Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Maomao groaned as she slipped out of the bed, hands combing through her hair in an attempt to smooth out the tangled mess it had become. As kind as it had been for her hook up to slip a pillow underneath her back and do all the work when she was clearly past the halfway point of exhaustion. Her stiff feet landed on the cold floor, sending a shiver through her body as she made her way to her bathroom. She didn’t disturb the man on her bed, figuring that he’d be up and out in a moment.

She rushed through her morning routine, showering quickly. She washed and moisturized her face, brushing through her hair, and applying a small amount of natural make up. She dotted little freckles on her face expertly. She’d done them when she was younger to appear less appealing to the men that her sisters turned away. But when she’d gotten older and moved away, she’d been told by her friend Xiaolan that they were considered pretty there, and that many of the women there did the same thing. The habit had continued, though she often forgot without the threat to her safety.

She was getting dressed when she heard stirring from the bedroom. Slipping her arms through the sleeves of her oversized green cardigan, she stepped back into view and began gathering his clothes for him. Perhaps if she wasn’t in a rush, she would offer him breakfast.

Part of Maomao wished that she wasn’t in a rush. The man was absolutely beautiful, it was an objective fact. She’d been shocked when out of all of the eyes staring at him in the bar, he’d chosen to proposition her. She’d accepted, if only because of the adorably nervous way he’d smiled at her. She’d figured that hey, it may loosen her nerves for her job interview in the morning. He’d be gone at daybreak anyway.

But now it was daybreak, and he was still here, dressing his ridiculous abs in his dark blue jacket and jeans. It was utterly unfair that someone so tall and pretty had to be jacked as well, and it made her curious even further to his reasoning behind choosing her to go home with. A voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her sister Pairin told her that she’d likely given him more than he’d expected from someone as unassuming as herself last night, though she wondered if tips from her sisters could truly go that far, no matter how unfortunately detailed they’d been.

“It was Maomao, right?” He asked, startling her with how deep his voice had fallen. The night before, it had been just a bit over the line of sweet for a man, now it sounded like something worthy of a prince.

She nodded, grabbing her phone and keys from the nightstand. She had multiple texts from Xiaolan, who’d been at the bar last night. Xiaolan, a freshman in college, didn’t like to drink, but she enjoyed seeing what mischief she could get Maomao into, including smiling at the hottest guy in the bar and somehow getting an amazing, almost surreal night out of it.

The man chuckled a bit as he gestured to his messy hair. “Can I borrow a brush?”

She pointed him to the bathroom, eyes on her phone as she opened it up. “Use whatever you need.” Maomao opened the texts, the amount of emojis that Xiaolan had managed to use made the messages almost ineligible, but she had years of practice dissecting the girl’s way of texting.

Maomao r u awake?????

U have to tell me how it went!!!!

Was he good in bed?? He looked like he’d be good in bed

Actually, ignore that

Details!!!!

Was the gist.

She typed back a quick message as she heard her bathroom being used.

I am awake, it went well and was an enjoyable night.

The bubbles that signified Xiaolan’s frantic typing appeared immediately. Her phone erupted with demands for details that she didn’t give, too focused on panicking about the time in the top left of her phone.

9:32 a.m.

She was going to be late for her interview. The place was fifteen minutes away and the interview was at 9:45!

As stupid as Maomao knew it was to leave a stranger alone in her house, she really needed this job. She knocked on the bathroom door, hearing the sounds of hair brushing from inside.

“I’m in a rush! The door locks automatically, I’ll pay for an uber for you.” She called before rushing out of the house.

She practically threw herself into the car, ordering an uber to her house as she backed out of her driveway. God, she needed this job.

Maomao was in her third year of college, majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences. It was winter break, meaning that her classes freeing up had granted her ample time to work on finding a job to pay for the fat amount of loans piling up in her budgeting.

Her area was well known for its medicinal career opportunities, but she somehow hadn’t been able to find a single job in her field. Her last resort had been applying to work at the local coffee shop.

Rear Palace Coffee was something of a legend among the medical practitioners of the area. It was right next to the biggest hospital in the city, Rear Palace Hospital, and owned by the same man. The owner was supposedly friends with the mayor and had great influence over the town, helping in throwing city events in exchange for fundraisers and such. His son was supposed to be taking over soon, but people were wary of him.

Maomao, of course, hadn’t cared to learn any of this. It had come from Xiaolan when she’d told her of her interview in passing. Honestly, that girl could gossip a deaf man to death. She supposed she should be thankful, much of what she knew about the city she lived in was thanks to her friend. She had a habit of focusing only on the scientific parts of her life and neglecting things like checking out the local cuisine or farmer’s market. She’d found herself genuinely appreciating many of the things Xiaolan had introduced her to.

She pulled up to the building, parking and quickly rushing inside to find… utter chaos.

The sound of a small child screaming was the first thing she registered. She didn’t know much about babies, but she could recognize that this wasn’t a typical tantrum. Maomao saw a woman with a pink ponytail chasing after a toddler with the same hair. The kid’s face matched her hair as she darted around the coffee shop, knocking over everything in her path.

The woman with the pink ponytail saw her walk in and shouted in her direction. “Close the door, don’t let her out!” Sure enough, the little girl saw Maomao holding the door open and ran over.

As quick as she could, Maomao slammed the door shut. She crouched, picking up the girl. “What’s the matter with her?” The girl was still screaming her head off, arms holding her stomach with tears streaming down her face.

The woman walked over, taking the girl from Maomao’s arms with a relieved sigh. “I’m not sure, I think she might be sick. Poor baby’s been screaming her head off since I let her play outside the shop earlier.” The woman continued speaking, introducing herself as the manager of the coffee shop, Gyokuyou, but Maomao wasn’t listening. Her eyes were fixated on the window that led to a small patch of grass outside of the shop. There were many flowers in the grass, but a specific one caught her eye, daffodils. “Anyway, are you my interview for nine, you’re a bit late-”

“You should rinse her mouth out.” Maomao blurted. A second into what was supposed to be an interview and she was already interrupting her future boss, great.

The woman looked confused. “Come again?”

“Daffodils, they’re outside. Does she like eating flowers?”

With confusion, the woman nodded. “Yes, I’ve had to pull them out of her mouth more times than I can count.”

Maomao looked at the little girl more closely, noticing a petal from the flowers. She picked it off of the girl, holding it out for the mother to see. “She ate daffodils, they’re poisonous, containing a chemical called Lycorine. If you rinse her mouth out and have her drink water or milk, she should be fine in an hour or two. If she gets worse, you might want to take her over to the hospital.” She explained.

The mother and the employees that had been assisting in catching the baby looked at her with shock. “You just know that?” One of the girls asked.

“I took a course on botany a couple years ago.” She shrugged, discarding the petal in her hand.

A pause filled the shop, people looking at her with curiosity. Finally, the manager Gyokuyou broke the silence. “Well, thank you for educating me on that. Hongiang, can you please take care of XiaoLing for me?” A woman with a tight bun stepped over, taking the child from Gyokuyou’s arms, who clapped her hands together. “Right, if you’ll come with me, this is a relatively inactive morning, perfect for an interview.”

Gyokuyou led Maomao into a back room that resembled a storage closet or a pantry. It held uniforms, a shelf of coffee beans, and a big stack of manuals for different machines. “Now, your name is Kan Maomao, correct?”

Maomao folded her hands in front of her. “Yes, I’m a pharmaceutical major at the University.”

“As I told you earlier, I am Gyokuyou, the manager here. My daughter that you met hangs around the shop often, I’m so sorry you had to handle that, she’s normally much more behaved.” Gyokuyou apologized, opening the computer on the desk she’d led Maomao to. “Now normally, being as late as you were would’ve resulted in you likely not getting hired, but seeing as you helped me with my daughter, I’m willing to nix that.” She emphasized a click on the mouse.

Maomao silently celebrated her decision to take a spontaneous botany course in high school. “Is that really okay?” God help her and her habit of blurting out things that could hurt her opportunities.

Gyokuyou smiled. “I think it would be hypocritical of me to take away your chances when one of our employees has yet to arrive himself.”

“I think you’ll find that I made it just in time, Miss Gyokuyou.” A voice somewhat familiar spoke from behind Maomao. She couldn’t place where she knew the voice from until he stepped into view.

“Ah, there you are. Maomao, I’d like you to meet Jinshi, an HR representative from Rear Palace Hospital.” Gyokuyou introduced him, but she didn’t need to hear his name, because it had clicked the second he’d appeared in front of her.

Hair with a purple sheen, feminine face, blindingly beautiful, it was the man she’d hooked up with the night from before. And from the looks of it, he’d stolen one of her favorite hair clips. She’d had sex with an HR Representative for the job she was trying to get.

She was never going to get the job. She’d been late, and no botany tips could save her from the fact that she’d shown how irresponsible she was that morning by leaving this man in her house alone. She wondered if he’d stolen the hair clip just to prove a point.

The man took a seat beside Gyokuyou, eyes only on Maomao. Evil, truly evil of him to wink at her the same way he had the night before. “Miss Gyokuyou, I thought that the interview was supposed to be at 9:45 a.m, why is it just starting at 10:00?” Evil.

“Ah yes, well, Maomao here assisted me with an issue having to do with XiaoLing, so I gave her some leeway. Honestly, Jinshi, you can’t judge her when you are late yourself.” Strange, she spoke to him as more of a family member, not an authority figure.

Jinshi observed her. “I see. You must excuse my being late, I had some issues with my uber.” He explained, and Maomao winced a bit. “Maomao, why were you late this morning?”

“I, um…” She searched to say something that wouldn’t tip off Gyokuyou or upset Jinshi. “I slept in by accident, I was studying late.”

A twinkle of amusement showed in Jinshi’s eyes. “What were you studying that was so important?”

She parted her lips, shutting them again before finally answering. “The effects of alcohol on the human body and how it can lead to poor decision making. It's a paper I’m working on. Ongoing.”

“Interesting.”

Thankfully, Gyokuyou cut in and saved her. “Right, let’s get on with the interview. Maomao, have you ever worked in a coffee shop or cafe?”

“Not necessarily. I worked at a bar about four years ago. We served coffee as well, but it wasn’t our main export, as you can imagine.” Maomao had worked at the bar connected to the strip club where her sisters worked for about a year right after graduating high school, having wanted to stay close to her dad. It had changed when she’d gotten a bit too into the alcohol and he’d sent her away to college.

Gyokuyou typed something into the computer. “Right. And you wish to work part time as you’re still in college?”

“Yes.” She replied, fidgeting in her chair under Jinshi’s gaze.

Gyokuyou asked her a few more questions before shutting down her computer. “Alright. We’ll look over all of this and get back to you within a week, take care. Jinshi, would you please see her out? I must check on XiaoLing. Thank you again.”

Jinshi stood at the same time as Maomao, watching Gyokuyou hurry out. He moved to her side, gesturing for her to walk in front of him towards the door of the room. “Studying, hm?” He taunted under his breath behind her as they walked through the shop to the entrance.

She held back her urge to tell him to shut his mouth, channeling her best smile when he held the door open for her. “Thank you for this opportunity.” Maomao grumbled.

She heard him chuckle after her. “We’ll get back to you.”

Maomao called Xiaolan the moment she got home.

“Xiaolan, he works for HR! He was at my interview, he’s part of the hiring process!!” She panicked, cleaning up the mess she’d left in her bedroom.

Xiaolan was trying to calm her down. “Hey, you were nice last night. What happened this morning? He might still hire you.”

Maomao bit her lip.

“Please tell me that you weren’t yourself? Oh no, what did you do?” Xiaolan said in response to her silence.

“I left him alone in my house after snapping that I’d pay for an uber for him.”

Xiaolan freaked out so loud that the audio cut out.

<3

That night, Maomao was in her living room. She told herself that she was studying, but she was really dozing. She had five months before the biggest exam of her life, and it felt like it was tomorrow. Not that she’d ever take the exam, seeing as she didn’t have the money to pay for it. The only reason she could afford her small house was because her biological father sent her checks every month. How he’d found her address, she didn’t know, but it was free money and he wasn’t demanding anything in return.

As she moved her hands over the keyboard of her laptop, typing words that made no true sense into her notes, she got a notification on her phone. Glad for the distraction, she opened it.

Maomao’s heart dropped when she saw that it was an email from Rear Palace Coffee. She opened it with a deep breath and nearly screamed. She called Xiaolan immediately, knowing that she’d be awake.

“I got the job!”

Chapter Text

Maomao didn’t know who she had to thank for the fact that she’d been able to avoid Jinshi for the first month of her new job, but she was more relieved than she’d ever felt.

It had become increasingly difficult to avoid the man. He came into the shop every morning, staying a few hours once a week to do an overall check of the shop. She didn’t know what kind of HR he was a part of, but she’d never seen anything like this.

What’s more, he seemed to be deliberately looking for her. She managed to slip away in the mornings, using the excuse of getting more milk from the fridge or making a mess to clean in the storage room. She’d also found a way to time it so that she left for her classes half an hour before he came into the shop for his weekly report.

But this time, it seems, he’d timed himself so that he came in five minutes earlier for his coffee than she’d come to expect.

“Mister Jinshi, good morning!” Her coworker, Yinghua, greeted, making Maomao freeze in the middle of pouring foam for a different customer.

Maomao finished up the order she was on and was just about to duck into the back room when she heard her name called. “Maomao! Come on, Mister Jinshi wants you to make his coffee!”

Groaning in her mind, she turned around, meeting his eyes.

Eyes stared down at her, watching her face as her body shook with his movements. They seemed to catch her every one of her reactions. The way she clutched the bedsheets, the rise of her hips to meet him with the pillow under her back as support, she even felt his gaze on the way her hair splayed under her.

She swallowed, tearing her eyes away from Jinshi and onto the espresso machine. “What can I get you, Mister Jinshi?” Maomao asked.

“So formal,” He mused, observing the menu performatively

Maomao grit her teeth. “What can I get you?”

Jinshi tapped his chin with a finger. “You know, I’m not sure today. How about we test the newbie by having her surprise me?”

Surprise him? Sure, she’d surprise him, by sneaking arsenic into his coffee. Then again, she needed the job and it was nice to not go to prison.

“It may take a while.” Maomao warned him, grabbing a medium sized cup out of the stacks. Her creative mind was not usually very active at 8 in the morning.

Jinshi took a seat at the table nearest to the counter. “I’ve got time.”

How much time could you have with a job looking over both a hospital and a coffee shop?? She didn’t even know if that was something that HR workers did! Hell, maybe this guy was just some rando who’d convinced Gyokuyou that he was working for the hospital.

She’d asked the assistant manager, Hongiang, about Jinshi during her first week there. She’d explained that, at first, Jinshi had only worked for the hospital. They’d had a different representative in charge of the coffee shop, but Jinshi had been brought in as a temporary replacement due to the previous representative moving away. He’d taken a liking to the atmosphere and asked to take over the reports indefinitely. He apparently had a reputation for getting his way with the higher ups, the bastard.

“Here.” Maomao held out the steaming cup. He took it with a grin, hand brushing hers.

He took a sip and started coughing, though she couldn’t tell if it was in surprise or disgust. “What is this?” Jinshi asked her hoarsely.

“Green tea, you watched me make it.” She told him, lifting the tea bag before throwing it away.

He gave her a confused look. “This is a coffee shop, green tea isn’t even on your menu. How did you even get this?” He questioned.

“I had it on me.”

“You just carry green tea?”

“Yes.” Now it wasn’t only Jinshi looking at her like she was crazy. Yinghua was staring at her as if there was a creature on her face. Shrugging it off, she moved to taking the next order.

Maomao tried to ignore the way that Jinshi watched her as she took several other orders, sipping on his drink curiously. She was mid-espresso pour when he spoke up again.

“This tastes different from tea that I’ve had before, did you change anything about it?” He asked, holding the now half-drinken cup.

She finished the coffee she was working on. “I added two shots of espresso and a teaspoon of cinnamon.”

“May I ask why?” He chugged the rest of the drink with enthusiasm that surprised her.

Maomao tried not to notice the way that a bit of the liquid dripped down his chin. “Your usual order is high in caffeine, it would negatively affect your energy if I were to not attempt to match that level.”

“You sound like an apothecary.” Jinshi smiled, handing her the dirty cup despite the garbage being only a few feet away. “I’ve never given you my order, how did you know it? Spying on me?”

She looked him up and down with a look that she hoped said unimpressed. “I have a habit of keeping an eye on people like you, yes.” She thought over the apothecary term, not minding the way it sounded in regards to her.

A flush crept up his neck, making her wonder for a moment if he was having a reaction to the cinnamon in the tea. She should have asked if he had any allergies. However, he didn’t show any other signs of such an event. It occurred to Maomao that she’d been looking at him for far too long when he coughed once more. “Would it be possible for me to ask for this the next time I come in? I will pay for both your compensation and the shop for your labor”

“Of course.” She replied, stunned as he nodded and stepped out of the building. Had he enjoyed the drink that much? It was simple, simpler than many of the other drinks they actually served.

Maomao swore under her breath as she realized that she’d have to go buy more of that stupid green tea. The brand could often be hard to track down, and there were few other companies that sold such a high end blend. It was expensive and frankly, more trouble than it was worth. She comforted herself with the thought of how much she’d be able to charge him for such a thing. He’d practically told her to name a price.

“Maomao?” A soft voice that she recognized as Gyokuyou said behind her. “Meet me in the back during your break, please.”

That woman had an eerie ability to overhear and creep up behind people. She’d dropped something early into her training, and had been attempting to clean it up when Gyokuyou had appeared right behind her with a broom. She’d been sweet about her dropping it, but Maomao had developed a habit of looking behind her back with every sound.

It didn’t help this time that Gyokuyou had every reason to be angry with her. She was still learning the rules, but she was pretty sure that you weren’t supposed to offer customers things from home. Had she even charged him? She’d been distracted by not meeting his eyes. Well, she’d been able to look at him once the conversation had begun flowing.

Maomao made her way to the back when it got to her lunch break.

“Maomao, dear, I have a request for you.” Gyokuyou spoke the moment she closed the door.

She folded her hands behind her back, facing the intimidating pink-haired woman. “A request?”

Gyokuyou looked nervous, something Maomao hadn’t seen before. When she started talking, her tone was serious and sharp. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but I’m pregnant.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t noticed, though it now made sense as to why Gyokuyou delegated so much to Hongiang.

As if reading her mind, Gyokuyou continued. “Hongiang knows, of course, she has been such a help. But I saw what you were speaking with Jinshi about and I’d like to butt in and request my own special drink.”

What? She wasn’t upset? “What do you mean?”

“This pregnancy has been more difficult for me than Lingli was. While I’m on the recommended medications, I would like to also have natural assistance. I saw on your resume that you studied botany as well as natural medicines, would you be willing to attempt something that will ease my symptoms?”

Hm, she had thoroughly enjoyed that class. It could be fun to experiment with flavors as well as the benefits. She knew ginger helped with nausea, as did lemons and peppermint. Perhaps a tea blend? Maybe a smoothie? She doubted she could make those flavors work in coffee, and caffeine wasn’t great in mass amounts for pregnant women. It would need to be hydrating, of course.

“I’m going to pay you, if that helps you make your decision.”

Oh, she hadn’t even realized that she’d immediately begun brainstorming. “I’ll do it. Would you prefer a tea or something thicker?”

Gyokuyou looked shocked at her immediate compliance. “Tea is fine, I do not mind the texture so long as it isn’t horrid.” She smiled.

“Alright. I can prepare something by tomorrow.”

<3

That night at Maomao’s house, she opened her tea cupboard. Pushing aside the mass amount of jasmine and green teas she kept stored, enjoying those the most, she pulled out everything she knew helped with pregnancy. She emptied her spice and herbs collection as well.

Gyokuyou had set up three rules for the drink that would assist her.

1. It can’t be too spicy, as she has a delicate palette and may throw it up.

1. It has to help with nausea.

1. It has to be something simple enough for her to make herself once Maomao brews it up.

The rules weren’t too strict, but they did limit her creative brain. She pulled out her minced ginger, as well as peppermint, and then steeped some lemon tea and got to work.

It was midnight when she realized she’d accidentally made a menu’s worth of tea recipes, as well as simple snacks that would help with inflammation and aches. Hell, she’d used up the last of her peppermint stock.

She was sure that Gyokuyou would be happy with the selection, but there was one issue. She wouldn’t be able to carry all of this herself. Many of it had to stay upright or it would crumble and even fall apart. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if the applesauce she’d made fell in her car as she was driving. Once it got to Gyokuyou, she’d be able to get assistance from her husband or one of the girls in the shop, but Maomao had to get it there by herself.

She couldn’t ask Xiaolan, she had class early in the morning and was likely going to be late from sleeping in already. It wasn’t like she knew anyone else in the area, they were all out of town.

Panicking, Maomao scrolled through her phone contacts, thumb stopping at one.

Pretty Bar Hook Up

Why oh why was she sincerely considering texting Jinshi. It was stupid, he probably wouldn’t even answer her text. No, the issue was that she had a feeling he would answer. He’d help too, just to hold it over her head for the rest of the week. She couldn’t do it, she couldn’t.

But no one else was there to help her.

She sent the text.

Could you help me carry some homemade drinks and snacks to the coffee shop in the morning? I can have your drink ready for you as compensation, free of charge.

Maomao almost deleted it the moment she sent it. Who texted their hook up/kind-of-boss at midnight offering tea as a bribe for manual labor?? Was she crazy???

She moved to delete the text when she saw the status under it. Read.

Then she saw bubbles.

I can do that. I will meet you at your house at 7. If we take my car to the shop, I can give you a ride back home after your shift.

That was… surprisingly generous. The mere idea of being stuck in a car with him twice in one day made her nose wrinkle, but he was being so cooperative that she was willing to ignore it. She even changed his contact in her phone to his name.

<3

An expensive car pulled up to her driveway at 7 a.m. on the dot. The thought crossed her mind that he was trying to impress her with his punctuality, but she brushed it away.

She waited until he knocked on her door, though she knew he was there. She opened the door, looking up at him with surprise. His hair was tied into a bun behind his head with strands falling out, as if it had been thrown up in a hurry. In fact, most of his outfit seemed disheveled. His shirt was tucked into his wrinkled pants in some spaces, falling loose in the others. A small scar that she hadn’t noticed under his eye was clearly visible, making her wonder if he’d previously been covering it up with concealer. She didn’t know why, but she found herself liking how messy he looked.

Maomao decided not to mention his appearance, stepping aside to let him in. She was paying more attention to the empty tupperware in his arms. She didn’t own any tupperware, likely the root of her problem. It was surprisingly smart of him to bring some in preparation.

His eyes found the kitchen counter, covered in haphazardly packed containers and plastic wrap covered snacks and drinks. There was also a notebook filled with recipes and tea blends. It was clear that even with the both of them, it was going to be difficult to carry all of this stuff into the car.

“My goodness, why did you make so much? A bit overboard, no?” Jinshi asked, flipping through the notebook absentmindedly.

She fiddled with her hands. “Gyokuyou asked for my help and I’m an insomniac.” She snatched the notebook from him, not liking the way his eyebrow raised curiously. “Think we’ll be able to get all this to her?”

Jinshi crossed his arms, observing the kitchen. “I believe so. We can put the things that threaten to spill into my containers.”

They set to work, silently boxing up the applesauce and other semi-liquids she’d created. She was glad that she’d taken the effort to clean the kitchen after the several failed attempts, she had experience in cleaning up the messes that they left on the counter.

In fifteen minutes, everything was packed and they were walking to Jinshi’s car. She’d given him his tea when they were finished, warm and in a travel mug. It was one that had been a gift from her biological father, one she didn’t particularly care for. She’d told him to keep it, and he’d acted strangely grateful as he sipped down the liquid. She wondered if it was worth something, maybe she’d have been better selling it.

The drive was… awkward. Maomao was in the passenger seat holding the stack of containers and tupperware, trying to balance it all so that it didn’t fall all over his weirdly nice car. How much money did he make that he could afford something so clean and pristine?

“Apothecary, do you sleep well at night?” Jinshi questioned out of nowhere.

Apothecary? Had he decided to turn that comment into some kind of nickname? “No, I told you, I have insomnia.”

“What about sleeping aids, like melatonin?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t gotten around to checking those out.” She couldn’t admit that the reason why she didn’t use sleep aids was because they were far too expensive for her current budget. She’d tried cheap brands, but they didn’t do anything for her.

They arrived at the coffee shop early, but Gyokuyou was already there. Jinshi helped her carry them into the shop, setting them on one of the tables.

“Miss Gyokuyou!” Jinshi called out when they saw the back room light on.

The manager came out, her pregnancy obvious now that it had been pointed out to Maomao. She truly could be single-minded. Maomao gestured to the display. “I made you some things, I got a little carried away.”

Before Gyokuyou could reply, the shock clear on her face, Jinshi spoke again. He put a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder. “Maomao here stayed up all night, poor thing.”

Gyokuyou smiled at Jinshi, looking at Maomao with concern. “Maomao, you didn’t have to go to so much trouble. I wasn’t expecting anything more than a drink today, this is overwhelming.” She walked over to Maomao, grabbing her hands. “Thank you, mind showing me what all of this is?”

Maomao went into depth explaining, showing her the notebook and the labels on every snack and ingredient, as well as the tea boxes she’d packaged. All the while, Jinshi seemed to stare at her. It made her stand a bit taller, the knowledge that he was watching her. She didn’t hate it, as his eyes didn’t seem to contain animosity. There was almost a feeling of respect in them.

Jinshi interrupted when she was going over the notebook for the third time, clearly overwhelming Gyokuyou even more with her thoroughness. “Apothecary, when does your shift end?”

“Apothecary?” Gyokuyou questioned.

“A nickname.” Jinshi smirked. “Doesn’t it fit her?”

Gyokuyou smiled sweetly, looking between the two of them. “Ah, I see. I should thank you as well, Jinshi, it was kind of you to get up so early to help with all of this. I must say, you look exhausted.”

Hm, Maomao hadn’t noticed how tired he seemed, just that he was slightly less put together than the normal day.

“Yes, I have to confess that I don’t usually get up this early.” He chucked nervously, shooting a pointed look at Gyokuyou that Maomao didn’t care to interpret, but she knew that the look Gyokuyou gave in return was one she hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t angry, it felt scheming.

She interrupted that as quickly as possible. “I get off at three, I’ll see you then.”

Jinshi turned to leave, but was stopped by Gyokuyou. “Don’t you want a coffee before you go?” She asked.

Jinshi waved a hand behind him. “I’m fine, my payment for the help was more than enough to wake me up.”

He walked out of the door, but Maomao felt like something was off. She turned to Gyokuyou. “Give me a second, please.” Maomao walked after Jinshi, catching up to him in the parking lot. “I forgot to say thank you for helping me out.” She said a bit too loudly when she caught up to him.

Jinshi looked down at her, clearly startled. “It wasn’t a big deal.” He brushed off her thanks.

She suddenly felt extremely awkward, nodding and turning her back.

“Apothecary,” He called after her. She moved to face him again and he was close. Too close.

Maomao waited for him to continue, finding herself unable to look away from his eyes.

A hand was on her chin, the other on the back of her neck, tilting her head back. He was standing over her, lips hovering over hers. She wondered if he was going to kiss her, she wanted him to kiss her. Maybe that would make this moment feel complete. She tried to go for it, to initiate his lips on hers, but he pulled away.

“I’ll see you at three.” And he was gone.