I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 132
Chapter 132: Ai Luodi Provides Assistance for Love
Considering that I had visited the hospital in the town, there was a possibility of bringing germs or something from the hospital to the café. So, upon returning, I went directly to the employee lounge on the second floor, took spare clothes, went to the bathroom, took a shower, and washed off any hospital-related odors.
Then, it was the routine of changing clothes, socks, and shoes. For some reason, after returning from the hospital and listening to Ouyang Xue’s story, and encountering the young man on the bus, I vaguely developed a special feeling for this newly established café.
“Table 58 needs assistance.”
“The beef stir-fry for table 15 is waiting for delivery…”
“Nuo’er! Nuo’er! Come over quickly, we want to take a photo with you!”
“All the viewers in front of various cameras can now see that Yin Nuo’er, who previously escorted their café manager to the hospital, has returned. She looks exactly like in the promotional video. Nuo’er sister is truly… I mean, completely without using any beauty filters, and there is hardly any difference from the video. I can vouch for that.”
Speaking of the time when I just received the order and was sent here to take on the role of the café manager, I often wondered about Ouyang Xue’s state of mind during that period, especially when she was busy in the café wearing a maid outfit. I would occasionally recall the lonely expression she had in the hospital.
Watching loved ones leave, unable to gather enough money to treat the cat she raised, only to see it eventually die—what kind of feelings does she have now about “work”?
“They take good care of the cats here. The cat food they use is from a highly reputable domestic brand… Let me briefly explain, this cat food is natural, and it has been reviewed by pet bloggers. The nutrition is very balanced, much better than those cheap, 20-kilogram bags of junk food with corn and carbohydrates. I don’t know how many times better.”
“Nowadays, just the entrance fee at other cat cafes is sixty or seventy yuan. In this café, if you want to buy something, you don’t need to spend extra money. For those interested, you can come and have a look. Really, you don’t need to. I’m not advertising. Even if you don’t eat here, it’s still a top-notch experience, and it won’t cost you a penny.”
“Nuo’er little sister’s service is quite attentive. Although the young girl is very shy, she has already come of age, can you believe it? You might not have a very intuitive concept from watching the video. Let me give you a comparison. When she just walked past me earlier, she only reached my chest.”
“I have a feeling that in the future, this place will become a gathering place for the second dimension. Just the fact that the entrance is free and they don’t rush people out already surpasses many high-end restaurants in our country. The environment here is especially good, suitable for water friends of all ages to come and play…”
As expected, during the peak dining hours in the evening, the café attracted many hosts and content creators, either with professional filming equipment or selfie sticks. Some were live streaming, some were recording videos for content, and they had all sorts of peculiar questions for me:
“Nuo’er sister, have you considered changing careers to become a host? Would it be a beauty broadcast or an entertainment broadcast?”
“I watched a short video, Xiamo said you two are in a romantic relationship. Is this role-playing or is it real?”
“Will you consider switching to a fee-based model in the future? Is it tiring to manage such a large space regularly?”
“With so many cat breeds here, how do you usually handle their disputes? Do you favor a particular breed?”
Fortunately, my past experience as an author and social exposure helped me handle these questions without appearing too clumsy, and everyone seemed quite satisfied with my responses.
“Nuo’er, Lulu and I are heading back. It’s getting late, and the university dormitories will close.”
“We’re leaving too. We’ll come again next time during the long break and organize a second gathering for our group of friends. Haha!”
“You might want to consider tutoring. It seems like Denghua has a favorable impression of you. Her biggest issue right now is being able to read and write, but she struggles to express what’s on her mind in writing.”
“The payment is not a problem, our family can pay you the highest hourly rate according to the standard.”
As more and more people gathered, and the room became crowded, members in the group, including Tongtong, Maple, Ice Spirit, and Physics Duck, took their last photos with me and Yin Xiamo before leaving. Li Denghua’s mother also expressed the hope that I could come to their house to tutor her daughter. She then boarded the car driven by Lu Xin Jian.
Yin Xiamo and I became completely busy, dedicating ourselves entirely to our work. To be honest, having a full house in the café, whether it’s 130 people on the first floor or 70 people, doesn’t make much of a difference for me.
As long as the number of people dining at the café exceeds my capacity, and as long as I’m running around the café the entire time, even if it’s two hundred or three hundred people, I won’t be exhausted.
When customers come to eat, there is a psychological expectation for waiting time. For most people, from calling the maid, to ordering, waiting for the food at their table, the time spent is usually around ten minutes, and if it’s longer, it might be twenty minutes or even half an hour.
Moreover, this “psychological expectation” of waiting time can change. Normally, when a customer enters a restaurant with few people, calls the maid, and orders, their mental estimate for the time from sitting down to receiving the food will be very short, usually five to ten minutes. Because there are not many people in the restaurant, they imagine that the maid and the chef are only serving them, so the service and food delivery should be fast.
But if someone enters a restaurant with a lot of people, there is a significant possibility that they will think, “It’s crowded here, I might have to wait a long time.” In other words, when customers see a lot of people in a restaurant, as long as they choose to enter, their mental expectation for the “waiting time” will increase.
It’s similar to getting a haircut—if someone is in a hurry, they won’t enter a hair salon where it’s obvious from the outside that there are many people and a long wait.
In the café, under normal circumstances with a moderate number of people, I need to constantly run around serving customers, and their mental estimate for waiting time is around ten minutes. When the café is extremely busy, and I still need to run around serving customers, their mental estimate for waiting time significantly increases. However, the time available to me is still roughly the same, rounding up, as it is during normal times.
With Yin Xiamo helping out in the cat living area, on the first day of opening, during the second peak dining period in the evening, despite feeling the explosion in the number of customers in the café, I did not have a particularly pronounced experience of “I can’t handle it.”
“Welcome to visit again!”
“Safe travels!”
“Thanks for supporting Shangjing Cat Cafe, meow!”
“……”
In the end, with the efforts of Yin Xiamo, me, and Ai Luodi, we successfully made it through the ultimate peak period on the first day of the café’s opening.
The crowd came in fast, and they left just as quickly.
Starting from 7:30, the café reached a point where people were only leaving, not entering. As the customers in the cat living area were busy playing with the cats, getting covered in cat hair, and leaving with the scent of dozens of little cats on them, by around 9 o’clock, the first floor of the café gradually became quieter, with only a few couples remaining on the second floor, sipping milk tea and using Wi-Fi to enjoy the view.
“My legs are numb, oh no…”
As usual, I sat in the massage chair in the corner of the café, by the window, activated the chair, and enjoyed the all-around service of this modern “high-tech” device amid the buzzing sound.
Throughout the day, Maine Coon Ding Man followed me closely and observed with curiosity as I lay on this chair every evening. His face was filled with curiosity, but because he didn’t know what this vibrating machine emitting a “buzzing” sound was, he could only cautiously observe from a distance.
Many cats were sprawled in all directions around us.
Most of these cats had eaten too many snacks and were too lazy to move. Quite a few had also indulged in catnip and were immersed in their fantasy world, unwilling to wake up.
Having fallen for the catnip trap several times myself, I understand that this stuff can really mess with you—oh no, mess with the cats. It makes you lose all sense of dignity.
It’s like… it’s like those cunning cats that only know how to make their owners happy, wanting to come over and rub against anything, wanting to show how cute they are, wanting to be petted, hugged, and kissed.
Some cats, after getting high on catnip, would collapse into a pancake shape, slowly wriggling on the floor.
Cat fur was everywhere, and the hardworking robot vacuum was also doing its job.
“Bzzzzz…”
Under the dreamy lights, I gently lifted my petite feet covered in white stockings, continuously massaging the slightly sore muscles of my calves.
It’s really hard to imagine that I walked such a long distance today with these delicate legs…
“Ah… it’s really tiring.”
At this moment, Yin Xiamo walked down from upstairs, holding a cup of iced water. “Want some?”
“Yes!”
I reached out to her and took the iced water in a milk tea cup from her hands.
“You didn’t add any computer accessories or anything inside, did you?”
Yin Xiamo shook her head, “No.”
Feeling the coolness of the ice in my palm, I instinctively took a big sip.
Instantly, the refreshing sensation of the cold water flowed down my esophagus, instantly washing away the fatigue of the day, making me feel relaxed and content.
“I just added catnip.”
“Pfft—”
My originally tired awareness suddenly woke up, “Yin Xiamo!”
“There’s nothing wrong with it. After all, catnip has no side effects for you, and it has the effects of restoring energy and uplifting mood.”
She walked behind me, one hand gripping the cushion of the massage chair, the other holding a watermelon juice, “Don’t worry, I’ll delete the footage from the surveillance video later.”
“Are you sure it’s deleting and not just cutting?”
“Hey? How did you guess?”
“I just knew!”
I looked at the completely colorless and transparent ice water in my hand, then turned my head to look at Yin Xiamo behind me, “All demons are full of mischief!”
Uh-oh… I feel like the effects are kicking in…
In the buzzing vibrations, as the scent of catnip-infused water gradually fermented at the tip of my nose, I started to feel a familiar sense of pleasure and comfort spreading throughout my body.
It’s as if my entire being is floating in the clouds, light-headed, and various positive emotions—happiness, joy, contentment, and more—are rapidly spreading in the vibrations of the massage chair beneath me.
I forgot about the busy day, forgot about Ouyang Xue falling ill at work, and also forgot about the tragic past that Ouyang Xue once had, as mentioned by Li Chen.
“The dosage is very low. I just added a little, not a lethal amount.”
Yin Xiamo, with a completely innocent demeanor, placed her watermelon juice on the nearby shelf and reached out to grab my chin from behind. She scratched back and forth, saying, “Is this comfortable?”
“Do you think I’m a cat?!”
I initially wanted to resist, but the combined effect of catnip and the vibrations of the massage chair made me momentarily reluctant to move.
I really wanted to nuzzle my head into her hands…
“Alright, alright. My Nuo’er has been busy all day. Relaxing and enjoying a bit won’t hurt.”
“No, if I relax now…”
I forced myself to stay alert, “You’ll definitely… take all sorts of strange photos and then use them to… threaten…”
“Is that how you see me?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I am a demon, after all. A bad image isn’t a big deal.”
Yin Xiamo’s small hand that was holding my head spread open left and right, moving to the shoulders to start massaging, “How’s the pressure?”
“Even if you say that, I won’t forgive… ouch!”
“Nuo’er’s voice is so cute.”
“It’s not cute! And isn’t this the voice you set… ugh!”
“I’m just playing a role similar to a modeler. Even if the initial voice is pleasant, without a suitable soul, it won’t bring out her true charming qualities.”
“So, you mean… I’m suitable… for this voice?”
“Yes, Nuo’er is fantastic!”
“I don’t consider this a compliment!”
I can’t hold on any longer…
This feeling is really comfortable, so comfortable, meow…
Why does a human like me find it enjoyable to have my chin touched and my face massaged…
Maybe it’s because she senses my ‘surrender,’ Yin Xiamo behind me took the water cup from my hand and brought it to my lips, “Want a little more?”
“No…”
“Xiao Mo… naughty person…”
“Because Nuo’er is too kind, like a little angel. Sometimes a bit of mischief is needed to balance out the kindness in a little girl.”
“I’m not kind… I just…”
“……”
I don’t remember much about what happened next.
I just vaguely felt like I had dreamed again of that strange otherworldly place—
?……..?
?Her growth is terrifying. Are you sure you want to keep such a demon by your side??
?Momo is different from ordinary demons. She… She is my companion.?
?Hehe, companion? You remind me of my old buddy. He once raised a demon beast and died at the hands of that beast. Anyway, a demon is a demon. You won’t be able to control her.?
?No, Momo…?
?You taught her magic, even passed on your martial arts skills to her. One day you will regret it. Have you seen her growth? The strength of this little demon is approaching that of the Demon King. Sooner or later, you’ll end up like my old buddy—dead at the hands of the person closest to you…?
?Momo? When did you come??
?……?
“Yin Nuo’er is Momo’s girlfriend…”
In the dim light, I opened my eyes again and the first thing I saw was Yin Xiamo’s fair face, less than ten centimeters away from mine.
“Yin Nuo’er is going to be Momo’s bride, become Momo’s wife, and have a grand wedding…”
The girl in front of me waved a cat teaser in front of my eyes.
“Nuo’er loves Momo the most and will give all the love to Momo…”
“Nuo’er wants to live with Momo forever and have many, many children…”
Gradually regaining consciousness, I reached out and grabbed the cat teaser swaying in front of me, asking, “Miss Grim Reaper, may I ask what you’re doing?”
“Applying love magic and hypnosis to Nuo’er.”
Yin Xiamo blinked her big eyes, saying, “Tricking Nuo’er into becoming a silly loli bride…”
Without hesitation, I raised my little fist and gave her head a solid tap.
Thunk! Ten centimeters shorter!
“No seriousness at all.”
After looking around, I stretched lazily and stood up from the completely stopped massage chair.
Hmm… Although I might have been captured in a cute pose again after drinking catnip, it’s fair to say that after a hard day’s work, sitting on the massage chair with some catnip water is truly relaxing.
“Ah… I’m really sorry, didn’t pay attention to the time, my apologies.”
At this moment, two young ladies descended from the second floor of the cafe. They apologized to Ai Luodi, who was in a maid outfit, while taking photos with their phones everywhere, saying, “The little cats here are too cute. Time just flew by without us realizing.”
“No worries.”
Not sure if it was the night triggering Ai Luodi’s “sleepy girl” buff or if the exhaustion from the entire day without rest had caught up, Ai Luodi half-closed her eyes and walked down from upstairs with the two young ladies, saying, “Our cafe has been operating overnight these days, so you can stay here for as long as you want.”
“Haha, I’d love to, but the school doesn’t allow it.”
One of the girls awkwardly added, “Our school locks the dormitory doors at eleven, and if you’re not back by then, you’ll be locked out and lose points.”
“At eleven?”
Ai Luodi pondered, “When I was in school, it was at half-past ten.”
“Close enough.”
The girl turned towards me and Xiamo, “Nuo’er, Xiamo, we’re heading back!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
Due to professional habits, I stood up. “Be careful on the way. It’s dark now, and there might be bad people.”
“No problem, haha, I’m a member of the martial arts club at school.”
The girl spoke like a little adult and flexed her muscles: “And Nanqi District is so safe, there are no bad people.”
“Usually, those who talk like that are setting up a flag.”
I followed the two girls towards the door, “It’s still better to be cautious.”
“Okay, okay, thanks for your concern!”
The two girls waved at us and left the café, “Next time when we don’t have classes, we’ll come again, and reserve those hairless cats!”
“……”
“Finally, it’s over.”
Watching the last two customers leave, Ai Luodi sighed as if relieved, “This job is more tiring than being an editor.”
I turned my head, “Regretting it?”
“No regrets. When I say tired, I mean physically tired. I’d rather be physically tired than mentally exhausted as an editor.”
Ai Luodi went to the door, grabbed a pack of spicy sticks from the shelf, and said, “You two can go back first. I’ve talked to Sister Ouyang. I’ll be working the night shift for the next few days.”
I was surprised, “So, you’ll be working 24 hours a day?”
“Anyway, there’s food here, snacks, and Wifi. I also brought my computer. It’s so remote here, and there aren’t many customers at night.”
Yawning, Ai Luodi turned towards the stairs.
“I cleared out the house. Lan Jiajia has something to do and won’t be coming back tonight. There are only you two in the house tonight, so enjoy your private time.”
She added, “and you’re welcome.”
“……”
……
