I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 314

Chapter 314: Today is Also Bustling With Noise

 

Hmm… Design a standard uniform for the shop staff? When I returned to the first floor, I was somewhat troubled by Su Yunjin’s request.

 

I was not a fashion designer. Plus, it’s not like I can design it however I want. It has to comply with clothing standards and factory processing techniques, or else even the most gorgeous clothes would end up looking terrible.

 

It’s similar to the difference between illustrations and 3D modeling in games. If the game engine doesn’t support it or the model isn’t handled well, no matter how beautiful the illustration is, it’s useless.

 

“Sister Ouyang.”

 

In resignation, I had to directly convey Su Yunjin’s words to Ouyang Xue, who was cleaning on the first floor. She had previous experience designing maid uniforms, so she should be more capable in this aspect.

 

“I understand.”

 

After hearing my transmission, Ouyang Xue showed a somewhat “not surprised at all” expression.

 

“If we expand, these kinds of things will definitely happen.”

 

“These kinds of things?”

 

“Changing clothes, like some harmonious costumes in games.”

 

Ouyang Xue set the mop aside. “Back when I first started, around 2015, seven or eight years ago, things weren’t as strict. We were doing idols, running live broadcasts, and it was quite relaxed, although it did give rise to a lot of borderline behaviors. But then the higher-ups just enforced blanket rules.”

 

I felt a bit aggrieved. “It seems like we haven’t been pushing boundaries.”

 

The maid uniform in the Shangjing Cat Maid Café is already very conservative. Despite being a maid outfit, there’s hardly any exposure, even my specially tailored “lolita style” blouse covers everything securely. For the “busty style” like Ouyang Xue’s, extra fabric was added to cover the chest area, not even a hint of cleavage showing, at most it just gives the impression of being “well-endowed.”

 

If anything, this maid outfit might cause controversy for embodying the “absolute territory,” which refers to the small bit of thigh flesh peeking out between the edge of thigh-high socks and the skirt when girls wear them, which some might find enticing. Those unfamiliar with the realm of second-dimensional anime and manga might consider such dressing a bit “vulgar.”

 

“After all, thigh-high socks, especially garter socks, aren’t mainstream fashion.”

 

“In fact, over the past month, we’ve received many complaints, some from parents, others from young people, but mostly from parents.” Ouyang Xue sighed lightly.

 

“They say dressing the maids in this way will corrupt children. The Cultural Bureau has also subtly approached me a few times about it.”

 

“Are they asking us to change?”

 

“Not exactly, after all, we’re a legitimate establishment.”

 

Ouyang Xue patted my shoulder. “Leave the new clothes to me. Don’t worry, a maid café without maids is like the library without books. I’ll find a way to preserve it.”

 

“Um…”

Watching Ouyang Xue head towards the staff break room, I fell silent for a moment.

 

“I’ve already sorted out all the images for our online store. Next, we just need to calculate the prices.”

 

Ouyang Xue waved to me. “Alright, I’ll take care of that today along with everything else. I’ll leave the cooking to you, Nuo’er.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After Ouyang Xue left to attend to her work, I went to the kitchen door and, just like yesterday, started making colorful sticky rice and wrapping zongzi.

 

As a writer, I’ve encountered similar situations quite often. Like the novel I wrote with “Nuo’er” as the female lead in a different world. Initially, there weren’t strict restrictions on physical affection between the main characters, and I could even write ordinary kisses and hand-holding.

 

But then even kisses were prohibited. I received a notification later that if the content didn’t comply, the entire book would be banned, so I had to delete large sections related to that. However, deleting hundreds of words disrupted the flow of the chapter, so I had to spend more time adding filler.

 

After a while, not only kisses but even hand-holding became forbidden, and I had to change scenes where the male and female leads held hands. Eventually, even mentioning the “absolute territory” related to the different world’s clothing was banned, and I had to find alternative ways to describe the female lead’s attire.

 

It’s true, I couldn’t describe it. I remember writing about the female lead’s “absolute territory” between her thigh-high socks and short skirt, and even that small passage was warned about and had to be deleted.

 

As the café, gradually gaining influence as a restaurant, had young netizens from Tongmeng Net to deal with, it wasn’t too bad. But in reality, many parents brought their children here to play, and encountering more conservative parents, there was a high chance they would report us to the relevant authorities.

 

Then, even though the relevant authorities didn’t see any issues with us, because of the constant reports, they got annoyed. Some people just couldn’t stand it and would report every day, four or five times. The relevant authorities were fed up and ended up summoning Ouyang Xue.

 

I don’t know who was at fault in situations like this, or perhaps it’s just the world that’s wrong. I reckon even Su Yunjin herself knows that if the café changes its uniforms, it could seriously damage its popularity. But if they want official promotion and to expand to bigger platforms, they can only do it according to their rules.

 

I suppose this is probably why Ye Yuqing is so determined to develop the commercial street and the Mianyun District. Commercial street, digital twins, metaverse, digital world, the new era… I remember hearing Ye Yuqing say something to numerous reporters on TV: “We must keep moving forward. If possible, I hope we can run. Time is an unforgiving machine, propelling us forward forcefully. If we want to outrun it, we must be faster, stronger.” At first, I didn’t understand what she meant by that, but now, considering the situation with the café, I roughly get it.

 

The key to solving the café’s dilemma is quite simple: design a staff uniform similar to maid outfits that can satisfy the otaku community and silence some media outlets. Then, actively participate in various new industries alongside the city’s development, and ride the train of the new era.

 

Once the construction of the Mianyun Square is completed, the target demographic will likely change. With the integration of digital twins, those who use it will be delighted, while those who don’t will lose interest.

 

When the Mianyun District opens, masses of young people will rush to contribute to the new area, and the atmosphere will probably be different from now.

 

Life is like that, never smooth sailing.

Every day, there are all sorts of strange things waiting for you.

 

“Did everyone rest well yesterday?”

 

Sitting on the small chair in front of the kitchen door as usual, I rolled up my sleeves and started preparing various colored sticky rice.

 

?Nuo’er, Morning!?

?Do you guys start at 8 or 9? Nuo’er seems to be busy from morning till night.?

?That’s how it is in the F&B (food and beverage) industry. I used to work from morning to night, only earning a bit over three thousand yuan.?

?Why didn’t we see Xiao Mo today? Is she on leave??

 

“Morning.”

 

At that moment, Chef Wang came out holding two buckets of cooked maple leaves and placed them beside me amidst the steaming vapor.

 

“How’s Ouyang?”

 

“Hmm?”

I paused, then realized Chef Wang was asking about her illness.

 

“She’s much better now. Just a slight cold. She didn’t rest properly at night and went to help the workers, ended up sweating a lot, and got a fever. She went to the hospital and got an injection, and now she’s fine.”

 

“Li Chen, this kid, just lacks courage.”

 

Sitting down beside me, Chef Wang helped bring the basket of zongzi leaves to the table.

 

“If he had been more straightforward, we might have been able to attend the full moon celebration for Ouyang’s baby by now.”

 

“They’ve been friends for several years. Maybe Ouyang just likes Li Chen’s personality?”

 

For some reason, Chef Wang’s description made me think of myself and Xiao Mo.

 

“With Ouyang’s personality, even the most dominant person would find it hard to suppress, right?”

 

“That’s true. I’m guessing that even if they get married, Li Chen will be a completely submissive husband.”

 

Chef Wang shook his head. “Let’s not talk about that. What’s going on downstairs? How come those people who went in haven’t come back up yet?”

 

“Young people get too engrossed in gaming, that’s how it is.”

 

“You talk like you’re so old.”

 

Chef Wang chuckled, stood up, and walked towards the kitchen. “Well, as long as I have a stable job, it’s good enough for me. Can’t keep up with you young folks…”

 

Thinking about it, if the café keeps expanding like this, the kitchen might become too much for Chef Wang alone to handle. I recalled my busy figure in the kitchen during this period.

 

The café’s main income is split fifty-fifty between services and dining. Some people come to eat, while others come to pet cats. Those who come to eat mainly order fast food, like chicken and egg tarts or some traditional stir-fries. These fast food items are prepared quite simply and can be served in around ten minutes.

 

For dishes like stir-fries, Chef Wang only needs to prepare them in advance and keep them warm in the heating cabinet with steam until customers order. As for fried chicken, steamed chicken, egg tarts, and the like, our café has well-equipped machines for their production. When a customer places an order, Chef Wang simply puts the marinated chicken into the machine, sets the timer, and the food is quickly ready.

 

During busy times, the service staff, like me, Ouyang Xue, and Xiao Mo, also handle some relatively simple food preparation. It’s mostly just putting items into machines.

 

Or… like during the Dragon Boat Festival, I prepare sticky rice and zongzi outside and bring them to the kitchen. Chef Wang only needs to cook them when customers need them.

 

With our assistance, Chef Wang can manage the entire kitchen by himself during this period. But this style of cooking seems to be nearing the café’s limit, and we can’t let Chef Wang work without a day off every month.

 

If the basement really opens up in the future and more people come over to play on computers, getting hungry while gaming, they might want to order food. If the number of orders suddenly increases, even with our help, Chef Wang would probably find it difficult to handle so many orders by himself.

 

So… besides delivering food, during this time, we might need to find a professional chef. One or maybe two, preferably two, so everyone can take turns and ensure there are always two chefs in the shop.

 

Ah, it feels like there’s more and more to do…

 

“Ding dong! Welcome!”

 

As I was wrapping zongzi, I turned around at the sound of the welcome, seeing Xiongxiong, dressed in her usual princess dress, directing two bodyguards to carry two large boxes into the shop.

 

“Morning!”

 

I turned back, eyeing the two boxes that were taller than people. “What’s inside?”

 

“Coconuts. We have too many at our company, so I thought we could organize some activities here.”

 

Xiongxiong casually opened one of the large boxes and took out a green coconut from inside. “Specialty from Thailand, absolutely authentic.”

 

“It seems like you always manage to find some odd things.”

 

I sighed in resignation. “Just to be clear, we don’t have money to buy coconuts anymore.”

 

“No worries. I’ve already mentioned they’re excess. You can use them as gifts if you want.”

 

Xiongxiong leaned in. “I’ve heard about your plans to do official promotion and design new uniforms, right?”

 

“You’re quite well-informed.”

 

I sighed lightly. “Do you have any ideas for the uniforms?”

 

“Yes, we have a fashion designer here. She’s free during the comic expo, so I brought her over.”

 

Xiongxiong lowered her voice, gesturing towards the table with sticky rice on it.

 

“She hasn’t tried your food yet and feels a bit embarrassed to come over just to eat, so she asked me to talk to you about it. We’ll settle the design fee with what we eat here. Is that okay with you?”

 

“……”

 

……