“Xiao Xie, it is 6 o’clock. Let’s have dinner first.” Brother Chen walked over and patted Xie Mingzhe on the shoulder. Upon hearing this, Xie Mingzhe decisively took off his helmet and logged off. He followed Brother Chen into the living room. The other members of the leveling studio had also taken off their helmets. It was Xie Mingzhe’s first time seeing their true faces.
Chi Qing was very pretty. She was tall and thin, and her height was estimated to be over 1.75 meters. She had neat, short hair that reached her ears and her fair face showed little expression. She gave off a somewhat aloof impression like she was difficult to get along with.
Pang Yu was a cute, chubby boy around the same height as Chi Qing. Chi Qing was tall and thin while Pang Yu was round and chubby. It made the contrast between the two of them very striking.
Jin Yue’s appearance and figure were ordinary. He was an ordinary passerby who would be hard to spot in the crowd. He had a rather refined air and wore silver-rimmed glasses.
Xie Mingzhe walked over and greeted them. “Hello, everyone.”
Pang Yu stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the handsome young man in front of him. “You’re… Chubby Uncle from the game?”
Xie Mingzhe nodded. “Yes, I just picked a random name in the game.”
Pang Yu looked like he was about to collapse. “Ahhh, I’m the real Chubby Uncle! You are so tall and thin, yet you named yourself Chubby Uncle? Isn’t this just teasing me?”
“Calm down, Xiao Pang.” Jin Yue pushed up his glasses.”In the game, it is common to change your gender, let alone change your body shape.”
“……” Pang Yu couldn’t refute it.
Chi Qing’s expression was calm. She didn’t talk much and only nodded to Xie Mingzhe as a greeting.
Brother Chen laughed. “Let’s go! We have a newcomer at the studio today. I will treat everyone to a big meal!”
It was rare for someone to treat him and Xie Mingzhe really wanted to go. However, the doctor had warned him that his digestive system hadn’t fully recovered and he couldn’t be careless. He really wanted to eat chicken legs, roast duck, ribs, beef, etc. Unfortunately, his body could only allow him to eat porridge.
Xie Mingzhe swallowed nervously and said, “Brother Chen, there is no need to spend money. Just treat me to two bowls of porridge.”
Everyone, “???”
Who offered porridge when treating someone to a meal?
Xie Mingzhe saw the strange looks from the group and quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I was recently discharged from the hospital and my stomach isn’t feeling well. The doctor said I can only eat liquid food for three days. I can’t digest anything else.”
Brother Chen looked at him suspiciously. “Were you hospitalized before?”
“Yes, I was just discharged today.”
“You came to work right after being discharged? Shouldn’t you rest at home for a few days? Doesn’t your family care about you?”
“I’m already an adult and my family doesn’t really care about me.” Xie Mingzhe didn’t want people to know he was an orphan. He didn’t want to see everyone’s pitying looks.
Chi Qing and the other two exchanged looks and stared at each other blankly.
Coming to work right after being discharged was really hardworking. This young man’s family must be poor.
“Sigh, it isn’t easy for you either.” Brother Chen sighed, showing concern. “You are working right after being discharged from the hospital. Are you sure you can handle it?”
“It’s okay, I’ve recovered. Besides, playing games doesn’t require much physical exertion.” Xie Mingzhe smiled and changed the subject. “By the way, Brother Chen, I’m level 15 in the game. I will grind to level 35 tonight and join you in gathering materials.”
“Okay.” Brother Chen turned to Chi Qing. “Since Xiao Xie can’t have a big meal, we’ll just have something simple. Ah Qing, could you please cook a pot of porridge? Once Xiao Xie recovers in a few days, I will treat everyone to a meal.”
“Yes.” Chi Qing turned and went into the kitchen to cook porridge.
“Xiao Xie, come here. Let me help you settle your luggage.” Brother Chen led Xie Mingzhe upstairs.
Xie Mingzhe took the opportunity to observe the environment of the studio.
This apartment was a two-story duplex on the top floor of a residential building. The first floor had a living room and a side room furnished with helmets and swivel chairs, as well as a kitchen, dining room and bathroom. The second floor was the living area with four rooms. The master bedroom had one double bed while the other three rooms each had two single beds.
“Originally, our studio had a girl living with Chi Qing but she went to get married recently and took a month’s leave. This is why I had to hire someone to fill in. Many dungeons in the game require five people to enter,” Brother Chen said while lighting a cigarette. “Currently, Chi Qing lives alone and I live with Jin Yue. From now on, you will share a room with Xiao Pang. Is that okay?”
“No problem!” Xie Mingzhe followed Brother Chen to the bedroom with his luggage.
He had imagined that a game boosting studio would be a dark, small workshop but the environment here was much better than he had expected. The living room on the first floor was spacious and bright, and the living quarters on the second floor were also very clean. He could see the lush garden below through the French windows of the balcony.
Xie Mingzhe pushed open the French windows and stepped onto the balcony. He found it quite spacious with a comfortable recliner at the far end, covered by a fluffy white rug. Next to the rug was a plant stand filled with succulents, all around the size of a child’s fist. Their various colors made them look adorable. In front of the plant stand was a wooden tea table with a tea set. The four small, white cups were exquisitely crafted.
Xie Mingzhe saw this scene and could almost picture someone lounging in this comfortable recliner on a summer afternoon. They would sip tea from one of the delicate cups and occasionally water the succulents. It was a leisurely and carefree life.
The balcony’s decor seemed completely out of place for a game boosting business. Looking closer, the paintings on the walls, the white curtains and the warm-toned wall all didn’t seem to be the style of a game boosting studio.
Xie Mingzhe couldn’t help asking, “Brother Chen, did you rent this place?” He thought to himself that this must’ve been arranged by the original landlord. How could a game booster have the leisure to sit on the balcony, tending to flowers and drinking tea?
Upon hearing this, Brother Chen suddenly fell silent. A trace of pain flashed in his eyes.
The man happened to be smoking and the smoke obscured his face. This meant Xie Mingzhe couldn’t see his expression. However, the man’s obvious silence made Xie Mingzhe realize that he might’ve asked an inappropriate question. He quickly changed his words. “I was just asking casually. It is okay if it is inconvenient to say.”
Brother Chen slowly finished exhaling a smoke ring. Just as Xie Mingzhe thought he wouldn’t answer, a deep voice sounded in his ear. “This is my older brother’s house.”
Xie Mingzhe was startled. He turned around to see the man walk to the window. He squinted at the distant garden and said softly, “People who come to the studio for the first time often wonder why a game boosting studio is decorated like this. Actually, this house used to be my brother’s residence. After he left, I converted the first floor into a game hall and the second floor into a dormitory. I just never changed the balcony’s layout. It is exactly the same as what it was.”
Brother Chen picked up the exquisite jade cup from the table and toyed with it in his hand.
The heavy gaze left Xie Mingzhe momentarily speechless.
Xie Mingzhe’s impression of Brother Chen was that he was a rather listless young man who liked to smoke. His hair was a complete mess and his wrinkled shirt looked like he had randomly picked up some tattered cloth from a pile of trash. He had stubble on his chin and it was hard to tell when he had last shaved. He was a typical Internet-addicted young man.
However, the sadness on his face when he talked about his brother touched Xie Mingzhe deeply.
This seemingly listless man, who spent all day playing games, actually had secrets hidden deep inside him.
Could it be that his older brother had passed away?
Xie Mingzhe didn’t dare ask, so he changed the subject. “Um, what time do you guys usually go to sleep?”
“The holographic game controls the online time of players, so our schedule is very regular. We go to bed at midnight and start work at eight in the morning.” Brother Chen put down his cup, seemingly freeing himself from his memories. He snubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and turned to Xie Mingzhe. “If I’m not mistaken, you are probably a college student, right? Are you working during summer vacation to earn some living expenses?”
“Yes,” Xie Mingzhe said frankly. “I’m a freshman at the Imperial Capital College across the street. Classes start on September 1st.”
“That’s a good school. Study hard and you will definitely find a good job after graduation.” Brother Chen patted Xie Mingzhe’s shoulder in an encouraging manner. “After school starts, you can come over if you have time. I will pay you by the hour.” It wasn’t easy for a young man to work alone, so he wanted to take care of Xie Mingzhe.
“Really?” Xie Mingzhe rubbed his hands together excitedly.
“Yes.” Brother Chen met his bright eyes and couldn’t help laughing. “I think you are quite clever. Hurry up and reach level 35 to help me.”
“Understood!” If Xie Mingzhe could really work part-time at the studio during school, he wouldn’t have to worry about his living expenses for the next few years at college.
“In order to put your mind at ease and for my own peace of mind, let’s sign a labor contract.” Brother Chen led Xie Mingzhe to the side and took out a contract template. “A contract is a guarantee for both of us. You don’t have to worry about me withholding your wages and I will clearly know your background. I don’t hire people of unknown origin here.”
Brother Chen’s use of the contract clearly indicated that he intended to formally hire Xie Mingzhe. Xie Mingzhe immediately took out his ID card, scanned it into the smart computer and signed his name on the screen. He noticed that the salary section was listed as 3,000 and asked, “I’m an intern for the first month, so isn’t it half the salary?”
“I will give you the full salary.” Brother Chen signed his name and said cheerfully. “With your aptitude, you can learn the game in two days so you will get full employee benefits. The base salary is 3,000 and there is also a 10% commission on orders you take. If business is good, there will be a bonus at the end of the month.”
“Thank you, Brother Chen!” Xie Mingzhe felt like he had won the lottery.
“You’re welcome.” The man’s handwriting was very elegant. His name on the contract was Chen Xiao.
It turned out his full name was Chen Xiao.
Xie Mingzhe silently memorized the name of the boss who had helped him.
After settling his luggage, Xie Mingzhe followed Chen Xiao downstairs. Chi Qing had already cooked the porridge. The vegetable and lean pork porridge looked delicious. Besides the porridge, she had also prepared two other vegetarian dishes, all easy to digest. This clearly showed her consideration for Xie Mingzhe’s upset stomach after being discharged from the hospital.
Xie Mingzhe and everyone else sat in the living room for a simple dinner.
Pang Yu wailed, “There are only vegetables and rice porridge! I’m not full at all! You know, a fat person’s stomach is bigger than yours!” He looked pleadingly at Chen Xiao. “Boss, can I ask for an hour off to go out and eat more beef?”
Chen Xiao playfully punched his belly, laughing while scolding him. “What beef? You should lose some weight. Look at Xiao Xie. He weighs less than half of you.”
Pang Yu was speechless and simply gave up. “I was born with such genes. Losing weight won’t help.”
Jin Yue adjusted his glasses and turned back to mock the other person. “I think you are just lazy.”
Pang Yu shamelessly grabbed Xie Mingzhe’s arm. “Xiao Xie, you’re so thin. Let me share some meat with you.”
Xie Mingzhe was both amused and exasperated.
He hadn’t expected the people in the studio to get along so well. They didn’t reject him at all and were instead taking good care of him. He had been an orphan in both his lives, and didn’t have many friends. A slight warmth rose in his heart as he watched the group teasing each other and being so close.
Finding such a job after being reborn was probably a stroke of luck.
He had to thank his tolerant boss, Chen Xiao.
However, what exactly happened to Chen Xiao’s brother?
Xie Mingzhe was very puzzled. Judging from Chen Xiao’s attitude, something serious might’ve happened to his older brother. Perhaps he had passed away or left this place for some other reason. Chen Xiao lived in his brother’s house, keeping the balcony that his brother had decorated on the second floor. This act of remembering someone made Xie Mingzhe’s heart ache.
He hoped it wasn’t an irreversible outcome like ‘death.’
Xie Mingzhe pulled himself together. His most important task now was to reach level 35, join the team and help them farm materials.
After all, he was a formal power leveler from the moment he signed the contract.
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