The morning rush hadn't started yet, which meant Yin Yue was mostly just rearranging napkin dispensers and trying not to mop himself into a corner.
The café was unusually quiet. Liang Yu stood at the espresso machine like a statue. A perfect vision of calm, controlled and unbothered.
Yin Yue wanted to throw a muffin at him.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
Reminder! Weakness Detection in Progress!
Monitor ML behavior closely! 📹
"Would be easier if he had behavior," Yin Yue muttered, just as the front bell jingled.
He turned.
A fashionable woman entered, heels clicking, sunglasses perched on her head. In her arm: a glossy designer handbag.
Inside the handbag: movement.
Yin Yue's eyes widened. "Is that a—?"
The dog poked its head out. Teacup-sized. Fluffy. Tan fur, one ear flopped sideways. A living stuffed animal. It sneezed.
Yin Yue exploded with sound. "OH MY GOD."
The woman smiled. "Is he allowed inside?"
Liang Yu opened his mouth.
Yin Yue cut in. "YES."
Liang Yu frowned. "No."
"YES."
Liang Yu raised an eyebrow. "Health code."
"I'll wear a hairnet and a bark collar, just let me love it."
The customer laughed, clearly entertained. "It's fine. I'll be quick."
But fate is never quick.
As she placed her order, the little dog leapt like a cannonball and hit the floor running.
Yin Yue screamed. "PRINCESS!"
The dog, who was probably not named Princess, zipped between tables like a tiny, joyous tornado.
Yin Yue dropped the mop and gave chase. "I just want to love you!!"
The dog juked left. He dived right.
Customers stared. Someone took out their phone.
"Come back here, you chaos potato!"
The dog zoomed past Liang Yu, who didn't flinch. He just… waited.
And when the dog made a final dash for the counter, Liang Yu crouched, timed it perfectly, and caught the fluffy missile mid-air with one hand.
Like it was nothing.
Yin Yue stopped short, gasping and sweaty.
The dog wriggled in Liang Yu's arms.
And then the impossible.
Liang Yu looked down at it…
…and smiled.
Just a little.
A soft, rare curve of the lips. Barely there. But unmistakably real.
Yin Yue's jaw dropped.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🐾 EMOTIONAL WEAKNESS DISCOVERED!
✔️ Soft Spot: Small Helpless Creatures
✔️ Personality Trait: Suppressed Caregiver Instincts
✔️ Affection Spike: +2
📈 Affection Meter: 7/100
Liang Yu handed the dog back to the customer with clinical ease. "He likes attention," he said.
Yin Yue's soul left his body.
The woman beamed. "Oh, he loves it. Say thank you, Wonton!"
"WONTON," Yin Yue whispered.
The dog sneezed again.
The customer left. The café fell silent.
Yin Yue slowly approached Liang Yu like one might approach a wild bear that had just been seen cuddling a kitten.
"You smiled," he said, almost in awe.
"No, I didn't."
"I saw it."
"It was a facial adjustment due to air circulation."
"You SMILED AT A DOG, YOU ABSOLUTE ENIGMA."
"You're overreacting."
"No! I'm overreacting. You cracked. Do you want me to find more dogs? I can find more dogs. What's your type? Pomeranians? Sausage breeds?"
Liang Yu gave him a long, blank stare. "Get the mop."
Yin Yue picked it up slowly, eyes still wide.
"I'm learning things about you," he said, voice tinged with awe.
"Stop that."
"I'm going to write a novel."
"I'll sue."
"You're emotionally compromised. It's adorable."
"Back to work."
Yin Yue resumed mopping. Grinning. Vaguely victorious.
Inside, he thought: Okay. Note one. He likes helpless little creatures. Strategy unlocked. Softness activated. Seduction path: unlocked via puppy.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
Mission Status: 35% Complete
💡 System Tip: ML's weakness may apply to YOU, Host.
🐰 Keyword Match: "Soft and Helpless" = 93%
Yin Yue dropped the mop. "Excuse me?!"
Liang Yu, from across the room: "What now."
"Nothing," Yin Yue said sweetly. "Just planning my next emotional ambush."
Liang Yu didn't reply.
But Yin Yue swore his ear turned a little red.
Yin Yue stared down the espresso machine.
"Listen, Bean Daddy," he whispered, tapping it with solemn reverence. "You and I got off to a rocky start. But I believe in second chances. Please don't explode this time."
"Who are you talking to?" Liang Yu asked flatly from behind him.
"My emotional support appliance."
"You name the equipment?"
"Only the ones that can kill me."
Liang Yu sighed. "Start the shot."
Yin Yue moved with exaggerated care. He measured the beans. Ground them. Tamped the portafilter and Inserted it. Pressed the button.
A rich stream of espresso poured out, smooth and dark, with only a slight mechanical wheeze.
"Look at that!" Yin Yue said. "We've bonded."
"You're still using the wrong ratio," Liang Yu said, without looking up from polishing the counter.
Yin Yue clutched his chest. "You wound me."
"You wound my espresso."
"Touché."
He steamed milk, this time without painting the ceiling with dairy. As the foam rose, so did the heat in the room—or maybe that was just his brain overheating from being this close to Liang Yu for too long without proper emotional ventilation.
He turned, thrusting the finished cup forward. "Taste it."
Liang Yu raised an eyebrow. "It's for a customer."
"They deserve less than your judgment. Taste it."
After a long moment, Liang Yu took the cup. Sipped, paused and licked a bit of foam off his lip.
Yin Yue forgot how to breathe.
"Well?" he asked.
"It's tolerable," Liang Yu said.
Yin Yue narrowed his eyes. "That's practically a marriage proposal coming from you."
Liang Yu placed the cup on the counter. "Your standards are low."
"My standards are mysterious."
They stared at each other.
Something heavy settled between them. Not uncomfortable. Not hostile. Just… charged.
"I've been thinking," Yin Yue said slowly, "you glare at me a lot."
"You earn it."
"No, not the annoyed glare. The other one. The one where your eyes narrow like I'm a things you can't figure out."
"Your metaphors are terrible."
Yin Yue stepped closer. "Why do you do that?"
Liang Yu didn't back away. "Do what?"
"Look at me like I'm a… a puzzle. Or a disaster you're weirdly invested in."
"Maybe I am."
"Maybe you're emotionally constipated."
That broke the moment.
"What?"
"I'm just saying," Yin Yue continued, gaining momentum. "You go out of your way to keep me at arm's length, but you also keep looking at me like you're waiting for something. Am I a distraction? A challenge?"
Liang Yu leaned against the counter, gaze unreadable. "You think highly of yourself."
"I live highly of myself. It's called confidence. Maybe you should try it sometime."
"You're flirting again."
"Am I? Or am I peeling back your psychological defenses one at a time?"
There was a long pause.
Liang Yu's mouth twitched.
Then—
"Someone's at the counter."
Yin Yue turned. A customer waited patiently, holding up their phone with a mobile order.
"Coward," Yin Yue muttered as Liang Yu turned away.
"I'll make the drink," Liang Yu said, already reaching for the cup.
"No, no, I've got it," Yin Yue said, scrambling to reset himself. "I'm emotionally compromised but technically competent."
He stepped up to the machine and slammed into the portafilter with just a bit too much force.
It held.
Barely.
"See?" he said brightly. "Totally fine."
The machine hissed.
Something groaned.
Milk frothed.
The tension between him and Liang Yu stayed like fog on glass: thin, persistent, waiting to be wiped clean.