"Who is the little beauty who has such a thoughtless friend?"
After a moment of stunned silence, Ding Yibai, though helpless with Song Daiyao's tactic, continued the conversation.
"Then I have many little beauties around me!"
"All of them!"
As she spoke, Song Daiyao reached out and took one person by each arm.
"Just look at these two by my side now, aren't they?"
"Look! Our Yanyan, delicate and cute, isn't she?"
Saying this, Song Daiyao provocatively glanced at Ding Yibai, waiting to see his reaction.
Ding Yibai, across the table, turned his head to the person beside him who was looking down. A small section of her fair, tender neck was exposed, catching the light, and appearing somewhat alluring.
After staring for a while, he withdrew his gaze, feeling a touch uncomfortable.
Then, looking at Song Daiyao, he nodded, "Mm, indeed she is~"
With those words, although Shen Yan's expression remained unchanged, her slightly flushed ears betrayed her.
It was the first time she had heard him praise her like this, and although it was elicited, it still made her unable to help but feel happy.
"Hehe~"
"How is it, Brother Yibai!"
Song Daiyao, raising her eyebrows and winking, became much more comical.
This also indirectly eased the atmosphere considerably.
Ding Yibai listened, unsure whether to take it seriously or not. After he averted his gaze, he continued to chat with Song Daiyao.
"You're so enthusiastic, aren't you afraid I'm not a good one and will harm your little beauty?"
Leaning back on the sofa, Ding Yibai's smile held a hint of malice.
"......"
Song Daiyao pouted, "Brother Yibai, no matter how well you act, you can't erase that timid look you had towards Teacher Ding just now."
"......"
"Besides, we not only know you, but we also know Teacher Ding and Grandma Ge, so we're not afraid of you!"
"......"
Truly!
It was one thing to not have a spotless reputation, but to be so exposed after such a short time, and unable to show his face anymore...
Ding Yibai truly had no comeback for what Song Daiyao said.
He was speechless...
"Then, since you've said so..."
"Daiyao!"
"Brother Yibai, don't listen to this girl talking nonsense!"
Phew~
After talking for so long, Shen Yan finally mustered the courage and interjected, interrupting the content the two were about to discuss.
Song Daiyao listened and waved her hand, "Alright, my little beauty is unhappy now."
Ding Yibai shot her a glare, "That's all your own doing."
"Hehe~"
Liang Yunfei watched the entire exchange, only occasionally saying a word or two, mostly listening to Song Daiyao's playful banter.
However, it had to be said that after Song Daiyao's intervention, the group became much more at ease.
The awkwardness of being in someone else's home suddenly dissipated.
"Oh~"
"It seems you were having a lively chat while I was away~"
Qiu Xi and Teacher Ding, having just finished their conversation, walked over.
They were separated by a small glass door, only about three to five meters away, so she could still hear some sounds.
"Xiao Xi~"
"Are you done with your business? Come over and chat for a while."
"Mm, but it's almost time for us to leave."
The three nodded, "Mm, we know."
They had an appointment with Liao Xinming to go to the milk tea shop for an assessment that afternoon.
The three new hires had settled in quite well, and Liao Xinming had asked them to check on them, and if everything was fine, their probation could be over.
Since they had nothing else to do soon, they readily agreed.
After chatting for a while longer, the four said goodbye to Teacher Ding, left the teacher's apartment, and drove to the milk tea shop.
......
The Milk Tea Shop.
"Manager, I think the bosses are here."
Liao Xinming, who was organizing the accounts, looked up, "Sister Xi and the others?"
The shop assistant nodded, "Mm."
"Alright, I'll go out right away."
Liao Xinming quickly put his things into the drawer and locked it before heading out.
After the incident last time, he had educated all the new hires and existing employees about the shop's operations, especially making sure everyone recognized their true superiors.
Indeed, as soon as he stepped out, Liao Xinming saw the group who were just about to enter and immediately reached out to open the shop door.
"Sister Xi, you're here."
"Mm."
"Come and try the new flavors at the shop."
"Please come in and sit for a while first, I'll go call someone."
Saying this, Liao Xinming led them to a table inside.
He also asked someone outside to make drinks and bring them in, and then went to the back kitchen to brief the three employees to prepare the pastries and come over together.
Upon returning, Liao Xinming saw that there was still plenty of time and took out the prepared documents.
"Sister Xi, these are the profiles of the three. You can look through them first."
"Okay."
Qiu Xi took them and scanned through them before passing them to Song Daiyao and the others.
The information was quite detailed, at least containing what they wanted to know.
However, this was all on the surface, and they would need to assess the people and their skills later.
So, Qiu Xi chatted with Liao Xinming idly, inquiring about her milk tea shop.
"Brother Liao, how has the shop been doing lately?"
Liao Xinming nodded, "It's going quite well."
"Although the previous pastry incident had some impact, it didn't affect the milk tea."
"Thanks to the taste of the milk tea itself, our milk tea has always had a good reputation."
"It's just the pastries that haven't picked up yet."
The pastries from before were basically slow-moving and unsold. Although we made rectifications later, it only had a minor effect, and it still hasn't picked up.
Qiu Xi rubbed the rim of her drink cup and nodded, "Mm."
Without needing anyone to say it, Qiu Xi could roughly guess the general situation.
So, she wasn't in a hurry, and they would take it slowly.
Once the pastries were settled, they could gradually introduce some promotions to drive sales, which wasn't a major problem.
She also believed that with Liao Xinming's capabilities, accomplishing these tasks would only be a matter of time.
"Manager, we've finished making the pastries."
"Then bring them over."
"Okay."
Saying this, three people in chef's uniforms walked over.
Two women and one man, not very old, all appearing to be in their late twenties or early thirties.
"Alright, I won't introduce these individuals to you. You can just place the items here and then introduce them."
The three nodded, "Okay."
After speaking, the person in the lead stepped forward.
"Manager, Boss, I am He Lifang, and this is the chestnut cake I made."
After speaking, she took the chestnut cake from the plate on the table and placed it on the plates in front of the group.
Then, she made a gesture of invitation, asking them to try, "Please enjoy."
Qiu Xi put down the document she was holding, moved the plate, picked up a nearby fork and knife, cut a small piece, and put it into her mouth.
It was soft, glutinous, and had a slightly powdery texture, making it very appetizing.
And it wasn't overly sweet, giving it a unique flavor when paired with milk tea.
"Delicious!"
Song Daiyao exclaimed as soon as she finished eating.
Liang Yunfei and Shen Yan said nothing, but their narrowed eyes and the way they chewed already indicated their approval.
"Mm, the craftsmanship is indeed good."
Seeing Qiu Xi and the others nod, Liao Xinming understood and called for the next person.
"Alright, next one."
While the next person was introducing themselves, Qiu Xi and the others drank a lot of the plain water beside them.
"Manager, Boss, I am Mo Yu, please try this peach blossom pastry."
It was quite coincidental that the shop's original offerings leaned towards this.
So, the group was quite interested in this peach blossom pastry.
The presentation was very tempting, with the surface patterned to resemble peach blossoms, and the pinkish color made it even more so.
Initially, the taste was light, but it gradually became slightly fragrant and sweet, with a lingering aftertaste.
This is acceptable!
All five nodded in agreement.
"Last one."
"...I am Lin Zhiyuan, and this is the Tiramisu I made."
This was quite novel, as their milk tea shop had never offered anything like it before; they sold mostly biscuits and pastries.
If the skill level was sufficient, this could become a highlight for future promotions.
Qiu Xi and the others said nothing and began to taste it.
Indeed, there was a difference with these small, cake-like desserts.
It was sweet, but when paired with other refreshing drinks, it was also a good combination.
"Alright, the three of you can go now."
Seeing that Qiu Xi and the others had started to wipe their mouths, Liao Xinming gestured for them to leave first.