The next day, Xia Yu officially started working at the “Fruit Drink Division” of the Summer Surf Shop.
Kk was worried she might not adapt, so she stayed by her side for a while in the morning, teaching her step by step how to take customer orders and greet guests.
Later, since kk had a Surfing lesson and Cheng Li was busy with other things, the shop was left entirely in her hands.
At first, Xia Yu was a bit nervous, but after greeting a few customers and getting more familiar with making fruit drinks, her nervousness faded away.
Ding-a-ling…
She had just delivered a cup of grape fruit drink when the wind chime rang again.
Xia Yu immediately stood up from her chair.
“Welcome…”
A man walked in from outside, dressed in a black T-shirt and gray long pants, tall and slender, looking like he had just woken up.
The word “welcome” got stuck in Xia Yu’s throat.
“Where’s Cheng Li?”
The newcomer was none other than Xu Baiyan.
Xia Yu replied, “Boss Cheng is busy right now.”
“Oh.”
Xu Baiyan stood there without moving, looking as if he was trying to wake up from sleepwalking.
But to be honest, even in this state, he still looked really good.
“Coach, do you want a cup of fruit tea to wake you up?”
Xia Yu asked kindly.
Xu Baiyan looked at Xia Yu.
At that moment, she was standing quietly behind the bar, looking at him, with a butterfly hairpin clipped to the side of her hair, almost as if it was about to fly away.
“What can you make?”
“I can make anything now.”
Xia Yu sounded a bit pleased and slightly proud, “Anything in the shop, I’ll treat you.”
Xu Baiyan sat down on the high stool by the bar, propping up his head with one hand.
“Treat me?”
“Yeah… Thanks for yesterday, for teaching me Surfing for free.”
Xia Yu was genuinely grateful, so she enthusiastically said, “How about I make you one of the shop’s combos? The combo comes with a dessert. For fruit tea, what would you like… Watermelon Jasmine Iced Tea? Mango Green Tea? Or something else?”
Xu Baiyan hadn’t planned on having any fruit tea, but seeing her so enthusiastic, he didn’t feel like refusing.
Hmm, having a student feels pretty good.
“Watermelon, then. No dessert, I don’t like sweets.”
“Then please wait a moment.”
Xia Yu turned to cut the watermelon.
It was very fresh, and after slicing it, she put a few pieces into a cup and mashed them, then prepared ice and syrup…
Xu Baiyan sat there, one hand propping up his head, the other sliding across his phone on the bar. Since he was right in front of the cutting board, every time Xia Yu looked up, she could see his hand.
His fingers were long, with pronounced knuckles, and faint veins stood out on the back, exuding the vigor of a young man.
“Don’t put too much syrup in,” a voice came from in front of her.
Xia Yu snapped back to attention.
“Ah… okay.”
She lowered her eyes, genuinely admiring how even the Coach’s hands were so good-looking.
Are good-looking people just good at everything?
So unfair.
Ding-a-ling…
Just as she continued making the drink, someone else entered the shop.
Cheng Li came in first, followed by two girls and a guy in swimsuits, all with trendy makeup and hairstyles.
“You can order here, or sit down first. Let’s talk about your level so I can arrange a Coach.”
Cheng Li said to them.
“Sure.”
The three of them walked over to the bar.
Xia Yu paused making the fruit tea to take their orders, but while they were ordering, their eyes kept glancing over at Xu Baiyan.
“Hello, what would you like to drink?”
Xia Yu had to draw their attention back.
The blonde girl said, “I’ll have a Lemon Water.”
“Okay, and the other two…”
“Boss, can we pick our own Coach?”
The blonde girl suddenly smiled at Cheng Li.
Cheng Li replied, “For these two days, any Coach who hasn’t been booked for lessons is available.”
“Then… can we pick him?”
“Yeah, yeah, can we pick him?”
The two girls were eager, their eyes fixed on Xu Baiyan.
Xia Yu noticed too, and thought, Looks like his reputation is really good, people are even requesting him by name as Coach.
Seems like her successful Surfing yesterday had some effect.
“He… wait a second, you guys sit down first, I’ll check.”
Cheng Li led the three to their seats, then came back to Xu Baiyan and whispered, “So? Wakesurfing, want to take the job?”
The customers couldn’t hear at that volume, but Xia Yu, just across the bar, heard clearly.
She saw Xu Baiyan glance at Cheng Li, seeming a bit annoyed.
Cheng Li quickly said, “No wonder that girl kept asking about you on the way here, turns out she came for you. Anyway, you’re free, so want to do it?”
Xu Baiyan: “5000 per hour.”
Xia Yu froze in the back, gasping.
So after the trial price, Coach is actually this expensive!!
Cheng Li nudged him and said in a low voice, “What are you, slaughtering a pig?”
Xu Baiyan replied coolly, “What’s wrong with my price?”
“You, your price isn’t a problem, but they’re just asking for Wakesurfing… Whatever, I’ll go ask, maybe they’re willing to pay.”
“Wait, no need to ask. I suddenly feel really dizzy, maybe I’ve caught a cold. Can’t teach.”
Cheng Li’s mouth twitched, rolling his eyes dramatically.
What five thousand, what cold, he just doesn’t want to teach.
But it made sense—those two girls probably just liked his looks, not really here to learn…
“Always so picky, who’s the Boss here, me or you?”
Cheng Li grumbled, but he was already prepared to turn them down for him.
Xu Baiyan caught on, patted his shoulder.
“Boss shouldn’t mistreat employees, right? If someone’s sick, let them rest, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re so annoying.”
After complaining, he turned to the customers with a friendly smile.
“Hello, sorry, he’s fully booked…”
The Watermelon Jasmine Iced Tea was ready.
Xia Yu placed the fruit tea on a coaster and pushed it in front of Xu Baiyan, but her hand lingered on the coaster, not letting go.
Xu Baiyan couldn’t take it, so he looked up at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Coach, are you sure you want to drink something cold if you have a cold? Should I make you a room temperature one instead?”
The girl looked sincere.
Xu Baiyan’s gaze lingered on her face for two seconds.
“I’m not sick.”
“But you just said you had a cold…”
“Just said it casually.”
Xia Yu was stunned for a moment, then pulled her hand back.
She glanced at the group by the window and whispered, “So you just don’t want to take this order?”
The Watermelon Jasmine Iced Tea was a bit sweet, but very refreshing.
Xu Baiyan took two sips, thinking to himself, She really picks up on making drinks fast.
“Yeah, I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
Xu Baiyan didn’t want to explain the weird reasons, so he simply said, “I can tell just by looking, they don’t know anything.”
Xia Yu fell into thought.
“…But I didn’t know anything before either.”
Xu Baiyan looked at her and, for some reason, found her silent expression amusing, so he teased her slowly, “Exactly. Since I already have a student like you who doesn’t know anything, I don’t want to teach a second one.”
“…”
Xia Yu decided to take back what she said before about him being a nice person!
Xia Yu’s job didn’t involve Surfing, so for the next three or four days, she just showed up at the fruit drink shop on time for work.
On her breaks, she’d wander aimlessly on the beach or sit on a chair watching the sea.
Sometimes she’d go for a swim, though she wasn’t very skilled and always brought a swim ring.
These days were fulfilling and happy for her. Watching all the people coming and going to Surfing at the shop, she felt a bit itchy inside.
Ever since her last success with Wakesurfing, she actually wanted to try Surfing again.
But… she didn’t dare to book Xu Baiyan for a lesson anymore.
Five thousand an hour, way above market price, way too expensive.
That afternoon after work, Xia Yu had dinner with kk and the others at the shop.
Xu Baiyan was there too—he often showed up at Summer Surf Shop to eat and hang out.
Xia Yu felt like he was really good friends with everyone here.
After dinner, she packed up her takeaway and sat for a while under the shop’s parasol at the door.
The evening breeze was gentle. She sent her mom a WeChat message to say she was safe. Her mom replied much later, just telling her to be careful, nothing else.
Xia Yu was used to the distance in her family, so she didn’t say anything more.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
Suddenly, someone patted her on the shoulder.
Xia Yu turned around and saw He Jiasen rolling up on a skateboard behind her.
She had gotten much more familiar with He Jiasen lately, so she smiled and said, “Nothing much, just resting after dinner.”
He Jiasen glanced inside.
“Are they all still in there?”
“Yeah, still eating.”
Xia Yu looked at his feet and complimented, “Your skateboard looks really cool.”
“Really! It’s my new Land Surf Board.”
“Land Surf Board?”
“Yeah, it’s a bit different from a regular skateboard. I play with it to keep my Surfing footwork sharp.”
Since it was Surfing-related, Xia Yu grew curious.
“So you can practice Surfing on land with this?”
“Yeah, want to try?”
“I’ve never tried it.”
“No worries, just give it a go, I’ll teach you.”
Lately, Xia Yu had been fascinated by Surfing.
Hearing that this board could help her practice, she was interested and followed He Jiasen to a flat spot at the door.
“Step on, I’ll hold you.”
Xia Yu was a bit nervous, carefully putting one foot on the board, which wobbled slightly.
He Jiasen said, “Don’t be scared, keep your center of gravity low, bend your knees, just like when you learned Wakesurfing.”
“Like this?”
She recalled the feeling of Surfing on the sea and mimicked the posture, quickly finding her balance.
She spread her arms slightly and stepped on with her other foot.
“Yeah, that’s it, you’re a fast learner!”
Being praised made Xia Yu a bit embarrassed.
He Jiasen said, “Keep your balance. You can gently push off with your back foot.”
Xia Yu nodded carefully, tried it, and the board slid forward a bit.
He Jiasen stayed close in case she fell, teaching her simple skating moves.
When he saw she could balance on her own, he asked, “Xia Yu, when are you going Surfing again? Let’s go together.”
She stepped off, the board coming to a stop.
Xia Yu looked at him sideways, “Are you a Coach?”
“Yeah, I’m part-time, I teach occasionally.”
He Jiasen was about her age, studying at university in Hai Cheng, currently on summer break.
Xia Yu had been wanting to find a Surfing Coach lately, but the shop’s Coaches were all in high demand.
Like kk, she had lessons every day, and Xia Yu didn’t want to ask her to make time.
If He Jiasen was available, that was perfect, and as a part-time Coach, his price should be lower.
“So, how much do you charge per hour?”
“Me? You want me to teach you? If it’s you, I definitely won’t charge!”
Xia Yu waved her hand.
“No, no, of course you have to charge. I’d feel bad if you didn’t.”
“It’s fine, we’re all friends!”
Seeing he really wouldn’t take money, Xia Yu gave up and changed the subject, “Can I try your Land Surf Board again?”
“Sure, just be careful.”
“Okay, I’ll go slow.”
On the other side, Xu Baiyan came out of the shop and saw this scene.
In the open space at the door, Xia Yu was carefully gliding on the Land Surf Board while He Jiasen followed her around, grinning like a lovesick puppy.
Doesn’t he get tired?
I can’t watch this.
“Hey! Bro!”
He Jiasen quickly noticed Xu Baiyan at the door and ran over with a smile.
“I taught Xia Yu for a bit, she can skate a short distance now.”
“Oh.”
“Bro, I think she has pretty good balance. You said before she was hard to teach Surfing, but that’s your problem.”
Xu Baiyan: “?”
He Jiasen, proud to beat him at Surfing, boasted, “And you know what? Xia Yu just said she wants me to be her Coach!”
Xu Baiyan: “She asked you?”
“Yeah. She wants me to teach her. Hey, bro, don’t be upset, people just think I teach better, it’s no big deal!”
The evening breeze carried the warmth of a summer night past their ears.
But Xia Yu felt a chill on her back.
She stopped the board abruptly, one foot on the Land Surf Board, and looked around for He Jiasen, only to see Xu Baiyan staring at her with a very dark look.
“…?”
“Xia Yu, having fun?”
He Jiasen waved at her.
Xia Yu bent down, picked up the Land Surf Board, and walked over.
“Yeah, it’s pretty fun.”
“Then after you get off work, I’ll come teach you. Once you get used to the feel, it’ll be easier to Surf with me.”
Xia Yu didn’t want to take advantage of He Jiasen’s free lessons, so she didn’t respond.
“My off-work time isn’t fixed, I just play around when I can.”
“No problem, just call me when you’re done.”
At that moment, his phone rang.
After answering, He Jiasen said, “I’ll leave the Land Surf Board with you, my friend called me, I have to go. See you tomorrow!”
“Hey, you don’t have to——”
He Jiasen said it was fine and ran off.
Xia Yu couldn’t stop him, so she just kept holding the Land Surf Board. Glancing sideways, she saw Xu Baiyan still standing there, so she smiled politely.
“Coach——”
“You dare learn from his half-baked skills,” Xu Baiyan blurted out.
“Huh?”
“Going down the wrong path.”
“……”