T District old city district, Old Zhang Bookstore.
Lu Yushan stood in the dim shop and let out a long breath.
He took out the new phone issued by the General Bureau and opened a special app.
It was an integrated platform for mission posting, intelligence sharing, and the “Magical Girl Work Circle” that only internal personnel could use.
The dynamic feed on the homepage was still dominated by the usual familiar faces.
But same people, different fates—even inside the internal app, the gap in popularity was painfully obvious.
—Amber Flowing Light: Escort mission successfully completed! The sandstorms in H City were really strong, but it’s good that we could help everyone! Likes: 99+
—I’m Not Green-Haired: Finally passed the assessment! The process was full of twists and turns, but I absolutely refuse to give up! This is the first step toward conquering the world! Likes: 1
Lu Yushan even suspected that the single like was from herself.
“…Truly pitiful.”
Lu Yushan casually tapped the like button and silently scrolled past.
It seemed that no matter where you were, unpopular people remained invisible.
In the “New Contacts” section, three red notification dots lit up.
Qinghai Starlight, Amber Flowing Light, and… Qiong Ling.
—Senior Administrator / H City Branch Minister
Although he had expected it, he hadn’t realized that the pervert who spent all day in a bunny-girl outfit actually held such a high position in the General Bureau.
Lu Yushan approved the friend requests one by one, then put away his phone.
He picked up the bag of “scrap” sausages he had just bought and looked up at the wooden staircase leading to the second floor.
There was no loneliness of returning to an empty house in his eyes—only a hint of helpless, complicated amusement.
On the second floor, beside the old desk by the window.
The silver-haired little figure was indeed still there.
She was still wearing that ridiculously oversized witch hat whose tip nearly brushed the floor, sprawled across the desk and sleeping soundly.
Her long silver-white hair spread out, her breathing steady and deep.
If this had been before, Lu Yushan would have called the police or thrown out such a suspicious stranger who had suddenly appeared in his home.
But now…
Lu Yushan subconsciously touched his pocket.
Inside was a fingernail-sized, unpolished yet still radiant raw ruby.
This was the “accommodation fee” the strange girl had casually tossed to him.
He had sent a photo to Qiong Ling earlier, and she had replied instantly with the valuation.
Starting at twenty thousand, no upper limit.
Twenty thousand yuan in rent just to sleep on the windowsill…
Lu Yushan looked at the sleeping white-haired loli, and the wariness in his eyes instantly turned into the kind, benevolent gaze one reserves for a money tree.
Moreover…
Buzz—
Snowball cautiously poked out from the air.
The moment it appeared and saw the sleeping silver-haired girl, it shivered in terror, its face paling. It quickly hid behind Lu Yushan’s ear.
“Shh—! Quiet! Quiet!”
Snowball whispered urgently in his ear, issuing frantic warnings.
“Don’t wake this lady up no matter what! If you dare chase her away and she throws a tantrum when she wakes, our poor little shop won’t even have a foundation left!”
“I know, you’re being noisy.”
Lu Yushan thought Snowball was exaggerating and flicked the familiar in annoyance.
With massive rent money and nuclear-level deterrence, there was no reason to refuse.
Lu Yushan walked into the kitchen, took out a frying pan, and plugged in the induction cooker.
Sizzle—
He tore open the cheap sausage packaging and dumped the crookedly cut meat chunks—complete with visible starch granules—into the pan.
The fat crackled in the high heat.
A rich, albeit cheap, mouthwatering aroma of meat instantly filled the small second-floor space.
Although it was all science-and-brutality processed, to someone who had been hungry all day, this was absolute gourmet.
Just as the sausages were sizzling and turning golden and crispy on the outside—
Ding-ling—
The wind chime on the front door downstairs suddenly rang.
Lu Yushan frowned and turned off the stove.
Who would come at this hour?
Debt collectors? Impossible—he had just paid some off.
Could it be Gu Lingyue coming to make him fulfill his promise?
He casually wiped his hands and walked out of the kitchen with a blank expression.
In the dim shop stood an uninvited guest.
It was a tall woman in a black high-collared trench coat and wide-brimmed hat.
She stood before the old bookshelves, her back straight, exuding a noble and aloof aura that clashed completely with the moldy, dusty old bookstore.
Hearing the footsteps, the woman slowly turned around.
Even with the brim pulled low, covering most of her face, Lu Yushan could sharply sense her momentary stiffness and… unease?
“The store is closed.”
Lu Yushan stood at the kitchen doorway, his tone cold, his eyes clearly signaling her to leave.
“If you want to buy books, please come back tomorrow.”
“I… I’m not here to buy books.”
Li peered through the gap under the brim at the son who was much thinner and colder-eyed than she remembered. Her heart clenched painfully.
This was her child.
The boy who used to cling to his father’s leg and act spoiled was now looking at her like a stranger, covered in thorns that kept everyone at arm’s length.
She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the sting in her eyes, and made her voice sound like that of a calm stranger.
“I saw the ‘room for rent’ sign on the door.”
Lu Yushan paused.
He had indeed posted one earlier when he was so broke he could barely keep the lights on and wanted to rent out the second floor for some cash.
But now the second floor already had a deity occupying it, and he had grown used to living alone.
“Sorry, it’s already ren—”
Lu Yushan started to refuse.
Slap.
Li seemed to sense her son’s resistance.
Without wasting words, she pulled a manila envelope from her trench coat pocket—thicker than the one Lu Yushan had hidden earlier—and placed it on the counter.
“I’m a writer. I need an absolutely quiet place to write and gather material. I have no requirements for the living conditions. As long as it’s quiet and I won’t be disturbed.”
Li’s voice was a little tight as she tried to make her excuse sound reasonable.
“I’m not too familiar with current prices in T City… This is one hundred thousand in cash. Is that enough for half a year’s rent?”
“…”
The word “go” died in Lu Yushan’s throat.
He looked at the envelope.
His dead-fish eyes instantly cleared, and a sincere, enthusiastic business smile appeared on his face.
“Of course it’s enough, madam.”
Lu Yushan strode down the stairs in a few quick steps, picked up the envelope, but instead of accepting it directly, he pulled out most of the cash right in front of her, leaving only a thin stack.
“But we have rules here. This is the old city district, not the city center.”
He pushed the extra several tens of thousands back, his expression serious.
“Half a year is only ten thousand. That includes water, electricity, heating, and internet—though the internet will take a while to set up.”
Li was stunned.
She looked at the money being pushed back, then at her son’s face—greedy for money yet still upholding some bottom line.
An indescribable mix of relief and even sharper heartache surged through her.
“…All right.”
Li took back the money, her fingers trembling slightly.
“We’ll do it your way.”
“Please wait a moment. The second floor is a bit messy. I’ll tidy it up first.”
Lu Yushan put away the ten thousand yuan and turned to fetch a mop and rag from the bathroom, his steps light.
To him, today was a lucky day—another ten thousand in the bank!
Li stood in place, watching his back disappear into the bathroom doorway.
The air carried a scorched oily smell.
Li frowned. It was the scent of cheap grease.
As if possessed, she walked toward the kitchen she remembered, wanting to see what her son usually ate.
In the frying pan lay a few charred, starch-filled sausages still emitting a cheap aroma.
Beside it was an opened package of the cheapest discounted steamed buns.
Li stared at the pan, her heart twisting like a knife. Her eyes instantly reddened.
What she ate over there might not have been gourmet, but it was all top-quality goods.
Yet her son… was eating this kind of meatless garbage here?
At that moment, light footsteps sounded behind her.