Chapter 23: Small Change

    There wasn't work to do at the small house every day nor at Li Yifeng’s fried chicken shop. So, the two siblings huddled together in front of the computer, occasionally popping out to help Grandma Li boost sales.

    With such a beautiful granddaughter, her grandson would definitely be handsome in the future.

    After helping Grandma Li sell her goods, Li Yifei, who had been kind-hearted, continued helping only one other vendor to maintain relationships, but she no longer helped everyone.

    Instead, on other days, she chose a different vendor, rotating between them. Yet, no matter what she did, people still complained.

    Was this what they called "no good deed goes unpunished"?

    These people, they never gave her anything in return for her help but still wanted to use her. Who would want to help under such conditions?

    Eventually, even Grandma Li didn't want her to go anymore.

    She likely didn’t want to stir up any more trouble. Instead of helping, it seemed they were just creating problems.

    The two siblings then shifted their focus to a gaming café instead. They wanted to create new game accounts to draw the prize boxes, and Li Yifei had to play alongside her brother to level up the game so that better rewards could be unlocked.

    Considering the cost of internet usage, they still made a profit of 40-50 yuan for half a day's work, which was quite worthwhile. Li Yifei was also lucky in choosing the gaming café this time, as the kids who came to play there were very well-behaved.

    It was nothing like the first place Li Yifeng had picked, which had been riskier.

    Now, Li Yifei was considered the "angel of the café." The café’s owner was a woman not much older than Li Yifei, but she already had her own gaming business.

    The person managing the shop was a very handsome, pale-skinned man with a near-divine aura.

    The café was located down a narrow alley, though who knew what had led Li Yifei to discover it.

    Li Yifei’s gaming skills had improved to the point where she could pass levels quickly, much faster than she ever expected.

    The original Li Yifei’s words "I’ll find a helper for big sister" popped into her head once more.

    Could this be the help she had mentioned?

    But honestly, Li Yifei preferred something more magical—like having a pocket dimension where she could retrieve her own branded bags to sell on the black market.

    Then again, who knew if such black markets as in the novels still exist? She would probably need to go back to the '70s or '80s to make that happen.

    In today’s era, who knew if it was even possible.

    Why was she thinking about the words of the original Li Yifei? Perhaps it was due to her luck with random draws or claw machines. Well, that must be the reason.

    Also her clear head for studies.

    Could this be her advantage? Only time would tell. However, thinking about the savings she split with her brother made Li Yifei smile.

    "Yifei, come here quick," called Sister Yong, the café owner. Out of fondness, Li Yifei naturally stood up and walked toward the voice.

    "What is it, Sister Yong?"

    "I'm thinking of promoting my café. Would you mind being the model? Do you have any concerns?"

    Sister Yong asked, her eyes sparkling as she admired Li Yifei’s looks and figure. She had already prepared costumes from various game characters and was confident that displaying Li Yifei’s images would attract more customers to the café.

    "Think it over," teased Brother Yang with a playful tone.

    "You! If you want more extra money, you should help me convince her, not ruin it with your words.".

    Li Yifei couldn't help but laugh.

    Remembering how Sister Yong charged the siblings very little for internet usage, she was happy to help. Plus, the part of the original owner probably wanted to do this too.

    "Sure, I’ll do it."

    "And don’t worry, I won’t let you do it for free. There will be some pocket money as well."

    Li Yifei only smiled back. Given her current situation, she certainly wouldn’t refuse any small amount of money.

    "Thanks, Sister Yong. By the way, where will we take the photos?"

    "In the room upstairs. Uncle Yang will set up the area, and we’ll do the editing later. It’s more cost-efficient."

    Li Yifei then nodded in agreement.

    After scheduling the time with Sister Yong, Li Yifei realized she would likely have to spend the whole day at the gaming café tomorrow. She went to inform her brother, who had probably overheard some of the conversation.

    “I can’t wait to see our Angel Yifei's photos,” one of the older guys at the café joked.

    “If Sister Yong makes them for sale, I’ll definitely buy one to support my angel,” another guy teased.

    “Don’t play around too much,” the girlfriend of the second guy playfully warned him.

    “She’s an angel; I could never reach her,” the man replied with a laugh.

    Everyone nearby also chuckled.

    Even the usually stern-looking woman at the café turned to smile at Li Yifei, adding,

    “Even a woman like me enjoys looking at you. It’s no surprise people call you an angel.”

    Li Yifei could only thank everyone with a sweet smile. Truthfully, they all treated her like a younger sister.

    “Just having you around the café makes us all happy,” another person chimed in jokingly.

    Strangely enough, no one at the gaming café ever tried to flirt with her, and that suited her just fine.

    “Alright, it’s time I’m taking our angel home,” Li Yifeng also joined in.

“You’re leaving already?”

    “We have to spend all day here tomorrow. Today, we need to head home early so Grandma won’t worry too much. She’s already anxious about us being out every day,” Li Yifeng explained.

    “You two are such good kids. I wish my brother and sister were like you,” one of the older guys remarked.

    “Goodbye, everyone.”

    Li Yifei said, wrapping up the conversation as they left.

    As they walked out of the café, Li Yifeng asked,

    “Are you excited about the photoshoot?”

    “A little.”

    Actually, no matter how hard the old Li Yifei had tried, she had never had the chance to do a photoshoot. This was an opportunity to fulfill that dream, even though she had no idea how much Sister Yong would pay her. But at least it wasn’t for free.

    “You don’t like it? It’s just with Sister Yong, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. Besides, I already agreed. If the next job bothers you, I won’t do it.”

    From what she had seen this whole summer break, Sister Yong was a good person. The fact that she could run the gaming café without any trouble was due to the influence of her older brother, who was a police officer. Just having someone in uniform around kept the troublemakers away.

    It was a real blessing.

    “That’s not it. It’s your dream, after all. Who knows, maybe it’ll make you more well-known.”

    “It’s not that easy,” Li Yifei replied, having a realistic view of the world.

    “I’m glad you understand.”

    “Yeah, I get it. If being famous were that easy, the world would be full of superstars by now.”

    When they arrived home, Grandma Li was already waiting for them, as she often did lately, to check if the siblings had returned. It seemed clear that Grandma Li didn’t approve of them spending time at the gaming café.

    She considered it a place for bad influences.

    But Sister Yong’s café was different.

    Perhaps they should take Grandma Li to see it for herself.

    “Grandma, tomorrow sis is going to model for the gaming café.”

    Li Yifeng quickly informed her.

    “Are you sure you’re not being tricked?”

    “No, Grandma. I checked everything.”

    “That’s right, Grandma. Why don’t you come with us?”

    Li Yifei suggested, thinking it would be better if Grandma Li saw everything firsthand.

    “Hmmm, I’ll think about it.”

    In the evening, Li Yifei's parents, who always went to work if there were extra shifts, even on Saturdays or Sundays, headed out again. Li Yifei admired their dedication.

    Working for overtime pay was their only option, given the three lives they had to support at home. While some might say money isn’t everything, for families like them, it was a necessity.

    In truth, the people in their neighborhood were no different.

    Everyone worked hard.

    Older siblings who had younger ones didn’t go out to have fun but stayed home to look after them.

    Even elderly people, like Grandma Li, found work to do.

    For example, Grandma Fei next door took the job of packing chestnuts into bags for just 2 yuan per bag, but she still did it.

    It was like the saying, "As long as there’s life, you have to keep struggling."

    Li Yifei figured her parents thought the same way.

    Throughout the summer break, Li Yifei thought that although gaming made her back sore and her eyes tired, she would keep going. This way, she wouldn’t have to ask for money from home, and her parents and Grandma Li would feel encouraged when they saw the balance in the bank account.

    When her parents heard about the photoshoot, their concerned expressions were obvious. Stories about young girls being tricked were still common.

    Even though Li Yifeng assured them that they knew Sister Yong well, they had only known her for two weeks. However, the café’s friendly atmosphere and the people there reassured Li Yifei that Sister Yong was a good person.

    If this was the "help" the body’s previous owner had provided, Li Yifei was glad that Sister Yong was one of the good ones.

    "I’ll go with you tomorrow. If anything seems off, I’ll bring both of you back home," her mother said.

    Grandma Li must have sensed their worry and volunteered to go along.

    This made their parents feel more at ease, knowing that a trusted adult would be with them.

    The next morning, Grandma Li accompanied them to the gaming café. Sister Yong had no objections and led Grandma Li to the room where the photoshoot would take place. She left the door open to put Grandma Li, who was visibly suspicious, at ease.

    Customers at the café came by to greet the siblings and even Grandma Li.

    Grandma Li, who had seen much in her life, quickly relaxed.

    Then, it was time to put on the costumes from the game the café hosted. The outfits were modest and fit Li Yifei perfectly.

    "Sister Yong, you really have an eye for picking the right size!"

    Sister Yong’s younger sister said. She had come by to help with Li Yifei's makeup to match the female character’s costume.

    "By the way, you’ve sorted out the photo rights with the game’s representatives, right?" asked Wang Zhi, who was the photographer for the day.

    "Of course, I’ve got it all in writing. If not so, when they tried to sue me later, I’d be in big trouble."

    "Good job, Sis. You’re always so thorough. By the way, your model looks amazing!"

    Her younger sister added, complimenting Li Yifei, which made both Grandma Li and Li Yifeng smile with pride.

    Li Yifei glanced at herself in the mirror and had to agree.

    She looked great, especially dressed as the mischievous girl character from the game.

    Since Li Yifei had some modeling experience, and with the help of Sister Yong, her sister, and A’Yang, who provided pose suggestions, the photoshoot was a lot of fun.

    For lunch, Sister Yong bought boxed meals for Grandma Li and Li Yifeng, though Grandma Li initially refused.

    "Grandma, what should I do? I’ve already ordered the food. You might have to eat it because I and the others are all planning to eat out for dinner later, and no one would want to."

    Sister Yong gently persuaded her.

    Even when Grandma Li tried to pay for the food, Sister Yong insisted,

    "I made your granddaughter work for me. Please let me treat you."

    A’Yang, standing nearby, chuckled and whispered that his was Sister Yong’s talent—negotiation. That was why the café had lasted so long.

    Sister Yong’s younger sister also added,

    "Our sister is the best negotiator. She even managed to get money from our stingy dad to start this café."

    In the end, Grandma Li gave in and ate the meal prepared by her, allowing everyone else to eat as well.

    The photoshoot wrapped up by 3 p.m., and Sister Yong handed Li Yifei an envelope with cartoon characters from the game printed on it, explaining that it was her payment.

    Li Yifei didn’t open it right away, simply thanking Sister Yong before heading home with Grandma Li and Li Yifeng.