Chapter 9 Fishing Coffee

Before arriving, Nie Guangyi had imagined many things about "shoddy counterfeits."

What he thought about most was the design inside the house.

Would it also be more than eighty percent similar to his concept design?

If that was the case, then it was definitely plagiarism.

These days, he pondered over and over.

A purely architectural appearance similarity could perhaps still be understandable.

Just as some people can find someone in some corner of the world who looks just like them, a monozygotic twin.

This is not just talk.

Nie Guangyi had once watched a documentary on Channel Four in the United Kingdom called "Finding My Twin Stranger."

This documentary found seven pairs of people who look almost identical but are not related by blood at all.

He had also seen a themed photography exhibition called "The Other Me in the World."

The photographer found many pairs of people who, despite differing in lives, backgrounds, and even ethnicity, looked exactly alike.

They had no blood relation but resembled each other so closely that they could unlock each other's phones using facial recognition.

And it wasn't just an isolated case.

Nie Guangyi was willing to convince himself that someone might come up with the same architectural appearance as he did.

But he couldn't believe that even the name would be exactly the same.

A sole resemblance in appearance, or merely a coincidence in name, could all be chalked up to happenstance.

But when both occurred together, it was all just a bit too coincidental.

Where there's smoke, there's fire,

The very second Nie Guangyi truly entered "the counterfeit," all his imaginations spun from viewing photos were overturned.

Even an architect star like him, no matter how many awards he had won, couldn't have imagined something as wild as drinking coffee while fishing.

This was no longer a matter of lack of imagination, but complete nonsense.

He was now certain that the person who designed this building was undoubtedly not a professional.

They dared to imagine anything and put anything into their designs.

A professional architect, no matter how much they pursued creative ideas, would not completely disregard functionality and practicality.

Even so, the nearly identical appearance still gave him the feeling that his design had been trampled upon.

For Nie Guangyi, who had been at the pinnacle of success since his debut, this feeling was extremely devastating.

In the past, he would occasionally hear complaints from fellow architects and designers about repeatedly encountering unsophisticated clients.

Whether it was residential, commercial, or large-scale building design.

A perfectly good design executed only to be forcibly injected with their own ideas.

In the end, it became a mess, completely unrecognizable.

Despite the design fees being paid in full.

His designer friends were still reluctant to admit that those were their designs.

Until now, such a scenario had never occurred with Nie Guangyi.

Firstly, his fees were not low.

Secondly, he had won countless awards.

Thirdly, he could choose his clients.

Those who sought out Nie Guangyi generally trusted his design and aesthetic sense.

They usually wouldn't make any excessive demands.

For instance, inserting a Buddhist altar into a modern minimalist building.

In summary, an award-winning genius designer like him always had a strong say in his own designs.

...

The first thing Nie Guangyi did after sitting down was to lift up the floor beneath the table.

His mouth complained, but his body was honest.

He looked at the fishing rod in his hand, then looked at the clear water below the floor.

His heart felt a mixture of freshness and an indescribable discomfort.

"A cafe where you can fish—is this something a normal human brain could come up with? And to have the gall to call it Aurora's Intention?"

Nie Guangyi casually tossed the fishing rod into the water, speaking with disdain, "Fishing Coffee would be a more apt name."

Cheng Nuo also came to the table where Nie Guangyi was sitting.

It was important to give due attention to her boyfriend's good brother's first visit.

"Fishing Coffee sounds pretty good. For the next month, let's call it that. I'll send out a notice on the public account later," Cheng Nuo went along with Nie Guangyi, just as Xuan Shi did.

Sometimes, men are spoiled by their brothers and their brothers' girlfriends.

"No, no," Nie Guangyi shook his head repeatedly.

He wasn't there to show support, so how could he do something that would benefit Cheng Nuo?

That was absolutely not acceptable.

Nie Guangyi had a flash of inspiration and spoke up, "What appeal does Fishing Coffee have? Isn't your cafe's specialty to let the fish hang themselves? In my opinion, it should be called [Fishing Coffee]."

Nie Guangyi was obviously picking a fight.

But Cheng Nuo was taken with the idea and fell into thought.

"[Fishing Coffee]..." Cheng Nuo paused, then appraised, "That's quite catchy. It's settled then!"

Cheng Nuo became even happier and seriously started recording on the note app in his phone.

"Anuo, are you serious?" Xuan Shi, standing between the two, was a bit unsure.

"Yeah, a coffee shop that's only open for a month can't do without Brother Guangyi's auspicious naming rights," Cheng Nuo put away her phone.

Nie Guangyi was shocked by this move.

He didn't know whether he should compliment Cheng Nuo on her taste, or say she had issues with her brain.

Let's just say it was a combination of the two.

...

Brother Guangyi's words were golden.

Saying he would sit by himself at a table, he absolutely refused to share it with anyone.

Especially when there were 24 people queuing up outside.

Even if Little Shizi called him "Brother Guangyi" 24 times, it wouldn't work.

Xuan Shi didn't have the iron will of Nie Guangyi.

He also couldn't ignore Cheng Nuo's feelings.

He sat at another table, pretending for less than a minute, before he stood up again.

"What's up? Sit down! Have you forgotten what you said this morning, that today you'd let me do whatever I want with your arm, and listen to everything I say?"

With no choice, Xuan Shi dryly sat beside them for ten minutes.

Until Cheng Nuo called out from across the work counter, "Ashi, ask Brother Guangyi what coffee he wants."

"I know his preferences." Xuan Shi took the opportunity to stand up, said to Nie Guangyi, "I'll grab your coffee for you," and bolted.

Nie Guangyi snorted coldly but didn't stop him.

What's the use of just a body without the soul being there?

Nie Guangyi's negative review didn't end with the "naming" ceremony, "In such a big lake, what kind of fish would be foolish enough to swim under the house just to get caught by someone fishing?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his float bobbed slightly and then began to rise slowly.

Nie Guangyi's face was full of disbelief.

Did all the fish here really have a death wish?

Nie Guangyi turned and asked Xuan Shi, who had run behind the counter to film Cheng Nuo, "Is there a fish on the line?"

Xuan Shi didn't immediately realize Nie Guangyi was talking to him.

His entire focus was on recording Cheng Nuo's latte art for the first cup of coffee from [Fishing Coffee].

Cheng Nuo created a very special latte art for Nie Guangyi.

It wasn't flowers or animals or any character.

It was clear at first glance that it depicted the overwater building where the coffee shop was located.

"Little~Shizi, come and see if there's a fish caught," Nie Guangyi deliberately used the word 'caught' and stretched out the address.

This finally drew Xuan Shi's attention to himself.

Xuan Shi glanced over.

Just a glance.

With no intention of going over to help.

Brothers are like limbs, women like clothes.

As to which is more important, limbs or clothes, Xuan Shi didn't know.

He only knew that, in modern times, going out without clothes counts as a crime.

Little Shizi's actions spoke for themselves, staying put to show Nie Guangyi—he was a law-abiding good citizen.

On the contrary, it was Cheng Nuo who finished the latte art and, before Xuan Shi, brought the coffee over to Nie Guangyi's table.

Xuan Shi followed behind Cheng Nuo with his equipment.

And just like that, Xuan Shi wasn't such a "good citizen" anymore.

Cheng Nuo placed the coffee on the table originally occupied by Xuan Shi.

Brother Guangyi's presence was too strong.

The table where Xuan Shi had sat, even though it was now free, still didn't tempt anyone to sit.

"Looks like it's true?!" Cheng Nuo excitedly helped reel in the line, "This will be Fishing Coffee's first complimentary drink."

Cheng Nuo was overjoyed.

Nie Guangyi, who never got along with Cheng Nuo very well, didn't give her any face this time, "You're so excited, are you planning to celebrate here by drinking the northwest wind?"

Even if the seats beside were filled with Cheng Nuo's "followers", it sure wouldn't affect his performance.

Nie Guangyi could understand the curiosity of those people queuing up here.

Each person, to varying degrees, must have wanted to experience the alternative life of "sitting in air conditioning, fishing, with a coffee and a song."

But how much of a waste of time is fishing?

No matter the customer's experience, the operator must want to jump right under the table, right?

Yes, right under the table.

If such a coffee shop could make money, Nie Guangyi was willing to lay down his own head.

Luckily, he just thought it to himself.

If he had said it out loud, the future Pritzker Prize winner's life might have ended then and there, in this rising year.

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