Chapter 49: The Unlikely Server

“What’s wrong? Why is everyone staring at me?”

‘Su Wanghai’s gaze was one thing; Mo Qiu wasn’t familiar with him and had no intention of forging a connection.’

‘But why was Bai Chen staring at me with the exact same look?’

‘Had I said something wrong?’

‘Or was my attitude not sincere enough?’

Snapping back to reality, Bai Chen patted Su Wanghai’s shoulder, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

“If you’ve got something to say, by all means, say more.”

“You damn…”

Su Wanghai sputtered incoherently, struggling to form a complete sentence for what felt like an eternity before ultimately sighing and departing.

Having seen off the unwanted third party, Bai Chen redirected his attention to Mo Qiu.

“No need, you can just sit down.”

“It seems like more customers are arriving.”

Was that so? Bai Chen glanced towards the restaurant entrance; a few more customers had indeed entered than before, but it was far from peak busy hours.

When it truly got busy, he wouldn’t have a moment to spare for idle chatter with Mo Qiu.

“It’s fine,” Bai Chen continued, “You’ve come all this way to find me, you must be exhausted. Just sit and rest. If you absolutely insist on helping, you could order something to support the business, that would be enough.”

There was no coercion; Bai Chen wouldn’t mind even if Mo Qiu simply sat there until closing time.

‘I’m the one who should be apologizing; how could I continue to burden her…’

Just as Bai Chen turned to leave, his sleeve was caught by the girl behind him.

‘Since my attitude wasn’t sincere enough, I’ll have to be more proactive.’

Mo Qiu had made up her mind.

“Mo Qiu, could you please let go of me?”

“Let me help.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“Please, let me help.”

“Go sit down.”

“Let me help, I’ll do anything.”

“Don’t say such strange things.”

An eye-catching scene unfolded within the restaurant: a cat-eared girl in a maid uniform clutched the young man’s sleeve, trailing persistently behind him, and uttered words that sparked vivid imaginations, all while maintaining a completely blank expression.

Many who witnessed this spectacle were amused by Bai Chen’s exasperated, half-laughing expression.

“What is this, an impromptu performance?”

“Shh, it might be an office romance.”

“Honestly, some people just can’t pick a time or place to flaunt their affection.”

As some of these comments reached Bai Chen’s ears, he felt his face flush once more, compelling him to stop.

He turned, meeting her deep, unblinking eyes.

“You’ve agreed?” Mo Qiu voluntarily released him, causing Bai Chen’s hand, which had been halfway raised, to fall back down.

“I…” Bai Chen was about to deliver a firm refusal when suddenly, a weight settled onto his shoulder.

“Of course he’ll agree!”

Manager Cheng Xuan, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, draped her arm over his shoulder and spoke up first.

“With such a charming girl like you joining us, we’d be overjoyed, not refusing! How could we possibly say no?”

Hearing this, Bai Chen quickly pulled his shoulder away, turning to confront her.

“Manager, she didn’t say she wanted to be a full-time employee.”

“No one said that, did they? Besides, wasn’t it her who offered to help?”

Manager Cheng Xuan covered her mouth, chuckling mischievously.

Seeing her demeanor, Bai Chen didn’t need to think twice to know exactly what she was scheming.

Free labor wasn’t the main point; her real focus was the relationship between Bai Chen and Mo Qiu.

She had been quite impressed by this girl who had visited the store last time.

‘She’s come to find you on her own initiative, shouldn’t you seize the opportunity?’ Manager Cheng Xuan winked at Bai Chen.

‘Seize your head, then.’ Bai Chen bared his teeth in a grimace.

Standing between them, Mo Qiu’s gaze shifted back and forth, her expression growing increasingly somber.

‘Who is this woman? She seems so close to Bai Chen…’

‘A manager, so it should just be a simple boss-subordinate relationship.’

After scrutinizing Manager Cheng Xuan from head to toe for a moment, Mo Qiu lowered her gaze to herself.

Aside from the disadvantage in physique due to the height difference, Mo Qiu believed her ‘big white rabbits’ (TL Note: A slang term referring to breasts) wouldn’t lose out to Bai Chen.

‘Unless Bai Chen preferred older women.’

Mo Qiu, who had never once considered this possibility, felt her heart plummet to the bottom of a lake.

“Little sister, what’s your name?” Having dealt with Bai Chen, Manager Cheng Xuan greeted Mo Qiu with a smile.

“Mo Qiu.”

“That’s a lovely name. You must be such a good girl.” Manager Cheng Xuan reached out to pat her head, but Mo Qiu sidestepped, evading her touch.

Initially, Manager Cheng Xuan felt a flicker of awkwardness, but upon noticing Mo Qiu’s movement was directed towards Bai Chen, she blossomed into a smile once more.

“Don’t worry, the work here is quite simple.”

“Hey, hey, are you seriously going to let Mo Qiu help?” Bai Chen was utterly uneasy; no matter how he looked at it, the job of a server didn’t suit Mo Qiu’s personality, did it?

“Oh, come on, are you her dad?” Manager Cheng Xuan put her hands on her hips. “How will we know if we don’t try? Perhaps it will allow her to experience a completely new sensation in life.”

Bai Chen found himself unable to refute her words, especially the latter half.

‘This might be an opportunity, a chance for Mo Qiu to proactively interact with others and open up her heart.’

After several moments of hesitation, Bai Chen finally gritted his teeth.

“Fine.”

Manager Cheng Xuan’s lips curved into a triumphant grin, and she immediately assigned Mo Qiu her first task.

Coincidentally, a table of guests was waiting to order, so she directly dispatched Mo Qiu to them.

However, her smile quickly vanished.

Mo Qiu, clutching a small notebook and a ballpoint pen, approached the table of guests, and then—nothing else happened.

Mo Qiu stared at the guests, and the guests stared back at her.

They engaged in a silent staring contest, neither moving nor speaking for a long while.

Due to her lifeless, ‘dead fish’ eyes, the guests felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles, breaking out in a cold sweat.

‘Who is this person? Why is she wearing such a cute maid outfit, yet her eyes are so terrifying?’

After another moment of mutual glaring, a guest finally offered a wry smile and spoke:

“Hello, can we help you?”

“…Order.”

“Huh?”

“What do you want to eat? Order.”

The guest gasped, their pupils dilating in shock.

‘So, after all that, you’re actually a server?!’

“Never mind, I suddenly have an urgent matter to attend to. I’ll be leaving now.”

Mo Qiu watched him depart in silence, the ballpoint pen in her hand never having inscribed a single word.

Bai Chen and Manager Cheng Xuan, who had observed the entire scene from near the counter, wore expressions that were nothing short of spectacular.

“I knew it…” Bai Chen buried his face in his hands, unable to watch any longer.

“Bai Chen, what exactly is going on with that child?”

He turned his head to find Manager Cheng Xuan’s expression shifting from bitter amusement to stern seriousness.

“You two aren’t trying to prank me, are you?”

“No, Manager, Mo Qiu is just like that,” Bai Chen explained. “She prefers to be by herself; our classmates all consider her a ‘high mountain flower’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to someone beautiful and unattainable, often aloof or solitary).”

“This goes beyond merely describing her as a ‘high mountain flower,’ doesn’t it?” Manager Cheng Xuan said, her face etched with helplessness.

“Indeed.”

Compared to most people, Mo Qiu was excessively solitary.

Yet Bai Chen believed this wasn’t her true nature; within this girl lay a soul more passionate than anyone else’s.

For some reason, however, she had locked away her soul, unable to reveal it to others.

“Do you know why?” Manager Cheng Xuan asked.

“It might have something to do with her family.”

“She’s a pitiable child.”

Bai Chen wholeheartedly agreed.

Precisely because Mo Qiu was so pitiable, her gestures of goodwill made Bai Chen feel a profound sense of guilt.

Since she had locked away her soul, Bai Chen was willing to be her guide, to lead her out of those shackles.

True to his word, Bai Chen rose and walked towards Mo Qiu.

“Keep up the good work, young man.”

Manager Cheng Xuan’s voice drifted from behind him, but Bai Chen didn’t turn back, merely waving his hand in acknowledgment.

“Mo Qiu.”

Bai Chen called out to her, leading her to a less crowded corner.

“Next, I’m going to teach you how to be a good server.”

“Okay.”

Mo Qiu’s knack for scaring off customers reminded Bai Chen of his own early days at the Midsummer Night restaurant.

As it was his first job ever, his awkwardness and inexperience had led to quite a few amusing blunders.

As time progressed, Bai Chen grew increasingly proficient, not only mastering his tasks with ease but also capable of handling all sorts of unforeseen situations.

To think he would now be imparting this experience to Mo Qiu—a sense of responsibility, the kind felt by a ‘senior’ (TL Note: Referring to an experienced elder or mentor), welled up within him.

“Listen closely, Mo Qiu. When taking orders from guests, you absolutely must speak up first.”

“Understood.”

“Listen carefully to the guests’ requests, and if you can’t remember them, write them down.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and a smile is also indispensable.”

“…”

Seeing her fall silent, Bai Chen demonstrated himself, flashing a professional, commercial smile.

This type of smile, while conveying approachability, never appeared impolite.

Yet this seemingly simple facial expression proved to be a formidable challenge for Mo Qiu.

No matter how she willed her facial muscles to move, she simply couldn’t replicate Bai Chen’s expression.

Having always been called a doll, she now truly felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she had indeed become one.

‘Smile, why won’t you just smile?’

‘Other people’s children are all so normal, why are you so strange?’

‘Doll, you’re not human at all, you’re a doll!’

Unpleasant images flashed rapidly through her mind; chaotic, terrifying faces gradually materialized, and malicious voices pierced her eardrums.

“Mo Qiu?!”

Bai Chen’s large face seemed to disperse those apparitions; he frowned slightly, a hint of panic in his eyes.

“Are you alright? Don’t push yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

Her breathing steadied, and Mo Qiu returned to normal.

“Actually, a smile isn’t strictly necessary. Just maintain your usual expression and try not to startle anyone.”

“Okay.”

“So, shall we try some practical training?”

Mo Qiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Leaving the secluded corner, Bai Chen, still uneasy about Mo Qiu, gave her another demonstration.

Mo Qiu watched intently from start to finish, realizing he was indeed quite different from her.

The moment guests stepped through the door, Bai Chen would greet them with a smile and lead them to an empty table.

He remained attentive throughout their ordering process, ultimately securing a guaranteed five-star review.

“Alright, did you get all that?” Bai Chen returned, immediately pressing the small notebook and pen into Mo Qiu’s hand.

‘Ah, what just happened?’

“Go on, Mo Qiu, you can do it.”

‘Since it’s Bai Chen’s wish, doing well will please him.’

Despite her profound reluctance, Mo Qiu had no choice but to take a step forward, heading towards another table of newly arrived guests.

“Hello, would you like to order something?”

“We’d like to look at the menu first.”

Speaking up proactively and listening attentively to their requests—Mo Qiu managed to do all of this.

Then came the last, and most crucial, element: smiling.

Even though Bai Chen had told her not to force it, Mo Qiu remained unconvinced.

‘It’s just a smile; if Bai Chen can do it, so can I.’

Mo Qiu set down the small notebook and pen she held, and under the guests’ bewildered gazes, she lifted a finger and poked her own cheek.

Forcibly manipulating her facial muscles with external pressure, a bizarre and stiff smile was thus born.

_Thud._

The customer’s phone clattered onto the table.