"Hm? A shop for catching dolls?"
Ma Hongjun rubbed his chin, thinking, Ning Rongrong came all the way outside the school just to visit this place?
He decided to watch for a while first.
Inside the Happy Claw Machine shop, Qin Chuan sat behind the counter, staring into space with nothing to do.
His legs were propped up on the counter. The sleeves of his gray-blue work jacket were rolled to his elbows. One hand propped up his head while the other idly spun a Silver Soul Coin.
Not a single customer had come in all afternoon.
Xiao Wu and the others had visited once that morning. The four of them had tried for a round, and only Zhu Zhuqing had won a black cat. All told, the shop had earned four Gold Soul Coins, and his cut amounted to eight Silver Soul Coins.
It sounded like a lot, but in this world, eight Silver Soul Coins would only buy enough to eat for two days.
Qin Chuan flipped the coin over and looked at the Spirit Hall Empire crest stamped on it.
"If I ran a business like this in my old world, it would've gone under eight hundred times over."
He glanced down at the gray-blue work jacket he was wearing.
He'd been wearing it when he arrived in this world, and he hadn't changed in three days. It was already wrinkled, with the elbows a little frayed. Compared to the other shopkeepers on this street, he looked downright shabby.
"This getup really won't do. I need to buy some new clothes. I've got a storefront to uphold, after all."
Qin Chuan was pondering where to buy clothes when he heard footsteps at the entrance.
Short boots tapped across the stone slabs, light and brisk.
Qin Chuan looked up.
Ning Rongrong pushed open the glass door and walked in, carrying a paper bag and smiling brightly.
Her blue skirt hugged her slender waist, and a glimpse of her calves showed beneath the hem, clad in white stockings. Her short boots were spotless. A lock of her bangs had been tousled by the wind and fell against her cheek.
"Brother Chuan, I brought you something to eat."
Only then did Qin Chuan lower his legs from the counter and stand up.
"Ning Rongrong? Haha, thanks so much."
Ning Rongrong placed the paper bag on the counter and took out two oil-paper parcels and a bowl of soup sealed with a lid.
"One beef wrap, one scallion pancake, and a bowl of pork rib soup. Eat them while they're hot."
Qin Chuan's nose twitched as the fragrant smell of beef wafted over. His stomach gave a timely growl.
"Don't mention it. It's nothing," Ning Rongrong said with a smile. "I was passing by, so I picked them up."
Qin Chuan didn't stand on ceremony. He opened the oil-paper parcel and took a bite of the wrap.
After all this back and forth, Qin Chuan had gotten fairly familiar with Xiao Wu and the others.
Xiao Wu had been his first customer. She was outgoing and had started calling him "Brother Chuan" on the second day. Ning Rongrong followed suit. Zhu Zhuqing didn't call him that, but she wasn't distant, either. Bai Chenxiang gave him a nod whenever they met.
Chewing on his wrap, Qin Chuan mumbled, "Don't you have classes at your academy?"
"It's free cultivation time right now. We don't have classes."
"That's nice."
Ning Rongrong watched Qin Chuan, her mind turning over something else.
She remembered the prompt on the Crystal Ball perfectly: helping the Shopkeeper with chores and earning his favor would both increase her experience. At the highest level, she could become a Supreme Member.
Helping with chores was easy.
Ning Rongrong looked around the shop. A thin layer of dust covered the glass panels of the six Claw Machines. Several paper bags from Qin Chuan's leftovers were piled on the counter, and the floor had a scattering of dust and footprints.
"Hey, Brother Chuan, want me to help clean up? Look, these Claw Machines are covered in dust. I can wipe them down for you."
"Haha, I couldn't let you do that. You came here as a customer. If I made you clean, people would say I ran a shady shop."
"It's no trouble. I'm just sitting around otherwise. Come on, do you have a rag?"
Qin Chuan pointed to the corner behind the counter.
Ning Rongrong rolled up her sleeves, went over to fetch the rag, rinsed it in the bucket, and wrung it out.
She crouched down and started wiping the first machine in the Ordinary Zone.
As the rag slid across the glass panel, it took the dust with it, and the glass instantly turned clear. The toys inside looked brighter, too.
Ning Rongrong cleaned meticulously, not even missing the frame at the bottom of the machine or the coin slot.
Qin Chuan sat nearby, glancing over from time to time. She worked even harder than he did. As she bent and crouched, her blue skirt trailed on the floor, and the calves beneath her white stockings tensed.
After finishing the first machine, Ning Rongrong stood and rolled her wrists before moving on to the second.
Then the third.
After wiping down all three machines in the Ordinary Zone, Ning Rongrong moved on to the High-Tier Zone.
The machines in the High-Tier Zone were a size larger than those in the Ordinary Zone, and the toys inside were much more exquisite. Kuromi, My Melody, Pikachu—so colorful and lovely beneath the lights.
Ning Rongrong wiped down all six machines, then swept the floor and tidied the trash on the counter.
She was busy for more than ten minutes.
She straightened up, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead, and wiped it away with the back of her hand.
Just then, a voice rang out in her mind.
[Congratulations, Player Ning Rongrong! For helping the Shopkeeper with chores, your membership experience has increased by 5. Ordinary Member, current experience: 5/10.]
Ning Rongrong's heart gave a sudden leap.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the rag in her hand, pressing into the damp cloth.
It worked! Doing chores really did raise her experience!
Ning Rongrong's breathing quickened for two seconds, then quickly steadied. Her expression gave nothing away, save for the faintest upward curl of her lips.
She darted a glance behind the counter. Qin Chuan was still eating and hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Ning Rongrong put the rag back in the bucket, then walked around the shop again, looking for any other chores to do.
Wipe the windows? There weren't any. Wash dishes? There were no dishes. Organize the shelves? Claw Machines didn't need organizing.
Ning Rongrong tried wiping down the small cabinet behind the counter, then cleaned Qin Chuan's chair.
She waited for a while, but no new prompt sounded. Her experience didn't increase again.
Ning Rongrong sighed inwardly. It looked like doing chores only raised her experience once a day.
Then she'd try the second method.
Earning the Shopkeeper's favor.
Ning Rongrong turned and looked at Qin Chuan.
The young man was tall and lean, with slightly messy hair and a wrinkled gray-blue work jacket.
Ning Rongrong rested the rag on the rim of the bucket, walked up to the counter, and braced both hands against its edge, leaning forward slightly.
"Brother Chuan."
"Hmm?" Qin Chuan looked up.
Ning Rongrong's voice softened. "Brother Chuan, um... you're so handsome."
Qin Chuan chuckled. "Thanks for the compliment. I'm pretty average—the third most handsome in the world."
Ning Rongrong's thoughts raced. Complimenting his looks didn't work. There was no prompt.
She had to step it up.
Ning Rongrong lowered her eyes and absently traced the grain along the counter's edge with her finger. Her voice dropped even softer.
"Brother Chuan... may I ask if you have a girlfriend?"
A girlfriend?
Qin Chuan thought about it. He'd had one in his previous life, but he hadn't brought her along when he crossed over. He had no idea which time and space she was in now.
"No."
Ning Rongrong's heart took another step forward. She stared at the grain of the counter without looking up into Qin Chuan's eyes.
"Then... how about I be your girlfriend?"