I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 168

Chapter 168: A Wedding and Two Cats

 

The weather on Friday, compared to the previous days, has finally cooled down a bit. Of course, as someone who spends a significant portion of the day working in a cafe, temperature doesn’t pose a major problem for me. At most, the only inconvenience is the ten-minute walk back home under the sun, leading to a sweaty back.

 

I can clearly feel that my life has significantly improved after these few days of effort. When playing online games, what people dislike the most is not the grind and the spending, but the frustration of putting in effort, spending money, and not seeing noticeable improvements, not knowing where the path ahead leads.

 

The electricity cost in the apartment where I live is 1.5 yuan per kilowatt-hour, and the rent is just under a thousand yuan. If I use the air conditioner for half a day, cook with the electric rice cooker and exhaust fan in the evening, and have the computer running for 12 hours, the electricity bill will easily reach 30 kilowatt-hours, costing over a thousand yuan a month, more expensive than the rent.

 

At that time, my salary was only two to three thousand, and with the additional income from writing, it was just a bit over three thousand. During days off or when returning home after work, if I chose to relax without writing, there would be no extra income. If I wrote in the living room, I would shiver in the cold during winter and almost suffer heatstroke in the summer. To keep my brain functioning normally, I had to turn on the air conditioner, and all the money earned from writing novels would go to pay the electricity bill. I had no idea what “hope” really meant.

 

While working at the cafe and putting effort into serving customers, I could almost see the popularity here rising every day. The number of customers coming to the café increased, and my fan base on Tongmeng was also growing. Coming home in a good mood, my novel-writing ideas flowed more freely, creating a positive cycle.

 

“Today, you guys can go home first. I’ve received the payment from that person and got the proposal. I’ll take care of arranging things in the cafe,” said Ouyang Xue around four o’clock.

 

In the late afternoon, Ouyang Xue granted me, Yin Xiamo, and Ai Luodi a break. “Nuo’er and Xiamo, come on time tomorrow for the first half of the day shift. In the afternoon, it’s your friend’s wedding.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After changing into our regular clothes together, I curiously examined the proposal in Ouyang Xue’s hands. “Can you reveal what specific requirements he made?”

 

“Wanna know?” Ouyang Xue had a mysterious look. She surveyed the cafe, where customers were either playing with cats or sipping cola while browsing the internet on their laptops, then leaned in towards me. “Your friend is probably into the second dimension too, right?”

 

“Eh?” I was a bit puzzled. “Why do you say that?”

 

“The makeup artist he hired specializes in the second dimension. I know her,” Ouyang Xue explained. She pointed to some example illustrations in the proposal. “Tomorrow, the bride will cosplay as Saber from ‘Fate Zero,’ the Bridal Saber. If I hadn’t watched that anime and had some understanding of this culture, I might not have taken on this job.”

 

Cosplaying as Saber for a wedding? Is he really going all out like this?

 

Various images of Jiang Wei’s personalities while gaming flashed in my mind. It seems like he does enjoy watching anime and could be considered a fan of the second dimension, but didn’t he prefer characters from the Touhou series? What’s the deal with Saber?

 

If we had to be precise, there didn’t seem to be any suitable characters in the Touhou series to cosplay as a bride at a wedding. Reimu Hakurei? You can’t marry a shrine maiden, right? Marisa Kirisame? My only impression of this human magician is her tomboyish “Great Thief” personality. Being buddies is fine, but having her as a wife would be a bit strange… Should he look for someone from the Scarlet Devil Mansion? Remilia Scarlet? Flandre Scarlet? Satori Komeiji? Or perhaps Hong Meiling? Or a witch who gets asthma from moving too much?

 

You can’t just catch a rabbit from Eientei to be the bride, right?

 

Upon closer consideration, it seemed normal that Jiang Wei didn’t choose a character from the Touhou series. After all, a wedding is not a trivial matter. Bridal Saber, aside from needing a wig, is not much different from a regular bride. If there are friends and family who aren’t familiar with this aspect, attending the wedding wouldn’t be too awkward.

 

I remember Jiang Wei mentioning that he only wanted to have a very small wedding, keeping things simple. He didn’t plan to invite many people, which is why he booked our newly opened cafe. It not only symbolizes bringing good luck to our new business but also aligns with Jiang Wei’s life philosophy.

 

Jiang Wei has expressed multiple times in voice messages that he dislikes the societal norms, such as the expectation of drinking when asking someone for a favor or the notion that gatherings among good friends must involve alcohol. The more people at a wedding, the more glamorous it is considered, and the fancier the cars, the more face one has. Charges for getting on and off cars, changing one’s mind fees… Every time he talks about these things, he expresses strong disdain and claims that if his wedding were like that, he’d rather never get married.

 

However, Jiang Wei eventually compromised when he met a girl he loved and swiftly prepared for marriage. I guess… maybe the girl shares a similar attitude towards marriage as Jiang Wei, or else it wouldn’t be possible to plan a wedding within a month of dating.

 

Nowadays, the cost of hosting a wedding in a big hotel can easily reach several tens of thousands. However, our cafe is not a high-end hotel, and our daily turnover is not that high. Considering Jiang Wei is my good friend, Ouyang Xue gave him a special price of 8888 yuan for booking the entire place from the afternoon to the evening. This can be seen as a return favor for “helping to bring good luck” to our business.

 

“It’s probably the girl’s request.”

 

After a brief contemplation in the cafe, I reached for a bag of cookies from the nearby snack bag. “That girl must truly love Jiang Wei.”

 

Her name seems to be “Ye Zi,” right? A very beautiful name. Moreover, coincidentally or not, the combination of Jiang Wei and Ye Zi is something I once read about in a book.

 

Back then, I was in high school during the period when sentimental literature was popular. The youth magazines around the school and various bookstores were filled with similar works like “Left-handed Reflection, Right-handed Youth,” “Sorrow Flows Backward into a River,” “There Will Be Angels to Love You for Me,” and so on. During that time, I borrowed a book from the school library called “Useless Youth,” which narrated a tragedy of youth in an ordinary school, with the male lead named Jiang Wuwei and the female lead named Ye Zi.

 

“Why are you also snacking like Ai Luodi now?” Ouyang Xue, seeing me munching on teddy bear cookies, teased with a smile, “You look like a rabbit.”

 

“Well, the manager bought them for us to eat, didn’t you?”

 

I complained, “All the delicious snacks were wiped out by Ai Luodi overnight, leaving only these kinds of small cookies.”

 

“Be careful not to gain weight.”

 

“I won’t,” I scoffed. “In fact, I wish I could gain a little weight.”

 

Currently, my weight is about the same as the two cats, and if this number were made public, I’d probably have a bunch of people claiming malnutrition. In reality, my appearance looks quite “plump,” at least not the type with bones sticking out. I have chubby cheeks, and although my thighs are very slim, they still have the right amount of flesh. There’s a faint curve on my belly, and then a vague set of abdominal lines, probably developed from exercising every morning and night over the past few days.

 

“Yes, yes, when the cafe thrives, the manager suffers. When the cafe fails, the manager suffers too,” Ouyang Xue sighed lightly. “Alright, alright, go back and rest. I’ll take care of things here.”

 

“Are Nuo’er and Xiao Mo off duty too?” Lan Jiajia, who had also changed into her uniform, walked down from the second floor.

 

“Yeah, it’s a friend of Nuo’er’s who’s having a wedding here tomorrow.”

 

Ouyang Xue took the mop from the side and began cleaning. “Lan Jiajia, you and Yin Nuo’er live together, right? When you go back, tell Ai Luodi to take a break tonight as well. I need to make some arrangements here tonight.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Wearing her everyday clothes, the more prominent-chested Lan Jiajia walked over and took the hands of both me and Yin Xiamo. “Let’s go, you two. It seems like it’s our first time going back together!”

 

I couldn’t help muttering, “Why does it feel like you’re carrying two daughters…”

 

Lan Jiajia turned around, and her chest even shook a bit with the movement. “What did you say?”

 

I quickly turned my head away. “Nothing, nothing.”

 

Outside the cafe, coincidentally, there were several people wearing strange clothes and carrying cameras, like a “film crew,” coming towards us. The woman at the front, wearing sunglasses, looked excited when she saw me and waved frantically. “Wait! You there!”

 

While shouting, these people ran towards us.

 

“Hello, may I ask if you are all maids working here? Especially this Yin Nuo’er, we’ve been observing you for a long time.” The woman with sunglasses took out a business card from her jacket pocket. “I am the leader of the ‘World of Floating Dreams’ film crew. You can call me Sister Wang. Are you interested in joining the entertainment industry?”

 

“Not interested?”

 

Because I had already rejected many similar offers in the past few days, as soon as this person finished speaking, I shook my head. “Right now, I just want to live an ordinary life.”

 

“There are many benefits to joining the entertainment industry. Not only can you make a lot of money, but you can also gain a lot of fame. Your name and appearance can be known worldwide, and you can freely buy many beautiful clothes without worrying about money.”

 

The woman in front of me seemed unwilling to give up. “We’ve investigated, and it seems like you’ve been writing novels online recently. It’s evident that you might be in need of money. I assure you, with your looks, you don’t need to go to such lengths. When you join the entertainment industry, you can hire numerous writers with just a little money to write whatever plot you want. Even if you want that novel adapted into a manga, an anime, or a movie, it’s all possible! If you don’t believe it, you can check our company online. We are legitimate…”

 

Seeing that this person was about to continue, I took a piece of the cookie from the box I had casually taken from the cafe earlier.

 

“Snack…”

 

The woman seemed confused. “What are you doing?”

 

In my “innocent and naive” voice, I asked, “Do you have this?”

 

“I… I don’t have this,” the woman said, clearly not understanding what I intended to do. After a moment of confusion, she added, “But I have a lot of money, much more than what your manager gives.”

 

I took out another piece of teddy bear-shaped cookie from the box and handed both cookies to the woman. “Here you go.”

 

“Huh?” The woman held the two cookies I gave her, looking puzzled.

 

“Now you have cookies too,” I said, signaling Lan Jiajia and Yin Xiamo to quickly slip away.

 

“Pfft…”

 

It wasn’t until Lan Jiajia and Yin Xiamo ran quite far along the tree-lined path outside the cafe that Lan Jiajia couldn’t help but laugh. “Nuo’er, you looked so cute just now!”

 

“Lately, it’s all these people trying to poach others, really annoying.”

 

I finished the last piece of the cookie, then put the empty box back into the bunny backpack behind me. “No matter how I say it, they won’t listen or believe, so I had to resort to unconventional methods.”

 

“Yeah, I also think that big director’s brain must have short-circuited just now.”

 

Lan Jiajia looked at me curiously. “Who did you learn this from?”

 

I shook my head. “Self-taught.”

 

Or rather… forced out by life.

 

Not to mention the frequent instances in real life where people advise me to become a celebrity, join the entertainment industry, or become a voice actor, there are also plenty online who reach out to me through various unconventional channels.

 

Regardless of what I say, these people never listen. In the end, I just ignore whatever they say and retaliate in kind.

 

For example, some people join the QQ group of my novel, then contact the group owner with a statement like, “Have you considered changing careers? I am from such-and-such company.” In response, I send them a job recruitment notice for the café – “We are currently in need of a security guard. Are you interested? I am the intermediary, and I’ll take half of the salary.”

 

“What do you two little ones want to eat later?”

 

As we walked along the slightly warm afternoon sunlight towards the small road leading to the residential area, Lan Jiajia struck a pose as if to say, ‘Tonight, we must impress,’ and said, “It’s rare that the four of us can eat together.”

 

“I want deep-fried spare ribs, and that saury fish!”

 

Yin Xiamo instantly added, “And a big pot of fish head soup! Nuo’er made it before, with tofu in it, very delicious!”

 

“Yeah, spare ribs, saury fish, fish head soup.”

 

Lan Jiajia turned to me, “What does little Nuo’er want to eat?”

 

“I’m not picky.”

 

After some thought, I added, “Oh, when cooking later, let’s make extra for two people.”

 

“Make extra for two people?” Lan Jiajia was puzzled. “Do you have friends coming over?”

 

“Yeah, it’s the guy Ouyang mentioned earlier, the one who wants his wife to cosplay as Bride Saber for the wedding. He mentioned coming over to help us with the computer.”

 

I recalled the message Jiang Wei sent me a couple of days ago, “Since he’s coming over, I want to keep him for dinner.”

 

“That’s great, more people make it lively.”

 

Lan Jiajia seemed visibly pleased about having guests at home. “I’ll go to the market later, you guys entertain him at home.”

 

“Bzzz, bzzz…”

 

Just as we were talking, my phone in my pocket vibrated, playing the distinctive ringtone “Hallelujah”.

 

Seems like when you mention someone, they appear.

 

Giving Lan Jiajia and Yin Xiamo a glance, I took out my phone and pressed the answer button.

 

“Nuo’er? Ye Zi said she’s already at the Starry Garden community. Where do I go in from? She mentioned seeing an elementary school and a large vegetable garden. Is it here?”

 

Jiang Wei’s voice carried some echoes, as if he were currently in some spacious house.

 

“Ah? Yezhi?”

 

I was a bit puzzled. “Aren’t you coming? Why not?”

 

“No, no. I’m moving furniture in the new house, and your place, with you and Xiamo, is all girls. It’s a bit awkward for me, a big guy, to go.”

 

Jiang Wei said in a nonchalant tone, “I’ll give your number to Ye Zi. You talk to her.”

 

“Sure.”

 

After waiting for a few seconds in place, my phone rang again, this time from an unfamiliar number.

 

“Hello, I’m Ye Zi, Jiang Wei’s girlfriend.”

 

I pressed the answer button, and the voice of Jiang Wei’s girlfriend, which I had heard at the cafe entrance, rang out on my phone, “I only found a school according to the markings on the map. The school gate says Starlight Elementary… is this the place?”

 

“It’s here, but the main entrance of this community has been abandoned. If you come from that side, you’ll need to walk through the vegetable garden.”

 

I covered the phone’s microphone and said, “Stand facing east, look straight ahead, it’s to the left of the school, there’s a path there that leads to the vegetable garden. Then head southwest, there are several rows of residential buildings, the tallest one is eight floors, quite noticeable.”

 

“Oh…”

 

Ye Zi on the other end seemed to be following the directions I provided. “I see it, is that Starry Garden community over there?”

 

“Yes, we’re almost inside the community. When you come out of the vegetable garden, there’s a gazebo at the exit. Wait around there, and we’ll be there soon.”

 

“Got it. Which server?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Sorry, sorry, misspoke. I’ve been playing games with Jiang Wei these days, often saying we’ll meet somewhere, but he disappears, reflexively asking which server. My bad. I’ll come over now.”

 

“Okay, be safe.”

 

After hanging up the phone, I told Lan Jiajia beside me, “The person is getting ready to come, but only his girlfriend is coming. Tonight, there will be five of us having dinner at our place, all girls.”

 

Lan Jiajia pondered for a moment. “Five people, right? I’ll buy a bit more tonight then.”

 

I took out my phone. “I’ll transfer the money to you.”

 

“No need.”

 

Lan Jiajia pushed my phone back. “I don’t know what your financial situation is. Ai Luodi said that you, the author, were only one bowl of rice away from starving last month. If you have money, you should save it well. Don’t worry about me.”

 

“……”

 

We all returned to Starry Garden community and walked along the path towards the large vegetable garden at the back. Under the gazebo at the entrance of the vegetable garden, I saw Jiang Wei’s girlfriend, Ye Zi.

 

“Hello!”

 

Upon seeing me, Ye Zi naturally greeted us. She was dressed elegantly in a summer dress paired with sandals, and she smiled sweetly. “Sorry, this place is quite remote. It took me a while to find my way here.”

 

“No problem at all. We just arrived too.”

 

I took the initiative to approach her. “Congratulations on your wedding!”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Ye Zi, carrying a large backpack on her back and holding another big bag in her hands, looked very happy. “You too. Xiamo, you’ve publicly declared to the whole world that you’re going to marry Nuo’er. When are you two preparing for this… wedding?”

 

As she spoke, she turned to Lan Jiajia beside her. “Yin Xiamo, Yin Nuo’er, and the new maid of the cafe, Lan Jiajia… is that right?”

 

“Yes, hello, hello.”

 

Lan Jiajia smiled and said, “Those of you can go upstairs and rest for a while. I’ll go buy groceries.”

 

“No need to trouble yourself. Anything simple will do.”

 

“It’s okay. Even if you didn’t come, today is a rare gathering of the four of us in the house. We will make a lot of delicious food.”

 

“Does that mean I’ve joined at the right time?”

 

“Definitely! Is there anything you like to eat? I can cook anything.”

 

“I’m not picky. I just got here and haven’t adapted yet. Do you have any local specialties in Shenzhen City? I… I’m not very familiar with this place.”

 

“Got it!”

 

After Lan Jiajia left, I took Jiang Wei’s girlfriend on the elevator and went upstairs.

 

“Are you really bringing that super high-end gaming computer over?”

 

Looking at the large backpack behind Ye Zi and the handbag she was carrying, I felt a bit embarrassed. “Actually, something simpler would be fine. I really don’t need such high specifications… Is it heavy? Let me help you carry it.”

 

“It’s not heavy. It’s just the weight of a computer. If I can’t handle this weight, what kind of little fan am I of Brother Jiang Wei?”

 

Ye Zi laughed happily, “It’s even better not to need such high specifications. With the current configuration, this computer will last you four or five years without any problem. No need to upgrade.”

 

“But…”

 

I chuckled, “The computer at home seems pretty good to me. At least it turns on and off without any issues, and it’s smooth for writing.”

 

“This is a task Brother Jiang Wei gave me. If I don’t complete it, I won’t dare to go back.”

 

Ye Zi was resolute, “Brother Jiang Wei said this is a clearance sale plus the opening of a new store to bring good luck. The fortune teller confirmed it, and the first order must go to an honored guest.”

 

“Then I’ll have to pay in installments.”

 

As I said that, I took out my phone and dialed Ai Luodi’s number.

 

“Sister Ai, a friend’s girlfriend will join us for dinner tonight. Are you not in the living room?”

 

After this period of adjustment, Ai Luodi’s schedule usually involved coming back around 8 AM to hand over the shift, taking a shower, having breakfast, going to bed around 10 AM to rest for eight hours until 6 PM, then getting up to play with her phone. She would check if Lan Jiajia or I had cooked anything in the house, and if not, she would order food. After playing with her phone for a while, she would leave the rented house around 8 PM.

 

Although Ai Luodi usually still slept around 4-5 PM during this time, just to be safe and prevent any awkward situations, like her walking around the house in only a bathrobe and white stockings, I decided to give her a call ahead of time.

 

“Not here… I… uh… just woke up.”

 

Ai Luodi on the other end of the phone yawned heavily, “What’s up? Are you trying to say someone is coming over later? I remember you mentioned it a couple of days ago.”

 

“That’s right, my friend who will get married has arrived. Her name is Ye Zi.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Ai Luodi still had that drowsy tone, “So, when are you and Yin Xiamo getting married?”

 

Why does everyone’s immediate reaction upon hearing the word “marriage” is to urge me and Xiamo to get married, damn it!

 

“We’re preparing, we’re preparing.”

 

Helplessly, I could only say, “So, quickly freshen up and get ready to get up. Lan Jiajia will be back with groceries shortly.”

 

Having said that, the elevator arrived at the top floor, and the door opened with a “ding-dong.”

 

“Feel free to sit.”

 

Grabbing a pair of slippers from the entrance shoe rack for the guest, I gestured towards the room, “We haven’t cooked yet, but there are green beans and kelp in the fridge. Would you like some?”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Ye Zi nodded, put on the slippers, and placed her large backpack and the big bag she was carrying on the ground. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the various flowers in the living room, “So beautiful! Did you grow all these?”

 

“All planted by Xiamo.”

 

I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a small bowl, and then opened the fridge, taking out some mung bean and kelp mix for Ye Zi.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Ye Zi’s personality seemed to be that of a very friendly and not at all socially anxious or introverted girl next door. She naturally took the bowl, “Is this mung bean porridge?”

 

“It’s mung bean with kelp.”

 

“Can you cook mung bean with kelp? Is it salty?”

 

“No, it’s a sweet dish. The kelp has been soaked in water, not salty at all, and then a bit of brown sugar is added. Want to give it a try?”

 

I gestured to Ye Zi to try it. She immediately scooped a spoonful into her mouth, showing a pleasantly surprised expression, “Such a unique flavor! Completely different from the mung bean porridge back home!”

 

I smiled, “It tastes even better with some crushed ice, but we just moved here recently and haven’t bought a container for making ice.”

 

“Mmm…”

 

Appearing to genuinely enjoy the dessert, Ye Zi lifted the bowl to her lips and quickly finished it, asking, “Where is the computer room here?”

 

Somewhat surprised by the girl’s keen interest in computers, I took the bowl from her and placed it back in the kitchen, saying, “It’s in our room, Xia Mo’s and mine.”

 

Leading Ye Zi into Xia Mo’s room, I pointed to the desktop on the desk, “This is Xia Mo’s. My computer is in the next room.”

 

“It looks like you both need two computers?”

 

“No, no, no,” Xia Mo shook her hands repeatedly. “I don’t know much about computers and don’t use them much. It’s mostly No’er who uses it for writing novels and watching anime.”

 

Well, there’s that too.

 

I secretly thought in my heart. Xia Mo’s painting skills are top-notch. If given a drawing tablet and connected to a computer, it would undoubtedly open the door to a new world.

 

“Let me take a look…”

 

After observing Xia Mo’s room and the computer for a while, Ye Zi squatted down skillfully, found the power button, and pressed it.

 

“The screen is… some miscellaneous brand, 24 inches… hmm.”

 

It took a while for the computer to boot up. Ye Zi picked up the mouse, clicked somewhere, and opened relevant parameters.

 

“60, 1440 screen, DDR3 memory, 8GB, processor… 9th generation U, integrated graphics… Why no solid-state drive, and the system disk is a mechanical one?”

 

Seemingly noticing something, the girl bent down, reached behind the computer case, and after a while, stood up, asking, “How much did you spend on this computer, including the monitor?”

 

“Uh…”

 

Xiamo felt a bit awkward, “I don’t remember exactly, maybe around four to five thousand yuan.”

 

“Did you buy it from someone you knew?”

 

“Um… from… a friend of a friend.”

 

“No wonder,” Ye Zi sighed, “That friend… you better sever ties sooner rather than later. This is too much of a scam, it’s not just a matter of making a few thousand yuan. It’s like daylight robbery.”

 

See, I told you.

 

I gave Xiamo a look that said, “You naive girl.”

 

“Look at yours.”

 

Just emerging from under the desk, Ye Zi brushed off the dust from her head and her sharp tone made even my dumbfounded hair stand on end.

 

“My intuition tells me your computer probably got scammed for a lot of money too.”

 

“……”

 

……