### 492. Inside the Internet Cafe
The countryside’s internet cafes, although most have shamelessly rebranded themselves as internet coffee shops, haven’t really improved much in terms of environment and decor.
The smoky scent still lingers everywhere, the noise level is still off the charts, and internet access now costs significantly more than it used to, with added bubble tea service.
Lin Nan used to adore internet cafes. She would tag along with Chen Yao almost every day after school to surf the web. Back then, she was used to the smell of smoke, but after starting college and avoiding internet cafes, she became increasingly intolerant of it.
Wu Jiaming led Lin Nan into the cafe and turned to glance at his younger cousin, noticing she had been jumpy ever since spotting that strange light outside.
“Scared of ghosts?” he casually asked, but Lin Nan shivered at the question.
“What’s wrong with you? If you’re scared of ghosts, just go to a bank and withdraw some money for protection,” he teased as he approached the counter and greeted the cute cashier friendly. “All-nighter for two, and you’re still here this late?”
“Got stuck with the shift,” she replied nonchalantly.
For some reason, the cashiers at internet cafes were often quite attractive, while most male cashiers looked like they lost a fight with a vegetable.
Lin Nan trailed behind Wu Jiaming, staring at her toes, but couldn’t resist sneaking glances around. Suddenly, the loud sound of footsteps startled her.
She spun around and found a guy in high-tops rummaging through the fridge for a drink.
Seeing her terrified face, he raised an eyebrow but said nothing and went to pay at the counter.
“ID, please.”
“Um.” Lin Nan fished out her ID from her pocket, handing it to her cousin, peeking cautiously at the internet cafe.
It was buzzing with activity; according to novel logic, ghosts probably wouldn’t want to hang around in such a lively place.
“Is that your girlfriend? Do you have a thing for cute girls?” the cashier asked Lin Nan with a smile. “Did you upset her? She looks so pitiful; can I pinch her cheeks?”
“Nope, she’s my cousin, just spooked a little,” Wu Jiaming chuckled as he leaned on the counter. “Ten bucks for a cheek pinch!”
“Got quite the timid one here.”
Finally, realizing they were talking about her, Lin Nan glared at her cousin and turned back to the counter, demanding, “What’s with the pinching?”
She seemed genuinely annoyed, prompting Wu Jiaming to zip it. But just a moment later, she stood on tiptoes, leaned over the counter, and asked the cashier, “How about twenty?”
Just then, the paperwork was completed, and Wu Jiaming took back the ID, grabbing Lin Nan’s arm as they left.
Can’t afford to lose face here!
They found a cozy booth for two, and Lin Nan opened the computer with a hint of disappointment, gazing gloomily out the small window.
Twenty bucks down the drain.
Outside, a vibrant night market lit up the street, vendors selling all kinds of snacks and barbecued goodies, enticing aromas wafting through the cracks, making her mouth water uncontrollably.
At ten o’clock, the night market was in full swing, teeming with people either strolling by or stopping at stalls. The makeshift seating from vendors cluttered the bike lanes, the ground a chaotic mess, but the diners seemed unfazed, chatting and enjoying their late-night bites.
This lively atmosphere was so much more vibrant than the big city.
Or perhaps it was just that Lin Nan grew up in such environments, making her yearn for this kind of life.
“What’s up? Craving something?” Wu Jiaming noticed her staring out the window for a good while and chimed in, “How about I treat you to some barbecue?”
“Then I won’t hold back!” Lin Nan spun around, beaming. “You’re the best, cousin!”
Her bright smile made Wu Jiaming’s heart skip a beat, and he quickly stood up. “Wait here for me; I’ll be back in half an hour.”
In the booth, Lin Nan was left alone for a moment before looking out the window again, just in time to see her cousin arriving at a barbecue stall.
Turning back to the computer, she opened the game folder at the cafe, mindlessly scrolling through the options, but couldn’t find anything piquing her interest.
Mainly because Chen Yao wasn’t here to play with her, and she dared not tell him she was pulling an all-nighter in the internet cafe.
Otherwise, he would definitely give her an earful.
Logging into QQ on the computer, she spotted a message from Chen Yao.
Just some casual chit-chat, yet Lin Nan felt invigorated, eagerly typing back right away.
When Wu Jiaming returned with two boxes of barbecue, Lin Nan was still happily chatting, complaining to Chen Yao about the weird things that had happened recently, including the bizarre lights she had seen earlier.
“Ta-da, barbecue!” Wu Jiaming set the boxes down in front of them, grabbed a hot dog, and dove into the game, entering the Summoner’s Rift to fight the good fight.
Lin Nan used to wonder why some people came to internet cafes just to chat without gaming, but now she found herself falling into the same trend.
They chatted for hours until around three in the morning when sleepiness crept in, and Lin Nan stretched, releasing her hold on Chen Yao.
“I’m going to take a nap.” She told her cousin as she leaned down.
“Sure,” Wu Jiaming nodded. Seeing her settle, he suddenly asked, “So, you still going hiking tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
“Scared of ghosts, but still going?” He shot her a sideways glance at her sprawled on the desk before continuing, “What time exactly?”
“Saturday at three in the morning.”
“……”
Noticing Wu Jiaming momentarily gone silent, Lin Nan lifted her head, her sleepy eyes narrowing at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Isn’t it already Saturday at three in the morning now?”
“But it’s Friday night!” Lin Nan blinked, confused.
Wu Jiaming’s mouth twitched: “Do you really think it only counts as Saturday when you wake up during the day?”
Her sluggish brain suddenly connected the dots, causing Lin Nan to sh**t up in shock from the table, wide-eyed with confusion.
Maybe it was the late-night hours that made her lump past midnight as part of the previous day. If she talked about daytime matters with friends, she would definitely refer to them as “tomorrow,” forming a habit that muddled her sense of time.
But she wasn’t the only one who got mixed up; there were headlines about people discovering their train tickets were expired a day after they were supposed to travel!
“Well…” She thought about heading out to hike right now, but fatigue made her feel sluggish, so after deliberating, she decided, “Let’s just wait until tomorrow! It’s the same anyway!”
What’s one day waiting for some ghosts, right?
Ghosts generally don’t have a concept of time, do they?
The more Lin Nan thought about it, the guiltier she felt, so she just flopped back down, closed her eyes, and tried not to think about it.
