Chapter 38: The Unexpected Uniform and a Budding Friendship

Bai YuYang was quite busy at first, so he let Su Xiaomeng stand by and watch him work, not paying her much mind.

It wasn’t until the rush subsided that Bai YuYang finally caught his breath and turned around.

He happened to see Su Xiaomeng intently focused on the monitor, her gaze unwavering. Her brow was slightly furrowed, indicating she was diligently studying Bai YuYang’s workflow.

While diligent learning was commendable, Bai YuYang’s slight astonishment now stemmed from an entirely different reason.

Although he had noticed the girl’s beauty earlier, he hadn’t anticipated how striking the young woman would look once she donned the work uniform.

The light, flowy pink pleated skirt suited her perfectly. Paired with her lively twin pigtails and twinkling reddish-brown eyes, her aura effortlessly blended cuteness with stunning beauty.

Hmm… if this outfit were a size smaller, it would probably suit Lin QingYu just as well.

After all, Bai YuYang was constantly surrounded by beauties of Tang Qihuang’s caliber, so for him to find someone beautiful was already quite rare.

“Not bad at all. This uniform actually suits you quite well.”

Su Xiaomeng’s expression gradually relaxed, clearly pleased by the praise.

“Really?! That’s wonderful! I’ve hardly ever worn anything other than my school uniform… I was worried it might look… strange…”

It seemed she realized she had said too much, as her words abruptly trailed off.

“Hmm? You’ve hardly ever worn anything other than your school uniform, you say…?”

“Ah, no, no! A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue! Senior Bai! I meant that I usually prefer wearing my school uniform, nothing else!”

“Is that so?”

Bai YuYang remained puzzled. Don’t girls her age usually enjoy dressing up? Even if they didn’t have a wardrobe full of clothes, they’d at least have a few favorite outfits on standby.

Just like his adorable Xiao Xi! Even with limited funds, Bai YuYang always tried his best to dress her like a little princess. Even if she, being sensible, didn’t want to waste money, he never hesitated to buy her beautiful clothes.

He would even buy her clothes secretly!

No matter what, he couldn’t let Xiao Xi feel slighted!

*Ahem*, he was getting sidetracked…

Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiaomeng finally voiced what she had wanted to say but hadn’t dared to.

“Speaking of which, Senior, you’re the one. I’ve truly never seen anyone as handsome as you. I bet you’re incredibly popular at school!”

Her words held no flattery; they were purely innocent and sincere, spoken exactly as she thought them.

“Ah, haha… it’s alright, just average, nothing special.”

Indeed, he was quite popular. Su Xiaomeng had just started school today, so she probably didn’t know yet. In a couple of days, she would likely discover who the school’s heartthrob was, and she’d probably be surprised then.

After this round of “mutual compliments,” a lull in customer checkouts conveniently arrived.

Suddenly, things became quiet.

Bai YuYang took this chance to explain the machine’s operation to Su Xiaomeng.

“Watch closely. When a new customer arrives, this light will come on. After they scan their code and order, you send the order to the kitchen computer. Click this… and then…”

Bai YuYang explained meticulously. This was Aunt Liu’s assigned task for him, so he felt it was his duty to make sure Su Xiaomeng understood clearly.

After demonstrating the checkout process, Bai YuYang released the mouse and looked at her, asking, “That’s basically it. Did you understand? If not, I can explain it again.”

“Ah, no need to trouble yourself, Senior! I think I’ve understood!”

“Oh?”

So quickly? Bai YuYang wasn’t sure if she truly understood or was just pretending.

Just then, a customer approached to check out, so Bai YuYang turned to her and said, “Then you can try this checkout. Just follow the method I just taught you.”

“O-Okay! I’ll give it a try…”

Hmph, she was quite sharp, he had to admit.

During the relatively simple checkout process, she was a bit slow clicking on the computer, seemingly unaccustomed to operating it. Yet, she managed to complete it smoothly and flawlessly.

She even smiled and said, “Please come again,” as the customer left after the transaction.

She must have quietly picked that up by observing Bai YuYang during the busiest period when he hadn’t had time to teach her.

Having completed the task for the first time, Su Xiaomeng seemed quite excited. She couldn’t help but smile and glance at Bai YuYang.

Bai YuYang paused, then quickly nodded, acknowledging her effort.

He didn’t dislike hardworking children, as long as there weren’t too many complications.

“You did very well. By the way, have you done a similar part-time job before?”

Su Xiaomeng shook her head. “No, I wanted to work before… but I was too young, and couldn’t even pass the written tests…”

“…”

That went without saying. Now that she was in high school, it was more acceptable, but back in junior high, that would have been child labor—who would dare?

Precisely because of this, Bai YuYang nodded. “Hmm, to complete your first job so cleanly and efficiently, that’s excellent. Aunt Liu didn’t misjudge you. Keep up the good work.”

“Mm! Thank you, Senior… Hey, speaking of which, calling you ‘Senior’ feels a bit off. Senior Bai is my senior at school, but calling you ‘Senior’ here at the restaurant, isn’t that a bit strange?”

“Does it matter? Though it is a bit strange, I suppose… since this isn’t school.”

“Predecessor… Oh, that’s right! Senior, you’re also my predecessor at work, and you can be my senior at school too, so can I call you ‘Predecessor’?”

*Whoa*, the moment Su Xiaomeng had a bright idea, her eyes sparkled like little stars, making it impossible for Bai YuYang to look away.

Bai YuYang said indifferently, “Whatever you want. The form of address doesn’t really matter anyway; it’s not like it changes anything.”

“Mm-hmm! Thank you, Predecessor!”

By then, the busiest period had passed. There were only occasional mouse clicks needed, and having taught her everything necessary, Bai YuYang, with nothing else to do, asked a question.

“By the way, Su Xiaomeng, you’re only in your first year of high school and you’re already working part-time. Are you trying to adapt to society early? Won’t it interfere with your studies?”

Hmm… Bai YuYang’s question might have been a bit nosy.

But he had suddenly thought of Xiao Xi, who was also in her first year of high school.

In Bai YuYang’s mind, a girl the same age as Xiao Xi should be carefree and happy.

Hearing the question, Su Xiaomeng looked a bit troubled.

“This… I…”

Bai YuYang made a quick decision, without any delay. “If you don’t want to talk about it, don’t force yourself. Just pretend I didn’t ask.”

“Mm… Thank you for understanding, Predecessor.”

Bai YuYang wasn’t foolish. Her hesitation likely stemmed from her family circumstances.

Combined with her earlier slip about usually only being able to wear her school uniform, it was probably due to insufficient living expenses. This was a fundamental issue, and working part-time was her only option.

Wasn’t Bai YuYang in the same boat? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be working part-time in his second year of high school.

Everyone had their pride. Since she didn’t want to speak, Bai YuYang changed the subject.

“Oh, right. You said you had an urgent matter at school earlier. Was that urgent matter referring to coming here for the interview?”

“Yes, it was! I passed the written test for Lingxing Restaurant and still needed an interview. If I hadn’t rushed then, I might have missed the interview… Ah, Predecessor! Of course, I promise I’ll never run in school again!”

“That’s not the point… I was trying to say, if you knew you were going to be late, why didn’t you leave a bit earlier? I remember when we bumped into each other, almost everyone else had already left school.”

“Ah, that’s right!” At this, Su Xiaomeng became animated. “Predecessor, listen to me! The situation back then, I was just so unlucky!”

She even stomped her foot in exasperation, causing her twin pigtails to bounce up and down.

Her vibrant energy significantly lightened Bai YuYang’s mood, which had been irritated by work.

“Haha… Don’t rush, tell me about it.”