Chapter 34

Ming Jiao hid behind the stairwell door on the first floor. After hearing the faint sound of the glass door being pushed open again, she silently counted to ten before cautiously peeking out.

Sure enough, the flash of crimson was nowhere in sight.

She let out a soft sigh of relief. 【That was close. Luckily, you reminded me in time.】

The System replied, 【You hid quickly enough.】

It couldn’t resist teasing Ming Jiao, 【Host, your constitution not only attracts aloof local cats but even those from beyond the domain.】

Ming Jiao thought about how the demonic creatures did resemble some feline animals and chuckled slightly. 【I wonder if all demonic creatures look like this or if there are ranks and types.】

The System said, 【I suspect it’s the latter.It sighed with emotion, “Today’s battle was truly spectacular.” We collected a lot of useful data. By the way, Host, the key point is that the ability user just now was the model from your studio. What do you think about everyone around you being so extraordinary?】

The red-dressed girl was none other than Xiao Ying.

Ming Jiao casually brushed her pale hand against her cheek, which was itching from stray strands of hair. 【I think I should leave before everyone wakes up, so they don’t drag me into discussing who broke the glass.】

They might even have to check the surveillance footage, which would undoubtedly be affected.

She curved her lips into a smile. 【As the only ordinary person who sees the truth but can’t speak of it, restraining the urge to gossip is quite taxing.】

System: You make so much sense that I have no rebuttal.

Ming Jiao, 【But System, I do have a question.】

System, 【What is it?】

Ming Jiao, 【Given the current situation, the areas where demonic creatures invade are unpredictable, meaning incidents are highly spontaneous. What if the next time demonic creatures appear, there are no ability users nearby?】

After her previous conversation with Tang Xiaoyu, she realized that the density of ability users in this world wasn’t particularly high.

The System said, 【If there are no ability users, there’s the big white ship. It will definitely deploy a barrier immediately to trap the demonic creatures.】

【Moreover, the Sky Ark emits a special sonic alarm. Host, did you not hear anything at all?】

Ming Jiao paused for a moment, then nodded.

The System said, 【Then it’s probably only audible to ability users or special entities like me. I also suspect they have a well-established emergency protocol. If an incident occurs, internal channels would notify nearby ability users to handle or provide support.】

Ming Jiao thought it over seriously. 【That makes sense. Perhaps there’s at least one powerful ability user stationed in the central areas of every city.】

After all, city centers not only hold significant political importance but also have massive foot traffic. If something were to happen, controlling the situation would be extremely difficult.

This world had likely already developed a mature system for the use and prevention of supernatural powers.

Having figured this out, there was nothing left to worry about. Ming Jiao smiled. 【Time to head back.】

·

The bookstore was enveloped in the quiet of the night. There was no scene of the lights blazing brightly as the System had feared, with Tang Xiaoyu sitting on the sofa, silently staring at her and asking where she had been—a heart-stopping image.

Ming Jiao turned on the lights and placed the tools she was comfortable using, along with the design drafts that still needed refinement, on a long table perfect for reading.

The room she currently lived in did have a desk, but it was rather small and not suitable for writing or drawing.

As she arranged her things, she spoke to the System, “You must have been worried all day for nothing. I told you Tang Xiaoyu definitely wouldn’t come back.”

Suddenly, she remembered Xiao Ying and straightened up abruptly. “By the way, System, did Xiao Ying not wear anything to cover her face just now?”

Not only was she not wearing anything to conceal her appearance, but she hadn’t even changed her clothes.

During the time Ming Yue had been staying at the bookstore, although her clothes were also in dark colors, each piece was definitely one she had never worn in front of her before.

As Ming Jiao brought this up, the System also belatedly realized it. “You’re right!”

“Could it be because she was sure no one was around, was in a clear state of mind, and came out in a hurry, so…”

But there were still some parts that didn’t quite make sense.

Even if not everyone had a convenient spatial ability like Tang Xiaoyu, carrying a pair of glasses or a mask to disguise one’s appearance shouldn’t be difficult.

As for clothes, if they were everyday wear, there were plenty of people who could be wearing the same outfit—no one would identify someone just by their clothes.

Moreover, items like glasses or masks used for disguises created significant interference with one’s appearance, voice, and overall impression, making it impossible to recognize someone based solely on their clothing.

Even in a more special occasion like the last banquet, Ming Yue couldn’t be said to have been 100% recognized by Xie Chu, who was also an ability user—at most, suspicions about her might have been heightened.

Ming Jiao thought about it but didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, Xiao Ying didn’t have much overlap with their lives, at least for now.

“Maybe we’re overthinking it. Perhaps Xiao Ying was just in too much of a hurry and forgot to wear her disguise, and we happened to run into her.”

The System replied, “That could be it. It’s mainly because things around you, Host, are so lively. Everyone seems to have a little secret, which has me a bit on edge.”

By the time she finished tidying up, it was already late. Ming Jiao remembered that she had been in a rush to leave in the morning and hadn’t washed the dishes from breakfast. Not wanting to go out to buy food, she decided to have instant noodles for dinner and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Just as she finished washing the bowls and was about to rinse them a second time while preparing to make the instant noodles, she heard a soft sound from outside.

Her heart stirred slightly. “System, it couldn’t be…”

“It’s the protagonist returning.” If the System had a physical form, it would surely be shaking its head and sighing. “That was close. You almost got caught for sneaking out.”

Ming Jiao was skeptical and narrowed her eyes with a smile. “Are you really relieved for me, or are you just disappointed that I managed to avoid trouble?”

The System wanted to say, “A bit of both,” but to maintain its long-standing camaraderie with its host, it could only reply, “How could that be, Host? Of course, I was worried about you.”

·

By the time Tang Xiaoyu returned to the bookstore, the moon had already climbed into the sky. The clear moonlight didn’t accentuate her flawless, jade-like perfection as it usually did—perhaps because she was carrying two large bags, which instead gave her a more down-to-earth aura.

When she saw the lights on in the bookstore, an unnamed tension that had been tightening in her heart finally relaxed completely.

Although Ming Jiao had confidently promised to stay quietly in the bookstore and not wander off, she had never been a docile person, neither in the past nor now. The more readily she agreed, the more Tang Xiaoyu worried she might do something reckless.

Fortunately, her worries had been excessive.

Pushing the transparent glass door open gently, she immediately noticed some new items on the long table in the corner.

She recognized some of them as Ming Jiao’s tools for drawing design sketches. It seemed she had indeed obediently stayed in the study all day without going anywhere.

Tang Xiaoyu placed the two heavy shopping bags in her hands on the coffee table and walked over to the long table for a closer look.

Unconsciously, she seemed to have developed an interest in everything about Ming Jiao—no longer just wanting to unravel the mysteries surrounding her.

Soon, her attention was captured by the design sketch placed in the center of the table. Part of it was weighed down by that familiar travelogue, but from the visible portion, she could tell it was a design for an evening gown.

Has she started taking on work already? Tang Xiaoyu wondered.

“Nightingale, you’re back?” Ming Jiao’s cheerful voice came from not far behind. Tang Xiaoyu quickly turned around, lowering her head somewhat awkwardly. Even though she hadn’t rummaged through Ming Jiao’s things without permission, she still felt…

In her moment of distraction, Ming Jiao had already lightly stepped to her side, casually picking up the design sketch from the table and openly showing it to her. “I worked all day to finalize this draft. What do you think? Isn’t it great?”

Her charming face was full of expectation and desire for praise, as if completely unaware that humility existed as a virtue in this world.

Though Tang Xiaoyu thought this, the corner of her lips curved almost imperceptibly. “It’s very beautiful.”

She slowly added, “I don’t know much about fashion design, but it’s truly beautiful.”

Ming Jiao didn’t need any professional critique anyway—the teachers at the studio were professional enough. She just wanted praise, specifically Tang Xiaoyu’s praise.

Having received it, she was naturally happy and satisfied.

Seeing her radiant, joyful expression, Tang Xiaoyu’s thin lips finally curved into a faint smile.

Just like a child, she thought.

Her gaze gradually fell on the bow hair clip atop Ming Jiao’s head, watching the delicate butterfly sway along with the movement of her dark hair, remarkably like cat ears.

She’d teased Ming Yue for being like a little black cat, but she was no different herself.

Ming Jiao soon noticed Tang Xiaoyu’s lingering gaze on her bow hair clip, remembering that the white gauze dress Tang Xiaoyu wore to the last banquet had similar bow decorations.

She imagined how beautiful this hair clip would look on Tang Xiaoyu and felt a stirring urge.

However, she could neither ask Tang Xiaoyu to wear that dress again for her nor request her to put on this hair clip right now.

Because Tang Xiaoyu had likely tied her smooth, beautiful, seaweed-like hair into two low pigtails for convenience of movement today, rather than leaving it loose.

This style also suited her beautifully, even adding a touch of scholarly tranquility.

Tang Xiaoyu noticed Ming Jiao was looking at her with that expression again—so focused as if she were the only person in the world.

Though she had tried her best to get used to it, such looks always left her somewhat flustered.

And the one staring always appeared innocently unaware.

Which was genuinely innocent—appearance was natural, and all these sensations were her own unnecessary troubles.

She asked, “You haven’t ordered takeout yet, have you?”

“Not yet. I was planning to eat instant noodles.” Ming Jiao seemed to hesitate with a hint of regret in her expression, but this fleeting emotion vanished like ripples on water. “Hey, you bought so many things… all food.”

As Ming Jiao walked over to the coffee table to inspect the two fully loaded shopping bags, she heard Tang Xiaoyu’s light, faint voice drift over. “Mountain Sparrow said during the week she stayed with you, you ordered takeout every single day.”

Ming Jiao rubbed her cheek with her finger, unusually ill at ease. “I didn’t mean to treat the kid poorly, but the creed of a kitchen disaster never bowing to slavery cannot be broken.”

Tang Xiaoyu glanced at her quietly. “I’m going to prepare some ready-to-eat meals for you. Come help.”

Ming Jiao, “Okay.”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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