Chapter 308 : The Money Gesture
“Ah~ I miss Li Si so much!”
Zheng Yun lay on her bed, scrolling through photos of Li Si on her phone. She’d just returned from her hometown yesterday, and being unable to see Li Si for so long had nearly driven her crazy.
She’d even planned to stake out Li Si’s apartment that morning, but staying up too late last night had made her oversleep, and by the time she got there, Li Si had already left. Frustrated, Zheng Yun loitered by Li Si’s apartment for a while before finally going home. Knowing Li Si’s habits, if she wasn’t at home, she was probably out, though Zheng Yun had no idea where she’d gone.
*Should’ve set up GPS tracking on Li Si’s phone,* she thought to herself.
Just then, her phone rang. Seeing the name of her mysterious mentor on the caller ID, her expression instantly turned serious, her eyes filling with reverence.
This mysterious mentor had first contacted her a while back. At first, she’d thought it was a prank call, but the person on the other end had known her personal information—and Li Si’s information too. Her curiosity piqued, Zheng Yun had taken the call, though the voice was altered and the phone number was untraceable.
Afterward, the mentor had sent her a link to a shared drive. In her curiosity, Zheng Yun had gone to an internet café to download it, and it felt like a whole new world had opened up. She’d never realized there were so many ways to express love for someone. It was amazing!
Ever since then, her mysterious mentor would occasionally send her new links, and whenever she had trouble with her tracking attempts, a quick call to the mentor would bring detailed guidance. Most of her success in following Li Si could be attributed to this person.
Why was the mentor contacting her now? Wondering what it could be about, Zheng Yun answered the phone.
“Where are you now?”
The voice on the line was an ambiguous, altered tone—somewhere between male and female. Zheng Yun had gotten used to it; her mentor’s voice and style were different every time they called, always concise.
“I just got back yesterday. Is there something you need me to do, Master?”
“There’s a maid café near the shopping center. You know it?”
“A maid café?”
Zheng Yun thought for a moment. She often went shopping in that area and had heard about the maid café before, though she’d never paid it much attention. But now that her mentor mentioned it, she remembered it.
“I think you can find it. Stop by there today if you have time; there’s a surprise waiting for you.”
Before Zheng Yun could ask for details, the call ended, leaving her listening to the dial tone with a resigned sigh. Her mentor was always so cryptic, only saying half of what they meant.
Quickly getting dressed, she grabbed her bag and headed out. Makeup was already done; she’d gotten ready before her stakeout at Li Si’s place that morning. After all, she had to look her best for the person she liked, right?
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“Busy day, huh?”
Ling Ning looked around at the bustling crowd in the café. She hadn’t been there in a while and was surprised to see how lively it had become.
“It’s the weekend! Of course it’s busy~” Chu Mengyao replied cheerfully. Weekends were her favorite days; weekends meant customers, and customers meant money!
Ling Ning rolled her eyes at her. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “By the way, I haven’t seen that airhead, Luo Xiaoning, around lately. Don’t tell me you went too far last night?”
At the mention of Luo Xiaoning, Chu Mengyao’s smile froze, and she sighed. “She’s grounded by her family.”
“Huh?”
“Apparently, her family somehow got it into their heads that she and I are… involved,” Chu Mengyao replied with a wry smile.
“Oh…”
Ling Ning wasn’t sure how to respond. She’d heard Luo Xiaoning’s family was quite conservative, and somehow, this grounding didn’t bode well.
“So, do you have a plan?”
Chu Mengyao shook her head helplessly. “Not really. It’s not like I can just storm in and rescue her. Well, I could, but things haven’t escalated that far yet. From her last message, it seems she’s still doing okay for now.”
“Otherwise, do you think I’d still be here making money?”
“Got it.” Ling Ning nodded thoughtfully. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word. I’ll do whatever I can!”
Chu Mengyao felt touched—until Ling Ning’s next words shattered the sentiment completely.
“Speaking of which, since I’m being so loyal, about today’s paycheck…” Ling Ning said, making a hand gesture that unmistakably mimicked the iconic “money pose” from Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan.
“Get to work! And if I catch you slacking off, I’ll dock your pay!”
“Stingy as ever, huh?”
“As if you’re any better! We’re two of a kind.”
Passing by, Li Si saw Ling Ning chatting with Chu Mengyao and couldn’t help but admire their close relationship. Lately, she hadn’t seen the manager much, though—maybe she was visiting her family?
Just then, the café door opened, and Li Si moved to welcome the incoming customer. But when she saw who it was, her expression changed. After being gone for more than half a month, her “tail,” Zheng Yun, had suddenly appeared. What on earth was going on?
Yes, it was Zheng Yun, Li Si’s unshakable shadow. After much investigation, she’d finally found the maid café her mentor had mentioned.
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Author's Note:
Why did it have to turn out this way…