Becoming a mother unexpectedly
As soon as it was time to leave work, Qu Shiyao leisurely packed up the stack of freshly printed confidentiality agreements.
At the entrance, Jin Yuxi had already slung her bag over her shoulder, looking ready to take off at any moment.
She was scrolling through her phone's chat history when she looked up and saw Qu Shiyao grinning from ear to ear. She couldn't help but remind her:
"Shiyao, Huixin and the others have already gone there. This time, our gathering will be at a nearby barbecue restaurant. Don't dwell on our contract of servitude."
"Let's go!" Qu Shiyao picked up her bag and walked over with light steps. Even seeing that the novel had 1,242 real fans was not as good as this job today.
The barbecue stall they had arranged to meet was bustling with activity. From afar, they could see Chen Xu standing there, waving to them.
"Shiyao, Sister Jin, you guys are taking way too long." Gao Huixin looked up from the menu, saw them approaching, her eyes slightly raised, a hint of curiosity in them.
“Hey! This isn’t my fault!” Jin Yuxi was the first to stand up and refute. She spread her hands, accurately shifting the blame, and said in an accented tone, “You’ll have to ask Shiyao about this. She started a brand new side business today and is busy counting our indentures.”
"A contract of servitude?" Shi Qingqing and the others' heads instantly popped off the menu, their eyes wide as saucers.
The term sounds a bit like feudal remnants. Is this something that should exist in their time?
"It's not that exaggerated." Qu Shiyao straightened her back to defend herself and said righteously, "It's just a confidentiality agreement. It's a mutually beneficial transaction."
Before the words were finished—
"Ding-dong!"
A crisp message notification sounded, and Qu Shiyao didn't even glance at it, knowing it was a message from Boss Si, whom she had pinned to the top of her chat list and was paying special attention to.
Jin Yuxi craned her neck to look, and the others also put down their menus and slipped behind Qu Shiyao. The menu on the menu was concise and exuded domineering power:
Assistant Qu, please arrive at Building 88 of the Jinxiu Shanhe Villa District within 30 minutes to tidy up the room.
The air froze for three seconds.
"Clean the room?" Shi Qingqing's mind went blank, her expression as if struck by lightning, and her voice cracked: "Can't we ask the housekeeper to do this? Why should we ask you?"
Chen Xu suddenly turned his head and looked at Qu Shiyao in astonishment: "Shiyao, you...you're not having dinner with us?"
"Calm down~" Jin Yuxi waved his hand nonchalantly, with an expression that said "it's no big deal," to reassure the group: "It's basic stuff, you'll see in a bit."
Qu Shiyao organized her thoughts, quickly swiped her finger, and sent a message to the group chat of the loving family:
[Urgent Mission Issued]
Content: Tidying up rooms in Jinxiu Shanhe Villa District;
Time limit: 30 minutes;
Auction channel: Pension Fee.exe
Immediately afterwards, a bidding mini-program, sponsored by the system, was sent to the group.
Zhuang Rou'er pointed at Qu Shiyao's phone screen and asked a question that everyone present wanted to know: "Why is this group called 'We Are a Loving Family'?"
"Exactly!" Jin Yuxi immediately hooked her arm around Qu Shiyao's neck and swayed it affectionately: "So Shiyao, when are you going to change my nickname?"
Qu Shiyao stroked her chin, chuckled, and said with a thick skin, "It mainly expresses my best wishes for everyone! I hope they can love each other like family and get rich together."
Everyone: "..." I can't believe you!
The group chat was already in turmoil.
In the mini-program's backend, prices are constantly changing and refreshing.
Qu Shiyao calmly refreshed the backend data, and soon the results were in.
She took a screenshot and posted it directly in the group chat:
[Announcement of Bidding Results]
Successful bidder: Zhang Li (bid: 500 yuan)
Second place: Lin Weiwei (bid: 400 yuan)
...
Sixth place: Jin Yuxi (bid: 1 yuan)
Qu Shiyao privately messaged Zhang Li: Sister Zhang Li, the location is Building 88 in Jinxiu Shanhe Villa District. Please arrive within 20 minutes as soon as possible.
After sending the message, she immediately dialed Si Cheng's number, her voice instantly switching to a desperate, grief-stricken tone:
"Hello, is this Mr. Si? I'm so sorry, my dad... he just fell down the stairs. I need to take care of him and I really can't leave. My colleague, Sister Zhang Li, can help me over here... Okay... um, could you please give me a small tip for her trouble?"
The system silently lit a candle: [6] Your father fell down the stairs in one day, your filial piety moved heaven and earth! The host is indeed a great filial son, he is simply a laughing stock.
Qu Shiyao and the others were stunned.
The next second, Qu Shiyao received a payment of 20,000 yuan.
"Wait! How much?" Jin Yuxi reacted the fastest, her knees buckled, and she gave Qu Shiyao a deep bow with a "plop"!
She grabbed Qu Shiyao's leg, lifted her face, her eyes brimming with tears, and pleaded earnestly, "Mother! I beg you! After you retire, please hand over this business to me! I'll do anything!"
The others, who weren't initially shocked by the 20,000 figure, were stunned by Jin Yuxi's actions.
The system, as if possessed by a drama queen, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away imaginary tears, saying with a face full of emotion: 【Waaah... Host, you've finally become a mother! I, the system, am so proud!】
Good heavens, after the host's cursed father fell and got injured, another talent has been born, directly replacing the mother on the spot.
"Thank you for the invitation." Qu Shiyao withdrew her hand, adopting the demeanor of a matriarch, and solemnly said, "Xiao Jin, as the eldest brother, you should be independent and self-reliant."
"Mother!" Jin Yuxi cried out in anguish.
The other diners looked at Qu Shiyao with surprise and doubt upon hearing the voice: Wow! The young girl looks so young, but she is so well-maintained and already has such a big daughter?
Zhuang Rou'er lowered her head and counted the ants carrying food because of the stares from outside, and didn't look up.
"Ahem! We'll talk about the future later. I will seriously consider your request." Despite being stared at by so many people, Qu Shiyao calmly pulled Jin Yuxi up, showing no embarrassment at becoming a mother.
"It's a deal!" Jin Yuxi's expression changed instantly. She sat back down with a big smile, just as shameless as Qu Shiyao.
Qu Shiyao picked up her phone and transferred half of the money to Zhang Li, explaining that this was the cleaning fee given by President Si, and that she was required to keep half.
While waiting for the skewers to be served, Li Yue asked with concern, "Shiyao, have you been bullied by them while you were on the 66th floor these past few days?"
Jin Yuxi, as a colleague from the same building on the 66th floor, has the most authority to speak on this: "Don't worry about that. Apart from the first day when they made things difficult for Shiyao and were retaliated against, it was basically my mother who took the initiative to intervene."
Gao Huixin's lips twitched, and she looked at Jin Yuxi speechlessly: "Sister Jin, you don't have to be so dedicated."
"That won't do!" Jin Yuxi refused decisively, her face serious: "You don't understand the value of this job and the wisdom and strength of your mother!"
Gao Huixin: "..." Fine, I can't persuade her.
Anyway, Shi Yao didn't have any objections, so she didn't say anything more. After all, as her sister, she knew that Jin Yuxi would act crazy for a few days every month.
"Hello, is this table number 7?"
A clear, pleasant male voice, with a touch of youthful energy, rang out, and a clean, slender hand with distinct knuckles placed a large plate piled high with kebabs steadily on their table.
"Yes, yes! Thank you," Li Yue replied quickly.
"Hey? Sister Shiyao?" The boy's gaze swept over everyone, and when it landed on Qu Shiyao, his eyes lit up instantly. He smiled, revealing a cute little tiger tooth.
[Holy crap?!] The system looked at the person in shock, and immediately cursed: [How did this fish get here? Wasn't it either on its way to work or already at work?]
Qu Shiyao didn't even need to look up; she could tell it was Yi Yu just by hearing his voice.
She glanced at her sea of consciousness; the system wasn't as resistant as it had been this morning. Then she looked up at Yi Yu and asked, "Yi Yu? Are you working here?"
"Yes!" Yi Yu placed the baking tray on the table, wiped her scarf with her hands, and turned to smile at Gao Huixin and the others who were gathered to watch the scene unfold.
"You must be Sister Shiyao's colleagues? My name is Yiyu, and I'm her neighbor."
Upon hearing about the neighbor, they remembered that Shiyao had mentioned that the neighbor was a man who made breakfast for her almost every morning, and they all immediately smiled like doting aunts.
"Yes, yes, Yi Yu, what's going on between you and our Shi Yao?" Li Yue looked at Yi Yu with an ambiguous expression, then looked at Qu Shi Yao meaningfully.
Qu Shiyao remained unmoved, picked up a can of beer, opened it, and started drinking. Her gaze fell on the skewers, as if she was struggling to decide which one to eat.
Upon hearing Li Yue's words, Yi Yu's cheeks flushed red. She hurriedly waved her hands, her voice stammering, "No, no! Sister Shi Yao and I are just... neighbors now."
He subconsciously glanced at Qu Shiyao and felt a little disappointed when he saw that she was focused on grilling skewers.
"Oh~ Now~ Then you'd better work hard. There are a lot of people pursuing Shiyao in the company," Gao Huixin said meaningfully.
"Huh? When? Am I that charming?" Upon hearing that she was so popular, Qu Shiyao's eyes lit up even before she had finished swallowing her chicken skewer. She looked at Gao Huixin excitedly, her face saying: I want to hear it too.
Shi Qingqing and the others looked at her in shock: "..." No way! Sister! Isn't your reaction a bit off? Shouldn't you be a little shy? Why are you so eager to hear your own gossip!
What left them speechless was that Yi Yu not only didn't back down when she heard this, but also pricked up her ears.
The system is used to this kind of scenario; when has the host ever eaten normally?
Gao Huixin looked at the two pairs of eyes in front of her that were sparkling with gossip, and the corner of her mouth twitched violently.
She opened a can of beer, took a sip, and said, "Just this week, Shiyao moved to work on the 66th floor, and someone asked me about her."
"Is that so?" Shi Qingqing exclaimed in a muffled voice as she took a bite of a juicy lamb skewer.
"Of course you don't know," Gao Huixin rolled her eyes at her. "I'm not a megaphone, broadcasting Shiyao's whereabouts everywhere."
Yi Yu listened intently. It's a pity she didn't have work to do; she would have liked to sit down and have a proper chat with Sister Shi Yao's colleagues.
As soon as Yi Yu left, Gao Huixin and the others surrounded Qu Shiyao and said, "This is the male college student you were talking about. He's not bad looking, and his physique looks great too."
Qu Shiyao calmly finished a skewer of chicken feet, then took a swig of ice-cold beer, her tone calm and even: "Hmm, no need to be too envious."
Everyone: "..." Their fists clenched. This overwhelming Versailles aura! Is the thin air on the 66th floor causing you to swell up?!
If the system could hear their inner thoughts, it would only laugh and say: "Stunned, aren't you? This is her true nature!"
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