Once Mu Yansheng left, Jian Yue was the only one left in the dorm.
So he no longer held back, chatting openly with the system in his head.
Jian Yue: “Tell me, do they just not feel anything for me?”
The system was silent for a moment, not daring to answer rashly, and instead asked back: [Why would you think that?]
“As you can see, their attitude toward me is ambiguous. They clearly have no intention of developing any kind of romance with me.”
Their enthusiasm didn’t even measure up to how straightforward those guys at the bubble tea shop were.
Sure, those people’s behavior was a bit blatant and off-putting, but it was far easier to read than the targets’ hands-off, live-and-let-live attitude.
Having worked in this world for several days now, Jian Yue felt he’d finally gotten a taste of something being off.
After all, Jian Yue himself had barely ever interacted with this kind of crowd. Even though he knew his own orientation was perfectly clear, he’d never worked in the romance division before, so he had no experience in this area.
If the feelings were expressed directly, Jian Yue might have been able to understand.
But from start to now, every sign indicated that these people treated him no differently than they treated anyone else.
Just as Jian Yue said, the regulars at the bubble tea shop practically had the words “I want to hit on you” written across their faces, whereas the three in the dorm…
One of them was simply that way by nature, with a genuinely good reputation. Kindly put, he had a great personality; less kindly, he was like central heating warm to everyone, so Jian Yue couldn’t tell at all.
He wasn’t close with the other two, either. One was constantly snapping at him with harsh words, and the other acted as if he didn’t exist… Though at certain moments they would occasionally show some concern, doing things that were surprising and even thoughtful. But Jian Yue felt that all of this still fell within the bounds of friendship or roommate relations.
The system pondered for a while.
For a moment, as it carefully considered the redemption targets’ attitudes toward the host in the current mission world… it felt the host actually had a point.
If the host hadn’t brought this up, the system could have mechanically applied the “Compendium of Subtle Expressions of Affection” listed in its notes, matching each character’s behavior and attitude toward the host against the checklist one by one.
But now…
Its host was a gold-star employee, and he’d said so himself. The host’s actual, firsthand feelings had to count for more than plugging things into formulas from a textbook.
So the system, too, began to consider the possibility that what the host said was actually true.
Seeing the system remain silent for so long after hearing him out, as if tacitly accepting his theory Jian Yue let out a long sigh, as if he’d received confirmation.
He knew it.
He’d gone through a long training period before coming here. He’d even fully prepared himself mentally to have his legs broken right at the start, which was why he’d brought the trump card of “pain blocking.”
And yet he’d slaved away for days on end without the plot progressing one bit.
Did that make any sense?
Clearly, it was because he didn’t quite fit the aesthetic standards of the romance-arc characters.
Jian Yue felt a headache coming on.
Probably because he was sick of shaking bubble tea like crazy every night. Jian Yue had been in the mission world for a while now, and besides grinding away at work, all he did was attend classes. With the imprisonment plot dragging on without developing, he was starting to entertain thoughts of quitting.
Anyway, as a gold-medal employee, he had one no-strings-attached chance each month to escape the mission world. So Jian Yue began considering whether to just use up this month’s quota and switch to a different world to develop in.
No sooner thought than said, Jian Yue proposed to the system: “If it really doesn’t work, let’s just give up. I honestly don’t want to keep making bubble tea anyway. Worst case, I leave directly it’s no loss to me.”
But the system, which had a rather earnest personality, pondered for a moment after hearing its host’s plan, then cautiously offered a suggestion: [The quota for arbitrarily leaving mission worlds is limited. To avoid this being a misunderstanding, I can first apply to the Quick Transmigration Bureau on your behalf to check those three characters’ favorability toward you.]
It added: [That will probably take about a week. Once we confirm that the favorability genuinely failed to meet the threshold and that’s why we can’t enter the main storyline, it won’t be too late to think about leaving then.]
Fine, what the system said did make sense.
But Jian Yue’s expression was still rather complicated.
Especially at the thought of having to keep shaking bubble tea for another seven days, his face showed clear reluctance.
Seeing this reaction, the system grew suspicious and couldn’t help pressing: [You’re not thinking of escaping because you don’t want to work, are you?]
Jian Yue: “…”
Jian Yue, guilty, began to bluster righteously: “How could that be? What kind of person do you take me for?”
System: [ ]
The system was dubious, but in the end it still believed its host’s words.
The application had been submitted, and Jian Yue enjoyed a peaceful morning.
In the meantime, Mu Yansheng came to bring him food, even bringing a bit extra that he claimed he’d accidentally bought too much of, then left. The whole day, Jian Yue passed quite comfortably.
He lounged around lazily until three in the afternoon before slowly getting up to wash, casually throwing on a hoodie before heading to the bubble tea shop outside the school gate.
At this hour, the shop wasn’t crowded, perhaps because it was a rest day and everyone had chosen to go out.
The veteran employee who was swapping shifts with Jian Yue was easygoing. Taking advantage of the lull with no customers, he even mixed him a new drink to sample.
Jian Yue took a sip, then retrieved his apron from his locker and put it on, rolling up his sleeves and adjusting his collar.
There was still some time before the shift change, so the veteran employee sat with Jian Yue behind the counter, making small talk.
But these past few days, the man often spoke with a hesitant tone, gently advising him: “Can’t your family really give you some financial support? You’re attending a top university, after all… If my son had half your promise, I’d sell everything I own to make sure he could study in peace during his school years.”
Sigh. If the character’s family background were plausible enough to serve as an excuse, plausible enough for Jian Yue to openly exchange some money from the system, then he certainly wouldn’t have chosen to stack a bubble tea shop job on top of his work hours, tormenting himself like this.
Unfortunately, the character setting was self-reliant and from a poor family.
So gold-medal employee Jian Yue, to avoid the people of this world noticing anything off, had no choice but to work day and night according to the setting.
Seeing the young man’s somewhat absent-minded expression, the veteran employee, who more or less guessed Jian Yue’s difficulties, sighed helplessly.
Before closing time, the other person reminded Jian Yue once more to be careful during the night shift. If anyone caused trouble, he should call the police first before notifying the boss.
After all, everyone knew the boss would only try to smooth things over, so this reminder from a senior coworker was truly precious kindness to Jian Yue. The young man nodded to show he understood, and a faint, unpracticed smile appeared on his face.
“Thank you, Sister Zhang.”
He really did look lovely like this.
When someone usually so quiet and cold smiled, it was all the harder to ignore.
Sister Zhang, taking off her work apron, looked at the young man those fox-like eyes curved, fair and well-behaved and couldn’t help smiling a little herself. In the end, she picked up her bag and waved goodbye to him, watching until his figure grew smaller and smaller toward the end of the street.
Around five or six o’clock, customers gradually began to trickle in.
Youngsters from a nearby middle school would pass by on their way home, ordering a cup of milk tea before leaving.
Jian Yue was often run off his feet during this time.
Especially when facing those lively, enthusiastic girls, he seemed somewhat at a loss.
Though in the eyes of these adolescents, this newly hired big brother always treated people with a composed yet courteous manner, appearing quite mature and dependable.
In reality, Jian Yue often felt mentally drained and a little weary.
During the transition from day to night, the sunset’s glow would flicker in and out of view.
The shop would light up its lamps, and the middle schoolers lingering in place would begin to leave one after another.
Only when night fell could Jian Yue finally get a brief moment of peace.
Yes ‘brief.’