Little Chen repeated the order, then naturally leaned against the back of the adjacent chair, her tone as familiar as if she were chatting with old friends.
"Is this your first time here? You look very unfamiliar... Are you twin sisters? Just arrived at the base?"
The two "Stelles" could only nod vaguely, not even daring to get distracted by fiddling with the "clutter" they had brought.
"Oh, welcome, welcome!" Little Chen became even more enthusiastic. "I'm Little Chen, I help out here. You two don't look very old, so just call me Big Sis Chen!
"Hey, don't look down on our little breakfast shop, the food is the real deal! Auntie Li's wontons have thin skins and big fillings, and Uncle Wang's porridge is cooked to perfection..."
What was this person doing?
Little Chen's introduction was like a gust of wind blowing through Shu's head, in one ear and out the other. Not only did it bring nothing, but it also took Shu's IQ with it.
She rambled on and on, but as for what she said, the two didn't understand a single word. All that was left in their hearts was the fear of social anxiety.
He didn't even know if it was his own social anxiety acting up or his fear of this social terrorist.
Could someone in this world really be this much of an extrovert?
They didn't hear clearly what was in this shop, only a sudden turn of phrase: "But then again, being able to arrive here safe and sound is better than anything, right?"
This sentence was like a switch. The two suddenly snapped back to their senses, subconsciously looking up to see Little Chen pushing up her glasses.
Her round face, which was clearly well-maintained, glowed with a heartfelt radiance. Even her voice lowered, carrying a friendly intimacy as if sharing a secret.
"Let me tell you, I used to be a front desk saleswoman at a big company in Sapphire City! Although I didn't have to face a computer and KPIs every day, I had to keep smiling all the time. The pressure was immense!
"I mean, think about it, a company that big, how many people come in and out every day? The first thing everyone sees when they walk in is me... Everyone said my smile was beautiful, that I looked glamorous, but I wasn't happy at all."
"Uh... okay, I was still quite happy, because all I really had to do was smile. Our boss was a great person!" She smiled, her eyes filled with nostalgia, but more with relief.
"I thought that life would go on for a long, long time, until my brain broke down someday and I didn't want to do this job anymore, or I got old and my smile could scare children to tears. Only then would I leave that front desk.
"But the things I expected never came. What came was something I had never thought of—the Honkai... It destroyed everything. The company, my family, my friends, Boss Yun... I even thought I was going to be finished sooner or later.
"I never expected to be found by the Fire Moth's search and rescue team and brought here."
At this point, Little Chen suddenly puffed out her chest, as proud as a big goose. "Hmph, you'll never guess who was in the rescue team that saved me!"
Wow~ who could it be~ so hard to guess~
Shu finally remembered where he had seen this enthusiastic person... in that shelter in the basement of Sapphire Pearl in Sapphire City...
So, this person was also a veteran who had witnessed his "founding" of the Fire Moth...
Little Chen paused, her expectant gaze flashing across their faces, then withdrew in disappointment.
How could they not be curious?
"...Uh... who was it?"
"Hmm... could it be... Senior Durandal?"
The disappointment on Little Chen's face was too obvious, and the [Hope] Shu received was too real. One moment, the two "Stelles" were staring with deadpan faces, and the next, they began to play along.
Little Chen's expression changed instantly.
"No, no, no! Although Lord Durandal is also very powerful, the person who saved me at that time was even more powerful than Lord Durandal! He~ is~"
"Lord Shu!!"
The "suspense" Little Chen deliberately created seemed to be very effective, because the two "Stelles" really got goosebumps the moment Little Chen's answer came out.
"Oh my~"
"Wow~"
The two let out exclamations of amazement, then quickly smoothed down the goosebumps on their bodies.
Little Chen's tone became light and full of gratitude. "To be honest, when I was just rescued by Lord Shu and his team, I was still scared and confused.
"But look at me now—I can work here, smelling the aroma of food every day, watching everyone eat and drink their fill, and go to work and school happily..."
"I'm not happy at all!!" A childish, collapsed shout suddenly came from outside the shop. Three gazes turned over with a "swish," and there were three more familiar faces.
Adam and Sora were both carrying schoolbags, forcefully dragging a grief-stricken Lyle, who was waving his fists in protest at Little Chen's outrageous statement.
"Auntie Chen, don't talk nonsense if you don't go to school! Who has to attend classes as usual during the apocalypse!"
"Lyle! Be quiet!"
"Keep it down, Lyle!"
"Wah! Sora, my best friend, don't stop me!"
The two "Stelles," four eyes, blinked twice in unison, not daring to say a word, not daring to laugh.
He had indeed heard that Natasha had set up a school on the ninth underground level, with teachers and many students, and that normal schooling had resumed...
So the reviews were this bad?
"Smack!"
The sound of the table being slammed made both "Stelles" jolt. They turned their heads sharply, only to see Little Chen's posture had changed. She stood up menacingly, hands on her hips, eyes glaring.
"You brat! Who are you calling 'Auntie'! Let me tell you, if you don't study hard, you won't even pass the Fire Moth's entrance exam in the future!"
Hiss~
Shu drew in a sharp breath.
Since when did the Fire Moth have an exam?!
That's not right. There was no such thing when he signed up before. Wasn't it just a matter of submitting a resume?
The two were puzzled, while the wailing Lyle had already been hit on the head with a Mark II by an angry Sora and was being dragged away with dizzy eyes. Adam bought three takeout breakfasts from behind and hurriedly followed.
Little Chen, who had just slammed the table, let out a long sigh and sat back down, her optimistic expression returning. "Although it's a bit busy and tiring now, I feel very at ease and full of hope."
Little Chen's eyes sparkled, reflecting the crowd coming and going outside the window and the simulated morning light. "It was the Fire Moth that gave us ordinary people a 'future.'
"Being able to do something useful with my own hands in this 'future,' to let everyone have a hot meal, I feel... it's really worth it. Really."
Her words were simple, yet carried a heavy weight and a real sense of satisfaction.
It was the cherishing of life rebuilt after a disaster, the sincere gratitude to the organization that gave them shelter, and the joy of finding their own value again.
And the two Shus' thoughts on this were also very simple.
How did the conversation get back on track?