Afternoon classes ended smoothly.
Cheng Yuexin had dinner with Chen Yiyi. Liu Yingqiu didn’t join them because she was keeping her parents company.
As for Gu Linxue, the person Cheng Yuexin least wanted to see, she didn’t show up again.
‘She’s like a daily boss—appears once, gets beaten, and disappears.’
It wasn’t surprising. To Gu Linxue, Cheng Yuexin was just a toy.
She toyed with her whenever she felt like it.
Cheng Yuexin calculated that she needed to get her escape plan moving.
The first priority was saving money.
Given her current status as a student, she could only work part-time jobs.
Small amounts would add up, and eventually she’d have savings.
Today’s task was to find a job.
“Yiyi, go back to the dorm first. I have some things to take care of.”
Chen Yiyi tilted her head and stepped in front of Cheng Yuexin, blocking her way.
She held Cheng Yuexin’s hand a little tighter.
“Going to the hospital to see Yueqing again?”
Cheng Yuexin shook her head.
“No, I have my own stuff to do. I’ll go to the hospital later.”
Seeing that Cheng Yuexin didn’t explain, Chen Yiyi didn’t press her.
“Alright, come back early tonight. We have class tomorrow morning.”
A cool breeze messed up the hair at her temples. Cheng Yuexin quickly pressed down the flying strands and nodded at Chen Yiyi.
“Got it, I’ll be back early.”
Chen Yiyi smiled reluctantly and finally let go of her hand.
“By the way, do you want to take an umbrella? The weather looks like it might rain.”
The sunset was different from usual, no longer blazing across the sky.
To the west, dark clouds were pressing in.
“No need, it won’t rain. I’m off.”
Cheng Yuexin turned and left.
Chen Yiyi stood still, a hint of unease in her eyes.
She looked up at the sky and clenched her small hands.
She couldn’t help sighing worriedly.
“The weather doesn’t look good. I hope it doesn’t rain.”
“I should go back and check if there’s any cold medicine left.”
…
Cheng Yuexin left campus, quickening her pace.
On the way, she sent a message to Cheng Yueqing, letting her know she’d be late visiting the hospital.
Cheng Yueqing didn’t insist on Cheng Yuexin visiting her every day. If she was busy, there was no need to make such a trip every day.
That relieved Cheng Yuexin.
Now she had time to kick off her part-time plan.
The commercial street two kilometers away was the busiest area nearby.
The barbecue buffet she’d eaten at last time was on this street.
“There really are a lot of people.”
The crowded street made Cheng Yuexin exclaim in surprise.
Besides students from Guangnan University like her, there were also many office workers from the neighborhood who had come to stroll after work.
In a world full of girls, the street’s scenery was unique.
Cheng Yuexin walked and looked around.
Just looking at the legs made her dizzy.
‘Even though I’m not into lesbians, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate nice legs.’
Black stockings, white stockings, and nude stockings were common; fishnets, garter belts, and lace stockings each had their charm.
Not to mention the girls cosplaying—known as cosplay—wandering the streets.
Cheng Yuexin swallowed hard, her mouth dry.
‘Hehe, they’re all good, all good.’
The appreciation time over, Cheng Yuexin turned her attention to the help-wanted ads in front of the shops.
She photographed a variety of recruitment flyers.
The usual ones were just waitstaff, delivery people, and so on.
But the pay for part-timers was very low, clearly trying to exploit the nearby college students—more work for less money.
Full-time employees could make over a hundred a day, while part-timers often only got half.
If you could only work evenings, the pay was even lower.
It was outright exploitation.
After walking half the street, Cheng Yuexin kept swiping through her phone, reading each flyer. All of them offered part-timers low wages.
“Isn’t this bullying part-timers?”
Cheng Yuexin frowned and slapped her thigh.
The work intensity didn’t match the unreasonably low pay, and she wasn’t happy about it.
But that was how society worked.
Cheng Yuexin clenched her phone, gritting her teeth, then finally loosened her grip helplessly.
“Sigh, I’ll keep looking. If only the pay were a little higher. I don’t need thirty an hour; twenty would be fine.”
She checked several more food service places hiring part-timers, but none offered higher wages—they were all about the same as before.
Cheng Yuexin drooped her head in disappointment, slowing her pace, unmotivated.
She came across another café hiring and glanced at it without much hope, skipping even taking a photo.
“Hajimi Anime Cafe…”
Wow, the name was very otaku.
She scanned a few key points:
“Job description: Café waitstaff, greet customers, serve food, occasionally help in the kitchen.”
“Work hours: Every evening from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM.”
“Requirements: College students only, must accept cosplay.”
“Hourly wage: Starting at forty, determined by performance.”
Cheng Yuexin’s eyes lit up.
She did the math: forty an hour meant a hundred a night, which came out to three thousand a month—and that was the baseline. It sounded very enticing.
Tsk tsk…
But the conditions were a bit tricky.
“Accept cosplay, but who knows what kind of cosplay?”
Cheng Yuexin pinched her chin, calculating.
She could accept cosplay—she’d done it in her previous life too.
‘I’m half a veteran in otaku culture. I liked playing mobile games in my past life, and I still do now.’
Besides, they were paying a lot. Since she met all the conditions, there was no reason not to try.
“Alright, I’ll go see if I can get hired.”
Cheng Yuexin resolutely stepped through the café door.
“Welcome home, Master!”
As she pushed open the door, a black-clad maid with brown cat ears came forward to greet her.
Bending slightly, she looked at the small, white-haired girl with a signature smile on her face.
Cheng Yuexin was startled at first, then slowly took a couple of steps away from the door.
‘An anime cafe. Cat-eared maids are normal, but they’re missing tails.’
She looked around the café’s environment and the seated customers. It was basically full. The decor and layout had an anime vibe.
Besides cat-eared maids, there were also bunny-eared and fox-eared ones in the store.
“Um, I’m here to apply. Are you still hiring waitstaff?”
Hearing this, the cat-eared maid’s smile faded a little.
“For hiring, the manager decides. I’ll take you to see her.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Cheng Yuexin swallowed nervously and kept her arms close to her sides, afraid to move them recklessly.
“Sister Lan, a new little catgirl is here to apply, stop being busy.”
Cheng Yuexin’s eyes widened in confusion.
“How am I a catgirl?”
The cat-eared maid stood at the counter and called out, staring straight at the woman brewing coffee. Her flaxen ponytail swayed gently as her body moved.
The woman wasn’t wearing cat-ear headband.
“Oh? Someone’s applying? Let me see.”
The woman put down her iron spoon, wiped her hands, and turned to look at Cheng Yuexin.
Her deep brown eyes paused, and she raised her chin with her hand, quietly sizing Cheng Yuexin up.
‘Hmm… White hair, small, flat-chested, fair-skinned…’
‘Isn’t that the perfect weak, submissive type?’
‘And she fits the little sister archetype from anime, especially with the recent craze over Sister Sky. Those rich ladies have become obsessed with siscons.’
‘The store exactly lacks someone like this!’
“You’re hired!”
The manager pointed her index finger at Cheng Yuexin, unable to suppress the smile on her face.
She looked as if she’d found a money tree.
Cheng Yuexin was both startled and delighted.
“I… I’m really hired?”
The manager’s eyes curved like crescent moons. She quickly bent down, took Cheng Yuexin’s small hand, and looked at her with hope.
“I want you to work here. I’ll give you this much per hour. What do you say?”
Cheng Yuexin stared in disbelief at the five slender fingers extended. Light flickered in her eyes.
“Sister Lan, I’m willing to stay!”
‘Even if I have to become a catgirl, I’ll do it without hesitation!’
The manager laughed happily, a hint of slyness in her smile.
The two shook hands, officially getting to know each other.
“My name is Zhang Lan. I’m the owner of this café. Now let me explain your job duties, and then you’ll start working…”
Cheng Yuexin wasn’t flustered by starting work right after applying.
She listened quietly to Zhang Lan’s instructions and demands, taking careful mental notes.
She wanted to do this job well.
Fifty an hour—that was treatment no other store offered.
‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, I’m so fired up!’
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