“Are you really going to take the part-time job he recommended?”
Hearing his decision, Shuyan was shocked. “But you are a man. You are going to dress as a woman? What if they ask for your ID card?”
“The ID card photo can be edited. I will say I forgot to bring the physical card and show the photo on my phone. Part-time jobs do not check that strictly. They will not find out.”
“And your voice? One listen and anyone can tell you are a man.”
Wen Moxue smiled and changed his voice. “Little brother, how is this voice?”
“Holy crap!”
Hearing that voice come from Wen Moxue’s mouth, Shuyan’s eyes nearly popped out.
That was clearly a girl’s voice.
To be precise, a very beautiful girl’s voice. Clear, pleasant, natural, bright, and pure, with a comfortable tone.
“You can do vocal mimicry? When did you learn that?” Shuyan had known him for so long and had no idea he had this ability.
“In middle school and high school, my cousin tricked me into doing cosplay. I learned it then.”
Wen Moxue has a girl's cousin only one year older than he was, a complete cosplay fanatic. Their city was a paradise for otaku culture, filled with conventions every weekend. She went almost every Saturday and Sunday.
At first he was dragged along as free labor, but because he was too good-looking, he suffered under his cousin and her friends and ended up half falling into the hobby.
His cousin was mischievous and liked making him cosplay female characters. In early middle school, when he was short and thin, she made him cosplay little lolis. Even though his voice had already changed, she forced him to learn vocal mimicry, so he developed the skill.
The Ahri cosplay avatar was from this summer. No one recognized he was a boy.
Even now, if Haishi had a big convention and his cousin had time, she would still drag him along.
So all the props for female cosplay, including wigs, were fully prepared. They were in a suitcase, and whenever his cousin arrived, she could pull him to a hotel and transform him into a girl.
All he needed for the interview was to buy a simple dress.
And the dress was already on the way.
“I will go with you,” Shuyan said, eager to watch. “I can keep an eye on you.”
They had no classes on Wednesday afternoon. The dress arrived that day, so he decided to go.
As soon as Shuyan got his message, he rushed out, excited to see Wen Moxue in women’s clothing.
—
At the elevator, he saw a tall girl wearing a black short skirt, high boots, and long wavy hair.
It was mid-October, and Haishi was not very cold yet. The girl wore a knit cardigan over the skirt, pure and beautiful enough to make a heart race.
If not for the familiar peach-blossom eyes, Shuyan would never have recognized this gorgeous girl as Wen Moxue.
Too stunning.
The makeup softened every trace of masculine sharpness, leaving only beauty. It was impossible to look away.
“How do I look? Will people recognize me easily?” Wen Moxue blinked at him and asked in a girl’s voice.
“No. If I did not already know, I would never guess it is you. You are too beautiful.”
Shuyan clutched his chest dramatically. “You got my heart fallen for you, beautiful lady.”
Wen Moxue said, “If I lift my skirt and you find I am bigger than you, are you straight or bent?”
“…” Shuyan’s mouth twitched. He asked sincerely, “We are both bottoms. Does size matter?”
Wen Moxue: “…”
The tea room was not far from campus, and the subway went directly there. Dressed like this, Wen Moxue drew plenty of attention along the way. Many people looked at them, and some even took photos.
Some looked at Shuyan with envy, thinking he had amazing luck to have such a beautiful girlfriend.
Shuyan was speechless.
His looks were already good, but standing next to someone as striking as Wen Moxue, everyone else became background scenery.
Soon, they arrived at the tea room.
The entire building belonged to the tea room, decorated in a classical style. Male staff wore traditional clothing, and female staff wore teal qipao, elegant and refined.
“Welcome. Table for two?”
Wen Moxue said, “Hello. I heard you are hiring part-time staff. I am here for an interview.”
The receptionist looked at him several more times.
Too beautiful. Regardless of skill, her face alone determined the result.
Skills could be trained. A beauty like this would make business boom the moment she appeared. VIP customers would empty their wallets.
She told them to wait and called the manager.
Hearing that a great beauty had arrived, the manager rushed over. Seeing Wen Moxue, her eyes lit up and she guided him to the office for the interview.
Wen Moxue introduced himself. When he was little, he drew lots and got the word “Qianqian,” so his childhood nickname became Qianqian. He used that name and introduced himself as Wen Qianqian.
The manager was a woman in her forties, wearing a sky-blue qipao and an elegant bun.
As she rinsed the tea set and brewed tea, she asked, “Do you have any experience as a tea master, or are you a complete beginner?”
Wen Moxue said, “Actually, I want to apply as a server.”
Her hands paused. Then she smiled. “Trust me. You are more suited to being a tea master. Servers work harder and earn less. A tea master has lighter work, flexible hours, and the hourly wage is at least five times that of a server.”
“So much?” Shuyan was shocked.
He had worked part-time in freshman year and knew that in high-end clubs, servers made about 25 an hour. Five times that meant…
The manager smiled. “Yes. And with your outstanding appearance, that is only the starting pay. As your skills improve, it will only increase.”
Shuyan coughed. “Your tea room is a legitimate establishment, right?”
The environment was too good, the work too easy, and the pay too high. Suspicion was natural.
“Of course. Tea masters only brew tea and chat with customers, so business skills matter. But experience is not required. We provide training. You will learn quickly.”
She served them tea and added, “Truthfully, I value your appearance very highly. I can even give you a privilege. Except for platinum and black gold members, you may refuse any customer. Your work will be very easy.”
Shuyan was almost convinced. He looked at Wen Moxue.
Wen Moxue knew the job’s essence: selling charm.
He was crossdressing. If exposed, customers who spent money on him might gather outside shouting for refunds.
But thanks to a grandfather obsessed with tea, he truly knew tea ceremony. His skills matched a professional’s.
And he was short on money after renting his apartment. He had already planned to find a job. With such high pay, the temptation was strong.
He could earn money and monitor Fu Cheng at the same time, hoping for a chance to scam him.
Wen Moxue admitted he was tempted.
“I am still studying. My schedule may not be stable.”
Hearing that she was a female college student, the manager became even happier. “That is fine. The less often you come, the more mysterious you seem.”
Wen Moxue and Shuyan exchanged a glance.
Shuyan could see he was wavering. “Why not try it?”
The manager added, “Yes. Try it. If it is not suitable, you can stop anytime. We will not force you.”
Wen Moxue made his decision. “Alright.”
All female employees wore qipao. Servers wore the standard style, but tea masters could use custom designs.
The tea masters, no matter their gender, were extremely attractive and refined.
No wonder the place was busy even on weekday afternoons.
Because of his tall figure, none of the existing qipao fit him. The manager took his measurements and ordered a custom piece. His first shift was scheduled for Friday afternoon, when he had no classes.
On the way back, Shuyan laughed. “No matter what, this job is great. If only I were not afraid my boyfriend would be upset, I would want to work here too.”
The manager had tried to recruit him as well, offering a salary not as high as Wen Moxue’s but still very tempting.
“It is just your identity…”
“It does not matter,” Wen Moxue said. “I cannot do it for a long time anyway. If I am careful, the chance of being exposed is low.”
If he failed to encounter Fu Cheng, he would work for a while, save two years of rent, and run.
If he did encounter him and managed to scam him, he would run even faster.
Thinking this, Wen Moxue opened his phone and switched to his small account.
A Xiao Li: Brother. I got the job. (Happy spinning)
A Xiao Li: Sob sob you are my lifesaver. I am so happy.
—
In a luxurious office.
Several executives left Fu Cheng’s office. He took the coffee his assistant prepared, took a sip, and heard his phone vibrate on the desk.
Seeing who the sender was, he almost ignored it.
As the head of the Fu family, he held great power. No one should dare disturb him.
Unfortunately, he still had a mother above him, and she had recently been obsessing over his love life. He was thirty and still single, which made her anxious.
He had undergone a minor surgery recently and needed her signature. That traumatized her and made her constantly fear he would grow old alone with nobody to sign medical documents for him. She had begun nagging him daily to find a partner.
His mother, Jiang Peilan, cried easily and nagged through tears. It was impossible to resist.
Worse, she had brought his sister, who also cried easily. They cried and nagged together.
Anyone who did not know better would think he was terminally ill.
He had been forced to compromise and agree to add the girls she introduced on WeChat.
Before, the girls were intellectual types. If he showed no interest, they would stop texting.
A few persistent ones were defeated by his coldness.
But this one was different. No matter how cold, sharp, or unresponsive he was, she acted as if she did not understand and kept messaging him, pretending to be pitiful. He was exhausted.
After hesitating, he unlocked his phone.
Seeing that she had passed the interview, Fu Cheng felt relieved.
He often went to that tea room and knew the pay was reliable. As long as she was not lazy, she would earn well. Now she had no reason to complain about hardship.
Fu: Work properly.
A Xiao Li: Wow brother you replied so fast
A Xiao Li: Friday afternoon is my first day. I am so nervous. I am scared I will ruin such a good job.
A Xiao Li: I am always so clumsy QAQ
Fu: It is not difficult. You will get used to it.
Wen Moxue noticed that ever since he started acting pitiful, this cold man had developed a bit of human warmth.
Time to keep pushing.
A Xiao Li: If brother also came that day, it would be great. If I messed up, you definitely would not complain about me, right?
Fu: I would.
Wen Moxue: “???”
“……”
Go to hell, you dog.