Xiao Ling had to admit, counting sheep was absolutely one of the greatest inventions of the old ancestors.
At least with its help, he had more or less managed to fall asleep.
…It would’ve been even better if someone hadn’t suddenly shaken him awake.
Xiao Ling very reluctantly opened his eyes and found Denia standing right beside him, just quietly watching him like that, not saying a word.
(Denia is just watching you.jpg)
And so, the morning grumpiness born from lack of sleep was forcibly swallowed right back down.
“I’m hungry,” Denia said to him.
“What do you feel like eating?” Xiao Ling’s voice carried the hoarseness of someone freshly awake.
“Whatever.”
Had it been any other girl, this “whatever” would have been loaded with hidden meaning, but if Denia said “whatever,” then she probably truly wasn’t picky.
“Then sit for a bit.
I’ll go make you something.”
Xiao Ling threw off the quilt and got up from the sofa, rolling his stiff and aching neck.
‘This place is too small.
I should swap it for a bigger one some other day.
I can’t keep sleeping on the sofa forever,’ he thought to himself.
Wearing his slippers and sporting a pair of panda eyes, he walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and rummaged through the leftover ingredients.
To be honest, living alone, he rarely cooked, but that was purely out of laziness, not inability.
If he actually had to step up and cook, he could at least put together a decent three-dish-one-soup spread.
…Even though during the toughest days of his life, he couldn’t even afford vegetable soup.
Xiao Ling took out some scallions and still-fresh lean pork from the fridge, grabbed a few eggs, then walked over to the stove and got busy.
Pots, bowls, ladles, and pans clinked and clanked in the kitchen, like a small concert in full swing, with Xiao Ling as their conductor.
Seated on the sofa, Denia could see Xiao Ling’s busy figure in the kitchen from right where she was.
Truthfully, she hadn’t quite figured out the current situation either.
She had clearly been sleeping at home, yet when she woke up, she was in a completely unfamiliar place.
For once, Denia had actually had a sweet and sound sleep, since before this, she had never slept well.
The whispers of Aleph-1 would always disturb her and deny her peaceful rest.
So when she shook Xiao Ling awake, she had actually felt a little guilty inside.
She knew full well that being woken up when you’re sleeping was an incredibly irritating thing, but she simply couldn’t stand the hunger anymore.
What surprised Denia, however, was that the other party turned out to have an unexpectedly good temper.
He just asked what she felt like eating and then got right to making her something.
‘He’s a nice guy.’ That was Denia’s first impression.
While Denia was immersed in her own thoughts, Xiao Ling’s side had pretty much entered the finishing stage.
He placed the cooked noodles into a bowl, layered the cooked meat slices and poached egg on top, then sprinkled a layer of chopped scallions over it, and finally drizzled on a ladle of savory broth.
Though it was a very simple dish, it won out in generous portions and guaranteed satisfaction.
“You can come eat now,” he called out.
The moment she heard food was ready, Denia came scampering over with quick little steps.
What lay before her was a large bowl of noodles, garnished with meat slices and a poached egg, with a scattering of scallions for decoration.
It looked delicious.
“Well then…
I’ll dig in?” Denia said, as if seeking his approval.
“I made it for you, so go ahead.” The corner of Xiao Ling’s mouth curved u.
Seeing this, Denia didn’t stand on ceremony any longer.
She picked up the utensils Xiao Ling had long since prepared and began to leisurely enjoy this breakfast.
Strange to say, she clearly ate very slowly, with a certain grace like a swan sipping water, but the noodles in that bowl were visibly dwindling away at a steady pace.
“Aren’t you eating?” Halfway through, Denia finally remembered that the cook who had made this meal didn’t seem to have eaten yet himself.
“You go on and eat.
All the ingredients are right here.
It won’t take long to make another serving,” Xiao Ling said calmly.
Only after getting that answer did Denia continue eating with a clear conscience.
‘Good, good.
Looks like my cooking is alright after all.’ Xiao Ling breathed a quiet sigh of relief deep down.
For the next little while, the situation was roughly Denia eating with her head down, and Xiao Ling watching her eat, carrying a certain “peaceful days” kind of feeling.
“I’m full.” Denia pulled out two napkins and wiped her mouth in a ladylike fashion.
A look into the bowl — good grief, clean as a whistle.
Not even a drop of soup remained.
“Glad you ate your fill.” Xiao Ling casually collected the bowl and chopsticks and placed them in the sink dedicated to dishwashing.
“Then I’ll catch up on some sleep first, and I’ll take you out in the afternoon to buy some clothes and stuff.
The TV remote’s here.
Just press what you want if you feel like watching something.”
After briefly explaining how to use the remote and its functions, Xiao Ling yawned and went back to his room to catch up on sleep.
Bro Ling was actually dead tired.
Now that he had finally fed Denia, he could retire with his mission accomplished and go have a nice, wonderful sleep.
Denia had no objections, watching him with her eyes as he headed straight back to his room.
With a click, the living room and the bedroom became two separate spaces, and Denia finally had the time to think about other matters.
“This world seems to lack the existence of Resonance Power and Tacet Discords.”
This was Denia’s first discovery.
Most of her power came from the Threnodian Aleph-1, and after coming to this world, not only was she unable to draw upon Aleph-1’s power, even her original Resonance ability had been restricted.
Of course, this wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
At the very least, she could no longer hear that guy endlessly muttering cryptic nonsense in her ear every day.
Since there was no Resonance Power and no Tacet Discords, then correspondingly, there would be no Sentinels or Resonators here.
Because of this, she was all the more curious about exactly how the civilization of this world had managed to persist.
She pressed the remote, found a history and science channel, and began absorbing the relevant knowledge.
Denia’s second discovery was about Xiao Ling.
Though she wasn’t entirely certain, she felt that Xiao Ling and the Rover must share some kind of connection.
It was very possible that Xiao Ling was the Rover.
She felt that Xiao Ling himself was more human, more down-to-earth, compared to Rover.
Rover treated everyone with the same level of equanimity and gentleness, and would even save someone like her.
That was good, but also not good.
Rover was like a dazzling sun.
She bathed in its radiance and felt its warmth, but could hardly ever touch it.
In comparison, Xiao Ling was too ordinary, yet for Denia, he was within arm’s reach.
The educational program happened to be broadcasting the history of humanoids evolving into true humans.
When the word “evolution” was mentioned, a wave of intense revulsion surged up from the depths of Denia’s heart.
“Evolution…
hah.
That madwoman obsessed over letting humanity evolve every single day.” But in truth, wasn’t that just reversing history in another sense?
Denia quietly watched the educational program like this, listening to the ticking of the living room clock, and suddenly felt a little sleepy.
‘This educational channel is actually quite useful in a certain sense.
At the very least, it’s great for falling asleep,’ Denia thought.
So she found a relatively comfortable position on the sofa and laid down, falling asleep to the sound of the educational program’s narration and the ticking of the clock.
Comment it and let me know.