I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 123
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- Chapter 123 - Let's Do Something Mischievous Together, Xia Mo and Xia Nuo!
Chapter 123: Let’s Do Something Mischievous Together, Xia Mo and Xia Nuo!
“Hello to the audience in front of the television and computer screens, as well as the viewers in the Tongmeng live broadcast room. This is the Shenzhen Bay TV program ‘Shenzhen Gourmet,’ and I am the host Xiao Ying.”
“I am the photographer Xiao Chen.”
“According to the suggestions of the majority of netizens and enthusiastic citizens, we arrived early in the morning at the Xingxing Huayuan Road in the Nanqi District of Shenzhen City. We found this newly opened… um, this, Shangjing Cat Cafe… Maid Cafe, hehe, the name is quite distinctive, Shangjing Cat Maid Cafe.”
“For the viewers who are not in Shenzhen in front of the television and on Tongmeng, let me provide some information. The Nanqi District of Shenzhen City is a very famous port area in our city. The once fruitful ‘Shenzhen Cruiser’ that was anchored here during the World War has now been transformed into a historical museum, open to the public for free. Military ship enthusiasts should not miss it. Nanqi District itself is also a particularly beautiful area, with the world-famous ‘Blue Sea Silver Beach’ located here, as well as many large ships, merchant ships…”
“As for this Xingxing Huayuan Road, it has a certain history. The Starry Garden in the Nanqi District was very famous back then, but unfortunately, due to some… ah, unavoidable factors, the garden was closed. I actually quite liked that garden, hehe.”
“The Shangjing Cat Maid Cafe has recently become very popular online. Our program has received many letters from viewers in the past few days, asking us to explore this café. Now, Xiaoying, here I am, isn’t it?”
“Without further ado, let’s go into the café—”
“Welcome!”
“Thank you! Wow, look, as soon as we entered, a cute little sister came out to greet us. Is this the legendary maid outfit? But looking at this little sister… she seems to be completely underage, even shorter than my uncle’s daughter in elementary school. However, the maid outfit suits her well. Little sister, what’s your name?”
“Yin Nuo’er? That’s indeed a very rare surname! How long have you been working here? Can you introduce us to this cafe? What kind of food do you have? And… for the cats, what specific cat services do you offer? Do we need to pay to play with the cats in the store?”
“Look, we’re still talking to this little sister maid, and the cats in their café have already come over. Truly worldly-wise cats. They’re completely different from the stray cats at my university back when Xiao Ying and I were in college. Those campus cats wouldn’t let you touch them even if you fed them…”
“Meow…”
“……”
……
At 2:00 in the afternoon, after serving the last customer in the café, I collapsed directly onto the massage chair in the corner of the cafe. Looking at the customers in the store, some were savoring their meals while watching short videos on their phones, and others were playing with the cats in the cat living area. I was exhausted.
God knows how I spent the morning.
As expected, after 11:00 in the morning, the number of people coming to the store skyrocketed. In addition to the regular customers who usually come and those who came with coupons from Tongmeng, there were many live streamers and video creators. There were also passersby who came just to join in the excitement after watching Ouyang Xue’s promotional video.
With the increasing number of people, the situation of “not enough staff” in the café became apparent. Although there are four “maids” in the cafe, including me, Yin Xiamo, Ai Luodi, and Ouyang Xue, Yin Xiamo is in charge of the cat area, Ai Luodi is responsible for the second-floor milk tea and coffee area. In reality, only Ouyang Xue and I are handling customer interactions on the first floor.
Facing a peak of about 120 customers coming and going, we could only describe the situation as “frantically busy.”
The cafe here is different from ordinary restaurants. The desire for service from customers is much higher than that of roadside fast food stores. In a typical fast-food restaurant, customers enter, glance at the counter to figure out what they want, order three or four dishes, and the chef prepares it. Then, they can go to the counter to get a bowl and serve themselves, and the role of the waiter is mainly to clean the table after the customers finish eating.
In the cafe, it’s different. When ordering, you need the service, and when the food is ready, the maid brings it to you. If you feel like adding something or want to take a photo, you call the maid over. After finishing the meal, the maid cleans up. While sitting and playing with your phone, a cute cat may come over to charm you, and if you want to buy cat products, you need to call a waiter.
The most crucial part is that there are cameras everywhere in the store. To maintain the image, I cannot make too “rude” movements throughout, walking elegantly. Whether it’s serving customers or bringing food, I maintain a relatively “ladylike” posture. It looks good, but it can be tiring.
But to be honest, I personally enjoy this feeling. I’m probably more of a “dedicative” personality, a bit of a “goody-two-shoes.” In games, I usually choose support and feel happy when teammates get kills or become super strong. If I accidentally take someone else’s kill, I apologize. In daily life, I try to help others as much as possible.
These days, being a maid is indeed very tiring, but every time I see customers in the store satisfied with the food and service, I feel happy and fulfilled. Although I know most customers are happy because they see me as a “cute loli,” appearance is still a part of my “dedication.” If they are happy and show satisfied expressions, I’m happy too.
Previously, when I learned from Miss Grim Reaper and Dreaming about my past life as a hero, I was actually more puzzled.
Because if I were really that so-called reincarnated hero, and if the hero had a personality similar to mine, then the hero himself would probably have a “dedicative” personality.
Through the hero’s attitude toward the little demon in the dream, I can also understand that the hero, like myself, is also a “goody-two-shoes.” If a protagonist with such a personality is placed in a modern novel, especially in online literature, they would likely face public criticism.
Not to mention, the novel’s collection count would certainly not go up, subscriptions would likely decrease, and the book review section might be filled with insults. Moreover, the “Web Novel Writing Guide” sent to me by the editor Tuzi previously also indicated that the protagonist should not do things unconditionally.
Everyone is already accustomed to decisive and selfish protagonists, and the “hero” in the dream does not belong to this type. When rescuing the little demon in the ruins, it did not bring him any benefits in terms of process and outcome.
The race that destroyed the hero’s hometown is the demon race, and the little demon is also of the demon race. Just like Riku and Schwi in “No Game No Life: Zero,” Schwi’s mechanical race destroyed Rick’s hometown, but when they met, Rick still chose to accept Schwi of the mechanical race.
Similarly, in my dream, the hero knew that his hometown had been destroyed by the demon race, and the “demon king” in the world was also of the demon race. However, he still took the little demon away in the midst of war, treating him like family, and the two endured hunger and hardships on their journey. If the hero did not have a “dedicative” personality like mine, according to the current mainstream template for protagonists in online literature, he would surely be indifferent to any passersby, focus on leveling up, utilize all available resources to arm himself, eventually kill the demon king, seek revenge, and dominate the world.
Even if the hero had desires and wanted to find a woman, he would surely choose someone with inherent talent, a beautiful appearance, or a unique race, such as the elf race or cat girls.
At the very least, the protagonist in online literature might seek a woman who is not significantly weaker than oneself, or even stronger—either following the conventional and satisfying template of a king’s path story or embracing the unconventional female-dominated story.
However, the “hero” in the dream, who has been accompanying him all along, is the little demon who can’t do anything. She can’t speak, doesn’t know magic, lacks human morals, and often causes trouble. The hero taught her martial arts and magic, educated her about morals and kindness, and showed her the way of “redemption.”
I feel that a hero like this in the team should actually belong to a profession like “priest” or “monk” rather than a leader. Of course, I saw that the hero with a “dedicative” personality was eventually betrayed and tragically died within a barrier, only to be reborn on Earth. Then, the little demon turned me into a little girl under her own hands.
I often wish to change this personality of mine. For example, in games, I try to choose powerful heroes that can carry the entire team. However, no matter how many kills I secure or how spectacular the victory is in a game, I don’t feel a sense of achievement compared to playing as a support with zero kills but dozens of assists.
It’s like a strange form of self-regulation that I can’t fundamentally change. In the later stages, I just gave up and embraced it, going with whatever makes me happy.
“Are you the one whose name is “Kill Kirito”? Nuo’er said someone from the group has already arrived.”
“Yes, that’s me. This is my friend, Maple.”
“Hello, I’m Final Dream from the group. My previous ID was ‘Youtiao Jun Bu Xi Huan Youtiao’ (Oily Stick doesn’t like Oily Stick).”
After eating and drinking their fill, in the afternoon, Li Denghua and Lu Xinmeng arrived at the cat living area. They had their first “meeting” with Cai Jingtong, who had been playing with the cats there for a while, and Maple.
“Oh, I know you. You’re the number one fan of the group leader. You disappeared for quite a while. What happened to your foot?”
“Not the foot, it’s the heart. I just had a heart transplant surgery and am still in recovery.”
“Oh… I’m sorry. Are you okay now?”
“I’m fine now. The surgery went very smoothly. The doctor said I’m a chosen one. I think Nuo’er brother is definitely blessing me…”
“Nuo’er brother?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, hahaha. I came here to change a cat. Nuo’er sister said there are many cute cats here, and the purring of cats can help wounds heal faster. I want to get a few more cats…”
From the cat ear headphones on her head, it could be heard that Lu Xinmeng seemed to be chatting happily with Tongtong and the others. Even the usually anti-social “science genius” Li Denghua joined the cat-petting team using cats as a bridge to make friends with the girls.
“If you want purring, I recommend this cat. Lulu and I have observed it for a long time, and this cat has the loudest purring.”
“Huh? What kind of cat is this? Its face is so flat…”
“It’s a British Shorthair, also known as a Garfield cat. Have you seen the cartoon Garfield?[1] The cat in the cartoon is named after this breed, but Garfield is a name, not a breed. I just asked the head maid here and found out. British Shorthair is its breed name, and Garfield cat is an alias, just like Cheese cat. Cheese cat is an alias, and the breed name is American Shorthair.”
“It’s this one… the British Shorthair, uh. Does it purr loudly?”
“Yes, its name seems to be Qubi… If you don’t like it, there’s also this one, the orange cat. It’s really fat, and its purring is super loud, like a greasy uncle, haha…”
Listening to the girls’ discussions through the headphones, I sat in the massage chair, scanned the QR code on the side with my phone, legs together, pulled the chair’s headrest down to the bottom, laid back, and activated the device.
“Humming…”
In the slow and comfortable rhythm, I slowly closed my eyes.
Successfully getting through the new café opening phase is really great…
Recalling the scene of the “Shenzhen Cuisine” program team suddenly visiting this morning, my heart felt a wave of relief.
Currently, the most discussed topic about “Yin Nuo’er” on the internet, the “Goddess of Shenzhen Cat Maid,” is mostly related to beauty filters, photo retouching, and things like “collaboration with capital.”
Because earlier, the “Shangjing Cat Cafe PV” edited and produced by Ouyang Xue was featured on the homepage of Tongmeng Net, attracting many people. Some of them, with more volatile temperaments, clicked in to investigate why this Yin Nuo’er is as cute as a perfectly rendered 3D loli. They then proceeded to dig into information related to me, exposing my QQ number and the novel’s QQ group.
The appearance of the “Shenzhen Gourmet” program team gives me a feeling of a “timely help in a difficult situation.”
I used to watch this show a lot when I was a child, and it has a very high reputation, especially since it rarely engages in commercial collaborations and advertisements locally in Shenzhen City.
It is said that the “Shenzhen Gourmet” program team was initially established by a wealthy investor from the Honor District. Rumor has it that this wealthy person loved gourmet food but often struggled to find delicious dishes. Therefore, he invested in creating this team, whose main task is to collect various local snacks, conduct evaluations, and film episodes to be broadcast on television.
For example, if the taste of a hot and spicy soup from a small snack shop in a county town in Shenzhen City is excellent, the team will directly go to the shop. They will conduct a secret investigation into the shop’s hygiene conditions, ingredient standards, and history of operation. They will then act as ordinary citizens, buy a few items from the shop, and invite professionals within the team who specialize in tasting flavors, along with regular people, to taste and evaluate the appearance, taste, price, and other aspects.
Until now, the program “Shenzhen Gourmet” has a history of nearly 20 years, introducing countless delicious foods. It is one of the few program teams in the hearts of the common people that “dare to speak the truth.”
When this program team came to interview the café, let’s not discuss whether the food is good or not, at least the rumors on the internet about me “applying beauty filters” can probably be dispelled.
“Hoo hoo…”
Speaking of which, why haven’t “Physics Duck” and the others arrived yet? It’s already in the afternoon.
And there’s Xiongxiong, that person is the most mysterious person in the group. Although she has never revealed her identity, she always gives people the feeling of being a “big shot” in an invisible way. What kind of person is she in real life?
Xiongxiong… hoo hoo… Xiongxiong boldly ventures into a different world… a mix of battle and romance… a summer day relived…
Seems like they are all extraordinary… characters.
Lying on the slightly vibrating chair, I quickly entered the dreamland —
?……?
?Momo, have you ever thought about what we would do if, in the future, we really defeated the Demon King and achieved world peace??
?If we defeat the Demon King, we get married.?
?Huh? Married? Wait, do you know what that word means??
?Can’t we get married??
?It’s not a matter of whether we can or cannot. You… Do you know what you’re saying? I’m just an ordinary human. If it weren’t for the magical effect that extends lifespan to a certain extent, I might have already…?
?Then wait until you’re reincarnated, and we’ll get married in that world.?
?Momo, we haven’t figured out the concept of souls yet, and the idea of reincarnation is uncertain. Instead of thinking about unconfirmed things, why not consider your own future? You’re a demon, and your lifespan is still long…?
?My life was given by you. Without you, no matter how long my lifespan is, it’s meaningless.?
?You little girl…?
?Forget it, I won’t ask anymore. Rest early today.?
?……?
“Nuo’er…”
“Nuo’er! Little kitty, little pet Yin Nuo’er!”
Huh?
In the voice carrying the fragrance of a young girl, I groggily opened my eyes.
“You’ve been sleeping for half an hour and three minutes. Even the donkeys in the production team don’t dare to rest like this!”
In front of the massage chair, Yin Xiaomo, also dressed in a maid outfit, held up her phone and said, “Tongtong is looking for you.”
“Tongtong?”
It took me a while to realize and yawned, “What about our… someone with a family.”
I stood up from the massage chair, stretched lazily, then checked my clothes and moved my feet a bit.
Hmm… the little shoes were fine, the sweat on the long stockings had dried. Just because I had been lying down for too long, the maid outfit’s skirt was a bit messy.
“What time is it now?”
I asked Yin Xiamo while adjusting the skirt.
Yin Xiamo crossed her arms, “Two fifty.”
“Have Duck and the others not arrived yet?”
“Duck? I don’t know any ducks.”
Yin Xiamo gestured towards the cat living area, “Tongtong and others are waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me?”
I wondered, “Why are they waiting for me? Do they want fried chicken?”
Usually, after 2 p.m., the café’s business would enter a slow period, and I typically took a break during this time. If Ouyang Xue wasn’t busy, she would cover for me during this half-hour nap. If she was too busy, she would direct occasionally entering customers to the kitchen, where the chef would cook on the spot, and they would pick up their orders.
However, looking at the current situation in the café today… it seemed like there were still quite a few people?
I glanced around the somewhat quiet café.
Compared to the morning and noon, there weren’t significantly fewer people in the café at this time. However, most people weren’t eating anymore. Some were playing games with headphones on, some were playing board games with companions at tables, some had gone to the cat living area, and some, like me, had simply sat down on the massage chairs and fallen asleep.
“I don’t know about that, but I guess… they might want to catch up with you?”
Yin Xiamo had a sly expression, “You, as the group owner, seem a bit unqualified. Others, as loyal fans who have supported your book for so many years, muster up the courage to meet you offline, and you leave them hanging like that.”
“I can’t help it. It’s just… too busy, you know?”
I yawned and walked toward the cat living area, saying, “And Tongtong is not exactly a die-hard fan of mine.”
After going through so much, currently, at least 70% of my reader base are “book hoarders” who hoard books without bothering to read much, and the remaining less than 20% are those who have abandoned my book after joining the group to read other novels. Tongtong falls into the “abandoned” category, but because she got to know “Duck” and the others in the group, and they often played games together, she didn’t leave the group.
“Don’t mess around, I got here first.”
“I’ll give you 20, let me sit first, okay?”
After I left my seat, out of the corner of my eye, I saw three guys who had been playing board games around the massage chair I had just vacated. They were now debating the “right to use” the chair.
“Tongtong!”
Considering that the massage chairs could be used by anyone who scanned the QR code, and the cleaning lady would regularly change the hygiene covers, I didn’t bother with the customers and went to the cat living area. I waved to a few girls inside and asked, “Are you looking for me?”
In the cat living area near the cat wheel, Li Denghua, Lu Xinmeng, Cai Jingtong, and her college roommate Maple were gathered. The couple Lu Xinjian and Li Denghua’s mom, probably tired from playing, were sitting on the nearby sofa, with their eyes closed, taking a nap.
Not sure if she truly believed Dad’s “cat purring therapy,” Lu Xinmeng had placed many relatively small-sized cats on her wheelchair. She was feeding them snacks and petting their heads. Even from a distance, I heard a chorus of “purr purr” as if a motorcycle was revving up.
“Yeah, you woke up?”
Holding a plush cat, Tongtong, now covered in cat hair, said, “Xiamo said you guys have a great relationship. How about playing a game?”
“A game?”
I became more puzzled, “What game?”
“A relationship-testing game, Lulu and I play it often. It’s rare to see someone in real life similar to us… cough, let me explain it to you.”
Putting down the plush cat in her arms, Tongtong took out a pen and paper from who knows where. “The rules are simple,” she said. “I’ll ask the questions. For example, I could ask you, ‘Does Xiamo like milk?’ Then you would write down your answer, either yes or no. If you answer correctly, Xiamo has to answer one of your questions. If you answer incorrectly, you have to answer one of her questions or do something she asks you to do, like meow. You can’t refuse.”
Isn’t this just Truth or Dare? It’s just a different format.
It’s like… a couple’s version?
“All right, I want to play this.”
Before I could express my opinion, Xiamo on the other side had already come running over with excitement, looking at me challengingly. “Little Nuo’er, you’re not going to chicken out, are you?”
You two wouldn’t happen to have conspired or plotted something during my nap, right?
The whole morning, I was busy in the lobby, while Tongtong and Maple were almost always here playing with the cats. The Cat Life Area is also managed by Yin Xiamo. As long as Yin Xiamo and Tongtong discuss topics like “how to make a girl fall,” wouldn’t that be very dangerous for me?
I glanced at Maple, who was sitting on the floor hugging a blue cat and taking a deep breath.
Well, it seems I can’t rely on her.
“Have Duck and Ice Spirit not arrived yet?”
“No, Duck and Ice Spirit just said in the group ten minutes ago that they just arrived in Shenzhen. They should be on the subway now, and it should take another twenty minutes to get here.”
Tongtong continued in a tempting tone, “So I said we can play games while waiting for them.”
“Okay.”
For some reason, despite not liking to “gamble” much, I accepted the proposal. “Who goes first?”
“Let’s start with you. The signature maid goes first.”
Tongtong handed the pen and paper to Yin Xiamo and gestured for me to turn around. “Let’s start with an easy question… Nuo’er, do you think Xiamo likes cats? Come on, Xiamo, write down your answer.”
Likes cats?
This question… How should I answer?
Wait, let me think it through.
Generally speaking, Xiamo has no reason to dislike cats, and she often refers to me as “little kitty.” Answering “yes” would undoubtedly be correct. But the biggest problem here is… she is Yin Xiamo, the Miss Grim Reaper.
She’s a goddess of death who has lived for over six thousand years! She will definitely play mind games!
I turned around and saw Xiamo, with a piece of paper, smiling as she handed the pen back to Cai Jingtong.
Throughout, Xiamo never missed any chance to tease me.
So… can it be understood that she is very likely to deliberately fill in “dislikes” to make me answer incorrectly? After all, if I were in her place, assuming I knew Xiamo liked little kittens, I might also intentionally say I don’t like them.
Yes, it should be like this.
“In theory, Xiamo should like little cats, but—”
Looking at the seemingly smiling face of the Miss Grim Reaper in front of me, I lightly “hmphed”: “But what she writes on the paper is definitely ‘dislikes’.”
“Are you sure?”
Tongtong, on the side, adopted a “let’s fight” posture: “Regardless of the truth, guess if Xiamo will write ‘dislikes’ on the paper? Let’s make our judgment based on the answer on the paper, okay?”
I nodded: “Sure.”
Xiamo maintained her smile and slowly turned the paper around—
?Likes?
With an accompanying cute and childish emoticon of a little kitten ( ^ – ^ )V.
What?
“Nuo’er, you lost.”
Under my surprised gaze, Yin Xiamo looked delighted: “You have to agree to a request from me!”
How is that possible!
She… Yin Xiamo, the Grim Reaper, actually didn’t play any tricks?
Or did she anticipate that I would anticipate her playing tricks?
“Cough, well…”
Tongtong on the side cleared her throat a few times: “Lulu and I often play this game in the dorm. We agreed to abide by the results. Nuo’er, you…”
I gulped, “What… what do I have to do?”
“Just wait a moment.”
As if it had been prepared in advance, Yin Xiamo took out the couple phone I had bought for her from behind her maid skirt. She displayed the screen to me, gesturing towards the pile of cats nearby, “You go into the midst of those cats, strike this pose, and then recite these lines with a shy tone.”
“These lines?”
I only glanced briefly at the content on the screen. With my little feet enclosed in white stockings and maid shoes, I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward and inwardly cringed, “Can we change it to something else…”
“Nope.”
Yin Xiamo, with a smile that seemed to contain hidden intentions, said, “I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time. Don’t worry, you’ll win it back later.”
Ah, these two…
These two must have planned it out in advance!
Although unwilling, with the mindset of “winning it back later,” I walked towards the cat climbing frame indicated by Yin Xiamo.
This spot, with numerous cat climbing frames and two cat exercise wheels nearby, has always been the preferred resting place for most of the cats in the café. At this moment, nearly twenty cats were curled up near the cat climbing frame. Upon seeing me approach, the cats voluntarily made room.
“Um… Uh…”
Clad in a maid outfit, I sat beneath the cat climbing frame in a duck-like posture, making an embarrassed expression, raising my small hands to my chest.
“Well… um…”
Recalling the text I saw on Yin Xiamo’s phone just now, I said, “Master, could… could you…”
Under the cool air conditioning, even my own voice sounded shy to me.
“Could you… uh… tell the story of how you chose me from a group of little kittens?”
After saying these words, my whole demeanor instantly softened.
My image!
“Click—”
Then, I was drawn to the sound of Yin Xiamo’s phone in front of me.
“Very good.”
Under my gaze, the girl gestured towards the phone.
“I recorded it.”
“……”
……
Garfield is a mixed-breed cat