Friday afternoon.
Cheng Fei walked out of the school gate with his backpack slung behind him, heading to work as usual.
He occasionally felt burning gazes directed at him.
Whenever he looked over, he would discover some distracted woman staring.
The effect of raising Charm to 9 was fairly obvious.
Over the past two days, opening his desk compartment had even caused several love letters to fall out.
He had received one occasionally before.
Never this many.
As for the 90%-off Transcendent Charm coupon awarded for establishing a relationship with Nagasaki Asuna, Cheng Fei was still considering which Transcendent Ability to choose.
A gentle female voice containing just a hint of playfulness suddenly entered his awareness.
“Thinking about me?”
At some point, Nagasaki Asuna had appeared beside him.
Hands hidden behind her back, she smiled.
Cheng Fei felt the gazes around them instantly become resentful.
“Nana.”
“Mm?”
“Have you ever considered becoming a police officer someday?”
“I think your profiling ability would be astonishingly effective against criminals.”
“Is Cheng Fei implying that he’s a criminal?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then do you think I’d look cool in a police uniform~?”
The girl smiled and performed a deliberately crooked salute.
“Possibly.”
Cheng Fei nodded seriously.
“Cheng Fei isn’t going to club activities today?” she asked curiously.
“You aren’t either.”
“I’m going to work and earn money.”
Nagasaki Asuna raised a fist in the pose of a hardworking wage slave.
“What a coincidence.”
“Same.”
“What kind of part-time job does Cheng Fei have today?”
“Milk-tea shop.”
“If I come by, can you secretly make me one for free?”
“I separate business from personal matters.”
“But if you really want one, I can buy you a drink.”
“Hahaha…
Then thank you.”
Nagasaki Asuna smiled as though she had already received it.
As they spoke, they reached the roadside.
Cheng Fei saw a white sedan parked ahead.
Different from last time.
But the same as the time before that.
He finally understood how those rumors had started.
“Take care.”
Cheng Fei turned toward the bus stop.
“Wait.”
Nagasaki Asuna stopped him.
“I can give Cheng Fei a ride.”
Cheng Fei glanced at the open car door.
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.
“Sure.
Thanks.”
“No need.”
The girl smiled.
In the driver’s seat sat an office lady in a business suit and sunglasses.
She was smoking through the open sunroof.
When the two entered, she extinguished the cigarette and examined Cheng Fei through the rearview mirror.
Nagasaki Asuna said:
“Sister Yan, before we go to the recording studio, can we drop my friend off?”
“Cheng Fei, where are you going?”
“Guang’an Street is enough.”
The woman nodded.
“Cheng Fei, Sister Yan is my manager.”
Nagasaki Asuna introduced them.
“Sister Yan, this is Cheng Fei.
I mentioned him before.”
The car smoothly merged into traffic.
Sister Yan glanced in the rearview mirror.
“Good looks.”
“Ever considered becoming an entertainer?”
Cheng Fei paused.
“Not currently.”
“If you ever do, contact me.”
A business card was handed over.
Cheng Fei accepted it.
It read:
Yan Nan.
Hummingbird Media.
…
Guang’an Street was actually close to Cheng Fei’s apartment.
The surrounding apartment buildings housed people who had come to Academy City for school or work, giving the neighborhood heavy foot traffic.
Several milk-tea shops at a single intersection were perfectly normal.
Cheng Fei worked at one of them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon.
When the boy entered, three office workers had just finished ordering.
Several students sat in the waiting area.
Blenders hummed continuously.
A young female employee was busy behind the counter.
Cheng Fei greeted her.
“Sister Ling, why are you alone?”
“Someone called in sick.”
“Little Fei, hurry up and help.”
She spoke while moving cups around.
“Right away.”
Cheng Fei quickly entered the staff room, changed into his uniform, washed his hands, and moved behind the register.
A couple entered.
“Two lemon waters.
Iced.”
“Two iced lemon waters.
Got it.”
Cheng Fei turned and stuck the printed order slip on the wall behind several earlier orders.
Then he opened an ingredient container and used tongs to place lemon slices into two empty cups.
Sister Ling went to package a finished drink.
Two stylishly dressed women entered.
“I want mango pomelo sago.”
“I’ll have jasmine milk green tea.”
“I want that handsome boy to make mine.”
“Wow, you’re such a creep.”
“What?
Hehehe…”
“One mango pomelo sago.”
“One jasmine milk green tea, specifically prepared by the handsome boy.”
Sister Ling smiled and nodded.
Cheng Fei, who had heard them clearly, naturally began preparing it without needing a reminder.
The rush continued until after eight.
Only then did customers gradually thin out enough for the two employees to occasionally chat.
“Little Fei, you’ve gotten more handsome recently.”
“You’re making my heart flutter.”
“So I wasn’t handsome before, in Sister Ling’s eyes?”
“You get paid this week.
What are you going to spend it on?”
“Saving it.”
“Liar.”
“Why are you saving so much money?”
“Twenty yuan an hour, sixty hours a month…”
“Can a high school student legally work this much?”
“That sounds illegal, brat.”
“If it’s illegal, that’s the owner’s fault.”
“You earn this much because you’re spending it on a girlfriend?”
“I’m not the type to spend money on a girlfriend.”
“Living off a woman instead?”
“Or do you just not have a girlfriend?”
“Why not consider me?”
“Sorry.
I don’t like older women.”
“I count as old?!”
“Get lost.”
“I don’t like minors either.”
Sister Ling was a third-year university student working part-time to fund her spending.
Cheng Fei estimated her Charm at around 7.
“Little Fei, what do you want to do in the future?”
“Attend a good university, then take the civil-service exam.”
“You’re way too practical.”
“Practicality has always been one of my virtues.”
“Ugh.
If only my little brother were half as mature as you.”
“He spends family money on gacha games and says he wants to become a gaming streamer.”
“He’s already a first-year high schooler.”
“My parents are furious.”
“He’s still a kid.”
“He’ll understand when he grows up.”
Cheng Fei said that without a trace of self-awareness.
…
Work continued until ten-thirty.
Sipping a free cup of red-bean yogurt, Cheng Fei returned to his apartment.
After washing up, he exhaled and threw his exhausted body onto the bed.
He put on the full-dive helmet.
Logged into Corridor.
…
The boy entered the Fourth Layer alone.
He crossed dangerous zones even elite players avoided.
Then, following a hidden route…
Descended to the Fifth Layer.
For most players, the Third Layer already qualified as high difficulty.
The Main Teleport Gate guarded by rogue machines remained unconquered.
A small number of powerful players formed parties and sequence-broke into the Fourth Layer.
But Cheng Fei had long since reached the Fifth.
He wasn’t a hardcore player.
Yet if other people learned how he played, even the most obsessive gamers would call him insane.
As the old saying went, sharpening the axe did not delay the chopping of firewood.
Cheng Fei simply ensured that his axe was sharper than everyone else’s so his work efficiency remained maximum.
If the Fourth Layer resembled a tropical rainforest, the Fifth was a frozen wasteland.
His legs sank into flat, powdery snow.
Even wearing a thick coat, Cheng Fei shivered.
White vapor emerged with his breath.
The boy crouched low.
His movements became far more cautious.
Even he needed to proceed carefully here.
Then text suddenly refreshed before his eyes.
[Limited-Time Mission Triggered]
[Save a Heart from Freezing]
[Requirement: An unknown girl named Lin Xuanqi is currently sinking into the freezing depths of the Frozen Sea.]
[Immediately travel to the Fifth-Layer Frozen Sea.]
[Before the girl dies, loudly call her name and rescue her.]
[Exchange real names with her.]
[Temporary Item Acquired → Bottled Word of Power: Don’t Die]
[If the girl enters a near-death state, shout “Don’t die!” to restore 5% of her health.]
[Difficulty: HAHAHAHA]
[Reward → 10,000 points + Bottled Word of Power: Don’t Die]
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
[ END 401 Chapter ]
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