Jinzhou's unluckiest person

"Hehe... guhehehe..."

Zhezhi had pale skin and a slender frame, which always gave the impression that she was malnourished.

But at that moment, her brush flew across the canvas as she created with abandon, so immersed in her art that she was oblivious to the world.

A suspicious smile hung on her lips as her brush danced across the canvas. Every so often, she stopped to admire her masterpiece and nodded in satisfaction.

It seemed she really did like drawing this sort of thing.

After watching for a while, Rover knew he couldn't let this go on. Otherwise, heaven knew what pose she'd draw him in.

"Hey..."

"Aah!!"

Zhezhi sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her elbow knocked over the easel, the paint box went flying, and the brush spun three times in the air before landing.

She stumbled backward and struck the small of her back against the corner of the table, grimacing in pain. But she didn't stop to rub it, instead waving both hands wildly as she tried to block his view of the canvas.

"N-no, it's not what you think! This, this is me practicing human anatomy! Yes, human anatomy! Art requires it!"

Her face alternated between red and pale, and she didn't know where to look. She glanced at Rover, then quickly looked away; she glanced at the canvas, then jerked her gaze back as if she'd been burned. Her lips trembled, her words came out in a jumble, and her whole body shook like a sheet of paper in the wind.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hold it against you, so just talk to me," Rover said softly, trying to reassure her.

"Mm..." Zhezhi replied weakly. She fidgeted uneasily, wringing her hands together and keeping her head down, afraid to look at him.

"When did you start drawing this kind of thing? Are you trying to change your style?"

"It's for the money. Nothing shameful about that..." the young artist stammered.

"What happened? Tell me about it."

At those words, Zhezhi burst into aggrieved tears.

"Rover, I'm so unlucky!"

She poured out everything that had happened to her over the past few days.

Half a month ago, a longtime customer had commissioned her to draw a new avatar for their terminal, asking for it to look a little more innocent and risqué. But she had missed the word "innocent."

After she delivered the work, the customer uploaded the avatar, only for their account to be banned for a violation. Zhezhi was reported as a result, summoned for tea by Sanhua, and ordered to correct her conduct. She wasn't allowed to accept commissions for a month.

"So you broke the ban again, didn't you? It hasn't even been a month yet."

Rover stared at her, his expression stern.

At that, Zhezhi grew visibly nervous again.

"No, no! I'm only drawing these for practice, not selling them!" She tried her best to cover it up, but her eyes kept darting away. She was clearly hiding something.

"Tell me the truth!" A hint of authority entered Rover's voice.

"All right. A major client took an interest in my skills and asked me to draw these."

"Who!"

Rover immediately frowned. He had a feeling this was definitely no simple matter. Anyone who dared use his image for something like this had to be involved in some unimaginable conspiracy. He had to strike hard!

"Well... honestly, I've never met her either. We've always kept in touch through our terminals. Oh, right, I think she was a girl. She used the name 'Xiaochen's Solo Fan.'"

Buzz!

Hearing that name, Rover felt his head explode.

"Can you still get in touch with her?"

"N-no... I can't anymore. We've been out of contact for days, and she still owes me the final payment. I'm going to go hungry again!"

Seeing the young artist on the verge of tears, Rover was at a loss for words. How could someone be this unlucky?

"You don't need to contact her. She was arrested and is undergoing reform through labor!"

"What... it's that serious?!"

Zhezhi was terrified. Her face went pale as she looked around in a panic. "It was just a trade in lewd pictures. Could I really be sentenced for that?"

"Don't be scared. That's not why she was arrested."

"Then why did they lock her up?"

"Because she carried out a terrorist attack."

"Huh!!"

Zhezhi's eyes rolled back and she fainted on the spot. The shock of learning that her client was a terrorist was too much.

By evening, Zhezhi slowly opened her eyes. Everything that had happened earlier felt like a dream.

"Grrr..."

Her stomach growled, and she looked miserable. She hadn't had a proper meal in two or three days.

Then her eyes widened, as if she'd caught a very appetizing scent.

"Mmm... that smells so good. Am I so hungry I'm hallucinating?"

She got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, only to freeze in place. Then she rubbed her eyes hard.

"It's not an illusion..."

In her humble little home, the dining table was laden with a sumptuous meal. The sight of it nearly made her drool.

"Come and eat..." Rover clapped his hands and said with a smile.

"Did... did you make this?"

"That's right. You were so hungry you looked malnourished, so this meal's on me."

"Thank you!"

The young artist was deeply moved. Not bothering to mind her manners, she dug right in, a look of pure happiness on her face.

She wolfed down the food, her cheeks bulging like a hamster's and her eyes narrowed to slits. As she ate, she mumbled a muffled "delicious."

Rover couldn't help smiling at the sight.

The feeling of peaceful, uneventful days was truly captivating.

"Oh, right. I paid the final balance that terrorist owed you. I just transferred the Shell Credits to your terminal. It should be enough to keep you going," Rover suddenly said.

Zhezhi stopped moving her chopsticks, her whole body going still as if she'd been struck by lightning. She even forgot to say thank you.

At that moment, her mind was racing, her brain rapidly heating up as her imagination ran wild.

Oh my god, he's actually paying for lewd pictures of himself. That's incredibly lewd!

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Rover's face twitched. He was just about to snap her out of it when his terminal suddenly rang.

"Righteous one..." Cartethyia's voice came through. "The time has come. We should return to Ragunna!"