The high school student-looking youth had been sizing me up for half an hour already.
Even though he ordered the luxurious package of 699 "Relive the Bittersweet Memories - High School Uniform Gold Medal Massage", the heat of his gaze still made the woman feel a bit uneasy.
But why would a high schooler spend so much money to see a uniform?
Hasn't he seen enough at school?
Number 7, the 24-year-old masseuse, had always been confident in playing the role of a high school girl, but facing a real high school student, she felt her career faced an unprecedented challenge.
This guy's face looked eight or nine times out of ten like he had experienced the real high school girls.
Could it be that he'd ask her to help him with math problems later?
She had only attended a vocational high school, which isn't really considered high.
"Why do you do this?"
"Huh?"
"You're quite attractive, why do you do this?" the youth asked.
"When I was very young, my dad developed a gambling addiction..."
The woman started her rehearsed story.
"Doesn't it affect your grades?"
The youth wasn't buying her story and interrupted abruptly.
"I'm not a high school student, I do cosplay, I don't have grades, only achievements."
"But you must get people talking behind your back, right? If I were to take you back, I'd not only have to explain things clearly to relatives and friends, but also think about how to eliminate the negative impact of this dark history..."
The woman broke out in a cold sweat listening to him.
Speaking so confidently, could it be that this guy intends to marry her?
At such a young age, he already has a heart for redemption.
But looking at his appearance... it's not entirely impossible.
"It'll probably be difficult to switch to other careers in the future, right? Say you become famous and someone finds out you used to wash feet, people will surely post comments like 'An artist leftover from businessmen, treated like a treasure...' and stuff like that."
The youth seriously analyzed,
"If there's a benefit, it's that in the future, more people would be willing to pay more for you to wash their feet, but with that money why wouldn't I just ask..."
"Dammit, are you freaking sick?"
The woman lost her temper.
She felt she was being mocked; already embarrassed enough wearing the school uniform, now a high school student was humiliating her.
"I'm done! Don't come washing your damn feet anymore, go wash your fucking brain!"
The woman stood up in anger, ready to leave.
"Then give me my 699 back."
"A 70-minute session, I've washed your feet for 40 minutes, and you still want a refund?"
"Then give me 400 back and throw in a 399 discount voucher as well, I know you have them, I saw them just now at the front desk," the youth insisted earnestly.
"..."
With the discount voucher in hand, Lin Tian walked out of the SPA shop.
It had just rained heavily, and there were puddles on the street.
Looking at the All-Purpose Producer system in front of him, he sighed.
Still no suitable candidate.
Born in a parallel world for 18 years, Lin Tian, who originally planned to lead an ordinary life, ended up binding with a system called the All-Purpose Producer last week.
This system couldn't be used by himself; it had to be bound to a female "partner" to activate.
By cultivating his partner into an idol revered by people, Lin Tian could enhance his attributes and obtain rewards from previous world creations—like novels, music, comics, and scripts.
However, despite Lin Tian having a face that would make many men jealous, due to his extremely energy-saving school life, he barely had any interaction with the opposite sex.
At the moment, it wasn't easy to find a girl to bind with.
Having no other choice, Lin Tian thought to try his luck at Foot Washing City.
After all, Foot Washing City was a place where all men could engage with beautiful women at a relatively low cost.
But sadly, a foot-washer was just a foot-washer.
Even if she wore the idol's clothes, she'd probably just brainstorm to offer a "Handshake Event Ending Drama Play - Hit Song Costume Gold Medal Massage" foot therapy package.
Indeed, such matters can't be rushed.
If he carelessly bound the wrong partner, Lin Tian's remainder of life would be spent being a lobby manager.
Which manager, you ask?
Of course, the Golden Footprint lobby manager, the mentor of numerous gold medal female technicians, also known as Mr. Lin Tian the Foot Washing King, who had the system yet still chose to shine for the foot-washing industry—so much so that he could potentially be venerated at Taiching, enjoying millennium-long incense burning after death.
Unfortunately, Lin Tian, currently a high school senior, wasn't too interested in foot-washing.
Leaving Foot Washing City, the sky had darkened, and Lin Tian took the subway home.
He lived alone in a cheap rented apartment in an old neighborhood; though the environment was a bit run-down, the location was quite good.
Situated in the second ring of the city, just six subway stops from school and a few kilometers from the city center, it was ideal for a student like him who lived off-campus.
The apartment building was by the side of the street, with a rather artsy cafe on the ground floor.
To save a few steps, Lin Tian would usually pass through the cafe.
The cafe's owner was an elderly gentleman named Sir Gan, with white hair but always looking spirited.
Knowing that Lin Tian lived alone, Sir Gan would always greet him with a smile when Lin Tian came back from school, asking about his life, and during holidays, he would give Lin Tian some pastries and homemade small wine.
For this, Lin Tian was grateful.
Even though he never had the habit of drinking coffee, he would often buy a cup on his way home in the evening, although most times Sir Gan didn't take his money.
That evening, when Lin Tian returned to the cafe, he unexpectedly found the lights out and the door shut tight.
It's just past nine, why close so early today?
Lin Tian was somewhat surprised.
Normally, the coffee shop closes at 11:30 PM, and in fact, it usually closes later, not earlier. Once, Lin Tian came back at 3 AM and the shop was still open.
There must be something going on.
Lin Tian didn't give it too much thought as he approached the glass door and peered inside.
Just then, the door was opened from the inside.
A girl carrying a cello came out, bumping into Lin Tian.
The girl had a plain face and wore the same high school uniform as him, with her hair tied in a neat ponytail.
But for some reason, her gaze was like a stagnant puddle of water.
Seeing Lin Tian, the girl's lips trembled slightly:
"Is there something you need?"
"Where is Sir Gan?"
"He's not here; I'm watching the shop today."
"And you are?"
"His granddaughter."
"Oh."
"Uh-huh."
The brief exchange ended, and the girl walked straight past Lin Tian, the cello case brushing against his shoulder.
The girl tossed a bag of trash into the bin by the roadside, then turned and went back inside the store, locking the front door behind her.
Watching the girl's retreating figure, Lin Tian was a bit confused.
How come he hadn't known that Sir Gan had a granddaughter, and one that went to the same high school as him?
But then again, it had always been Sir Gan who showed concern for his life, and it seemed that he really hadn't paid much attention to Sir Gan's family situation.
He had originally wanted to ask if he could cut through the coffee shop.
But seeing the girl's cold demeanor, Lin Tian gave up on the idea.
He felt that communication would be difficult.
Entering through the community gate, Lin Tian went into the apartment building where he lived in unit 603.
There is a regulation that an elevator must be installed in buildings with more than six floors, so most of these old apartment blocks have six floors.
When he reached the sixth floor, he saw that same figure again.
The girl, with the cumbersome cello on her back, was sitting on the railing wall outside the door to 603.
Her pale legs were dangling off into the air.
What was she doing? Enjoying the breeze? Or looking for a lost cat?
Surely she couldn't be contemplating suicide.
The girl turned her head and saw Lin Tian too.
"Can you not choose to die at the entrance of my home?"
Lin Tian asked.
"Okay."
The girl on the railing wall slowly moved her feet, shifting from the front of 603 to the opposite side of 602.
"It doesn't make any difference, you know. Maybe you should switch to a different floor?"
"Falling from here might not kill me."
"Head first could work."
Lin Tian thought for a moment; in that case, she'd have to strap the cello to her head, but she couldn't do it alone, she'd need his help.
Then every time he looked in the mirror at home, he would see 1-0-0 on his own head.
"Go up to the rooftop?"
"The rooftop door is locked, and I don't have the key."
"That lock just slides down to open; it's not actually locked."
"Oh."
The girl suddenly realized.
She slowly turned around, then gently placed her feet back on the ground and jumped off the low wall.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Lin Tian nodded, took out his keys, and was ready to open his door.
Just then, the girl seemed to remember something.
She had just walked a few steps upward, then she came back down.
"Could you help me keep this for a while?"
The girl took off the cello case from her back.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, sorry," Lin Tian declined.
"Okay then," the girl said with some regret, "Good night to you."
"You too, good night."
After speaking, the girl headed toward the rooftop upstairs, and Lin Tian also opened his door and went back inside.
He took out hand-brewed iced coffee from the refrigerator, which he didn't remember how long it had been there, and laid on the sofa. He turned on his computer, intending to enjoy the leisurely moment before taking a bath.
However, a minute passed.
Lin Tian gradually felt that something was a bit off.
Wait a minute,
She... she wouldn't really go through with it, would she?