Chapter 107
This was the first time Jiang Liu had ever been to a so-called coffee shop. Unlike shops in the real world, this coffee shop was enormous, several times the size of the game hall. The ground floor was filled with scattered tables, and countless people were gathered in groups of twos and threes, talking about various matters. The ceaseless chatter was deafening, making the place feel more like a noisy bar.
Jiang Liu frowned at the packed crowd and leaned against the door to check her phone. The screen was still on the message page with Xu Meng. Five minutes ago, she had asked Jiang Liu to bring people over. Compared to her, Jiang He seemed much more at ease. He pointed to a row of people near the bar and whispered, “These are the ‘Freelancers’ I mentioned. You can hire them for any request, just need to spend some points. It’s a good deal.”
Chen Ping used to hire people from here all the time. It was considered a black market industry within The System, an open secret among players. But the prices were entirely based on luck, and it was hard to find reliable people. Jiang Liu followed his gaze and scanned the crowd, her eyes finally settling on the bar. A woman with the ends of her hair dyed a striking red had a beautiful but stern face. She was dressed in a clean, sharp style, looking down at a pocket watch on her wrist with a slight frown.
This was a style completely different from Yang Caisi’s, yet it still felt strangely familiar to Jiang Liu, and she couldn’t help but look a little longer. Perhaps her gaze lingered for too long, attracting the woman’s attention. She lowered her wrist and looked up, revealing her full face and a pair of indifferent eyes. The two gazes met for a fleeting moment. The woman raised her cup in a polite greeting.
Jiang Liu’s impression of her wasn’t bad, so she smiled back. She then saw the woman lean over and whisper something to a young man. The young man nodded, his gaze accurately landing on Jiang Liu, and he quickly walked over to their group.
Jiang He frowned. “Why is the waiter coming over on his own?”
The coffee shop was a complicated place, rumored to have NPC backing. No matter how big a shot you were, you were treated the same. He had never seen them take the initiative to approach someone. Jiang Liu had a lollipop in her mouth. Hearing this, she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Perhaps she has a keen eye and saw that I’m not ordinary.”
She said it like a joke, but there was no hint of playfulness in her expression. She just took a step forward, standing in front of Jiang He, just in time to meet the young man’s reception. The young man didn’t look old, with two dimples on his cheeks when he smiled, showing no threat at all. He bowed to Jiang Liu and greeted her, “Congratulations to the three of you for being our shop’s 333rd customer today. The boss has specially prepared three drinks for you. Please accept them.”
Zhao Ziming was stunned for a moment, scratching his head in confusion. “When did they start having this promotion?”
The young man blinked, lying without batting an eye. “The boss just decided on it.”
With that, he pointed upstairs and nodded at them, his tone carrying a sense of urgency. “The three of you, this way, please.”
Jiang Liu casually tossed the plastic stick of her candy into the trash can. As she walked, she didn’t forget to glance at the woman at the bar. She had wanted to ask more, but when she looked again, the red-haired woman was gone. Was that the boss he mentioned? She didn’t look like a simple character.
The environment on the second floor was much more comfortable. The fully enclosed rooms and cozy sofas created a good atmosphere. There was even a bookshelf in the corner. Jiang Liu glanced at it briefly and saw that they were all Chinese and foreign classics. Perhaps to avoid disturbing the guests inside, the young man who led the way lowered his voice and pointed to a private room at the end. “Please wait a moment, your drinks will be served shortly.”
Jiang Liu grunted in acknowledgment and walked around, observing the surroundings. Just as she reached the door of the private room, she saw a pair of slender hands push the door open from the inside. With a soft click, half of Xu Meng’s delicate face was revealed. She looked a little uneasy. When she opened the door and saw them, she was also stunned for a moment.
“You’re here?” To hide her disappointment, Xu Meng coughed lightly and forced herself to ask. She then poked her head out and looked around, as if searching for someone. Jiang Liu looked through the gap and saw that the coffee on the table was untouched. The room was empty, with no sign of Tang Ruo or her brother.
Looking at Xu Meng’s worried expression, she couldn’t help but frown. “Where are the two of them?”
Xu Meng pursed her lips. After looking around and not finding anyone, she closed the door dejectedly and stared at Jiang Liu, her eyes turning a little red. “I don’t know.” Her voice was low, and she wrung her hands tightly, her whole demeanor somewhat dazed.
The three of them exchanged a look, all realizing that something was wrong. Jiang Liu helped Xu Meng sit down on the sofa, her warm palm resting on her shoulder. The gesture was measured yet carried a silent comfort, as if she was transferring her strength to her. “Don’t panic yet. Tell me what happened.”
Under her guidance, Jiang Liu finally learned what had happened while she was asleep. It started when Lin Jiao had something to discuss with Tang Ruo and her brother. At that time, they had just finished breakfast. Considering that the siblings’ original intention for entering The System was to find Xu Meng, they were unsure if they had now completed their goal and could successfully leave The System. Moreover, Xu Meng hadn’t made a wish when she entered and had no idea how to clear the level. So, Tang Ruo decided to take her to their supervisor to ask for clarification.
Even if this damn system couldn’t give them an explanation, they should at least try to get some small favors, like ensuring Xu Meng would never be separated from them in any instance. Zhao Ziming had mentioned some of this during lunch, but not in as much detail as Xu Meng.
Jiang Liu listened quietly, then saw her change the subject, her voice tinged with anger. “I can’t believe that supervisor is someone who goes back on her word!”
Under Tang Rui’s silver tongue, Lin Jiao had agreed to bind the three of them together, which should have been a happy outcome for everyone. But before Xu Meng could even smile, she suddenly brought the three of them here, saying she had something to discuss with Tang Ruo and her brother alone and asked her to wait. “And then they just disappeared,” Xu Meng said, looking at the time, the worry in her eyes deepening.
She had waited here for a full three hours. As she watched the coffee grow cold, her heart grew cold with it. That’s when she hurriedly asked Jiang Liu for help, telling her to come quickly. Looking at her haggard face, Zhao Ziming frowned for a long time before cautiously speaking, “Could it be that they’re not done talking? Should we wait a little longer?”
His words, for some reason, triggered the young girl. Xu Meng became unusually angry, craning her neck and glaring at Zhao Ziming. “What could they possibly talk about for three hours? Besides… we’re about to enter an instance.”
What she was most worried about now was whether Tang Ruo and her brother would be punished because of her, or targeted by their supervisor. Who knew what kind of people were in this damn place. Xu Meng’s voice was a little loud, which made Zhao Ziming flinch. He lowered his head, not knowing what to say.
“Excuse me, your drinks.” Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the door again, and the young man’s clear voice rang out, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the room. Jiang Liu handed a tissue to Xu Meng to wipe her tears and gestured with her eyes for Zhao Ziming to open the door.
There was still more than half an hour until three in the afternoon. They had sent countless messages to Tang Ruo and her brother, but there was still no reply, which made Xu Meng’s face turn even paler.
While Xu Meng was looking down, Zhao Ziming fiddled with his phone and sent a message to Jiang Liu.
“Sister, could it be that Lin Jiao found out something?”
Otherwise, it didn’t make sense that right after they learned of Lin Jiao’s existence, the person was taken away and disappeared.
Jiang Liu shook her head slightly, staring at the watch on her wrist for a long time.
—It was almost time to enter the instance.
The private room had no windows, and the anxious air was mixed with a bit of stuffiness. Jiang Liu coughed lightly, feeling her throat was very hoarse. She casually picked up a cup of coffee and drank it all. As the liquid in the cup disappeared, a pattern at the bottom was gradually revealed.
It was a cartoon cat, entirely black, with its ear tips and tail dyed a brilliant red. It sat in the cup, revealing a pair of pitch-black eyes that seemed to have a soul, staring back at Jiang Liu. Her hand, which was about to raise the cup, suddenly stopped. She stared at the two red tufts of fur for a long time, then suddenly turned her head to look at Xu Meng, asking a question completely unrelated to the matter at hand.
“Tang Ruo’s supervisor—is she a woman with red-dyed hair tips?”
Xu Meng’s eyes shot up, her small face filled with disbelief. “How did you know?” she blurted out.
Jiang Liu hooked the handle of the cup on her finger and spun it around in her hand, allowing everyone to see the pattern clearly. She tilted her head, her tone intriguing. “She invited us here.”
Sending Tang Ruo and her brother away, bringing herself and Xu Meng together… what exactly did this supervisor, whom she might have met before, want? Jiang Liu propped up her chin thoughtfully, feeling that things were a bit too coincidental. She hadn’t even gone to look for Lin Jiao, and this person was already eager to find her?
In other words, wasn’t this like someone handing you a pillow just as you were getting sleepy? In that case, she had no choice but to go and investigate.
***
When she opened her eyes again, Jiang Liu found herself sitting on a sofa, in front of a third-grade language test paper. A score was marked on it in bright red ink—17 points. She was in a mountain villa. The living room was decorated in an interesting way, with children’s toys scattered all over the floor in a messy pile. There were also two pieces of clothing thrown on the sofa, which, judging by their size, belonged to a seven or eight-year-old boy. They were stained with ink and crumpled up here.
There was no one around.
Jiang Liu stood up and looked around, finding that the house was very large. The kitchen was clean and tidy, and there was a guest room on the first floor, which seemed to be unoccupied, with dust on the doorknob. As she was exploring, the sharp, shrill ring of an old-fashioned telephone suddenly rang nearby. Modern people rarely saw this type of phone, so Jiang Liu even felt a little nostalgic looking at it.
She picked it up and put it to her ear, and soon a woman’s voice came through.
“Hello, is this Teacher Jiang?”
Jiang Liu didn’t rush to speak and soon heard the person on the other end continue, “Has Xiao Liang been obedient today? His father and I are doing well. If it weren’t for this illness, we wouldn’t have had to trouble you to come and stay with him.”
It sounded like the boy’s mother. Her tone was very gentle, and she earnestly urged, “Don’t worry, we’ll pay you as soon as we get back. We’ll have to trouble you to educate this child well.”