As soon as Zhou Zhuofei entered the residential complex, she nearly collided with Cen Huan, who was hurrying in the opposite direction with a backpack slung over her shoulder.
Zhou Zhuofei greeted her casually and asked, "Where are you off to at this hour?"
Cen Huan sighed helplessly. "A colleague called in sick, and the manager asked me to cover their shift."
"That’s rough," Zhou Zhuofei sympathized instantly. "But you live so far from the hotel—why didn’t the manager call someone who lives closer?"
Though she didn’t know the exact location of Cen Huan’s workplace, she remembered her mentioning how long her bike commute was every day.
"The manager, he…" Cen Huan hesitated. While she also felt the arrangement wasn’t ideal, she wasn’t one to badmouth others. "Maybe because there’s an important banquet tonight, and they need experienced staff."
Zhou Zhuofei could only offer more sympathy. "Work really is tough. You’d better hurry."
"I’ll get going then. Bye!"
After seeing Cen Huan off, Zhou Zhuofei couldn’t help but reflect on how demanding the service industry was—thank goodness Huanyu wasn’t as troublesome.
But after walking a few more steps, she grew increasingly uneasy. Why did this scenario feel so familiar?
Wasn’t this exactly how the story began—Cen Huan being abruptly called to work as a server at a banquet?
She rushed home and dug out the notebook where she’d recorded her dreams, flipping through the pages.
Zhou Zhuofei had regretted more than once not taking those dreams seriously back then, failing to jot everything down immediately. By the time she realized something was off and tried to document it, some details had already slipped her mind.
Now, the notebook only noted that Cen Huan would meet Ling Yu at the banquet, after which she’d start working at a bar and wouldn’t see Ling Yu again until a month later.
As for what happened in between…
Zhou Zhuofei tried to recall, but if she couldn’t remember three years ago, there was no hope now after three years of work draining her brain.
After several failed attempts, she gave up. What was the point of knowing so much anyway? She wasn’t the type to scheme or seize opportunities to climb the ladder.
If she were, she wouldn’t have settled for just being neighbors with Cen Huan.
As for spectating the drama, her enthusiasm had long fizzled out over three years. Besides, the workplace had plenty of its own jaw-dropping theatrics—no need to fixate on this one.
So Zhou Zhuofei’s current mindset was to go with the flow—observe if something happened, but never invite trouble.
She decisively set the notebook aside and turned to play with her cat, though her mind still wandered back to the matter.
She could’ve asked Xiao Wang about it in the afternoon—after all, Ling Yu always brought him to events—but she hadn’t thought of it at the time, and the unexpected incident had distracted her.
Plus, the sight she’d witnessed earlier had been so striking that even while gaming, she couldn’t help comparing the buff in-game characters to Xiao Wang’s physique.
Her conclusion? The game models were flawless, but real-life impact was undeniable. How could digital creations compete with carbon-based life forms?
While Zhou Zhuofei was immersed in her game, Cen Huan was weaving through the banquet crowd with a tray in hand.
Every time she worked as a server at these events, she had to stay hyper-alert, eyes and ears sharp.
But exhaustion weighed on her. She hadn’t rested well the night before, and today’s rushed arrival left no time to catch her breath before changing into her uniform and diving in.
As for the nature of the banquet or the identities of the guests, she neither knew nor cared.
Her current concern was the fridge at home—its cooling was failing. After deducting debts and basic expenses from next month’s paycheck, would there be anything left to get it fixed?
If not, she’d have to clear everything out soon. Though she knew Zhou Zhuofei would gladly help if asked, Cen Huan hated burdening others.
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the figure approaching from her side until it was too late…
The next day at work, Zhou Zhuofei planned to assign Zhan Zilang some tasks first, lest he spend another day playing Minesweeper.
She noticed he’d changed outfits today, swapping his watch to match, and was carrying a large bag.
"Morning, Zhou-jie!" he greeted cheerfully, already rummaging through the oversized shopping bag.
Out came not just a keyboard but also a mouse, mousepad… Soon, his desk was cluttered with computer peripherals.
Seeing Zhou Zhuofei’s surprise, he explained, "After thinking it over yesterday, since I’m replacing the keyboard, wouldn’t the mouse feel off if it’s outdated? Might as well upgrade everything together…"
He paused, then belatedly asked, "That’s okay, right, Zhou-jie?"
"Sure. Just hand these to the colleague who issued your supplies yesterday. Get settled first—I’ll have work for you soon."
"Got it!"
Zhan Zilang efficiently began setting up, drawing curious coworkers who gathered to ask about his gear. He enthusiastically shared details and tips without a trace of shyness.
Zhou Zhuofei envied his effortless confidence. Though she could pull it off now, her early days at the company had been far less poised.
Back at her desk, she saw a message from her friend Du Yu, asking if she wanted to grab lunch.
Du Yu’s job often required fieldwork, so she frequently dropped by Huanyu to meet Zhou Zhuofei for meals.
Zhou Zhuofei happily agreed. At noon, she sent Zhan Zilang off to eat with Ye Ru—his eloquence that morning proved he’d have no trouble socializing.
She headed to a regular spot near the office, where Du Yu was already waiting.
After exchanging greetings, Du Yu eagerly pulled out her phone while they waited for their food. "Check this out!"
"What, new content from your favorite author?" Zhou Zhuofei took the phone and saw a photo of a young man wearing an exaggerated mask, only his eyes visible.
"Some kind of cosplay?"
"Not exactly—just a stylized portrait."
Noticing Du Yu’s radiant smile, Zhou Zhuofei sensed something amiss. "Who is this? Spill."
Du Yu grinned shyly. "We just started dating. You’re the first to know!"
"Ooh!!"
Now Zhou Zhuofei had to take a closer look. She swiped through her phone and noticed several more photos, each with slightly different backgrounds but all featuring the subject wearing some kind of mask or face covering, creating a cool, mysterious vibe.
"He’s a masked type, huh?" Zhou Zhuofei handed the phone back, curiosity piqued. "How did you two meet?"
"We ran into each other at a convention a couple of months ago. He’s pretty well-known in the circle."
"Oh~ So, are there any photos of him without the mask? I can’t tell what he looks like at all."
"He doesn’t take many pictures in private. Next time, I’ll bring the real deal for you to see," Du Yu said confidently, tossing Zhou Zhuofei a flirtatious glance. "But trust my taste—I don’t date ugly guys."
"Haha, true. I do have full confidence in you on that front."
Du Yu had a strikingly glamorous appearance. Back in college, she often cosplayed mature, femme fatale characters, and Zhou Zhuofei had been completely mesmerized by her.
Her standards for boyfriends had always been high—her past exes were all uniquely handsome, and the couples made quite the eye-catching pair.
"Don’t just have faith in me—what about you? You’ve been single for over three years now, right?"
Zhou Zhuofei corrected her, "Four years."
Du Yu rolled her eyes. "You remember that clearly?"
"Of course. A big, celebratory day like a breakup deserves to be remembered," Zhou Zhuofei replied calmly, taking a sip of water. "Honestly, I should probably start marking it as an anniversary."
