“Yeah, thanks.” Cheng Xi watched as she closed the shop door and put up a “Temporarily Closed” sign.
Then she started to show her around.
When she learned Cheng Xi hadn’t eaten breakfast, she first took her to find some food.
Catching the scent of real food for the first time in ages, Cheng Xi’s stomach shamelessly started to growl.
Tan Wei heard the noise and chuckled teasingly.
“Been eating that paste for a while, huh?”
Cheng Xi nodded, her face grim.
“I was about to puke my guts out.”
“Haha, there’s nothing to be done.
Those Aliens don’t know how to cook human food.
They just grind up some raw ingredients and mix them into a paste.
It’s the only thing that won’t kill us and still provides nutrients.
If you want a real, honest-to-goodness meal, you have to come to the Pet Plaza.”
“All the food stalls are on the first floor.
Take a look and see what you want.
They have noodles, home-style stir-fries, bread, fruit, that sort of thing.”
Tan Wei expertly led her to a street lined with food stalls.
Due to the limited ingredients, the variety of delicacies here couldn’t compare to what was on Earth, but compared to the paste, it was a feast beyond compare!
Cheng Xi’s appetite soared as she smelled the various aromas, and she bought a little something from every stall she passed.
Before long, her hands were full.
She ate as she shopped, and by the time she was only partway through the stalls, she was already stuffed.
She then bought a cup of juice to quench her thirst.
When she saw the price, she was still a little taken aback.
A 500-milliliter cup of juice sold for a whopping three hundred Star Coins!
Seemingly noticing her surprise, Tan Wei explained between bites of her own snack, “Don’t be surprised.
The fruit here really is expensive.”
“Why?
Is it hard to grow things here?” Cheng Xi felt like she’d just spent money without a second thought, like some new-money tycoon.
But honestly, after seeing the price of Tan Wei’s manicure, no other unreasonable price could truly shock her.
She bought two and handed one to Tan Wei.
Tan Wei didn’t stand on ceremony, taking the juice and starting to drink with her.
“No, there are plenty of fruits and vegetables here, but we humans can’t eat them directly.
We get sick if we do. The source of this chapter is g.com.
So, the produce sold to us has all been re-processed—they’re ‘purified’ fruits and vegetables.
It must be a lot of trouble, because the purified fruit itself is expensive, and turning it into juice makes it even more so.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is.” ‘Her owner seemed well-off, so why weren’t there even any ordinary fruits in the kitchen?
Turns out humans can’t eat them.’
Tan Wei suddenly leaned in conspiratorially.
“Have you noticed what’s missing here, besides noodles, vegetables, and fruit?”
Cheng Xi paused.
“There’s no meat?”
Tan Wei gave her a look that said, *You got it*.
She glanced around furtively, like a thief, and seeing that no one was paying attention, whispered, “Exactly.
No meat.
And do you know why?”
“Why?” Cheng Xi had turned into a question machine today.
She said secretively, “Let me tell you, and most people don’t know this, it’s because the Aliens don’t dare let us eat meat. Their meat isn’t ordinary. I heard that when humans eat it, our bodies get stronger. They’re afraid if we become too strong, we’ll be able to fight back. So, they keep all the meat under tight control, away from humans.”
A look of realization dawned on Cheng Xi’s face.
“Oh, so that’s the reason.”
Tan Wei smoothed her hair.
“It’s understandable, in a way. The whole reason they keep humans as pets is because we’re weak, isn’t it? We can’t threaten them. If one day we became as strong as them, do you think things would stay the way they are now?”
‘At that point, humanity’s only fate would be slaughter.’ Cheng Xi silently finished the thought.
She had taken in so much information today; she needed time to process it all.
“I’ve had my fill of food and drink. Let’s go find that Bai Molili.” For now, learning the Alien language was her main priority.
Tan Wei nodded.
“Alright, let’s head to the third floor.”
They left the street of food stalls and headed for the third floor.
The place was huge.
Cheng Xi was already a little bad with directions, and if her guide Tan Wei hadn’t been there, she would have been completely lost.
They took the elevator to the third floor.
The businesses on this level were mostly dedicated to entertainment and leisure.
After passing countless storefronts, they finally saw a large, jasmine-flower-shaped shop up ahead.
“There it is. Easy to find, right?”
Cheng Xi hummed in agreement.
‘It certainly is,’ she thought.
“Let’s go.”
Before they even got close, they could see from afar that the entrance to the salon was crowded with customers, both men and women.
Business seemed to be booming.
The two of them walked over.
Tan Wei grabbed her hand and tried to squeeze through the crowd. This story is hosted at g.com.
As Cheng Xi was pushed into the throng, she stepped on someone’s foot.
Hearing a cry of pain, she immediately apologized without even looking up.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going, I didn’t mean to step… oh.”
Cheng Xi looked up and saw she had stepped on a pretty young woman, who looked to be in her twenties.
But what surprised her was the way the woman’s hands flew to protect her swollen belly.
‘She’s pregnant?’
The young woman merely frowned at her, murmured, “It’s fine,” and turned to leave.
Cheng Xi couldn’t help but watch her as she walked away.
“Oh, it’s her,” Tan Wei said, her voice alight with the promise of gossip.
Cheng Xi gave her a puzzled look.
“You know her?”
Tan Wei shook her head.
“Not personally.
But there isn’t a soul here who doesn’t know her story.”
“What do you mean?
What about her?”
At the question, a peculiar glint appeared in Tan Wei’s eyes.
Cheng Xi could tell: this was a woman who lived for gossip.
Tan Wei took her by the hand, pulling her back from the crowd.
“I just peeked in on my tiptoes,” she said.
“Sister Mo Li is swamped.
We can go in later.
Let me tell you about that person you just saw.”
“Her name is Xu Ning.
And you saw, right?
She’s pregnant.”
Cheng Xi nodded, a little stunned.
“It looked like it.”
Tan Wei’s eyes danced with gossipy light.
“And do you know who the father is?”
“How would I know?”
“Heh. Let me tell you. She’s pregnant with her owner’s child. She’s been sleeping with an Alien!” Tan Wei’s tone wasn’t one of scorn or contempt, but more of morbid curiosity.
It was the kind of morbid curiosity you’d feel on Earth if you saw a human getting together with another species.
But that phrase, “sleeping with,” made Cheng Xi’s heart lurch.
Her breath hitched.
“That’s… that’s possible?” For some reason, her heart ached for Xu Ning.
Tan Wei’s tone was somewhere between mockery and a sigh.
“Why wouldn’t it be? A lot of those male Aliens are lecherous. This whole thing with Xu Ning and her owner blew up. It wasn’t just a big deal in our human circles; it caused a huge uproar among their noble families, too. It even pissed off the ruler of this planet. The Beast King was so furious he issued a direct decree forbidding nobles from keeping pets of the opposite sex—a rule aimed specifically at the male nobles.”