I Picked Up The Satan and Decided To Raise Her - Chapter 2: The Girl With Red Eye

Opening a shop involved a lot of tasks, such as obtaining various licenses, ensuring food safety, fire safety, and obtaining a business license. However, having money could solve many problems. While money wasn’t everything, it was essential.

However, in reality, Chen Ming had no savings except for the meager income he earned as a substitute teacher in the past. Moreover, he had decided on his own without his parents’ consent, and he didn’t want to borrow money from them.

So, where would he get the money?

Taking a bank loan was his first choice. After all, he was a college graduate, and he had previous work experience. His credit was still decent for a business loan.

But his sister, for some reason, got wind of the situation and offered to provide financial support, so things went smoothly.

“I bet Mr. Chen is fuming right now,” Chen Ming said, smiling to the person on the phone.

Of course, Mr. Chen referred to Chen Ming’s father, who didn’t really care about his son’s opinions.

There was a moment of silence on the phone, and then a soft voice came through, saying, “Do what you want to do. There’s no need to run away like this. Everyone worries about you.”

“Come on, if I had told him in advance, he would have tried every means to dissuade me or create obstacles for me. I worked as a substitute teacher before, and I wanted to try working in a factory, but they insisted on making me a substitute teacher.”

Like father, like son. The ones who knew his dad’s character the best were probably his children.

It seemed like there was a sigh on the other end of the phone. It seemed that the other party also understood their parents’ way of doing things, but still asked, “Is it really that bad to be a teacher?”

“It’s not bad. You get winter and summer vacations every year, and most weekends off… Well, unless it’s a top school. Generally, you get the weekends off. You have leisure time, and it’s meaningful to educate and nurture students…”

Chen Ming scratched his head and listed a bunch of benefits. These were all things his dad had instilled in him, and he knew they weren’t wrong.

But he just couldn’t do it.

He didn’t want to be a teacher.

“Sis, right now, I just want to establish a fait accompli, become financially independent, and then I can do whatever I want. If I discuss it with them now, I’ll definitely end up back where I started.”

Parents can be just as stubborn as their children, and those who knew their parents’ personalities best were probably their own children.

There was silence on the phone again, but he didn’t feel awkward because the person on the other end of the line was not very talkative by nature. Others often described her as aloof, but Chen Ming thought she was fine, just a bit less talkative than others.

When he was a child, Chen Ming was often tugged at his clothes by her and followed her everywhere. He always felt that she was a bit like a cowherd, and others said the same.

Grabbed by her, he couldn’t go anywhere. She would say things like “there are snakes in the grass,” “the pond is dangerous,” “you’ll get lost in the mountains”… She was a dedicated cowherd.

She spoke again, saying, “Your shop has already started operating. Is business good?”

“Well…”

Chen Ming looked at the small tables with a few customers sitting at them and said, “It’s okay. There aren’t many customers, but it’s already quite busy.”

“If you’re on your own. You should consider hiring some help.”

“I will consider it on the future. I can still handle it by myself for now.”

“Alright, is there anything else you want to discuss?”

“Well….”

Chen Ming seemed to have difficulty speaking, and his tone was hesitant. The other person immediately sensed it and pressed on, saying, “What’s wrong? If something’s on your mind, just say it.”

“It’s not a big deal, but my shop is called a pancake shop, yet it seems like most of the customers who come here are eating snacks.”

Even though he had trained his pancake and Chinese crepe chefs, it seemed like his efforts weren’t appreciated. Instead, more people were coming for dumplings and wontons.

“That’s bizarre…”

He grumbled.

His sister consoled him, saying, “Maybe that’s just the local taste. Don’t worry too much about the issue of the shop’s name not matching.”

“Alright.”

There was an inexplicable sense of frustration.

…

…

The shop closed for the night.

He pulled down the shutter and locked up. Looking at the deserted street at 10 PM, there were hardly any people around. After all, it was a small county, and few businesses stayed open all night.

In the past, it used to be quite dangerous here. There were rumors of organized crime, but recently, they had been dealt with. It was also possible they were just lying low. In any case, wherever there were people, there was bound to be some form of underworld presence.

His shop was relatively remote. There was nothing around that would easily attract people—just ordinary residential buildings, and behind them, a stretch of hills.

However, strangely enough, students seemed to visit often. What was strange was that he asked people around, and they claimed not to know of any nearby schools.

The nearest school should be County First High School, but it was quite far away. It didn’t make sense for students to travel all the way here to eat, right?

Tomorrow, he would have to ask those who looked like students about their source of business. Investigating the customer base was also part of the shopkeeper’s job. Be enthusiastic about every aspect of your job.

Trudging along…

His footsteps echoed on the empty street. Such a quiet, deserted environment always made people feel a little uneasy. He reached into his pocket, took out his earphones, plugged them into his phone, inserted the earbuds, and started listening to music.

He arrived at a traffic light intersection.

Although it was a red light, there were no people or cars around, so he could just cross, right?

He looked around and was about to step forward.

But then, he saw a pair of red eyes.

A slender figure had appeared beside him, with white hair that was quite conspicuous in the darkness.

“Oh!”

Chen Ming was almost scared out of his wits and let out an embarrassing cry.

Those red eyes cast a faint glance at him.

After giving him a brief look, they returned their gaze to the distant traffic light, as if waiting for it to turn green.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Chen Ming took a step back and said, “Sorry.”

It was awkward to let someone see him about to jaywalk.

The two of them waited quietly together.

Because red eyes and white hair were quite rare, Chen Ming couldn’t help stealing more glances at the person beside him.

The lighting was dim, but he could still make out her delicate facial features, white hair cascading down, and she wore a black dress. However, it seemed like there were some tears in her dress.

Chen Ming hesitated and asked, “Are you okay?”

She raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at him again, and this time, she looked him up and down more carefully before saying, “What do you mean?”

“Uh, it seems like you’re a bit disheveled?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Do you need me to call the police?”

Was this a robbery or something? Chen Ming couldn’t help but suspect, because the woman didn’t seem to have a bag, and her dress didn’t appear to have pockets. Plus, she looked a bit disheveled.

But she shook her head and said, “No need.”

Chen Ming scratched his head, feeling a bit helpless. After all, it was someone else’s business.

Gurgle, gurgle…

“…”

“…”

Strange sounds suddenly rang out. Chen Ming looked around again, but the woman’s face remained expressionless. He thought he might have misheard.

Gurgle, gurgle…

The sound came again.

She lowered her eyelids slightly.

Then, she looked at him with a cold expression and asked, “How much do you think your life is worth?”