Siheyuan: Sending Shazhu into the call center, Yi Gu is useless

Ran Qiuye arrived as promised. She pushed open the door and walked into the store, still with that gentle smile on her face. "Rufeng, how is business today?" she asked casually, with concern in her tone.

"Very good, thanks to your advice, the dim sum has been selling very well recently." A hint of gratitude flashed in his eyes. He knew that his turnaround today was inseparable from her help.

Ran Qiuye nodded slightly, with a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. She walked to the shelf, picked up a pack of snacks, and looked at it carefully. "This packaging is really well designed, with the taste of old Beijing."

"If you like it, I'll give you a few packs to take back." Chen Rufeng said, his tone filled with flattery and expectation.

Ran Qiuye chuckled and shook her head, "No need, the business is so good, let's leave it to the customers." As she spoke, her eyes inadvertently fell on Chen Rufeng's face, as if she noticed the emotion in his heart.

Chen Rufeng realized that the hidden emotions in his heart seemed to have nowhere to hide. Such day-to-day waiting and expectation were not as satisfying as a clear confession. After thinking it over again and again, he decided to muster up the courage to speak out the words that had been buried in his heart.

"Qiuye, actually... I have always wanted to say something to you." Chen Rufeng tried to keep his voice calm, but his heart beat a few beats faster than usual. He looked directly at Ran Qiuye, trying to see a hint of response from her eyes.

Ran Qiuye was slightly stunned, obviously not expecting him to say that suddenly. Her eyes met his for a moment, then she looked away, the smile on her face gradually faded, becoming a little serious.

"What?" she asked in a low voice, with a hint of inquiry in her tone.

"I... I have a crush on you, and I really like the feeling of being with you." Chen Rufeng felt his throat dry. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing, but he knew he couldn't suppress it any longer. "I want to know if you have the same feeling towards me?"

As soon as the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a few seconds, and the silence around him made Chen Rufeng more nervous. Complex emotions surged in his heart, with both expectation and worry. For him, this moment seemed to be frozen in time. No matter what the result was, this would be an important turning point.

Ran Qiuye was silent for a moment, and finally raised her head, with a hint of apology and helplessness in her eyes. "Rufeng, I am very grateful for your affection for me. You are a very good person, really." Her voice was very soft, but every word was like a sharp knife, cutting Chen Rufeng's heart. "But, I can only treat you as a friend, between us... it is unlikely."

Chen Rufeng's heart suddenly sank, as if the whole world lost its color at that moment. He had been mentally prepared, but he didn't expect it to be so painful when he really heard these words. He tried to force a smile, but that smile was uglier than crying. "Why? Did I do something wrong, or am I not good enough?"

Ran Qiuye sighed and shook his head, "You didn't do anything wrong, and it's not that you're a bad person. It's just that I already have someone else in my heart. Although we don't have a clear relationship yet, I don't want to give you hope, nor do I want to hurt you. It felt like a heavy punch in the heart. He knew he shouldn't ask any more questions, but he couldn't help it, "What kind of person is he?"

Ran Qiuye hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not answer the question. She said softly, "Rufeng, you are a respectable person, and I cherish our friendship. I hope we can still get along like before, okay?"

At this moment, Chen Rufeng's mood went from disappointment to pain and then to numbness. He knew that he could not force anything, and he had no right to question her choice. To her, perhaps it was just a gentle rejection, but to him, it was an irreparable loss.

"Of course." Chen Rufeng finally squeezed out a sentence in a low voice, "We are still friends."

Ran Qiuye showed a grateful smile, "Thank you, Rufeng, I sincerely hope you can find someone who is right for you."

Chen Rufeng nodded reluctantly, but he felt extremely empty in his heart. Ran Qiuye stayed for a while, and when he saw that he didn't say anything else, he said goodbye warmly and left the store. The doorbell rang softly, and the figure disappeared into the night.

Chen Rufeng sat behind the counter, staring at the door, replaying the conversation in his mind. All his emotions turned into endless fatigue and powerlessness at this moment, and he felt more lonely than ever before. The lights in the store were still warm, but his heart was cold.

He knew that this relationship had ended before it even began. Although he was unwilling to accept it, he could no longer expect anything. He sat there, silently thinking about the past days, with a wave of pain in his heart. He didn't know how to face Ran Qiuye next, but he understood that the relationship between them was no longer simple.

As the night deepened, the lanterns in the alley gradually went out, and there was silence all around. Chen Rufeng slowly stood up, closed the door of the store, and turned back to the yard. He looked up at the sky, the moonlight was cold, reflecting the roof of the courtyard. He seemed to feel a sense of relief in his heart.

Although he was rejected, Chen Rufeng still felt a little fortunate that he did not choose to continue to immerse himself in that hopeless relationship and that he could face the reality calmly. He knew that life went on, and although some things had been lost, he still had his own store and the alley he was familiar with.

After being rejected by Ran Qiuye, Chen Rufeng was in a heavy mood. He tossed and turned all night, and Ran Qiuye's gentle but firm eyes kept appearing in his mind. The next morning, he opened the door of the store as usual to greet the new day, but the emptiness in his heart lingered. Even when facing familiar customers, he couldn't cheer up as usual, and the smile on his face seemed a little forced.

Jia Dongxu, an old resident of the alley, is an old friend of Chen Rufeng. The two grew up in the same alley and have a deep relationship. He is a generous and cheerful person who likes to joke and enjoy the fun. Jia Dongxu usually likes to hang out in the small teahouse at the entrance of the alley, bragging and chatting with a group of old friends, and living a free and easy life.

That afternoon, Chen Rufeng felt really bored and his mood was so heavy that he couldn't stay in the store any longer. He closed the store door and decided to go talk to Jia Dongxu, perhaps he could get some comfort from his old friend.

The sunlight in the alley shone through the shade of the trees onto the blue brick ground. Chen Rufeng walked on this familiar path, but his heart was extremely heavy. He knew Jia Dongxu's character.