Su Yiyi stepped into the elevator, her brow twitching once more as she observed the displayed floor numbers.
‘How are even the floor numbers identical? Could it truly be such a profound coincidence?’
Lan Yucheng watched her, noting that she hadn’t pressed a floor yet, and found herself harboring the exact same thought as Su Yiyi.
“What a coincidence, isn’t it?”
****
The residential complex featured two units per floor. When the elevator doors finally parted, Su Yiyi was the first to step out.
Reaching her apartment door, she turned and bid them farewell once more.
“So Sister Su Yiyi is our neighbor!” Qing Xinxue exclaimed, a touch belatedly, only after seeing Su Yiyi disappear behind her door.
“Indeed, we seem quite fated,” Lan Yucheng replied.
She retracted her gaze, deciding not to dwell on the matter. Neighbors were neighbors.
Her top priority now was to chat with Qing Xinxue, to have a heart-to-heart and delve deep into the ‘heart ailment’ hidden within her.
“Would you like something to eat?” Lan Yucheng asked, having changed her shoes and now standing before the refrigerator.
“Hmm… fried rice, perhaps,” Qing Xinxue mused. She realized it had been quite some time since she’d tasted Lan Yucheng’s fried rice, and a wave of nostalgia washed over her.
“Alright,” Lan Yucheng nodded, though a flicker of uncertainty crossed her mind.
Qing Xinxue’s words clearly indicated that her ‘past self’ had cooked for her before. However, the current Lan Yucheng wasn’t at all confident she could recreate the fried rice Qing Xinxue held in such high regard.
“System!”
[What do you need? Just say it.]
Little Sprite was even more direct this time, not even bothering with the nickname ‘Little Chengzi’. Lan Yucheng, accustomed to the system’s demeanor, skipped the pleasantries.
“Can you grant me all the skills and knowledge my ‘previous self’ possessed?”
[Hiss… your previous self knew nothing. Didn’t you check your background story?] Little Sprite’s question jogged Lan Yucheng’s memory. After completing the daily task, she had indeed forgotten to review her background story.
“Let me see…” Lan Yucheng called up the story data, only to find it completely blank!
“A blank scroll? Or…”
[Precisely! Please pay the quota to unlock the information!] Little Sprite’s voice had lost its earlier weariness, now tinged with an oblivious excitement.
“You charge for even this? You truly are heartless,” Lan Yucheng grumbled. Though somewhat prepared, hearing it directly from Little Sprite still made her feel the system was excessively greedy.
“How much… does one piece of information cost to unlock?”
[Five quota per piece! The price will never increase!] Little Sprite even seemed to believe it was being generous.
“Then… let’s start with a piece of information about Qing Xinxue’s ‘heart ailment’.”
[That’s not included in the background story!] Little Sprite prompted.
“Right, it wouldn’t be that simple,” Lan Yucheng sighed, having held a sliver of hope that she could exploit a loophole in the system.
“Then… a piece of information about my past with Qing Xinxue.”
[Qing Xinxue once tried to kill you.]
“?” Lan Yucheng was stunned. What kind of terrifying information was this?
“You’re telling me this girl, who seems not particularly bright and overly naive, once tried to kill me?”
Even after playing all sorts of bizarre otome games, she had never encountered such a stark contrast.
[Yes, she tried three times, in fact,] Little Sprite added, a hint of mischief in its tone.
Lan Yucheng’s brow furrowed. What kind of relationship had she shared with Qing Xinxue before? If it wasn’t an ordinary hatred, why would someone pursue her three times with murderous intent?
‘Damn it, this game is purely designed to mess with me, isn’t it?’
‘Ultimately, everything still depends on me,’ Lan Yucheng thought, waving her hand to dismiss the system.
She felt that Qing Xinxue was likely no longer contemplating harming her. This incident must have occurred quite some time ago.
Lan Yucheng carried all the eggs to the kitchen, cooking as she pondered.
‘First, I should address whatever Qing Xinxue did previously that made me angry.’ This seemed the safest and most secure approach.
If their conversation suddenly veered into childhood memories, Lan Yucheng might not be able to answer. And if it touched upon the three murder attempts, that would be an even bigger problem.
She didn’t want to use ‘Jade Severance’ so early in the game.
“Dinner’s ready,” Lan Yucheng announced, bringing out the fried rice and sitting opposite Qing Xinxue.
“Sister Cheng, would you like some?”
“No, I’m not hungry. You go ahead and eat.” Perhaps due to her physical changes, Lan Yucheng didn’t feel particularly hungry.
“Mmm… it’s Sister Cheng’s taste!” Qing Xinxue shoveled in a few mouthfuls, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling, almost making Lan Yucheng believe she had cooked an unparalleled delicacy.
“Oh, Sister Cheng,” Qing Xinxue suddenly paused her chopsticks halfway through her bowl, looking at Lan Yucheng with a somewhat shy expression.
“Hmm? What is it?” Lan Yucheng, roused from her daze, met Qing Xinxue’s gaze calmly.
“I forgot to bring my pajamas…” Qing Xinxue confessed, her eyes darting away, unable to meet Lan Yucheng’s.
“Then wear mine,” Lan Yucheng replied without hesitation, sounding utterly unconcerned.
Qing Xinxue murmured a soft ‘Mmm’ and then continued to eat her rice, head bowed.
‘What is this girl thinking now?’ The system’s earlier revelation had been so unsettling that a significant portion of Lan Yucheng’s attention was now focused on observing Qing Xinxue.
Qing Xinxue wasn’t one to hide her thoughts well, so Lan Yucheng didn’t need to ponder much to know that whatever Qing Xinxue was thinking involved her.
“Sister Cheng,” Qing Xinxue finally finished her fried rice, placing her chopsticks flat on the bowl and holding it nervously with both hands.
She hadn’t even said what she wanted yet, but a faint blush had already crept onto her ears.
“What is it?” Lan Yucheng responded, her tone still placid.
Qing Xinxue paused for a moment, as if steeling herself.
“Sister Cheng, I also forgot to bring my blanket.”
“It’s fine, I have extras.”
“And I forgot my pillow too.”
“No worries, I have extras of those as well.”
“And my charger…”
“It’s fine…”
The two went back and forth, with Qing Xinxue quickly running out of excuses.
“What’s the next question?” Lan Yucheng asked, smiling, adopting an expression that conveyed, ‘I’m happy to answer.’
Qing Xinxue bit her lip, recalling what Su Yiyi had told her earlier.
‘Cowards don’t get love.’
She once again mustered her courage.
“I’m still a little afraid of the dark!”
“It’s fine. I’ll leave the living room light on for you.”
Qing Xinxue froze for a moment, her voice dropping slightly.
“I don’t want to sleep in the living room. I… I’ve never slept in a living room, I’m a little scared.”
“Is that so…” Lan Yucheng appeared to consider it seriously.
“Then you can sleep in the bed; I’ll take the sofa.”
“…” Qing Xinxue was almost too disheartened to speak. Why was Lan Yucheng so excessively resistant at a moment like this? What did the earlier kiss on the back of her hand mean then? What was all that about?
“Then, my last question, Sister Cheng, can I sleep in your bed, with you…?”
“Oh, you should have said so sooner! Just sleeping together, that’s all?” Qing Xinxue had almost given up hope. She might be a little silly, but not completely so. Lan Yucheng probably knew what she was going to ask all along, yet she deliberately tormented her.
‘Sister Cheng is truly too wicked!’ Qing Xinxue thought indignantly. ‘I’ll definitely get my revenge if I get the chance later!’
“However, I refuse!”