My 23-Year-Old Beautiful Boss

Evening, Feiyang Internet Cafe.

I staggered into the internet cafe with Old K. By then, I had standard panda eyes. I couldn't sleep, absolutely couldn't sleep! Old K's feet made me feel like I was lying in a pile of stinking salted fish—and somehow, they were even worse!

"Ding Han, what's wrong?"

Lu Xiaobei got up and walked over, naturally taking hold of my arm.

"Lu Xiaobei!"

I glared at her through gritted teeth.

"What did I do?" A trace of panic flashed through her eyes.

"I'm begging you, advance me some of my salary. I can barely hold on anymore..."

"Huh?"

Lu Xiaobei bit her red lip. "All right, come with me."

So I followed Lu Xiaobei upstairs.

She opened a drawer in her bedroom and took out a bulging envelope. "There's four thousand yuan in here. I'd originally planned to use it to buy two more computers for the internet cafe, but since you need it urgently, consider it an advance on two months' salary."

I hurriedly accepted the envelope and counted the money, feeling a little touched.

That night, I had a cup of instant noodles at the internet cafe for dinner. Then, before work began, I went to the residential area to look for a place to rent. I called one vacant-room listing after another, and soon found an available room. The landlord seemed decent enough and immediately came over to show me the place.

It was a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment on the fourth floor. The environment was fairly clean. One bedroom faced the sun, while the other faced away from it.

"The sunny room has already been rented out."

The landlord said, "Kid, if you want to rent, you can only take the room on the shady side. One month's rent and one month's deposit. The rent is eight hundred yuan, so sixteen hundred yuan upfront will do."

"Can't you make it a little cheaper?"

I frowned. "Leave me enough for food, at least?"

"It really can't be any cheaper."

The landlord said, "You've seen the rental prices around here. They aren't low. The sunny room rented for a thousand a month, and the rooms in the neighboring apartments all go for over a thousand. The one I'm offering you is already really cheap."

He pointed toward the kitchen. "Look, the kitchen and bathroom are fully equipped, there's hot water for showers, and it's been cleaned pretty well. It may look old from the outside, but the inside isn't old at all. If you want to think it over longer, this place could be rented out in the blink of an eye."

"All right."

I nodded, took out the money, signed the contract with the landlord, and paid him.

At last, I had my own rented place in Star Abyss World. No more sleeping in internet cafe chairs!

At around nine that night, I arrived at the internet cafe.

"Found a place?" Lu Xiaobei asked.

"Mm, I found one."

I nodded. "Lu Xiaobei, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"Go ahead."

"Starting tomorrow, I want to work the day shift. Now that I have a place to stay, there's no reason for me to keep staying up all night. Tell Zhao Yihang that the day shift is mine from now on, and he can take the night shift."

"You're taking tomorrow's day shift too?"

"Mm, I'll work straight through, then go back and sleep afterward."

"That works."

Lu Xiaobei nodded. "I'll go tell Zhao Yihang."

And so, I began working the day shift.

At eight the next morning, I went right back to work and stayed until four in the afternoon. The shift had worked me half to death, and I felt like I could ascend to immortality and join the celestial ranks at any moment.

I finally endured until four, successfully handed over the shift to Sakura, then bought a boxed meal and returned home.

The apartment was quiet, and the living room was empty. I still had no idea what the other tenant was like. After wolfing down my meal and drinking some cooled boiled water, I went to the supermarket and spent three hundred yuan on two quilts, pillows, and all kinds of toiletries. At last, I was living like a human being.

Night fell. Just as I was sleeping soundly, the sound of a guitar suddenly came from outside, followed by someone singing—

"She's the one I think of day and night, the one I love so deeply. How should I express it? Will she accept me?"

Woken up by the noise, I cursed inwardly.

My roommate's identity was more or less confirmed. He was a man, he could sing, and he was also a player. Otherwise, there was no way he would know songs from my world.

In Star Abyss World, many things were nearly identical to the real world, such as certain cultures and brands. But some things were different. For instance, the songs from our world did not exist in Star Abyss World, nor did those famous singers.

I covered my ears with another pillow and forced myself to sleep.

But soon, the singing outside grew even louder and more piercing—

"I headed north, leaving the season that had you in it. You said you were tired, unable to love anyone anymore~~~"

Fuck!

I completely snapped. I could no longer endure it.

I rolled over, got up, and pushed the door open.

"???"

The man sitting on the sofa jolted in fright and stopped strumming his guitar. He stared blankly at me.

"Bro, can you keep it down?"

I poured myself a cup of cooled boiled water, sat beside the coffee table, and glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Got it..."

He gave a dull smile. "Bro, you're the new tenant?"

"Mm."

I nodded. "My name is Ding Han. What about you?"

"Milo."

He stood up and shook my hand, then stepped back. "Sorry, Ding Han. I didn't know you were sleeping, otherwise I wouldn't have practiced singing in the living room."

"I worked the night shift yesterday. It won't matter once I start working days."

I glanced at him. "You're into music?"

"Mm."

Milo nodded and smiled. "I've liked music since I was young. When I grew up, I never amounted to much. Right now, I'm a resident singer at a bar. I'm just... getting by."

"I heard the songs you were singing earlier. They weren't bad."

"Oh?"

Milo smiled. "Really?"

"Mm. Sing a few more. I'll give you some pointers."

"Sure!"

Milo nodded and smiled, then immediately sang several more songs. One was Pu Shu's Those Flowers, while the other two were Jay Chou's Starlit Night and Counterclockwise Clock.

"How was that?"

He grinned. "With my singing, I should have a shot at making it in Crimson Dragon Country's music scene someday, right? I've thought it through. After a while, I'll quit my bar gig and head to BH City in Crimson Dragon Country to chase my dreams. Maybe I can make a name for myself. I've even figured out my stage name—I'll change Mi to Xia. What do you think, Ding Han?"

I nearly burst out laughing and couldn't help saying:

"So you're fucking called Xialuo?"

"Holy crap!"

Milo was stunned. Slapping his thigh, he said, "You're a player too?"

"Mm."

I nodded.

"Damn, that's great!"

Milo was incredibly excited. "Ding Han, I can remember the melodies of many songs, but not the lyrics. Can you help me proofread and fill them in? I want to prepare a few more signature songs. The music standards in Star Abyss World are really mediocre, and there are very few people who can sing. To put it bluntly, even Pang Mailang could sweep the scene here. If I pursue music in this world, there's definitely a huge future in it!"

I frowned. "Milo, we may have only just met, but since we're roommates, it's fate. Let me ask you something. Are you planning to give up being a player and focus entirely on making music in this world?"

"Yes."

Milo frowned. "I never liked fighting and killing in the first place. If I fought and killed every day like other players, I might get Headshot by a sniper one day if I wasn't careful. So half a month ago, I shut down my game system and began creating music in this world as an ordinary person, starting another kind of life."

"I don't agree with what you're doing."

I pondered for a moment. "Milo, if you consider me a friend, then I have to give you this advice: don't be so naive. We players became this world's natural enemies the moment we came here. The only thing we should do is raise our levels and combat power, because those are the only things that are real to us."

"..."

Milo said nothing. Only the hand holding his guitar trembled slightly.

"Of course..."

I couldn't quite bear it. "Everyone has their own aspirations, and everyone has the right to choose their own way of life. If you truly want to live in Star Abyss World as a musician, then as your friend, I'll definitely support you."

"All right!"

Milo nodded heavily. "Ding Han, just for those words, you're qualified to be my brother!"

I smiled faintly. "But I have a suggestion. I hope you'll consider it carefully. It's extremely important to you."

"Go ahead!"

"If you want to conquer Star Abyss World with music from our world, then never copy it wholesale. Doing that will only bring you enormous risk."

I frowned. "The people of Star Abyss World treat us players like monsters. Once Star Maple Federation, Dark Tide, or the people in the wilderness discover a player's identity, they'll execute them immediately. Crimson Dragon Country and Creek City haven't made their attitudes clear yet, but we can't be optimistic about them either. So I suggest you don't copy songs word for word. Take only the best parts from each song, then write the rest yourself—revise them, change the melody. That way, even if other players suspect you're a player, they won't be able to fully confirm it. They'll only assume the parts you copied were fragments you heard someone else sing. That'll be relatively safer for you."

"I'll remember that."

Milo took a deep breath. "Ding Han, you're right. I'll proceed accordingly."

"All right, then let's have a singing battle. Back in the day, I was known as the God of Song in southern Jiangsu. I rarely met an opponent at karaoke."

"You're amazing. You can say that without even blushing."

So I helped Milo work through songs until around eight. Then he went out to work as a resident singer at the bar, while I went downstairs for a bowl of wontons before continuing my sleep. When I woke up, it was already seven the next morning.

I arrived at the internet cafe feeling slightly heavy-hearted.

It was time for me to make money. Whether it was for my living expenses or buying weapons and ammunition, I would need a huge amount of Star Coins. And I already had an idea for earning money.

Milo planned to rise abruptly in Star Abyss World's music scene with songs by Pu Shu, Jay Chou, and others. I could do the same. I planned to write novels on Original Point Novel Network in Star Abyss and earn money through subscriptions!

So I opened a document and prepared to begin writing.

The keyboard clattered away as I first typed out the title of the novel:

My 23-Year-Old Beautiful Boss.