Jiang Mian wiped her face.
‘First, I need to make myself an Antidote,’ she decided.
‘As for the culprit, they’ll slip up eventually.’
Whoever it was wanted her dead.
If she survived, they would surely try again.
Thankfully, the medical kit could analyze and compound a cure for the poison in her system.
Jiang Mian let out a faint sigh of relief after drinking it, but she would need a few more doses of the Antidote to completely purge the toxins from her body.
She glanced at the Yun Meihua in her room.
They were blooming again.
The Yun Meihua’s blossoms resembled fluffy white clouds, piled in layers.
It looked as if the soil was covered by a blanket of clouds, which was quite pretty.
Jiang Mian recalled that Chi Lin had given her the Yun Meihua.
She was surprised that he would like such fluffy, soft white flowers.
She’d thought a flashy Beastman like Chi Lin would prefer much more vibrantly colored flowers.
Jiang Mian looked at the Yun Meihua growing in her room.
It was time for another harvest.
After this, she wouldn’t need to plant anymore; they would have arrived at X1 Pollution Star.
So once she extracted this final batch of nutrient solution, she would have to figure out a way to earn some Star Coins.
Buying food, daily necessities, and everything else online via her Light Brain all required Star Coins.
With that thought, Jiang Mian moved, walking over to harvest the Yun Meihua.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK…
A knock sounded at the door.
Jiang Mian paused, then turned and walked to the door.
She saw Rong Fei standing at the door.
Maybe it was because she had just discovered she’d been poisoned, and the man before her was a potential culprit.
Her guard, which she had started to let down around them, was now back up.
Jiang Mian’s expression remained neutral as she looked quietly at Rong Fei.
“Do you need something?”
Rong Fei looked down at her, his long silver hair falling forward slightly.
His silver eyes were incredibly serene.
His gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he spoke slowly, “Not feeling well today?”
Jiang Mian’s dark eyes flickered.
‘Is my coldness that obvious?
Did he see right through me?’
‘I didn’t think I was being that obvious.’
“Your face is deathly pale,” Rong Fei said casually.
He then reached for the doorknob, pushed the door open, and walked past her into the room.
Only then did Jiang Mian realize he wasn’t commenting on her aloofness.
When he said she didn’t look well, he meant her pale face, which clearly indicated she was physically sick.
She certainly wasn’t feeling well.
A short while ago, she’d been clutching the sink, vomiting her guts out.
But Jiang Mian had no intention of telling him she’d been poisoned.
That would only tip her hand.
That’s right.
Jiang Mian suspected all five of the Beastmen.
“I’m fine.” Jiang Mian watched as Rong Fei walked over to the patch of Yun Meihua, entering her room as if he owned the place.
‘Should I praise him for his complete lack of awkwardness, his incredibly calm and casual attitude?’
The corner of Jiang Mian’s mouth twitched, and she walked over as well.
She asked again, puzzled, “What are you doing?”
‘What is he doing here?
Don’t tell me he’s going to help me harvest the Yun Meihua?’
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she saw Rong Fei actually begin to harvest the Yun Meihua.
Rong Fei set down a Yun Meihua plant and glanced at Jiang Mian, his silver eyes seeming to say, ‘Isn’t it obvious?’
“I’m helping you harvest the Yun Meihua.” Rong Fei, crouching with his body angled toward her, looked up from under his eyelids.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Jiang Mian paused before walking over to start gathering the Yun Meihua herself.
She asked, curious, “How did you know I was about to harvest them?”
“Yun Meihua have a one-week blooming cycle,” Rong Fei replied nonchalantly.
“They’re mature now.
It’s the perfect time for harvesting.”
Jiang Mian watched his technique.
He was careful to protect the roots, his movements both professional and meticulous.
Her eyes flickered.
“You seem to know a lot about this.”
“Mianmian knows a lot, too,” Rong Fei said, glancing at her.
His serene silver eyes held a faint, all-seeing glint.
Jiang Mian said no more.
They finished harvesting in silence.
Rong Fei gathered all the Yun Meihua in his arms and followed Jiang Mian to the kitchen.
Jiang Mian had thought Rong Fei was a serious neat freak.
But now, she felt she couldn’t quite figure him out.
This work—harvesting the Yun Meihua and carrying them in large bundles—was bound to get one’s clothes and fingers dirty with soil.
Still, she had to admit that Rong Fei’s help saved her a lot of effort.
Over the past few days, he had become the one she got along with best.
He was easy to be around and often helped her out.
Then again, they were supposed to help; after all, everyone had to drink the nutrient solution she extracted.
But on the whole, their interactions were very pleasant.
She just didn’t know if he was two-faced.
After all, the fact that they got along so well also meant Rong Fei had the most opportunities to poison her.
Seeing that his all-white outfit was now dirty, Jiang Mian remarked casually, “Looks like you have a lot of laundry to do today.”
“No,” Rong Fei replied, just as casually.
“I throw away any clothes I’ve worn for a day.”
Jiang Mian: ?
‘Where would a Beast Slave get so many clothes?
Besides, he wears nothing but white, gray, or silver.
It feels like he wears the same thing every day; there’s hardly any difference.’
‘And isn’t throwing away clothes after wearing them just once incredibly wasteful?’
The corner of Jiang Mian’s mouth twitched.
“You have that many clothes?”
“I have another ten thousand outfits in my Hub Ring,” Rong Fei said nonchalantly.
Research into folded space had matured in the interstellar era.
As a result, items like Space Rings and Space Necklaces appeared on the market—storage devices that took all sorts of convenient forms.
“Oh, I see.” Jiang Mian paused, but still muttered under her breath, “Still, that’s so wasteful…”
‘Three hundred sixty-five days a year, so he throws out three hundred sixty-five outfits a year?’
Rong Fei seemed to glance at Jiang Mian for a moment before casually looking away.
He spoke slowly, “The clothes are recycled, just like any other trash.
It’s no different.
You shower every day, right?
Do you consider that a waste of water?”
“So you think clothes have about the same value as water,” Jiang Mian said, her eyes glinting as if it were a casual remark.
“A perspective like that must be built on a mountain of countless Star Coins.”
‘You only consider something cheap and devalued when you lack for nothing, when you have more than you could ever use.’
‘I suspect he’s very rich.’
‘But as a Beastman with a low social status in this interstellar society, where did his money come from?’
‘Besides, as a Beast Slave, his Star Coin account is bound to mine.
I can withdraw from it as I please.’
‘I checked the original owner’s Light Brain.
Aside from a few days’ worth of income in Chi Lin’s account from some risqué livestreams, all the others’ accounts were at zero.’
‘And of course, the original owner’s account was at zero Star Coins, too.’
‘Could they have their own, separate Star Coin accounts?
But all accounts are tied to a real name.’