Which way to go is the road?

The sweltering summer passed by as people eagerly awaited it. The cicadas' chirping subsided, a refreshing breeze blew, and the morning and evening sunlight became gentle and lovely. Only at midday could people feel the lingering heat of the impending summer, and they began to wear light jackets in addition to their summer clothes. The streets gradually became more crowded, partly due to the cooler weather, but mainly because the university students' summer vacation was over and they had all returned to school.

The "Shuiyunjian" internet cafe was unaffected by Qian Luomei's scam; with the start of the school season, even more people came to use the internet. During peak hours, it was packed with people, and even in the waiting area, many idly watched TV, occasionally standing up to check if anyone had logged off.

No secrets stay hidden forever. Whenever Qian Luomei stayed downstairs, customers who came to use the internet would point and whisper about her, and the number of such customers was increasing. Once, she even cursed loudly, and when everyone's eyes were on her, she had no choice but to run up to the attic and cry secretly.

After that, Qian Luomei simply stayed in the rooftop attic and refused to come down, seeking peace and quiet by herself. A week passed just like that.

After cleaning, Xiang Fei sat quietly on the sofa at the front desk and read the same book he had brought from his hometown, "Ordinary World".

This was the third time Xiang Fei had read it. He tended to read these thought-provoking novels multiple times, feeling that he could only gain insights beyond the plot starting from the second reading. For example, this time, he suddenly noticed that none of the main characters' love stories had a happy ending. Was this intentional? Or is love in real life inherently imperfect?

While she was thinking, the stairs in front of her shook and made a noise. Lao You came down from the second floor and went straight to Dong Lu.

"I've talked to Xiangzi and Wang Haoming. During the day, they'll split up, one on the second floor and the other on the first, so there are managers on both floors and they can help each other out if anything happens. I'll work the night shift! But what about you? Our internet cafe only has one cashier. The manager can collect the cash during the night shift, but who can cover for you during the day? I hope Zhang Xiaojie doesn't quit before summer vacation!"

Lao You was still holding the fan with the words "It's rare to be confused" written on it, fanning himself as he spoke to Dong Lu.

"Can you stop someone from going back to their hometown to get married? Xiang Fei should be able to, he can start working as a cashier after cleaning!" Dong Lu glanced at Xiang Fei, considering the possibility as she spoke.

"Okay, I'll try to finish cleaning as soon as possible and come to the front desk!" Xiang Fei was happy to do so, not only because he could help his friend, but also because he had an excuse to continue using the computer to chat on QQ and practice typing!

"What do you mean 'okay'? What about cleaning? What if customers cause all sorts of trouble and make a mess of the floor and tables? You'll have to clean it up, won't you? Oh, and why don't we just hire another cashier?" Old You thought about the problem more comprehensively.

"It's not something that can be done in a short time..."

"Alright, you guys go ahead! We can't let this interfere with class. I'll fill in at the front desk for a while, and we'll talk about hiring a new cashier later!" Qian Luomei arrived on the first floor at some point and said these words expressionlessly!

"How can this be? You're the boss! Sister Mei, what if those people keep talking nonsense?" Dong Lu voiced everyone's concerns, and the other two nodded in agreement.

"It's fine, I'm bored up here anyway! I might as well find something to do. Let those people talk nonsense, I'm not that sensitive anymore, so I don't care! School starts tomorrow, so you guys can focus on your studies! If you come to the internet cafe, as usual, it's 50% off for all of you!"

"I'll still work the weekend shift, I don't have classes anyway! Sister Luomei, Xiang Fei knows how to use the POS system, he can cover for you after he finishes cleaning!"

"Xiang Fei can do cashier work? That's impressive, young man, you learn quickly!" Qian Luomei's eyes fell on Xiang Fei, and after saying this, she subconsciously bit her lip. "Thank you for what happened last time, Xiang Fei, otherwise I might have gotten even more involved!"

"Sister Mei, you're too kind. We're so glad you're alright. We've all been quite worried about you these past few days, but we didn't dare ask you anything. Seeing that you're relaxed, we're all relieved!"

Qian Luomei walked over, touched Xiang Fei's hair, and smiled. Sunlight streamed in through the window, shining on everyone and dispelling the chill of the early autumn morning.

At this moment, three men and one woman walked out of the revolving door. Judging from their attire, they were obviously students. Xiang Fei's gaze swept past the three men in front of him and focused directly on the girl they had brought.

This is a girl who is destined to attract everyone's attention the moment she appears.

It wasn't because of her flowing hair and flawless skin, nor because of her slender figure and pure appearance, but because of her pair of bright, expressive eyes that sparkled and captivated, making people shyly lower their heads at first glance, yet unable to resist stealing glances!

When the boy in front of him greeted him, Xiang Fei finally realized that it was Zhang Fang. This was the first time they had met since their unpleasant encounter at the barbecue restaurant.

Xiang Fei hadn't seen the two boys next to him before. One wore glasses and looked refined, with fair skin that accentuated his delicate features against his light-colored clothes; at first glance, the word "pale-faced scholar" immediately came to mind. The other was tall and thin, probably over 1.8 meters, with a sharply defined face, bright and piercing eyes, and thick, black hair that fell naturally down his side. However, contrary to his handsome appearance, the young man usually had a sleazy look when talking to people, lacking seriousness, but when angry, he possessed a slightly sharp and heroic air.

"Bai Xue! You're back?" Dong Lu ran over with open arms and hugged the pretty girl.

"Bai Xue, you're back? I missed you so much!" Lao You ran towards Bai Xue just like Dong Lu, but Dong Lu pushed him away. Bai Xue shook her head and smiled. Her bright eyes and white teeth made her pure face look like an exquisite work of art, which made Xiang Fei stare at her in a daze again!

"You're always trying to take advantage of others, Lao You, you need to change that habit!" Zhang Fang walked over and punched Lao You. Two other guys ran over too, kicking and punching him: "Yeah, you only see Bai Xue, you're heartless when it comes to women!"

"Hey guys! You're here at 'Shuiyunjian' and ignoring Sister Mei, huh?"

"Hello, Sister Mei. Old You is just good at drawing aggro; everyone's aiming their guns at him now. Please don't mind, Sister Mei!"

"Hello, Sister Mei!" The two brothers and Bai Xue greeted Sister Mei as well. It seemed they were not only classmates of Lao You and Dong Lu, but also longtime acquaintances of Qian Luomei, and regulars at "Shuiyunjian." Xiang Fei stood in the middle, feeling very uncomfortable. He wanted to say something but didn't know how to start. He couldn't very well introduce himself as a cleaner at "Shuiyunjian"! Normally, such an introduction wouldn't be a problem, but in front of the goddess-like Bai Xue, he was truly too shy to speak.

Zhang Fang noticed Xiang Fei's embarrassment, greeted him, and introduced him to everyone: "Hey, second brother, fourth brother, and Bai Xue, let me introduce you to a hero who is both brave and a storyteller—Xiang Fei. Dong Lu's wallet wasn't lost, and she was able to return to Yandu safely thanks to him!"

"Hello everyone, I'm Xiang Fei! It wasn't really an act of heroism that time; I just happened to be there and did what I was told!" Xiang Fei blushed a little at the praise and waved blankly at everyone.

"Like leaves falling in the wind, right?" Bai Xue blurted out, recalling Dong Lu's description in the text message. She then burst into laughter with Dong Lu, while Xiang Fei scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh right, Xiang Fei doesn't know you guys yet! Xiang Fei, let me introduce you. This beautiful lady next to me is my best friend Bai Xue. The two Zhang Fang brought are the second and fourth oldest in their dorm. The second oldest with glasses is called Tian Hai, and the tall and thin fourth oldest is called Du Xinpeng. We are all classmates!" Dong Lu introduced everyone to Xiang Fei in a clean and efficient manner.

Hello! Hello!

Following Dong Lu's example, Xiang Fei shook hands with Tian Hai and Du Xinpeng. Making new friends made Xiang Fei feel both excited and fulfilled. He was amazed by the coincidences in life. Even a small gesture on the train allowed him to meet friends he would never have met under normal circumstances, giving him unprecedented experiences that made his future dreams colorful and ever-changing. Life gave him a reason to love it.

"That hero named Xiang Fei, why did you only shake hands with them? Aren't I a new friend?" Bai Xue stared at Xiang Fei with her bright, sparkling eyes, deliberately raising her voice an octave as if she were very dissatisfied.

"Huh? No, no, I just wanted to..." Xiang Fei was so flustered by the question that he didn't know what to say!

"You're so beautiful, like a lotus flower, only to be admired from afar! Look, I just wanted to give you a hug like a friend, but some people blocked me, pushing and shoving me! If Xiang Fei had held your hand, he would have been dead!" Old You glared at the group with a vicious look, feeling resentful but helpless.

"Old You, watch this!" Bai Xue turned and walked towards Xiang Fei, pushed aside his outstretched hand, and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a friendly hug: "Hello Xiang Fei!" After that, she winked smugly at Old You, ignored the stunned crowd, and directly took Dong Lu's arm to swipe the card and board the computer, heading towards the elegant internet area.

"What's going on?" Lao You walked towards his roommate and asked indignantly!

"It was just a simple handshake... Old Yu, I hate you!"

"me too"

"me too"

The three of them went to the front desk to swipe their cards, but found no one there to handle the transactions: "Sister Luomei, how can we access the internet if there's no one at the front desk?"

"Alright, stop reminiscing. You've gotten such a great deal! Go do some work, go relieve Dong Lu! Hey! Hey!" Qian Luomei urged him several times before Xiang Fei finally snapped out of his daze and walked to the front desk!

……

Internet cafes began to appear in the mid-1990s. At that time, computers were still a luxury and broadband networks were extremely underdeveloped. In some rapidly developing special economic zones and central cities, internet cafes emerged to meet the international communication and office needs of some elites!

However, the internet cafe industry made great strides after the emergence of the chat tool Tencent QQ and the shooting game Counter-Strike. QQ broke the geographical limitations on people's ability to make friends and satisfied everyone's needs for emotional expression and communication. Counter-Strike not only allowed people to experience a realistic 3D game, but also provided young people who pursue fashion with a virtual scene where they could cooperate and work together in teams, in addition to playing cards, mahjong and chess. It could even satisfy some of the violent, bloody and cruel aspects of human nature.

When online games, which combine the advantages of both, appeared, the last bit of resistance in the hearts of many teenagers disappeared, bringing about a nearly ten-year period of prosperity for the internet cafe industry in the early 20th century.

"Shuiyunjian" boasts an elegant environment and refined style, but it is ultimately an internet cafe. Those who surf the internet here include college students, nouveau riche, wealthy second-generation heirs, and idle socialites. A diverse array of people, with varied expressions, shouting to teammates as if no one else is around, hysterically pounding on keyboards… It's a world incomprehensible to outsiders, yet it evokes both love and hate, joy and sorrow, and an inability to escape for those involved. Many leave because of life's hardships, while many others escape life and enter.