“It’s you two?!”
Guinaifen tilted her head, sizing up the little fox in front of her.
“Huh?
You know us?”
Lux opened her mouth, her brain still trying to catch up, but the words had already slipped out.
“I just saw your performance over by the bridge…
the stone-breaking-on-chest act.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sushang’s expression changed.
She turned her head slowly to glare at Guinaifen, her eyes screaming, “Look at the mess you’ve made.”
Guinaifen’s smile froze for a second, then she pressed her palms together and leaned toward Sushang, her expression shifting into a pitiful look.
“Sushang…
I was wrong…”
“You say that every time!” Sushang rubbed her chest, her voice filled with grievance.
“Last time you said you’d treat me to a meal, but it turned out to be me acting as your human target.”
“But nothing bad happened, right…”
“This time something bad did happen!
I almost had my soul scared out of me, didn’t you see?!”
“I saw it, I saw it,” Guinaifen nodded like a jackhammer.
“That’s why I’m treating you to dinner tonight!
Really!
This time it’s for real!”
Sushang glared at her, her lips pouting enough to hang an oil bottle on.
“…Three meals.”
“Two meals!”
“Three meals.”
“…Fine, fine, three meals.” Guinaifen sighed, turned to look at Lux, and instantly resumed her smiling demeanor.
“Um…
Lux, right?
Are you here to see the apartment too?”
Lux nodded.
“Yes, yes, I’m looking for a place to share.”
“That’s great!” Guinaifen clapped her hands.
“We’re just looking for someone to split the rent!
Come, come, sit down and let’s talk!”
She pulled Sushang and plopped down opposite Lux, moving as fast as a gust of wind.
Liuyun handed over three cups of tea at the perfect moment, then retreated to the side, watching them talk with a smile.
“Let me introduce myself first,” Guinaifen pointed at herself.
“My name is Guinaifen, and I’m a fairly well-known streamer on the Xianzhou, focusing on outdoor exploration and stunt performances.
This is Sushang, a Cloud Knight, and my best friend.”
“What do you mean ‘fairly well-known’,” Sushang muttered from the side.
“You only have about three hundred followers in total…”
“Three hundred is still a following!
Don’t crush my career ambitions!”
Lux watched the two bickering, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily.
“I’m Lux, and at the moment…
I don’t have a steady job.
I earned some money helping a renovation crew demolish houses, and now I’m looking for a place to settle down for a bit.”
“Demolishing houses?” Guinaifen’s eyes lit up.
“You must be really strong then, right?
Do you want to guest star on my stream sometime?
I happen to be looking for an assistant lately—”
“Lux, don’t you dare believe Guinaifen.” Sushang interrupted her.
“If she’s asking you for help, it’s definitely nothing good.”
“Sushang, how could you say that about me!
This time it’s a real, serious performance!”
“You said the same thing last time.”
Lux watched the two go back and forth, unable to help but laugh out loud.
“Um…
shall we talk about the apartment first?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Guinaifen slapped her forehead.
“Almost forgot the important stuff.”
She took the housing information from Liuyun and spread it out on the table for Lux to see.
“The apartment is in Exalting Sanctum, not far from Aurum Alley.
It has convenient transportation and complete surrounding facilities.
It’s a three-bedroom, one-living room layout, with one bathroom and one kitchen.
The two of us have already taken two rooms, so there’s one left.
The rent is 1,200 a month, split three ways, so 400 each.”
Lux did the math in her head.
Four hundred stellar jades a month, plus utilities and other fees, it would be around five hundred.
She had a little over six hundred in her pocket; after paying the deposit and the first month’s rent, there wouldn’t be much left.
But as long as she could move in, she could slowly earn more later.
“Four hundred…
I can accept that.”
“Then it’s settled!” Guinaifen made the final decision, turning to Liuyun.
“Sister Liuyun, bring the contract!”
Liuyun nodded with a smile, took three lease agreements out of the drawer, and handed them to each of them.
Lux took the contract and read it carefully—although she didn’t quite understand many of the clauses, there didn’t seem to be any major issues.
She picked up a pen and signed “Lux” in the tenant section.
The moment she finished signing, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.
She had a home.
Even though it was a shared apartment, and she had only paid four hundred stellar jades, in this strange world, she finally had a place where she could sleep in peace.
No more building Matchbox Houses every night, no more getting up before dawn to demolish houses.
“Alright!” Guinaifen put away the contract, stood up, and stretched.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to see your new home!”
The apartment was in a small alley in Exalting Sanctum, quiet amidst the bustle.
The moment she pushed the door open, Lux was stunned.
The living room was larger than she had imagined.
Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The sofa was light gray with a few throw pillows tossed on it, and a plate of unfinished melon seeds sat on the coffee table.
The open kitchen was next to the living room, with a pot still on the stove.
The lid was covered in a thin layer of dust, looking like it hadn’t been used in a long time.
“It’s a bit messy, heh,” Guinaifen scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Neither Sushang nor I really know how to cook, so the kitchen is basically just for show.”
“I can,” Lux blurted out.
After she said it, she was stunned herself.
Could she?
She didn’t think she could!
Although she had played plenty of Farmer’s Delight, she hadn’t really cooked much in reality, but she couldn’t take back what she had said.
“Really?!” Guinaifen’s eyes lit up.
“Then our meals from now on will depend on you!”
“I’m just average at cooking…”
“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine!
We’re not picky.”
Sushang pulled on Guinaifen’s sleeve from the side and whispered, “Don’t scare her.”
Then she turned and smiled at Lux, a silly, honest smile that revealed a row of white teeth.
“Don’t mind her, that’s just her personality.
If you’re busy, you don’t need to worry about us; we’ll figure it out ourselves.”
“How will you figure it out?” Lux glanced at the dusty pot.
“We can order delivery,” Sushang said confidently.
Lux was silent upon hearing this.
Guinaifen snickered on the side.
Lux sighed.
“Sigh, I’d better cook.
But it’s agreed, you two are doing the dishes.”
“No problem!”
“Deal!”
Guinaifen pointed to the door at the end of the hallway.
“That room is yours.
Sushang and I are next to each other, right across the hall.”
Lux pushed the door open and walked in.
The room wasn’t large, but it was enough.
The window faced east, so the morning sunlight should be nice.
A wardrobe, desk, and chair were all provided, and there was a small decorative painting on the wall depicting the scenery of the Xianzhou.
“How is it?
Are you satisfied?” Guinaifen asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“It’s quite good.” Lux nodded.
“Then should Sushang and I help you with your luggage?
Where did you put it?”
Lux shook her head.
“No need, I don’t really have any luggage.”
Guinaifen and Sushang exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion—how could one move without luggage?
But Lux had already turned around and started “tidying up” the room.
After Guinaifen and Sushang left, Lux closed the door and took a deep breath.
Then she began to pull things out.
From her inventory.
First, two beds—red, the most basic style from MC.
She pushed the two beds together to make one large bed.
Single beds were too small, and she was a restless sleeper; she was afraid she’d roll off.
Then came the crafting table, which she placed against the wall.
The furnace was placed next to the crafting table, and two chests were placed side-by-side, combining into one large chest.
The smithing table and anvil were lined up in order, neat and tidy.
Lux stood in the center of the room, looked around, and nodded with satisfaction.
Although these things might look strange to others, to her, this was what a home should look like.
She pulled a few wool carpets out of her inventory—leftovers from when she bought wool to make the beds—and spread them on the floor in front of the bed.
“Perfect.”
She clapped her hands, her tail swaying gently behind her.
When the sun was about to set, Guinaifen came to knock on the door.
“Lux!
Come out for dinner!
To celebrate your moving in today, we’re going out to eat!”
Lux opened the door and saw that Guinaifen had already changed into a red dress, her hair tied in twin tails, looking very energetic.
Sushang stood behind her, wearing casual clothes, exuding a sense of youth.
“Let’s go, let’s go, I’m starving!” Guinaifen grabbed Sushang with one hand and Lux with the other, walking excitedly outside.
Guinaifen chose a barbecue place on the corner of the street, an open-air one with tables set up under the eaves and warm yellow lanterns hanging overhead.
The proprietress was a round-faced foxian lady who smiled as soon as she saw Guinaifen.
“Little Guinaifen is here again?
The usual spot?”
“Yes, yes, yes, the usual spot!
And add another set of utensils, we have a new friend today!”
The three sat down, and Guinaifen skillfully ordered a pile of food—skewers, cold dishes, staples, soup—rattling off a long list.
The proprietress left after taking the order, moving very efficiently.
In the gap while waiting for the food, Guinaifen started asking Lux questions.
“By the way, you mentioned before that you came from the outside?
Where exactly?”
Lux picked up her teacup and took a sip, her brain racing.
“I…
have amnesia.”
“Amnesia?” Sushang’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, I woke up on the Xianzhou and don’t remember anything from before.
I only vaguely remembered my name; I don’t know anything else.”
This wasn’t technically a lie.
She really didn’t know how she got there, and she really knew nothing about this world.
She just omitted the “transmigration” and “other world” parts.
Guinaifen and Sushang exchanged glances, their eyes filled with sympathy.
“That must have been really hard for you,” Guinaifen sighed.
“Coming to a strange place all alone, not remembering anything, not even having a place to live…”
“Yeah,” Sushang nodded along.
“If I had amnesia, I would definitely be panicking.”
Lux was stunned.
She hadn’t expected these two to believe her just like that.
“You…
don’t think I’m lying?”
“Lying?” Guinaifen tilted her head.
“Why would you lie to us?
You’re not trying to get anything out of us.
Besides, you don’t even have any luggage.”
Lux: “…”
That reason was certainly simple and honest.
“Anyway, you have us now,” Guinaifen patted her chest.
“If you need any help in the future, just say so!
In this patch of land on the Xianzhou, I, Guinaifen, have some connections!”
“What connections do you have?” Sushang dismantled her argument.
“My followers!”
“Can three hundred followers really be called connections…”
“Three hundred is still a connection!”
Lux watched the two start bickering again and couldn’t help but laugh.
When the skewers were brought out, Guinaifen pulled a bottle of wine from somewhere.
“Come on, come on, I’m happy today, let’s have a drink!”
“Little Guinaifen, where did you get that wine?” Sushang looked at her warily.
“I had it prepared beforehand!
To celebrate our new roommate moving in!”
Guinaifen poured a glass for each of them, the amber liquid sloshing in the glasses and emitting a faint fruity aroma.
“Cheers!”
Three glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.
Lux took a sip and found that the wine wasn’t strong; it was sweet, a bit like fruit wine, and quite tasty.
Guinaifen clearly thought so too, downing it in one gulp and pouring herself another.
Sushang hesitated for a moment, then took a sip.
Then her face started to turn red.
“Sushang, your face is so red,” Guinaifen leaned over to look.
“And this is only the first glass.”
“I’m not red…
you’re the one who’s red…” Sushang’s voice was already starting to drift.
Lux looked at Sushang’s state and had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, by the time the second glass was half finished, Sushang was already swaying.
“Little Guinaifen…
I’m a bit dizzy…”
“You’re such a lightweight!”
“I’m not a lightweight…”
Before the third glass was even poured, Sushang had already slumped onto the table.
Then she suddenly lifted her head, looking at Lux in a daze, her eyes unfocused, a silly grin on her face.
“Hehehe…”
Lux shrank back a bit.
Sushang reached out, grabbed her arm, and leaned the whole of her body against her.
“Baby…
you are a sweet, soft, little yellow cake…”
Lux’s face turned red in a “whoosh.”
“W-what did you say?!”
“Little cake…
so sweet…” Sushang buried her face in her shoulder and nuzzled.
“And fuzzy ears…
so cute…”
Lux’s ears twitched reflexively, and her tail puffed up.
She turned her head stiffly and looked at Guinaifen with a pleading gaze.
Guinaifen was holding up her jade abacus, the screen facing them, laughing so hard she was rocking back and forth.
“W-what are you filming?!” Lux’s voice went off-key.
“Documenting the good life!” Guinaifen wiped away the tears of laughter.
“Don’t move, don’t move, this angle is perfect, Sushang’s expression is too funny—”
“Turn it off!
Turn it off now!”
“No way!
This is precious material!
My followers will definitely love it!”
Lux wanted to reach out and grab the jade abacus, but Sushang was clutching her arm tightly, refusing to let go, while muttering, “Little cake, don’t run away.”
She closed her eyes in despair.
This was only the first day.
How was she going to survive the days to come…