Early in the morning, Musheng got out of bed feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
He was going to work today and felt a sense of anticipation, but he could only solve breakfast outside since Mo Yao played games late into the night. This morning, as Musheng got up, she was completely unaware, sleeping like a pig, in an extremely ungraceful pose, spread-eagled with her head tilted at nearly ninety degrees, and suspect traces of drool at the corner of her mouth.
Mo Yao really refreshed Musheng's tolerance every minute.
After washing up, Musheng gently closed the door behind him.
The morning sun wasn't too harsh yet, and Musheng ate a basket of soup dumplings and drank a bowl of thin porridge under the apartment building, which counted as his breakfast sorted out.
With a full stomach and a cheerful mood, Musheng reached the internet café just in time for his eight o'clock shift.
Probably, Zhao Junjie had already given a heads up yesterday, for when Musheng stepped into the café, the female cashier noticed him and came over with a smile, "Junjie said to just head up to the second floor when you arrive. By the way, my name is Zhang Yingyan, but you can call me Yan Zi if you like."
Musheng nodded, "Musheng."
Zhang Yingyan was taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered and gestured for Musheng to go upstairs.
The second floor was empty at that time, with only a few tireless souls battling in front of computers, and the hum of the cleaning lady's vacuum cleaner the only sound in the vast space.
There was only a young guy at the bar, engrossed in playing a game on the computer there. When he saw Musheng, he immediately dumped his headset and waved enthusiastically, "Hey hey, girlie, come here, come here."
Approaching, Musheng saw him operate the main computer while he prattled on, "Girlie, I can hardly hold on anymore, I need to go back to sleep. Junjie asked me to teach you the basics of activating memberships and cards. For topping up game credits, have them wait till noon. Remember, girlie, you must check IDs when people want to surf the net, no minors allowed..."
After the instruction, Musheng more or less understood how to operate the main computer, and she learned that her shift replacement was a guy named Tang Jiaqi, a pretty straightforward and refreshing guy, just a bit too talkative…
"I'm off then, girlie. You got to hold down the fort, girlie. Don't be scared if someone causes trouble; no one dares to make a scene here... I'm really going now, girlie. If you have any problems, our numbers are posted at the bar, you can call Junjie—then look for me..." It went on until a guy surfing the net couldn't stand it anymore, took off his headphones and yelled at Tang Jiaqi with a smile, "Just get lost already!"
It must have been a regular, as Tang Jiaqi laughed and said a few more words before leaving to sleep. Once he was gone, Musheng sat in front of the main computer in a daze until the surfer turned around and asked with some curiosity, "How old are you?"
"Eighteen." And at the prime of life.
"Huh, really green."
He raised his eyebrows slightly, then put on his headset and continued playing. He added, "If there's anything you don't know, you can ask me. I've been at this café for quite some time; I pretty much get it."
Musheng didn't respond, but just pursed her lips and smiled.
By nine o'clock, the second floor began to fill up, and most who came to surf the net were surprised to see a new face at the cashier, especially a girl. It seemed that most of them were regulars.
Some teased Musheng while waiting for their cards to be opened. Musheng ignored them without showing any annoyance, just smiling faintly. These people could only take verbal advantage of her; she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her frown, especially since she was just here to work.
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However, this place seemed indeed different from an ordinary internet cafe; those people only joked around a bit in their conversations and weren't too annoying. It wasn't that they were self-aware; rather, it seemed like they were wary of something.
For a group of young socialites from Capital City to be wary, the owner behind this internet cafe must be no ordinary person.
Guarding the internet cafe was monotonous, so Musheng opened a domestic soap opera to pass the time. Although it was somewhat poorly made and cliché, for Musheng, who had never watched these TV shows before, it was somewhat novel.
...
"Hey, Miss, why bother? They're just borrowing the place to shoot a scene, and they even paid for it. It's just clearing out for half a day, and maybe it won't even be necessary. Why not let them?"
"I don't care. Empire is my territory, and I won't let those messy drama crews use it for filming..."
Suddenly, noisy voices came from the stairwell. Musheng heard a male voice that sounded a bit like Zhao Junjie's from last night, and immediately looked up to see Zhao Junjie, accompanied by a fashionably dressed, beautiful girl, walking over. She wore a white short-sleeved blouse with a sky-blue pleated skirt, but paired it with plain flat canvas shoes. The combination was oddly mismatched, yet she wore it with an unexpectedly harmonious touch, and Musheng immediately knew why—it was all because of the face!
"Don't talk about it anymore, I won't consider it, hmph... Hey, who is this? Where's Xiao Fei?"
The girl's shoulder-length curly hair made her face seem only palm-sized, and her looks were as refreshing as a lotus flower in clear water, her eyes brimming with brightness, giving off the impression just as described on TV—quite spirited.
Her voice was also like pearls falling onto a jade plate, crisp and clear. She was originally talking to Zhao Junjie, but when she looked up and saw Musheng behind the counter, she was taken aback.
Zhao Junjie also saw Musheng and immediately stepped forward to introduce him, "Didn't you say that Xiao Fei and the others couldn't adjust their schedules, and that you were short-handed? So I recruited someone. Even though she's a girl, you won't be unhappy, right? Let me introduce you, this is Musheng. Musheng, this is the internet cafe BOSS, Xiao Ke..."
"Xiao Ke!"
The girl's face stiffened as she spoke, and Zhao Junjie spread his hands and sighed, "Xiao Ke it is then, don't get so worked up." Then he half-covered his mouth with his palm, winking at Musheng, "Actually, you should add one more Ke..."
"Zhao Junjie!"
Xiao Keke stamped her foot and glared at him angrily. Musheng's eyes flickered, although he didn't know why Xiao Keke seemed displeased with him, he did have some memory of her.
Musheng naturally didn't know Xiao Keke, but she was a well-known name because she was the girl of the Xiao Family.
There are only a few notable families in Capital City. In his previous life, he had dealt with them numerous times.
Among them, the Xiao Family was in business. Their ancestors possessed a great talent for commerce, starting from the war years and amassing a wealth that was unimaginable to others by now, with an extremely broad network of connections. They could be called the most established and genuine wealthy family in Capital City, and even the media dared not publish any bit of information about the Xiao Family.
Xiao Keke was the youngest daughter of the current generation of the Xiao Family. Musheng remembered her partly because the old matriarch of the Xiao Family was quite fertile. She had borne three sons, and each son had a son in their generation. The third son of the Xiao Family even had three sons in one go. The notion of preferring sons over daughters just couldn't take root in the Xiao Family; when all they had were sons, they naturally wanted a daughter.
Xiao Keke was born to the third son of the Xiao Family, and she was two years younger than her youngest brother. Being the youngest child of the youngest son, and a daughter at that, she was doted upon without question, and even her name was the rare type with a repeating character.
Musheng heard that Xiao Keke had been raised abroad since she was a child and should be eighteen this year. He didn't expect that she would have returned by now, starting her own internet cafe venture, and what's more, he never expected to be working under her.
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