Chapter 17: Birthday

Jinghui Hotel is located in Yangjing District, adjacent to the National Forest Park. It boasts beautiful scenery, a pleasant environment, and was once the site of the French Embassy.

Li Cheng, wearing a temporary employee badge from Meeseeks, gently placed the last chair on the grass, wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, and walked to a stone bench in the garden corner, sitting beside Cui Yi.

In truth, Cui Yi was only a few years older than Li Cheng, but he had been forced to drop out of high school due to his parents’ divorce and had spent these years struggling in society, his eyes carrying a weariness uncommon for his age.

“The flowers were air-freighted from the Netherlands, Germany, Colombia, and Yunnan. The tableware is identical to that used by the Belgian royal family.”

Cui Yi gazed at the fully assembled birthday banquet setup and sighed: “We made five layers of cake to avoid mishaps, and transported them across the city using three refrigerated trucks.”

Several Meeseeks employees meticulously measured the distances between every plate, utensil, vase, and wine glass on the white tablecloth with calipers, allowing no deviation.

The photography team, hired at great expense and known for shooting viral music videos for famous singers, adjusted their equipment in the corner, preparing to record.

“This whole banquet must’ve cost a fortune,” Li Cheng murmured in amazement. “Probably a couple million?”

“A couple million? That’s just for the equipment.”

Cui Yi sneered. “There’s also the venue rental, staff salaries, orchestra fees, photography team fees, and several celebrity singers coming to perform.”

Li Cheng glanced at the blue-and-white balloons flanking two rows of golden characters: 【Qiu Yourong】【Seventeen】. He clicked his tongue. “They really know how to spend money.”

“That’s how the rich think.”

Cui Yi shook his head. “For them, value for money doesn’t matter—it’s about creating memories. Youth comes only once. If spending money can buy a precious memory, why not?”

“Time’s up. Lay down the red carpet. Lighting team, set the lights. Also, confirm with the hotel again that the surrounding grass has been sprayed with snake repellent—I don’t want any guests startled by snakes or insects.”

As he spoke, a sharp-looking woman with short hair entered the garden, holding several phones, a belt of walkie-talkies at her waist, followed by two assistants.

Seeing her arrive, Cui Yi immediately stopped slacking off, rushed over to the balloon decorations, pretending to be busy, and whispered to Li Cheng.

The short-haired woman was Tan Liu, Cui Yi’s direct supervisor. She spoke eight foreign languages, was exceptionally capable, and rarely made mistakes in her projects.

“Qu’est-ce qu’il y a?”

Tan Liu picked up her phone and spoke in French. After hearing something on the other end, her expression changed instantly. She hung up and ordered all staff to remove the Château d’Eau bottled mineral water from the tables.

“What happened?”

Li Cheng, slacking off alongside him, asked curiously.

“I don’t know. Let me check the company group.”

Cui Yi pulled out his phone, glanced at it, and slapped his forehead. “Damn. Just now, France released news that Nestlé, Vittel, Contrex—all these premium mineral water brands—faked their production process, using contaminated water mixed with tap water and basic disinfection.”

“Wait, that’s it?” Li Cheng didn’t understand the panic.

Cui Yi sneered. “The entire banquet will be recorded on camera. What if the client watches it again years or decades later and sees themselves drinking fake tap water at their own party? Wouldn’t that be disgusting?”

“Our Meeseeks company prides itself on mission accomplished, striving for perfection. No mistake is forgivable. No flaw is acceptable.”

“I thought you’d understand this well, Li Cheng—you once got paid to write homework for others and earned enough in one summer to buy a phone.”

“Ahahaha.” At the mention of his “glorious past,” Li Cheng laughed nervously and changed the subject.

Boom.

A muffled thunderclap suddenly echoed from the sky. Seconds later, torrential rain poured down.

The pure white tablecloths soaked through. The porcelain plates, as white as jade, clattered under the downpour. The freshly arranged flowers were tossed by the wind, petals scattering everywhere.

“Huh?!”

Tan Liu, her hair soaked, looked up at the darkened sky, gritted her teeth, and stomped her foot in fury.

She had confirmed multiple times with her meteorologist friends that it wouldn’t rain today—yet the storm had struck without warning, ruining every plan. It was enough to shatter one’s composure.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and picked up her walkie-talkie. “Prepare to move everything indoors. The banquet will be held on the second floor. Camera team, confirm your equipment status.”

Before she could finish speaking, she heard gasps all around her.

Tan Liu turned instinctively and saw the heavy wooden archway, entwined with flowers, slowly tilting toward her under the gale and rain.

If it hit her, broken bones and bleeding were the least of it.

The next instant, a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her backward.

Crash!

The wooden archway crashed onto the grass, denting the ground, its tied flowers scattering everywhere.

“Are you okay?”

Still shaken, Tan Liu looked at Li Cheng, who had pulled her to safety. She paused, then steadied herself and thanked him before resuming her orders.

The sudden incident left Cui Yi stunned. He whispered, “Li Cheng, you reacted fast.”

“Not really—I was just closest.”

Li Cheng scratched his head. His first instinct had been to shove the archway away—but he realized that might reveal his strength, so he chose to pull her instead.

This minor incident didn’t disrupt the relocation. Li Cheng followed Cui Yi, helping move items to the hotel’s second floor.

————

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~”

“Our little princess Qiu Yourong is seventeen today~”

On the hotel’s second floor, laughter and clinking glasses filled the air.

Li Cheng, changed into fresh clothes but still damp-haired, sat downstairs, chatting half-heartedly with Cui Yi.

“So… is this client your classmate?”

“Same school, same grade, different class. Not close.”

Li Cheng said casually. He’d crossed paths with Qiu Yourong a few times tonight, but she and the school’s “celebrities” hadn’t recognized him at all, caught up in her birthday euphoria.

Ding-ding-ding.

His phone rang—it was Han Letian.

“Hey, Brother Cheng,”

Han Letian’s voice was muffled and awkward. “I can’t make it to your birthday tonight. I got too obsessed with that horror game, didn’t rest well, got a fever this afternoon, and now I’m in the hospital. My mom won’t let me out.”

“Alright.” Li Cheng’s eye twitched—he was used to his buddy’s bizarre behavior.

“I’m so sorry. Next time I’ll treat you to dinner—twice—and I’ll give you my entire 30TB hard drive collection.”

“Get lost.”

Li Cheng rolled his eyes, hung up, and met Cui Yi’s puzzled gaze. “...Li Cheng, is today your birthday?”

“Sort of.”

Li Cheng smiled indifferently. His birthday was assigned by his aunt and uncle—he doubted even his dead father knew his real birthdate.

Cui Yi fell silent, then murmured, “...Sorry. I didn’t know.”

The music and laughter from upstairs echoed through the floor, reverberating in the gilded hall.

Everywhere, roses and decorative balloons. The air carried the fragrance of youth.

Someone else’s seventeenth birthday was spent in a luxurious hotel, parents spending millions to create a cherished memory.

Li Cheng’s seventeenth birthday was spent in a soaked hotel employee uniform, his palms still marked by thorn pricks from tying roses.

“This world is fucking ridiculous.”

Cui Yi pulled out a pack of cigarettes, about to light one—then froze. Meeseeks strictly forbade employees from smoking during work hours, lest the scent offend the guests.

“It’s fine,”

Li Cheng waved his hand softly. “What’s that saying again? The fundamental logic of society.”

Tap-tap-tap.

High-heeled footsteps descended from upstairs. Tan Liu approached and handed Li Cheng an envelope.

“What’s this?”

“You’re not a formal Meeseeks employee, right?”

Tan Liu glanced at Cui Yi beside him. “Temporary workers get 1,800 yuan per day. There’s also a personal bonus inside—from me, as thanks.”

“Uh, thanks.” Li Cheng took the envelope and estimated the size and weight of the bills inside.

Tan Liu nodded. “Also, here’s my business card. If you ever want to apply to Meeseeks, call me ahead of time.”

Li Cheng took the metal card, its texture smooth and high-quality. Cui Yi stared at it, dumbfounded.

Meeseeks had only entered China two years ago. Tan Liu, as regional manager of this city, was Cui Yi’s supervisor’s supervisor’s supervisor. She wouldn’t have personally overseen this banquet unless she knew Qiu Yourong’s parents.

Cui Yi had spent countless sleepless nights, studied endless books, and passed round after round of written and oral exams just to land this job.

And Li Cheng just got hired without even applying?

(End of Chapter)