The ex-wife of a former CEO regrets resigning to raise her child and retire from public life.

Chapter 28 The Cleaned Table

Lu Ming's fingers gently pressed on the strings, and the last note of "Rice Fragrance" slowly dissipated in the air, but the wave of warmth woven from the song and laughter still lingered in everyone's hearts.

The store was quiet for a moment, then erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. This was not only because of the beautiful song, but also because everyone, strangers to each other, had gathered together for that long-lost, inseparable joy.

Lu Ming stood in the center of the crowd, his T-shirt soaked with sweat, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light. The gloom that had been weighing on him for so long was completely dispelled by the chorus. He turned his head and looked at Chen Feng and Zhang Qiang, who were watching him with smiles, and Mengmeng, who was sitting on a high chair clapping her chubby little hands frantically. Suddenly, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

Seeing everyone's high spirits, Chen Feng's eyes also showed a genuine touch of emotion. He turned and went back to the kitchen, and soon returned with Zhang Qiang to carry out two huge bamboo and wooden trays lined with snow-white oil paper.

The tray was neatly stacked with piles of exquisite pastries.

These pastries have a crispy outer layer that looks like it would crumble at the slightest touch, with layers of pleats resembling blooming white clouds, subtly revealing the light purple filling inside. This is a type of pastry called "Flower Cloud Cake".

"Everyone," Chen Feng said, walking to the center of the store. His voice was calm.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the two plates of pastries.

Chen Feng smiled and said, "These are Osmanthus Glutinous Rice Cakes that I made a couple of days ago when I was finishing up the renovations. I saw that I still had a lot of ingredients left. I originally planned to give them to the old neighbors on the old street who had been suffering from noise pollution during the first three days of the opening as an apology. But since everyone is in such a good mood today, and we happen to have a few extra plates, please try them if you don't mind."

Chen Feng paused, glanced at the young people who were curiously looking around, and continued:

"But today, I must thank you all. Thank you for your recognition of 'Human Touch,' and thank you for bringing such a joyful atmosphere to the store. There are still quite a few pastries left; if you don't mind, please try some."

"Oh—long live the boss!"

"Boss, you're so thoughtful! We actually stumbled upon this hidden perk that hasn't even been released yet!"

Although everyone was overjoyed, they remained restrained. Even though the tempting sweet aroma had already filled everyone's nostrils, no one rushed forward to grab the food. Everyone tacitly remained seated, watching with expectant eyes as Chen Feng and Zhang Qiang moved between the tables and chairs, distributing the delicate "glutinous rice cakes" to everyone's plates.

Lu Ming took a piece of pastry, his fingertips touching the cool and crispy crust, and he felt a surge of emotion. He took a small bite, and the crust crumbled instantly between his lips and teeth, revealing a rich but not cloying filling with a delicate fragrance of osmanthus and glutinous rice. The smooth texture was like a layer of velvet spreading across his tongue.

"It's so delicious..."

"This isn't a prototype; this is a top-tier dessert that even a five-star hotel couldn't make!"

With that sweet taste, the atmosphere in the shop reached an even higher level. Lu Ming couldn't bear to put down his guitar and chose a few more upbeat folk songs to play and sing. Although it lacked the grand, chorus-like impact of "Rice Fragrance" from before, it had a more relaxed and leisurely feel, like a gathering at an old friend's house.

However, happy times are always fleeting. As the clock on the wall pointed to one, this mini "concert" came to an end.

Looking at the fine beads of sweat on Chen Feng's temples and Zhang Qiang's energetic yet clearly exhausted steps, the group of young people showed remarkable tacit understanding.

No one organized it, and no one needed to speak up.

Lu Ming was the first to put away his guitar. He took out a stack of clean tissues from his pocket and not only wiped the crumbs off his table clean, but also helped the diners next to him who hadn't had time to clean up their plates to tidy up their empty plates.

This scene then played out in every corner of the store.

The white-collar workers who needed to go back to their offices in the afternoon, the girlfriends who had dates later, and students like Lu Ming who were in a hurry to get back to school to prepare for their make-up exams all stood up. They tacitly took away their trash, put the tables and chairs back in their places, and then neatly handed the stacks of empty plates to Zhang Qiang.

"Boss, thank you for your hard work! I'll remember this taste for the rest of my life."

"Hey little manager, see you tomorrow! Make sure to save a copy for me, otherwise I'll keep dreaming about bunnies tonight!"

"Brother Zhang Qiang, you've had a tough morning. Sit down and rest for a bit, let's head over!"

Everyone greeted Chen Feng, Zhang Qiang, and Mengmeng, who was sitting on a high chair and was already a little sleepy but still insisted on waving goodbye, and then left the store one after another.

The once noisy and chaotic "human touch" returned to tranquility in less than ten minutes.

These young people, whether they were leaving the store, boarding the bus back, getting into a ride-hailing car, or walking back to campus, did almost the same thing.

They took out their phones and opened Lin Muyuan's tweet.

The doubts that were originally discussing "whether he's dead" under Lin Muyuan's tweet were suddenly completely drowned out by an unprecedented force.

Lu Ming sat on the bus back to school, watching the old street scene recede into the distance outside the window, his fingers flying across the screen. He didn't write a long essay because he felt that any language would pale in comparison to that atmosphere.

He only sent one word:

【god】

Then he added a picture: it was when he was playing and singing, the sunlight fell on half of a bunny bun, the glistening meat juice was about to drip, and the background was Mengmeng's bright and transparent smiling face.

Immediately afterwards, the comment section went wild.

"God!" — The accompanying image is a complete circle of rabbits pieced together by four girls.

"God!" — The accompanying image is a slow-motion screenshot of someone getting splattered with meat juice on their nose.

"God!" — The accompanying picture is of a crispy, heartbreakingly crunchy "Osmanthus Glutinous Rice Cake".

The word "god" seemed like some kind of mysterious totem, quickly flooding the entire comment section. Dozens of identical replies followed by food photos from different angles.

Those fans who were initially observing and wondering whether Lin Muyuan would "lose his reputation in his later years" gradually had their doubts shattered as they watched the feedback from different IDs and backgrounds, all of which gave him the same extremely positive reviews. Instead, they were replaced by an almost frantic sense of anxiety.

"Holy crap, Lao Lin wasn't lying, the buns in these photos are practically glowing!"

"That little signboard girl is so cute, I want to form a group to steal her... oh no, I want to go buy her steamed buns!"

"Nobody can stop me tomorrow, I'm taking a day off! I'm going to the old street! I want to eat 'divine' steamed buns!"

Meanwhile, Chen Feng and Zhang Qiang were sitting in chairs inside the store, resting in a disheveled state.