Unexpected Encounters and Lingering Fixations

“Hello, are you the window repairman? My window is broken.”

Having shaken off the female police officer, Li Yue dared not linger on the street, swiftly pulling Alezno home to take refuge, lest they be targeted by the officer’s overly imposing presence.

‘Tsk, why does it feel like I’ve become a criminal?’

Yet, the window still needed repairing.

Ultimately, she located a nearby window repairman through 85 Tongcheng (TL Note: A Chinese classifieds website offering local services and job listings). Despite her uncertainty regarding their reliability, she dialed the number.

“The repairman said he’d come this afternoon, so let’s rest for a bit.”

Li Yue fetched drinks from the refrigerator and offered one to Alezno, who was curled on the sofa, arms hugged to herself, her face still etched with lingering apprehension.

“Fortunately, we managed to get away,” Alezno exclaimed, still sighing with relief.

It was truly fortunate, for both of them possessed uncommon swiftness.

Li Yue had experienced this sensation before, while playing “catch the thief” in Runze Square: Su Luoli possessed a remarkable innate talent for evading pursuit, making it genuinely challenging for Li Yue to keep pace with her.

Perhaps owing to the resurgence of her past life memories, Alezno proved even more elusive than Su Luoli; without her mind-reading ability, Li Yue might very well have lost track of her entirely.

Nevertheless, Li Yue couldn’t help but wonder about the female police officer’s connection to Su Luoli.

“It seems we really need to find a way to restore Su Luoli’s memories. Otherwise, you’re just instinctively afraid without knowing the reason… Is it not simply because she’s a police officer and Su Luoli is a thief?”

As Li Yue speculated, Alezno shook her head.

“No, that feeling is unique… It’s not about her profession, but about her as a person.”

Li Yue continued to ponder aloud: “From what she said just now, she and Su Luoli must be incredibly familiar with each other, even to the point where they’d ‘recognize each other even if burned to ashes.’”

Without Su Luoli’s memories, such a discussion was inevitably futile.

“No one knows the relationship between that female police officer and Su Luoli, so let’s not think about it for now.”

Li Yue ruffled Alezno’s hair, then decisively moved to her computer, preparing to commence her afternoon livestream.

“Damn it, that Demon Lord said my livestream wasn’t as good as hers. I’ll show her what true skill looks like!”

“…Moon, are you still dwelling on this?”

“Of course! How could I possibly lose to the Demon Lord?”

The matter of livestreams had clearly become a fixation for Li Yue.

She intended to use her afternoon livestream to prove that she was in no way inferior to Mo Linyu.

Yet, the outcome of her efforts proved disheartening.

“There aren’t many people this afternoon.”

Alezno, observing the sparse attendance in the livestream room, made this assessment, prompting Li Yue to mute her microphone and grumble in response.

“…You don’t have to say it, I can see that myself.”

Although Li Yue had announced it in her fan group beforehand, the situation remained far from ideal.

While some had indeed been lured in by her “Dragon Sister” persona, Li Yue ultimately failed to pique their interest; the livestream’s popularity consistently flagged, and comments trickled in sparsely.

This left Li Yue utterly perplexed.

When it came to gaming skill, she was undeniably far superior to the Demon Lord.

“What exactly does she possess that I don’t?”

“Her figure,” Alezno replied.

“We don’t even use cameras for our livestreams!”

After more than two hours of broadcasting, a knock echoed from the entryway.

With the livestream’s popularity still stagnant, Li Yue, feeling unable to continue, seized the knock at the door as a convenient excuse, regrettably ending her broadcast with a heavy heart.

It seemed the livestream’s popularity would truly need Mo Linyu to salvage it that evening.

“Coming.”

Opening the door, she found an uncle carrying a toolbox standing outside.

The uncle, startled to see a blonde beauty open the door, paused for a moment before inquiring in broken English.

“Uh, Can you speak Chinese?”

“…I just called you.”

If Li Yue were truly asked to speak English, she wouldn’t be able to.

“Is this the place that needs a window repaired?”

Li Yue nodded, inviting the repairman inside.

“Could you please take a look and fix it as soon as possible? Without a window, the air conditioning in summer would be useless.”

The repairman, his toolbox still slung over his shoulder, stood before the shattered floor-to-ceiling window, stroking his chin and emitting a soft clicking sound.

“Miss, your window… was it smashed from the outside by something? A meteorite?”

“While not precisely a meteorite, it was something quite similar.”

“Huh?”

Li Yue’s words sparked the repairman’s curiosity, but she naturally couldn’t reveal the truth.

She certainly couldn’t explain that “a baseball bat, carrying a person, crashed in from outside,” could she?

“The aluminum alloy frame is completely warped. This window needs to be entirely replaced; I’ll install a new one for you.”

“No problem, just as quickly as possible.”

“Then I’ll take some measurements first.”

As he spoke, the repairman deftly produced a tape measure and began his work, finishing the measurements and standing up in less than half a minute. Once done, he seamlessly transitioned from a repairman to a seasoned salesperson, prompting Li Yue to choose between brands, frame materials, glass types, and whether she preferred single or double-layered panes.

However, the dazzling array of choices quickly frayed Li Yue’s patience, and she spoke with an impatient tone.

“Uncle, just give me a price directly.”

“Do you want a better quality one, or a standard one?”

“Just stick to the original standard.”

The repairman glanced at the window frame, now bent and deformed on the ground.

“How about a thousand? That includes labor, and I’ll replace it with laminated tempered glass for you.”

Although the quote felt a little expensive, Li Yue wasn’t short on cash at the moment.

“Alright, when can you come to install it?”

“Approximately three days.”

“So, in three days?”

It seemed the heat would persist for another two days, prompting Li Yue to consider relocating her computer indoors.

She nodded, indicating her understanding, then escorted the repairman out of the entryway.

However, Li Yue was unaware…

The window repairman had barely gone downstairs when he was stopped and questioned by a uniformed female police officer.

****

It was already past six o’clock.

Li Yue put down her controller, looking towards Alezno, who was watching television from the sofa.

“Is that person coming for dinner tonight?”

“That person” naturally referred to Mo Linyu.

Alezno replied: “Since she said she’d be livestreaming tonight, it would be quite normal for her to have dinner here.”

“No, she was out with her maid today, so she might go home to eat… Tsk, what am I doing? Why am I even thinking about whether that person will have dinner or not?”

Alezno then advised: “Moon, you should still give her a call.”

“Forget it, I don’t know how to bring it up.”

Li Yue found herself unable to swallow her pride.

Alezno, however, lowered her gaze, offering a helpless, wry smile.

“Moon, in three months, the memories of her past life… of another world, will fade. At that point, the Demon Lord will no longer be the Demon Lord, and you could absolutely foster a good relationship with her.”

“No interest.”

“Even if you don’t become friends, there’s no need for animosity.”

“It’s not animosity… Alright, alright, I’ll make the call, won’t I?”

Persuaded by Alezno, Li Yue eventually pulled out her phone.

However, Mo Linyu’s phone was turned off.

“Hmm?”

This was quite unusual.

While Mo Linyu would turn off her original phone to prevent Mo Changhong from tracking her location, there was no reason for her foldable phone to be off as well.

Li Yue developed a rather unsettling premonition.

Her instincts had always been quite accurate.