Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1637 - 893: Gifted Experts

Guo Kunnan felt a pang of envy. He let out a sigh, remarking, "I never would have guessed you’d end up at an internet cafe to hop online." He was well aware that Jiang Ning possessed a top-tier computer setup at home.

Jiang Ning offered a light laugh in return. "I’m just taking them out to broaden their perspectives a little."

Chen Siyu cast a sharp look at the foxy attendant. She was exactly the sort of person Chen Siyu detested—holding all the leverage, stalling for time, and relishing the chance to toy with customers. She promptly produced a hundred-yuan bill, flicked it through the air for flair, blew on the note, and demanded, "How much for an overnight stay, sister?"

For some inexplicable reason, the attendant caught a whiff of a rather skeevy vibe coming from this girl. She replied, "Fifteen."

"Then sign us up for the night, for all three of us," Chen Siyu insisted.

The attendant was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly smoothed over her expression with a practiced professional air. "Overnight packages are available, but they don't start until ten. It isn’t even eight yet, and the current rate is five yuan per hour."

"Ah, fine then," Chen Siyu conceded. "We'll pay by the hour for now and switch to the full package later."

This customer is absolutely shameless, the attendant thought. Since Yucai Internet Cafe operated in the shadows, they could create accounts without hassle; she promptly registered the group.

Guo Kunnan witnessed how efficiently she managed yet another group and couldn't help but gush, "Xiao Yu, you're both stunning and incredibly efficient. Being just an internet cafe attendant is a total waste of your talents!"

Xiao Yu took in the compliment, lifted her chin, and eyed Guo Kunnan. "Oh really? And what do you think I should be doing then?"

Drawing from his rather limited reservoir of worldly wisdom, Guo Kunnan thought for a moment before suggesting, "You should be a receptionist!"

The mere mention of being a receptionist sent Xiao Yu into a trance of longing. Visions of grand, high-rise glass offices danced in her head—people in sharp business suits wandering about while she, dressed in a pristine uniform, greeted executives with a polished smile, as if she had finally reached the peak of her life.

Chen Siyu blurted out, her voice flat, "Are you an idiot? Being an internet cafe attendant is essentially the same thing!"

Xiao Yu stood there, stunned into silence.

... Chen Siyu moved off to join Jiang Ning at the terminals. Before even taking a seat, Jiang Ning sent a pulse of spiritual power across the area, banishing every speck of grime and grease from his chair, desk, and hardware until everything was spotless. Watching him settle in, a sly glint returned to Chen Siyu's eyes. Falling back into her old habit of teasing Bai Yuxia, she started her game, "Jiang Ning, this corner is so isolated. I really want to sit with you!"

Jiang Ning replied, "Don’t worry, I brought a box."

Chen Siyu blinked, momentarily confused. Wait, that didn't sound right? She hesitated for a heartbeat before pressing her luck further, coaxing him, "I just really want for us to be good friends."

Jiang Ning nonchalantly fished out a box of chocolates. "Here, have some."

Two minutes later, Chen Siyu sat with a sour expression, begrudgingly snacking on the chocolates. She had to admit, they were actually quite tasty.

The New Year season meant the cafe was thriving. By Jiang Ning’s internal count, Boss Wei’s new establishment was a massive success, far exceeding the expectations he had harbored in his previous life. Because Evergreen Liquid had gained such momentum, the local school had increased its intake, leading to a boom in the population. The profits from the campus store had given Boss Wei the capital to go all-in on this massive internet cafe.

Besides the desk staff, there was a dedicated manager handling events, with the massive display screen overhead currently casting a 5v5 match occurring inside the walls of the shop. The manager would chime in with sporadic commentary, creating a surprisingly lively atmosphere.

Chen Siyu was currently wrapped up in a bot match, yet she harbored a deep longing for the spotlight—she was obsessed with the idea of eSports. To put it bluntly, she adored the game, even if her skill level was rather questionable.

"We should join the cafe tournament later!" Chen Siyu shouted with sudden fervor.

Jiang Ning nodded. "Sure."

With his promise secured, Chen Siyu dove back into her bot match, already imagining herself as a professional gamer.

Jiang Ning had initially planned to slog through the boring game with her, but the moment they logged in, Tongtong caught him while on patrol. After explaining he was just playing on a mobile device, he jumped into a duo queue with her instead.

After suffering a humiliating loss against the bots, Chen Siyu noticed Jiang Ning was still deeply engrossed in a duo match with Tongtong. At that moment, the energy in the cafe spiked even higher as the proprietor, Boss Wei, arrived on the scene accompanied by the school's most legendary eSports prodigy—Nie Ze!

Guo Kunnan stared at the handsome youth illuminated by the glow of the massive screen. Gripping his mouse, he whispered to Cui Yu, "Holy crap, that’s Nie Ze! I heard that back in his freshman year, he was raking in cash through boosting, effortlessly hitting King rank in the top server and even bodying players in the Korean region!"

Listening to Guo Kunnan gush over someone else’s exploits left Cui Yu feeling a bit bitter; his own Spider play was legendary, so why wasn't he getting the praise? Cui Yu kept clicking away, grumbling, "Heh, those 'experts' might dazzle you, but in truth..."

Wang Longlong chimed in, "In truth, he doesn't hold a candle to Brother Cui!"

Cui Yu, feeling suddenly vindicated, bought Wang Longlong a crispy sausage as a reward. As Boss Wei announced that Nie Ze would be joining the random matchmaking pool, Guo Kunnan quietly started preparing his own entry, desperate to earn a spot. To ensure no one threw the game and ruined the spectacle for the audience, Boss Wei revealed a massive incentive: anyone who could manage to beat the star player would instantly receive 66 yuan in credits. The room erupted in excitement.

The intimidating Jiang Ning stayed in his ranked queue with Tongtong for the fun of it, while a less confident Chen Siyu started psyching herself up for her own turn in the cafe event. As the crowd swelled, what was once a quiet, remote corner of the room became bustling.

A few men, likely in their late twenties, sat nearby, airing their grievances about their grueling work schedules. "I couldn't even take a break after handing in my resignation. I have to head back to Nan City the day after tomorrow; this is literally my last night here!"

"Same here. We only got three days for the New Year. I ended up swapping shifts with a colleague just to get away," another added.

"My coworker is the same, had to sacrifice his time off just to get married," another muttered, their voices heavy with the grind of their daily lives.

A man in a down jacket with thick glasses sighed, "I just hope my next job hop works out better than the last one."

"Such is the life of a workhorse, I suppose."

"True enough. It wouldn't be called job-hopping if it wasn't a constant struggle, right?" They let out a weary laugh, clearly bonding over their shared misery.

Suddenly, a stray comment floated from the corner: "Even the farm cows only work four hours a day, you know."

The men's laughter died instantly. Chen Siyu clamped a hand over her mouth, realizing too late that she shouldn't have spoken up. Fortunately, their spirits were resilient; they shook it off and quickly jumped into the cafe’s gaming event to distract themselves.

Chen Siyu wasn't nearly as lucky; fate kept the selection bracket away from her. Meanwhile, the exhausted laborers sitting next door actually made it into the match, only to be systematically dismantled by a player with the tag 'NZ'.

One of their teammates, voice echoing over the chat, screamed, "Are you guys actually human or did you just let a bot take the controls?"

... Jiang Ning remained in his lane with Tongtong, while Guo Kunnan and Cui Yu sat on the sidelines, unable to join the fray, watching as Nie Ze dismantled his opposition one by one. The foxy attendant glided over and handed Nie Ze a warm can of coffee.

Guo Kunnan was green with jealousy, howling, "Brother Yu, get in there and shut him down!"

Cui Yu just gritted his teeth, "Forget it!"

They still couldn't snag a spot. Bored to tears, Guo Kunnan spotted Chen Siyu online and shot her a message, "Still playing? Let’s put together a five-stack."

Chen Siyu replied, "Sure, but I'm legitimately terrible."

Guo Kunnan patted his chest with confidence, "Between my Zhao Xin, Brother Yu's Spider, and Longlong's Blitzcrank, there’s no way we lose. We’re going to crush them!"

Cui Yu shrugged, "Fine. Since we can't get a shot at Nie Ze, we might as well waste some time on a casual round."

"I’m going to show you how to spawn camp these losers," Guo Kunnan vowed.

As the match started, spirits were high. The lonely expert remained vocal, chatting over the headset about random, trivial matters. But ten, then fifteen minutes into the match, the banter died away, and the mics were slowly muted. Twenty minutes in, the conversation shifted to complaints about their home lives and parents. By the twenty-five-minute mark, when the match concluded with their crystal shattering into dust, there was nothing but a heavy, echoing silence between them.