Li startled and quickly reined in her emotions.
She thought Lu Yushan had come back and was about to explain that she was simply hungry and had come to take a look.
She turned around.
Their eyes met.
The person standing behind her was not Lu Yushan.
It was a barefoot, silver-haired girl with messy bedhead… a loli clutching a thick black hardcover book.
The white-haired loli in the witch hat seemed to have been lured awake by the aroma.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, staring groggily at the “uninvited guest” in the kitchen.
Second?!
The white-haired loli’s movements also froze.
She tilted her head.
The oversized, slightly worn witch hat slid halfway down, revealing a pair of deep, scarlet pupils.
She sniffed with her small nose, as if confirming a familiar, nostalgic scent.
Then, in a soft, sleepy, flat voice, she uttered a name in confusion.
“…Youngest?”
Before Li could react, the white-haired loli’s gaze slid away from her without the slightest reluctance.
In her eyes, this long-unseen “family member” was far less interesting than the sizzling pan of grease behind her.
She padded forward barefoot like a ghost, walked straight past Li, and stopped in front of the pan of charred sausages.
She didn’t need to lift a hand or chant a spell.
A steaming slice of sausage floated up on its own, spun twice in the air to cool, then obediently flew into the white-haired loli’s open mouth.
Munch… munch…
The cheap starch flavor, the burnt taste, and the greasy oil exploded across her tongue.
The girl’s doll-like, delicate face showed almost no change in expression.
Only the frown caused by her morning grumpiness eased a little.
After swallowing, she spoke without turning around, her voice calm and emotionless yet utterly firm.
“I’m not going back.”
“Now,” she added. “I don’t want to.”
Li took a deep breath and forced her voice to stay even.
“You know those guys have been nagging about you nonstop?”
The white-haired loli clearly wasn’t listening.
She even looked slightly annoyed by Li’s chatter.
She grabbed another slice of sausage and popped it into her mouth.
“Oh.”
Li sighed helplessly and leaned against the kitchen doorframe, her eyes complicated.
“Don’t worry. Although my mission does include bringing you back, that’s not the priority.”
As someone who had abandoned her own family, Li didn’t think she had the right to lecture another runaway.
“Then why are you here?”
The white-haired loli turned around, a glistening smear of oil still on the corner of her mouth.
Her pure red eyes fixed on Li as she pointed a finger straight to the heart of the matter.
“You didn’t come in because of me.”
“Before you even noticed me, you’d already been loitering outside the door like a creep for a long time.”
“Why here, of all places?”
Li fell silent.
The real reason stuck in her throat—the soft spot she had to keep buried forever.
“…It was just a coincidence.”
Li’s voice was dry and low.
“I needed a quiet base. This place is peaceful.”
“Don’t understand.”
The white-haired loli shook her head.
Her eyes seemed to see through everything and care about nothing at the same time.
“What about you?”
Li turned the question back on her, trying to change the subject.
“With your power, you could go anywhere in this world. Why are you squatting in this rundown bookstore?”
The white-haired loli tilted her head again.
The oversized hat nearly slipped off once more.
She thought seriously for a moment.
A flicker of nostalgia passed through her red pupils, as if recalling some distant afternoon long, long ago.
“Because… he’s here.”
The white-haired loli raised a slender finger and pointed upstairs.
“He?”
Li froze.
“You know that boy?”
“Mhm. I know him.”
The white-haired loli nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I met him the last time I came to this world.”
She gestured with her hand to indicate height, her eyes shining with innocent delight.
“Back then he wore a white shirt. His smile was silly and warm. He would cook this kind of charred meat for me too. It tasted strange, but I didn’t mind it.”
Her tone grew puzzled again. She frowned slightly and began muttering to herself.
“I just don’t understand… so much time has passed and he hasn’t grown at all.”
“Aren’t humans supposed to grow quickly?”
“And… his eyes have changed. He doesn’t remember me anymore.”
“But that’s normal. It was a long time ago… I can’t even remember exactly how long.”
Li’s brows knitted tightly. She stood rooted in place.
Her mind raced, piecing together the fragments.
Last time?
A long time ago?
Hasn’t grown taller…
A lightning bolt of realization struck her.
To this girl who looked no older than ten but was actually an ancient relic who had lived who-knew-how-long, several decades were nothing more than a nap.
So who could that boy possibly be?
Thud— thud— thud—
Steady footsteps came from the stairs, breaking the heavy, eerie conversation.
“The room’s ready!”
Lu Yushan’s voice drifted down from the staircase landing, carrying the polite enthusiasm he had specially put on for the sake of that ten-thousand-yuan rent.
“Um… madam? Are you still downstairs?”
Li adjusted her posture almost instantly.
She took a deep breath and tucked away every trace of shock and guilt in her eyes.
In the blink of an eye she became an ordinary, slightly socially awkward female tenant.
Lu Yushan came down the stairs.
He saw Li standing by the kitchen door and glanced at the white-haired loli openly stealing food.
He found the atmosphere between the two of them strangely off, but he didn’t ask. After all, the customer was always right.
The plate of sausages had partly been bought for this loli anyway, so it was fine if she ate them.
“The room on the left side of the second floor. I changed the sheets and duvet cover for fresh ones. You can move in right away.”
“Thank you.”
Li kept her head lowered, clutching her trench coat tightly. Her voice was a little strained.
As she passed Lu Yushan, she carefully turned sideways so her coat hem wouldn’t brush against him and refused to meet his eyes.
The white-haired loli simply tilted her head the other way.
She had zero interest in human emotional tangles.
Still chewing the half-eaten charred sausage, she made her demand with complete confidence, exactly as she had done decades earlier to the boy in the white shirt.
“This. Tastes good.”
“I want more.”
Lu Yushan set down the cleaning tools and scratched his head awkwardly.
“Sure, but… I still don’t know what to call you?”
The white-haired loli paused for a brief second.
She quickly swallowed the rest of the sausage in her mouth, then opened the thick book in her arms.
A faint purple glow flashed as she seemed to consult some record.
After checking, she nodded thoughtfully.
“First meeting. You can call me…”
“Lulu.”