Su Cheng Wants a Part-Time Job

Seeing Li Guanqi arrive with Li Zhaohao, Su Cheng couldn't help but tense up. Earlier, he had told Li Guanqi that this café served excellent ice cream coffee.

What if they ended up ordering a couple's coffee with two straws?

That raised the question—how would they even drink it?

Would they leave Li Zhaohao out and share it between themselves?

Or let the sisters drink together?

Or maybe ask the café for a three-headed straw?!

But that would… solve absolutely nothing!

For a moment, Su Cheng was caught in the dilemma of whether to even enter the café.

"Su Cheng, you're finally here."

Suddenly, a sweet, crisp voice full of delight startled him so badly he nearly stumbled.

The two girls had already spotted him and were walking over. Li Guanqi wore her usual calm expression, while Li Zhaohao smiled with pure, angelic charm, as if a celestial being had descended beside him.

"Senior Li, it's been a while."

Su Cheng forced a greeting, silently praying they wouldn’t end up with that couple’s coffee.

Then he glanced at Li Guanqi, tilting his head slightly as if to ask, Are you doing this on purpose or just oblivious?

Unexpectedly…

"Let’s go in. You said the coffee here is great, and since I happened to be out for a walk with my sister today, we thought we’d try it."

Li Guanqi replied nonchalantly, completely ignoring Su Cheng’s suddenly crestfallen expression.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Li Zhaohao glanced between them, her voice timid, looking as delicate and pitiable as a fragile white flower.

Seeing her like this, Su Cheng mentally kicked himself and hurriedly shook his head. "No, of course not! I just didn’t expect you to come. I regret not reserving a table in advance…"

"Actually, any seat is fine."

Li Guanqi’s breezy remark floated over.

"Then let’s hurry inside."

Su Cheng quickly changed the subject and stepped toward the café—only to freeze at Li Zhaohao’s next words.

"Guanqi mentioned you said their ice cream coffee is amazing, so I’ll give it a try today."

"I’ll have one too."

Ignoring Su Cheng’s near-meltdown, the two girls followed him into the elegantly decorated café.

Su Cheng turned and said, "You two find a seat first. I’ll go order."

The girls nodded and settled by the window.

Watching them sit gracefully, Su Cheng exhaled in relief—only to realize the entire café was staring at him with envy.

Just how stunning was Li Zhaohao?

To put it simply, even the staff had stopped working, gaping at the ethereally beautiful girl as if she were an otherworldly fairy.

She stood out like a crane among chickens.

Little did they know, this girl could effortlessly crack open a skull or crush steel into powder.

"Three medium chocolate Frappuccinos and three truffle cakes!"

After ordering, Su Cheng took the seat opposite and slightly to the side of them.

Li Guanqi, scanning the menu, spotted the ice cream coffee and frowned slightly, seemingly piecing together Su Cheng’s earlier unease.

Meanwhile, Li Zhaohao rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window with sparkling, lively eyes.

When Su Cheng returned, both girls fixed their eyes on him.

Uncomfortable under their stares, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I’ve ordered. Anything else you’d like?"

The Li sisters shook their heads, and silence fell. Su Cheng had no idea what to talk about—especially with Li Zhaohao present, many topics were off-limits.

It was afternoon tea, and the café was packed. Servers bustled about clearing tables as more customers streamed in.

But the moment they noticed Li Zhaohao, many men couldn’t help but pause and steal glances.

Su Cheng felt the pressure mounting.

This much attention was dangerous—if he took off his mask and got recognized, things could get messy.

After all, he was now a public figure.

Just then, a server wheeled over a cart and set their orders down, though he looked puzzled at the three servings for two people. Still, he politely said, "Enjoy your meal," before leaving.

Su Cheng nodded in thanks, then debated whether to remove his mask.

"Is this the ice cream coffee?"

Li Zhaohao eyed her drink, phone in hand to document the food, her pretty face scrunched in confusion. Clearly, she didn’t get why a Frappuccino was called ice cream coffee.

"Well, uh… it’s sold out because it’s so popular. But this one’s good too!"

Su Cheng fumbled through a flimsy excuse.

"Oh."

Li Zhaohao nodded and snapped a photo.

Li Guanqi shot him a knowing look.

"Excuse me, we’d like one ice cream coffee and two chocolate lava cakes, please."

Suddenly, a newly seated couple nearby placed their order.

"Damn it!"

Su Cheng’s entire body stiffened. He was so embarrassed he almost wished he could freeze time and hide every last ingredient for ice cream coffee in some hidden corner.

Beside him, Li Guanqi’s grip on her cup tightened, her pupils contracting sharply.

"Hm?"

Li Zhaohao tilted her head curiously at the couple but soon returned to her cake.

"Phew."

Su Cheng relaxed slightly and finally took off his mask to dig into his cake.

But the moment his face was visible, murmurs erupted around them.

Though most eyes were on Li Zhaohao, people had also been curious about the masked guy accompanying such a cute girl.

"That guy looks familiar… Is he a celebrity?"

"Wait, yeah, he does. Some low-tier idol, maybe?"

"Ugh, that pale, pretty-boy type is totally a product of talent shows. Bet he and that girl are just ‘gal pals.’"

At a nearby table, a group of high schoolers—both guys and girls—chattered loudly.

One guy’s tone dripped with disdain, clearly resentful that a "pretty boy" could be friends with someone so adorable.

But one girl in the group locked onto Su Cheng, instantly recognizing him. As she listened to the others, her eyes blazed with shock and fury.

She glared unhappily at the sarcastic classmate who had just spoken and retorted sharply, "He's an archery champion. If someone like that is considered 'effeminate,' then what does that make you?!"

"Uh..."

The others present wore awkward expressions, while the one who had called him "effeminate" lowered his head, his face flushed with embarrassment. After all, the strength required for archery surpassed that of the average person.

Just this girl in front of them—he couldn't even beat her in arm wrestling.

Not to mention the added prestige of being an archery champion.

Someone like this was truly—as the saying goes—"a sparrow eating a cricket, absolutely unbeatable." How could they possibly be compared to those delicate, frail pretty boys?!

Li Guanqi glanced at Su Cheng, who was quietly eating cake beside him, then gave a deep look at the girl who had spoken among the group of their peers before lowering his head to continue eating.

"Now I understand why you booked a private room," Li Zhaohao suddenly remarked, sighing as she looked at Su Cheng. "Turns out Su Cheng is so popular."

Hearing this, Su Cheng nearly spat out his coffee!

Who do you think is to blame for this? If it weren’t for you, who’d even notice me?

He couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, though he forced a smile and explained, "It’s not that exaggerated. I just got recognized after winning a championship—hardly counts as being 'popular.'"

Li Guanqi gave Su Cheng a sidelong glance and dryly pointed out, "Your fan is standing at the door with a notebook and pen, waiting for you."

"..."

Su Cheng was stunned, not expecting to be proven wrong so quickly. He looked up and saw a high school girl standing quietly at the entrance of the shop, not wanting to disturb their meal as she waited for him to come out.

Thankfully, there was no "system marker" floating above her head.

He let out a sigh of relief.

When she noticed Su Cheng looking her way, she playfully blinked her large, sparkling eyes at him, her face lighting up with excitement.

"We’ve eaten enough—should we head out?" Su Cheng asked with a helpless smile, never expecting things to turn out like this.

"Sure."

Li Guanqi nodded and picked up the bill, ready to pay.

Su Cheng quickly stopped him. "I’ll take care of it."

Even though he was nearly broke, he would never let someone else pay when he was the one who had invited them out.

"Let me handle it this time," Li Zhaohao interjected, her gaze drifting meaningfully toward a nearby couple sharing an ice cream coffee. "After all, I did interrupt you two."

Faced with such undeniable evidence—the ice cream coffee—Li Guanqi and Su Cheng exchanged an awkward glance.

Without waiting for a response, Li Zhaohao snatched the bill from Su Cheng’s hand, brushed past Li Guanqi, and strode straight to the counter.

"Let’s just go outside first," Su Cheng muttered awkwardly, putting on a mask since there was no point arguing now that Li Zhaohao had caught on.

......

"Um… Senior Su Cheng!"

As soon as they stepped outside, the energetic girl with a ponytail mustered her courage and approached Su Cheng, her face tinged with shyness. "I’m from Flame City No. 107 High School, and I’m part of the archery club. Our whole club admires you—could you please give me an autograph?"

She held out the notebook she had been clutching to her chest.

Su Cheng paused for a moment before nodding and taking the pen. He signed his name and even added a handwritten message:

"May your archery club flourish and reach new heights every day."

The girl beamed as she held the autographed notebook, her eyes curving into delighted crescents.

"Thank you so much, Senior! Your signature is truly priceless!"

Overjoyed, she bowed deeply in gratitude before practically skipping away, completely forgetting about her classmates still inside the café.

"Should I say 'I want one too' now?"

Li Guanqi suddenly spoke up, his tone flat, though it made Su Cheng’s lips twitch involuntarily.

"Sure, hand me a pen and notebook, and I’ll sign one for you too."

"Forgot to bring them."

"Then?"

"Consider it an IOU."

"Fine."

After exchanging a few more words, Li Zhaohao returned from the café, and Su Cheng escorted both girls to a waiting car.

They waved goodbye as the vehicle drove off.

......

Only after seeing off the two beauties did Su Cheng finally turn his attention to preparing for tomorrow’s outing.

He was going flower-viewing with the club president and the department head.

Since it was an agricultural-themed trip, the itinerary involved taking the subway first, then trekking through mountains and rivers, with an estimated arrival at the peach orchard by afternoon.

Though there would be vendors selling farm produce along the way, Su Cheng preferred self-sufficiency—after all, "he who works with his own hands eats with satisfaction." So today, his main task was gathering supplies for the trip.

For instance, what if he couldn’t catch any fish? That would be embarrassing.

Thus, he decided to buy a few already-dead fish and stash them in his system space. If he failed to catch anything, he could pretend he had.

That way, he could both show off his skills and avoid humiliation.

First, he bought some vegetables, seasonings, a portable grill, and charcoal.

Then he headed to the seafood market, searching for a while before finally spotting his targets in one of the tanks.

He purchased several freshwater fish, one saltwater fish, and a few Boston lobsters.

Why lobsters and saltwater fish?

Well, pretending to catch a regular fish didn’t feel impressive enough—so he planned to "accidentally" reel in a lobster from freshwater!

That would definitely leave the two girls awestruck!

…Okay, fine, he knew they’d see through it immediately. But his real goal was to lighten the mood. If the two started arguing again, he could use this ridiculous stunt to defuse the tension.

With his shopping done, Su Cheng leisurely made his way back home, bags in hand.

Once there, he started making rice balls. After finishing all the prep work, he flopped onto the couch, staring gloomily at his phone’s dwindling balance before sighing aloud, "Money really doesn’t last, does it?"

Now, he was down to his last few thousand. He wasn’t even sure if it would cover tomorrow’s expenses—from what he knew, both fishing and hunting required per-person fees.

Just then, Ya-ya fluttered onto his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek as if to comfort him.

Su Cheng stroked the little bird’s wings, his mood lifting slightly as he pulled up his messages.

He recalled the numerous unknown numbers that had previously reached out, offering him teaching or tutoring positions at schools—all with generous pay.

Back then, he had rejected every single one without even bothering to reply.

But one message in particular caught his eye this time.

It was an invitation to give a lecture.

Sent by the archery club of Flame City No. 107 High School.

Given that the girl who’d asked for his autograph earlier was from the same school, the coincidence struck him, and he immediately opened the email.

The message detailed the school’s background, the archery club’s members—including President Wang Pengyu, Vice President Lin Yurou, Manager Yang Yayun, and five core members, totaling about twenty people—and their activities.

Su Cheng was surprised. He hadn’t expected a non-prestigious school’s club to offer such a substantial fee.

A single lecture—for ten thousand yuan!

It's worth noting that even specialized professors at prestigious universities earn salaries in the range of 8,000 to 10,000.

Yet these ordinary students dared to offer him such exorbitant payment, leaving him utterly baffled.

Unfortunately, he simply lacked the professional qualifications for this and couldn’t possibly agree to join the club, so he had no choice but to politely decline.

"Wait, just a bit of guidance can earn me thousands?"

"Holy crap, they’re offering me 100,000 just to tutor their kid at home on weekends—two hours a day for two days?"