She skipped the question about her previous job and instead asked with concern, "It's so late—where are you heading for the interview? Is it safe?"
Zhou Zhuofei's words warmed Cen Huan's heart. She explained, "It's fine. A friend referred me—she used to work there and heard they’re short-staffed, so she recommended me."
"Oh, an internal referral? Then it should be fine. Is it another hotel?"
"Well..." Cen Huan hesitated, unsure how to respond. She had been debating whether to even go for the interview until her friend persuaded her, emphasizing the high pay and the option to switch jobs later. Reluctantly, she agreed.
Right now, money was her biggest concern. As for everything else... she simply couldn’t afford to be picky.
Running into Zhou Zhuofei gave her an idea—why not ask for advice? After all, Zhou Zhuofei worked at a major company and might offer a fresh perspective.
With sincerity, Cen Huan pleaded, "Could you help me decide? I really don’t know what to do."
"Of course. Tell me about the job, and I’ll give you my thoughts."
Zhou Zhuofei figured this was a good chance to catch up on the plot. But the moment Cen Huan mentioned the name of the establishment, she was stunned.
Was the world really this small?
Then again, she reconsidered—if it weren’t for this place, she probably wouldn’t have run into Ling Yu elsewhere.
"From what you’ve said, the pay sounds great, but working at a bar can be tough..."
Even though she knew Cen Huan ending up at the bar was inevitable, Zhou Zhuofei honestly shared her reservations. The choice was Cen Huan’s, after all—she wasn’t forcing her to sign anything.
"Forget long-term career prospects—this kind of job is just for short-term gains. If you want to tough it out for a couple of years to save up, fine. But I don’t see any real benefits if you stay longer."
"And since we’ve known each other for years, I’ll be blunt—places like that can be sketchy..." Zhou Zhuofei recalled the incident she’d witnessed recently. Such things might not happen daily, but the odds were definitely higher in a bar than in an office.
Even if Cen Huan was the heroine, that didn’t guarantee she’d walk away unscathed.
The more Zhou Zhuofei thought about it, the more worried she became—though she knew her concern was pointless. There was a popular saying online these days: Let go of the savior complex and respect others’ choices.
She reined in her thoughts and told Cen Huan, "That’s just my take. The decision is yours."
"Yeah, I get it." Cen Huan knew Zhou Zhuofei meant well and sincerely thanked her.
She understood the concerns, but her situation didn’t leave room for pickiness. Making money as soon as possible was her top priority.
"I’ll think it over carefully. Thanks for the advice."
Zhou Zhuofei waved it off. "No problem. Whatever you choose, good luck with the interview! More options never hurt."
With that, she bid Cen Huan goodbye and headed into her neighborhood.
A lot had happened this week. None of it involved her directly, but it had been entertaining to watch.
It made Zhou Zhuofei wonder—what would she be doing now if she hadn’t gotten that offer from Huanyu back then?
For starters, she definitely wouldn’t have had the guts to be a non-traditional freelancer like Jiang Shen. And she probably wouldn’t have gone into the ACG industry like Du Yu either. Hobbies and careers were two different things, and she doubted her parents would’ve been that open-minded.
She came from a typical dual-income household—comfortable but not wealthy. Her parents had always pushed her to get into a good university, but once it became clear her grades were average, their focus shifted to picking a practical major for job security.
When she landed the job at Huanyu, her parents had been over the moon and had supported her ever since.
But a casual mention of Du Yu’s current situation later made Zhou Zhuofei realize something—her parents supported her because of the job, not necessarily because they approved of her choices.
Still, dwelling on hypotheticals was pointless.
Zhou Zhuofei knew she could never be as carefree as Du Yu or live the same kind of life. Most likely, she’d have ended up in some company, just another cubicle worker.
On Saturday, Zhou Zhuofei was jolted awake by Director’s meows.
No guessing needed—the cat was hungry. Barely opening her eyes, she stumbled out of bed to refill the food bowl.
The moment the kibble hit the dish, Director quieted down, and Zhou Zhuofei drowsily crawled back under the covers.
She slept until mid-morning, then grabbed a quick bite before getting ready to meet Du Yu.
Du Yu had specifically told her to dress up. Normally, Zhou Zhuofei stuck to light makeup, but today, she went all out—full glam, earrings, bracelets, the works.
They met at a private kitchen restaurant. When Zhou Zhuofei arrived, only Du Yu was at the table.
"Where’s everyone else?"
Du Yu explained, "He went to get bubble tea. There’s a new shop next door that looked good."
"Must be nice having a boyfriend," Zhou Zhuofei teased, feigning envy. "Don’t even have to fetch your own drinks."
Du Yu rolled her eyes. "Oh please, like I’d forget yours."
Zhou Zhuofei instantly brightened. "Love you, bestie~"
"You’re so easy. One cup of tea and you’re all smiles." Du Yu pretended to shove her away in mock disgust.
"It’s not just tea—it’s love in a cup!"
Du Yu shuddered dramatically. "Zhou Zhuofei, spare me. I’d like to keep my appetite."
"But I wuv you~"
"Speak like a normal human, please."
As they bantered, the restaurant door swung open, and in walked a tall, striking guy in a biker jacket, his long hair tied back, carrying several cups of bubble tea.
Zhou Zhuofei’s eyes locked onto him instantly. She shot Du Yu a questioning look. "Him?"
"Yep. Handsome, right?"
"Very." Normally, this guy would’ve been the best-looking man she’d seen in ages. But lately, she’d crossed paths with so many attractive men that her standards had risen.
Especially the one at the bar yesterday—his style was similar to Du Yu’s boyfriend’s, making it impossible not to compare.
"Speaking of which, I have to tell you something..."
Zhou Zhuofei was dying to share yesterday’s encounter, but Du Yu’s boyfriend reached their table, forcing her to pause.
"Hold on, let me introduce you two." Du Yu first pointed to the man and said to Zhou Zhuofei, "This is my boyfriend, Han Chubin, though I usually call him Dongye—it's his CN name."
Then she introduced Zhou Zhuofei to him. "This is the Mu Mu I’ve always told you about, Zhou Zhuofei."
After exchanging greetings, Zhou Zhuofei suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia, as if she were back in college meeting fellow enthusiasts. She sighed, "Honestly, it’s been years since I’ve called anyone by their CN."
"True, seems like I’m the only one still calling you Mu Mu, right?"
Back in their club days, everyone would give themselves a circle name, or what they called a "CN." Zhou Zhuofei had chosen "Mu Mu" back then, but ever since joining Huanyu, she’d become "Xiao Zhou" or "Sister Zhou" to others.
"Of course it’s just you—I don’t really keep in touch with anyone else from the club."
After briefly reminiscing about their university days, they quickly shifted topics.
Du Yu had a type when it came to boyfriends: first, they had to be good-looking, and second, they couldn’t be too dull—they had to be witty and charming.
Han Chubin fit the bill perfectly. Despite having just met Zhou Zhuofei, his tone and demeanor were already effortlessly natural.
Du Yu reminded Zhou Zhuofei, "Oh, you were in the middle of telling a story earlier. You never finished."
"Right, right! I almost forgot." Zhou Zhuofei recounted the story again, though this time, her focus was different from when she’d told Xiao Wang.
With Xiao Wang, she’d stuck to the facts, but with Du Yu, she couldn’t help embellishing a little, adding her own subjective flair.
Even without those extra details, though, the experience was bizarre enough on its own.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is this how the rich live? Just casually offering to open a bar for someone?" Du Yu marveled before teasing her boyfriend with a question: "What would you do if it were you?"
Han Chubin raised an eyebrow. "If a single bar could buy me off, I’d be way too cheap."
