Alvin was busy until 1 PM, by which time all 50 steaks had been sold.
With nothing else to do, Alvin walked to the bar, pulled out a can of goji berries from the cabinet, and made himself a cup of goji berry tea.
In his previous life, whenever he left for work, his wife would make him a cup in a thermos to take with him.
He would then crack a suggestive joke with her while eating the goji berries, endure a few embarrassed punches, and then go to work feeling refreshed.
Now, he could only make himself a cup like an old cadre, reminiscing about the past.
He dozed off for a while, only to be awakened by a tapping sound on the bar.
His eyes refocused, and he saw Jessica.
"What's wrong? Did you give out the wrong change again? I told you to get more education, but you just wouldn't!" Alvin said, a bit groggily, completely ignoring Jessica's displeased expression.
After receiving a punch, Alvin fully woke up. "Hey~ How can a lady hit her boss? I'm docking your pay."
Jessica wasn't afraid at all.
She glared at Alvin and muttered in a low voice, "It'd be better if you docked it all.
Then you'd have to support me for life."
Alvin tapped Jessica's forehead with his index finger and said, "What are you, a grown woman, always thinking about? Support you for life?
If a man ever tells you he'll support you for life, just punch him; you won't be wrong.
Such a fool!"
Jessica pulled a long face, feigning a look of being on the verge of tears, and stared at Alvin with her deer-like eyes.
Alvin crossed his arms, trying to calm the goosebumps that kept rising, and said, "Go get to work.
You, you fool, should just honestly work for me.
If someone pursues you in the future, bring them over, and I'll vet them for you.
Lest you get tricked without even knowing it."
Jessica pulled a face and "hmph"-ed, "I don't need you to meddle.
I know what kind of person I should look for!"
"Well, just make sure it's not someone like me, because you won't find anyone like that.
And I won't settle for you either; my woman must be a 36D or above," Alvin said, his eyes glancing at Jessica's average-sized chest.
Jessica recalled the women who made her boss smile—Dalia, Lilith—all of whom had ample bosoms.
Her face darkened, and she wrinkled her nose, letting out another "hmph" before turning haughtily to clean the tables, having forgotten what she wanted to tell him.
"Boss, that's a good girl.
You're not being very gentlemanly to her." The blonde elite youth sidled over, familiarly bumping fists with Alvin and making a few gestures like a black gangster, hoping Alvin would play along.
Alvin watched him as if he were a joke.
The blonde youth wasn't discouraged; he chuckled twice and said, "Excellent steak!"
Then he turned to join his companions waiting at the door, boasting to them, "See, I know the owner of this place; he's the godfather of this street."
Not long after the young man left, an old Ford sedan pulled up in front of the restaurant.
The driver's door opened, and JJ got out, then went to the passenger side and pulled out a 16- or 17-year-old black boy.
The boy's arm was bandaged, and judging by the bloodstains on the bandage, his injury seemed severe.
In the back seat, Professor Wilson got out with a 5- or 6-year-old brown-haired girl.
They entered the restaurant with JJ and the boy.
Seeing the old professor's grim expression, Alvin's heart sank slightly.
Jessica thoughtfully greeted Professor Wilson and the little girl, seating them and pouring them each a glass of water.
Alvin looked at JJ and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
JJ forcefully slapped the back of the black boy's head, making him bend over, then raised his hand to restrain the black kid who tried to turn and retaliate.
He said in a deep voice, "This kid hurt Mrs. Wilson."
Seeing Alvin about to erupt, Professor Wilson quickly stood up, waved his hand, and said, "She wasn't hurt, just pushed and fell.
The doctor said she'll be fine after two days of rest."
After stopping Alvin, Professor Wilson apologized instead, saying, "On the contrary, Ginny scratched Jason's arm, which is why I came to see you, Alvin.
I'm very sorry to trouble you."
Hearing that Mrs. Wilson was alright, Alvin felt a little relieved.
Professor and Mrs. Wilson were now the pillars of the school.
He first ignored the boy struggling in JJ's grip.
Instead, he looked at the little girl who was clutching the old professor's coattails, knowing she was the girl Professor Wilson had mentioned that morning, the one he wanted Alvin to adopt.
In his previous life, before transmigrating, Alvin had always wanted a daughter, but he and his wife, coming from ordinary backgrounds, worried that having another son would make their lives difficult.
So, they never made up their minds.
This life, he wasn't even married yet, and a daughter was being delivered to his doorstep.
Although he was a bit displeased that morning with Professor Wilson's presumptuousness, now seeing a delicate little girl looking at him with the eyes of a frightened small animal, Alvin felt his heart melt.
He had no time to bother with that other kid, who clearly looked like a prospective gang member from Hell's Kitchen.
Alvin squatted down, smiling gently at the little girl, and said, "You're Ginny, right?
My name is Alvin!" Then Alvin extended his hand to Ginny.
At this moment, Alvin was like a kind father, a warm, sun-like smile on his face, looking expectantly at his daughter.
It was strange to see such an expression on a typical 25-year-old, yet on Alvin, it was surprisingly harmonious, as if he was born this way.
Whether it was due to Alvin's influence or Professor Wilson's encouragement, Ginny slowly extended her hand, her fingers touching Alvin's open palm for a fleeting moment before quickly retracting them.
Her pale little face showed "fear," "uncertainty," and "hope."
Alvin held out his hand, unmoving, merely looking at Ginny with expectant eyes, full of encouragement.
Ginny looked at Alvin, then at Professor Wilson, and seeing Professor Wilson nod encouragingly at her, she slowly released the professor's coattail.
Like a small animal searching for food, her little hand tentatively touched Alvin's palm.
Alvin waited patiently, his smile growing brighter.
This was an extremely insecure, highly sensitive little girl.
Alvin would not hesitate to pour all the love he should have given his daughter in his previous life into her.
Finally, the small hand rested on the large palm.
Ginny felt the warmth of Alvin's palm; it was very warm.
Ginny liked this feeling very much.
In her memory, only Alvin had given her this feeling.
It was very cozy, very safe.
She had wandered many places, yet in a restaurant called Peace Hotel in a chaotic, dilapidated neighborhood, she felt something she had never experienced before.
The old professor and his wife made her feel kind and benevolent, but Alvin made her feel warm and protected.
The little girl lingered in the warmth of Alvin's palm, unwilling to let go, and shyly pointed to herself with her left finger, softly saying, "Ginny, me, Ginny."
Alvin gently tightened his right hand, enveloping Ginny's small hand in his large one, and mimicking Ginny's words, pointed to himself with his left finger, saying, "Alvin, me, Alvin."
Ginny finally let down her guard, a faint smile blooming on her small face.
She pointed at Alvin and said, "Alvin, you, Daddy."
Clearly, Professor Wilson had prepared Ginny psychologically before coming.
But who cared?
Alvin felt his heart was about to burst with joy.
He smiled happily, nodded, and pointed to himself, "Me, Alvin, Daddy."
Ginny's smile widened a bit.
She pulled Alvin's hand and buried her small face into it, like a puppy returning home, squinting her eyes, greedily sniffing Alvin's scent.
Alvin cradled Ginny's small face with one hand and stroked her brown hair with the other, his heart overflowing with a sense of accomplishment.
He was a father now, too.