Xiaojuan nervously smoothed down her server uniform, the joy of reuniting with Chao Musheng instantly overwhelmed by awkwardness. How was she supposed to explain to Brother Chao that she’d left her job at Kunlun just to become a waitress?
If she’d known they’d meet again someday, she would never have said something as pretentious as "I’m going to do something important" before they parted.
Her toes curled in embarrassment—she could practically dig out an imperial palace right now.
Noticing Xiaojuan’s guilty avoidance, Chao Musheng tactfully averted his gaze, as if giving her space.
Xiaojuan must have her reasons for doing this, right?
But when Chao Musheng looked away as though he didn’t recognize her, her heart skipped a beat, a faint unease creeping in.
Could it be… that Brother Chao had already lost all memories related to players?
"Hey, girl!" The waitress squatting beside her, scrubbing the floor with a grunt, tugged at her sleeve. "Stop staring and finish up. Let’s get out of here."
No matter how good-looking a man in this dungeon was, he could still be deadly.
The more attractive the man, the more poisonous.
"Mr. Chao, hello! I’m the owner of Lili Entertainment. My surname is Li—pleasure to meet you." Boss Li pulled out a business card and presented it with both hands.
"Your company has nurtured many beloved artists, not only maintaining a positive public image but also guiding fans toward philanthropy," Chao Musheng said, accepting the card and shaking Boss Li’s hand out of courtesy. "As the CEO, you must be a conscientious entrepreneur leading by example?"
Boss Li chuckled humbly. "You flatter me, Mr. Chao. There’s still much room for improvement in my company. I’d appreciate your guidance."
He glanced down at the waitresses cleaning the floor, his smile turning warm as he pulled out a stack of tips. "Thank you for your hard work. You may all take a break now."
"Thank you, sir." The head waitress accepted the money with a deep bow before leading Xiaojuan and the others away.
Xiaojuan trailed at the back, watching the composed head waitress, who showed not a trace of resentment. She quickly lowered her gaze.
Even as an outsider, she felt indignant on the head waitress’s behalf—how could the woman possibly feel nothing?
Once they reached the staff room on the 15th floor, the head waitress turned to them. "I know being mistreated by guests can feel unfair, but you must learn to endure and adapt."
If not for survival, who would willingly suffer such humiliation?
She distributed the tips, speaking bluntly to warn the new hires. "The Moonchaser may not be the world’s largest cruise ship, but it’s carried more celebrities than any other. Many guests here are figures we can’t afford to offend. Not every time you’re mistreated will someone step in to help, like today."
"The 15th-floor VIP zone follows a 1:1 service standard. Besides you, there are many other staff members here. A single complaint from a VIP guest means expulsion from this floor." Her sharp eyes scanned each of them. "Our motto here is 'The guest is supreme.' No mistakes are allowed. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Brother Wu, have you heard the rumor?"
"What rumor?"
"That in this dungeon, the most attractive NPCs are likely high-level bosses. If you can please them, you’ll be safe."
The two pushed open a door to find the deck crowded with stunning men and women—all with exclamation marks floating above their heads.
Brother Wu sucked in a sharp breath and silently closed the door, turning to his oblivious junior.
"Brother Wu, why do you look so pale?" The junior, skeptical, yanked the door open again—and froze. With so many beautiful people, surely not all of them were bosses. Where had the system dumped them?
"Every single NPC here has an exclamation mark."
"Every one?"
The junior thought he’d misheard. Brother Wu’s unique skill allowed him to see exclamation marks above any NPC whose combat power surpassed a player’s.
A period indicated killing intent; a question mark meant neutrality or confusion.
"Every. Single. One." Brother Wu’s face was ashen. Just how terrifying were the NPCs on this ship?
"What are you two standing around for?" An older staff member approached. "Those are all A-list celebrities out there, each with legions of fans. Be extra careful when serving them."
Celebrities?
Dressed in a server’s shirt and vest, Brother Wu circulated among the exclamation-mark-adorned stars. Most wore polite smiles, treating even a waiter like him with courtesy, without a hint of arrogance.
"Brother, these celebrities seem pretty easygoing," Brother Wu said, trailing the senior staff member to fish for information. "I’ve only ever seen them on TV. Never thought I’d meet them in person."
The senior gave him a knowing smirk. "Do your job well, follow the employee handbook, and maybe you’ll get transferred above the 10th floor."
Brother Wu slipped a red envelope into the man’s hand. "Brother, this is my first time on the Moonchaser. How do I get assigned upstairs?"
"It’s simple—if a VIP takes a liking to you, one word from them is enough for the head waitress to promote you. But it’s also hard—only if a server upstairs gets complained about do we get a chance to move up."
The senior pocketed the envelope. "VIPs upstairs are generous. A single tip can cover days of our wages. Everyone downstairs dreams of working in the VIP zones."
Brother Wu understood now—the fifth-floor NPCs were just ordinary guests. The real power players resided above the 10th floor.
If even the fifth-floor NPCs all had exclamation marks, how overpowered were the ones upstairs?
But if he wanted to reach the ship’s core of influence, he had to find a way into the VIP zones.
"Mr. Su." Chao Musheng followed Secretary Liu into Su Chenzhu’s suite—a spacious multi-room accommodation where Su Chenzhu sat sipping tea by the panoramic balcony.
Stepping onto the balcony, Chao Musheng took in the view. The sunlight was perfect, the ocean stretched endlessly, and in the distance, two dolphins frolicked.
"Do you like the scenery?" Su Chenzhu poured him a cup of tea.
"It’s beautiful." Chao Musheng cradled the cup, the sea breeze ruffling his hair, the sunlight highlighting his youthful charm.
"There’s a guest room in the suite with its own bathroom and balcony. You can move in here." Su Chenzhu took a slow sip. "The 10th-floor suite isn’t spacious enough, and sharing with Secretary Liu must be inconvenient."
Secretary Liu, in the middle of pouring himself tea, blinked in confusion. The 10th-floor suite wasn’t good enough?
“That wouldn’t be appropriate.” Chao Musheng heard the cry of seagulls and turned his head toward the sea. “How about letting Brother Liu move up here instead?”
As a newcomer, how could he possibly take precedence over Brother Liu?
“Last time he was on the Moonlight, he also stayed on the tenth floor,” Su Chenzhu set down his teacup, the delicate clink of porcelain echoing softly. “Secretary Liu prefers familiar surroundings.”
Secretary Liu nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, I do prefer familiar environments. Unfamiliar places make it hard for me to sleep.”
Now that his boss had reminded him, he realized he did indeed have this habit. How considerate of the boss.
“Then it’s settled. Later, have a personal bodyguard accompany you to move your things.” Su Chenzhu turned his gaze back to the sea, where a seagull had perched on the balcony railing.
Chao Musheng took a piece of bread from the table and fed it to the bird. Unafraid of humans, it stretched its neck to peck at the bread in his palm.
Soon, another seagull landed beside the first, and the two began nuzzling and jostling each other, their closeness unmistakable.
Seeing the first seagull yield its bread to the newcomer, Chao Musheng took another piece. “There’s enough for both.”
Secretary Liu opened his mouth to speak, but Su Chenzhu raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence.
Nodding, Secretary Liu quietly excused himself with his phone. Before closing the door behind him, he couldn’t resist one last glance at Chao Musheng bathed in sunlight.
Ah, the vigor of youth.
Once the seagulls finished their meal, they let out a few cries before flapping their wings and flying away.
“Wipe your hands.” Su Chenzhu handed him a sanitizing towel. “These seagulls are used to being fed by passengers on the cruise, so they’re not easily frightened.”
“They’re quite amusing.” Chao Musheng wiped his hands. “This is my first time aboard the Moonlight.”
“How does it feel?”
“The summer after my college entrance exams, I took a trip on the Celestial. That ship wasn’t…” He paused, searching for the right words. “It wasn’t as rigidly hierarchical as the Moonlight.”
Truthfully, in terms of atmosphere, he preferred the Celestial, which belonged to the same cruise company. But this trip on the Moonlight was half social, half work—hardly comparable.
Su Chenzhu handed Chao Musheng a violet-gold badge. “This is for you.”
Chao Musheng took it curiously. “Mr. Su, what is this?”
“A little trinket the cruise company gave me when the Moonlight first set sail.” Noticing his interest, Su Chenzhu’s lips curved slightly. “This badge grants you access to every corner of the ship. Take it and explore.”
“That impressive?” Chao Musheng turned the badge over in his hands, marveling. “Even the bridge?”
“If you wish.” Su Chenzhu lowered his gaze. “When this cruise company was founded, my… ancestors had some ties with the founder. So, we hold a fifteen percent stake.”
“Fifteen percent?!”
This company operated routes across nearly a hundred countries and regions. Just how much was fifteen percent worth?
Unable to resist teasing, Chao Musheng grinned. “Mr. Su, with wealth like that, do you ever lose sleep worrying about how to spend it all?”
Su Chenzhu answered earnestly. “No.”
“This is too valuable.” Chuckling at his seriousness, Chao Musheng returned the badge. “I can’t accept it.”
“How is a mere badge valuable?” Su Chenzhu glanced at the returned badge, then stood and retrieved a box filled with badges of various colors. “Even Secretary Liu has one. If you don’t like that one, pick another.”
The box held more badges than the collectible cards Chao Musheng had hoarded as a child.
“No, no.” He hastily retrieved the violet-gold badge with an awkward laugh. “This one’s perfect.”
Su Chenzhu rummaged through the box, selecting several more Moonlight-themed badges and stacking them before Chao Musheng. “Take them all. Enjoy.”
Chao Musheng was moved. Even his kindergarten friends hadn’t been this generous when sharing marbles!
“The violet-gold one is enough.” Fearing Su Chenzhu might empty the entire box into his hands, he pocketed the badge and stood. “Mr. Su, I’ll go downstairs to pack.”
“Very well. We’ll dine together when you return.”
Watching Chao Musheng leave, Su Chenzhu stared at the badges glittering under the sunlight, his expression growing distant.
Books said mature men ought to subtly display their wealth to their beloved.
Had he done something wrong?
Why didn’t Musheng seem the least bit impressed?
“The Moonlight hosts many distinguished guests, but there’s one type you must never offend.” The supervisor held up a photo of a violet-gold badge. “Only ten of these were given out when the Moonlight launched. Those who possess them will always be the ship’s most honored guests.”
Xiaojuan memorized the badge’s design. Years of experience told her that anything singled out like this would eventually cross her path.
She understood the logic—but why so soon?
Staring at the violet badge at her feet, she looked up at the young man on the steps, who met her gaze.
Her companion, Xiao Liu, trembled as she picked it up. “Sir, y-your badge.”
“Thank you.” Chao Musheng tucked the accidentally dropped badge away and smiled at Xiaojuan. “I need help moving my luggage to the tenth floor. Would you mind?”
“It would be my honor to assist you.” Xiaojuan bowed, fingers nervously clutching her skirt behind her back.
She followed him silently into the elevator. He pressed the button, then glanced back at her.
On the tenth floor, two bodyguards stood outside his room.
“Mr. Chao.” Their scrutinizing eyes fixed on Xiaojuan.
“She’s a friend.” He gestured toward Xiaojuan, who kept her head lowered. “No need for concern.”
“Understood, Mr. Chao.” The bodyguards opened the door, their gazes reluctantly leaving her.
A friend?
Xiaojuan’s head snapped up. Did Brother Chao still remember her?
Once inside, Chao Musheng shut the door and gave her a complicated look. “It’s only been half a month. How did you end up working on the Moonlight?”
“I…”
Her mind blanked. Think, think! Any excuse!
“The world is vast. I wanted to see more.” Her toes curled inside her shoes. “Being a server is cost-effective.”
She truly couldn’t come up with anything better.
“Then you’re quite impressive, Sister Juan.” He lifted his still-packed suitcase from the corner. “Secretary Liu told me the Moonlight’s hiring standards are extremely strict. To land a job here in just two weeks is remarkable.”
Hearing his praise, Xiaojuan coughed awkwardly. “It’s really not that impressive.”
"Let's go." Chao Musheng stepped out the door, and the bodyguard waiting nearby immediately took the suitcase from his hands.
"Brother Chao, are you moving to the 15th floor?" Xiaojuan had only been on the Moonlight Cruise for a few hours, but she already had a clear understanding of the hierarchy among its guests. The most prestigious individuals on the entire ship resided on the 15th floor.
"Mm-hmm, the boss lives on the 15th floor too." Chao Musheng smiled warmly. "When I have some free time, I’ll take you around the whole ship."
At the mention of "the boss," Xiaojuan’s eyes began to ache faintly, recalling the purple-gold badge she had just seen. "Brother Chao, is that purple-gold badge also the boss’s?"
"Half an hour ago, it was his." Seeing Xiaojuan’s curiosity, Chao Musheng took out the badge and handed it to her to admire. "But now, Mr. Su has given it to me."
[Ding! High-energy substance detected. Trading with the system will yield 5,000 points.]
Xiaojuan’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the incredibly valuable badge.
Completing an S-level dungeon with a perfect rating only earned her 1,500 points from the system—yet this thing was worth 5,000?
"Brother Chao, you should keep this safe. Don’t lose it." Xiaojuan hurriedly returned the badge to Chao Musheng. If even the system coveted it, this was no ordinary object.
The boss in this world was truly generous, willing to give something like this to an employee.
But that didn’t make sense. How could there possibly be a boss who didn’t exploit their workers?
Was this even logical?
"Mr. Chao, the elevator is here." The bodyguard opened the door and shielded Chao Musheng as he stepped inside.
Xiaojuan noticed the golden emblem above the bodyguard’s head and whispered to Chao Musheng, "Brother Chao, did you hire these bodyguards?"
"They’re Mr. Su’s personal bodyguards." Chao Musheng chuckled. "They’re just helping me with my luggage."
"Wait!"
Hurried footsteps echoed from outside as a young man and a middle-aged man rushed into the elevator.
The two bodyguards subtly shifted, shielding Chao Musheng completely.
Something wasn’t right.
Xiaojuan watched the bodyguards, who clearly treated Chao Musheng as someone to protect, and a strange feeling crept into her heart. Why were the boss’s personal bodyguards so deferential to Brother Chao?
"Excuse us." The middle-aged man, noticing the elevator was heading to the 15th floor, put on an ingratiating smile and addressed the figure behind the bodyguards. "Hello, sir. We’re from Kunlun’s Film Department. This is our company’s most outstanding artist, Song Xu."
"Song Xu." The middle-aged man nudged the young man. "Greet the gentleman."
"Film Department personnel are assigned to the fifth floor." Before Song Xu could speak, the bodyguard on the left said coldly, "What are you doing on the tenth floor?"
"I heard Secretary Liu was on the tenth floor and wanted to introduce our artist to him." The middle-aged man cautiously peered behind the bodyguards. "Are you a distinguished guest of the 15th floor?"
"Please refrain from disturbing our employer." The bodyguard extended an arm, blocking the man from approaching.
Seeing the bodyguards treat him and his manager like thieves, Song Xu’s expression darkened, though he forced a smile. "I’m the grandnephew of the chairman of Song Enterprises. I have a VIP card for the Moonlight Cruise, so I’m staying on the 10th floor."
The bodyguard stared at him impassively—what did that have to do with them, who also resided on the 10th floor?
The atmosphere in the elevator grew tense.
Peering past the bodyguards, Xiaojuan saw that the young man called Song Xu had only a blue-green emblem above his head and felt an odd sense of relief.
She must have gotten too used to Kunlun’s sea of gold and purple-ranked employees—seeing a local with a blue-green identifier now felt like spotting a rare species.
Song Xu was angered by the bodyguards’ indifference, but remembering they served a 15th-floor guest, he swallowed his temper.
When the elevator reached the 15th floor, he stepped aside to let the others exit first.
He was also curious—what did the person being so carefully guarded look like?
When he finally saw Chao Musheng’s face, envy flared in his chest. Not only did this person live on the 15th floor, but he was also this good-looking?
The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up as well. With looks like that, if he entered the entertainment industry, how many devoted, free-spending fans would he attract?
"Stop staring. Let’s go." The middle-aged man noticed Song Xu’s fixation and whispered, "We’ll slip into the restaurant. If the boss comes to dine, we’ll seize the chance to greet him and make an impression."
"Most 15th-floor guests prefer having meals delivered to their rooms." Song Xu said flatly, "Even if we get into the restaurant, there’s no guarantee we’ll see the boss."
"Trying is better than doing nothing on the 10th floor." The manager could tell the young master was sulking again. "Even if we don’t meet the boss, making connections with other distinguished guests is still worthwhile."
Song Xu forced a smile. He knew his own circumstances—he’d built a wealthy young master persona in the entertainment industry using the Song family name, but how many people on the 15th floor would even recognize him?
"Musheng, you’re back?" Su Chenzhu, hearing movement outside, opened the door and saw Chao Musheng chatting with a sweet-looking, curly-haired waitress. They seemed familiar.
The sight gave him pause.
"Mr. Su." Chao Musheng smiled and introduced her. "This is my friend Xiaojuan."
"Hello." Su Chenzhu’s grip tightened on the doorknob before he quickly released it, forcing a polite smile.
"Hello." Xiaojuan kept her head down, not daring to look up.
Ahhhh! Brother Chao never mentioned that moving to the 15th floor meant living with the indescribably terrifying boss!
Sensing Xiaojuan’s discomfort, Chao Musheng said, "Xiaojuan, go ahead with your work. I’ll contact you after dinner tonight."
Xiaojuan’s scalp prickled. Even without meeting the boss’s gaze, why did the terror cling to her like a shadow?
"I—I’ll go now! Goodbye, Brother Chao!"
Run!
Run now!
It felt like her brain was screaming. Only after rounding the corner did she dare stop to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.
Just what kind of existence was this Mr. Su?
Su Chenzhu watched Xiaojuan’s hurried retreat, then took the suitcase from the bodyguard. "Is she a close friend of yours?"
"She’s good company—straightforward and capable at her job." Chao Musheng felt a little embarrassed as the boss carried his luggage.
"I see." Su Chenzhu pushed open the door and set the suitcase down. "If she’s your friend, you could recommend her for a position at Kunlun."
Chao Musheng hesitated.
How was he supposed to explain that after turning down Kunlun’s offer, Xiaojuan had come to the Moonlight Cruise to work as a waitress?
"Let’s go to the restaurant." Noticing Chao Musheng’s reluctance to discuss the girl further, Su Chenzhu’s eyes dimmed slightly.
Musheng caring for his friends just proved how kind-hearted he was.
The fault lay with him—he hadn’t done enough.
So how should he flaunt his wealth next?
