Gratitude

Chapter 67 Gratitude

The next day, life went on as usual.

Although the AET exams are over, things haven't slowed down at all. I still need to choose a topic for my undergraduate thesis, review relevant literature, and build a framework. Professor Mu's standards never lower just because the exams are over.

And then there's Genji Technology.

Bai Yuze specifically searched for that company and found that the interview materials about the company online were so thick they could kill someone.

Moreover, all kinds of transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statements, research results—everything must be carefully prepared.

So he went to the library again, sat in his usual spot by the window with a pile of documents spread out in front of him, and sat there from morning until noon.

Occasionally, when I look up, my peripheral vision will sweep over the long table against the wall diagonally opposite, but Su Xue is not there.

I guess I won't come back after the exam.

Bai Yuzhe withdrew his gaze and continued reading the documents.

In the afternoon, at Inkmark Cafe.

Bai Yuze sat at the piano in the corner, his fingers slowly moving across the keys. The shop wasn't crowded; a few tables of customers chatted amongst themselves, the aroma of coffee mingling with jazz music, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

When the song ended, he looked up, preparing to take a break.

But then they noticed that someone had been sitting at the table diagonally opposite the coffee shop.

White tea Qianxia.

She leaned back in her chair, holding a cup of coffee, looking at him with a half-smile.

Bai Yuze walked over, somewhat puzzled, "Class monitor, what brings you here?"

Shiracha Chika raised an eyebrow: "What, can't I come?"

"no----"

Bai Yuze paused for a moment, then asked, "You've come to listen to the zither?"

"That's how it was originally."

Chinatsu Shiraka put down her coffee cup. "Turns out the piano room was locked. Someone stopped welcoming guests without even telling me."

Bai Yuze touched his nose.

Forgot about that.

Just as he was about to explain, he caught a glimpse of a figure walking out of the kitchen.

Chiba Yumeyu, dressed in a maid outfit and carrying a tray, was walking this way.

She saw Shiracha Chika, paused for a moment, then nodded slightly in greeting before continuing to pour coffee for the guests at the next table.

Hakucha Chika's self-light lingered on her for a moment.

The maid's skirt fell just to her knees, her waist was tightly fitted, and her hair was neatly tied up. She was like a completely different person from Chiba Yume, who usually wore a faded school uniform and kept her head down, never speaking.

Hakucha Chika raised an eyebrow.

She looked away and turned to Bai Yuze. "You and Qianye are both working part-time here?"

"Um.

""

"I see~"

Bai Cha Qianxia paused, a mischievous smile curving her lips. "How about the two of you take charge of serving me today?"

Bai Yuze was stunned for a moment.

"Class monitor, this isn't right. If we were at school, I'd play whatever you wanted to hear, but I'm working a part-time job right now."

Bai Cha Qianxia remained silent.

She raised her hand and patted it gently.

Sister Lu peeked out from behind the bar, saw it was her, immediately put down her cup, and quickly walked over.

"Miss."

Bai Yuze was stunned.

He glanced at Sister Lu, then at Bai Cha Qianxia.

"Miss?"

Shiracha Chika leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow at him. Her gaze clearly conveyed:

What are you waiting for? Come and serve me!

Bai Yuze took a deep breath, straightened up, put his hands at his sides, and bowed slightly: "Miss Bai Cha, may you be well."

Bai Cha Qianxia paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Your Highness, rise!"

"Alright, alright, go ahead and do your thing. Don't worry about me. I just came here to take a look."

Bai Yuze straightened up, looking completely innocent.

"So I'm really going?"

"Go."

Bai Yuze turned and walked towards the piano.

He took two steps, then looked back again.

Shiracha Chika was looking at him with her chin resting on her hand, a smile on her lips.

Chiba Yume stood not far away, holding a tray, quietly watching this side.

Two girls, two pairs of eyes.

Bai Yuze withdrew his gaze, sat down at the piano, and placed his fingers on the keys, from which notes flowed forth.

Since things have come to this, let's continue playing the piano.

Amidst the elegant music, Shiracha Chika leaned back quietly in her chair, holding a coffee in her hand. Her gaze lingered on Bai Yuze for a moment before settling on something not far away.

Chiba Yumeyu came out of the kitchen carrying a tray and was walking towards another table of guests.

Shiracha Chika's gaze followed her movements as she poured coffee, set out cups and saucers, and bent slightly to listen to the customers. Her movements were swift and efficient, her face expressionless, yet she handled everything perfectly.

Hakucha Chika put down her coffee cup and waved to Chiba Yume.

"Little Fish, come here for a second."

Chiba Yumeyu paused for a moment, then walked over with the tray and stood in front of Shiracha Chika's table, bowing slightly. "Class monitor."

"How long have you been here?" Shiratsumi asked.

"It's been almost two months." Chiba Yume's voice was soft, but very clear.

"How did you get here?"

Chiba Yumeyu paused, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the piano: "Introduced by Bai Yuze."

How many hours do you work a day?

"Come in the evening if you have class, otherwise come all day."

Shiracha Chika frowned: "Isn't that very tiring?"

Chiba Yumeyu didn't speak, but just shook her head, "It's alright, Sister Lu takes good care of me."

Bai Cha Qianxia looked at her for a few seconds, nodded, and said softly, "Go and rest for a while. There aren't many customers right now."

Chiba Yumeyu looked up at her. There was a hint of surprise and a touch of bewilderment in her eyes, as if she had never experienced such a privilege before.

But she didn't refuse; she nodded and carried the tray back to the kitchen.

Shiracha Chika watched her figure disappear behind the curtain, then looked away and gestured with her chin towards the piano. "Hey, waiter over there, come here for a moment."

Bai Yuze looked up, pointed to himself with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Me?"

"nonsense."

"Are there any male waiters in this coffee shop?"

Bai Yuze obediently walked over and sat down opposite her.

"Student Bai."

Shiracha Chika leaned back in her chair, looking at him with a half-smile. "Keeping a mistress in a gilded cage, huh?"

"what?"

Bai Yuze exclaimed in surprise, then quickly retorted, "Class monitor, this coffee shop belongs to your family. What kind of beauty could I possibly be hiding in your house?"

Shiracha Chika gave a soft hum, but didn't continue joking. She put down her coffee cup, her gaze becoming more serious: "Chiba-kun, what's wrong with her?"

Bai Yuzhe paused for a moment before carefully speaking, "I was working at a convenience store before, and I happened to see it when a customer bullied me. So I asked Sister Lu if they needed anyone, and she said they did, so I called her over."

"that's all?"

"that's all."

Bai Yuze nodded, "After all, we're classmates, so we should help each other out if we can."

Bai Cha Qianxia looked at him, her almond-shaped eyes filled with a hint of scrutiny and appraising.

"I didn't expect you to be so helpful?"

"As the saying goes, 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black.' Don't you even know who I usually hang out with!"

"Tsk!"

Hakucha Chika clicked her tongue lightly, no longer dwelling on the topic, and instead turned her gaze back to Chiba Yumeyu, who was standing quietly in the corner, her hands never stopping despite her supposed rest.

Shiracha Chika picked up her coffee, took a sip, and suddenly said, "She seems to be from the Parrot District too."

"7

"Um.

"Okay, I understand. You may leave now."

"it is good."

Bai Yuze also returned to his post. To be honest, he had originally planned to find an opportunity to introduce Qianye Mengyu and Baicha Qianxia.

There's no need for any special arrangements; once she learns about Chiba's situation, she definitely won't ignore it.

After all, the class monitor is an angel.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the table and casting a long shadow of the coffee cup.

Bai Cha Qianxia leaned back in her chair, no longer looking at Qianye Mengyu or Bai Yuze.

She simply sat there quietly with her coffee in hand, just as she had said, she had come to listen to the piano.

The music was languid, and as she listened, her shoulders gradually relaxed, and the sharpness in her eyes faded.

It was almost noon when Shiracha Chika finally spoke again.

"As your boss, I'm planning to treat you to a meal. Would you be willing?"

Bai Yuzhe naturally wouldn't refuse the offer of free food and drinks.

Chiba Yumeyu stood to the side, her gaze drifting towards Bai Yuze.

Seeing that he didn't refuse, she nodded gently.

The movement was very small.

But Bai Cha Qianxia's gaze happened to sweep over and caught that moment. Her brows twitched slightly, and just as she was about to take a closer look, Qianye Mengyu had already returned to her quiet, submissive demeanor, as if that glance from before was just her imagination.

Shiracha Chika's eyes flickered slightly. "Let's go."

The place that Shiracha Chika took them to was the same old place, Longjie Xiaochu.

The shop is small, hidden in an alley, with an old signboard, but there are a few nice cars parked in front.

Bai Yuzhe pushed open the door and entered. The boss, Ryūjō Shinta, was doing accounts behind the counter. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, saw it was Bai Yuzhe, and was about to greet him.

Then he saw the pretty girl behind Bai Yuze.

Shinta Ryusei was taken aback.

He looked at Bai Yuze, then at Qianye Mengyu, then back at Bai Yuze, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

What does this guy mean?

Taking a girl out to dinner?

Why did you bring him here?

Shinta Ryusei's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them several times, his expression gradually becoming subtle.

Just then, a familiar voice came from the doorway again.

"Uncle Longjie, the AET exam is over, have you prepared a celebratory feast for me yet?!"

Wearing a light purple dress, Shiracha Chika walked in carrying two bottles of coconut juice she had bought from the shop next door. Her clear voice shattered the quiet of the shop.

Shinta Ryusei silently withdrew his gaze.

have to.

It's none of his business anymore.

He lowered his head and continued calculating.

The food was served very quickly on the second floor.

Shinta Ryusei's cooking skills were as solid as ever. The braised pork sauce was a glossy red, the steamed fish was piping hot, and several side dishes were neatly arranged. The three of them sat down around the small round table. Chika Shiracha picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and casually asked, "Bai Yuzhe, have you decided where you'll be doing your internship?"

Bai Yuze was engrossed in eating when he heard this and looked up: "Yuanshi Technology."

"Genji?"

Shiracha Chika raised an eyebrow. "The competition over there is pretty fierce."

"Give it a try."

Bai Yuze smiled and said, "What if I pass?"

Bai Cha Qianxia didn't reply, but turned her gaze to the figure next to her who had been eating quietly the whole time.

"Where's Chiba-kun?"

Chiba Yumeyu paused with her chopsticks. She looked up at Shiracha Chika, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She used to save money so that her younger brother could quit smoking, her father could do less physical labor, and her family could gradually improve their situation.

But now that my brother is gone, my father is gone, and my home is gone too, all those reasons for saving money are gone as well.

She didn't know where to go or what to do.

She only knew that she would go wherever Bai Yuze went and do whatever Bai Yuze asked her to do.

But this cannot be said.

At this, Chiba Yumeko unconsciously lowered her head, "Um—I haven't thought about it yet."

Shiracha Chika glanced at her and said, "You'd better start making plans now, or it'll be too late later."

"Um.

Bai Yuze, who was standing to the side, picked up a piece of braised pork, took a bite, and said, "Where's the class monitor? Where are you doing your internship?"

Bai Cha Qianxia put down her chopsticks and sighed softly, "Where else can I go? Home to inherit the family business and become a rich second-generation heiress, of course~"

The girl's words were full of reluctance, much like Versailles.

Bai Yuzhe wouldn't say he fully understood his class monitor, but he was more or less aware that the other party was genuinely unwilling to inherit the so-called family business.

Bai Yuze pondered for a moment, then asked, "What if you, class monitor, don't have a family business to inherit? What do you want to do after graduation?"

Chinatsu Shiracha paused for a moment, rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, then clenched her little fist and waved it: "Become a magical girl, fight the abyssal monsters, and protect the world!"

Bai Yuzhe looked at her small, white fist and slowly said, "Class monitor, you're not under too much pressure, so you want to beat up the Abyss Beast to vent your frustration, are you?"

"?"

Bai Cha Qianxia looked at Bai Yuze with some surprise, then touched her stomach.

What are you doing?

"I wonder which worm is inside my stomach."

Bai Yuze:

'

""

"Class monitor, you're supposed to be a young lady, can't you use some more polite and refined terms?"

"Mind your own business."

Chinatsu Shiracha withdrew her hand, leaned back in her chair, and spoke with a much more relaxed tone, "However, this period has indeed been very tiring. That governor of the Tokugawa family has been courting disaster, which has already aroused the dissatisfaction of the Xia Federation. If they continue to cause trouble, I feel that it will no longer be the Japan Autonomous Region, but the Japan Province."

Bai Yuze raised an eyebrow.

Is there such a good thing?

Bai Cha Qianxia seemed to have noticed Bai Yuze's smug look of enjoying the show, and glared at him fiercely.

"My dad has been campaigning everywhere lately, trying to get votes and support for his election as prime minister. Naturally, most of the household affairs have fallen to me. At first, I was very ambitious, but I soon realized that what I read in books was completely different from what I actually did. Some people are obsequious to my dad, but they're two-faced when it comes to me —"

Bai Yuze didn't speak, just listened quietly. Occasionally nodding, occasionally refilling her cup, Bai Cha Qianxia's voice became noticeably less tired as she spoke.

After she finished speaking, Bai Yuze said, "If you can't reach an agreement with those old people, talk to someone else. If they don't take you seriously, find someone they do."

"Who should I look for?"

"Didn't you say they were all subservient to your dad? Then let your dad step in."

"But....

""

"You never wanted to inherit in the first place, are you afraid that if you perform too poorly, your father will disqualify you from inheriting?"

Bai Cha Qianxia paused for a moment, as if there was some truth to it. Then her gaze lingered on Bai Yuze's face for a second before shifting to the figure eating quietly beside him.

"Chiba-kun, would you be willing to come and help me?"

Chiba Yume was eating when she suddenly heard her own name called, and her chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

She looked at Bai Chaqianxia, ​​then at Bai Yuze. Bai Yuze didn't speak, simply continuing to eat his meal, as if he hadn't heard her.

"I?"

Chiba Yume's voice was soft, tinged with uncertainty, "Can I really do it?"

Shiracha Chika looked at her and suddenly laughed. "Why not? Do I look that old?"

Chiba Yume lowered her head, her fingers gripping the chopsticks. After a long while, she nodded gently.

"it is good."

Bai Yuze withdrew his gaze, picked up the cup, and took another sip of coconut milk.

Before he knew it, he had incurred another debt of gratitude to the class monitor. Sigh, he really could never repay the class monitor's kindness!