Become a Knight Across the World

Chapter 316

Lin Yue snapped out of her thoughts and nodded to Jiang Feifei, "Oh, it's Feifei, junior. Please have a seat." She even moved over a bit to make room for Jiang Feifei. "Since you're here, why don't you study together?"

Lin Yue wasn't bothered by Jiang Feifei's presence. This cheerful, lively, and innocent girl, who made no attempt to hide her affection for Yun Yi, chattered away, sharing funny stories from school with him. Lin Yue listened quietly, occasionally taking a sip of her milk. She actually quite liked the Yun Yi and Jiang Feifei pairing; of course, Yun Yi and Xu Yun were also a good couple.

Jiang Feifei's arrival was like flipping a switch. She was naturally very approachable, and together with Yun Yi, a handsome and sunny guy who was quite well-known in the first year of high school (although he himself didn't know it), the two of them became an eye-catching sight in the coffee shop.

It started with a few students from Yunyi's class who saw them studying diligently after school and curiously came in to say hello. They then discovered that the environment was indeed quiet and comfortable, much better than the noisy milk tea shops on their way home or the easily distracting environment at home. Gradually, word spread.

"A new coffee shop has opened in the alley opposite No. 2 Middle School. The environment is fantastic, perfect for studying!"

"Really? Is it expensive?"

"It's alright! The coffee is good, and most importantly, it's quiet! Lots of students are doing their homework there!"

"I saw Yun Yi, that handsome guy from the first year of high school, there every day, and Jiang Feifei, one of the newly crowned school beauties, too!"

Such conversations began to circulate among the students. As a result, the number of students flocking to the café after school increased visibly.

Boys and girls carrying backpacks, either alone or in small groups, order a drink, and the low murmur of their discussions, the scratching of pens on paper, and the occasional soft laughter replace the originally overly quiet atmosphere, creating a new and vibrant learning environment.

This quietly emerging trend of students studying on their own naturally did not escape Li Yuejiao's notice. Although she rarely showed up, the store manager would send her daily operating data and observation reports to her phone on time.

"Sister Jiao, in the past week, there has been a significant increase in customer traffic during the afternoon dismissal period, especially among students, who now account for over 70%. They generally stay longer, have a stable average transaction value, and highly praise the quiet and orderly atmosphere of the store. Currently, the store's seating is nearing capacity during the peak dismissal period, and many customers have expressed a desire for more space..." The store manager's report was well-organized.

Li Yuejiao leaned lazily against the huge floor-to-ceiling window of the suburban villa, her fingertips tracing the data on the tablet screen.

"Heh..." Li Yuejiao smiled with pleasure. She never expected that the small shop she opened on a whim with a bit of flattery would unexpectedly meet the needs of the student group and carve out a niche market because of Lin Yue and the others.

She immediately dialed the store manager's number: "Hey, isn't the second floor empty? Take it over for me right now! Redesign and renovate it, the style should be the same as the first floor, but the space should be more open, with more partitions suitable for group discussions and enough power outlets... Yes, the target market is student self-study!"

The store manager has excellent execution skills. Just half a month later, the second floor of "Yueran" coffee shop opened to the public with a brand new look.

The space is more spacious and brighter than the first floor. The long wooden table, comfortable sofa booths, green plants, abundant natural light and soft lighting, as well as the specially designed group discussion area with some soundproofing, instantly won over more students. The bookshelves on the second floor have also begun to display some popular young adult literature and classic books.

The coffee shop's reputation spread far and wide throughout No. 2 Middle School and several surrounding schools. It was no longer just Lin Yue and Yun Yi's hangout; it became a veritable "third space" for the students.

It was just another ordinary afternoon.

"...So, the cosine value of this dihedral angle...and then the dot product formula, and you're done! There's no need to set up a whole bunch of coordinates!" Yun Yi spoke with great enthusiasm, his words flowing rapidly, brimming with the excitement of solving a puzzle.

"So that's how it is!" Jiang Feifei suddenly understood, her tightly furrowed brows relaxing. Yun Yi's direct and incisive approach was unexpectedly to her liking. Lin Yue also looked at him with admiration.

"Hehe, no problem!" Yun Yi was a little smug under Lin Yue's gaze, which was filled with a bit of admiration (in his own mind). He scratched his head smugly and then patted Lin Yue's shoulder in a mature manner. "Sister Lin Yue, if you have any questions about first-year high school material that you can't figure out, just ask me! I'll teach you until you understand! We're like brothers, it's better than you bothering that other person..." He stopped himself in time and swallowed the words "Li Yuetian" back.

Lin Yue naturally understood. She didn't reply, but merely frowned slightly before swatting his hand away. This subtle expression was noticed again by Jiang Feifei, who had been quietly working on her homework but was actually listening intently.

Jiang Feifei breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still a little unhappy. Of course, she could see what Yun Yi was thinking, but seeing that Lin Yue didn't react, she felt a little better.

She put down her pen, rested her chin on her hands, and her big eyes darted back and forth between Yun Yi and Lin Yue. "Oh—Brother Yun Yi is so amazing! He's so cool when he explains things! No wonder Senior Lin Yue praised you!" She deliberately emphasized the word "cool," her eyes sparkling, with a hint of jealousy.

Yun Yi's smugness instantly turned into embarrassment after being praised so directly by her. His face turned red in an instant, like a boiled shrimp, and he stammered, "N-what nonsense are you talking about! It's just explaining a problem! Fei Fei, don't start this up!" He hurriedly grabbed the water glass on the table and took a big gulp, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

Lin Yue looked at Yun Yi's flustered and blushing face, and then at Jiang Feifei's smiling face like a cat that had just stolen cream, and was somewhat puzzled.

Just then, a slight commotion came from the stairwell and a shop assistant's respectful greeting: "Good afternoon, Mr. Li!"

The three looked up at the sound. A tall, striking figure was gracefully walking up to the second floor. Her long, black hair cascaded casually over her shoulders, and her sharply tailored beige casual suit gave her an air of both confidence and nonchalance. It was none other than the long-absent boss—Li Yuejiao.

"Wow! Little Yueyue is working so hard!" Li Yuejiao's voice carried a familiar smile as she naturally pulled out the empty chair next to Lin Yue and sat down, her movements fluid and graceful. "How's my coffee shop?" She winked at Lin Yue, her tone carrying a hint of self-satisfaction.

Lin Yue put down her milk glass, smiled, and nodded. "Yes, it's really nice. It's quieter than downstairs, and the space is bigger. Thank you, Sister Jiao." This was her heartfelt approval.

Li Yuejiao smiled with satisfaction, her gaze then sweeping over Yun Yi and Jiang Feifei: "This must be Yun Yi, right? He's quite the handsome young man! No wonder..." Her gaze lingered meaningfully between Lin Yue and Yun Yi before finally settling on Jiang Feifei, her smile deepening, "And this pretty little sister is?"

"My name is Jiang Feifei! Hello, sister!" Jiang Feifei responded sweetly and gracefully, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Feifei, what a lovely name!" Li Yue nodded with a smile, then changed the subject, looking at Lin Yue with a casual yet cryptic tone, "By the way, Yueyue, about that silly little brother of mine I mentioned to you last time... he hasn't been bothering you at school lately, has he? If he dares to bully you just because he sits in front of you, tell me, and I'll teach him a lesson!" As she spoke, she tapped the table lightly, her eyes carefully observing Lin Yue's reaction.

Lin Yue's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the cup.

"No." Her voice was colder than usual. She quickly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the fleeting emotion in her eyes. "He's fine."

But who is Li Yuejiao? How could she not notice Lin Yue's momentary stiffness and evasiveness, as well as the subtle change in her tone?

She understood perfectly well, but her face remained impassive, her smile still alluring: "That's good! I was just worried he'd become too bookish and wouldn't know his place. You're classmates and friends, so helping each other is only natural. But..." She drawled, her gaze sweeping over Yun Yi, who sat upright beside her, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, and added with a knowing smile, "If he has any difficulties with his studies, I think Yun Yi is quite capable! Being close to your brother makes things easier, right, Yueyue?"

Before Lin Yue could respond, Yun Yi, who was standing next to her, suddenly looked up as if his tail had been stepped on. His face turned red, and he hurriedly explained, "Sister! Lin Yue and I are relatives! It's not... it's not what you think!" He waved his hands frantically, his eyes darting around, looking like he was trying to cover something up.

"Oh? Is that so?" she drawled, her tone almost laced with mischief. "Relatives are good! It makes the relationship even closer..."

Lin Yue finally couldn't take it anymore. She raised her head and glared at Li Yuejiao with a clear, piercing gaze that carried a hint of warning. Although it wasn't particularly offensive, the message was clear: stop now.

Receiving the signal, Li Yuejiao immediately knew when to stop, covering her mouth and laughing heartily, "Oh dear, just kidding! Look how nervous you all are! Young people are so shy! Alright, alright, I won't disturb you two studying hard! I was just passing by and came up to take a look!" She stood up gracefully, winked meaningfully at Lin Yue, and waved to Yun Yi and Jiang Feifei, "You two continue, continue! Feifei, come visit sometime!"

After saying that, she left in her high heels, leaving behind a lingering fragrance.

Yun Yi's face was still burning red. He lowered his head and pretended to frantically flip through the book, his heart pounding so loudly that he could hear it himself.

He stared at the equations in front of him, but the symbols wouldn't register in his brain like fleas. Li Yuejiao's words, "a double blessing," and her mischievous gaze kept replaying in his mind.

"Who, who's nervous... It's just a relative..." he muttered to himself, trying to save face, but his voice was so soft that only he could hear it.

Jiang Feifei pouted, still feeling a little jealous, but seeing Yun Yi's embarrassed expression, she found it somewhat amusing. She picked up a cookie and deliberately made a crunching sound, trying to attract Yun Yi's attention: "Brother Yun Yi, I still don't quite understand this problem. Could you explain it to me again?"

"Ah? Oh, okay!" Yun Yi felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly took over the conversation, forcibly pulling his attention back to the exercises. However, his speech was a bit too fast when he explained, and he didn't dare to glance at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue finished the last bit of milk, completely ignoring the subtle undercurrents in their earlier conversation. She simply thought Li Yuejiao enjoyed teasing children, and Yun Yi's reaction was quite amusing.

She put away her books and stationery; she had already finished her homework for the day.

"I've finished my homework, I'm going home now." She stood up and said to the two of them, "Yunyi, remember to take Feifei home later." She winked gently at Jiang Feifei.

"Huh? Oh! Okay, Sister Lin Yue! I'll take care of it!" Yun Yi immediately assured him, patting his chest so hard he almost knocked over the cups on the table.

Jiang Feifei saw the look in her eyes and was overjoyed. She nodded obediently, "Okay, goodbye, senior!"

…………

The coffee shop has become a popular after-school spot for students from No. 2 Middle School and surrounding schools. The study area on the second floor is often packed, and reservations are sometimes required in advance—except for Lin Yue, of course.

Li Yuejiao's business acumen has been proven once again; she's even considering opening a branch near another school.

Lin Yue showed up almost every day without fail, and Yun Yi and Jiang Feifei were also frequent visitors. One was drawn to the place because it was pleasing to the eye, while the other simply wanted to spend more time with Yun Yi.

However, Yun Yi noticed that Lin Yue didn't seem to ask him questions as frequently as he had expected. Most of the time, she was still deep in thought on her own, and only occasionally, when she encountered a relatively difficult problem from the first year of high school, would she gently poke his arm with the cap of her pen: "Can you offer some ideas for this problem?"

Whenever this happens, Yunyi gets excited and immediately puts down what he's doing to look at the question, then tries his best to explain it in the clearest and easiest way possible.

When he explained the problem, Lin Yue would tilt her head slightly, her eyes focused intently on the draft paper. She was very close, and the faint scent of the same laundry detergent he used always made Yun Yi's heart skip a beat.

Jiang Feifei, who was standing nearby, saw all of this. She felt a pang of jealousy, like having an unripe plum in her mouth, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She could sense that Lin Yue really didn't have any romantic feelings for Yun Yi, but Yun Yi's undisguised thoughts made her both anxious and a little disappointed.

She could only try to get more attention from Yunyi by asking him questions.

After school that day, the three of them sat down in their usual spot by the window on the first floor of the coffee shop.

Lin Yue unfolded a set of practice exam papers, her brows furrowed slightly. The last comprehensive problem on functions and derivatives stood like a roadblock, and she had already spent almost twenty minutes on it.

Yun Yi was reading an English passage to Jiang Feifei, but he kept glancing at Lin Yue out of the corner of his eye.