Chapter 6

Compared to the day she first started working, there were noticeably more male customers today. Ji Anning had experienced this situation once before in her past life, so she remained calm.

The location of Shu Chen’s shop was very good, with several universities located nearby. After Ji Anning started working here, she quickly gained a reputation as a “goddess of otaku,” and the otaku boys from the surrounding universities would often come in groups to patronize the shop.

So, later on, Shu Chen raised her salary twice.

She was a walking advertisement.

Of course, Shu Chen also noticed. He even overheard a group of male customers whispering about Ji Anning.

“It’s her, it’s her, I didn’t lie to you!”

“Wow, we hit the jackpot today!”

“I declare that this place is my canteen from now on!”

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He immediately agreed, saying, “Sure, I’ll call my mom and ask for her help.”

Ji Anning thanked him and took the bus home.

When she opened the door, the lights were off, and the blue glow from the television made the room look haunted.

Her grandmother had dementia, and when Ji Anning went to school, she had to lock her in the house. Luckily, when the school gave them the house, it came with some old furniture and a television. Although it was old, it still worked. Watching television became her grandmother’s only entertainment.

“Grandma, turn on the lights.” Ji Anning closed the door and went to turn on the lights. “Your eyes will get tired if you watch TV in the dark.”

Her grandmother replied with a couple of “oh’s” and said, “Saving electricity.”

Ji Anning had been busy all night at the coffee shop and was already very tired. When she heard this, her heart sank, and she went over to pull her grandmother’s hand, saying, “The air outside is nice. Let’s go for a walk.”

Her grandmother had been locked up all day and needed some fresh air.

Although the building was old, it had been renovated and equipped with an elevator. Ji Anning put a thin coat on her grandmother and held her hand as they took the elevator downstairs. She had to carry her grandmother down the steps from the entrance.

Her grandmother’s leg wasn’t very strong anymore. She could walk on flat ground, but going up and down stairs was difficult. The news article from when Ji Anning first started school was titled “Carrying my grandmother to school,” which was how she had brought her grandmother into the principal’s office on her first day of school.

The principal was shocked.

It was a crisp and cool autumn evening, and there was a slight chill in the air. The shadows in the courtyard were all neighbors out for a walk.

In the courtyard, shadows were everywhere, with neighbors walking around. Ji Anning wore short sleeves while her grandmother wore a long shirt, and they walked hand in hand slowly in the large courtyard. Every now and then, Ji Anning nodded and greeted someone, like “Teacher Wang” or “Teacher Sun,” as they were in the residential compound for faculty and staff families of a school.

Ji Anning had paid particular attention to building good relationships with these neighbors since her past life. After all, she had experienced the situation where her grandmother almost starved to death after her death. She became even more intimate with every neighbor.

When she was not there, she would rely to these neighbors to save her grandmother’s life at any time.

The starry sky on the autumn night was exceptionally clean, dark blue, and had more visible stars than in other seasons. Ji Anning and her grandmother walked hand in hand slowly. She whispered to her grandmother if she had eaten well, if dinner was cold, and if she had flushed the toilet after using it. Her grandmother could only answer half of these daily questions, and she would get confused if asked too much.

Ji Anning helped tidy her grandmother’s hair and gently told her, “It’s okay. I talked to the store manager today, and after school, I will come home first and reheat your dinner before going over to the workplace.”

In her past life, she supported the lives of two people, including her grandmother who had several chronic illnesses and needed expensive medical treatment. She squeezed her time to earn money and even put their meals in two insulated boxes. But the food was not hot enough after a day, although it was still okay at noon.

Ji Anning knew this, but in her past life, making money to support two people was more important to her. However, after she died and her soul wandered, she regretted not being able to hold her grandmother again. In this life, she wanted to care more for her grandmother, even if it would make her more tired.

She had tried it out for the last two days and officially agreed with Shu Chen today. Her working time would be half an hour later than in her past life. During this time, she could rush home first, reheat her grandmother’s dinner, and then go to work.

Her grandmother smiled and said, “Don’t worry. When you come back, I will have finished cooking the meal.”

Dementia patients were like this; they could only receive a fragment of the information from what you said, then fused it with their own “world” and fed it back to you.

Ji Anning knew her grandmother thought it was the same as before, when she came home from school every day and ate her cooked meal. She did not correct her and only gently held her hand and walked slowly with her.

Looking up at the bright starry sky, Ji Anning lowered her head and watched the ground slowly recede beneath her feet.

“Grandma…” she said softly. “My heart is in a mess. There’s someone I don’t know what to do with.”

“I used to hate him, but now I don’t. But I’m still afraid of him.”

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid,” Grandma patted her hand. “You have Grandma, Ningning don’t be afraid.”

Ji Anning smiled helplessly and murmured, “Mm,” hugging her grandma and resting her head on her shoulder.

What should she do about Wen Yu?

That night, Grandma fell into a deep sleep, but Ji Anning stayed awake, staring at the ceiling. The room was pitch black, but it was nothing compared to the blackness of Wen Yu’s pupils in her memory. That ink-black color was like an abyss, like a black hole, with a tremendous suction force that left people powerless. Ji Anning knew that once she fell into it, she wouldn’t be able to pull away.

The next day was Friday. During class, Ji Anning took out her notebook and planned her time. She opened it and found that she had a tutoring job on Saturday morning. She looked at the address and remembered the family, frowning unconsciously.

At noon, she quietly left early as usual, ran to the cafeteria to serve the customers, and headed back to the dormitory building against the crowd. Finally, after fulfilling all the customers’ needs and earning money, she was starving and her stomach was aching. She ran to the cafeteria and went straight to Aunt Li’s window.

“Aunt Li! I want that vinegar-stir-fried shredded potato!” In her past life, she was familiar with Aunt Li, so she naturally coquettishly said, “I’m about to starve to death.”

Auntie Li was a little surprised at the girl’s familiarity with her. But a pretty face is easily treated well, and when a pretty girl acts cute, it makes people feel quite pleased.

Auntie Li scooped up the spoon, ready to give her more shredded potatoes. But suddenly, a hand pressed down on the counter.

“Auntie, no need for that. She won’t be eating here today,” said a tall young man, propping himself up on the counter and leaning in to speak to Auntie Li.

His straight nose, thick eyebrows, strong features, and the smile at the corners of his mouth made Auntie Li blush. She straightened her back, still holding the big iron spoon, and gave a sidelong glance to Ji Anning.

So, should she serve the shredded potatoes or not?

When Wen Yu leaned in to speak to Auntie Li, his body was very close to Ji Anning. His voice was almost ringing in her ears.

In the past, if he tried to get this close to her, she would feel irritated and impatient, and her first reaction would be to step back and move away from him. But now, Ji Anning was so nervous that her body was tense and her hands, which had been resting on the counter, were clenched into fists.

“I… ” Ji Anning took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and turned to look at him. “I haven’t eaten yet.”

“I know,” Wen Yu said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour, and I haven’t eaten either.”

Ji Anning was silent for a moment before asking, “Do you need something?”

She was dressed plainly, with clothes that were somewhat worn, and didn’t have the same level of refinement as other girls who dyed their hair and did their nails to perfection. However, her face, which was unadorned with makeup, exuded a clear and soft radiance that was enough to captivate anyone’s attention.

Wen Yu had a moment to spare and couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He had seen too many pretty girls who had been spoiled and became arrogant and self-important. But Ji Anning’s gaze was clear and distant.

It was good.

Wen Yu smiled, the sunshine bright. “Ji Anning, right? I’m Wen Yu, a junior. I’m sorry about what happened on Tuesday. I bought you lunch and you didn’t eat it, which means I owe you a meal. I’ve been trying to find you for the past few days to repay you, and today I finally managed to catch you. Let me return the favor now, and don’t delay me any longer.”

The incident on the bus made Ji Anning understand that some things couldn’t be avoided, and they could only be delayed for a while.

Wen Yu owed her this meal, sooner or later, he would have to repay it. He was the kind of person who would not give up until he achieved his goal.

Wen Yu had a keen intuition, and he could sense that Ji Anning seemed to be wary and alert around him. He thought he would have to persuade her with more words, but to his surprise, Ji Anning nodded silently after two seconds and said, “Okay.”

Wen Yu was delighted. He smiled and asked, “What do you want to eat?”

He looked at his watch and realized they had some time before their afternoon classes. He said, “We can’t go too far away. Let’s just go somewhere near the school. There’s teppanyaki, Japanese cuisine…”

Since they had agreed to have a meal together, Ji Anning had also opened up. When Wen Yu asked her what she wanted to eat, she actually had a preference.

“There’s also a Huaiyang restaurant and a Hunan restaurant…” Wen Yu was still listing the available options when he suddenly heard Ji Anning speak.

“KFC,” she said flatly, with her hands in her pockets. “I want to eat KFC.”

Wen Yu: “…”

What?

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