Xi Jing is always a bit cautious, as if he’s afraid of offending someone, which makes him seem a bit pitiful.

Chuzheng lies in bed, looking outside through the window.

This house has poor soundproofing, with all sorts of sounds erupting from the left and right, making it impossible for Chuzheng to sleep.

Next door, for reasons unknown, they started hitting the child again, and the child cried miserably.

On the other side, the symphony of life was playing out.

Both occurrences happening simultaneously, perfectly coordinated.

Chuzheng suddenly sat up.

Xi Jing was lying on the ground, covered only with a thin blanket, probably accustomed to this environment; he was sleeping soundly.

Chuzheng leaned over, observing the boy on the floor in the dim light.

She bent down and brushed her fingertips against the boy’s hair, twisting a strand around her fingers, then nonchalantly releasing it.

So soft... I’ll find a chance to pull it later.

Chuzheng got up and stepped over him; whether it was because the boy slept heavily or for some other reason, her opening the door and leaving did not wake him.

Chuzheng went out and knocked fiercely on the door next door, yelling, "Are you killing a kid in there? Can’t you let people sleep? I’m calling the police!"

The angry scolding inside stopped, leaving only the child’s cries, which gradually ceased as well.

Chuzheng walked to the other side and was about to knock when she heard a noise inside, then silence.

Finished already?

Chuzheng’s hand, suspended in the air, felt awkward about whether to knock or not.

Finally, frustrated, she put her hand down and turned to leave.

Xi Jing turned over in his sleep but didn’t wake up, his breathing light, chest rising and falling slightly, with half of his head buried in the blanket, revealing only a small portion of his beautiful face.

Chuzheng could almost feel now that this person was her Good Person Card.

She couldn’t quite explain the feeling, but it was an intuition... when she saw him, she just knew he was the one she was looking for.

Chuzheng took the blanket from the bed and laid it over Xi Jing.

Once it was quiet around her, Chuzheng finally could lie down peacefully for a while.

She probably slept too much before, feeling not the least bit sleepy now, but she stayed still because even a slight movement on this bed made noise, so she just lay flat, staring at the ceiling, the night view seen through the window showing nothing.

-

Chuzheng was woken by the noise of people, unsure when she fell asleep last night.

Now it was bright outside, the scent of fireworks in the air.

She glanced at the floor, which had been tidied up, the blanket neatly folded and placed to the side, with no trace of Xi Jing in the room.

Chuzheng checked her countdown timer.

One night had passed, now only over forty hours remained.

Less than two days, excluding the nights...

Time is pressing.

Ah, so hungry.

Chuzheng hadn’t eaten anything yesterday, and now her stomach was growling even more intensely this morning.

[Main mission: Spend three thousand dollars within an hour.]

Three thousand?

Chuzheng raised her eyebrows; this task couldn’t be simpler.

"What will happen when the countdown ends?"

[You’ll rewind to the start, you know, missy.]

"..."

Why would I rewind!!

This isn’t even my fault!

Can’t you give me a hack to bypass these settings?

[No can do, missy. It’s a part of your setting; without it, you wouldn’t be complete.]

I can accept not being complete.

[Sorry, missy, we do not offer that service.]

Useless!

[...]

Alright, as long as missy is happy, I’m not mad.

King’s Account upholds the principle of service with a smile: [Missy, to avoid rewinding, you must have enough survival time.]

Chuzheng: "..."

So that means I not only have to splurge but also have to earn time for this body?

[Yes.]

The medium to earn time was snatched by the wretched thing; how am I supposed to earn time? By relying on my looks?

[...]

King’s Account vanished, ignoring Chuzheng’s questions.

"..."

This is too much!

They won’t even give me a guide.

While mulling over how to reclaim the medium, Xi Jing pushed the door open and came in.

Seeing Chuzheng sitting on the bed, the little guy was startled and stammered, "Y-you’re awake?"

Chuzheng’s face revealed no emotion: "Where have you been?"

"B-bought breakfast." The little guy showed the bag he was clutching protectively, which contained two buns.

He walked into the room and handed the bag to Chuzheng, saying cautiously, "It’s still warm."

Chuzheng naturally took it, pulled out one, and handed the other back.

"I’ve already eaten." Xi Jing quickly waved his hand.

"I can’t finish it, help me eat one." Chuzheng pushed the bun back to him.

Xi Jing made a small noise, holding the bun for a moment before moving aside to eat it in small bites.

Chuzheng nibbled on the tasteless bun; though she didn’t dislike it, she didn’t quite enjoy it either.

After finishing the bun, she asked Xi Jing, who was still eating, "How old are you?"

The little guy replied in a low voice, "Seventeen."

Seventeen?

He certainly doesn’t look it.

Such small arms and legs... he doesn’t look like a seventeen-year-old boy at all.

Chuzheng shook her head, got down from the bed, and Xi Jing immediately stood up as if startled, hiding the half-eaten bun behind his back like a well-behaved child about to be reprimanded by a teacher.

Bread crumbs clung to the corner of Xi Jing’s mouth, and Chuzheng reached out, brushing her finger against his cheek to remove the piece of bread crumb.

Xi Jing suddenly looked up at her, his eyes round and full of surprise as his hair obscured them.

"Finish eating quickly." Chuzheng sat him back down, saying expressionlessly, "I’ll go freshen up. Take me out later."

Chuzheng pulled the curtain aside to enter the small bathroom, letting out a breath.

She turned on the faucet, splashing cold water onto her face, and waited inside for a while before stepping back out.

Xi Jing had already finished eating and stood quietly, waiting for Chuzheng.

Chuzheng gave him a once-over: "Change into clean clothes."

Xi Jing checked his clothes, his face flushing with red: "I-is it dirty?"

Chuzheng pointed to his side.

There was a dark spot, unclear where it came from.

Xi Jing flushed even more, took another garment from the hanging clothes nearby, and quickly changed in the washroom before coming back out.

At first, Chuzheng hadn’t noticed, but as they reached the door, she felt something wasn’t right and reached to touch his clothes.

"Why is it wet?"

Xi Jing backed away slightly, answering with his head lowered, "It will dry after wearing it for a while." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Xi Jing only had two outfits.

The one he had just put on was washed the previous night; the weather was bad, and naturally, it hadn’t dried overnight.

Chuzheng: "..."

Chuzheng took a deep breath: "No other clothes?"

Xi Jing clutched the hem of his clothes and shook his head.

Chuzheng glanced toward the wardrobe, which was open, revealing barely any clothes inside, just emptiness.

She rubbed her forehead, gesturing towards the bathroom curtain: "Put on the one you had on earlier."