“Hey, what are you doing here?” Chu Lingyu walked over to the small stall, frowning as he glanced at the idle owner nearby, then at Wen Qian who was busily working.
The flustered player had no time to pay him any mind and hurriedly replied, “I’ll talk to you later. I only have nine customers left to serve before I succeed, no time now—”
“Where’s the fish? Who stole my grilled fish?!” Little Wen screamed in panic.
After finally killing the fish and just about to cook it, her delicious grilled fish disappeared right before her eyes.
That damned thief only steals the hardest-to-grill ingredients!
Crowds pressed tightly in front of the stall, with each person’s order floating above their head, making it hard for her to immediately spot the thief.
From Wen Qian’s perspective, every NPC moved naturally, and the grilled fish vanished in an instant.
[Use item? — Truth-seeing Magnifying Glass]
To find the thief in this management mini-game, she had to use this—inspect each customer one by one with the magnifying glass. But searching this way would waste a lot of time.
And time was exactly what she lacked.
Chu Lingyu, about to turn away, stopped when he heard Wen Qian’s voice, quickly and skillfully grabbing the man who was sneaking away with a grin.
He frowned, looking at the grilled fish cradled in the man’s hands.
Wen Qian’s searching gaze repeatedly passed over the thief but kept missing this obviously suspicious man.
How could she not see someone blatantly stealing the fish?
Chu Lingyu didn’t understand but still held the suspicious man, not letting him escape.
“Is this the one you’re looking for?” he asked, raising his voice and calling to Wen Qian.
A heavenly voice rang in the player’s ear.
[A good Samaritan caught the thief for you, grilled fish returned home]
The man, with an ordinary face, suddenly had the label [Thief] appear above his head.
Like a veil was lifted from her eyes, the grilled fish she had been searching for appeared in his hands.
“God, I don’t even know why it ended up in my hands,” the thief said guiltily, scratching the back of his head and glancing left and right.
Wen Qian sneered, “Get ready to go to the police station.”
After speaking, she firmly pressed the button next to the barbecue stall labeled “Alarm.”
Almost immediately after she pressed the button, a police car came speeding in.
The officers quickly got out and didn’t ask questions—just nodded at Wen Qian, “Thanks for helping us catch this repeat offender. Here’s your reward.”
A bag of coins was tossed on the table.
[Money +20]
The player had no time for pleasantries, grabbed the money bag, and continued working. The NPC police seemed to accept her attitude well and quickly took the thief away by car.
Only Chu Lingyu, who had maintained a blank expression from beginning to end, stood confused on the side.
…What just happened?
Why did the police come so quickly?
They just took the man away—was there no need for any questioning between them?
The thief who specialized in stealing fish was also strange.
These confusions almost matched the shock of suddenly finding Wen Qian had become the barbecue stall owner.
Wen Qian had no time to explain to Chu Lingyu—what was there to explain? She still had eight customers waiting.
Watching the customers’ patience running low, Wen Qian moved faster.
Working under the blazing sun at the barbecue stall, the heat was unbearable. Worried about getting heatstroke, Wen Qian opened the system panel to equip the title she had previously earned.
The customers’ urging made her fumble, and instead of putting on the title, she accidentally activated the daily limited skill [Garbage Sorting].
Wen Qian frowned and was about to close the skill when she froze at the sight before her.
The once messy customer orders were now clearly sorted, even details like whether to add cumin or not were neatly categorized.
This could also be classified as garbage sorting?!
The player was greatly amazed.
With the skill’s help, her actions became faster and more organized.
Chu Lingyu watched for a long time, until Wen Qian had served all the customers, returned the apron and hat to the original owner, and walked over to him.
Only then did he come back to his senses.
“Thanks for earlier!” Wen Qian didn’t forget his help. If not for him, the thief might have gotten away with the fish.
Thinking carefully, Chu Lingyu really had helped her quite a lot.
How could there be such a good NPC in the world!
Chu Lingyu didn’t understand what he had been thinking just now; when he snapped back to reality, he realized he had been waiting there all along.
“I’m leaving.” He turned sideways to Wen Qian, deciding to end things here. “You…”
The girl looked up at him, her clear eyes curved into a crescent moon smile.
“Tsk, what are you planning to do next?”
The words of parting never came out. Chu Lingyu lazily put his hands in his pockets.
Forget it, considering she didn’t know the way.
“I don’t know, just wandering around,” Wen Qian said without much thought. “After walking around twice more, I’ll know what to do.”
“You have something to do? Then you go ahead!” The player waved without the slightest reluctance.
Since the quest chain had already started, all she needed to do was wander here and she would definitely find the next management quest.
“Aren’t you lost?” Chu Lingyu frowned.
“That doesn’t matter, I…”
“Oh no, what about my fruit stall? My brother is sick, and I can’t manage it alone—”
“What? I’ll come help you right away!” Wen Qian stopped suddenly, quickly locking onto a new quest target.
No time to say more to Chu Lingyu, she just waved goodbye.
Chu Lingyu didn’t expect Wen Qian to be the one to suggest splitting up first.
He felt a bit annoyed in his heart but couldn’t say why.
Maybe it was because he rarely showed kindness but wasn’t taken seriously. He kept a serious face, looking a little irritated.
That irritation turned to silence when he saw Wen Qian rush to the fruit store, now dressed in work clothes, brightly welcoming customers.
“…What the heck?”
Chu Lingyu didn’t expect that just by casually escaping school somewhere with few people, he would encounter so many unexpected events.
Obviously, all these things were connected to Wen Qian.
He had thought Wen Qian was following him with some ulterior motive, but that suspicion vanished the moment she rushed to the barbecue stall.
The blazing sunlight poured down onto the ground. After parting ways with Wen Qian, nothing strange happened, but it inevitably grew a bit boring.
Messages popped up one after another on Chu Lingyu’s phone. He looked at the questioning messages from the contact labeled “Father,” tugged at the corner of his mouth, and let out a snicker.
His fingers swiftly pressed the delete key as he half-lowered his eyes to look at the other incoming messages.
A few people who could barely be called friends invited him to hang out. If he had seen these messages earlier, he might have agreed—after all, he had nothing else to do.
But now, he wasn’t in the mood. Chu Lingyu looked up; the sunlight reflecting off the restaurant sign in front of him was a bit dazzling. He squinted slightly and stepped inside.
The cool air conditioning instantly dispelled the irritation caused by the heat.
Leaning half against the chair with a casual, somewhat sloppy posture, Chu Lingyu tried to recall. If he wasn’t mistaken, he’d been here once before with that guy, Loren.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth again. That guy seemed to live quite freely; no one could control him.
Chu Lingyu unconsciously thought of Wen Qian. Last time, he’d seen Loren talking with her. Did they know each other?
Loren always liked to wear that pretentious mask, which oddly attracted many people. Chu Lingyu hoped that he, as their classmate, wouldn’t be foolish enough to be fooled by him.
“Hello sir, would you like to order now?”
Chu Lingyu, looking down at his phone, paused—this voice sounded so familiar.
He raised his head, and his expression instantly became a bit complicated.
Next to the table stood Wen Qian, now dressed in a waiter’s uniform, holding a menu with a polite smile.
“You…” Chu Lingyu’s mouth twitched. “Whose job are you replacing this time?”
The fruit was already sold out so quickly?
“Well, I saw someone needed help, so I came over,” Wen Qian said, saying something that made little sense. “As for the fruit stall, it’s different from the barbecue stand; the fruit matching game is still pretty easy!”
The fruit stall’s matching mini-game was much simpler than the barbecue stall’s management game.
“Chu Lingyu, are you going back to school later?” Wen Qian’s attitude softened since she knew him.
She believed he definitely wouldn’t give her a bad review like the other NPCs!
Chu Lingyu glanced at her. “You going back?”
The girl nodded repeatedly, then looked at him expectantly.
Chu Lingyu awkwardly avoided her gaze. “What are you going back for?”
“Of course, to have lunch!” Wen Qian said with a bitter face. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
The more she talked, the more pitiful she looked, almost about to break down.
Chu Lingyu, who had never expected that answer, choked a bit and then recalled her status as a scholarship student. He frowned.
Thinking about it, maybe her strange behavior was because she was working part-time to earn money?
“When do you finish work?” Chu Lingyu raised an eyebrow at her.
“After your table,” she replied.
Chu Lingyu nodded and lightly tapped the table. “Sit down, I’ll treat you to a meal… don’t put on that look like you’re going to offer me a sacrifice—I’m not dead yet.”
Wen Qian decided then and there that Chu Lingyu would be the first friend on her list!
Classmate Chu, the savior in times of trouble, was going to treat her—yay!
Within a minute, Wen Qian transformed from a waiter back into a customer, looking at the menu in Chu Lingyu’s hand with great anticipation.
Great, she could freeload a meal without going back to school. Was there anyone happier than her in the world?
This happiness lasted until she saw the menu.
The entire menu was blacked out and locked, dealing a harsh blow to a player’s heart.
Chu Lingyu noticed Wen Qian’s expression quickly shift from bright to gloomy, even faintly sad, and furrowed his brows.
What was wrong this time?
The girl choked up as she looked at him. “Do you think this restaurant has beef noodles?”
Chu Lingyu: …?
“Sorry miss, if you’d like, we can prepare a vegetarian noodle dish for you,” an apologetic waiter nearby said.
The implied meaning was clear—no beef noodles.
Still, it was related to noodles, so Wen Qian decided to take a chance.
“Are you trying to save me money?” Chu Lingyu raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. “Don’t think too much—just order whatever you want.”
“Just one bowl of vegetarian noodles,” Wen Qian said firmly.
“Suit yourself,” Chu Lingyu withdrew his gaze. “Eat and leave. Don’t follow me afterward.”
“If I don’t follow you, how am I supposed to get back later? What if I get stuck on the railing again?”
“…So you’re only following me so I can help you get over the railing later?”
“Of course, not only for that!”
Chu Lingyu’s usually calm expression softened a little at this.
“There’s also part of the reason I want you to guide me!”
“…Tsk, go back by yourself.”
The vegetarian noodles were quickly served. Seeing the [Locked] label floating over the bowl, Wen Qian fell silent again.
She silently looked up and fixed her gaze on the steak in front of Chu Lingyu.
“Chu Lingyu.” She called his name solemnly.
Chu Lingyu paused slightly while holding his knife and fork. “Hmm?”
The girl pushed the vegetarian noodles toward him and looked seriously at his steak.
“Your steak—share a piece with me.”
Chu Lingyu’s wrist twitched; he almost thought he misheard.
“What did you say?”
The player repeated seriously, “Share a piece of your steak with me. Oh, and remember to cut it and put it in my bowl.”
“Thank you,” Wen Qian said politely.