Uneasy daily life

Angelina, belatedly realizing what was happening, lowered her eyes as if she saw sunlight.

Her heart skipped a beat.

—So it turns out I was the one being followed?!

Chapter Thirty Angelina's Adventure

The rain, like a showerhead at its maximum power, or the setting for cold water, pours down with all its might, trying to cleanse the world of all its filth.

In the warm room, Anxinyuan Angelina propped her chin on her hand, turned her head and looked through the French windows where rainwater snaked down, gazing at the leaden gray world in the downpour. Clumps of rainwater carried dust off the buildings and crashed onto the streets. Even with vehicles driving by, the roar of their engines could not drown out the sound of the world being washed clean.

People only realize how empty the streets are when they disappear from the world.

The leaden city is solemn and quiet, like a tranquil and eternal painting. Every line reveals the indifference of prioritizing efficiency, and every corner is filled with instructions on how to use it.

Despite the intense wind and rain, a strange silence and peace prevailed.

I guess I'm starting to like rainy days again.

Anxinyuan Angelina couldn't help but think this.

If you could walk through the streets in a summer downpour without getting wet or needing an umbrella, without any destination or rushing to put your time into a plan, just strolling step by step through the rain-soaked city, you would definitely have a unique feeling. You would feel like you are wandering outside the world, clearly seeing the rain washing away the surface dust, revealing everything in its original state...

"Want something to eat?"

The boy opposite asked kindly.

The girl snapped out of her reverie. Her face still had a touch of baby fat, and her brown hair tied into pigtails made her look even younger. Her round eyes, which had a hint of orange-red like dusk, unconsciously became serious and solemn. She subtly observed the environment inside the store and greeted them politely, "Does Bai work here?"

It was a strange shop. Some people were eating ramen, some were cutting steak, and some were chatting about fashion with their companions. Young boys and girls looked at the heavy rain outside with slight distress. Without umbrellas, they were like Robinson Crusoe stranded on a deserted island. Their planned shopping trips and other activities had been disrupted by the uncooperative weather. However, the older ladies and gentlemen were not in a hurry. They even enjoyed watching the rain and continued to eat, savoring the momentary peace brought by the good weather.

Another waiter brought freshly cooked dishes to the customers. The owner, dressed in a suit, glasses, and an apron, peeked out from the kitchen and said that there were umbrellas in the store that could be borrowed if there was an emergency.

This seemingly ordinary situation may be an illusion.

The girl was very wary. This was Bai Ying's life outside of school, and there must be a truth hidden beneath the facade, in other words, a supernatural phenomenon!

Those seemingly distressed teenagers on a rainy day might actually be novice-level superpowered individuals, worried about man-eating monsters that might appear during a downpour! Those older men and women might be seasoned, experienced, and highly skilled superpowered individuals, hence their effortless demeanor! The other waiter carrying the dishes appears to be a student working part-time, but his completely expressionless face, devoid of any professional smile, might actually be an emotionless, cyborg who could burst into the sky with a burst of energy from his feet! And the obviously strange boss needs no introduction; take off his glasses and he might reveal Sharingan eyes, take off his suit and he might be wearing a black and red uniform, uttering the words, "My foolish younger brother!"

He was just wandering aimlessly, happened to be circling this street, happened to be raining, happened to be in front of this shop, and happened to be noticed by the white-clad figure, who invited him to sit down inside...

hiss--!

Was I hypnotized? Or was it some kind of prophetic superpower, like something out of a Greek myth? Fatalism?!

The girl gasped, filled with suspicion.

"I do work here. This restaurant has a unique business philosophy, offers a wide variety of specialty dishes, and handles all work-related matters well. The employee meals are different every day, and I am always amazed by how generous the boss is when I settle my wages at the end of the day."

Bai Ying reiterated the question: "What would you like to eat, student with such a long name? Here is the menu."

"Anshinin Angelina." The girl emphasized her name, glanced at the menu a few times, and then took it with some caution, as if it weren't just plastic wrapping paper, but a contract with mysterious power. "...How come they have everything?"

Japanese cuisine, Western cuisine, Chinese cuisine.

Curry, ramen, steak, fried chicken with cola, home-style stir-fries, and hearty dishes with fish and meat.

Having choices is a happy kind of trouble; having no choices is just trouble.

Bai Ying shook her head and said, "Your name is very long, classmate. Making a choice is a happy thing, so what would you like to eat?"

"Bai, my name is Anxinyuan Angelina!"

Anxinyuan Angelina was a little annoyed and forgot to be careful. However, before she could vent her resentment, she deflated like a pufferfish. Her name had been the subject of ridicule for a long time. She propped her face up and muttered, "Just call me Anxinyuan..."

"Okay, Anxinyuan, what would you like to eat?"

Bai Ying readily agreed and explained, "Japanese food is quite common, mostly home-style dishes. Ramen portions are large and filling, the food is served quickly, and it's cheap and hassle-free. Chinese food might be an unknown territory for you; it could be like a gentle spring breeze, or it could be like a raging fire with bubbling oil and blowing wind..."

Anxinyuan Angelina asked curiously, "Why do you keep introducing me to food? Are you trying to sell me something?"

"Hahahaha—just kidding, why would I, a wage earner, care about the boss making a few extra cents?" Bai Ying pretended to be cheerful and laughed heartily. "I just saw you walking around outside for a while, you must be getting a lot of exercise, so I might be recommending you internally."

Wandering around outside...

Anxinyuan Angelina paused for a moment, then quickly asked, "What good food does this restaurant have?"

"Whether it's delicious or not depends on personal taste," Bai Ying asked. "What kind of food does Anxinyuan like?"

Angelina Anxin frowned and said, "I can't really say what kind of taste I like right now, and I haven't thought about this kind of thing much before."

"At times like these, we need to look to the past."

Bai Ying turned serious, crossed his hands and rested them on his chin, his expression solemn and thoughtful like that of a thinker, and asked, "Your surname and given name structure are Japanese, but your given name 'Angelina' is Western. So who exactly are you?"

"—!"

Had they been discovered?! It was like sitting in a cramped, brightly lit interrogation room, the police officer opposite me expressionless, the interplay of light and shadow outlining a serious and heavy expression. A bowl of salted vegetable and pork chop rice was pushed over, accompanied by the words, "Just confess already, your elderly mother is crying in the countryside," which shattered my defenses.

Calm down, Angelina. Your name is indeed strange to Japanese people, so it's normal for them to ask this question.

Anxinyuan Angelina unconsciously sat up straight, placed her hands on her lap and clasped them together, trying to sound casual as she said, "My mother is Japanese and my father is Italian. Although we used to live in Italy, my mother often cooked Japanese food for me and taught me Japanese."

It shouldn't feel too abrupt to steer the conversation back to 'what to eat,' right? Hopefully, the Dark Side hasn't discovered us yet.

The girl was filled with anxiety, fearing that the security door might suddenly drop and conceal the shop, revealing that the people inside had shed their usual pretenses, some with cold smiles, some with indifference, and some with interest as they looked at her.

"Can you handle both light and savory flavors? I remember Italian cuisine is quite diverse, with its distinctive sausages." Bai Ying thought for a moment, "Boss, you recently got a batch of Sichuan sausages. Would you be interested in trying something new?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Okay, I'll go prepare it."

The white figure left the table and went into the kitchen. Anxinyuan Angelina breathed a sigh of relief; she probably hadn't been discovered...

Cyborgs have appeared!

The other person asked coldly, "What would you like to eat?"

"...What have I already ordered, Sichuan sausage?"

"Oh, then it must have been a gift from Bai as a token of his friendship," Sakuta Azusagawa said casually. "He often asks the boss to stock up on goods from his hometown, and the boss uses his opinions and suggestions as a standard for purchasing to avoid being ripped off by unscrupulous merchants. Since it's a gift from Bai, it definitely doesn't count as a dish..."

The girl suddenly became a little uneasy. Her skin couldn't bear the weight of eating and drinking for free, not to mention that the indifferent cyborg seemed a little angry—maybe he would stretch out his right hand and turn it into a cannon, pointing it at her forehead and asking, "What do you want to eat?"

"Then, how about a seafood risotto?"

"Okay, seafood risotto—would you like something to drink?"

"Cola?"

"Okay, a Coke, any ideas for dessert?"

"Ice cream."

"No problem, just wait a moment."

After a while, the cold and ruthless cyborg, whose entire body could conjure knives, served the meal.

On top of the fluffy risotto, where the broth and rice are mixed, are bright red shrimp, thin slices of fish, and seven or eight bright red slices of white fat and red meat around the edge of the plate, with the occasional small peppercorn embedded in the sausage.

The girl poked the sausage she had never seen before with a spoon, a little puzzled.

Huh? Did I come in to eat?

"I always felt that in her eyes I wasn't myself, but some kind of indescribable creature."

Wolf, who had executed the plan flawlessly, sensed something was amiss.

He doesn't seem like a timid, desperately trying-to-sell-products office worker, but rather an Italian mafia member with a gun in his hand, demanding you buy from seven steps away.

"An indescribable creature?"

Bai Ying leaned against the wall, struck a pose, and pondered for a moment after hearing this. Then she exclaimed, "What you're talking about, could it be the editor who urges for updates, the senior at the drinking party, the client who provides feedback, the boss who gives motivational speeches, or the teacher you bump into off-campus? They all possess unique skills that are indescribable."

"They all sound like Dragon-level monsters."

Sakuta Azusagawa shook his head and said, "It's not that level yet. It's just that I occasionally feel like the other person might suddenly explode at any moment and give me a set of personality-correcting punches."

Bai Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that she has already seen through our plan and is going along with it, feigning ignorance, while we dance our own dance, appearing like clowns in her eyes?! What a terrifying cunning!"

Sakuta Azusagawa said nonchalantly, "It's fine. Anyway, I'm only in charge of sales. The clown is just you."

A short while later, the girl finished her risotto, scooped out her ice cream, and drank her cola before going to the counter to pay.

"Thank you for your patronage. How was your experience?"

Bai Ying greeted customers with a warm and welcoming smile.

"Ah."

Anxinyuan Angelina pursed her lips, displaying a cold and perfunctory attitude that suggested she didn't want to talk to them but was forced to reply due to etiquette.

It seems my service skills are ultimately just a misunderstanding. Perhaps it's fate, that I'll eventually return to the time when I was whipped by the deadline.

"see you next time."

With a sigh in her heart, Bai Ying saw off the guest who was running away.

What a coincidence... The downpour stopped right after we finished eating? Although summer rains come and go quickly, it's too coincidental that it happened so suddenly. It's hard not to suspect that someone tampered with it.

The girl walked around the puddles on the road, looking suspiciously at the road that was gradually being occupied by pedestrians.

These are secondary for now. Taking advantage of the fact that there aren't many people around, I carefully observe my surroundings to make sure no one is paying attention to me...

The girl felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and immediately put her hand in her mouth, picking at her teeth with a conflicted expression.

These exotic sausages, with their unique smoked flavor and salty, savory taste from marinating, are elevated to another level with their rich, flavorful recipe. They combine saltiness, aroma, numbing spiciness, and spiciness, making them an excellent accompaniment to rice. However, their overly chewy texture, the non-minced meat filling, and the Sichuan peppercorns mixed in can occasionally cause some minor embarrassment.

Especially when a half-peppercorn gets stuck between your teeth, no matter how nimble your tongue is, you can't push it out. Even a toothpick is powerless to do anything about it.

Chapter Thirty-One: The Art of Mutual Inspiration

As night deepened, while bars, nightclubs, night vendors, and street shops were bustling with activity, Sunshine House had already hung up its "Closed" sign and closed early. The owner cooked a few steaks, served himself some red wine, Bai Ying prepared some stir-fries, and Azusagawa Sakuta poured two glasses of juice.

The simple and unpretentious staff meal is ready.

"Business is pretty good today. You two should graduate soon and come work for me every day. It's only a matter of time before Sunshine House becomes a big and successful business."

The boss swirled his wine glass, casually revealing his expensive mechanical watch. His gold-rimmed glasses reflected the figures of his two trusted lieutenants, and his smile was full of anticipation.

“Although I don’t have a strong desire to go to university right now, I have a younger sister to take care of, so I can’t spare that much time.” Sakuta Azusagawa was used to the other’s unreliability and said, “If a small shop like this is to grow and become bigger, it either has to go for a high-end, classy, ​​and high-consumption route, or it has to build a brand or have a unique recipe to open branches. There’s no other good way. And that’s not something that two waiters can influence.”

Bai Ying tried spreading Lao Gan Ma chili sauce on the steak, attempting to innovate the dish. Upon hearing this, she nodded and said, "I think so too."

"You're joking. With the cooperation of the two of you, plus my hard-earned culinary skills, I have the ambition to conquer the world with just this restaurant."

The boss took a sip of red wine and laughed heartily, as if he could already see a successful future.

The white figure said rather jarringly, "Boss, settle today's wages first."

The boss choked: "Is this how you treat your boss? At least treat your boss like a customer!"

"That's not right! The guests are your providers, and you are mine—how can you be so disrespectful as to equate yourself with my parents?!"

"?" The boss snorted coldly. "Is this how you talk to your father?"

Bai Ying waved her hand, saying, "There's no way around it, I'm going through my rebellious phase right now, so hurry up."

The boss stared speechlessly at the white figure reaching out. He took out two meticulously prepared paychecks, each carefully sealed in an envelope, from his pocket. He pushed one to Azusagawa Sakuta and placed the other in the white figure's hand, saying earnestly, "I've never delayed your wages. I pay you on time, in full, and daily. Your working hours are regular and well-regulated. You're truly a conscientious boss. You're indeed very capable young people, able to bring the dead back to life and easily handle troublesome customers. But ask yourself honestly, haven't you lacked some respect for me? If you say the boss is the bread and butter of the employees, then what have I done wrong? You're not even willing to call me 'Dad'."

Bai Ying said, "Because I'm resigning and running away, Godfather."

"..."

The boss reached out and pushed up his glasses.

Dilulu——

In that moment, all that could be heard was the sound of Sakuta Azusagawa pouring his drink.

A hand shot out like lightning, but brushed against the envelope being taken away by the slightest distance.

Tsk!

The boss, seething with resentment, glared angrily and said, "You've been plotting this all along, harboring rebellious intentions?!"

"A true man is born between heaven and earth, how can he live a life of melancholy and subservience to others?!" Bai Ying weighed the envelope in his hand and laughed arrogantly. "Former boss, this is a farewell dinner. Let's all leave each other some space to save face."

The boss was heartbroken and said, "Ask yourself honestly, have you ever had such a good boss as me?"

"My former boss was indeed very conscientious. He led by example in adhering to the established work system and strictly followed humanitarian principles. I also felt very happy working here, and it gave me a sense of fulfilling my life's ambitions." Bai Ying praised his former godfather and couldn't wait to show off his halberd. "But I need money."