Chapter 42: Chapter 41 Opening a Store for You

    In the room, Lin Lu continuously lifted the tip of her slipper-wearing jade foot, then put it down again, tapping against the wooden floor.

    She stared at the record book spread out on her desk, and the name Cheng Zhu somehow gave her a weird feeling.

    “I kind of want to cross him out.”

    But then she thought about it and decided it was better to just write names directly.

    “Everyone’s friends, after all, friends should be straightforward. If I don’t write names directly, it makes me look like I have something to hide, huh!” thought Lin Lu.

    Speaking of which, it was she who had initially invited Cheng Zhu to play games.

    ...

    But unexpectedly, both of their skills were equally mediocre, uniquely terrible in their own ways.

    Yet, she wasn’t annoyed, finding their mutual critique of each other’s poor skills quite entertaining.@@@@

    And today, she even learned a new term.

    In a game just now, she executed a useless “Flash,” dodging neither skills nor assassination.

    Cheng Zhu caught that death of hers and chuckled, commenting that her move was like a “flashy relocation to a grave.”

    Lin Lu was infuriated at the moment but looking back now, she found it amusing.

    The voice actress laughed as she closed her record book and put it back in the drawer.

    Since her grandma passed away, she had continued this habit which started when she read a sentence: “Pausing time is a divine skill, but photography and recording let us peek into the skills of the gods.”

    She felt quite regretful when she saw that sentence.

    She hadn’t taken many photos with her grandma.

    So then, she began to actively document her life.

    It was as if her grandma’s death had changed some of her life habits, affecting drips and drabs of her life.

    —The departure of a loved one isn’t just a momentary downpour, but a lifetime of dampness.

    Unlike Shen Qingning, who wasn’t into taking photos or videos, initially, Lin Lu often asked to take photos with her, which made her slightly uncomfortable.

    But as she came to understand her idea, the aloof girl gradually became more cooperative.

    And after ending the voice call, what was Shen Qingning doing?

    The reserved girl blanked out for about half a minute.

    Then, she picked up her phone and messaged in her cousins’ WeChat group.

    The group included Shen Ming Lang, Jiang Wanzhou, and a cousin.

    Shen Qingning: “Do you guys feel something off about Cheng Zhu and Lin Lu?”

    In this group, only the cousin wasn’t in Hang City but worked in Beijing, missing Shen Ming Lang’s birthday due to this, yet he was always the most active in the group.

    Cousin: “Lin Lu? You mean the voice actress, your sweet friend Lin Lu?”

    Shen Ming Lang: “What’s the issue?”

    Jiang Wanzhou: “I also think there’s something off.”

    Cousin: “By the way, who the hell is Cheng Zhu? No one told me last time.”

    Shen Ming Lang: “Now that you mention it, I noticed they’ve been less active in the group lately.”

    Jiang Wanzhou: “Duh, that’s just the most superficial aspect!”

    Cousin: “What? You have another group without me!?”

    Shen Qingning: “I think Lin Lu actually enjoys playing with him.”

    Shen Ming Lang: “What’s so strange about that? I like playing with my cousin too!”

    He ordered a cup of her favorite flavor and specifically added coconut jelly. She didn’t like tapioca pearls but had a special fondness for coconut jelly.

    After paying, while waiting for the milk tea, Cheng Zhu snapped a photo of Little You and sent it to the group, tagging Jiang Wanzhou.

    “Aren’t you interested in recognizing a god-sister? Little You wants some milk tea, aren’t you going to contribute?”

    Seconds later, Jiang Wanzhou sent Cheng Zhu a large red packet in the group chat.

    The red packet was generous enough to buy two cups of milk tea, effectively treating Cheng Zhu to a cup as well.

    —He really [I’m crying to death].

    Lin Lu then jumped in: “Wow, how cute your sister is!”

    Cheng Zhu directly replied, “What sister? Don’t be disrespectful; call her Auntie Teacher!”

    Shen Ming Lang, always enthusiastic about such topics, also chimed in: “Ningning was very cute when she was little too, too bad she’s not cute at all now.”

    Shen Qingning saw the message but couldn’t be bothered to respond.

    After the milk tea was ready, Little You, with her milky voice, said to the cashier, “Thank you, sister.”

    Cheng Zhu, with a stern face, said, “I paid for it, you should thank me too.”

    “Thank you, brother,” said Little You.

    As for Jiang Wanzhou, Cheng Zhu didn’t mention him at all.

    With her milk tea, Little You’s walking pace quickened.

    It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the small supermarket.

    Cheng Zhu had visited two days ago and still hadn’t seen a transfer notice, but today it was posted.

    “Let’s head back,” he said to his sister after buying a bottle of water.

    As they quickly returned to the restaurant, the siblings intuitively didn’t enter immediately but found a corner to sit down, waiting for Little You to finish sipping her milk tea before going inside.

    Just then, a table of customers had finished their meal, and Cheng Zhu went to help his mom clean up the table.

    While tidying up, he casually shared what he had seen and heard.

    It was like the usual family small talk – he talked about his last visit to a supermarket where a girl and an old man had caused a disturbance because the girl had gotten an abortion for the supermarket owner...

    Cheng Zhu chatted like he was performing a stand-up comedy, even playing his own straight man.

    Xu Yun glanced at him annoyed and said, “Always running your mouth, wonder who you take after!”

    She didn’t say anything else but memorized the fact about the supermarket’s transfer, planning to discuss it with Cheng later.

    At that moment, Cheng Zhu turned his head and saw Little You listening intently.

    He knew she didn’t understand, but in her eyes, any supermarket where you could buy snacks was one of the most amazing places in the world, comparable to a milk tea shop, so she listened even though it made no sense to her.

    Cheng Zhu, contemplatively, asked, “What kind of shop would Little You want to open when she grows up?”

    The little girl hesitated greatly before making her choice between a supermarket and a milk tea shop, saying, “A milk tea shop!”

    Cheng Zhu gently tapped her head and boasted in front of their mom, “That’s fine. When your brother makes money, he’ll open one for you!”

    Xu Yun didn’t take it seriously but smiled and looked at her son, saying, “Look at you showing off.”

    But Little You was full of anticipation, “Can we pinky promise?”

    “Of course,” Cheng Zhu smiled and extended his hand.

    At that moment, Cheng, having no dishes to cook, came out of the kitchen to drink a bowl of chilled mung bean soup.

    Xu Yun immediately said, “Cheng, your son is bragging again, saying he’ll open a milk tea shop for your daughter in the future.”

    Hearing this, Cheng Zhu immediately raised an eyebrow, showing a hint of antagonism, and said, “Mom, you’re exaggerating. I didn’t say I’d open the shop just for her.”

    ...

    (ps: Temporarily first on the new book leaderboard, I need votes to secure it! I love being on top.)