Chapter 2: Waitress An Bu
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Around 8 AM, An Bu’s Vitality suddenly increased by 75 points. Without guessing, she knew the intoxicated man had successfully avoided a calamity.
Feeling relieved, An Bu listened to music while intricately carving shapes from fruits and vegetables. After finishing the carvings, she arranged them on a plate, took photos, uploaded them to Facebook, and then unhesitatingly threw them into the juicer.
An Bu had re-applied for Facebook after acquiring her current identity. She uploaded photos of handcrafts every day, mainly fruit and vegetable carvings, occasionally including pottery, fabric arts, knitting, and more—skills she had learned over the years. These activities greatly enhanced her finger dexterity and creative thinking.
Her USB drive stored many similar images, ranging from the appalling early attempts to the exquisite and detailed creations later on. She spent several times more time than an average person, and every time she injured her fingers, it increased her Death Value by 1-5 points. However, once she mastered the skills, publishing the works on public platforms accumulated popularity and increased her Vitality.
An Bu had currently summarized several methods to increase her Vitality. The first was the simplest—living in a popular area, requiring no effort and adding 1-20 points of Vitality every day. The second was maintaining a healthy diet, the third involved regular exercise, the fourth was engaging in high-popularity activities, the fifth was helping people avoid imminent death, and the sixth was participating in disaster relief or charity work.
The first three were considered daily tasks and earned very few Vitalitys, only enough to balance expenses. After all, hunger, laziness, poisoning, staying away from crowds, and other factors reduced Vitality. The latter three had more significant development potential but were more challenging to operate and required opportunities.
Just as she was thinking about this, her phone on the sofa suddenly rang. An Bu drank the freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juice in one gulp, then picked up the phone, saying, “Hello.”
“Bu Bu, I need your help urgently!” A pleasant female voice came from the other end, carrying a hint of helplessness. She was An Bu’s friend, Xin Yan, whom she had befriended a year ago. Xin Yan had an upbeat personality and was devoid of any scheming.
“What’s the matter?” An Bu asked while tidying up the table.
“Can you cover my shift today? My boyfriend is returning to the country, and I want to pick him up.”
“No problem. What time? Have you informed the supervisor?”
“I’ll talk to the supervisor in a while. Just be there before 11. Thank you, Bu Bu, I knew you were the best!”
“Of course, I’m the best national bestie,” An Bu commented matter-of-factly.
“Haha, yes. I’ll count on you, Bu Bu. I’ll treat you to a big meal when I’m back.”
After hanging up, An Bu checked the time on her phone; it was 10:05. She should get ready to leave.
Xin Yan worked as a waitress at a restaurant called “Carisse,” which was only seven to eight hundred meters away from An Bu’s residence. It took just a few minutes to walk there.
It wasn’t the first time An Bu covered for Xin Yan. After exchanging greetings with the restaurant supervisor, she directly entered the staff room, changed into the uniform, and prepared to start her shift.
“Sell everything! That’s right, immediately. Also, conduct a short-term market evaluation…”
A man entered the restaurant, unfazed, talking on the phone, and headed towards a corner seat. He was nearly 190 centimeters tall, with slightly messy deep brown hair. His blue eyes revealed a cold and sharp demeanor, and his long legs took big strides as if carrying a wave of heat, raising the temperature around him. His outstanding appearance drew the attention of many.
After sitting down, the man hung up the phone, placed his notebook on the table, turned on the screen, and rapidly typed on the black keyboard with ten clearly defined fingers.
“Sir, may I help you?” An Bu approached politely.
Without lifting his head, the man replied, “Steak set meal number 3.”
“Alright, please wait a moment.” An Bu turned and left.
Just a few meters away, the man suddenly looked up, casting a curious glance at her retreating figure, a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.
An Bu inputted the customer’s food order into the ordering system on her handheld device and continued serving other customers. The ordering system would remind her when the food was ready, and during settlement, the number of customers she served, their satisfaction ratings, and bonuses and tips were directly linked.
At that moment, the ordering system emitted a beep, and An Bu was about to go to the service window to pick up the customer’s food when a fair-faced female server approached earnestly. “An Bu, can you switch tables with me for the customer at table 9? I’ll swap with you.”
“Sure, go ahead.” An Bu exchanged tables without hesitation. The other server gave her table 18, which had a wealthy and amiable chubby old man, while they took over table 9, where a handsome young elite sat.
An Bu had a habit of remembering every person she encountered. Without deliberate effort, she could describe the seating arrangements, the number of people, and the physical features of all the restaurant’s customers. The customer at table 9, whom she had just served, left the deepest impression on her. It wasn’t because of his appearance, but rather the strong vitality emanating from him.
“Thank you.” The female server warmly hugged An Bu, adjusted her attire, and, holding the tray, gracefully walked towards table 9.
Her name was “Zhiniya,” a non-monogamist with an open mind, often scouting for one-night stands in restaurants or bars.
An Bu refrained from commenting on this, acknowledging that everyone has their own way of living.
“Sir, here is your steak set meal number 3.” Zhiniya elegantly arranged the dishes on the table, leaning slightly forward, revealing a hint of cleavage beneath her partially unbuttoned shirt.
Jian Ningxuan’s attention remained on his notebook, completely unaware that a seductive figure was sending signals his way.
Zhiniya, blushing with an accelerated heartbeat and a slightly feverish body, scanned the man from head to toe with a fiery gaze, growing more satisfied the longer she looked.
Seeing no reaction from him, Zhiniya, taking advantage of pouring water, intentionally spilled some on the man’s keyboard.
“Oops!” She covered her chest, looking panic-stricken as she stared at the man. “Sir, I’m so sorry!”
Jian Ningxuan abruptly closed his notebook, sharply turning his gaze toward her.
Zhiniya’s face stiffened. Whether it was because the air conditioning was broken or due to excessive nervousness, she felt the temperature around her suddenly rise, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
“Sir, I apologize once again.” Zhiniya bowed slightly, persistently trying to flirt, oblivious to her somewhat unnatural expression. “If I’ve caused you any loss, I’m willing to compensate. Here’s my card; you can contact me anytime.”
Saying that, she lightly placed the prepared card on the table, pushing it towards the man.
Jian Ningxuan, indifferent, took out his credit card, swiftly swiped it on the self-payment device, then stood up, holding the notebook, and walked briskly out of the restaurant, immediately deciding never to return.
Zhiniya stood dumbfounded in place, staring at the man’s departing figure, her face alternating between red and pale.
As he was about to leave the restaurant, Jian Ningxuan happened to pass by An Bu. He felt a cool breeze brushing past him from the side. He paused, turning to look at An Bu.
The silhouette was familiar – the waitress who had initially taken his order.
Jian Ningxuan was about to call her over when his phone in his pocket suddenly rang. He answered the call, frowned slightly, and paid no more attention to the waitress, walking out of the restaurant.
In the parking lot, Jian Ningxuan removed the hard disk chip from the notebook and unhesitatingly threw the laptop into the trash. This custom-built laptop, worth over three hundred thousand, waterproof and shockproof with high-end configuration, was discarded just because it got a few drops of water…
In the restaurant, An Bu noticed that the food at table 9 remained untouched and curiously asked, “What happened?”
Biting her lip, Zhiniya, while tidying up the table, vented, “That man is extremely stingy. I accidentally spilled water on his laptop, and he immediately paid the bill and left. His notebook looked like a high-end one, definitely waterproof. I sincerely apologized, but he didn’t give me any face.”
An Bu just smiled and remained silent. What could she say? Express regret for missing a chance for a romantic encounter, encourage her to try again, or congratulate the customer for escaping a potential mishap?
“Indeed, when looking for a man, you can’t just judge by appearance.” Zhiniya continued to vent her frustration, “That man is so indifferent to women; I guess he either has a character issue or is simply gay…”
An Bu didn’t continue listening and turned to attend to other customers.
At the food serving window, An Bu saw a waitress energetically talking to another.
“Sister Wang, please, can you switch tables with me?” The short-haired waitress pleaded, clasping her hands together. “Table 24 has two people from Country Y, and I heard you can speak Y language. Could you please go and serve them?”
The waitress referred to as “Sister Wang” hesitated, saying, “Although I can speak Y language, I’m not very proficient. I’m afraid I won’t be of much help.”
This restaurant originally had a translation supervisor, but today happened to be their day off. Also, foreign customers were relatively rare, and even if there were any, they were mostly from Country E, where the waitstaff could manage with E language. However, Y language was seldom encountered.
The short-haired waitress pleaded urgently, “It’s okay if you’re not proficient; as long as you understand the restaurant’s daily phrases.”
“Sorry.” Sister Wang declined again, “I can’t help you.”
At that moment, Zhiniya walked by and mocked, “You usually boast about your language proficiency, but when it matters, you back down.”
Sister Wang snorted coldly, said nothing more, and busied herself with her own tasks.
Zhiniya, with a disdainful glance, then approached the short-haired waitress and asked softly, “Are those two people from Country Y handsome? If they are, sister will help you.”
The short-haired waitress asked in a hushed voice, “Can you speak Y language? They don’t speak Mandarin or English well, and there are many issues…”
“Just tell me, are they handsome?”
“Not… particularly.”
Zhiniya scoffed, waved her hand dismissively, and left.
The short-haired waitress: (Q_Q) Can’t I get a bit of love from my colleagues…
“Little Jiu.” An Bu walked over, “Let me switch with you.”
Little Jiu looked at An Bu with teary eyes, as if she was looking at a savior.
An Bu smiled, patted her head affectionately, and exchanged tables with her for Table 24.
Little Jiu, still worried, discreetly observed An Bu’s interaction with the people from Country Y. If anything went wrong, she couldn’t let her shoulder the blame alone. After five minutes, Little Jiu was astonished to find that An Bu spoke Y language fluently and had excellent communication skills. The satisfied expressions on the customers’ faces were evidence enough.
When An Bu returned with a 30,000 yuan order, Xiao Jiu’s admiration for her immediately escalated to the level of a devoted fan!
Author’s note: The technology in this alternate timeline is slightly more advanced than the present but not significantly so.
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