Chapter 1: My Tea Skills Are Unmatched

Three years of long-distance relationship, my boyfriend cheated on me with a green tea b*tch. Oh, and he also has a tea-loving buddy. But what they don't know is that my tea artistry is unbeatable.

01

By the time the plane landed in Mersill, it was already seven in the evening. With an excited heart, I jumped into Colin Leach's arms, who had come to pick me up at the airport.

He's my boyfriend of six years, with big eyes and a high nose bridge, irresistible when he smiles.

"Colin, I'm not leaving after this return." I buried my head in his embrace, feeling overjoyed.

In my fourth year of university, for the sake of my dreams, I went to Darroway to work hard, while he chose to stay in Mersill.

During three years of long-distance, the times we met were very few.

Colin had a smile on his face and ruffled my hair, "That's great, I'll take you home in a few days to discuss our wedding plans."

Filled with happiness, I sat in the front seat of Ethan Leach's car.

Just as I opened the car door, the lipstick in the gap of the passenger seat caught my attention.

It was a used lipstick.

"Emma, don't get the wrong idea. Earlier, a colleague's electric scooter broke down, and I..."

Colin's words were cut off by the ringing of his phone.

I glanced at the name: Ivy [Pighead]

The nickname seemed a bit intimate.

He answered the call, and a soft female voice came through, "Senior Colin, I might have left my lipstick in your car earlier. I heard you're picking up your girlfriend today; she didn't misunderstand, did she? I can help explain."

A real flower that makes one feel comfortable. But the tea smell isn't my favorite.

Before Colin could speak, I gestured for him to pass the phone to me, smiling as I said, "You must be Ivy, right? It's normal for colleagues to help each other out. No need to call to explain. I often sat in my colleague's passenger seat too. It's no problem, Colin will return the lipstick to you tomorrow."

There was silence on the other end for a moment, and I said nothing further before ending the call.

Colin glanced at me, not looking too well.

"Emma, when you're outside, you still need to be careful. Don't always sit in someone's front seat."

So he knows the implication of the passenger seat too.

I raised an eyebrow, blinking innocently, "Why can Ivy, but I can't?"

Colin was stumped for a moment, "Ivy Cho is our schoolmate, just graduated this year, doesn't understand anything yet. It's just some human concern on my part."

"Alright, I believe you. Today is our 6th anniversary, what are you planning to take me to eat?"

Not wanting the green tea to ruin my mood, I asked Colin.

"Taking my darling out for a meal, of course, it has to be someplace special."

Colin spoke with a mysterious face, and the car finally stopped in front of the Mersill's highest-class five-star restaurant.

I nodded, he put in some effort.

Just as we got out of the car, Colin's phone rang again.

He looked at me and declined the call.

Not two seconds later, the phone rang again.

"Answer it, it might be something urgent." Seeing him look a bit uneasy, I spoke.

Colin smiled apologetically at me and answered the call.

This time, I didn't see the name on the screen.

"Colin, what are you doing, daring to hang up on your goddess!" A sharp female voice came from the other end of the call.

Colin shrank his neck, lowering his voice, "Stop joking around. I don't have time to fool around with you guys today."

"What do you mean fool around? What? Girlfriend just came back and she's already restricting your freedom? Bring her over, let us educate her."

"If you keep talking like that, I'll hang up."

Colin intensified his tone a bit, and looked at me covertly, afraid I'd be upset at what was said earlier.

The person on the other end got serious, "Max is in Mersill today, we've organized a gathering at a local spot, you mustn't miss it."

"Today is my 6th anniversary with Emma. I'm not going." Colin refused without a second thought.

02

This time, the woman got really angry.

"Women are trouble, always remembering these fancy dates, just wanting gifts. Colin, if you don't come, it means you look down on us brothers. Don't blame us if we turn against you."

"This...." Colin looked at me, in an uncomfortable position.

I smiled, took the phone, "Friend, you misunderstood Colin. We've booked a private room. I'll have Colin send you the location and come join us."

"Who are you? Why are you interrupting when I'm talking to Colin?" The person on the phone got agitated hearing my voice.

"Colin Leach's girlfriend, of course. You didn't know? I don't blame you since we haven't met." I maintained a smile, spoke plainly, and had Colin send the location.

"Emma, you know, this restaurant is high-end and requires reservations. I put in quite some effort to book two seats. We should go somewhere else with so many people."

Colin was in a bit of a bind, he couldn't book another room.

Seeing him like that, I took out a card.

The card gleamed.

"I'm a VIP here, no need for reservations."

Seeing the VIP card, Colin's eyes lit up, and his previously troubled face turned to joy as he went into the private room with me.

Once seated, he explained to me, "The call earlier was from Grace Lynn, an old friend, she's straightforward like a guy, don't mind her."

I looked at him for a moment, wondering if he was playing dumb or genuinely didn't see it.

"Don't worry, your friends are my friends. I even bought gifts for them."

Just then, a man knocked on the private room door, my assistant, Lucas Lee.

"Mr. Rowe, here are the items you requested." Lucas handed bags of gifts to me and left on his own.

"Emma, you..." Colin looked at the bags of gifts, somewhat excited.

"Meeting your friends, I can't come empty-handed, that would be rude."

Just as I finished speaking, there was a commotion outside.

Five men and one woman walked towards us.

"Miss Emma, you haven't changed a bit in all these years!" The man in the white shirt couldn't help but praise me when he saw me.

Among Colin's brothers, there were a few I recognized.

"It's all makeup, I'm really envious of you girls, even the ugliest can transform into a goddess, unlike me, who can't do anything or use those things."

A sudden female voice rang out.

I glanced at Grace Lynn, short, thick thighs, small eyes with noticeable double eyelid tape, and unevenly applied foundation on yellowish skin.

Can't call it ugly, but definitely not pretty.

Her talent for speaking nonsense with open eyes was impressive.

Colin had mentioned previously that Grace moved to Mersill last year, unfamiliar with the place, and being former neighbors, they gradually got in touch more.

"You're Grace Lynn, right? Colin often talks about you. It's a pity the gift I bought for you seems unsuitable."

I sighed, picking a bottle of toner, quite pricey, from among the gifts.

Seeing the toner in my hand, a hint of surprise flashed in Grace's eyes as she extended a hand towards me.

Pretending not to notice, I asked the five men, "Who has a girlfriend here? This can be for her."

One man eagerly accepted it, thanking me, calling me "sister-in-law."

03

"You all have a share too, take whichever you like." I pointed to the gift boxes behind me.

"Wow, are you a fairy, sis-in-law? This limited edition jersey is worth a fortune, are you really giving it to us?"

"I've had my eye on this Hermès wallet for a long time. Colin, you're lucky to have found such a wonderful sis-in-law!"

The praises made Grace clench her teeth tighter.

Colin was overjoyed; being able to dine at such a restaurant already made him feel proud in front of his bros, and now I've brought so many surprising gifts. For a moment, he felt as if he were floating.

"Such materialism. I originally thought only women were that materialistic, but I didn't expect you stinky men to be the same," Grace said irritably, glaring at them.

After all, she had refused to accept the only gift among them that could have been hers.

I held her hand sincerely, "I don't like materialistic women either. Grace, I realize we're really suited, how about we be best friends?"

Grace was taken aback, quickly withdrawing her hand dismissively, "I don't make friends with women, they're too much trouble."

I tugged on Colin's sleeve, feeling wronged, "Colin, does your friend not like me? What did I do wrong? I can change."

"Sis-in-law, don't mind her; she's just crazy. Hurry and eat, such a big lobster, who knows when we'll have it again."

The comment in the white shirt left Grace speechless.

Savoring the food, Grace started acting up again.

She picked up Colin's cup and took a sip.

"Oops, I grabbed the wrong cup. Miss Emma, you won't mind, will you?"

Grace blinked, a sly grin spreading across her lips, "We used to drink like this often, it's a habit. If it bothers you, I won't do it anymore."

"What's the big deal? Waiter, bring ten more bottles of juice, this lady loves it." I waved to the waiter, "Grace, you're really something. Don't hold back, just order whatever you want. We're not outsiders."

"Yeah, Grace, Emma's not an outsider," Colin echoed, looking at me with increased affection.

Facing the ten cups of juice, Grace clenched her fists tightly and acted up again, "I only drink alcohol, not juice."

"Alcohol, huh." I murmured.

Catching the hesitation in my eyes, Grace slammed the table, "Miss Emma, dare to compete with me in drinking?"

"Is that alright?" I felt a little uneasy.

Grace grew even prouder, "What's wrong with it? I really don't think much of you women who can't even drink."

Listening to how she talks, saying one time after another how she looks down on women, I got annoyed. Isn't she a woman too? Why such a big prejudice?

"I'm just afraid you'll embarrass yourself." I sighed softly.

Grace sneered, "You're just scared, whoever gets down first is a loser!"

An hour later, I ended up with a new granddaughter named Grace.

Though I didn't quite want her.

Seeing Grace lying on the ground completely helpless, I carefully set down my glass; does she really dare compete with me with that level of drinking?

What a joke. The drinking stamina I developed for successful deal signings, and it's something a little girl can match?

The gathering neared its end due to Grace's drunkenness, and I voluntarily took on the task of sending her home. She put up quite a fight, throwing up in Colin's car.

Colin was so mad he almost ripped off the steering wheel.

04

Back home, Colin hurried to shower.

A "ding dong" sounded; a WeChat message popped up.

I glanced at it; it was from Ivy[Pig Head].

Ivy[Pig Head]: Senior Colin, is your girlfriend asleep?

Scrolling up, there was no chat history.

Clearly, he had deleted it.

I felt a bit stuffed inside; we had just returned for less than one night, and two women had already started causing trouble.

I'm starting to doubt Colin's sincerity toward me.

When Colin came out wrapped in a towel, he saw me staring blankly at his phone.

He snatched the phone away, speaking incoherently, "Emma you... let me explain, Ivy recently took on a landscape design project, and she's not that remarkable. She wanted to consult me."

Oh, but what does that have to do with whether I'm sleeping or not? I looked at him for a while, smiling.

"It's considerate of her to think that way; since that's the case, go ahead and guide her."

Saying so, I dialed Ivy's voice call.

The call quickly connected, and Ivy's tender voice came through, "Senior, how dare you call me?"

"Aren't you revising your proposal? Emma's worried you won't finish and asked me to help," Colin immediately spoke.

Upon hearing this, Ivy continued, "You're something, not spending more time with your girlfriend, yet calling me."

The two continued revising the proposal, and I didn't bother them, going back to have a lovely sleep.

Alone in bed, I reminisced about the bits and pieces with Colin.

The college romances were beautiful and pure.

At least that's what Colin believed.

But he didn't know; I was never an innocent little rabbit but a cunning big wolf.

I admit being a lookist; at a party during sophomore year, one stunning encounter made me want to capture him.

Having no meal card was fake; losing my phone was also fake.

Step by step, under my temptation, along with my decent appearance, he confessed to me.

Back then, Colin sincerely liked me.

But now, he seemed unfamiliar.

Rather than dwell on unpleasant matters, I slept well.

Morning came, and the proposal wasn't finished.

I'm starting to doubt their work capability.

"Alright, time for work, show me around the company properly." I shook Colin awake, who was sleeping on the computer.

Colin's company is Rowe Group's subsidiary in Mersill; I've been assigned here as the CEO, so it's a promotion.

Two years ago, Colin's career was struggling, and I pulled some strings to get him into this company. Thanks to my face, he's been promoted to a deputy manager in the department these two years.

That's a modest achievement.

Strolling around the company, the overall atmosphere was pretty good, but the intern named Ivy had taken half a day off; it's a shame not seeing her.

At three in the afternoon, I finally saw Ivy in person.

Her figure is exquisite, her skin smooth and fair, and those big watery eyes make you look twice.

Hmm, this is what a proper seductress looks like.

The exquisite Ivy was carrying a cup of coffee forward; judging by the direction, she seemed to head to the manager's office.

I stepped forward, blocking her path.

Ivy eyed me up and down, irritated, "You're the new intern, right? Why are you here instead of working?"

I rubbed my nose and leaned closer, lowering my voice, "If I were you, I wouldn't deliver such hot coffee; only coffee at the right temperature will make the manager see you as careful and reliable."

Hearing my words, Ivy hesitated; she looked at me in a daze, a bit admiringly, "You're the real expert."

I waved my hand without saying a word.

This pretty seductress seems to have little brain.

Watching Ivy silly blow on the coffee, I took a cup myself, delivered it to Colin.

As Ivy knocked on the office door, Colin was drinking my coffee.

"You!" Seeing me, Ivy was too angry to speak.