006 The Worldline
That morning, Wang Jian, as usual, headed off to work with a reluctant look on his face. But as he was leaving, he saw his son already at the door, changing his shoes.
Wang Jian couldn’t help but ask, “So early? Where are you off to?”
Wang Heng opened the door and replied, “Looking for a job.”
Wang Jian was momentarily stunned. After two seconds, he asked, surprised, “Didn’t you say you were going to have fun for two months after the college entrance exam?”
Wang Heng sighed. “I can’t help it. There are a lot of things I want to do in university. I have to start saving money now.”
“What kind of things do you want to do? Besides, if you don’t have enough money, just ask me for it.”
“Can you even afford it?”
“You look down on your old man that much?”
“Fine, I believe you can afford it,” Wang Heng glanced at him. “But you should still save some for yourself, in case you can’t even buy your game cards.”
“Heh…”
Chatting, the father and son finished changing their shoes and left the apartment.
When they reached the intersection outside their residential complex, Wang Jian suddenly asked, “Where are you planning to work?”
“A shopping mall,” Wang Heng had clearly thought this through, answering without hesitation. “A place like Golden Arches should be hiring part-time staff.”
“Right, if you’re going to work part-time at a proper business like that, you can’t just go there empty-handed—”
Before his father could finish, Wang Heng interrupted, “I know. I brought my ID card.”
“Huh?” Wang Jian scratched his head. “You kid, you’re pretty well-prepared.”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me. You should get to work.”
Wang Heng waved his hand, bidding his father farewell. The place he was going was in a different direction from his father’s workplace, so naturally, he had to go alone. But for Wang Heng, whose actual mental age was nearly thirty, it was no big deal.
He arrived at the mall. His first attempt failed; the Golden Arches there wasn’t hiring part-timers at the moment. But his second attempt was a success. The milk tea shop next door happened to need short-term employees, and he could start a trial shift that very day.
So, Wang Heng put on an apron and began his career as a shop assistant.
There wasn’t much technical skill involved in making milk tea. Any young student with decent learning ability could get the hang of it after being shown a few times. However, Wang Heng’s learning speed was clearly above average. He only watched once before his movements became as smooth as flowing water.
Measuring the milk, measuring the sugar, adding ice, adding water, shaking the shaker cup… there were no flaws in the entire process. Even inserting the straw—he did it without his fingers touching it, pushing it through the wrapper and then removing the wrapper completely.
“The taste is fine too,” the manager said after taking a sip. He couldn’t help but ask, “Have you done this before?”
Of course, Wang Heng couldn’t say that he had worked part-time at a milk tea shop in his past life. He simply replied, “Boss, I just graduated from high school.”
“Oh? Then what major are you planning to study?” the manager asked, a little curious. “Is it related to food and beverages?”
“No, I’m studying programming.”
“That’s not bad either. With hands that nimble, typing on a keyboard will be no problem for you.”
If this were the eighteen-year-old Wang Heng, he would have definitely said something like, ‘Programming relies on the brain, not the fingers.’ But at this moment, he simply smiled in response, feeling no impulse to contradict his boss.
Immediately after, however, Wang Heng thought of the ‘Spacetime Administrator’s’ warning—he couldn’t deviate from his original personality, at least not too severely.
So, as he began to work, Wang Heng secretly pondered this. His words and actions just now should still be within the normal range, far from the level of a causality bug, right?
**
After Han Yixuan and Song Xiaoxia met up, they went into full shopping mode. Between best friends, there were always endless topics to talk about. They chatted from morning till noon, found a place for a quick lunch, and then found a milk tea shop with seating to continue.
But the moment they walked into the milk tea shop, both of them froze.
There were two people behind the counter. One was the manager, who smiled when he saw them come in. “What would you two young ladies like to drink?”
The manager was a man of about thirty with an unfamiliar face. He had a smile on his face and his voice was full of warmth, which was perfectly normal. But the employee next to him, the one responsible for making the milk tea, was not so normal.
“Wang Heng!” Song Xiaoxia couldn’t help but cry out.
Han Yixuan stared at him blankly, her mouth slightly agape, seemingly too shocked to speak.
The manager looked back and forth between them and chuckled. “You know each other?”
Song Xiaoxia nodded. “We’re classmates!”
“What a coincidence!” The manager patted his shoulder. “Then this order is on you, from taking the order to making it. Can you handle it?”
Wang Heng nodded and switched places with the manager. Before starting his shift, the manager had also shown him how to use the ordering system. Besides, with his past experience working this kind of part-time job, he wasn’t worried about embarrassing himself in front of acquaintances.
“Ladies, what would you like to drink?”
Song Xiaoxia narrowed her eyes with a hint of mischief and asked, “What do you recommend here?”
“The featured items on the menu here, I personally think they’re all pretty good. And there’s a special today, the Coconut Jelly Milk Green Tea is on sale. You could try that.”
“Then I’ll have the Coconut Jelly Milk Green Tea,” Song Xiaoxia nudged her friend beside her. “Little Xuan, what are you having?”
“I…” Han Yixuan hastily avoided Wang Heng’s gaze, looking down at the menu, but she couldn’t read a single word.
After a moment, Song Xiaoxia looked at him again and asked, “What do you think she’d like to drink? Aren’t you going to recommend something?”
“Oolong Roasted Milk Tea, less sugar, less ice. I guess this would be more to her taste.”
Hearing Wang Heng say this, Han Yixuan couldn’t help but look up at him and ask in a low voice, “How did you know I’d like it?”
“A guess.”
Wang Heng had a smile on his face, but his eyes were remarkably calm, giving nothing away.
Han Yixuan met his gaze for a few seconds, then lowered her head again. “Alright then, I’ll have that.”
After taking the order and payment, Wang Heng turned to make the milk tea.
In less than a minute, both drinks were ready and placed in front of the two girls.
“For here, or to go?”
Han Yixuan still avoided eye contact with him, so it was Song Xiaoxia who spoke again. “For here.”
Wang Heng inserted the straws and handed the milk tea to her.
Han Yixuan took the Oolong Milk Tea with less sugar and less ice. After just one sip, she closed her eyes.
“Is it good?” Song Xiaoxia glanced at Wang Heng and asked.
Han Yixuan didn’t answer. She turned and walked out. But as she did, the girl wiped the corner of her eye, a small gesture that did not escape the others’ notice.
Seeing the two girls leave in a hurry, and with no other customers in the shop for the moment, the manager put his arm around Wang Heng’s shoulder and chuckled. “Looking at you guys, it seems like there’s a story there!”
Wang Heng smiled, about to give a casual reply, when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He took out his phone, glanced at it, and felt a drop of cold sweat on his forehead.
【This is an emergency alert from the Spacetime Administrator…】
**
Translator’s Notes
-
Golden Arches (金拱门): This is the official Chinese company name for McDonald’s in mainland China. It literally translates to “Golden Arches.”
