A cafe that blends into time

3 Second sponsor

--168:05:55

--168:15:55

--168:25:55

Gary obviously resisted physical contact with Tammy, but Tammy's eyes glowed with a green light as she tightly grasped his hand, like a...

obsessed stalker.

The "remaining time" exceeded 168 hours and was still growing wildly.

Unfortunately...

Gary could no longer bear it and forcefully shook off Tammy's hand.

--168:35:55

--168:35:54

--168:35:53

The moment they separated, Tammy's "remaining time" returned to normal, beginning to decrease second by second.

Tammy was "reluctant to let go," and she cast a "sorrowful" glance at Gary standing in front of her.

A shiver ran down Gary's spine. For a moment, he felt as if he had really become a heartless ex.

Gary spoke coldly, "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

"Wait," Tammy quickly tried to find a reason to keep Gary in her mind. "I mean... do you want to stay and have a cup of coffee? Or have a piece of cake. You've come a long way, aren't you tired? Sit down and rest for a while."

The girl was enthusiastic and sweet.

But in Gary's eyes, she was simply the embodiment of affectation.

"Ding-dong!"

The glass door of the coffee shop was ruthlessly pushed open. Gary didn't give Tammy more chances to detain him and resolutely turned and left.

"Huff--"

Tammy sighed as she watched Gary's back. "It seems that Mr. York really doesn't like 'me.' What should I do?"

The owner of the coffee shop and Gary were probably former lovers with a deep "grudge." Tammy suddenly became the owner of the coffee shop, so Gary naturally resisted her very much.

But that's just how melodramatic things were. Tammy really, really, really liked this Mr. York.

The reason was simple: Mr. York could make Tammy's "remaining time" exceed 168 hours.

"Mr. York is simply my lifesaver."

"But..."

"Mr. York doesn't like me touching him..."

"And..."

"Mr. York's remaining time is only 5 days, 125 hours."

If her lifesaver died first, how could Tammy break through 168 hours again?

"No way!" Tammy said firmly. "I can't let Mr. York die just like that. I have to change his remaining time."

Originally, Gary's "remaining time" was clearly over 70 years, but after receiving a phone call, it suddenly shortened to a little over 5 days. There must be a reason for this.

"We must get to the bottom of this matter and save Gary." Tammy had never felt such an urgent hope before.

"But the problem is..."

Tammy felt a little headache. She wasn't really the owner of the coffee shop, and she knew very little about Gary. Besides, Gary was so resistant to her. How was she supposed to start investigating this matter?

Just five days...

"Ding dong!"

The door of the coffee shop pushed open again when Tammy was distressed.

"Welcome..."

Tammy instinctively smiled and greeted the customer. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened in surprise and delight. "Mr. York? Why are you back?"

Seeing each other again after only two minutes, Gary was obviously not as excited as Tammy. His face remained indifferent, and his gaze briefly swept over Tammy for less than a second before quickly moving to the grandfather clock beside the counter.

Gary raised his hand and said abruptly, "I'll buy it."

"What?"

Tammy turned around in confusion.

"The grandfather clock," Gary explained succinctly.

"What?!"

The grandfather clock?

Tammy gave the same response, but her tone was completely different.

Gary suddenly came back and said he wanted to buy her?!

Beside the counter stood the ancient, mysterious, and weathered grandfather clock, which was none other than Tammy's true form.

"Clack, clack."

Gary took big steps and stood in front of the grandfather clock in two strides, admiring it.

He was even taller than the 180-centimeter-high grandfather clock.

Gary said, "I'll buy this grandfather clock for 100,000 yuan."

"No, Mr. York," Tammy shook her head immediately, shaking it like a rattle drum.

"Not enough?" Gary nodded understandingly. "Okay, then 500,000 yuan."

It wasn't just a slight increase; Mr. York was obviously wealthy and generous.

People who knew Gary even a little bit knew that he loved clocks and watches, not just as a hobby, but as an addiction, an obsession.

Gary had a private clock and watch museum.

People who wanted to do business with Gary would often choose to give him expensive clocks and watches as a breakthrough and a stepping stone. However, Mr. York had a discerning eye, and ordinary, merely "expensive" clocks and watches were far from enough to move his heart of stone.

Unexpectedly, today,

When Gary came to confront his ex-girlfriend Tammy, his eyes caught sight of the antique grandfather clock in the coffee shop. It was like...

Love at first sight.

Gary had already left the coffee shop, putting distance between himself and his deceitful ex-girlfriend, but in the end, he couldn't resist the "temptation" of the grandfather clock. After hesitating outside the door for two minutes, he pushed it open and walked back in.

"I won't sell it for 500,000."

Tammy shook her head helplessly.

If she sold the grandfather clock, wouldn't that be almost like selling herself?

"You've never known satisfaction when it comes to money."

Gary's smile didn't reach his eyes as he said, "It's okay, then how about 1 million..."

"I won't sell it for 1 million either," Tammy refused decisively, pointing to herself and saying, "Mr. York, this is not for sale. No amount of money will make me sell it."

"Tammy, are you deliberately going against me now?" Gary said.

Tammy didn't respond, passively resisting, thinking to herself that it was he who was deliberately going against her. Why did he insist on her selling herself?

"What does a coffee shop need a grandfather clock for?" Gary was obsessed with clocks and watches. Today, he seemed determined not to leave without buying the grandfather clock.

Gary continued, "Besides, you don't understand anything about clocks and watches. Keeping this grandfather clock in your coffee shop is simply a waste, a travesty."

"Me?"

Tammy was amused by Gary's words.

Gary said he didn't understand clocks and watches.

In this world, who could understand this grandfather clock better than Tammy?

The grandfather clock was Tammy's essence, and Tammy was the grandfather clock.

As a gentle-natured spirit of the clock, Tammy felt for the first time that she was being questioned and insulted.

Gary raised his broad hand with prominent knuckles and gently caressed the grandfather clock.

"Mr. York, please don't touch it!"

Tammy immediately stopped him with disgust. Who would reach out and touch someone's "chest" like that?

Gary didn't realize what "excessive" and "perverted" action he had taken.

He pointed to the grandfather clock and said, "It's slow by half a minute."

"The clock hammer is severely oxidized."

"The patina on the surface is worn."

"The feng shui placement is also problematic."

He was concise and to the point, listing the issues.

Gary finally concluded with a straight face, "This grandfather clock should be made in Germany, and it's quite old. It's been damaged like this, and if you continue to keep it here, it will only be ruined even more."

"I..."

Tammy was both angry and curious.

What a strange coincidence. She, a clock spirit who had inexplicably become human, had only learned a few phrases in English, barely 20 words. And now Mr. York was suddenly claiming with certainty that she was actually of German descent!

She didn't know a word of German...

"Anyway," Tammy said firmly, "this grandfather clock is not for sale."

Instantly, Gary's face turned ugly beyond description.

Who didn't know about the obsession of the York Family's young master with clocks and watches? If there was a clock or watch that caught Gary's eye, and he couldn't possess it, the feeling was as if his heart and lungs were being torn out. It was probably more unbearable for him than going to hell or being fried in oil.

Oh no...

Tammy's heart skipped a beat. She had originally planned to grasp this lifeline, to save Mr. York's life, and investigate the reason why his remaining time had suddenly shortened.

So the first thing she should do was...

To establish a good relationship with Mr. York, so that she could investigate further.

But at the moment, their relationship...

"Actually..."

Tammy smiled and said, "Actually, it's not that Mr. York can't buy this grandfather clock. It's just that... I have an emotional attachment to it, so I'm particularly reluctant to sell it..."

Tammy didn't want to sell herself either, but circumstances forced her to resort to indirect means to save herself.

Seeing room for further negotiation, Gary's expression improved slightly.

"So, you think one million is too little," said Gary. "Name your price then."

"It's not about the price," Tammy's eyes sparkled like two lively little fish, and an idea suddenly popped into her mind.

"It's like that," she said. "I've decided to go to the hospital tomorrow to get a physical check-up and see if I'm pregnant. So... would Mr. York be available tomorrow? I'd like Mr. York to accompany me."

She wanted to create opportunities to interact with Gary, try to improve his impression of her, and then find a way to investigate why Mr. York's remaining time had suddenly shortened.

Most importantly...

Tammy wanted to find a chance to secretly hold Gary's hand.

One second equaled ten minutes.

Holding hands for one minute would add 600 minutes to Tammy's life!

If she could hold hands for an hour...

That would be much more exciting for Tammy than selling herself for one million.

"Huh—"

An freezing and disdainful laugh came from Gary's throat, shattering Tammy's beautiful fantasy.

Gary looked down at the petite and sweet young girl standing in front of him.

"Tammy, I see that I underestimated you."

"You actually thought you could tie me down with this grandfather clock?"

"What are you thinking?"

Tammy felt like she had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and her spirit instantly wilted.

She couldn't help but glance at the grandfather clock next to the counter, her own true form...

It looked...

Old, worn-out, and appallingly plain. Customers who came to the coffee shop only gave it a second look out of curiosity.

Mr. York seemed like a wealthy and tasteful person. Trying to bargain with him using such an unremarkable grandfather clock was indeed a bit unrealistic.

Gary left these words behind, turned around without any hesitation, and left the coffee shop with ease.

"Sigh—"

There were no customers in the coffee shop, only Tammy's sigh.

And...

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

There was also the sound of a phone vibrating.

A text message popped up on Tammy's phone.

The sender was: Benefactor #2

—Meet at the city center hospital at 11 AM tomorrow.

—Gary.

"A text from Mr. York?" Tammy looked at her phone in surprise.

Mr. York, who had decisively rejected her half a minute ago, had sent a text message.

Humans were indeed very changeable.

"Great," Tammy immediately replied to the text, telling Mr. York said that she would definitely be on time to meet him at the hospital. "This way, I can find a chance to secretly touch Mr. York a couple of times."

"But..."

After replying to the text, Tammy looked at the contact card for "Benefactor #2".

It turned out that the coffee shop owner did have Gary's contact information, but the card didn't make it clear who it was at a glance.

"Benefactor #2 is Mr. York..."

Tammy said confusedly, "Could it be that there's also a Benefactor #1...?"