A Break From Reality

Chapter 5

Xiao Ruiyi spent the whole afternoon walking around town looking for a job and he finally found one at a cafe. The manager there seemed quite happy that someone had come in to apply. Xiao Ruiyi was somewhat confused as this cafe had quite a nice atmosphere and did not seem like they would have much trouble finding someone. When he voiced his doubts, the manager told him that the position was for a waiter who comes in early to help with the opening, and the other candidates, when they found out that they had to come in so early, were not as enthusiastic as when they first walked in.

Xiao Ruiyi felt like a pie had fallen from the sky. This job was perfectly tailored for someone like him.

"I can come in early to work!" Xiao Ruiyi was beyond excited as the manager had offered a higher wage due to urgency and the lack of candidates.

The manager was happy to have finally found someone, yet was also a little apprehensive.

"Are you sure? The cafe opens at 8 o'clock in the morning, so you have to be here at 7."

"Yes, I will be on time!"

"Have you ever worked at a cafe before?"

Xiao Ruiyi recounted his experience working at the hotel and the other jobs that he had previously. The manager looked him up and down, a look of appreciation in her eyes.

"You seem to be quite young, but have already experienced quite a lot. Alright, you're hired. You can come in for training tomorrow. Be here at 7 in the morning, alright?"

"Thank you very much!"

Xiao Ruiyi was ecstatic as he walked out of the cafe, feeling as if he was stepping on clouds. He didn't think that he would find a job so quickly and had expected that it would take a few days. He was in an extremely good mood. His luck had turned around ever since he ate his lunch and overheard about the new Descent of Destiny upda-right, he still needed to look more into that.

Seeing that he still had some time before the next bus came, Xiao Ruiyi headed to the library to look up the information about the update. According to the game's official website, the game now offered the conversion of in-game currency to real-world money. However, the conversion ratio was 100 to 1, meaning 100 gold coins equaled 1 RMB. Although the exchange rate was a bit low, it also meant that he would earn as much as he made. That meant that he would be able to earn quite a lot of money if he was willing to work hard, which he was more than willing to do.

Xiao Ruiyi carefully looked up all the information regarding the update, afraid of missing anything important. After figuring out everything, he rushed to the bus stop to catch a ride. On the way back, he decided on his schedule for the rest of the day. After he got off the bus, he would go visit his mother for an hour or two and then he would go home to cook an early dinner. Once he finished eating, he would search for his VR headset and enter the game. It's been a long time since he played, but he would spend some time getting used to it, and perhaps he would even have some time left over to earn his first pot of gold.

Xiao Ruiyi cheerfully hummed a tune as he got off the bus and walked to the local hospital. When he entered the room, the nurse had just finished her daily check-in on the patients within the room. Xiao Ruiyi's mother shared a room with three other people, though one of them had already been discharged a week before, so currently, only two other patients were sharing the room with her. Xiao Ruiyi saw his mother as soon as he walked in.

She was sitting in her bed, looking out the window. She was pale and thin and although she looked sickly, you could tell by her large eyes and the faint smile on her lips that she must've been a beauty when she was young and healthy. Hearing a sound coming from the door, she turned her head and saw Xiao Ruiyi.