Can Jiuluoyu Also Work As Customer Service In Wuxianliu? Chapter 7
by8:30 AM. Zhang Yu arrived at the Office Building right on time.
Human adaptability is limitless. By his third day of work, he was already accustomed to the empty lobby, heading straight for the elevator bank without glancing around.
Upstairs, the first person Zhang Yu saw was actually Tong Wei.
Tong Wei looked extremely weak, sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes intensely cold.
“Morning,” Zhang Yu said, in a good mood. “You came so early?”
Tong Wei looked at the oblivious Zhang Yu with complicated feelings. “Something like that.”
In truth, he hadn’t left at all.
“You’re so dedicated!” Zhang Yu exclaimed sincerely.
“Life forces your hand.”
Zhang Yu: “!”
A strong sense of mutual understanding welled up in Zhang Yu’s heart. “I get it, I totally get it.”
Hearing his heartfelt words, Tong Wei remained unmoved; his expression only grew stiffer.
Zhang Yu couldn’t figure it out and entered the company office, utterly confused.
The office had been empty yesterday, but today there were several more people, all seemingly buried in hard work at first glance.
They were too dedicated, too competitive.
If things continued this way, the boss would surely be able to buy at least two Land Rovers—one to drive, one to show off.
This was the life of a mature workhorse.
A new face sat across from Zhang Yu: a baby-faced girl who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, yet she was already working like a workhorse.
“Hello.” The girl was very enthusiastic, standing up to greet Zhang Yu. “I’m Ding Anna. You must be Teacher Zhang Yu, right?”
“Hello, hello. Please don’t call me ‘Teacher.’ I’m the newbie; I should be calling you ‘Sis.'”
Ding Anna’s mouth twitched. “Hehe, just call me Anna. You look a bit older than me, so I’ll call you Brother Zhang.”
Zhang Yu happily accepted. Then he remembered the Ghost Painter. He still didn’t know the Ghost Painter’s real name, and calling him ‘Ghost Painter’ felt strange.
He absolutely had to ask for his name next time he had the chance!
After exchanging greetings, Zhang Yu sat down to start work.
His luck was good today; his workstation was relatively clean, with few pending tasks.
“Brother… Brother Zhang,” Ding Anna across the way called softly. “Did you go downstairs with the Ghost Painter yesterday?”
Zhang Yu answered casually, “Yeah, I did.”
“Are you two that close?”
“Of course. He’s a really nice guy. I like him a lot.”
After all, the Ghost Painter was currently the only person who would reply to his messages without fail.
And he replied quickly, too.
Because of this, Zhang Yu had even pinned the Ghost Painter’s chat.
“What did you guys do? Could you recommend something to me? I never know what to do after work,” Ding Anna asked, feigning casualness.
“Eat…” Zhang Yu abruptly stopped the word before it left his mouth. Wait, what if Ding Anna also wanted to eat noodles? He was already nearing the end of his rope financially and couldn’t afford to treat anyone else.
No, he couldn’t say anything.
I’ll treat you next month after I get paid! Zhang Yu silently apologized in his heart.
“Uh, we didn’t do much,” Zhang Yu said. He wasn’t good at lying, and his words lacked conviction, each syllable light and airy.
Ding Anna’s expression darkened. Players all desperately hoped to return to Reality. She had finally found a breakthrough, but the Ghost Painter refused to say much, so she had to look for clues from Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu looked honest, yet he was trying to fool her right away.
“I’m broke,” Zhang Yu said mournfully.
“…” Ding Anna was momentarily speechless. This reason was too simple and unadorned. It was hard to imagine that such a person could not only lead Players out of the Safe House but also provide crucial clues in the Dungeon/Instance.
“There are many kinds of jobs. Why did you choose to work at our company?” Ding Anna asked.
“I mass-applied. This was the only company that hired me.”
“Is that so?” Ding Anna rubbed her forehead, unsure what else to say.
“What about you?” Zhang Yu had watched at least 3,000 social skills short videos and understood the principle that conversations must be reciprocal. The social taboo was being an emotionless answering machine.
He kept reminding himself to reciprocate and finally found an opportunity to pose a counter-question after holding back for a long time.
“Me?” Ding Anna was a bit surprised. After hovering on the edge of life and death several times, she felt like a different person, and her memories of the past were somewhat hazy. She couldn’t immediately recall why she had entered the game.
Her sealed memories gradually loosened. Many images suddenly flashed through Ding Anna’s mind. She paused for a moment, then said vaguely, “To investigate a case.”
Investigate a case?!
Zhang Yu was instantly respectful. Ding Anna was actually an undercover agent.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s expression, Ding Anna knew he had misunderstood and smiled as she explained, “I’m not a police officer. I’m just an enthusiast of urban legends. I was very curious about a missing person case from several years ago, so I started investigating it involuntarily…”
Zhang Yu listened intently, though he didn’t understand what this had to do with working a 9 to 5.
“It happened when I was in middle school. There was a senior in our high school division who was very violent. He severely beat a classmate, sending him to the hospital with serious injuries, apparently.”
“They were both seniors at the time, and old enough. The victim’s family reported it, and the police opened a case normally. Under normal circumstances, the senior would definitely have been sentenced… but he suddenly disappeared.”
Zhang Yu was listening with great interest, completely drawn into the story. “Huh?”
“Yes, he vanished. They couldn’t find him no matter what. Not even the street surveillance cameras captured any clues. It was like a drop of water merging into the ocean, leaving no trace. Of course, some people speculated he was hiding at home to evade legal punishment, but the police had already searched all suspicious locations and consistently came up empty.”
“But the matter didn’t end there. A few months later, the victim he had beaten and sent to the hospital also disappeared.”
Zhang Yu: “!”
“Similarly, the police and the families used every means possible but couldn’t find any trace of them. It was as if an invisible hand had used an eraser to wipe away their existence.”
“Whoa…” Cold sweat broke out on Zhang Yu. He instinctively felt scared, fearing he might suddenly disappear into the crowd too. “Then what happened?”
“Then nothing happened. Several years passed, and still no clues were found. Later, the missing persons case spread and became a famous local urban legend. Many people wrote analyses online, with many wild speculations, but they seemed far from the truth.”
“What is the truth?” Zhang Yu asked subconsciously.
“It will probably never be known,” Ding Anna looked away, giving a self-deprecating smile. “I used to be very curious about this case and often pondered it privately. While thinking about it, I somehow ended up here.”
Zhang Yu: “?”
He knew every single word, but he couldn’t understand them when put together. Was this some kind of profound language?
He felt like some information was missing in the middle. How did investigating a case lead to becoming a corporate drone? How was that cause and effect linked? Where was the process in between?
However, to avoid revealing his illiteracy, Zhang Yu pretended he understood, as usual. “I see. That must be tough for you.”
Ding Anna moved her lips, seeming like she wanted to say something more, but her gaze suddenly shifted to the distance. She stood up and hurried away from her Post.
Zhang Yu: “?”
Tong Wei called Ding Anna out with a gloomy expression. “I know you’re clever. Don’t try anything with Zhang Yu.”
Ding Anna laughed. “What am I trying? Don’t you want to leave the game?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“If I recall correctly, you were scoffing at Zhang Yu’s proposal in the Dungeon/Instance yesterday. Why the change of tune overnight?”
Tong Wei: “…”
He had indeed distrusted Zhang Yu at first, but it was Zhang Yu’s words in the Dungeon/Instance yesterday that had given them the inspiration needed to successfully clear it.
Without Zhang Yu, that group of them would likely have died inside.
Tong Wei didn’t like owing favors. He would repay this debt sooner or later. “In any case, don’t provoke him. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences.”
“Heh.” Ding Anna rolled her eyes. “You really are exactly as I imagined… self-righteous.”
Tong Wei: “?”
Ding Anna smiled without warmth. “Speaking of which, I practically grew up hearing your story. I shouldn’t be wrong, should I? Suspect Tong, who beat up a classmate in his senior year, nearly went to jail, but then mysteriously disappeared before the trial.”
Tong Wei grabbed Ding Anna’s throat.
“You haven’t had an easy time in the game these past few years, but your father has had it harder. As far as I know, he’s been looking for you all this time and living a very poor life.”
“Shut up!” Tong Wei tightened his grip.
“Killing me won’t change the facts.” Ding Anna didn’t seem to feel any pain and continued to provoke Tong Wei as much as possible. “I’m genuinely curious. You’re clearly a mature person, so why did you hit someone at a crucial moment, and hit them hard enough to send them to the hospital? You couldn’t have been unaware of the consequences.”
“Why? What did they do to you?”
“Want to know?” Tong Wei sneered. “When you die, you can ask them in the Yellow Springs (Underworld).”
“It doesn’t matter if I die; no one in the real world cares. But don’t you care? Your father is still waiting for you.”
Tong Wei loosened his grip slightly.
“If you want to get out, listen to me. I’ll find a way,” Ding Anna said with a triumphant, confident smile.
“No thanks,” Tong Wei threw her aside. “It’s unnecessary.”
“What are you two doing?!” Zhang Yu’s horrified voice rang out.
Tong Wei and Ding Anna looked over simultaneously. Zhang Yu was holding a water bottle with both hands, staring at them dumbfounded.
“What’s going on?” Zhang Yu was at a loss, unable to believe what he was seeing—Tong Wei was workplace bullying Ding Anna!
Zhang Yu quickly shielded Ding Anna and spoke to Tong Wei. “Calm down. What happened?”
Tong Wei was irritated and didn’t speak.
“It’s nothing, Brother Zhang,” Ding Anna stood up, leaning against the wall. “Brother Tong was teaching me self-defense. We were practicing.”
“Is that so?!” Zhang Yu was shocked.
“Yes, Brother Tong is very skilled and teaches well. You can join us and learn too.” Ding Anna lifted her chin. “See? There are no marks. Brother Tong knows his limits.”
“I… I don’t need to.” Zhang Yu relaxed. As long as it wasn’t bullying, it was fine. “You two continue practicing. I was just going to get some water.”
Turning around, Zhang Yu still felt a little scared. Seeing isn’t always believing. It was a good thing he hadn’t said anything too harsh to Tong Wei just now, or it would have severely affected their colleague relationship.