Tan Wei shook her head.
“I’ve been here for five years.”
“What? Five years?” Cheng Xi looked stunned.
Tan Wei smiled.
“Yeah.
It looks like you’re in the newest batch to arrive on Rabbit Star.
I bet you’re like me—you never used to believe Aliens actually existed, did you?”
“The truth is, Aliens appeared on Earth a long, long time ago.
I only found out after I got here that humans have been on Rabbit Star for over thirty years.”
Cheng Xi was stunned speechless.
“You mean, people have been getting abducted and brought here for thirty years?”
Tan Wei nodded.
“That’s right.
You’re new, so you wouldn’t know.
The human population on Rabbit Star has already surpassed five hundred thousand; we’re just scattered across various regions.”
“Some were born here on this planet, while the rest were successively abducted from Earth.
If it weren’t for the high annual human death rate, our numbers would have likely surpassed a million by now, maybe even more.”
Cheng Xi’s heart pounded in alarm.
“That’s so many! Then how did you manage to open a shop here? And what’s the deal with the Pet Plaza?”
Tan Wei gave a bitter smile.
“You already know we humans are just pets to the Aliens.
But some people are just born lucky.
Even among pets, there’s a pecking order.
If you’re lucky enough to get a noble owner, you’ll live like a princess, never having to worry about food or clothing, wanting for nothing.”
“This Pet Plaza in the Royal City was built by the nobles for their human pets as an entertainment venue.
They can shop and have fun to their hearts’ content—they’re much happier here than they ever were on Earth.”
“As for those of us who run shops in the Pet Plaza, our owners are of average means.
If we didn’t open stores to supplement our income, we couldn’t even afford to socialize with other humans.
This place is a sanctuary for us.
We can make friends here, chat to pass the time and forget our troubles.
But once we step out that door, we go back to being pets, living a bland and tasteless life under the Aliens’ control.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Cheng Xi was starting to understand.
“Oh, right. You still can’t speak the alien language, can you? You can go to a beauty shop called Jasmine on the far eastern side of the third floor. Ask the owner, Bai Molili, for some language-learning materials. She’s the leader of all the humans in the Pet Plaza. She helps fellow newcomers quickly adjust to their new life.”
Cheng Xi froze.
“The humans have a leader?”
Tan Wei nodded.
“Yes, and she’s a really nice person.
He’s very powerful and generous with her.
She doesn’t even need to run a shop, but Sister Mo Li opened it to better help our fellow humans.”
“I really have to get back to work, otherwise I’d go with you.
I could show you around the Pet Plaza and teach you the basics.”
Cheng Xi paused.
‘…Well, I guess she does have a business to run.’
‘But Tan Wei is the first person I’ve met here, and she seems to know so much.
I really need a guide like her right now.’
“Um, how about you show me around? I don’t understand so many things; I need someone to show me the ropes. I know it will cost you a few hours of business, but I’ll pay you for your time. Just treat it as if I’m paying for a manicure.” ‘Thank god I have money.’
‘Who knew that the rules of human courtesy would still apply even in outer space?’
After hearing this, Tan Wei thought for a moment before nodding readily.
“Alright.
Our meeting must be fate.
I’ll close up shop for the day.
Just give me enough to break even.
Hmm…
how about five thousand Star Coins?”
“…Uh.”
Just as Cheng Xi was about to ask if the currency was inflated here, Tan Wei, thinking she was worried about the price, quickly explained, “Don’t think that’s expensive.
My manicures start at a thousand Star Coins.”
“My clients here are all pets of the nobility.
Besides, it’s not your money anyway.
It’s the Aliens’ money, so what’s the big deal about spending it?
Just think of it as a donation toward my medical expenses.”
‘So that’s why it’s so expensive,’ Cheng Xi realized.
‘Is it because most of the customers here belong to the nobility?’
“Wait, ‘a donation toward your medical expenses?’ Are you sick?”
Tan Wei nodded, stating it as if it were the most common thing in the world.
“Yeah. Cancer and a congenital heart defect. If I hadn’t been accidentally abducted and brought here five years ago, I probably would have died in a hospital back then. I guess it just wasn’t my time to die. They actually have medicine to treat cancer here. That’s why I opened this shop—to pay for my treatment.”
Cheng Xi couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Really? And this cancer medication… is it expensive?”
Tan Wei winced.
“How could it not be?
It’s ridiculously expensive!
But as long as I can survive, the price doesn’t matter.
Luckily, I’ve been working hard these past few years.
Another year or two of treatment and I should be completely cured.”
“See, our constitutions are different from the Aliens’, so we can’t use medication that’s too potent.
Here, they call it Cell Repair Liquid.
A single, mid-grade bottle—it’s small, about the size of a small water bottle—costs ten thousand Star Coins.”
My owner is just an ordinary citizen; he can’t afford my medical bills.
That’s why he pulled some strings to let me open this shop.
With my own income, I can afford about a dozen bottles a month.
It just means the recovery process is slower.”
After hearing the whole story, Cheng Xi said without hesitation, “Alright.
Let me pay you.
Go ahead and charge me ten thousand—it’ll cover one bottle of your medicine.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Tan Wei quickly handed her the payment device.
It was like one of those credit card machines from Earth.
Tan Wei entered the amount, and Cheng Xi swiped her consumption card over the device.
A fingerprint payment option appeared.
She touched it with her thumb, and ten thousand was instantly transferred from the card.
It was incredibly convenient.
The payment went through in the next second.
Tan Wei couldn’t help but comment, “Looks like your owner is a noble.
You must have a pretty high spending limit on that card, huh?”
Cheng Xi didn’t specify the amount, only stating, “At this rate, it won’t last long.”
Tan Wei chuckled.
“Thank you. And really, not everything here is this expensive. Even if you went on a spending spree, one hundred thousand Star Coins would be enough to last you a month.”
‘Only a noble would be willing to spend so much on a pet.
Her own owner’s monthly salary was only twenty or thirty thousand Star Coins, just enough to keep her fed and clothed.
Anything more was out of the question.’
‘Normally, someone with her owner’s financial status wouldn’t have been able to afford a human pet.
But because she was terminally ill, the dealer sold her at a discount.
That was the only reason anyone bought her.’
‘Unlike the other abducted humans, she was genuinely grateful to her owner.
Without him, she would have died long ago.
She wouldn’t even be here now, would she?’
Cheng Xi just smiled and said nothing.
‘If I told her I have a million on my card, she’d just end up hating me, right?’
‘Besides, the money isn’t even mine.
It feels weird spending it.’
With the new income, Tan Wei visibly relaxed.
She smiled.
“Alright, Cheng Xi, let’s go. I’ll show you around first, and we can go find Sister Mo Li last.”