I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 329

Chapter 329: Love is Like Two Little Sparrows

 

Fortunately, Mayor Ye Yuqing and her team of journalists didn’t stay in the café for long.

 

They just had a simple chat with us, took some shots of the beautiful scenery in the café, interacted with the cats a bit, had a quick meal, and then left.

 

They didn’t even go down to the basement or discuss anything related to “Café E-Sports.”

 

This probably has something to do with the recent “gaming winter.”

 

In today’s online games, if I remember correctly… minors can only play for one hour at specific times on weekend evenings. Even during statutory holidays or major holidays like summer and winter vacations, they are limited to one hour per day and strict spending restrictions apply.

 

Similar situations have actually been maintained since the early days of gaming twenty years ago.

 

There were reports back then likening electronic games to online opium, but the problem is… opium is something we consider morally unacceptable, and anything similar to it absolutely shouldn’t be touched, no matter what.

 

Comparing electronic games to opium is no longer a matter of appropriateness. If electronic games can be compared to opium, either the games are too powerful, or… society’s bottom line has been breached.

 

However, the problem is that similar situations exist not only in modern society but even if we go back decades or centuries, it’s still the same.

 

People who are uneducated or children from troubled families, decades ago, in the era without computers, would pass their time reading romance novels, martial arts novels. Even in the distant past, before there were even paper books, when there was nothing to read, people wouldn’t study, let alone think about becoming successful scholars or bringing honor to their families. They spent their days figuring out how to catch grasshoppers.

 

When enemies invaded and the country was on the brink of collapse, those who were obsessed with catching grasshoppers would first protect their own grasshoppers when the enemy attacked. They would rather die than eat their own grasshoppers, even in times of famine.

 

So what can be done? If they don’t strive to improve themselves, should we just kill all the grasshoppers in the world?

 

In the past month since we opened the café, we’ve received quite a few complaints from parents. They complain about our clothing being too revealing and corrupting their children, about us playing cartoons on the TV and getting children addicted, about us having cats causing their kids to demand pets when they go home… Regarding these complaints, Ouyang Xue’s attitude has always been “Okay, okay, if there’s any problem, you can report it to the relevant department. As long as they determine that our shop is in violation, we’ll make adjustments.”

 

If a small restaurant like ours faces this, imagine the national gaming companies that millions or even billions of children are playing. I guess the complaint lines of the relevant departments are constantly busy, so they start to introduce various policies, and the gaming winter arrives.

 

“Age of Aquarius” is a very hardcore game, with some very complex elements that kids might not understand. It cleverly avoids this pitfall. Of course, I’m not a gaming expert, and I rarely delve deeply into understanding a game. I can’t predict what the game’s public testing will be like.

 

“Let’s stop here for today. Nuo’er, Xiao Mo, and also Fei Luo and Gabriel, go back and rest first. I can handle things here.”

 

I don’t know if the mayor’s publicity has been effective or if people just don’t like going out these days, but the café’s traffic was a bit less today. By around 8 o’clock in the evening, there weren’t many people left, but the takeaway orders kept coming in incessantly.

 

It seems that Dolly and Yueyue might be busy until after nine.

 

“Hmm, there seem to be fewer people today, and no one’s buying drinks.”

 

It’s evident that Fei Luo is a bit bored, while Gabriel seems to be enjoying herself. This little angel on the first floor of the café yawned, “I’ve killed the top-ranked player.”

 

“You’ll get banned by the gaming company if you keep doing that.”

 

Fei Luo fiercely patted Gabriel’s shoulder, “Should we consider slowing down the brain’s processing speed by half? Give these humans a chance?”

 

“I’m already doing that.”

 

Gabriel yawned again, “What are we having for dinner tonight?”

 

“Are you guys eating here?”

Ouyang Xue gestured towards the kitchen not far away, “But there may not be much food left.”

 

Since I started working at the café, my meal times have gradually adjusted to match my work schedule. I finish breakfast around 7:30 in the morning and come to work.

Usually, around noon at 12 o’clock, it’s very busy, and there’s no time to eat. I’ll have a little snack around 11 o’clock, like a small cake or a rice ball.

Then, after the lunch rush around 12 o’clock, I start having ‘lunch’ at around two or three in the afternoon. After lunch, I take a nap and then continue working. This way, having lunch at two or three can keep me energetic until seven or eight in the evening.”

 

“Let’s go back and eat.”

 

Xiao Mo, who had already changed clothes, walked over, “There are still plenty of ingredients at home, Nuo’er can cook.”

 

What do you mean I can cook…

 

“Hehe, Nuo’er is almost becoming your mascot.”

 

Ouyang Xue didn’t mind either, waving to us, “Then… off work.”

 

“Yay.”

 

Fei Luo hugged Gabriel, “Are we going back to that previous place tonight?”

 

“Um…”

Gabriel thought for a moment, “Sure.”

 

At this moment, I, who had changed clothes, noticed that Lan Jiajia was still chatting with Ai Luodi not far from the window. I couldn’t help but speak up, “Sister Jiajia, you haven’t gone back yet?”

 

“Oh, tonight I want to stay here overnight!”

 

Lan Jiajia picked up a small bag beside her, “I brought clothes over. You guys go back! I bought some vegetables and meat at home, so feel free to make whatever you like!”

 

Stay overnight here?

 

I glanced at Ai Luodi, who was furiously operating on her laptop as if playing PVP, and then at Lan Jiajia in front of her, pondering.

 

In the evening, the café could indeed be considered a perfect “inn”.

 

There were toilets, washrooms, a bathroom on the second floor, a staff rest area, and various snacks and desserts.

 

Since we didn’t have to pay for meals here, we could fry or steam chicken ourselves at night, cook rice or porridge, and even indulge in snacks from the snack box if we felt like it. The Wi-Fi covered the whole place, the internet speed was fast, and we didn’t even have to pay for electricity. The workload was also quite light.

 

If we had to mention a downside, it might be the need to take care of the occasional “vagabonds” and various tourists who wandered into the store at night.

 

According to Ai Luodi, most of the visitors at night were passersby and tourists from the surrounding area, because they never knew when someone would come, and there was no one to take over shifts, so deep sleep was basically impossible.

 

I had worked in a factory before, and the “two-shift” system was the worst. I’d rather have my biological clock completely reversed for a year straight than work “two-shift” or “three-shift.” It would cause chaos to my biological clock and do great harm to my body. Every time I had to change shifts, I felt dizzy and uncomfortable.

 

For Ai Luodi, working all night here was no problem, but for Lan Jiajia…

 

“Alright, thank you, Sister Jiajia. We’ll head back first.”

 

Waving to Lan Jiajia and Ai Luodi, with the little bunny backpack on our backs, Xiao Mo and I descended the stairs and walked out of the café.

 

Fei Luo and Gabriel, the night owls accustomed to city life on Earth, disappeared as soon as they left the café. Xiao Mo and I, as usual, walked together along a shaded path for a while, then Xiao Mo carried me up into the sky, flying all the way to the distant seaside Nanqi Tower.

 

“Old lady, back for more fun?”

“Old man, have you eaten?”

 

After sitting down on the top of the tower, it wasn’t long before I heard the voices of Grandma Zhou Xiaofei and the old man from Nanqi Tower below.

 

“I’ve eaten, but it’s getting late. My kid must be starving.”

 

Grandma Zhou Xiaofei walked up to the old man and handed him a bag from her hand, “We’ve grown some…”

 

The old man interrupted her as soon as he glanced at what was in Grandma Zhou Xiaofei’s bag, “No need, I have plenty here. Take it back.”

 

“You keep it!”

 

Grandma Zhou Xiaofei forcefully stuffed the bag into the old man’s hand, “My daughter just finished work today and brought back a lot of money. You’re here alone, and your pension is so low. Don’t be polite with me…”

 

Then the two elderly people laughed and entered the tower.

 

“Nuo’er.”

 

Xiao Mo patted her thigh next to her, “Come here.”

 

I hesitated for a moment but ultimately lay down.

 

“It feels like these thousands of years have passed in the blink of an eye, like a dream…”

 

Once I lay down on Xiao Mo’s thigh, the girl gently untied the hairband I used to secure my hair, letting my hair fall like flowers on the ground.

 

“Sometimes I have this illusion, as if all my efforts over these thousands of years only exist in fantasy. In reality, our war failed, and I couldn’t… see you.”

 

“Fantasy?”

I looked up at the girl above, “Are you saying that the current me is just a figment of your imagination?”

 

“I don’t know.” The girl smiled bitterly, “Perhaps thousands of years is indeed a long time, so long that I even doubt the victory in the war.”

 

I remained silent for a moment. “But Fei Luo and Gabriel adapted well, as did Yueyue and Dolly.”

 

“Yes, that’s why I said all of this feels like a dream, but not a real one.”

 

“Do you wish it were a dream, Xiao Mo?”

 

“No, I don’t.” The girl shook her head.

 

“How should I put it… I… I might just be too happy. Being able to work and rest with you every day, and to chat like this under the moonlight, these were things I never dared to dream of during the war. Several times, I thought it was impossible, that the lost souls could never be found again…”

 

“So is that why Xiao Mo doesn’t smile much?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“We’ve known each other for so long, and Xiao Mo has always given me the impression of being a somewhat serious older sister. Even when she smiles, it’s just a shallow curve.”

 

I shifted my body slightly and looked out at the sea ahead. “It seems like I’ve never seen you really happy.”

 

“That might be because I… have gotten used to it.”

 

“Don’t like to smile?”

 

“It’s not that, it’s just that… because of that war…”

 

“The war was too serious, so it’s hard to feel happy?”

 

“Sort of.”

 

“I see…”

 

I turned back around. “I haven’t experienced war, and I can’t imagine what it was like back then. Perhaps, as you said, Xiao Mo, I’m just a child under thirty, and I don’t have much say in such a significant event spanning thousands of years…”

 

“It’s not like that, Nuo’er. The fact that you can be with me like this already…”

 

“I know those memories spanning thousands of years have placed a great burden on you.”

 

I interrupted the girl. “That’s also why Xiao Mo suggested we go on a trip together at the end of the month, right?”

 

“I just…”

 

Yin Xiamo hesitated for a moment. “Seeing you, Nuo’er, alone at home every day, busy with work and studies, working during the day, writing books at night, and learning so much in your spare time, I’m worried that you might be too tired…”

 

“People are like that, you know. They cry when they feel like crying, and laugh when they feel like laughing…”

 

Lying on Xiao Mo’s lap, I reached out my hands towards the girl’s body. “Come on, lower your head a bit.”

 

“Why?” Although she seemed a bit puzzled, Xiao Mo still bent down slightly.

 

I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around her neck, forcefully lowering the head of the person I loved in front of me, then I leaned up slightly–

 

“Mmm…”

 

Under the moonlight, we kissed each other.

 

This was one of the few kisses I had shared with Xiao Mo while fully awake.

 

We stood like this on top of Nanqi Tower, the tallest structure in the area, with me holding onto Xiao Mo’s shoulders and neck tightly, as if holding onto fragile porcelain.

 

In private settings, Fei Luo, Gabriel, and Dolly were accustomed to calling Xiao Mo “Momo,” but Xiao Mo accepted me calling her “Xiao Mo” from the very beginning instead of “Momo.”

 

In theory, this person was the strongest warrior from another world.

The strongest gunslinger, the strongest lightning mage, and also the grim reaper of this world.

However, this warrior was also a girl.

 

Her neck was as soft as mine, tender and smooth, and when I held Xiao Mo, a sweet fragrance lingered around my nose.

 

“Mmm…”

 

After a while, our lips parted.

 

Xiao Mo seemed a bit confused about why I kissed her at that moment, and it took her a while to come back to her senses.

 

“Why… why so sudden?”

 

“It’s because I was a little upset about what you said earlier, calling me an illusion.”

 

I put on an expression of “I can’t appease him” and said, “Do you still think I’m an illusion now?”

 

“No…”

 

The girl in front of me looked a bit embarrassed. “I just felt inspired by the moonlight here. Of course, I know Nuo’er is real. It’s just… a kind of exaggerated rhetoric, vividly describing the current situation, as a prelude to Nuo’er’s kiss in the following text.”

 

“I knew you did it on purpose.”

 

I let out a soft “hmph” and sat up, stretching lazily.

 

“How about we don’t go back tonight and instead, like Fei Luo and the others, take a stroll in the city?”

 

“What about you…”

Xiao Mo was curious. “Won’t you be writing your novel?”

 

“I’ve saved up a lot of drafts these days, so taking a day off occasionally won’t hurt.”

 

I took the initiative to walk behind Xiao Mo and climbed onto her back.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“……”

 

……