Su Chen took the phone, stepping back a few paces to a spot three meters away.
"Alright! Strike a cute pose—hey! Don't just do a peace sign."
He lowered the phone. "Firefly, teach them how it's done."
Firefly nodded eagerly, guiding Baiheng step-by-step on posing. Once done, she flashed an OK sign, slipping one hand behind her back.
Su Chen caught her cue, nodding subtly. He raised the phone again. "Ready—one, two, three, March 7th!"
"March 7th!"
"Nice, nice!" Su Chen nodded, satisfied with the final photo, and handed the phone back to Firefly.
But,
in Firefly's outstretched hand was Baiheng's car key, which she'd swiped unnoticed while helping Baiheng pose.
During the phone handoff, Su Chen smoothly took the key.
Though Baiheng wasn't the sharpest,
Jingliu, by her side, was no pushover. She clearly noticed something off about their actions.
Just as she was about to inspect what Su Chen held,
Firefly pressed both hands on Jingliu's face, their faces inches apart. "Oh, Jingliu, big sis, your pupils are red! So pretty!"
"Huh?" A faint blush crept onto Jingliu's face. "Uh… they're alright, I guess. Your pupils are pretty unique too."
Distracted by Firefly, Jingliu seemed to forget what she was about to do.
"What's going on?" Baiheng quickly pulled Firefly's hands away. "You want to study pupils? Go check out Firefly's. I guarantee it'll be a show—definitely exciting."
"Hm? Really?" A glint sparked in Firefly's eyes. "Noted. I'll definitely try that next time."
"Hey, Jingliu, look!" Baiheng tapped Jingliu's shoulder. "That car looks just like the one I bought—same model, same color, even no license plate yet!"
Jingliu rubbed her chin. "Could it be… your car?"
"No way!" Baiheng froze, startled. "Where's my car key? Where's my giant car key?"
"Firefly!"
Though Jingliu caught on, it was too late.
Firefly was already bouncing toward the car.
"Ta-da! Sorry, big sis Baiheng, we've got urgent business. We'll return the car soon!"
"My new car! My brand-new car!" Baiheng's lips quivered, her eyes turning to fried-egg shapes. "Jingliu, my car!"
Jingliu pulled Baiheng into her arms. "It's fine, actually. Su Chen's driving, and didn't your license get revoked again two days ago? How were you planning to drive?"
Cough, cough, cough… Baiheng quickly changed her expression. "Huh? What were we doing? Oh, right, it's Thursday—let's grab fried chicken with Jing Yuan!"
Jingliu's lips curled slightly. As long as she didn't have to ride in Baiheng's car, anything was fine.
"Let's go."
…
"Haha, now that's some fun!" Firefly glanced at Su Chen. "Hey, what're you doing? No phone calls while driving."
"I'm wearing earbuds, aren't I?" Su Chen spoke as a voice came through. "Silver Wolf, how's it going? Found Argenti yet?"
"Found him! Can you just take him away? I'm losing my hair here!"
Su Chen gave a helpless smile. "Pass the phone to Argenti… Hey, Argenti, quick question. What's Boothill's daughter's online handle?"
After a few seconds of silence, Su Chen continued, "Oh, World's No.1 Patriot, right?"
"Who'd pick that username?"
"She's the only player who's completely rejected Kafka so far."
Meanwhile, at the new coffee shop.
Boothill stared at the coffee, swallowing hard. "Tch, is this really fit for human consumption?"
"Of course! In this interactive city, I'm also a coffee shop owner. I heard a new one opened, so I came to learn a thing or two. But don't worry, my coffee may not be divine, but it'll definitely be unforgettable," Himeko said, sitting at the counter with a crescent-moon smile that starkly contrasted the coffee.
Boothill forced an awkward grin, eyeing the coffee still bubbling after ten minutes. "Drinking this, I'd probably meet Idrila on the spot."
"Don't be scared, cowboy shark bro." Stelle appeared behind Boothill with Yunli, subtly cutting off his escape route.
Though Stelle wasn't sure what Su Chen was up to,
her little brother had spoken, and she'd follow through.
No questions asked—just the bond of their pseudo-sibling connection!
Boothill glanced at Stelle. "Where'd this gray-haired kid come from? Hold up!"
He studied Stelle and Himeko at the counter. "Aren't you two the leads from the Star Rail web drama, Stelle and Navigator Himeko? No wonder you look familiar. From your tone, you've drunk this coffee? Pretty bold, huh?"
"Joking? I'm super bold!" Stelle crossed her arms, lifting her head proudly.
Boothill smirked. "Alright, gray-hair, you drink one sip, I'll drink ten."
Just then,
the coffee shop door swung open again.
Billy had a pair of hydraulic cutters at his neck, wielded by the person trailing behind him.
"What in tarnation? What's this now? Post-autumn execution?" Boothill frowned, the situation growing messier by the second.
Still, this guy in the mechanical helmet had some style.
And that maid with a tail—shark-like, somehow?
Oddly, he didn't find it off-putting.
Weird!
"Big sis Stelle! Save me!" Billy wailed, looking at Stelle.
"Me? What for?" Stelle scratched her head.
Ellen removed the lollipop from her mouth. "This guy can't pay for the housekeeping service. Said he's got no money and needs to call his boss, but her phone's off, so I dragged him to find her."
"Oh." Stelle nodded thoughtfully. "I think calling the cops is a better idea."
"What're you guys talking about?" Yunli blinked at Stelle.
"Nothing, kid, stay out of grown-up stuff." Stelle looked at Ellen seriously. "Hold on, let me channel my brother's vibe. Ahem."
"No big deal. Since you're here, no way I'm letting you lose out. How much is the housekeeping fee? I'll cover a year."
Billy gave a thumbs-up, ignoring the cutters at his neck. "Wow, no wonder you're siblings—that was spot-on!"
Ellen pondered expressionlessly. "A yearly package? I'll call Lycaon."
"Hey," Boothill cut in. "Gray-hair, our bet's still on. You up for it?"
Stelle tilted her head, eyeing the coffee—its black depths like an abyss ready to swallow everything. She let out a heavy breath. "If I don't enter hell, who will? Tell my brother, from now on, he's the sole star of the Star Rail web drama!"
Yunli wiped a tear from her eye. "Big sis Stelle, I get it. Such a noble soul. I'll find you a prime burial spot."
"Big sis Stelle!!!" Billy was already in tears. "You're too great. I'll make you my idol forever!"
Stelle smiled serenely, picking up the coffee and nodding to Himeko. Just as she was about to drink, Ellen stopped her.
"Lycaon says we can do a yearly package."
"Huh?" Stelle didn't quite follow. "What's that mean?"
"I don't love this job, but for our big client, I'll do something for free." With that, Ellen chugged Himeko's coffee.
"Eek!!!"
Everyone except Himeko gaped in shock.
"Call an ambulance, quick!"
"Shark maid, you okay?!"
"Wow, maid sis is so cool!"
"Your shark vibe's off the charts."
Ellen shook her head. "A bit stronger than Rina's cooking, but not unbearable."
In that moment, everyone couldn't help but clap.
Stelle flashed a pure, radiant smile. "Cowboy shark, now that shark maid drank the coffee, you owe me ten cups!"
"This…!" Boothill paused.
"Tch, fine, I'm going for it! Just ten cups? If she's fine, I should be too! Bring all the coffee up!!!"
Himeko nodded with satisfaction.
She knew her coffee-making skills had reached mastery.
She thought this day would be far off.
But it arrived today!
She'd brew one for Sunday next,
then Su Chen, then everyone at miHoYo!
"Hold it!"
A loud shout came from the coffee shop door, halting everyone.
All eyes turned to the entrance.
The next moment, Stelle, Yunli, Himeko, and Billy broke into joyful smiles.
That man had finally arrived.
Stelle sprinted over, leaping into a tight hug around Su Chen. "Little brother, you're finally here! I almost couldn't hold on—if not for this maid."
"Mm… mm…" Su Chen struggled to free his head, avoiding suffocation. "Phew~ I was about to pass out. Get off for a sec."
"Oh, oh, oh."
Su Chen approached Ellen first. "Since you're here, no way I'm letting you lose out. How much is the housekeeping fee? I'll cover a year."
Ellen felt like she'd heard this before. "Yearly package? I'll have Lycaon negotiate with you."
"Forget it, you two better come together. I'm too lazy to deal with you one by one."
Ellen: "What'd you say?"
"I said we could really use housekeeping here. I'll cover ten years."
Then Su Chen turned to Boothill, deliberately asking, "You're Boothill, right?"
"You know me?" Boothill glanced at Su Chen, then at Stelle. "There's gotta be a limit to how alike you look. What's up with you two?"
"When in doubt, quantum mechanics. It's all quantum mechanics' fault!" Su Chen cleared his throat, starting to spout nonsense seriously.
"I know you're Boothill because Argenti told me. He said you'd come looking for him eventually."
"Tch, Argenti's really with you? Where is he?"
"First off, he's a miHoYo actor now, with a ninety-nine-year contract."
"Ninety-nine years? No wonder they say miHoYo's got a knack for eating people alive. There's even a forum dedicated to documenting supernatural events in the interactive city. Makes sense now!"
Yunli squeezed between Stelle and Billy. "Supernatural forum? What's that?"
Stelle whispered, "That's for the new web drama Foxian Chronicles. My brother said it'll blend reality and fiction. He got Herta and a few others to set up a supernatural forum—Luofu Miscellany. It'll log the web drama's content, mixing truth and lies."
"Huh?! So it's fake?" Billy clutched his chest. "I thought it was all real. Scared me so bad I didn't go out for days."
Yunli frowned, nodding. "But that doesn't add up. Why does big sis Guinaifen keep talking about a pink fairy during her livestreams? Could there really be something?"
"Probably just a livestream PK. You can tell my brother about it."
Su Chen, clearly not hearing their conversation, continued, "Sure, Argenti's my employee, but that doesn't mean you can't meet him. However…" Su Chen's tone shifted as he glanced at the empty coffee cup. "You've still got ten cups to drink, don't you?"
"Just ten cups? I'll down them no problem."
Su Chen snapped his fingers. "Himeko, one more coffee for me."
"Got it!"
Soon, Himeko brewed a second cup, indistinguishable from the first.
Firefly approached Su Chen. "Wow, you knew I was thirsty and got me a coffee?"
She picked up the cup, blew on it, and took a sip.
"No!" Boothill tried to stop her, but it was too late.
"Wow, it's good!" Firefly collapsed with a thud.
Su Chen pointed at Firefly, foaming at the mouth. "That's the real reaction to drinking that coffee, got it?"
Boothill's brow furrowed into a scowl. "But…"
"Sister, hold on!" Stelle lifted Firefly, tears in her eyes. "Why'd you do it? Why so foolish?"
Firefly, in a daze, waved her hand weakly. "I see my great-grandma waving at me from across the river! Getting closer, closer."
"No way, one sip and you're already crossing over?" Sweat beaded on Boothill's forehead.
"There's a way to avoid drinking."
"What way?"
Su Chen's lips curled slightly. "Ellen's with miHoYo's housekeeping service, so she can help any miHoYo employee."
"So, you're saying if I sign a contract and become your employee, I can dodge this crisis?"
"Exactly!"
Boothill put on a serious face. "Tada, verbal shortcut."
"Huh?"
Stelle, Billy, Yunli, and Himeko stared in disbelief.
Even Firefly sat up, wiping foam from her mouth. "Oh, man, I thought I was the toughest nut to crack, but there's an even harder one. Hehe, now that's some fun!"
Su Chen, however, remained calm. "Hard to say."
Boothill felt his pocket vibrate. He pulled out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and answered without hesitation.
"Mm-hmm, got it, alright, alright, no problem. Okay!"
Hanging up, he gave Su Chen a thumbs-up. "Tch, I'm in! I'll join!"