I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 120

Chapter 120: An Escaped Elementary School Student From Shenzhen Starlight Elementary School

 

The opening ceremony of the Shenzhen Shangjing Maid Cat Cafe in Shenzhen City concluded with a simple “balloon explosion” and a sky full of fireworks. According to some people from the Tongmeng, a lot of preparations had been made in the months leading up to the event, and after much busyness, the cafe was finally decorated and operational. Despite the initial intention for a grand opening ceremony, Ouyang Xue refused, citing that it would only incur additional expenses without providing any significant help in attracting customers.

 

After a brief discussion, we eventually settled for a symbolic approach, involving balloon stepping and fireworks. To my surprise, Ouyang Xue came up with a unique idea for the balloon-stepping segment. Assigning me, Yin Xiamo, and Ai Luodi to perform the task, and we also recorded a segment for the next promotional video PV.

 

“Keep it simple. The area around this place has fewer people, and there is no densely populated residential area. Even if we use a loudspeaker all morning, we won’t attract many people. It’s better to focus on online activities, and the offline opening ceremony should be kept minimal,” Ouyang Xue said at the time.

 

She personally seemed to dislike the idea of ostentation and superficial displays.

 

“If you think the opening ceremony must be grand and the formality must be followed to the fullest, then in the future, we can adopt the capitalist approach for the cafe. Come over every morning for a meeting, engage in some insincere flattery, and then have another meeting after work, indulge in pointless complaints,” she said.

 

In the face of skepticism from the Tongmeng Network, Ouyang Xue calmly presented her “simplification philosophy,” stating, “As the owner of the café, they can consider flattering me every day. Anyone who doesn’t speak well or doesn’t compliment will have their salary and bonuses deducted. Those who don’t work overtime every day will face a review the next day. Occasionally, we’ll schedule activities on their days off, and after the activities, we’ll go to a restaurant to drink. We can’t neglect the culture of socializing over drinks….”

 

This response effectively countered the proposals for an elaborate “opening ceremony.” Li Chen remarked that Ouyang Xue is particularly unenthusiastic about similar things in today’s society. If it were a directive from higher-ups, she might go through the motions, drinking when required and following formalities. However, if it were under her management, anyone who excels in flattery, ingratiating themselves, and proposing various gatherings to “boost company vitality” would be the first to face her scrutiny.

 

It is said that Ouyang Xue had experienced such troubles when she worked as an idol in that exploitative capital company before.

 

During the day, she would put on a forced smile, chat with the audience about her daily life, answer questions, and interact with everyone. However, in the evening, especially when there were visits from significant leaders or approaching holidays, various events or parties would be organized, and she would gracefully dance with a mask on.

 

Originally, everyone was exhausted after a day of work, thinking only about resting or entertaining at home. However, when the leaders, who were not tired, proposed playing badminton or golf, everyone had to enthusiastically agree and show that they enjoyed playing with the leaders. After a round of sports, they would go out to eat, toast each other, and the next day wake up with a severe headache and complete exhaustion, only to put on a forced smile and continue working.

 

Ouyang Xue doesn’t like this. As the team leader in charge of logistics management at Tongmeng Network, she never demands her subordinates to do such things. When it’s time to finish work, she goes home to rest, plays games or watches anime if she wants to.

 

“If, in the future, I am lucky enough to meet someone I can entrust my life to, that person must not like formalism. I don’t want a grand wedding, going to a luxurious place for a meal that costs tens of thousands, and everyone has to give thousands of dollars in red envelopes. It’s unnecessary,” she said.

 

A few days ago, when she had some free time in the afternoon, Ouyang Xue occasionally chatted with me about her views on love and marriage.

 

“I don’t like wedding extravagance, and I don’t want to make a showy display with luxury cars worth hundreds of thousands or millions, known throughout the city. The dowry doesn’t matter to me. If possible, I’d like my wedding to include only close friends and family with good relationships. Not too many people, and I won’t invite those superficial friends. Both sides can get to know each other, gather for a simple meal, and that’s it. Simple is not a bad thing.”

 

When there are not many people around, Ouyang Xue in the café is actually quite sensitive, completely different from her usual rational and strict demeanor, which is more typical of a tough guy.

 

“Nowadays, people’s lives are so fast-paced. Maybe in another generation or two, the so-called drinking culture will disappear, and these messy face-saving projects will also improve…”

 

I have always wondered why Ouyang Xue, with so many skills—having been an idol, understanding operations, being capable, and skilled in promotion—still remains just a team leader in logistics management at Tongmeng Network. It seems to be because she doesn’t like to please superiors.

 

In this regard, I am quite similar to her.

 

After graduating from college, I did various jobs until I was transformed into a girl by Yin Xiamo. Over the years, I have not saved any money, have no car, no house, no girlfriend, and don’t know any influential people. Besides the difficulty of struggling with no parental support due to my orphan background, the main reason, in my personal perception, is that I “refuse to compromise.”

 

Society is very realistic.

 

I have worked as a waiter, delivered takeout, and of course, worked in many small companies as an employee. There were many opportunities for me to “advance” during this time, but I actively gave up many of them.

 

For example, one weekend, the company boss suggested that everyone play volleyball, claiming it was voluntary. I didn’t go, instead, I went back to my rented house to watch anime. A colleague went and even drank with the boss that day, and a few days later, he was promoted. He went from being a small employee to the boss’s “secretary,” sitting in the office every day playing with his phone. If there was something to do, it was handed over to me. Not long after, I resigned. A year later, looking at his social media, he had risen in salary almost tenfold because he had greatly pleased the boss.

 

Even in the “Wujia Apartment,” there was a similar situation—when I lived there, I received numerous invitations from fellow tenants to go out for drinks, clubbing, and bar hopping, all sorts of “manly” activities, but I turned them down.

 

At that time, the young man living next to me in Room 302 had a background similar to mine. His family wasn’t well-off, and he didn’t have much money. However, he chose to go out drinking and clubbing with people from the apartment. Before long, he got to know a lot of people, quit his previous job, and started working for a “drinking buddy’s” company. He earned several tens of thousands of yuan per month and made connections with many “wealthy and influential” individuals.

 

In other words, if I had a very smooth and sociable personality, if I had smoothly navigated social circles from graduating college to becoming a thirty-year-old uncle with a wide network of friends, I wouldn’t have ended up in a situation where I couldn’t afford rent, alone and waiting for death in a rented room.

 

The reason I chose writing as a part-time job is that it falls under the category of “producer.” The income is directly proportional to the effort you put into your work, and you only need to serve your readers. There’s no need to flatter superiors or navigate complicated and insincere interpersonal relationships.

 

Similarly, choosing to work in a café, aside from the high salary, I was attracted to Ouyang Xue’s “straightforward” personality. It just feels… like when I’m with her, I don’t need to worry about too many things. As a maid, I just need to serve the customers well, and it feels similar to “as a novel writer, I just need to write the book well.”

 

At least, so far, I have no regrets—whether it’s embarking on the path of writing, meeting Yin Xiamo, or my current job as a maid.

 

—

 

“Table Number 18, your order of fried chicken and hamburgers, please enjoy.”

 

“Please wait a moment. All the ingredients in our café are freshly prepared, so it might take a bit longer. We suggest checking out the cats over there or taking a stroll outside to enjoy the sea view while you wait.”

 

“The second floor is the coffee, milk tea, and dessert area. To ensure the rich flavor of the coffee, fast food is not allowed on the second floor. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

 

It must be said that the promotional PV that Ouyang Xue posted on Tongmeng Net had an explosive effect. Originally, at around eight or nine in the morning, the cafe wouldn’t have a single customer. However, by around nine o’clock, the customer flow had reached the standard of the usual lunch peak period. Yin Xiamo, Ai Luodi, Ouyang Xue, and I were all hands on deck. Each of us wore cat ear headphones, monitoring the dynamics of the customers in the store. The mobile phone screen also displayed the cafe’s ordering system in real-time. We responded promptly to any customer needs.

 

Apart from the regular customers, perhaps due to the intensity of the promotional video, a few customers in the store gave me the feeling of being “troublemakers.” They asked all sorts of strange questions, leaving me bewildered.

 

“Ah… We don’t sell this robotic floor cleaner. We recommend checking online specialty stores. If you need, we can inform you of the model of this floor cleaning robot.”

 

“Dear customer, please don’t treat the stand-up sign at the entrance that way.”

 

“Sorry, I cannot provide a service of ?stepping on you?. The one yuan photo opportunity does not include this service… and we don’t have such a service in the store.”

 

“Scold… scold you? Customer, even though I haven’t undergone professional maid training, I know that insulting customers is not right… and I can’t even accept money for it!”

 

At the same time, because I had to constantly check the phone screen, I could occasionally see the chat messages from my book club popping up at the top of the screen—

?Ice Spirit: Kirito, have you really arrived? So fast? Do both of you live in Shenzhen City??

?World of Dreams: Wow, are you guys really going? Each one is a hidden tycoon, and here I am working overtime.?

?Smart Roadblock: I’m also at work.?

?Physics Duck: I got a 50% off ticket for the whole venue at Tongmeng Network. Wouldn’t it be a loss if I didn’t go??

?World of Dreams: The train ticket from my place costs two hundred bucks… By the way, aren’t you curious when Kirito and Maple got together??

?Kill Kirito: Huh? Didn’t I tell you all a long time ago? Maple is my wife. In SAO, do you know why I want to ‘kill Kirito’? Because Kirito’s ultimate skill plus ignition can instantly kill Maple.?

 

Apart from my own book club, this morning, I also received a group invitation from the new editor “Catnip” —

Enterprise QQ “Honeydew Editor Catnip” invites you to join the group “Stray Bunny Shelter.”

 

In real life, I have to help customers clear the tables, welcome those who bring cats to the table (and leave after a quick pat on the cat), and clean up cat fur. Also, I have to monitor various situations on the café’s app in my phone, coordinate with the floor-cleaning robot for hygiene, and find time to check notifications from the new editor and the group of new authors. It’s like operating in “multi-threading” mode—

 

?This is the editor group of Honeydew Catnip, specifically for sheltering sad bunny babies. Because there are limits to adding people to QQ groups every day, I’ll gradually add the authors from the previous group in the next few days. I aim to finish this within this month.?

?For novel releases, recommendations, and getting listed, follow the rules of the group. All of you are signed authors, and your abilities have been recognized by the website. If you’re starting a new book, please report it to the editor. The editor will provide suggestions based on the plot of the book, following the internal signing process.?

?During the recommendation period, it is strictly forbidden to go on hiatus. If a book goes on hiatus during the recommended period, it will permanently lose its recommendation eligibility.?

?You don’t need to report when writing transformation novels, and I won’t provide editing suggestions. Go all out on your own. Based on comprehensive evaluations using data such as clicks, collections, likes, monthly tickets, comments, and criticisms, I will recommend and list the book after achieving five times the data of male protagonist novels, following the process of male protagonist novels.?

 

Then there’s the chat from some “old faces” in this “Stray Bunny Shelter.”

 

?Indeed, we’ve been abandoned by Mother Tuzi, sob, sob, Tuzi, my Bunny (Tuzi), my Bunny Mom… sob, sob…?

?I heard Tuzi is planning to work as a maid at that maid café in Shenzhen. Is the news accurate??

?What’s the name of that maid café in Shangjing? Didn’t it just open today? I didn’t see Tuzi. What does our chief editor look like??

?I don’t know about Tuzi, but the signature maid at that café should be named Yin Nuo’er. She’s really cute, the promotional video is unbeatable, she’s pretty, and her voice is adorable. If I lived nearby, I would want to go too…?

?Can you guys discuss this in Catnip’s group??

?Newcomer again? Come join us in writing. We’ll start in ten minutes. Today’s first car, Big Whisper, invites you to join the spelling room. Target: 40,000 words. Room number: Never give up.?

 

Watching the increasing number of authors in the new editor group, I took some time from my busy work at the café to check the group announcements and information from the new editor.

 

The new editor, Catnip, had a profile picture of a somewhat neutral-looking blond. Just as Ai Luodi mentioned, no matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t figure out the gender of this editor.

 

As far as I know, all the editors at Honeydew have exclusive avatars. For every new editor, the editorial department asks an in-house artist to create an avatar that resembles the editor, adding a touch of uniqueness.

 

This avatar is unique, not from the internet. For example, editor Tuzi persona is a big sister with rabbit ears, and in reality, Lan Jiajia’s appearance and figure are similar to her editor avatar, minus the rabbit ears. Besides Tuzi, I’ve also seen avatars for editors “Ten Days Fox” and “Brandy” on the Honeydew website. Ten Days Fox has an avatar of a white fox girl, while Brandy is a handsome guy holding a bottle, saluting the camera with a kind of “comrade, come and defend Moscow with me” vibe. The “Catnip” editor is described as having short, yellow hair, a tuft of cat mint on the head, a flat chest, and a somewhat androgynous appearance.

 

Anyway, I can’t discern the gender of this editor. But it doesn’t matter, we authors aren’t dating the editors, and male or female, it’s all the same.

 

?Uncle Loves Loli, I am your new responsible editor, Catnip.?

 

After being pulled into the new author group by the new editor, just after completing an order on the first floor and before I could catch my breath, I received a message from Catnip.

 

?I’m following your new book, the current pace is okay, and the readership is decent. I suggest increasing the update frequency in a few days. Right now, you’re updating 2,000 words every day. Once the book reaches 30,000 or 50,000 words, and you have more readers, start updating 4,000 words per day, split into two updates.?

?Of course, if you’re too busy, one update per day is also fine. Ai Luodi and I discussed your situation, you’re a part-time writer, right??

 

After reading these messages, I took a moment to reply:?Yes?

 

?Sure, arrange it according to your situation, but I still suggest double updates if possible.?

?Also, Tuzi specifically talked to me about your situation yesterday. She asked me to keep an eye on you. Be mentally prepared, and if there’s any hiatus… Huh??

 

I quickly replied:?There won’t be a hiatus, Editor-sama, I swear!?

 

?That’s good. You can go about your busy schedule.?

?Oh, by the way, Da Xu in the group started a writing room. You can check it out when you have time.?

 

Da Xu? Writing room?

 

Upon hearing this name, I suddenly remembered that Tuzi did mention this person a few days ago.

 

A part-time novel author who relies on updating a large volume of brainless but binge-worthy content for earnings, and she’s a girl.

 

I quickly found the attributes of this “Da Xu” writing room in the author group: the target is 40,000 words, with no time limit.

 

40,000 words?! And it’s the first round?!

 

With the rise of online writers as a profession, there are now many companies and websites specializing in “word counting,” and it has given rise to the playing style known as “writing rooms.”

 

In simple terms, everyone downloads the software under their company’s umbrella to write. The writing function of this software is much more advanced than WPS Office or Microsoft Office, with automatic saving, so there’s no need to worry about sudden power outages or losing drafts due to errors. After downloading, you can “open a room,” set a target word count and time, invite friends and family, or open the room for other authors to join. If it’s not timed, the winner is the one who reaches the set word count first; if it’s timed, the winner is the one who writes the most words when time is up.

 

In most cases, the word-counting rooms in the author group are in the range of 2,000 to 6,000 words. Occasionally, a 10,000-word room might appear, and it would be teased with comments like, “Are you planning to store drafts today? Can we even break the room with this many words?”

 

Then you tell me that this “Da Xu” in the editor group opened a room with a goal of 40,000 words? What’s the concept of 40,000 words in a novel? If you split it into chapters of 2,000 words each, that’s 20 chapters. If an author writes 40,000 words every day, they can complete 1.2 million words in a month, enough for an entire web novel from a new book release to completion.

 

?Alright… I’ll go in and take a look.?

 

Faced with the editor’s request, I reluctantly opened the mobile app of this writing software, searched for the room number, and joined. One, two, three, four, five… by now, eight people had already entered the room, and it showed that the word count competition would begin in 27 minutes.

 

?Uncle loves Loli? You’re the new chick that Tuzi just recruited??

As soon as I entered, the room owner, “Da Xu,” sent a cute expression: ?I’ve read your book, you write much better than me.?

 

Huh?

Is this the legendary… “act”?

You, an author who can write up to a hundred thousand words a day, actually say that I, a lazy author, write better than you?

 

?I’m just here to join in the word count.?

After thinking for a moment, I replied: ?I’ll be working all day today, probably won’t have time before 10 PM. Just ignore me.?

 

Forget about forty thousand words, I can’t even write four thousand words today with so many people at the café…

 

?I know, your café is opening today, lots of people.?

 

What surprised me is that this “Da Xu” seems to know something about me: ?No problem, you go ahead, I’m not working today. I’ll try to break the room in the afternoon, and there’s a 50,000-word second round at 8 PM.?

 

Alright… Alright.

You, the tentacle monster, you have the final say. I won’t disturb you. Finally, after checking all the group messages on my phone’s QQ and confirming that there were no omissions, I put my phone away, adjusted the slightly crooked suspenders under the maid dress, and took a deep breath in place.

 

The current time is 9:40 in the morning, and there are already 30 customers in the store. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this number is expected to double by noon.

 

On the first floor, there are 60 people, and I am sharing the workload equally with Yin Xiamo. Each of us is also required to serve at least 30 customers.

 

Moreover, even though Yin Xiamo and I look almost equally appealing, she exudes a youthful beauty, while I lean towards a more childish, cute, and Loli-like appearance. However, perhaps due to Ouyang Xue putting me in the center position in the promotional video, almost all the customers coming to the store are specifically looking for me.

 

“Does that loli maid from the video really exist?”

“I want the loli maid!”

“Is Nuo’er here? I want Nuo’er to serve!”

 

For the better part of the morning, shouts like these echoed continuously. I had no choice but to repeatedly approach Yin Xiamo, who was enjoying the spectacle, and take away the customers around her.

 

Moreover, as soon as the customers in the store saw the uniforms of Tongtong, Maple, and the two “Kimen Riders,” they quickly took various photos and shared them through their respective QQ groups. This rapidly transformed the reputation of the Shangjing Cat Maid Cafe from the initial “a cafe with cute maids where you can pet cats for free” to “currently hosting anime exhibitions, allowing any clothing, fostering friendships and relationships, offering free WIFI, and featuring cute maids for free cat-petting in a two-dimensional cafe.”

 

Although there are only a few customers who come dressed in cosplay like Tongtong and Maple, there are quite a lot who come in various fancy outfits because they’ve heard that there are many “otaku” and different “small circles” here.

 

For instance, Lolita, JK sailor uniforms, and traditional Chinese clothing, the “three pits styles.” Lolita enthusiasts typically belong to a niche community, and they usually wear these outfits at home for personal enjoyment. However, upon hearing about the cafe offering a place to play cosplay, many Lolita enthusiasts couldn’t resist the temptation.

 

Since even cosplay outfits can be worn here, I had no problem wearing a Lolita dress, especially with that group of otaku supporting me. In this context, almost none of the customers I greeted in the morning were “ordinary people.”

 

Girls were dressing up in JK and Lolita dresses that they wouldn’t dare wear on a regular day, and boys either boldly wore daring outfits like the two “Kimen Riders” or brought various entertainment tools, such as laptops or Three Kingdoms-themed card games. They would invite friends to the cafe, order some snacks, enjoy the air conditioning, and play games.

 

Originally, the “turnover cycle” for a customer to come to the cafe, have a meal, play with the cats, and leave, averaging about twenty minutes, was extended to several hours. This turned the once quiet cafe into a lively and bustling place.

 

What made me laugh and cry at the same time was that because Maple loved cats so much, she left Tongtong aside. On my side, most customers coming in specifically asked for my service, leaving Yin Xiamo, who was in charge of the cat zone, with some free time. The two of them started chatting in the cat living area.

 

“I saw the interview with that streamer. Are you and Nuo’er a couple? Lesbians? When did it start?”

 

“It’s been a few thousand years. Nuo’er is a bit slow and silly. I still don’t know how to eat her up.”

 

“Nuo’er’s personality is somewhat similar to Lulu’s. Girls like that are delicious. I have experience.”

 

“Oh? Any special techniques?”

 

“First, you do it like this, then like this, and finally like this…”

 

Yin Xiamo, with her headphones on, transmitted their entire conversation to my side, making me, who was busy delivering dishes, feel like my hair was standing on end.

 

“Momo, that’s enough!”

 

“Oh, isn’t this little Nuo’er? I forgot my microphone. Sorry, sorry. You go on with your work… Beep, beep, beep…”

 

Around ten o’clock, Ouyang Xue activated the camera on the central work desk of the cafe’s first floor. She used it as a video input source, logged into the official account of the “Shangjing Cat Maid Cafe” on the Tongmeng website, and started the live broadcast.

 

Looking at the camera above, I knew the real battle was about to begin.

 

After the promotional video was released, those attracted to the video, early arrivals, and those dressed in cosplay were all locals of Shenzhen City. If non-locals wanted to come, they usually purchased train tickets for 8 or 9 in the morning, taking a one or two-hour high-speed train ride. People from farther away might choose to fly, but even the furthest regions in the country wouldn’t take more than three hours to reach Shenzhen City. In other words, everyone departing around 8 or 9 in the morning would likely arrive in Shenzhen City by around 1 o’clock, making this time period a super peak period.

 

As long as we served the first batch of customers who came to the cafe for a “taste” well, along with the streamers and video hosts, the cafe’s reputation would be thoroughly established.

 

?Ice Spirit: I’m heading out. It takes an hour and a half to get to Shenzhen. I can’t remember the last time I went out so far, but for Nuo’er, I’m giving it my all.?

?Physics Duck: Kirito, you’ve made it tough for us. I never thought you’d actually be a girl. Just wait, I’ll be at the cafe entrance soon, don’t run away!?

?Physics Duck: And Uncle, after treating you like an uncle for three years, Kirito tells me you’re Nuo’er from the promotional video? I suspect you two are conspiring to deceive me.?

?Mojito: What’s going on? Can someone tell me what happened? I haven’t read Uncle’s books in a year. How did Uncle turn into a girl? Did I travel to a parallel world??

?Final Dream: Sister Nuo’er, Dad and I are almost there!?

 

The chatter in the reader group continued. What I couldn’t understand was why Ice Spirit and Physics Duck were expected, but even Lu Xinjian’s daughter, Lu Xinmeng, who had just undergone surgery a little over a week ago, was coming.

 

Is this allowed by the hospital? Or is it due to Lu Xinjian’s personal connections, forcing an early discharge?

 

“Ding Ling Ling—”

While I was still pondering, the phone in the pocket of my dress started ringing.

 

“Nuo’er, we’re almost there,” came Lu Xinjian’s call.

 

Over the phone, this father spoke in a tone of ‘I have a surprise for you’, “I also brought someone else with me. You’ll never guess who she is.”

 

“Uh?” I hesitated. “Who is it?”

 

“I’ll send you a text, and you help reserve a spot.”

 

“Sure.”

 

I surveyed the cafe, saying, “No need to reserve a spot, there are plenty of seats available.”

 

“We have a large group, help reserve at least five seats. I’ll text you the details.”

 

The call ended there.

 

After a busy morning, with my clothes, dress, straps, and stockings dampened by sweat, I walked to the front door of the cafe on the first floor, preparing to welcome Lu Xinjian and the others.

 

Before long, I received a text message from him:

 

?I brought the girl who received your brother’s corneal transplant. Her name is Li Denghua, and she’s studying at the nearby Shenzhen Starlight Elementary School.?

 

“……”

 

……