SBTW 15

Shuttle Between Two Worlds: The Chief Minister’s E-Commerce Minion

Chapter 15: Qiqi's Bubble Tea Causes the Iceberg Chief Minister to Completely Lose Control

Modern time, eleven-forty-three in the morning.

Inside the basement e-commerce warehouse in New Taipei City, a frying pan crackled with the crisp sounds of deep-frying.

Amid rolling hot oil, the aromas of white pepper and Thai basil surged straight up to the ceiling, smelling so rich that even the logistics guy in the neighboring warehouse couldn't resist peeking his head out to look.

Tian Qiqi, her high ponytail swinging, flipped a large slotted spoon, sending golden, crispy Taiwanese popcorn chicken clattering neatly into a draining tray.

She briskly dusted them with pepper-salt and minced garlic, then tossed in a generous handful of Thai basil to flash-fry. In a single second, the entire basement was instantly possessed by the spirit of a Taiwanese night market.

"The Du estate case and the bride-stealing thief case are finally all wrapped up." She muttered to herself while packing the bags.

"That bunch of guys at the Court of Judicial Review have been working overtime lately until their eyes are glazing over. If I don't feed them something good soon, they're going to collectively drop dead from overwork."

Tian Qiqi always did things in grand style; since she was treating the troops, she couldn't possibly bring just one portion.

Three massive bags of piping-hot popcorn chicken, fish tofu, and fried string beans were neatly packed into insulated bags, right alongside a giant bucket of ice-cold brown sugar boba pearl milk tea.

She patted the lid of the bucket with satisfaction. "Perfection."

[Countdown: 00:00:00]

Hum—

A familiar spatial distortion washed violently over her.

Tian Qiqi felt her vision blur for a fraction of a second, and when she opened her eyes again, she had landed solidly in the center of the Court of Judicial Review office.

The midday sun slanted in through the windows, leaving the air rich with the faint scent of ink and paper case files.

In that instant, the entire office was thoroughly invaded by the scent of fried chicken.

The hallway outside went still for a brief second, followed immediately by some bailiff drawing in a sharp, collective gasp.

"So good!"

The previously quiet corridor of the Court of Judicial Review erupted into instant commotion.

Several grown men who had pulled all-nighters investigating cases whipped their heads around in unison, their eyes shining like starving wolves catching the scent of meat.

Before Tian Qiqi could even steady her footing, the sound of pattering footsteps came rushing over from the side hall.

"Big Sister—!"

Little Bean sprinted out of the side hall clutching a stack of case files, but after barely two steps, his nose hijacked his soul entirely.

He froze in place with shining eyes, staring fixedly at the bag of popcorn chicken in Tian Qiqi's hand, his mouth hanging open wide enough to swallow a whole egg.

Tickled by his expression, Tian Qiqi chuckled. "Little foodie." She casually shoved a massive bag of fried goodies into his arms.

"Take these and go share with the bailiffs." Then she shoved a cup over as well.

"This is called brown sugar boba pearl milk tea, Taiwan's national drink. Time to officially open your eyes today."

Little Bean took a massive gulp. The rich sweetness of the brown sugar, the silky smoothness of the milk, and the mind-bogglingly chewy texture of the pearls rushed into his mouth all at once, sending a shockwave straight up to his scalp.

"Th-This black ball thing actually bounces?!"

He stared down at the cup, looking as terrified as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Big Sister..." Little Bean's eyes instantly watered. "I'm never leaving your side for the rest of my life!"

With that, clutching the popcorn chicken, he bolted out like a whirlwind to distribute the loot.

In no time at all, echoing shrieks of sheer joy erupted from the corridor outside among the Court of Judicial Review bailiffs.

"Good lord, what kind of meat is this?!"

"This is way too good!"

"Those black balls bounce!!"

The entire long corridor bustled with the lively energy of a New Year festival.

Right at that moment, the inner door of the office was pushed open, and Huangfu Ye strode inside wearing his ink-black official robes.

He had clearly just returned from interrogations in the death cells; his brows were still laced with lingering coldness and exhaustion, and the faint scent of blood on him hadn't completely dissipated yet.

Yet the instant those dark eyes locked onto Tian Qiqi, every trace of frost melted away.

Huangfu Ye’s steps paused slightly.

The aroma of white pepper, fried food, and the familiar faint scent of shampoo lingering on her collided against his chest all at once.

The exhaustion that had been tightly coiled across him all night finally unspooled.

He walked straight up to her, threw open his long arms, and pulled her securely into his embrace.

"Qiqi," his voice rasped severely.

Enveloped in the familiar scent of agarwood, Tian Qiqi couldn't help a laugh.

"Huangfu Ye," she patted his back. "You're radiating pure overtime-corporate-slave negative energy right now, you know."

Huangfu Ye gave a low chuckle, though his breath remained lingering right against the side of her neck, utterly reluctant to let go.

His brow twitched slightly. "...Why do you smell so weird?"

Startled, Tian Qiqi lowered her head to sniff her own clothes. "Thai basil and pepper-salt."

She answered with righteous confidence. "I came straight here the second I finished frying the popcorn chicken."

"Mn," his voice dropped lower. "It's... not unpleasant."

Tian Qiqi dissolved into giggles.

She tugged Huangfu Ye over to sit by the desk, briskly unwrapping the final packet of popcorn chicken and shoving a cup of brown sugar boba milk tea right in front of him.

"Here," she spoke with the breezy confidence of a night market stall owner. "No work talk today. Sis is treating you to Taiwan's national comfort food."

Huangfu Ye lowered his gaze to the golden, crispy fried treats on the plate, then down to the heap of inky black pearls pooling at the bottom of the cup.

"These black balls..." He frowned slightly. "Are they truly edible?"

"What do you mean, black balls!" Tian Qiqi nearly burst out laughing.

"They're called boba." She picked up a toothpick, speared a piece of popcorn chicken, and held it right up to his lips. "Come on, open wide."

Huangfu Ye had always loathed anyone touching him, let alone such a direct feeding gesture.

Yet meeting Tian Qiqi's shining eyes, he obediently lowered his head and bit the popcorn chicken off the toothpick.

Crunch—

The exterior was astonishingly crispy, and the rich meat juices mixed with pepper and garlic flavors suddenly exploded across his tongue.

Huangfu Ye’s pupils visibly dilated.

Tian Qiqi leaned in closer. "Well?" Her eyes brimmed with anticipation. "Isn't it amazing?"

Huangfu Ye swallowed the food slowly. "...Remarkable indeed."

Delighted, Tian Qiqi shoved the boba tea into his hands instead. "Drink this."

Huangfu Ye lowered his head and took a sip.

The icy milk flavor blended with brown sugar sweetness slipped smoothly across his palate, and the pearls at the bottom possessed an absurdly chewy bounce.

The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review fell completely silent.

Tian Qiqi laughed until her shoulders shook. "Are you completely mind-blown by the boba?"

Lifting his eyes, Huangfu Ye watched her radiant, high-spirited smile.

Those normally piercing, frosty dark eyes slowly bloomed with a layer of tenderness so thick it could practically melt.

"Qiqi," he murmured softly. "You really are like a drug."

Before Tian Qiqi could even process the words, Huangfu Ye had already reached out to clasp her wrist.

Stepping forward, his tall, imposing frame instantly enveloped her entirely within his embrace.

The scent of agarwood blended with pepper and fried chicken mysteriously wrapped around them until their chests burned with heat.

Lowering his head, Huangfu Ye curved the corners of his lips. "Since this tea is so sweet," his voice dropped to a low rasp, "this official thinks he'd like to test—"

His gaze dropped straight to her lips. "Whether you might be even sweeter."

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