Lin Jiang recognized the woman who came in. Her name was Zhou Wanyu.
She was a regular customer, and they were even friends on a messaging app, so she would often message him in advance to order noodles.
He had such a vivid impression of her not just because she was a regular, but for another reason as well.
Zhou Wanyu worked at a counter in Berkeley Mall, selling high-end Glashütte watches.
And that brand was Lin Jiang's absolute favorite, bar none.
CLICK-CLACK-CLACK—
Zhou Wanyu walked up to Lin Jiang in her high heels.
"Were you about to close?"
"I was, but now that you're here, I can't let you go hungry."
"I knew I could count on you."
Zhou Wanyu chuckled, pulling out a chair and sitting down. She looked a little tired.
"The usual? Chicken noodle soup and a Coke?"
"No chicken noodle soup today. Do you have beef noodle soup?"
"Yep. Just a minute."
"Oh, and a room-temperature Coke, please."
'Her 'aunt' must be visiting.'
"Got it."
Lin Jiang turned and went back to the kitchen. He made Zhou Wanyu a bowl of beef noodle soup, adding a few extra slices of beef.
While preparing the food, Lin Jiang tapped the exclamation mark above her head.
[Quest Name: Even a Cornered Rabbit Will Bite]
[Quest Description: Help collect evidence of Mall Manager Ma Shangxi's affair and get him kicked out of Berkeley Mall.]
[Quest Reward: Lucky Card x1, 40 EXP]
'40 EXP! Not bad!'
Lin Jiang's expression grew serious. He looked at the quest again. 'This seems a bit difficult.'
Lin Jiang knew who Ma Shangxi was. He was the manager of Berkeley Mall.
When Lin Jiang first planned to open his shop, he had wanted a spot in the mall's basement food court, but Ma Shangxi had rejected his application, looking down on him in the process.
He had claimed that an independent shop would lower the mall's prestige.
Back then, Lin Jiang had silently sworn to make his noodle shop so big and successful that he'd steal all the business from the food court.
That dream, however, had yet to be realized.
Once the noodles were ready, Lin Jiang grabbed a room-temperature Coke and brought it over to Zhou Wanyu.
Because she came by so often, Zhou Wanyu didn't act like a stranger at Lin Jiang's place.
She had kicked off one shoe, propping that foot up on her chair while the other dangled down, looking completely relaxed.
Zhou Wanyu held up the Coke, wiggling it in front of Lin Jiang with a mischievous smile.
"Boss, could you give me a hand?"
Lin Jiang smiled and twisted the cap off for her.
GULP, GULP. She took a big swig, her expression one of pure satisfaction.
"Working the late shift today?"
"You know it. I've been on my feet all day, I'm dead tired. And to top it off, that old pervert was harassing me again. It's a double whammy."
Zhou Wanyu rubbed her ankle, her expression weary.
"Honestly, I'm not even that hungry. I just wanted to get out and decompress a bit, you know? Treat myself."
"What kind of 'treating' are we talking about? I'll have to respond accordingly."
Realizing the double meaning in his words, Zhou Wanyu burst out laughing.
"Satisfying my stomach, of course! But I suspect you're making a dirty joke, and I have evidence."
'I could also get you satisfied in one step.'
"You said someone was harassing you. Was it Ma Shangxi?"
"How did you guess?" Zhou Wanyu looked at Lin Jiang, surprised.
"I've seen him around. You can tell he's a lecher just by looking at him. And in the entire mall, you're a real knockout. It's only natural he'd have his eyes on you."
"He actually hinted at it before, but back then, my uncle worked at the mall. He was a junior manager, so Ma Shangxi didn't dare try anything. Now my uncle's retired, and he's started targeting me again. He messages me every day. It's so annoying it's driving me crazy."
The mention of Ma Shangxi was like opening a floodgate for Zhou Wanyu.
"There isn't a single person in the mall who can stand him. Someone even bought a little voodoo doll online to stick pins in at night, haha."
"Since he hasn't succeeded, has he started threatening you on the sly?" Lin Jiang slowly cast his line, waiting for Zhou Wanyu to spill the details bit by bit.
"Of course he has. Because I keep ignoring him, he's been finding ways to give me trouble lately. He's clearly targeting me."
"What are you going to do? Quit?"
"No way I'm quitting. The pay and benefits are pretty good here, and they offer a full social insurance and housing fund package. I definitely can't quit unless it's my absolute last resort."
Zhou Wanyu looked at Lin Jiang conspiratorially. "Let me tell you, he's not clean. He has other women on the side. I want to find evidence and expose him. That way, the company will have to fire him."
"Nothing wrong with that plan. The key is how to gather the evidence."
"I've thought it over. If it comes down to it, I'll hire a private investigator. I'm willing to go all out!"
"That's one way to do it, but you can't rush things."
Although they didn't know each other that well, Lin Jiang could tell Zhou Wanyu was a decisive person who acted swiftly. She was definitely capable of doing something like that.
'If that's what happens, then there'll be nothing for me to do, and the quest will be a bust.'
'After all, investigating Ma Shangxi's dirty laundry shouldn't be too hard.'
"You're right, I can't rush it. I need to find a reliable private investigator and take it slow."
As she was eating, Zhou Wanyu suddenly put down her chopsticks and looked at Lin Jiang with a serious expression.
"The way you're looking at me makes me think *you're* the one who needs to be satisfied."
"Haha…" Zhou Wanyu roared with laughter, bending back and forth. She wasn't offended by his joke at all.
"I just thought of an idea."
"You're not going to ask me to be the private investigator, are you? That's really not my strong suit."
That's what he said, but on second thought, Lin Jiang figured if she really asked him to do it, it might just work.
'The process isn't important, as long as the objective is met.'
"I know that's not your thing. How about you pretend to be my boyfriend and come to the mall with me to intimidate him a little?"
Zhou Wanyu boldly poked Lin Jiang in the chest.
"You look pretty built. After he sees you, he won't have the guts to harass me anymore."
Lin Jiang didn't mind being used as a human shield.
But that wasn't what the quest required, so there was no point in doing it.
According to the game's rules, the quests issued were what the NPCs truly wanted. Therefore, what she just said must have been a joke, not what she actually wanted him to do.
Otherwise, the quest description would have been different.
"If you need me to, I don't mind," Lin Jiang said with a smile.
"I knew you were reliable. But I was just kidding, don't take it seriously. I can't cause trouble for you."
After a few more bites of her noodles, Zhou Wanyu put down her chopsticks, then took out her phone to scan the QR code and pay.
"I'm heading out. Bye-bye."
"Bye."
After Zhou Wanyu left, there were no other customers in the shop, so Lin Jiang prepared to close up as well.
He turned off the lights, locked the door, pulled down the rolling shutter, and stuck a note that read 'Closed for the Day' on it before heading home.
[Player has worked hard for a day. Physique +1.]
On the way back, he picked up some Zhou Hei Ya to have a little drink and celebrate the good life.
He strolled leisurely back home, and as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he heard voices.
"Honey, this project is pretty urgent. I didn't get to stay home for long and now I have to leave again. I'm so sick of this job."