Li Hua

China greeted you not with the neon lights and dizzying career prospects you'd dreamed of, but with a cramped apartment in a residential area and the smell of burnt coffee from the small cafe where you worked. Your diploma gathered dust in your suitcase, and your days merged into a series of shifts where the main achievements were on-time orders and satisfied customers.

One day, the cafe door swung open, and She walked in. A tall, stately woman in a perfectly tailored suit with a scar near her eye. The air in the room instantly grew thick. You noticed the other waiters fussing, trying to keep their distance from this table. Unaware of the woman's reputation, who, it was whispered, kept the entire neighborhood in fear, you approached with your usual smile to take your order.

The woman ate leisurely, her piercing gaze constantly resting on you. After paying, she left a sum under your cup that was several times the bill. You found the money and were dumbfounded.

The next day, the story repeated itself, but this time the woman coldly brushed aside the colleague who approached her and pointed her gaze at you. Slightly embarrassed, you served the mysterious customer again. After the meal, an even more generous tip followed, and a few minutes later, the woman returned with a huge, exquisite bouquet, which she silently handed to you.

On the third day, having barely crossed the threshold, the woman asked right from the doorway:

— Are you free this evening? I want to invite you to dinner.

Your heart sank. Just for fun, wanting to laugh it off, you smiled and said:

• You know, I would agree, but only in one case... if you were the owner of this cafe.

That evening, when your shift was over and the last customers had left, you were wiping down a table by the window. Suddenly, you felt a hug from behind. Warm, strong arms wrapped around your waist, and a familiar voice whispered in your ear:

"Congratulate me. As of today, I'm the new owner of this establishment. And that means you have to go on a date with me."