Chapter 059: In the Name of Emotion

Qin Shishen raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting that someone would genuinely want to be the guinea pig for this:
“I have considered it, but it’s still just an immature idea for now.”
“I don’t think so. I find it quite good. Naming a series after emotions—what a creative concept!”
Although Qin Shishen had only mentioned it in passing on Tuesday, Lin Luyou had remembered it immediately, and from that moment on, she had been thinking about the new “Emotion” series.

Seeing that Lin Luyou’s determination didn’t waver, Qin Shishen didn’t press further. He turned, fetched an apron from around the corner, put it on, and pulled on his gloves.
“Then tell me, how are you feeling right now?” Qin Shishen said, then added, “Or you could tell me about the most striking thing you experienced today. I’ll make you a drink based on your current mood. Pure fruit juice.”

He switched the music in the shop to something softer and turned his attention to preparing the drink.

Perhaps it was the relaxing environment, or maybe she simply wanted someone to confide in, but Qin Shishen’s gesture seemed to open a window for Lin Luyou. She hugged her plushie to her chest, pondered for a moment, and began to speak softly.

The feeling that weighed on her most today was a sense of helplessness.

At school, she was known as a top student, one of those gifted types. There were difficult problems, to be sure, but every answer could be found with enough effort. No matter how challenging or advanced the questions became, they always traced back to the formulas and logic the teachers had taught in class.

But everything changed once she entered the workplace.

Take the problem her group encountered today: with her perspective, she could only see so far. She thought her idea was solid—not perfect, perhaps, but at least worthy of an eighty out of a hundred.

But the truth was, her suggestion was simply a good starting point, nothing more. She agreed with Chen Xujia and the others that her concept lacked defined boundaries, but she couldn’t think of a solution.

After pouring out her thoughts, Lin Luyou felt the weight on her heart begin to lift—but her emotions, which she’d tried to steady, seemed to sour again.

Perhaps it was because these negative feelings had never truly been resolved, only pushed down and ignored in a self-deceiving attempt to pretend they didn’t exist.

“Many people experience something similar when they first enter the workforce. For some, it’s helplessness; for others, confusion. At its core, it’s because our roles have changed.”

Qin Shishen paused his work, pressing both hands on the counter, looking at her with genuine sincerity. His gaze seemed to want to assure her: You are not lacking in any way.

After a brief silence, Qin Shishen resumed what he was doing.
“Sometimes, we move too quickly, but our hearts are still stuck in the past. That sense of disparity comes from there. In times like these, the best thing we can do is stop for a moment, let our hearts catch up.”

With those words, Qin Shishen placed a long, spiral strip of orange peel in the glass as a garnish, then pushed the cup in front of Lin Luyou.

A devotee of aesthetics, Lin Luyou was instantly captivated by the drink’s beauty, its colors and artistry.

In the straight glass stood several stacked, square ice cubes.
Near the bottom, the liquid was clear and bright, while near the rim, it deepened into a darker hue. The spiral orange peel stood upright in the glass—like sunlight piercing through clouds, or a ladder guiding the way.

Gradient colors always held the deepest resonance for Lin Luyou, more evocative than anything she’d seen before. But nothing she’d encountered could match the feeling this drink gave her now.

“This could be displayed as a work of art!” Lin Luyou couldn’t help but exclaim.