Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 216 Introducing You to a Job

That evening, Chen Xuan's family prepared a steaming hot pot feast.

Lin Qing's bowl was never empty; it was always piled high with food. She accepted every dish that Chen Xuan's parents put on her plate with a smile.

Moreover, she was quite outgoing and could engage in all sorts of conversations, making for a very lively dinner.

Chen Xuan hadn't had such a lively meal in a long time.

Not to mention that after she finished eating, she insisted on washing the dishes, her initiative was almost frightening.

He even suspected that Lin Qing was deliberately trying to gain favor with him.

"Are you still working at the fast food restaurant?" Chen Xuan's father asked as the four of them sat in the living room chatting after dinner.

"Hmm." Chen Xuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. It was better to keep his shop a secret from his family for now. Firstly, he didn't know how to explain the origin of the ability shop, and secondly, his parents would definitely ask more questions. If they found out that there were considerable risks involved, they would definitely worry more.

"Why don't you... come back?" he suddenly suggested.

"Huh?" Chen Xuan was taken aback. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up? I'm still renting a place over there."

“We can just forget about the rent,” his mother chimed in. “Fast food restaurants are everywhere, there’s no need to make it in Jiangcheng, is there? That place is too dangerous… hundreds of people die there all the time.”

"So that's how it is," Chen Xuan suddenly realized. They weren't looking down on him for doing odd jobs, but rather worried that he would be caught up in the disaster caused by ability users.

Of course, when I resigned from the big company, my family did grumble about it, and my relatives also found it incomprehensible, but the current situation is obviously unrelated to my job prospects.

"It's okay, I only go between two points every day, I don't go to any dangerous places," Chen Xuan replied casually. "You can ask Lin Qing if you don't believe me."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him if he wants to go to dangerous places," Lin Qing said, patting her chest.

“I’ve been worried about you ever since I saw the news,” Chen’s mother frowned. “Son, these people with special abilities don’t care whether the place you work is safe or not. Isn’t the Jiangcheng TV station incident the best example?”

Chen Xuan sighed softly, "Mom, you have to understand, awakening abilities isn't just a problem in Jiangcheng. Ability users emerge all over the world, and there are definitely some in Yuecheng too. At least there's a branch of the Limit Authority there, so they can handle superpower crimes immediately. It's really hard to say about other places."

I never expected that he would one day speak well of the government.

“What if there’s a better job here?” his father interjected.

"What job?"

"I heard he's a corporate instructor, someone related to your field of study."

Chen Xuan was slightly taken aback. He was no stranger to corporate instructors. Simply put, some colleges and universities would cooperate with companies to offer several highly specialized courses, such as drone photography, live streaming, online store planning, etc. It was difficult to find teachers with formal training for these courses, so they would hire experienced professionals from the company as temporary teachers. The students trained could then have priority in internships and job applications at the company, which was a way to adapt to the rapid development of the times.

However, his family wasn't in this line of work, so they were unlikely to have any connections or recommendations. Plus, his father used the phrase "I heard," which made Chen Xuan suspect it was unreliable. "Who told you that?"

"That kid from the Zhao family said he could recommend a job for you. Don't you have Zhao Jin's phone number? Just call and ask."

Chen Xuan couldn't help but twitch his lips. Of course he knew this person; they lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same schools from elementary to high school, and their parents had even interacted. The problem was, he and Zhao Jin weren't particularly close, and they'd only met once at a party after university. Why was this person suddenly willing to help him solve his job problem?

"Have you told them about my situation?"

"Oh dear, your dad didn't say it on purpose," Chen's mother quickly smoothed things over. "I ran into his parents while strolling around the neighborhood earlier, and we chatted about work. You wouldn't believe how well they're doing now; they're both managers at big companies. If you could become a corporate instructor, that would be much better than working in Jiangcheng."

Chen Xuan was both amused and exasperated.

Although he knew his parents were considering urging him to return to his hometown, asking a classmate to help him find a job still surprised him. This also convinced him that not telling his parents about the ability shop was definitely the right choice; otherwise, the whole neighborhood would know.

"Could you contact him?" Mr. Chen looked at him expectantly.

Chen Xuan wanted to refuse, but Lin Qing nudged him with her toe and shook her head slightly.

After thinking for a moment, he agreed, "Okay."

"You should contact each other soon, after all, the New Year is approaching," the parents urged again.

"Okay, okay," Chen Xuan said helplessly.

He could roughly guess why Lin Qing reminded him. Logically speaking, if he could get a good job and stay away from Jiangcheng, a place full of trouble, it would be a win-win situation in the eyes of his parents' generation. Simply refusing would only seem suspicious. However, being the manager of the ability shop was a lifelong career.

Judging from the description, only death can extricate one from it.

If the main store cannot be moved at will, then he will most likely have to settle in Jiangcheng for the long term.

Furthermore, Chen Xuan was also very clear that even if the "First Store Manager" was not a color ability that restricted transactions, and even if the store was not completely bound to him, he did not want to give this job to someone else.

It may not be a leisurely job, and the work is quite risky, deviating slightly from his initial ideal of simply lying down and doing nothing. But now he feels that this is his favorite job—lucrative, challenging, and quite interesting.

After finishing their conversation and returning to his room, Chen Xuan scrolled through his phone for a while before finally finding Zhao Jin's number.

Having not spoken for so long, he really didn't know how to start the conversation.

Forget it, go to bed first.

We can deal with this tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, his phone rang as soon as he put it down.

Chen Xuan picked it up and saw that the caller was none other than Zhao Jin.

Isn't this a coincidence?
What a coincidence! He couldn't help but sigh. Clearly, his parents had gone to inform other people's parents again!
However, Chen Xuan couldn't really blame them. After all, in the eyes of his elders, this was a good opportunity to keep him in Yuecheng. Even if it was embarrassing to ask someone else for help, it was for his own good.

He answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Chen Xuan? I heard you went back to Yuecheng?" Zhao Jin's voice was a little different from the one in my memory. It was no longer as soft and gentle as it was in high school. His voice was twice as loud and he seemed particularly energetic.

“Yes,” he said, feigning surprise, “how did you know?”

"I just heard it from my grandfather," Zhao Jin said with a smile. "He hadn't come back for the past two years, but he's finally decided to come back this year? Let's get together and chat about work."

Since the other party brought it up, it saved Chen Xuan a lot of trouble. "Sure, whenever you have time."

"Hmm... I probably won't have time tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow at noon. I'll book a place where we can eat and have fun, and then invite the other classmates along."

"The other students?"

"Yes, they're all high school classmates. We get together almost every year. You forgot? You've had a get-together before."

The problem is that this was shortly after I graduated.

Rather than going to reconnect with old friends, it was more like saying goodbye to one's high school years.

Chen Xuan didn't have many objections. Anyway, he would definitely return to Jiangcheng after the New Year, and seeing his parents would fulfill their wishes. The problem was that Gu Zhaoning had also arranged to meet him the day after tomorrow.

"I'll probably have something to do that day, so I probably won't be able to come—"

Chen Xuan was halfway through his sentence when Zhao Jin interrupted him, saying, "You can't be busy all day, can you? What kind of work in Yuecheng needs to be overseen until the New Year? Besides, you're already... Anyway, you can come first and leave if you need to. We also have plans for tonight, so you can come back when you're done."

There's no need to come over again, but this one, which can be left at any time, suits Chen Xuan's taste quite well.

"Isn't it bad to leave halfway through?"

"We're all classmates, who would care about this? Besides, I'm the one paying, so it's my decision," Zhao Jin said dismissively.

Having said that, he stopped refusing. "Since you've put it that way, I have no choice but to agree. Is it alright if I bring a friend along?"

"No problem, you can bring as many as you want."

"Okay, I'll wait for your notification," Chen Xuan said finally.

The itinerary for the day after tomorrow was thus finalized.

(End of this chapter)