novellhall Chapter 73 Reopening
Chapter 73 Reopening
The next morning, when Choi Sulli woke up, Liu Zimu also quietly woke up.
This woman didn't make much noise, but she seemed to have a lot of energy, even though it was energy that had been squeezed out of her.
He rolled over in bed and squinted as he watched her stand at the foot of the bed getting dressed.
She glanced back, thinking he was still asleep, tiptoed over, bent down and pecked him on the cheek. His lips were cool and had the minty taste of toothpaste.
He also took a notepad from the bedside table, lay down on the bed and wrote a few strokes, the pen tip making a rustling sound on the paper.
After writing the note, I put it under his phone, grabbed my own phone, and ran away.
Liu Zimu stopped pretending to be asleep.
The note read: "Oppa, I'm sorry I can't attend your coffee shop's reopening today." Below it was a crying face, and next to it was a small note: "Remember to think of me, I've been thinking of you all the time, or I'll get you when I get back tonight."
He stuffed the note into the drawer.
Unlocking the phone, the notification bar on the screen was already overloaded.
At first glance, all I could see were signs that read "Breaking News".
He clicked on the Yonhap News Agency repost, and after two seconds of loading, the headline that popped up read: "[Lee Seung-ri, Jung Joon-young, Choi Jong-hoon, and others were arrested in the early hours of the morning.]"
Scroll down to see the police report released at 3:30 a.m.
Lee Seung-ri was arrested at his residence in Gangnam District.
When the police stormed in, he was still lying on top of his brainless female fan.
Jung Joon-young was arrested in a bar while he was drinking.
Some people were even arrested on the set.
Other celebrities involved in the case were also arrested in various ways, and they were all in a sorry state.
Liu Zimu glanced at it twice.
When faced with cheaters, any protective umbrella is utterly vulnerable.
The notifications kept popping up, I couldn't even read them in time.
One piece of news is that Goo Hara was also summoned and taken away before dawn, supposedly to cooperate with an investigation.
Liu Zimu sat up abruptly, feeling a chill on his back as he lifted off the mattress.
Goo Hara has been summoned.
It's not detention, it's a summons.
They said it was to cooperate with the investigation, but taking them away before dawn doesn't seem like the treatment one would expect when cooperating with an investigation.
Is the investigation more focused on that horrific hacker?
He sat on the edge of the bed, clutching his phone. The light was off, with only a sliver of light filtering through the curtains and falling on the gray floor at the foot of the bed.
I've gone over it in my head several times, trying to figure out which part of the process went wrong.
The USB drive was given to her by Choi Sulli. Goo Hara isn't stupid, is she? She wouldn't just say who gave it to her.
Even if the police ask, she should know the seriousness of the matter.
The forces behind Lee Seungri and his group are too complex. By mentioning Choi Sulli, she is dragging Choi Sulli down with her.
She probably won't do that.
The original USB drive was with Lee Ji-eun, and Goo Hara left a copy on a USB drive, according to Choi Sulli.
Lee Ji-eun is the most reliable person, so it's best to leave it to her to keep.
Liu Zimu took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
Only five people knew about this: Park Chae-young, Choi Sulli, Goo Hara, Lee Ji-eun, and him.
No one would be foolish enough to tell anyone. Sulli and the other two definitely won't say anything, and that spirited young lady, Rosé, probably won't betray him either, right?
I washed my face and changed into clean clothes.
It was almost nine o'clock when I arrived at the coffee shop.
The storefront has a new signboard. The four large, illuminated characters for "Shiguang Coffee" are handwritten and were even custom-made by Choi Sulli.
She wrote several versions while hunched over the table that day, and finally chose the one that looked best to her.
The three newly hired employees have arrived and are standing at the door waiting. There are two women and one man. The two girls are in their early twenties, dressed neatly, and seem a little reserved.
The male employee was in his thirties, named Kim Myung-ho, and was a pastry chef.
The girl closest to him was named Lee Ji-ah, who had worked at a chain coffee shop for two years. Park Min-young was a newcomer, but she was very hardworking and perceptive. Both of them were friends of Lee Jin-hee.
Liu Zimu pulled open the roller shutter door, turned on the light, preheated the coffee machine, and adjusted the grinder.
After letting the three in, he gave them a few brief instructions.
Before I could even explain how to use the coffee machine, someone started yelling at the door.
"Oppa, Oppa, Oppa!"
Golden autumn.
She was carrying her black and white backpack, wearing casual clothes with a down jacket over them, and had the expression of someone who had just gotten wind of a major scandal.
She burst in, slammed her backpack on the bar, her eyes shining like two lamps. She slumped onto the bar, her voice low but her excitement barely concealed.
"Oppa, did you see that? Lee Seungri was arrested! Jung Joon-young was arrested too! And so many other celebrities were arrested in the middle of the night! Did you see the news?"
Liu Zimu continued adjusting the grinder's settings without looking up: "I saw it."
"Did you know that Goo Hara was also taken away?"
Jin Qiutian leaned closer to the bar, her voice trembling with excitement as she spoke: "She was taken away before dawn, supposedly to cooperate with an investigation. I saw it on social media this morning, and I initially thought it was fake news. I only believed it when I saw it was from Yonhap News Agency. She's really something."
Liu Zimu paused for a moment, then looked up at her.
Jin Qiutian's eyes were wide open, her mouth agape, and she was in a state of excitement as if "the world is going crazy."
"Do you know Goo Hara?" Liu Zimu asked her.
"I know her, but she doesn't know me." Jin Qiutian shook her head.
"And that expression of yours? I thought she knew you." Liu Zimu chuckled.
Jin Qiutian, unusually, didn't argue: "Everyone online is talking about this now, it's all in the top ten trending topics. You don't know, our trainee group is in an uproar. Some people said they saw those celebrities on TV yesterday, and today they're in jail. The world changes too fast."
Liu Zimu didn't reply. He set up the coffee grinder, made a cup of coffee, took a sip, and then adjusted the grinder.
Jin Qiutian scrolled through her phone for a while, then suddenly looked up and leaned closer: "Oppa, do you think Goo Hara will be in trouble? Wasn't she a victim? Why is the victim being summoned?"
"How would I know what might happen if I cooperate with the investigation?" Liu Zimu poured out the coffee and made a new one.
"That's true." Jin Qiutian nodded, absentmindedly slacking off at work.
Liu Zhenghua went out for a while and then came back in, carrying several bottles of milk in his hand and a flower basket tucked under his arm. He said he ordered it online, and it read "Grand Opening" with the names of the six employees on it.
Jin Qiutian laughed when she saw the flower basket: "Jung-hwa oppa, you even order flower baskets? I didn't know that."
Liu Zhenghua chuckled twice and placed the flower basket at the door.
When Jin Qiutian saw that her name was on the list, she jumped up and started calling Liu Zhenghua "Oppa, you're so good!" and "Oppa, you're so handsome!"
This made Liu Zhenghua's face turn red.
Seeing that everyone was present, Liu Zimu clapped his hands: "Everyone's here, so let me say a few words!"
He cleared his throat: "Shiguang Coffee is open again. Everyone, do your best. Go to work happily and leave work happily. From now on, Li Zhenxi will be the assistant manager of the store. When I'm not around, you'll follow Zhenxi's instructions."
"Minghao, I'll leave the pastry business to you and Zhiya from now on. Minying, you should get to know Zhenxi and Zhenghua better."
Several people responded in unison.
"Oppa! What about me?" Kim Jong-un looked at him pitifully.
"You'll be my mascot, and I'll help you create another glorious chapter."
Everyone else laughed.
Only Jin Qiutian pouted and snorted in dissatisfaction.
"Autumn, just focus on your studies and practice. You can come to the coffee shop whenever you're not busy. Try to debut as soon as possible, and then you must go to university and become an independent and strong girl."
Jin Qiutian was deeply moved, and then took out a box of macarons from her bag, placed it on the bar, and said that she bought it to congratulate the coffee shop on its reopening.
Liu Zimu glanced at the box of macarons; the packaging was quite exquisite, with a pink ribbon tied into a bow.
Feeling a warmth in my heart, I patted her head.