Translator: Star River

Proofreader: Rhith

He was smoking, his face covered with the exhaled smoke, so Xie Mingzhe couldn't see his expression. But his sudden silence made Xie Mingzhe aware that he shouldn't have asked that. He quickly corrected himself, “I'm just wondering. It doesn't matter if it is inconvenient to answer.”

Brother Chen expelled the smoke slowly. When Xie Mingzhe thought he wouldn't get the answer, Brother Chen said in a deep voice, “This is my older brother's house.”

Xie Mingzhe was stunned, and then turned his head around. He watched as the other man walked to the window, and squinted at the garden in the distance, whispering, “Everyone who comes to the studio for the first time will feel confused – why would the game studio be arranged like this? Actually, this house was previously my brother's residence. After he left, I transformed the first floor into a game studio and the second floor into a dormitory, but the balcony layout remains the same.”

Brother Chen picked up the delicate jade cup on the table and played with it in his hands.

Seeing his sad expression, Xie Mingzhe had no idea of how to reply to him.

Xie Mingzhe had thought Brother Chen a very decadent young man. His messy hair, his love for smokes, the wrinkled shirt that seemed to be made of rags from the garbage dump, the stubble on his chin from who knows when he shaved last; all of these const.i.tuted a typical young internet addict.

But when he mentioned his brother, the sadness on his face made Xie Mingzhe heartbroken.

The decadent man, who spent a whole day playing the game, had a secret in his heart.

Had his brother pa.s.sed away?

Xie Mingzhe dared not ask and instead changed the subject, “Well, when are our working hours?”

“The holographic game will restrict the online time of players, so our work-rest time is regular. Go to bed at midnight and start work at eight o'clock in the morning.” Brother Chen put down the cup, and seemed to be freed from his memories. He put out his cigarette in the ashtray and turned to Xie Mingzhe, “If I guess correctly, you are a college student getting a summer job for living expenses, right?”

"Yeah," Xie Mingzhe replied calmly, "I am a first-year student at Capital University. I will start school September 1."

“That's a nice school. Work hard and you will definitely find a good job after graduation.” Brother Chen patted him on the shoulder with encouragement. “After the term begins, if you have time, you can come over here. I will pay you by the hour.” It was not easy for this boy to earn a living on his own, so Brother Chen wanted to take care of him.

"Really?" Xie Mingzhe rubbed his hands with excitement.

“Yes,” seeing his bright eyes, Brother Chen couldn't help but smile at him, “You are smart. Quickly level up to 35, so you can come and help me.”

“Roger!” If he could work part-time in this studio, which is near the school, he would not have to worry about living expenses during his four years of study.

"For both our rea.s.surance, let's sign the labor contract." Brother Chen took Xie Mingzhe aside and brought out a contract template. "The contract is a guarantee for each other. You don't have to worry about unpaid wages, and I can also know your history. I don't hire unidentified people.”

Brother Chen taking out the contract obviously meant that he was going to formally hire Xie Mingzhe. Xie Mingzhe immediately pulled out his ID card, scanned it into the smart computer, and then signed his name on the screen. He noticed that the number in the salary column was 3000, and he asked, “I will be an intern for the first month, so I can only get half of that, right?”

“No, you will get the full salary.” Brother Chen also signed his name, and answered frankly, “With your understanding, you learned how to play the game in two days?. So you will be paid as a proper staff member. The basic salary is 3000, and you can accept tasks privately. You will get a 10% commission on every task completed by yourself. If our business goes well, then you will get dividends at the end of the month.”

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" Xie Mingzhe felt like he'd won a lottery prize.

“You're welcome.” Brother Chen's handwriting was cursive. The name he signed on the contract was: Chen Xiao.

It turned out that his full name was Chen Xiao.

Since Chen Xiao helped him so much, Xie Mingzhe thoroughly bore this name in mind.

***

Besides the tasty lean porridge with green vegetables, Chi Qing also made two vegetarian dishes that were easy to digest, in consideration of Xie Mingzhe, who had just been discharged from hospital.

Sitting around the living room table, Xie Mingzhe and the others had a simple dinner.

Pang Yu squealed, "For me who is fat and has a bigger stomach than yours, only vegetables and porridge are not enough!" Then he stared at Chen Xiao eagerly, saying, "Boss, can I take an hour's leave to eat half a kilo of beef outside?"

Jabbing at Pang Yu's stomach, Chen Xiao said jokingly, "Forget the meat; you should lose weight. Look at Xiao Xie, whose weight is less than half of yours."

"…" Pang Yu was speechless, simply saying in despair, "I have innate genes that contribute to my weight gain. Dropping pounds won't make a difference."

Pushing his gla.s.ses up, Jin Yue turned his head to laugh at Pang Yu, "I think it is because you are lazy."

Pang Yu grabbed Xie Mingzhe's arm mischievously, saying, "Xiao Xie, you are so thin, allow me to share with you some of my weight."

"…" Xie Mingzhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

To his surprise, the people in the studio got along well with each other, and they didn't exclude him. Instead, they genuinely cared about him. Xie Mingzhe, who was an orphan either in his previous life or in this world and only had a few friends, felt a trace of warmth in his heart while watching them ridiculing each other, but were still close-knit.

He was really lucky to have found a job like this after his rebirth.

This should all be because of Chen Xiao, a tolerant boss.

However, what had happened to Chen Xiao's older brother?

Xie Mingzhe didn't know, however, Chen Xiao's att.i.tude told him that something serious had happened to his brother. Maybe Chen Xiao's brother had died or because of other reasons, he had left. The reason Chen Xiao was living in his brother's house, and retaining his brother's layout of the balcony on the second floor, was because he missed his brother, but this worried Xie Mingzhe.

He hoped that Chen Xiao's brother hadn't died, otherwise it would be irreversible.

Xie Mingzhe stopped thinking about it. He knew his top priority was to level up to 35, and join their team to help farm materials for others.

After all, the moment he had signed the contract, he had become a professional booster.

Hi guys, Master of Trading Star Card Games has a Indonesian version now! It is translated by Veriwinkle on wattpad. If you are interested in it, please check TOC on the novel page of Master of Trading Star Card Games on w.a.n.gmamaread.