Modern Teyvat, bound to the Abyss Spiral

"so?"

"So, waiters at this reception, you have to do your job well." Ren Siqian slammed on the brakes and stopped at the main entrance of the Debo Hotel. "Get out when you're there."

The Debo Hotel was built on the land-scarce Yujingtai in Liyue. Li Qingping had no idea how many square meters it covered, but just by looking at the huge floor-to-ceiling fountain with a diameter of more than ten meters in front of the main entrance, he knew it was not small.

"This is Teyvat's premier hotel, the Fontaine brand, and they just opened their first branch in Liyue this year. A night here costs at least 20,000 Mora."

Ren Siqian's speech suddenly became rhythmic. He ignored the convenient automatic doors on both sides and chose the bright golden glass revolving door in the middle. When he entered, he even straightened the wrinkles on his clothes, held his head high, and even his breathing became rapid, as if what he was breathing in was not air, but Mora.

"Where are we going next?" asked Li Qingping, who had entered the lobby early through the electric door.

"You kid! This is a place for rich people. Be elegant and slow-paced. We won't have many chances to come here again in the future." Ren Siqian said with a look of disappointment, feeling very sad.

"No problem, but shouldn't we hurry up? Maybe if I get to work earlier, that sucker... I mean, that boss probably wouldn't mind giving me an extra hour of overtime pay, right?"

"You're crazy about money!"

"Stop talking, I'm in a hurry now."

At Li Qingping's urging, Ren Siqian took him to the hotel supervisor.

"Sister Fang, this is the last one."

The woman whom Ren Siqian called Sister Fang looked very young, at most in her early thirties, with a ponytail, a black uniform, and a white silk scarf tied around her collar.

When Li Qingping met Sister Fang, she was directing her employees. She arranged everything for everyone with just a few words and did things efficiently.

"You didn't even reply to my messages, so I thought you were going to run away. I found a few more people to make up the numbers, and now we have enough people, you guys can go back." Sister Fang looked up and suddenly stopped when she saw Li Qingping, "Wait!"

Sister Fang looked Li Qingping up and down, then smiled: "Do you have someone like this on hand?"

Li Qingping is not only handsome, but also has an outstanding temperament. Although he is holding a rustic bag in his hand, he is much better than the person Sister Fang found.

When the time comes, he will change his clothes and move among the guests with a smile on his face. He will definitely be the most handsome guy and will not bring shame to the Debo Hotel.

Sister Fang feels that even the most demanding party A would not be able to find any fault.

Ren Siqian smiled proudly: "What a hidden resource! I am still the top employee of Beiguo Agency after all!"

"You can leave if you want, but he has to stay." Sister Fang waved her hands impatiently at Ren Siqian.

"Okay!" Ren Siqian waved at Li Qingping and walked out of the Debo Hotel.

He understood that the job was completely done and he didn't need to worry about anything else.

"Have you ever had a similar experience?" Sister Fang asked.

"I worked part-time at Wanmin Hall for a few months. I could serve dishes, bring water, do odd jobs and wash dishes. I was best at cutting vegetables," Li Qingping replied.

"Master Mao of Wanmintang has high requirements. If you can work under him for a few months, I won't have to give you emergency training." Sister Fang was even more satisfied with Li Qingping.

Wanmintang is a small restaurant, owned by Chef Mao, the sole chef. Though small, with only a few tables, a seat is always sought after. Its reputation in Liyue is perhaps even greater than that of the newly arrived Debo Hotel. It's simply because Chef Mao's cooking is so exceptional.

Master Mao not only had good cooking skills but also paid well, so Li Qingping had originally planned to continue working for him. But one day, Master Mao discovered that Li Qingping was an excellent cutter and he became interested in his talent.

—Qingping, it's a shame you can't be a chef with your knife skills! Don't take on a part-time job, just be my apprentice. It'll be perfect for you to inherit Wanmingtang with my Xiangling.

Lei Dianzhen even teased Li Qingping about this, saying that he had inherited the family fortune for nothing.

But Master Mao's daughter Xiangling was only 14 years old, and there were many vacancies in the cells of the Liyue Police Station. Li Qingping was terrified and quit his job the next day.

"It's five o'clock now, and the cocktail party starts at six o'clock. Go store your things and get a set of clothes to change into. You still have an hour to familiarize yourself with the process." Sister Fang patted Li Qingping's shoulder, handed him to another young waiter, and hurried away.

……

……

……

The daily salary is 100 yuan. You have to respect my personal wishes. If there are some things I don’t want to do, don’t force me, otherwise we will part ways.

The daily salary is 200, but we are all friends. Don't be shy with friends. You can help with anything that is not too much.

The daily salary is 300 yuan. If you have any requirements, just let me know. As long as it is not illegal or criminal, I will try my best to meet them.

The salary was 2000 at that time?

The boss is definitely my half-brother whom I have never met. The company is simply my home and I can work here for the rest of my life!

Li Qingping patiently straightened the last plate and only put away his critical gaze after confirming that the logos on all the plates were facing the same direction.

There is no way, this temporary boss gave too much!

So much so that he felt that even the slightest mistake would be irresponsible for the hourly wage.

The banquet hall is on the fifth floor of the Debo Hotel. While it's called the fifth floor, it actually occupies the sixth floor as well, giving it a two-story ceiling. Only one side of the hall is a wall; the other three sides are entirely floor-to-ceiling glass. Black and gold curtains flank the glass, drawn during normal hours and raised only for cocktail receptions.

The winter night fell quickly, quietly covering Liyue in black, but lights like sparks soon lit up, driving away the twilight and illuminating the city.

Yujing Terrace, where the Debo Hotel is located, is halfway up the mountain. Li Qingping stood by the transparent glass window and had a panoramic view of the lights of thousands of homes below.

Li Qingping, ah Li Qingping! What are you doing? Are you worthy of the Mora your brother gave you?

Li Qingping patted his cheek, expressing guilt for his momentary distraction.

"All groups are in place, the guests are about to arrive, so cheer up." Sister Fang's voice came from the earphones on Li Qingping's ears.

He looked around and found that the waiters around him were indeed young handsome men and beautiful women, each of them with a smile from the heart.

The hourly wage is 2000 and they are still making progress. It's so scary.

The door of the banquet hall opened, and the crystal glass lamp hanging in the center was lit up instantly, no less bright than the lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and guests came in one after another.

The place was packed with young men and women, all dressed in their finest attire: low-cut evening gowns, perfectly pressed suits, and everything in between. Perfectly styled twintails, wavy princess hair, and slicked-back hair were commonplace. Earrings studded with precious gemstones, necklaces strung with lustrous pearls, high-end, no-name leather shoes, and deliberately ostentatious, expensive watches were everywhere.

Everyone who can come here has a prominent family background. Some of them may be able to win the favor of the host of the cocktail party, but there is only one position after all. When they greet each other, they all talk about getting acquainted with people of the same age and making more friends.

But the invited guests tried their best to dress themselves up, competing with each other in beauty, each one like a peacock spreading its tail, all aiming at the young lady who had not yet appeared.

High above the banquet hall, there is a carefully designed secret corridor that cannot be seen from below.

There were three people standing in the secret corridor: an energetic old man, a young lady whose beauty could not be concealed even without makeup, and a silent butler standing behind the two.

"Our family has always been like this. I, your grandfather, went through the same thing. We got up early and went to bed late. We had no control over every minute and every second before adulthood. Every day we were either learning this or that." The old man looked down and spoke lightly.

Seeing his granddaughter's lack of interest, the old man didn't care and continued, "It's strange to say, our family has only one son for generations, and there has never been any scandal of brothers fighting each other."

"That's because you are not ambitious enough and don't know how to have more children." The granddaughter said, leaning against the railing.

Her tone was resentful, as if she was urging the grandfather beside her to speak faster and not waste her time.

"Don't be impatient. You've waited all these years, so don't mind my nagging." The old man smiled and waved to the housekeeper behind him. "Old Chen, go back and replace the plaque at the door. From now on, it will be called Keqing Mansion. When she gets married, I can retire."

"Okay, sir." Butler Chen responded respectfully.

"Just these? I've suffered for eighteen years, why should I look down on them?" Keqing was dissatisfied.

"If you like someone, just try to be friends with him. How much he can cheat out of you depends on his ability. We are a wealthy family, so just consider it as spending money to teach you a lesson. It's not expensive." The old man still smiled and spoke in a relaxed tone.

Keqing sneered and said nothing.

"You're right to have high standards, but don't stare at those kids from rich families. No matter how rich they are, can they be richer than our family? Go out more often, drive a luxury car and rock the streets. I used to be strict with you, but after being a good kid for so long, you should also experience the life of a bad kid. Otherwise, how can you beat those bad guys who pretend to be serious and sneak up on you to cheat you?" The old man, who is highly respected in Liyue, was beaming with joy at this moment, as if he was talking about his own experiences in his youth.

Volume 1: 9. Keqing

Keqing turned around and looked at the old man behind her in surprise. It was the first time she saw him being so frivolous, but when she thought about it carefully, there seemed to be nothing wrong. After all, everyone has been young once.

"Let's leave those old cars in the garage at home to you, Grandpa." Keqing continued to lean over and look at the cocktail party below, where people were coming and going and drinking.

"Haha, those are all grandpa's treasures." The old man smiled, "Old Chen, give them all to Keqing."

Butler Chen took out a small square box that looked like a lighter and handed it to Keqing. "Most of the cars that Master ordered for Miss haven't arrived yet. This Ferrari is the only one we have. Here are the car keys."

Keqing accepted the key.

"The driver's license I confiscated from you is also in the car," said the old man.

"Thank you, Grandpa." Keqing said.

"Find a partner within six months, get the marriage certificate this year, and then have a wedding so I can take care of your children with peace of mind... cough cough." The old man coughed a few times, and Butler Chen hurriedly handed him a handkerchief.

The cocktail party was still going on. Young people gathered together to show off their youth and talk about their achievements in their short lives. In comparison, Keqing found that her grandfather was really old.

This old man with gray hair on his temples raised two generations of a family. If that incident had not happened, he would have retired long ago and passed the position to Keqing's father.

But things are unpredictable, and there are no such things as ifs. The old man can only place all his hopes on his granddaughter Keqing.

"I want to be one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, and I hope my family can support me." Keqing straightened her expression and spoke solemnly.

The old man was stunned, as if frozen in place, the expressions on his face changing alternately, joy, annoyance, happiness and then calmness.

"Your father said the same thing back then. When you get married, your family will fully support you." The old man spoke slowly, turning and stumbling towards the exit. "Liyue belongs to you young people. As an old man, I will not interfere."

"Uncle Chen, send grandpa back to rest." Keqing ordered.

"By the way, don't come back tonight." The old man suddenly turned around.

Keqing: ???

Is your granddaughter some kind of money-losing commodity that can't be given away?!

"I won't open the door for you when I come back, so find a place to deal with it yourself."

After the old man finished speaking, he left with the butler, leaving Keqing speechless.

……

……

……

Almost all the guests arrived as scheduled, but the guests at the cocktail party did not enter on time.

About half an hour after the cocktail party started, Li Qingping opened the door and welcomed in a beautiful woman in a purple dress.

She wore two purple ponytails, and her feet made a sound when she walked. She kept muttering, "No one wants you, and no one wants your whole family!" Even if people were far away, they could feel the resentment coming from her.

After the woman finished muttering, she slapped her head in annoyance, as if she felt that there was something wrong with her previous complaint. She angrily found a rest area in the corner and sat down, looking around coldly at the large number of men and women coming and going.

Li Qingping saw it all and thought that not everyone was willing to curry favor with the powerful. This person's sexual orientation was probably normal, and he was just forced by his family to go through the motions.

This woman was very beautiful. Even the conservative dress that wrapped her body tightly could not hide her slender figure. Her cold face that showed her silent temper was also one of the best in Li Qingping's impression. It was just that the resentment in her seemed a little too heavy.

Several waiters dressed like Li Qingping chose to ignore the young lady and plunged into the crowd, choosing to serve drinks to others.

They don't want to cause trouble.

But is this how you treat someone who earns 2000 yuan an hour?

"Sir, what would you like to drink?" Li Qingping walked up to the woman with a professional spirit.

Keqing was still furious. She glanced at the smiling Li Qingping in front of her and said coldly, "Warm water!"

"Please enjoy." Li Qingping put down the water cup and prepared to leave.

"Send two more plates of golden shrimp balls, made by the chef himself." Keqing said again.

Li Qingping thought that this person was also a weirdo. He came to the buffet to order food, but the big boss gave him too much, and he felt bad if he didn't do anything.

"Wait a moment." Li Qingping walked outside the banquet hall and told the waiter waiting outside that the guests wanted to eat golden shrimp balls.

The waiter contacted the kitchen and told Li Qingping that the golden shrimp balls would be ready soon.

When Li Qingping wanted to enter, he saw another familiar face.

"Xingqiu?"

"Hero Li!"

Xingqiu was wearing a white training suit, with his hair tied into a bun at the back of his head and a long white rope tied around it. The extra ends of the rope fluttered behind him.

The way he is dressed makes him look like a direct disciple of a famous family in martial arts novels.

"How about this outfit? It took me a long time to pick it out!" Xingqiu was very proud.

"Hero Xingqiu, why are you here? Is it possible?" Li Qingping asked.

Xingqiu took out a wrinkled invitation from his pocket, and Li Qingping took it and took a look.

"Young Master of Feiyun Logistics, Xingqiu." Li Qingping read the words on the invitation with a strange expression, "You are also a rich second-generation kid?"

Li Qingping and Xingqiu have been desk mates for three years, but they only found out about this today.

"Alas, my family has a small fortune." Xingqiu clasped his fists and apologized.

Li Qingping was speechless.