I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 116
Chapter 116: Rule the World With Authority
On the tenth of May, I intentionally woke up half an hour earlier than usual. After having dinner at home, enjoying the “Manhan Quanxi” feast prepared by Editor Tuzi, also known as Lan Jiajia, I took a stroll downstairs with Yin Xiamo. We also visited a café to check out the renovation.
The cats in the café still gathered around me as usual, and Dingman and the affectionate Miaomiao[1] continued to rub against my feet. However, compared to before, the renovated café was indeed much better. The kitchen’s drainage system became more reasonable and hygienic. The classification of various ingredients also adhered more to food hygiene standards. The lighting and illumination in the shop were more scientifically designed, and with the addition of many decorations, such as some star-shaped small pendant lights at the top and hanging ornaments, the overall atmosphere of the cafe became more “two-dimensional” than before.
I even saw two life-sized standees at the entrance, dressed in maid outfits, featuring “Yin Nuo’er and Yin Xiamo.” I was on the left, and Yin Xiamo was on the right, both with a faint and gentle smile on our faces. We posed with a gesture inviting guests inside, which felt particularly embarrassing.
The wooden floor in the café had many more two-dimensional beauty illustrations, featuring various heroic spirits’ illustrations from Fate/Grand Order, as well as anime illustrations that “Tongmeng Net” had obtained the copyright for, such as the blank from “No Game No Life” and various “character” from “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid.”
In the center of the first-floor hall was a very cool magic circle, somewhat resembling the ones used to summon heroic spirits in “Fate.” Because there were light tubes buried under the floor, this magic circle would emit many combinations of lights under the control of the console, making it look like a heroic spirit could be summoned at any moment.
In addition, many paintings were added on both sides of the stairs leading to the second floor, mostly featuring characters from popular anime, such as Nezuko Kamado from “Demon Slayer” or Anya Forger from “Spy x Family.”
With this renovation, the café, originally full of a two-dimensional vibe, seemed to transform into a “otaku paradise.” Of course, it’s okay if you don’t watch anime regularly and can’t recognize these characters. The shop isn’t entirely two-dimensional. Items like the small wind chimes hanging by the window, the moon pendant lamp overhead, and the stickers in the second-floor bubble tea shop follow a cute theme. Even if you’re not into the two-dimensional world, you’ll likely find the decoration of this shop warm and adorable.
At least, I find it quite cute.
Furthermore, besides the updated decor, the café introduced many convenient little devices. For example, mosquito traps were scattered around, some shaped like chubby owls with a purple mosquito-attracting light beneath their bellies, and others resembling cat buses from Hayao Miyazaki‘s “My Neighbor Totoro,” long with an electric net in the middle. Despite being mosquito traps, these devices, placed among plants and areas prone to humidity, didn’t feel out of place in the cute atmosphere of the café.
Finally, there’s the powerful smart floor-cleaning robot that Ouyang Xue specially purchased to lighten the burden for me and Yin Xiamo. This robot is designed specifically to handle cat fur and human hair. However, much like the situation in most households of “Tongmeng Net” pet owners who bought floor-cleaning robots, these robots quickly became the exclusive mounts for the cats in the shop.
Regarding this, Ouyang Xue said, “It’s fine. I deliberately bought one with a weight limit of 30 kilograms. Even if a child stands on it, it’s fine, but it does consume a lot of electricity.”
So, I admire Ouyang Xue’s “well-thought-out” actions even more.
?I don’t know how to explain the relationship with the Maid Nuo’er, if you dare to come tomorrow, we’ll talk?
?Just consider me working at that café. When you arrive, mention the exclusive password, the protagonist’s weapon name, and you’ll get a freebie.?
?@Final Dream, stop playing with your phone and go to sleep!?
?I’m just a lazy author, please be merciful, esteemed readers. If you’re not a fan, don’t join the group.?
That night, after taking a stroll back home with Yin Xiamo, I took a moment to handle some matters in the group before starting to write. I continued writing until 10 o’clock at night and then took a break to shower and rest.
This reader group of mine has been with me for almost four years, roughly around the time I created it, even earlier than the publication date of the novel on Yae-do Novel Network. Back then, I was a college student and made quite a few friends on some Tieba forums[2].
During that time, Tieba wasn’t as chaotic as it is now. People chatted very amiably, and it was the era when emoticons like “Tuzki” and “Ali” were most popular. There were few memes, and there wasn’t the trend of using emojis like sweat, soybeans, or strange comments. Discussions about games were normal, and we talked about professions and skills. I liked the cool skills of one profession, someone else enjoyed the high damage output of another, and everyone got along well, exchanging friendly comments and sending each other virtual hugs.
Novel forums were the same way, where friends from different novel forums could peacefully chat with each other. At that time, Tieba even had features like “Friendly Tieba,” where people would casually visit each other’s forums. If something interesting happened on one forum, a post might appear on the Friendly Tieba saying, “Visiting from XX Tieba, heard something interesting is happening here,” and then members from that Friendly Tieba would reciprocate with visits. This exchange of posts and comments led to the formation of many friendships.
Back then, I met many novel enthusiasts on the Tieba forum. After getting to know each other, we added each other on QQ (a Chinese messaging platform). Later on, I expressed my desire to try writing a book and created a QQ group to discuss settings and backgrounds.
Finally, the novel was officially published on the website, caught the attention of an editor, and led to a signing contract. However, as time passed, traditional fantasy novels that could secure contracts quickly became outdated. The era changed, and there was a rapid decline in readership. Tieba forums descended into chaos with endless online battles and conflicts, and even the QQ group gradually became less peaceful.
At the beginning, my QQ group didn’t require approval for entry, and as a result, a bunch of people came in to spam advertisements. Later, I changed it to require administrator approval, and only those with prominent QQ accounts were allowed. However, this led to the entrance of many non-readers who just wanted to chat. As they discovered that their interests were not appreciated in the group, some resorted to reporting the group after throwing in a few explicit images, causing the group to be shut down.
After successfully appealing and recovering the group, I set the entry conditions to the name of the book and the entry question to “What is the name of the novel?” This way, at least those joining would be readers.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. As the novel’s word count increased and it was featured on Yae-Do website’s “Million Words Novel Updates” section, the traffic spiked. Many people only read the beginning, found it displeasing, and upon seeing that I had shared the group number in the comments, joined the group to insult and report my QQ number and group files.
Following the advice of group members, I changed the entry condition to “subscription screenshot required.” This led to a wave of comments in Yae-Do’s comment section and reader community, saying things like, “This author, Uncle loves Loli, is just putting on airs. No one reads this garbage book. Joining the group requires a subscription. Money has driven them crazy.”
After various waves of drama, those who initially supported me in writing and strategizing for the book, both in the group and on the forums, had mostly left. The remaining readers were relatively passive, checking the book’s content occasionally and only actively engaging during holidays or leisure time, playing games together on voice chat. They were leading a peaceful “retirement life.”
If I remember correctly, the game they played the most was “300 Heroes,” and occasionally, when I joined the voice chat, I could hear them saying strange things like, “Your Kirito really gives me the feeling of a little knife stabbing my butt. Truly eye-opening.”
“Jun Mo Xiao has reached the high ground, and you guys are still posting memes there?”
“If we don’t post memes, even the spring water won’t be safe.”
“Oh, this person is really like a sparrow pecking at a cow’s butt, a sparrow feasting on bull greatness.”
“I~don’t~want~to~die~! (EDM)”
So… calling it a reader group, I feel like the one I created is more of a gaming group, and moreover, a gaming group with a not-so-prominent group owner. I write my novel, and they play their games, each minding their own business.
And now, suddenly, in this gaming group where people usually only show interest in games and two-dimensional pseudo-girls and lolis, someone announces they want to visit a place like Shenzhen City and organize an offline meetup…
I, for one, don’t believe it.
This is basically Hikikomori holding a meeting—nonsense.
As for Lu Xinjian’s daughter, who received a heart transplant from Yin Shiren, the information I received suggests that she can’t directly come to the café. It’s likely her father will take care of that, perhaps by livestreaming through a phone or some other means. Heart transplant surgeries are major procedures, and it’s only been about a week since Lu Xinmeng underwent surgery. The hospital wouldn’t allow such a young child to be quickly discharged after such a significant operation. Even if there are no physical issues, observation for an extended period is necessary, typically around a month.
So, from my perspective, on May 10th, it’s unlikely that any of the group members will come to the café. None of them will come – it’s all just empty bravado.
……
“Are you awake?”
In the dim morning, in the first-floor living room filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, what surprised me was that the editor Tuzi, Lan Jiajia, had actually gotten up before me. She was already in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.
Egg custard, taro and corn, along with diced meat and noodles.
“I watched the Tongmeng Net video, it’s pretty good. I feel like you guys could easily create a game based on this concept.”
Wearing an apron and sporting a homely expression on her face, Lan Jiajia, like a mother from television, served us noodles along with egg custard, taro, and corn.
“A regular gacha game would work, you don’t even need to think about design when the artist draws illustrations. Just base it on both of your appearances.”
A game? A mobile game?
“Ah… let’s forget about the game.”
I took my breakfast and sat down under the dining table in the living room. “Does the esteemed editor have to work this early today?”
The current time was 6:40 a.m., and usually, I would get up at 7:00, leave at 7:30, and arrive at the café right on time at 8:00. Today, I woke up half an hour earlier so that I could reach the café around 7:00.
If everything went as expected, Ouyang Xue probably slept directly at the café last night. She mentioned having some preparations to make, aiming to keep the café in the best condition before dawn today.
It’s evident that Ouyang Xue really likes the café, treating it as if it were her own child, nurturing and fostering it.
“More or less. The editorial department has been busy lately. Some people are taking advantage of the merger of the two websites to create trouble, writing strange books and then reporting them to the Cultural Bureau…”
Lan Jiajia walked out of the kitchen, glanced towards the stairs leading to the second floor, and took off her apron.
“I’ll go up and call Xiao Ai.” [3]
I quickly waved my hand. “No need. We’re just going ahead to check things out.”
“That won’t do. This child often has no sense of time. Today is the opening day of the café, and with the video being so popular last night, there are probably quite a few people waiting at the door early in the morning. Having Xiao Ai go with you can give a good impression to the new owner.”
With that, Lan Jiajia, wearing slippers, walked up to the second floor of the house. In no time, Ai Luodi, still clad in her soft pajamas, and with mismatched white socks (one short and one long), was scooped up by Lan Jiajia as if she were catching a little chicken.
“Alright, wake up, wake up! Mingjiao’s Dad is here to rob the escort! Robbing the escort!”
“If you don’t wake up, Cangyun’s Dad is coming too!”
“Look quickly! There’s a toxic luo cosplay!”
“Ah…”
Ai Luodi opened her eyes. “Where’s the toxic luo? What time is it? My alarm didn’t even go off…”
“We’re opening today. Shouldn’t you guys go a bit earlier?”
Dragging Ai Luodi downstairs, Lan Jiajia placed her directly on a chair by the dining table, then grabbed the breakfast from the side. “Hurry up and eat. After eating, brush your teeth and wash your face.”
“Boss.”
I waved at Ai Luodi across the table, “Morning!”
“Morning… uh…”
Ai Luodi yawned, reluctantly picked up her chopsticks, and asked, “What’s this?”
“Noodles and eggs. You said you didn’t like peeling eggs, so here, I made steamed eggs for you today. Satisfied?”
“Not satisfied… you didn’t help me… with the daily tasks yesterday…”
“Those daily tasks aren’t worth much. Hurry up and eat!”
“……”
Seeing this scene, I couldn’t help but turn to glance at Yin Xiamo beside me. Then, I noticed that the Miss Grim Reaper was also looking at me.
“What’s the matter, little kitty? Still want me to help feed you?”
I quickly turned my face away, “Impossible!”
“So you’re hoping I’ll drag you out of bed like the editor?”
“Drag me out? What! I don’t oversleep!”
I casually picked up a taro root. “If you’re free, help me peel this.”
To my surprise, Yin Xiamo actually took the taro root, expertly peeled half of it, took a bite, and then offered the rest to me, saying, “Not bad, very fresh.”
I glared fiercely at her, hesitated for a while, and eventually opened my mouth to eat that piece of taro.
“Wow.”
Lan Jiajia across from us saw this scene, looking surprised. “You two…”
“That’s why I said their relationship is quite mysterious.”
Ai Luodi wasn’t fazed, “Darling, do you want to show off too?”
“Hey, what’s our relationship…”
“Love, what else could it be.”
“No, no, let’s keep that in the game…”
A breakfast filled with everyday vibes ended in this slightly subtle atmosphere. After the meal, at the request of the editor Tuzi, Yin Xiamo and I went to the bathroom to brush our teeth and wash our faces. We also allowed Lan Jiajia to apply a light makeup.
It was only then that I learned Lan Jiajia was not only a well-known beauty editor at the Honeydew Editorial Department but also a part-time “makeup artist” there. During events like comic conventions, where the Honeydew official needed some presentable “mascot” or someone to make introduction videos, Lan Jiajia was responsible for their makeup.
Although Yin Xiamo and I mentioned that we usually only use some skincare products and don’t need makeup, Lan Jiajia still selected suitable makeup for us, creating a very light look that supposedly could last a long time, even if it got damp with sweat.
Under Lan Jiajia’s skillful hands, my originally large eyes were highlighted to resemble those of a little girl from an anime. With rosy cheeks, a petite and almost imperceptible nose, I appeared like a small loli stepping out of a two-dimensional world. Yin Xiamo, on the other hand, transformed into an elf-like figure reminiscent of a mythical world – elegant, beautiful, and dignified.
Makeup is akin to photo editing in Photoshop, belonging to a kind of Eastern “sorcery.” Not to mention making girls look cute, even if the original subject is male, a skilled makeup artist can turn you into a beautiful woman. Considering that Yin Xiamo and I already had a level of appearance fitting for a fantasy world, the effect after makeup was truly stunning.
Exiting the room with Yin Xiamo and Ailuoti, when we entered the elevator, I took out my phone and glanced at the messages in my group:
?Ice Spirit: Wake up, wake up, open your mics! We’re going to the Shenzhen city!?
?Physics Duck: So early? I might not leave until 10. Did you guys secure tickets??
?(Admin) World of Dreams: Is this for real? Are you guys really going??
?Kill Kirito: What can I say? I’m in Shenzhen, and there’s indeed a new café. Not joking with you guys. Are you really coming??
?Qianfen: I’m just kidding, bro. I still have to work.?
?Maple: Yeah, I’m going. I even got a 50% discount coupon. As we agreed these days, meet up at the Nanqi District Station.?
?Xiongxiong: I’ll just take the sea route.?
After reading the group messages, I faintly felt that something was off.
—Are they really coming?
Are they not playing the game anymore? Skipping daily quests? Ignoring daily commission? Forgetting about primogems?
Because my own reader group is relatively small, after four years, people come and go, and there are currently only two to three hundred people still present. The number of people actively participating in the group on a daily basis is not more than twenty. Therefore, I have some understanding of their personalities and family backgrounds.
For example, the few people who are active in the group early in the morning, Ice Spirit, Physics Duck, and Kill Kirito, are probably ordinary college students. These three, along with two other less talkative group members, are the main members of the “300 Heroes Black Group” in the group. They play games together, similar to the nature of Pipi and Marisa, whom I got to know in the editing group before.
As for Maple and Xiongxiong, the genders of these two QQ accounts are female, making them the most likely girls in the group. Maple is also a college student, studying in a school next to Shenzhen City. It only takes a few hours to get here by high-speed train. As for Xiongxiong, she doesn’t participate much in the group discussions, and her identity is somewhat mysterious. She has been in the group for at least three years, but over these three years, I haven’t been able to match her with any account on the Yae-Do Novel website. However, her way of speaking sounds a lot like a girl. I really didn’t expect someone as low-key as her to want to come to Shenzhen, especially by “sea route.”
Speaking of taking the sea route, what does that mean? Coming by boat from another place? Shenzhen City’s Nanqi District indeed has a pier and quite a few cruise ships, but with the tram system so developed now, unless someone is abroad or really enjoys the feeling of being on a boat, it wouldn’t make sense to say they want to come by ship, right?
?Uncle Loves Loli: Wait a minute, what do you mean by this? Can someone fill me in? Are you really coming??
In the elevator, I quickly typed on my phone screen: ?Now? Today? Coming to Shenzhen??
Soon after, people in the group responded to my message—
?Ice Spirit: Why not??
?Physics Duck: Uncle, this time Maple has expressed her intention to go. She’s currently the only known—uh, girl in the group. If she goes, I’ll definitely go. You should be prepared.?
?Qianfen: Damn, my crappy company doesn’t give holidays. Otherwise, I would have gone too. I watched the introduction video of that café last night, and it’s really beautiful, especially the Nuo’er Maid.?
?Kill Kirito: Uncle, isn’t Nuo’er in your book based on the one in the video? I found their images in the video to be exactly the same in terms of temperament.?
May 10th is a Friday, and it happens to be the week after the May holiday.
Although there’s an off day during the May 1st Labor Day, many companies, especially those in market-oriented sectors, wouldn’t miss out on this golden week. As others take a break and rare opportunities arise for shopping and leisure, if you, as a business, also take a break, you might miss out on making money. Therefore, most businesses choose to have a “day off” during these three days of the May 1st Labor Day—requiring employees to work first and then compensating for the holiday later when the travel season and peak consumption period have passed.
May 10th is the first weekend after May 1st, and these three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, happen to be the days when those working extra hours get their “day off” holiday.
I must say, Ouyang Xue has a keen sense of timing for opening the café during this period. Even if people don’t take a day off on Friday, the first day of opening will be a day for us to get a feel for things. The second day will be Saturday, and the foot traffic will likely be high.
?Maple: I am not the only girl, @Final Dream and @Kill Kirito are girls too, right??
?Qianfen: Kill Kirito is a girl? That’s not a funny joke. Don’t they open their mics and play games every day??
?Maple: They could be using a voice changer.?
Chatting along, I noticed several people in the group displaying first-level chat badges popping up:
?B Army: What’s the relationship between the group owner and the maid Nuo’er from the café? This has been circulating online recently.?
?Huludao Wuqilong: Legend has it that the group owner is Nuo’er, the maid. I don’t know if it’s true or not.?
?K9999: I joined this group because I heard someone say Nuo’er is the group owner. I even paid to subscribe to this book.?
After that, some people familiar with me continued the topic:
?Physics Duck: There’s no way Uncle is a girl, right? If you say Nuo’er from the café is his sister, I believe it. Is she really the Uncle? Hahahahaha, I don’t believe it, he played “300 Heroes” game and spoke in voice chat.?
?Maple: Although I also think Uncle should be an uncle, but… maybe he’s using a voice changer like “Kill Kirito”??
?Ice Spirit: Little sister, why are you so sure that “Kill Kirito” uses a voice changer??
?Maple: Because she’s my roommate, and we’ve kept it a secret from everyone…?
After reading the chat messages, I felt like my little brain was not quite sufficient. When did their relationships become so complicated? What happened to the old days when we would casually voice chat and play games, the group owner was like a phantom, and after novel updates, they’d request red envelopes from the group owner if they didn’t subscribe?
Your Uncle is no longer the same Uncle! Don’t come!
“Ding dong…”
In a daze, the elevator door in the residential area opened.
“Don’t look at adult content!”
Beside me, Yin Xiamo took my hand. “Am I not adult enough?”
“Who is looking at adult content!!”
I put away my phone. “The readers from the main reader group really want to come to the café, and with the promotional video on Tongmeng Net getting such high views, I… how do I face them?”
“I know these readers have been following you for several years, and you’ve been pretending to be a man for your own safety.”
Yawning, Ai Luodi said, “But, Nuo’er, some things should be confessed.”
“Also, you need to be mentally prepared. The video is getting popular, and there should be quite a few people coming to the café today, including some big anchors. In these days, the traffic to your novel will reach new highs, and the number of people joining the reader group will increase.”
Ai Luodi looked down at me in my fresh hoodie and skirt.
“Your Uncle’s character is definitely unsustainable.”
“You might need to change your pen name.”
“……”
……
TL Notes:
As a reminder, Miaomiao is the sphynx cat that looks like Beerus.
Xi?o (?) functions as an adjective, conveying meanings such as small, little, few, young, and more.
But it can also be used as a prefix, used informally before surnames to address someone. It conveys familiarity and affection, similar to adding “little” before someone’s name in English.