“This is the place you mentioned?
It looks pretty lively.” Denia pointed at the Haidilao sign before them.
Even from the entrance, you could see the crowd of people inside, with servers weaving like fish between the tables — quite the bustling scene.
“In this country, Haidilao is one of the go-to hotspots for young people.
Might sound exaggerated, but if you haven’t eaten at Haidilao at least once, you’d be too embarrassed to call yourself a post-00.” Xiao Ling said this with a slightly dramatic flair.
“Then let’s head in.
Doesn’t look like anyone’s queuing right now, so there should still be open seats.” Denia spotted the empty space outside the entrance at a glance, and as she spoke, she pulled Xiao Ling along with her.
After a brief word with the front desk, an enthusiastic server soon led them to an empty table in the corner.
Once Xiao Ling and Denia sat down facing each other, a tall, pretty server quickly trotted over with a tablet for ordering.
“Hello, what would you two like to order?” The server’s voice was warm and pleasant, the kind that put people at ease just hearing it.
She first gave Xiao Ling a polite smile, but when she turned to Denia’s side, that enthusiastic smile froze for a moment.
‘Such a faithful cosplay, just like the real thing!’ That was her first impression upon seeing Denia.
You have to understand, even the most professional cosplayers can only achieve as much fidelity as possible in hair color, eye color, and costume, but the personality and aura a character projects are the hardest things to capture.
Yet this cosplayer before her not only completely nailed the appearance, but even perfectly replicated that heart-achingly fragile, “make-you-want-to-protect-her” quality.
She looked like someone who made you feel fiercely protective!
‘Aiya, no, I’m here to work.
Calm down, calm down!’ The server took a deep breath, returned to work mode, and handed the menu to Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling just smiled seeing the girl momentarily lose her composure at the sight of Denia, then took the menu and started ordering.
“Any dietary restrictions?” He asked Denia across the table.
“None.
I’ll eat whatever you order.” Denia replied.
About five minutes later, Xiao Ling handed the tablet back to the young server.
“Thanks for your work.” He nodded politely at her.
“No trouble at all, no trouble at all.
It’s my job.” The server smiled.
After putting the tablet away, she trotted off from their table.
After that, Xiao Ling continued scrolling through Bilibili, while Denia propped her head up with her hand and dozed, waiting for the food to arrive.
…
Xiao Ling felt that this server was showing up a bit too frequently.
Generally speaking, Haidilao servers were all busy to the point of flying around.
It was pretty rare for the same person to serve every dish.
But ever since the food started arriving, this server would come over every single time.
Even if she didn’t have a dish to deliver at the moment, she’d still swing by to take a peek and ask if they needed anything.
So, when this server once again appeared at their table, Xiao Ling spoke up.
“Miss, while this might be a bit forward of me to say, you seem a little too attentive to our table.
Are the other guests okay?” His voice was lighthearted as he spoke.
“Ah…
ahaha…
was it that obvious?” The server revealed an awkward yet polite smile.
‘It’s way too obvious.
You practically want to glue your eyes to our table,’ Xiao Ling grumbled internally.
“It’s no issue for me, but my companion here might mind a little.
So if there’s something you want to say, just say it.” Xiao Ling gestured with his chin toward Denia.
Denia was buried in her food, her mouth coated in tomato soup.
Suddenly being cued in, she tilted her head in confusion and looked at Xiao Ling.
To be fair, she’d been so focused on eating that she really hadn’t noticed this server paying constant attention to the two of them.
“Well, it’s nothing major, really.
I just thought her cosplay of Denia is too spot-on, and I wanted to get to know her, and maybe grab a photo together.” The server said, a bit embarrassed.
‘Oh heavens, a fellow fan!’ Xiao Ling’s face remained calm and unruffled, but inside, he felt that sense of salvation, like finding a kindred spirit who understood the music of one’s heart.
Denia didn’t understand.
Denia chose to keep eating.
“Still eating, little girl?
She’s here for you.” Xiao Ling smiled and poked Denia on the head.
“Me?” Denia pointed at herself, the meatball she’d just stuffed into her mouth not yet swallowed, her cheeks bulging like a little hamster.
“Um, hello!
I’d like to take a photo with you.
Would that be okay?” The server pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture toward Denia.
“Your cosplay of Denia is truly so faithful.
I’d love to keep a memento!”
Denia was baffled.
Denia chose to seek help from Xiao Ling.
“She wants to take a picture with you.” He explained.
“Mm, sure.” Denia nodded.
“Then you two sit together.
I’ll take the photo for you.” Saying this, Xiao Ling opened the camera app, and once the focus was set, turned the lens toward the two sitting together.
“Alright, say cheese.”
The server threw up a peace sign with one hand and flashed a lively smile, while Denia offered a gentle, serene smile.
“All done.” Xiao Ling glanced at the photo’s result.
It looked pretty good.
He added the server’s contact info and sent her that photo.
“Aww, so happy.
To see such a faithful Denia cosplay in my lifetime — I can die with no regrets now~” The server looked like she was about to cry, which was a little comical to behold.
“You seem to really like Denia?” The real Denia herself seemed to have accepted the cosplayer premise, and decided to run with it.
“Yeah, after going through her story, I just felt so heartbroken for her.
She’s clearly such a good, good girl…” The server spoke with a bit of indignation.
“That damned Fractsidus Overseer…!”
“What do you like about her?” Denia continued asking.
“She’s nothing more than a tool manufactured by the Fractsidus.
A tool’s ending is simply to be sucked dry of all usefulness and then thoroughly discarded.”
“Isn’t that just fine then!
At least she no longer has to go against her own heart and do things that hurt others!” The server instead laughed brightly.
“Denia can just be a good girl, with peace of mind!”
“Even if she’d face ostracism and scorn because of her identity as a Threnodian Resonator?”
“There will be people who like her.
Whether it’s the Rover, or Sigrika, or even us beyond the screen!” The server revealed a very innocent smile.
“We always hope that the characters we love will meet a beautiful ending.
Precisely because of that, when they suffer hardships and pain, we feel that same sadness as if it were our own.” Xiao Ling said this to the server, and even more so, to himself.
So, precisely because of that, when the chance came for him to bring them happiness, he would pour effort into doing so.
Even if this story that spans across time and space would one day reach its end, this overflowing happiness would never fade away.
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