[Traveler's Emergency Food storage]
On the subway, Xiao Yu sat in the second carriage, tapping away furiously on her phone.
[You promised! You have to seize your chance this time. We all want to see what this gorgeous guy of yours looks like.]
[I know, I know.] Xiao Yu glanced up at the station announcement, then continued replying to her best friend on WeChat: [I'm telling you, he's gorgeous, but he looks so aloof. I want to ask for his WeChat, but I just don't have the guts.]
[Look at you, you hopeless thing.] Her friend scolded her over the phone: [Where's your usual shamelessness? How will you know it won't work if you don't make a move?]
[You haven't stayed at the dorm for a whole week just so you can see this guy. Aren't you tired of going to all this trouble every day?]
As the subway pulled into the station, Xiao Yu spotted him on the platform from afar.
He wore a simple white shirt and jeans. With broad shoulders, a slim waist, a well-proportioned figure, dark brows, and handsome eyes, he stood over six feet tall and really caught the eye in the crowd.
Xiao Yu hurriedly tucked her phone into her handbag, took out a small mirror, and quickly checked her makeup.
Once she finished checking, Xiao Yu put away the mirror and watched the young man approach and sit beside her.
She had never been this close to him before. The closest she had ever come was brushing past him while getting off the train, so her face instantly flushed red.
He seemed not to notice. After sitting down, he took out his phone, put on his earphones, and started playing a game.
Xiao Yu was at a loss. She had just missed her best chance to strike up a conversation, and now she worried that speaking to him would be too abrupt and interrupt him. Seeing how absorbed he was in his game, she took out her phone, muted it, and secretly snapped a photo to send to her friend.
[Holy shit! He's a total catch!] Her friend practically screeched through the phone.
From this close, his profile was in full view: smooth facial contours, a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and thin lips. The collar of his white shirt was slightly open, offering a glimpse of his finely shaped collarbones.
His brows were slightly furrowed, his lips pressed together, and his gaze cool as he watched his phone screen. He looked a little cold and distant, exactly the icy beauty type some girls loved.
[This guy is better-looking than a movie star. Xiao Yu, don't chicken out. Go for it!]
Her friend urged her to strike up a conversation, but as his brows knitted tighter and tighter, Xiao Yu hesitated.
She stole a curious glance at his phone screen. The game looked vaguely familiar.
[Hey, bestie, what's that game you're always playing called again? I think he's playing it too. The one where you're always complaining that you can't afford your wives.]
[Genshin Impact! Holy shit, this hottie is one of us!] Her friend was thrilled. [I told you to play Genshin Impact with me! Then you'd have an excuse to play with him right now. But it's fine. I'll teach you a secret phrase: "A meeting in another world, a feast of delicious flavors." Quick! Go say it to him!]
Xiao Yu turned to look at him, then very decisively gave up.
[Forget it, bestie. Maybe next time. I don't think there's any hope today.] Xiao Yu sent her friend the message.
[What happened?]
Her friend replied, exasperated at her lack of nerve.
[You chicken out every single time. If you won't go, I will. Believe me, I'll head out right now.]
[No, he just looks like he's in a pretty bad mood.]
[Huh? Why?]
[I just saw the whole thing. He was pulling for Zhongli,] Xiao Yu said.
Her friend suddenly had a bad feeling and sent a smug Venti meme.
Xiao Yu angled her phone away, making sure the young man couldn't see it:
[This guy lost both his 50/50 and his guaranteed pity!] (It was actually just his 50/50.)
[...]
Things were exactly as Xiao Yu had described. The instant he lost his pity pull, Lin Ze nearly snapped his phone in half.
His terrible gacha luck certainly lived up to its reputation. Ever since he had started playing Genshin Impact, he had lost every 50/50, without exception.
Today, he had even done his homework and tried every supposedly lucky spot for pulling Zhongli.
The storyteller's spot in Liyue Harbor, the entrance to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the place where Azhdaha was sealed, and the plaza for the Rite of Descension. He had even visited the Statue of the Seven on Qingyun Peak, and the result!
Lin Ze's composure shattered. Just as expected, the Fortune Preserver had arrived, late but inevitable.
[I'm Qiqi. I'm a zombie.]
Looking at his already C8??? Qiqi, Lin Ze accepted his fate. He opened the top-up page, intending to make one last attempt:
[If I can't pull the old man, surely I can pull Tighnari.]
[Sorry, insufficient account balance.]
Lin Ze gazed deeply into the notification on his phone for two seconds, then silently closed the game.
He slipped his phone into his jeans pocket, folded his arms, and closed his eyes, surrounded by an air of gloom.
So mad.
Lin Ze spent the whole ride angry at his useless wallet. Only when the arrival announcement sounded did he finally manage to get his mood under control.
He stood up and left the subway station under Xiao Yu's disappointed, regretful gaze.
Few people were out on a weekend morning, and only a handful of passersby dotted the street. Lin Ze emerged aboveground, rounded a corner, and walked into a convenience store.
"Welcome~"
Hearing him enter, the older man in the convenience store looked up and appeared surprised to see Lin Ze.
"Lin, aren't you on annual leave? What brings you here today?"
"I am, but the director just notified me that my transfer request was approved. I've got nothing else to do anyway, so I came to get settled in."
"I'm heading in, Old Liu. Thanks." With that, he strode toward the store's stockroom, waved to the older man, and went inside.
Ordinary shelves stood just beyond the door. Lin Ze walked to the very back of the room, found an unremarkable Lucky Cat ornament on a shelf, and aligned his eye with its little paw.
Ding.
An electronic notification sounded: "Identity verification successful."
The wall behind him unfolded like the entrance to the magical alley in Harry Potter, revealing a completely different scene within.
He crossed the lobby and went up to the second floor, where he reached an office and pushed open the door.
A man of about fifty sat in an armchair. Seeing Lin Ze enter, he smiled and said:
"Ah, Lin. Your application's been approved. Come sign the paperwork, and you can officially start today."
This was the Transmigration Management Bureau, commonly known as the TMB.
Director Liao placed the signed documents Lin Ze handed him on the desk. In no hurry to let him leave, he spoke with a broad smile:
"Work hard over in External Transmigration. If you can't adjust, that's fine too. Just submit a report, and I'll transfer you back. Unlike the Historical Transmigration Department where you've been working, they deal with high-risk worlds. Failed missions are common there, so just treat it as training and learn from the experience."
Lin Ze's brow twitched, and he hurried to declare his commitment. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Director. I'll be sure to learn humbly and complete my missions."
Director Liao looked pleased. "Good, good. That's all from me. Go report to the External Transmigration Department."
Lin Ze hurried out, afraid Director Liao might change his mind and send him back to the Historical Transmigration Department.
He had clearly been given a perfectly respectable political-intrigue plot about helping a down-and-out noble heir rise to become king. How had it nearly turned into one of the Begonia Department's stories about someone turning obsessive and locking him up?
He had been so frightened that he hadn't cared about his rating dropping. He had hastily set things up to get himself killed, finally escaping. From then on, Lin Ze had vowed to say goodbye to his past.
Ding!
[You have arrived at the External Transmigration Department.]
Before you continue