The autumn morning felt a little chilly.
Early in the morning, the breakfast shop downstairs set up tall steaming baskets, with water vapor covering half the storefront.
The owner’s family was busy wrapping buns, boiling noodles, and making soup.
The neighbors, who had been eating at this shop for over 10 years, were filling up the seats as usual today.
“Ma’am, two meat buns, and a soy milk, please.”
“Adding sugar, right? Coming right up!”
The breakfast shop was as lively as always.
Since everyone coming in was from the neighborhood, the owner’s family recognized almost every customer.
However, today was a little different.
“Boss, who is that girl at the door?”
“A student, maybe? Wonder if she’s dating anyone.”
“Why ask? She is as beautiful as a fairy, would she even look at your son?”
A roar of laughter erupted inside the breakfast shop.
Bai Yao turned her head in confusion to take a look, dismissed it, and continued peering in the direction of the school gate.
She was wearing a white high-neck sweater, giving off a gentle and virtuous aura.
Her outfit was modest, and she was wrapped up tight.
Although her cold expression didn’t quite match the style, she was indeed wearing women’s clothing, though she had opted for fleece-lined straight-leg pants.
“Why is he so slow?”
Bai Yao pursed her lips and checked the time.
She had an appointment with Qiu Ye to have breakfast together at 7:30, and it was only 7:25.
For her, it was only a walk of about 10 meters downstairs, so there was no need to be early, but she had the habit of arriving early for everything to avoid making the other person wait.
Bai Yao paced back and forth in little steps with some anxiety, hugging her small stomach, swaying from side to side.
She gradually became distracted, her mind dwelling on the matter of a part-time job.
Her rent was 600 a month, and including utilities, it would probably cost 700 to 800.
Although she still had a few thousand in her bank account, money didn’t last long.
The System’s tasks were plentiful when she was flirting with men, but after getting a boyfriend and the relationship became stable, the tasks had visibly decreased, causing her income to plummet.
To cover rent and utilities, she really needed a part-time job…
[WORK!]
As she was thinking, the System suddenly popped up, giving Bai Yao a start.
[With the assistance of the System, you have successfully lost weight, conditioned your body, quit smoking and drinking, and developed a regular routine, improving your skin.]
[You have found a partner you like, your appearance has returned to its peak, and you have gradually gained confidence. You have taken the initiative to step out of the house; it is time to return to society! Your mortgage is still not covered! Thirty-one is the age for striving! Do you dream of having Qiu Ye pay your mortgage for you? Adults will not pay for the mistakes you made in the past.]
[Attend one job interview, reward: 100]
Bai Yao wrinkled her nose.
‘Weight loss, conditioning my body, quitting smoking and drinking… these things don’t really have anything to do with the System, do they?’
She realized she had indeed become more confident than before since becoming a woman and finding a boyfriend, partly because she looked much prettier.
She didn’t have a mortgage to pay; she just wanted to earn more living expenses.
Bai Yao muttered to herself, not sure if the System was herself from the future, from a parallel world, or if the future had yet to happen—these were things that a regular college student like her couldn’t investigate, and it only added to her troubles.
“Bai Yao!”
She finally came back to her senses and looked up to see that Qiu Ye had crossed the road and was only a few meters away.
“What are you thinking about? You didn’t see me the whole time?”
Qiu Ye walked up to her.
Unlike at school where they were a bit cautious, out in public, he reached out and took Bai Yao’s hand.
Bai Yao subconsciously cast a guilty glance around.
Fortunately, it was early in the morning and there weren’t many students outside the school.
“You’re dressed so beautifully again today?”
Qiu Ye’s emotional support was maxed out, making even the indifferent Bai Yao lift the corners of her mouth slightly.
“I didn’t really dress up,” she said, pursing her lips and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with her fingertips.
“How did you sleep alone last night?”
“Pretty well,” Bai Yao set aside those messy thoughts and focused on the man in front of her.
“I fell asleep at 11:00 last night and slept until 7:00. Although I wasn’t used to it at first, I have to say, living alone is great. I don’t have to fight for the bathroom, I can do whatever I want before bed, and when I’m tired, I just drop off to sleep without anyone disturbing me. I could even sleep naked if I wanted to… No wonder that ‘chinyu’ in the future was obsessed with those things.”
This made Qiu Ye feel like the charm in Bai Yao’s eyes had grown a bit thicker.
The two walked into the breakfast shop, ordered their food, and found a shared table to sit at.
“Qiu Ye, do you know anywhere I could get a part-time job?”
“Part-time job?”
Qiu Ye frowned.
“Are you really that strapped for cash? I told you, I’ll pay your rent.”
“I want to earn more money~ Didn’t you say you wanted to buy a house?”
In truth, it was just something she’d said in passing, more like building castles in the sky.
After all, they hadn’t been dating for long, but Qiu Ye didn’t expect Bai Yao to take it seriously.
She really is a fool, he thought, believing whatever she’s told…
If she met a bad person, she’d probably lose her money, her body, and her heart in no time.
The smile and tenderness in Qiu Ye’s eyes grew even more intense.
Silly, but isn’t that nice too?
“Then how about I go with you for a part-time job? At least we’ll have each other for company.”
Bai Yao had originally felt a bit intimidated by the idea of a part-time job, but hearing that, her eyes lit up.
She wouldn’t be afraid if Qiu Ye was with her.
“Let me look,” Qiu Ye said, checking part-time jobs on his phone while playfully scaring her, “working part-time is bound to be frustrating; can you handle it? If not, forget it.”
Bai Yao frowned.
“I think I can handle it…”
“Beautiful couple, your breakfast is here~”
The landlady smiled and brought the breakfast to the table.
One tall and handsome, one pretty and gentle—most people in society were “appearance-focused,” and they couldn’t help but feel a bit more closeness to good-looking people.
“How much? I’ll pay first.”
Bai Yao stood up, taking the initiative to pay so that Qiu Ye wouldn’t end up treating her again, as she knew she couldn’t win that argument.
“12. Scan here.”
She scanned the code to pay and sat back down, only to see Qiu Ye looking utterly helpless.
“People are going to think I’m a gigolo. Since when do guys go out with a beautiful girl and let her pay?”
“Is that so?”
Bai Yao muttered.
“Aren’t you the one who said you didn’t care what others think?”
She lowered her head to sip her sweet soy milk and changed the subject: “Finals are coming up, right?”
“Yeah, soon. The end of next month.”
A sudden sense of urgency washed over her.
If she went home for the break and her parents saw her in this state, they would probably break her legs.
She sighed with a face full of misery.
Seeing her expression, Qiu Ye immediately knew what she was thinking.
“It’s fine, didn’t you say you were coming to meet my parents during winter break?”
“Huh? What meet your parents?”
Bai Yao looked up, stunned.
“You agreed to it last time when my mom called on a video chat.”
“Last time?”
Bai Yao froze, recalling what happened back then, her eyes widening.
She had only been playing along to help Qiu Ye trick his family into giving him money!
Compared to meeting his parents, she would much rather face her own folks back home.