Two Ears Pricked Up (It Was Minus Twenty-Four Degrees Today-Cold Enough to Freeze Someone to Death)

In the deserted, quiet shop, only hurried breathing echoed through the room.

"No, I can't go on anymore, Mr. Fang Zheng..."

The blonde girl's face was flushed, her small mouth slightly open as she exhaled a sweet, orchid-like breath. Wearing a pleading expression, she looked back at Fang Zheng behind her, while he held her shoulders and smiled faintly.

"We've come this far. Are you really thinking of giving up?"

"But... I'm almost done for..."

Tita's slender body trembled slightly, as if she had already reached her limit.

"Relax. Don't think about anything. Just do as I tell you."

"Mm... I'll do my best."

Hearing Fang Zheng's voice, Tita's little face reddened slightly. Then she gritted her teeth again, raised her head, and then...

"Beep beep beep beep—!"

"Ah, I failed again!"

Seeing the words [GAME OVER] on the dance machine before her, Tita slumped down weakly.

"This game is really hard."

"It does train your coordination and reflexes pretty well. Still, getting this far on your first try is already impressive."

Fang Zheng patted Tita on the shoulder, signaling that she need not be so upset. After that, he accompanied his first customer around the entire video game arcade. What caught Tita's attention were the claw machines, the dance machine, and the simulated Mecha cockpit beside them.

The little girl had played to her heart's content, but...

"It's about time. Shouldn't you be heading home?"

Fang Zheng glanced at the sunset outside the window. Though he intended to run a video game arcade, he had no intention of turning it into the kind of seedy game parlor from his past life where thugs and punks loitered around all day. There had only been Tita as a customer today, but Fang Zheng believed it would not be long before many