Chen Guo woke up later than usual. Not feeling her blanket and hearing strange, distorted noises from the television, she realized she had fallen asleep on the sofa again. Sighing deeply, she sat up and turned off the TV. While doing so, her eye noticed that one of the nearby rooms had its door open.
"How careless! Sleeping without locking the door? We have a man here! " she grumbled, walking over to check. But when she peeked inside, Tang Rou wasn't there.
"She didn't sleep yet? What time is it? It's almost noon! "
Closing the door, Chen Guo headed downstairs. First, she checked on Ye Xiu, who was playing in the smoking area, surrounded by thick smoke. His shift was already over, so Guo Guo didn't bother him and instead went to look for Tang Rou.
Little Tang had a fixed spot where she always sat, so it wasn't hard to find her. Seeing her still playing the game with Ron sleeping next to her gave Chen Guo a headache.
Should she be happy? At least one of them knew how to sleep? Absolutely not!
Chen Guo tapped Tang Rou's shoulder. Tang Rou glanced up and greeted her cheerfully, "Oh, good morning, Guo Guo! "
"What, good morning? It's almost lunchtime! " she complained.
"Oh? That late? " Tang Rou didn't seem too concerned.
"You really need to get some sleep! Look, even he knows how to take a break! " Chen Guo said, pointing at Ron.
"Haha, what sleep? My shift starts in an hour," Tang Rou laughed lightly. No matter how close they were, Little Tang still had to work at the café.
Chen Guo sighed and waved her hand in dismissal. "Forget it! I'll find someone to take over your shift. For now, you should get some rest."
Then she turned toward Ron and frowned. "By the way, how did he fall asleep here? "
"He was teaching me the basics of dungeons and monsters—observing my progress, taking notes, and offering some corrections. I didn't even notice he'd fallen asleep because I was so focused on the game," Tang Rou explained.
"Ah, whatever…" Chen Guo sighed again.
Their voices woke Ron up. His eyes dart around, observing the area. Realizing where he was, he quickly apologized. "Good morning, boss. Sorry, I fell asleep in your café."
"Don't mention it! Late-nighters aren't uncommon here. Some people even fall asleep while playing," Chen Guo reassured him.
"Thanks for understanding," Ron said politely.
"By the way, you guys haven't eaten breakfast. How about joining me? " Chen Guo offered.
"Thanks for the invitation, but I should head home and take care of a few things first. I'll be back this evening," Ron replied.
"Oh, that's too bad. See you later, then! " Chen Guo said as he left.
"Little Tang, you've been playing nonstop. What level are you now? " Chen Guo asked.
"I'm level 16! " Tang Rou replied proudly.
"Level 16? That fast? " Chen Guo was astonished. Although the beginner village gave generous experience points, leveling that quickly was still impressive.
"Still not good enough! Ye Xiu is level 22, and Ron is 23. There's still a gap! " Tang Rou said.
"So competitive! You'll catch up later. Come on, let's eat breakfast."
Later, during breakfast, Chen Guo gathered everyone.
"How's your leveling progress, Little Tang? " Ye Xiu asked.
"I'm level 16! " she said.
"Level 16 already? That's fast! " Ye Xiu said, though not as surprised as Chen Guo. "Hurry and reach level 20. When you do, we're going to break a record! "
"Record? You mean like those first clears? " she asked. "But I checked—your dungeon record was already broken by someone else."
"Yes, it was the top record on the entire server," Ye Xiu said. "So if you level up, we'll take it back. Sounds fun, right? "
"Yes! But do we have enough people? " Tang Rou asked while eating fries.
"Right now there's me, you, and Ron. Steam Bun can join too, and I'm working on the last member," Ye Xiu explained.
"I see."
"Are you going to sleep tonight? " Ye Xiu asked teasingly.
"I—"
"No way! " Chen Guo cut in. "You guys need to sleep! I won't let you keep hogging the computers—they're mine! "
Ye Xiu smiled wryly. "Relax, boss. It won't interfere with work…"
"No way! Absolutely not! " Chen Guo insisted.
Ye Xiu sighed. "Little Tang, can you open a membership card for me? "
"..." Chen Guo was stunned. "Really? Really!? Ugh, never mind—just do whatever you want! " she said, storming upstairs in frustration.
When Tang Rou's shift ended, she went straight to bed. Ye Xiu also slept after breakfast instead of playing. By dinner, neither had come down. Chen Guo chewed her spicy beef aggressively—clearly irritated—but being kind-hearted, she still saved some food for them.
"It's good to be young…" she muttered. She wanted to play too, but she wasn't young anymore; she couldn't act so recklessly. Feeling a bit lonely, she reminisced about the past—until someone entered the café.
"Good evening, boss," said Tang Ron.
This time, instead of his usual tracksuit, he wore an unbuttoned denim jacket over a white T-shirt, paired with black cut-off shorts above the knee and sneakers without socks. His hair was tied back, with bangs framing his cheeks.
Seeing his outfit in the snowy weather, Chen Guo wondered if there was something wrong with his head.
"Are you okay not wearing thicker clothes? " she asked.
"I'm fine. I don't feel cold. By the way, where are the others? " Ron asked. According to Ye Xiu's message, he was waiting for them to level up before breaking the dungeon record.
Just when Chen Guo's mood had improved, Ron reminded her of their bad habits again, which irritated her. Taking the opportunity, she scolded him. "They're asleep! Honestly, don't you people know how to take care of yourselves? Playing games all night without proper rest! "
She sounded like a mother, Ron thought, but didn't say it out loud. "I'm fine, boss. I sleep and eat properly when I'm home," he replied.
Chen Guo snorted. "Well, good for you then."
"Hey, it's starting! "Someone shouted.
Ron noticed a crowd near the entrance, and the room's lights dimmed. "Boss, are you streaming a movie? " he asked, surprised.
"No! It's a pro match! Since you're good at Glory, you should know about pro matches, right? " Chen Guo asked.
Faced with the question, Ron tilted his head. "Sorry, boss, I've never watched any pro matches before. I didn't even know they existed."
"Are you serious? " Chen Guo was dumbfounded. He was good—really good—and yet he didn't even know the pro scene existed? That was unheard of. But to her, this was a perfect opportunity.
"Then come on! You should see it for yourself! " Chen Guo grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the projection screen. By coincidence, Ye Xiu was also coming downstairs. He had seen the entire event from the beginning.
He was surprised to see the café darkened again—the last time it had looked like this was during his retirement announcement. That day had been heavy and emotional for everyone, including him. But that was several days ago, and now a new pro match was airing.
He quickly recognized that Chen Guo was broadcasting Excellent Era's match—many people had gathered to watch.
"Good evening, boss! " Ye Xiu greeted.
"Oh, you're awake!? " Chen Guo said in mock disdain, though she was in too good a mood to scold him. "I left some food for you guys—check the fridge by the counter."
"Many thanks, boss," Ye Xiu smiled. "By the way, which teams are playing? "
"Excellent Era and Team 301! " Chen Guo said proudly.