Chapter 6: Worldline
This morning, Wang Jian, as usual, grudgingly set off for work. But when he went out, he saw his son already standing by the front door changing his shoes.
Wang Jian couldn’t help but ask, “So early, where are you going?”
Wang Heng opened the door and replied, “Looking for a job.”
Wang Jian was stunned. After two seconds, he asked with some surprise, “Didn’t you say you wanted to play for two months after the Gaokao ended?”
Wang Heng sighed, “No choice. There are many things I want to do in university, and I can’t start saving money in advance.”
“What things do you want to do? Besides, if you don’t have enough money, just ask me.”
“Can you afford it?”
“You look down on your dad that much?”
“Never mind, I believe you can afford it,” Wang Heng glanced at him, “but you should keep some for yourself, lest you can’t even afford game cards.”
“Heh…”
While chatting, the father and son changed their shoes and left the house.
Reaching the intersection outside the residential area, Wang Jian suddenly asked, “Where do you plan to work?”
“The shopping mall,” Wang Heng, who had clearly thought about it long ago, replied without hesitation, “Places like McDonald’s should be hiring part-time waiters.”
“Right, when working part-time at a legitimate merchant like that, you can’t just go there so foolishly—”
Before his father could finish, Wang Heng interrupted, “I know, I brought my ID card.”
“Huh?” Wang Jian scratched his head, “You kid, you’re quite well-prepared.”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me, you go to work yourself.”
Wang Heng waved his hand and bid farewell to his father. The place he was going to was different from his father’s route to work, so he could only go alone. However, for Wang Heng, whose actual mental age was already approaching thirty, it was not a big deal at all.
Upon arriving at the shopping mall, his first attempt failed; the McDonald’s there did not need part-time staff at the moment. But his second attempt was successful; the milk tea shop next door happened to need temporary employees and could start trying them out that very day.
So, Wang Heng put on an apron and began his career as a store clerk.
Making milk tea doesn’t require much technical skill. As long as you find a young student with adequate learning ability, teaching them a few more times will suffice. However, Wang Heng’s speed of picking things up clearly exceeded normal standards. He only watched once and then operated with a fluid, natural style.
Measuring milk, measuring sugar, adding ice, adding water, shaking the shaker… the entire set of actions was flawless. Even inserting the straw, without touching it with his fingers, he inserted it through the straw’s packaging and completely removed the packaging.
“The taste is also fine,” the shop manager took a sip and couldn’t help but ask, “Have you done this before?”
Wang Heng obviously couldn’t say he had worked part-time at a milk tea shop in his previous life. He simply replied, “Boss, I just graduated from the third year of senior high school.”
“Oh? Then what major are you planning to study?” the shop manager asked with some curiosity, “Is it related to food and beverages?”
“No, I’m studying programming.”
“That’s good too. With your flexible hands, typing on a keyboard should be no problem.”
If it were the eighteen-year-old Wang Heng, he would definitely have said, “Programming relies on the brain, not the fingers.” However, at this moment, he merely smiled and did not have the urge to offend the boss’s pride.
However, Wang Heng then thought of the “Time-Space Administrator’s” warning—he could not go against his original personality, at least not too severely.
So, while starting his work, Wang Heng began to ponder. The words and actions just now should still be within the normal range, far from reaching the level of a causality bug, right?
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After Han Yixuan met Song Xiaoxia, they began their shopping spree. Close best friends always have endless topics to chat about. They talked from morning until noon, found a place to eat a quick meal, and then found a milk tea shop with seats to continue.
But the moment they walked into the milk tea shop, both of them froze.
There were two people behind the counter. One was the shop manager, who smiled and asked as they entered, “Two beautiful ladies, what would you like to drink?”
The shop manager was a man of about thirty, with an unfamiliar face. He had a smile and a warm voice, which was normal. But the store clerk responsible for making milk tea next to him was not so normal.
“Wang Heng!” Song Xiaoxia couldn’t help but exclaim.
Han Yixuan stared at him dumbfoundedly, her mouth slightly open, seemingly too shocked to speak.
The shop manager looked from one to the other and laughed, “Do you know each other?”
Song Xiaoxia nodded, “We’re classmates!”
“What a coincidence?” The shop manager patted his shoulder, “Then you handle this order, from taking the order to making it, okay?”
Wang Heng nodded and took the shop manager’s place. Before he started working, the shop manager had also explained how to use the ordering system. Moreover, with his past experience working part-time, he wasn’t worried about making a fool of himself in front of acquaintances.
“Two, what would you like to drink?”
Song Xiaoxia squinted her eyes with a hint of mischief and asked, “What do you recommend here?”
“The few main pushes on the menu here, I personally think they are all good. And there’s a promotion today, the Coconut Jelly Milk Green Tea is on special, you can try this one.”
“Then I’ll have the Coconut Jelly Milk Green Tea,” Song Xiaoxia nudged her best friend, “Xiao Xuan, what about you?”
“I…” Han Yixuan hastily avoided Wang Heng’s gaze, lowered her head to look at the menu, but couldn’t even take in a single word.
After waiting for a while, Song Xiaoxia looked at him again and asked, “What do you think she likes to drink? Any recommendations?”
“Oolong Roasted Milk Tea, less sugar, less ice, I guess this would suit her taste.”
Hearing Wang Heng say this, Han Yixuan couldn’t help but look up at him and ask in a low voice, “How did you know I liked it?”
“Just a guess.”
Wang Heng wore a smile, but his eyes were quite calm, giving away nothing.
Han Yixuan met his gaze for a few seconds, then lowered her head, “Alright then, I’ll have this one.”
After placing the order and receiving payment, Wang Heng turned to make the milk tea.
In less than a minute, both milk teas were made and delivered to the two girls.
“Are you drinking here, or to go?”
Han Yixuan still avoided eye contact with him, so Song Xiaoxia answered again, “We’ll drink here.”
Wang Heng inserted the straws and handed the milk teas to them.
Han Yixuan took the less sugar, less ice Oolong Milk Tea and closed her eyes after just one sip.
“Is it good?” Song Xiaoxia glanced at Wang Heng and asked.
Han Yixuan did not answer, turned her head, and walked out. But as she stepped, the young girl wiped the corner of her eye, a small movement that did not escape others’ notice.
Seeing the two girls leave in a hurry, and with no other customers in the shop at the moment, the shop manager put an arm around Wang Heng’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Seeing you two like this, it seems like there’s a story there!”
Wang Heng smiled and was about to casually respond when he suddenly felt his mobile phone vibrate in his pocket.
He took out his phone and glanced at it, feeling as if another drop of cold sweat was forming on his forehead.
【This is an emergency alert from the Time-Space Administrator…】
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