Volume One: A Stroke of Luck

Chapter Four: An Unexpected Delight

The next morning, after getting up, David Walker sat on his bed in a daze and suddenly blurted out, “Damn, those erotic novels and porn videos are all lies. Turns out, women in uniforms and stockings are so hard to handle.” When he watched porn before, it all seemed so easy—maybe a bit challenging, but nothing like the “difficulty” he’d just experienced.

David Walker started to drool a little, unable to resist fantasizing: “But she’s way hotter than those chicks in the videos…” David Walker liked to call it “acting on instinct, not animal desire,” so all he could do was fantasize behind her back—he’d never dare say anything “outrageous” to her face.

There’s nothing good about summer weather—the sun blazes like fire. David Walker glanced outside and gave up on the idea of going for a walk. After eating a little something, he set off for the internet café. In summer, internet cafés are great places to be. The bigger ones have cool air conditioning, and the nicer ones even have female staff as network admins.

There was just such an internet café near where David Walker lived. Over the past couple of days, David Walker had noticed that the VIP section was serviced by two network admins, both quite attractive, and one of them was exactly the sweet and delicate type he liked.

He quickened his pace and arrived at the café. Although the VIP section cost half again as much as the regular area, David Walker was “flush with cash” these days and didn’t care. It was just a pity that, after nearly half a month of coming here every day, he still hadn’t spoken to that girl.

Too timid—nothing he could do about it.

David Walker took out his membership card, found a computer, slouched comfortably on the sofa, and started watching a movie. He came here every day; besides reading the news, all he could do was watch movies.

Chatting? David Walker’s “one-finger typing” was infamous, looked down upon by the online community. Besides, his mother had repeatedly warned him before leaving home: “Don’t talk to strangers.” David Walker knew his own limits, so he decided to forget about it. One-night stands were tempting, but David Walker was worried about catching something.

By noon, he called over the network admin and asked her to buy him a boxed lunch. The girl was very considerate and even asked, “Would you like a drink?” David Walker handed over another five yuan.

He ate and drank absentmindedly. Around one in the afternoon, the staff started changing shifts, and the girl David Walker liked came on duty. He was secretly delighted and hid behind his monitor, sneaking glances at her. The girl changed into her work uniform—a dark red vest—and walked around the VIP section with her hands behind her back.

She looked quite young, with delicate features, though maybe a bit tired, as she had some bags under her eyes. David Walker kept wondering what kind of person she was. Being a network admin didn’t pay much, so why would such a pretty girl take this job? Wouldn’t she be better off finding a rich boyfriend and living a life of comfort?

Lost in thought, he didn’t even pay attention to the movie on his screen. Before he knew it, the girl had come over to him. David Walker quickly looked away, only to realize there was a steamy scene playing on his screen. As he turned his head, the girl was standing right behind him, saw what was on the monitor, and David Walker blushed, hurriedly explaining, “This isn’t porn…”

For the first time ever, he actually spoke to the network admin!

The girl pressed her lips together in a smile. The lighting in the café was dim, so he couldn’t tell if she was blushing too. “Why are you talking to me?” she asked shyly, then quickly walked away as if escaping. David Walker felt a wave of disappointment. Of course—he was just a customer, and she was just staff. Why bother explaining anything to her?

Feeling a bit down, David Walker shut down the computer, pulled out his membership card, and got ready to leave. As he walked out of the VIP section, he ran into the girl again at the entrance. “Hey, why are you leaving so early today? Don’t you usually stay until midnight?” she asked curiously.

David Walker was overjoyed: So she’s been paying attention to me! His gloom vanished instantly, and he quickly shook his head. “No, no, I’m just going to the bathroom!”

“You don’t need to pull your card out to go to the bathroom. Next time, just tell me and I’ll watch your spot for you.”

David Walker nodded eagerly, “Okay, okay…”

He slipped into the bathroom, pulled out his little guy and relieved himself, humming a tuneless song. He was about to head back without washing his hands when his phone rang. “Damn, who’s calling at a time like this?” He checked the number—it looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“Hello!” David Walker barked gruffly into the phone. The person on the other end seemed startled and asked in a small voice, “Is this Mr. Walker?”

“What is it?” David Walker didn’t want to waste a second.

“Oh, I’m calling from Fashion Review magazine. Congratulations, you’ve passed the recruitment interview. I’m pleased to inform you that you can start work tomorrow morning…”

David Walker was ecstatic. “What did you say? You’re not joking, are you?” He even started to suspect the caller was a friend playing a prank, but then realized none of his friends knew he’d interviewed at Fashion Review, let alone that he’d embarrassed himself there.

David Walker went back to the VIP section, found the network admin girl, and stammered, “I have to go. I passed my interview and I’m starting work tomorrow, so I need to go home and get ready. Sorry about that…” The girl smiled politely and said, “Goodbye.”

“…Uh, goodbye, goodbye!” David Walker waved to her, feeling a bit reluctant as he left.