Following the address, Shane and Olivia arrived at the Williamsburg Diner half an hour later.
But...
"We've been to this block before. The day before yesterday, in the afternoon, we had coffee at that cafe over there. The waitress took leave for some reason, and the owner found a temp who wasn't very skilled. You even tipped her two hundred bucks." Olivia pointed to a cafe diagonally across the street, about five hundred meters away.
Shane chuckled dumbly. He truly hadn't expected the Williamsburg Diner's sign to be so small and inconspicuous.
Was it because the plot hadn't started yet, and the goofy boss hadn't taken over the diner? Or had he taken over but just never changed the sign?
The name was right, the location was right. It couldn't be such a coincidence that a completely unrelated restaurant fit all the criteria, right?
"Let's go in and take a look."
Full of anticipation, Shane pushed open the door and walked in, feeling like he was checking into a viral tourist spot.
But as soon as he stepped inside, Shane wanted to turn around and leave.
This isn't the Williamsburg Diner I wanted! Where are my Broke Girls?!
The diner was still the diner—the decor and layout were almost unchanged. But the cashier wasn't the 75-year-old musician Earl. The boss probably wasn't Han "Heavenly King Earthly Tiger" Lee (Han Lee). Most importantly, the waitress approaching them was neither the bold, sharp-tongued Max, nor the fallen heiress "doll" Caroline.
Shane muttered to himself, disappointed. He had come full of expectation to "check in," only to find he was early. The cast hadn't started work yet, the show's "doors" weren't open. He could only stand outside and peek, whispering "I was here."
"What's wrong?" Seeing Shane's expression, Olivia asked in confusion.
"Nothing." Shane shook his head, took out a hundred-dollar bill, and handed it to the approaching waitress. He endured the stinging scent of her cheap perfume and her almost explicit flirtatious glances. "Is the owner of this diner Russian?"
The waitress's eyes lit up. She expertly pocketed the money—almost exposing her former profession in the process, though she reacted quickly and stopped herself. "Yeah. What else do you want to know?"
"That's enough."
Shane shook his head, grabbed the confused Olivia, and briskly walked out of the diner.
"What's going on? Didn't you specifically ask Luke to find this place for you? Why leave as soon as we got in?"
Outside, Olivia looked at Shane, puzzled.
"The diner is right; the people are wrong." Shane sighed wistfully. He wasn't sure about the exact timeline of 2 Broke Girls. Who knew when he'd be able to "check in" properly next time?
"You're looking for someone? Someone related to this diner?" Olivia said casually. "Why don't you just buy the place? You're planning to buy property anyway. This diner's location isn't bad. You won't lose money buying it—it's way better than just buying houses."
The speaker had no intent, but the listener took it to heart.
Shane's eyes, originally filled with disappointment, instantly lit up. "You've grown! After all this time, you've finally offered a constructive, forward-looking suggestion on how to spend money!"
Buying the Williamsburg Diner would satisfy his need to spend money to get stronger, and allow him to lie in wait for the goofy boss (Han) to show up.
Taking over the diner from a Russian was no different from taking it over from Shane himself.
Uh, well, there was a big difference—because Shane would never sell.
But if Han wanted to take over the diner, he'd definitely contact the owner, right? Although Shane wouldn't sell it to him, he could hire him as a manager or let him buy in as a partner. Shane could just be a hands-off boss and wait quietly for the story to unfold. How great would that be?
Buying a theater just to watch the play—who else but him!
Shane took out his phone and called Luke. Once connected, he said directly, "Luke, find out who the owner of the Williamsburg Diner is for me. Check if the building is rented or owned. I want to buy the whole thing—property and business together."
"..."
He, Luke—police officer, werewolf, former Shadowhunter—was not Shane's butler, nor was he a real estate agent!
On the other end of the line, Luke was silent for a long time before finally saying "Wait for my news" and hanging up.
"Come on, I'm buying you coffee." The gloom of the failed check-in was swept away. So what if the cast wasn't working? So what if the show hadn't started? Wasted trip? Nonexistent. I'll just buy the shop directly!
Five hundred meters diagonally across the street, at the cafe.
After Shane and Olivia sat down, a waitress in uniform came over with a menu.
Shane turned his head, wanting to see if it was the temp waitress from the day before yesterday. Honestly, he had already forgotten what she looked like.
But when he looked up and saw the waitress's face, Shane froze.
Surprises always came so suddenly!
Or perhaps, for Shane, this world was full of surprises everywhere.
"You're a waitress here?" Shane squinted and asked with a smile.
"Yeah. What can I get you?" The waitress nodded.
"Did you take leave the day before yesterday?" Shane didn't rush to order but asked another question.
The waitress paused. "Yes, I had something to do so I took leave. Do... do we know each other?"
"I think we could get to know each other. Make friends. I'm Shane, from Virginia... Mystic Falls!"
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