Fang Yuan's Neko Maid Cafe (Part Two)

Fang Yuan didn't even reply to his brother's outburst, giving real "couldn't care less" energy.

Fang Zheng was instantly triggered, like his ping spiked. Fang Yuan's straight-up disrespect was sending him. "Gooner Yue Fang Yuan, are you serious?! Shen Cui's been your ride-or-die servant for years, and I've seen her being nothing but a real one. Yeah, I get you're feeling down bad, and I understand the cope. C-tier talent, I get it, but that doesn't give you the right to throw hands at others because you're having a skill issue. That's not it, chief!"

Fang Yuan used Scratch!

It's Super Effective!

"Ah!" Fang Zheng yelled out, as Fang Yuan had used one of the cat mittens to scratch him over his face.

"You little gremlin, what kinda tone is that for your older brother?! Shen Cui's just a servant, she's not even a main character! You'd throw hands with me over a side quest NPC?" Fang Yuan snapped, his voice lowkey menacing.

Fang Zheng finally registered the stinging pain, like his notifications were blowing up. His eyes went wide, his breath ragged, giving off major "trauma response" vibes. "Bro, you just scratched me? You've never laid a finger on me! Yeah, I'm A-tier, you're C-tier, but that's just RNG, man..."

Fang Yuan used Scratch!

Critical hit!

Fang Zheng covered his face, stunned, like he just got hit with a ban hammer.

"You're a whole NPC, do you even remember how I looked out for you? When mom and dad dipped, life was a struggle. When you were the Luigi to my Mario, who took care of you? During New Year, we got one fit. Who rocked it? You did! When you wanted sweet porridge, I hooked you up with a double serving. When you got clapped by bullies, who had your back? Me! And a whole lot more, I ain't even gonna list it all. Now, you're coming at me over a maid? That's a whole betrayal arc."

"Aight, bet," Fang Yuan sneered, giving off major "I'm done with this" energy. "You've already switched teams when you let Aunt and Uncle adopt you, what am I to you, just your older sibling?"

"Bro, how could you say that? You know I've always wanted a found family, I..." Fang Zheng started, looking shook.

Fang Yuan waved him off, like he was skipping a boring game cutscene. "From today, you're not my blood, and I'm not yours, we're not even friends." Fang Yuan was def gonna unfriend Fang Zheng on Facebook, making the whole thing 100% real, no cap. 

"Bro?!" Fang Zheng gasped, trying to hit him with the "emotional damage" card.

Fang Yuan cut him off, giving off major "I have a deal" vibes. "You simping for Shen Cui? Chill, I didn't touch her. She's still a clean slate, untouched. Six skibidi stones, and she's yours, your personal servant."

"Bro, why are you..." Fang Zheng stammered, his inner thoughts getting called out, like he just got exposed on main. He was flustered, like he was lagging IRL.

But he was also lowkey relieved. His biggest fear hadn't come true, like he dodged a bullet.

Just last night, Shen Cui had served him, giving him that "simp service".

Even though nothing NSFW happened, he couldn't forget her gentleness, like it was a core memory. Every time he thought of her, he remembered her skilled hands and soft lips, and his heart was doing a TikTok dance.

The feelings of youth had planted themselves in his heart, and he was down bad more than the thirstiest of Tier 3 Twitch subs.

So, when he heard Shen Cui was throwing a tantrum last night, he went full rage mode. He paused his Moonlight Gu rizzment grind and scoured the village for Fang Yuan, ready to throw hands.

Seeing Fang Zheng hesitate, Fang Yuan frowned, giving off major "are you serious?" vibes. "It's normal to have a crush, just spill the tea. No point gatekeeping. But if you're gonna ghost the deal, that's on you."

Fang Zheng panicked, like he was getting a "low battery" notification. "I'm in! But I don't have six whole stones anymore, my inventory is low."

He pulled out his pouch, his face going full tomato mode.

Fang Yuan took the pouch. He found six stones, but one was half-size, like a mini-stone. He knew Fang Zheng had drained it to speedrun his Gu refinement. The more essence you siphon, the smaller and lighter the stone gets, like a deflating balloon.

Even though it was five and a half, Fang Yuan knew it was Fang Zheng's entire net worth. He had zero savings, and these were handouts from Aunt and Uncle.

"I'll take these, you can dip," Fang Yuan said, giving off major "deal with it" energy, pocketing the pouch like he just won a loot box.

"Bro..." Fang Zheng started, trying to hit him with the "emotional damage" card.

Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow, giving off major "you're pushing it" vibes. "Before I change my mind, you better log off. Before you leave though, I think you dropped these."

Fang Yuan handed Fang Zhen a red rubbery nose, some clown makeup, and a rainbow wig. Fang Zheng nearly spat out even more blood in anger. 

Fang Zheng's heart did a hard reset. He gritted his teeth, turned, and left. As he walked out, he subconsciously touched his chest, feeling a wave of FOMO. He felt like he'd just lost a limited-time event.

But then he thought of Shen Cui and their secret rendezvous. "I can finally claim you, Cui Cui." He didn't look back, disappearing from Fang Yuan's render distance.

As Fang Zheng was walking away, he was so distracted that he tripped. He could hear laughter behind him, "No wonder people say Fang Zheng's the human embodiment of a walking L, FR."

"Yeah, did you hear the way he was speaking to his elder sister in the inn earlier? Massive disrespect."

Fang Zheng grit his teeth, but as he was about to retort he suddenly felt something squishy in one of his hands. 

"Could this be...?" Fang Zheng wondered, finding a strange Gu worm in his hand. "...the legendary Touching Grass Gu?"