The moment Luo Zhen left the Lungmen office, he ran in one direction. It was six in the morning, and it was time for office workers to have breakfast. Heading east from Jinweizhu Street and crossing the traffic light, there was a small beverage shop located less than 100 meters away. The shop's sign read [Luo Zhen's Soy Milk], written by the logistics staff of Penguin, led by the elegant Miss Texas who had god-tier brush skills. There was also graffiti of an angel's halo and a wolf's tail, as well as Croissant's chubby face in the empty spaces, all decorating the sign. This was a guarantee in itself that Luo Zhen had been settled in Lungmen for some time in the past few years.
Instead of saying Luo Zhen was an employee of Penguin Logistics, it would be better to say his main identity was the owner of a small soy milk beverage shop within this city. This was the Dragon's Gate, where every square inch of land was like gold! The shop rent was many times higher than the salary from Penguin Logistics, so it was impossible to rent this space for free without any capital.
The shop was now open, and Croissant was preparing in the back. The moment she saw Luo Zhen enter, she gave him a thumbs-up with a bright face. "Big Brother Luo Zhen is as early and punctual as ever! I thought you would have skipped work if you had been abducted by Sir Ch'en. What a shame."
Chief Luo Zhen smiled with contempt. "Oh really... you can forget it. Of course, breakfast, lunch, and dinner from now on, you can handle them yourself without me!"
Hearing this threat, Croissant's face turned pale. "No way, Big Brother Luo Zhen! I just bought a pair of boots from Land of Life last week! And they've already deducted the money! I can't live without a good big brother like you to rely on!! You are my Heavenly Father! (.>?<.)"
Croissant slid over and hugged Luo Zhen's leg beautifully, starting to rub against it like a dog, and for some reason, she was very skilled at it.
Luo Zhen looked at her without saying anything. "Sigh... don't say that where other Laterans can hear you. Except for Exusiai and me, other Laterans aren't very tolerant. It's possible they'd pull out their Guardian guns and shoot you the moment they hear that." Most citizens of Laterano are devout believers, and the term 'Heavenly Father' is not one to be joked about.
Croissant stuck out her tongue cutely. "Ehehe ☆ But of course, you'd forgive me, right, Big Brother Luo Zhen?" She blinked and acted like a cute puppy... and it was really cute. But Luo Zhen had long been immune to her methods. He grabbed her and lifted her onto his shoulder, making the little bread-head beg for her life for daring to joke with him.
Luo Zhen was the only man among the logistics staff of Penguin and the only one who could cook. Although the women in Penguin Logistics looked perfect just from their external appearance, they may be famous for their beautiful faces, but their personalities and strength were on the level of monsters. Just one look at their shared living quarters was enough to make any man have a mental breakdown.
Ever since Luo Zhen joined Penguin Logistics, he had become a long-term cooking tool for this group of women, and he had to provide them with three meals a day. In exchange, they would come to Luo Zhen's shop to help out when they had free time, saving him money from having to hire waitstaff whose minimum wage was even higher than for a regular business. Fortunately, even though Croissant didn't seem very reliable, she was still a good worker with a bright personality and was easy to talk to, and she was also close to many customers. This meant the shop had regular customers in the neighborhood who all adored her.
Because of that, when the shop opened, office workers began to pour in, and business started to get hot within a few minutes of opening.
Amidst the chaos at this time, a lavishly beautiful blonde girl appeared at the end of the line quietly, standing on her tiptoes and waving for Luo Zhen to see. "Yoo-hoo~! Luo Zhen, I'm here!" Chief Shihuaya shouted loudly, calling for Luo Zhen to have tea with her in her casual clothes.
After the rush hour passed and the shop started to empty, Miss Shihuaya sat down opposite Luo Zhen. Holding a steamed bun, she blew on it gently and switched hands before taking a small bite. "Aah~! It's really delicious, Luo Zhen! The char siu bao you make is one of a kind, and it's the best I've had since I was a child!"
"I'm glad you like it," Luo Zhen, seeing her eat so happily like a child, was very happy as well. The greatest honor for a cook is for the eater not only to praise the food as delicious but also for it to look appetizing. In this regard, even though she was a rich woman, Shihuaya was very down-to-earth. She looked the cutest when eating his food, and Luo Zhen would never get tired of cooking for her for the rest of his life.
Luo Zhen handed her a glass of soy milk and asked her, "My lady, aren't you on duty today? How did you get here in the morning?"
Miss Shi looked at him with annoyance and said, "Isn't that your fault? I heard that someone from Penguin Logistics was arrested again. I knew immediately that it was you, so I rushed out of the house to go there."
Luo Zhen scratched his cheek with embarrassment. "I'm really sorry to have disturbed the princess's sleep."
She clicked her tongue and swung her tiger tail to the side: "Don't apologize to me. You know what I want." Miss Shihuaya picked up the bowl of soy milk and drank it all, until her small mouth was covered with white foam. Then she raised her chin, as if telling Luo Zhen something. But Luo Zhen smiled without responding, as if he were forcing himself not to understand what she was doing. And that was very boring for Shihuaya. Miss Shi pouted her lips unhappily and used a handkerchief to cover her mouth. "That street dragon thinks you're a thorn in her side and has said many times that she must catch you. If I hadn't saved you, you would have been detained by her for weeks... I think you should be more careful. Even if you're good at hiding things with your Originium skills, there must be a time when you make a mistake, right?"
"I'll be more careful next time, I promise," Luo Zhen accepted Shihuaya's goodwill and nodded seriously. Shihuaya knew about the deal between Penguin Logistics and Old Man Wei, so she could act as a mediator for them. She was a down-to-earth girl, and she was also someone who knew a lot of inside information about the high society and the underground of Lungmen. To be frank, she was more suitable to be the 'real' guardian than the justice-filled Sir Ch'en, who was ready to hurt anyone indiscriminately without caring how big they were if they did wrong. But that didn't mean Shihuaya wasn't selfish.
Shihuaya picked up her bag and pulled out a bottle of wine, placing it on the table. She looked at Luo Zhen's smiling face and reached out her hand. Her white and soft fingers touched Luo Zhen's cheek and began to pinch it gently. She spoke while enjoying the addiction at her hand. "Are you free tomorrow? Come play at my hotel. I just opened a new romantic cafe there... and there's live piano music too."
"Actually... I don't really like places that commoners like me can't access." Luo Zhen tried to avoid Shihuaya shyly. "And I have to take care of the shop all day. That's not even including the time I have to go see the kids after closing. So it would be difficult to find time for you."
Shihuaya, being repeatedly rejected, became even more unhappy. "You play the piano very well. It's clear that it must have taken you years to practice it, right? It would be a pity if you didn't show that talent to anyone. But what's this? You're just focused on opening a restaurant..."
"I was forced to learn the piano since I was little... and I think opening a restaurant for the rest of my life isn't a bad idea." While Luo Zhen was complaining with a hint of hurt, he felt that Miss Shi was squeezing his face with increasing force. He quickly stepped back and hastily said to her, "W-well, how about this! Let's change the day. Let's go for a walk at your Dagu Hotel on a holiday instead. That should be convenient for us, right!!"
"Hmm... okay then, let's go another day." Miss Shi didn't force him anymore and chose to let him go with a victorious smile. Shihuaya's attitude towards Luo Zhen was always positive. The two were old acquaintances. Since something happened last year, she had learned some of Luo Zhen's secrets, and she had been pursuing him ever since. Luo Zhen was also a man, so of course, he didn't dislike a good-looking woman with a gentle personality like Shihuaya... but he had various worries and wanted to maintain the current status quo. Shihuaya knew that too. She knew that pressing too hard would only make Luo Zhen run away from her, so she always maintained a proper distance and tried not to interfere in his personal matters more than necessary. But playing with Rosen's face was another matter.
She massaged it again and again, and after finishing a few cups of soy milk, she suddenly seemed to remember something and looked around. "Where's your red-haired angel? Usually she'd be here shining a light bulb in my face by now, wouldn't she? I feel strange not seeing her scary smile, as if she's about to pull out that gun and shoot me anytime I get close to you." What she said was really dangerous, so much so that Luo Zhen couldn't help but laugh. "No, no, she just wants to play with you. Exusiai is on a big job and is out negotiating with a client. She'll be back in a few days." Shihuaya thought for a moment before nodding in understanding.
Suddenly, the TV in the shop broadcasted foreign news. The city of Longmen, which is adjacent to the city of Chernobog in the Ursus Empire, has recently had frequent conflicts caused by the Infected, and the level of violence is high enough that both cities are considering sending police and other military teams to help reinforce them. This world was getting more dangerous by the day, Luo Zhen, who was having his head stroked by Miss Shi, thought silently.