Chapter 98: Damn This Blue Star OL
Yi Ning temporarily set the whole Rigil situation aside and jogged over to the fridge again, swinging open the door to see if there was anything to drink.
Unfortunately, aside from some coffee and energy drinks, there wasn’t much else.
Did I always just drink this stuff?
Yi Ning sighed, her finger wavering between the coffee and energy drink before finally settling on the coffee bottle cap.
“Should I go out and buy something else?”
She pulled the coffee from the fridge and shut the door.
“Yeah, guess I should.”
Decision made.
Come to think of it, hadn’t she also planned to buy some girly skirts? Maybe she could take care of that tonight too?
But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, a wave of resistance surged up.
She recalled the awful experience of being forced to wear Xia An’s skirt.
That breezy, shame-filled feeling down below—she never wanted to go through that again in her life.
Yi Ning balked.
Maybe I should just order online?
“But I’m already going out for drinks, so why not just grab them both? Besides, skirts are something girls wear—it’s not like I can avoid them forever, right?”
Thankfully—
Just as she was about to fall into the trap laid by Devil Yi Ning, made of hesitation and retreat, Righteous Yi Ning appeared!
Using the classic “since I’m already here” argument, she reignited Yi Ning’s determination to go out and buy skirts.
But Evil Yi Ning wouldn’t back down so easily.
“You could just order drinks online too, you know? No need to go out.”
With that one strike, Righteous Yi Ning was utterly defeated.
Yi Ning began patting her pockets, ready to browse shopping sites.
Fortunately, she’d left her phone on the couch rather than in her pocket.
This gave Team Righteous a slim window to rally.
But Evil Yi Ning wasn’t done yet.
“I worked all day, got spanked by Lu Zheng in the afternoon, cleaned the whole base before clocking out—can’t I at least enjoy myself a little?”
With that legendary line, Righteous Yi Ning could only grin sheepishly and nod in agreement.
In this harmonious mood, Yi Ning returned to the couch, twisted off the coffee bottle cap, and prepared to sip while shopping online.
Casually, her eyes landed on the manual coffee grinder sitting on the table.
Yi Ning blinked.
She looked at the bottled coffee in her hand, then at the grinder.
If I’m gonna drink coffee anyway, why not use my own carefully brewed hand-ground coffee instead of instant stuff?
Plus, grinding coffee beans in peaceful leisure—that kind of vibe…
Just thinking about it felt nice!
Same as before—
Worked hard all day—can’t I enjoy myself a little?
On that note, she tossed the bottled coffee aside, grabbed her manual grinder, and fetched a few bags of coffee beans from a corner.
She vaguely remembered they were some kind of “Arakabi beans,” deep roast or light roast or whatever—supposed to have a thick mouthfeel and low acidity.
Okay fine—
Yi Ning admitted it.
She had no clue about coffee beans.
Her only requirement for coffee was caffeine for staying awake.
Her knowledge stopped at “this one’s more bitter” or “that one’s not as bitter.”
Even buying the grinder was just a spur-of-the-moment whim.
She poured the beans into the grinder, grabbed the handle, and slowly began to turn.
As the handle turned, a gentle melody played from the grinder.
Yes—
The only reason Yi Ning had bought it was because it played music while grinding.
Sadly, after bringing it home, she was disappointed to learn the grinding itself also made noise.
Not enough to drown out the music, but it ruined her initial image.
Once the beans were ground, Yi Ning took out a filter paper, folded it neatly, and set it in the dripper.
Only to awkwardly realize—
She hadn’t boiled any water.
Sighing, she got up to boil a kettle.
Sitting before it, watching the water heat, Yi Ning felt regret.
Should’ve just gone with the bottled stuff instead of this fancy post-work lifestyle nonsense.
So much hassle. She didn’t want to brew anymore.
But leaving the ground coffee to waste felt like a shame too.
She rolled her eyes at herself and sighed again, pulling out her phone to browse drinks online while waiting.
Soon, she got completely swept up in the joy of online shopping.
What’s this? Cola?
She used to find it too sweet, but now? Should be fine.
Buy!
This? Fruit juice?
Looks tasty.
Buy!
This? Snacks?
Buy!
Skirts?
Didn’t really want to buy… but the model’s look hit her right in the XP.
Buy!
Before she knew it, her shopping cart was stuffed full.
That’s when Yi Ning snapped out of it.
Wait, what?
I actually got addicted to shopping?
She glanced at the cart’s total.
So much?!
She quickly dove in, deleting all the unnecessary stuff—only drinks, a few snacks, and… some skirts that matched her XP remained.
“OK!”
Yi Ning hit the payment button and completed the purchase without hesitation.
She stuffed her phone back in her pocket, carried the boiled water to the table, and brewed her coffee.
Sure, she’d heard water temperature mattered, but she couldn’t be bothered.
She brought the cup to her lips, gently blew the steam, and cautiously took a sip.
“Mmf—”
Yi Ning’s little face scrunched like a wrinkled chrysanthemum.
So bitter!!!
She set the cup aside, face twisted, forcing the tiny sip of coffee down her throat.
“Pwah—!”
“Ptuh!”
“Ptuh!”
She stuck her tongue out and spit repeatedly, trying to rid herself of the bitterness.
What the heck? Why’s it so bitter?!
She grabbed the coffee bean bag and checked the date.
Still good?
She reluctantly took another tiny, tiny sip.
“Pwah!”
Still awful.
What the hell? Just a few days without caffeine and my bitterness tolerance has already dropped?
What kind of garbage game is this, anyway?!
Yi Ning wagged her tongue while cursing this damn Blue Star OL in her heart.