Universe Infinite Canteen

After packing up his stall, Ma Lu went over to the restaurant to check on the renovation progress and handed out cigarettes to the workers.

Since his requirements were relatively simple and the foundation of the hotpot restaurant was already decent, the renovation process was quick. In two more days, once the ventilation and exhaust system was completed, the major part of the hard decorations would be done.

Ma Lu had already ordered most of the soft furnishings like tables, chairs, and light fixtures from the seafood market. What remained was mainly the design and production of the storefront sign and the purchase of kitchen equipment.

Especially with the kitchen equipment, Ma Lu planned to ask Old Wang's opinion since it was Old Wang's domain.

Lately he also went up to the second floor; the putty had been sanded down and left to set for two days, and tomorrow they could start painting.

Latex paint generally needed three coats, which would also take about 3 to 4 days. In the meantime, they could also handle the waterproofing of the window sills.

After discussing with the foreman, Old He, the minor defects that needed revising, Ma Lu finally ended a day of running around and rode the tricycle back to his rented apartment complex.

However, he couldn't go upstairs to rest immediately; he asked Old Wang to make a bowl of fried noodles with the last of the ingredients.

Carrying the lunch box, Ma Lu walked into the internet café across the street.

Zhen Ye's sleeping schedule was erratic, sometimes sleeping at night, sometimes during the day, and she could stay up through the night when the few games she played had important events or major updates.

Ma Lu was in luck today; when he arrived, Zhen Ye was still awake.

In the private booth, the girl sat on her knees in the gaming chair, wearing headphones, focused and gripping the mouse, engrossed in her game.

Ma Lu didn't disturb her and stood behind her with the food container.

The character controlled by Zhen Ye was apparently on a farm,holding an AWM sniper rifle; she moved the mouse periodically, rotating the camera.

She quickly spotted a target, right-clicked to scope in, locked onto the target, and then with a gentle left-click, completed the kill.

The whole process was done in one fluid second.

But then a burst of blood suddenly exploded from Zhen Ye's character. In the face of danger, she didn't panic and controlled her character to execute evasive snake-like moves. She quickly scanned the area with a wide camera swing and identified the assailant by the barn.

This time her actions were even faster, just a quick scope-in and a glance before firing again.

Boom! A headshot!

The number of remaining players in the top left changed to 2, meaning that besides Zhen Ye, there was only one other player left in the game.

Zhen Ye's character was low on health, but her demeanor remained relaxed, even taking the time to take a sip from the bottle of mineral water on the desk.

Then she continued to move the mouse around. Before Ma Lu could see anything, Zhen Ye had already scoped in again and pulled the trigger.

A line of text appeared at the bottom of the screen

——You eliminated "Invincible Grandpa" with a headshot from the AWM sniper rifle (191m).

Only when the target's head burst into blood did Ma Lu realize that the guy was actually hiding in a wheat field.

As the game ended, Zhen Ye also took off her headphones and said, "Hungry..."

"Oh, here, eat up. It's just been made," Ma Lu said, placing the bowl of fried noodles in front of Zhen Ye.

Zhen Ye immediately lifted the lid and broke apart the disposable chopsticks, burying her head in the bowl and eating voraciously.

"Tasty."

"Right? Old Wang's fried noodles are the best in the universe."

"Mmm. Fried noodles… Awesome!" Zhen Ye didn't doubt it for a second.

It took her less than three minutes to devour the noodles in the bowl as if a gust of wind had swept through, even the carrot shreds she previously disliked were eaten clean.

After putting down the bowl, Zhen Ye brought up past events and started typing on her phone.

——Let's play games together.

"Ah, I'm not particularly talented in shooting."

——Have you played shooting games before?

"I've never played shooting games, but I've tried shooting, both hand crossbows and handguns, and I'm just a bit below average," Ma Lu paused, then added, "But I've seen you play and you're quite good. Have you had any special training in this area?"

Zhen Ye shook his head, "Playing... a lot, you get better."

"Then you must be quite good at games."

"I can teach... you."

"I'll wait until I'm less busy," Ma Lu said, "Then I can play a couple of rounds with you, as long as you don't mind me holding you back."

After a brief chat with Zhen Ye, Ma Lu was ready to head home to sleep.

This trip to Different Dimension was the most exhausting one he had ever had; he fought from the beginning to the end, with a pace even tighter than that of 'Wandering Earth.'

Ma Lu was already yawning with fatigue, but as he approached the net cafe's entrance, the cafe owner called out to him.

"young man, how did it go, doesn't your girlfriend want to go home with you?"

"Huh?"

"Look at you, leaving your girlfriend to sleep in the cafe like this. Listen to your elder sister's advice, regardless of who's right or wrong, you should apologize to her first, coax her, and take her home."

"Oh, you misunderstand, she's not my girlfriend."

"Not your girlfriend?" The cafe owner scrutinized Ma Lu up and down, "Then what's your relationship?"

"Landlord and tenant."

"You kicked the girl out?" The cafe owner's eyes widened.

"She is the landlord, I'm the tenant."

The cafe owner's mind was struggling to follow.

"You don't have to guess wildly. Our living space—no, her living space and my shop—are under renovation. She didn't want to rent another place to stay, so she temporarily decided to stay in the net cafe."

"Then why do you come over every day and even bring food for her?" The cafe owner was skeptical.

"Hmm... maybe because I'm handsome and just happen to be kind-hearted?" Seeing the cafe owner hesitate, Ma Lu added, "Is there something else?"

"Are you really not her boyfriend? Yesterday, she came out to buy red tea, and there were a few young guys crowding around her, asking for her phone number.

"I know those guys, none of them are decent characters; they've fought in my net cafe before, and I think one even got detained for half a month."

Ma Lu raised his eyebrows, "Really?" He looked toward the surfing area, "Which ones?"

"Those guys left half an hour ago, said they were going to sing karaoke. By the way, today someone was lurking outside your girlfriend's private room; luckily I have cameras. You'd better tell your girlfriend to not just wander out of the net cafe willy-nilly."

"It's the landlord," Ma Lu corrected, "But thanks, big sister. By the way, will those guys come back tomorrow?"

"They probably will. They've been coming almost every day recently to hang out for a while."

"Oh, I understand." Ma Lu nodded.

"Still saying you're not boyfriend and girlfriend," the cafe owner muttered, "Just don't be impulsive, young man. A wise man does not eat the loss in front of him—in case it really isn't manageable, just take your girlfriend and change places."

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Ma Lu smiled, "Thanks for the reminder. Here's my mobile number; if those guys really return tomorrow, could you send me a message? I'll come and take my landlord away."

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