let out a long sigh and gently hugged her.