Honkai, But I Have Too Many Mods

Rita suddenly remembered she didn't know the name of this "snake" yet.

"Just some work-related conflicts, Mr. Liu Bai doesn't need to worry."

An expected answer.

Liu Bai remained calm.

The easiest way to end a conversation was to run out of topics.

Rita's dual personality was destined not to ask overly probing questions in non-adversarial situations; he just had to handle it step by step.

"By the way, Mr. Liu Bai, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm a shut-in, being taken care of by my older sister. To be honest, Miss Rita, today is actually the first time I've ever gone shopping at a department store."

"Eh... I wouldn't have guessed you were a shut-in at all."

Rita showed a surprised expression.

(...Are these two on a blind date or something?)

Although Raven could tell Liu Bai was crafting an image, she couldn't help but feel her eye twitch.

Next, will they ask about the RV?

If his persona isn't a shut-in, will they ask about his salary?

"There are many kinds of shut-ins, you know. There are even rare professions like tech geeks."

"Mmm... come to think of it, I do have a tech geek among my colleagues," Rita nodded slightly. "Honestly, I was really startled when I saw you this morning. Someone actually shopping and paying during a Honkai alert, even Ms. Yelan was praising you."

Oh, so that's why Yelan's affection inexplicably increased this morning?

"I was startled by you too."

"Me?"

"Suddenly being cornered at the door by a maid wielding a giant scythe, saying things like 'Stay after class'... it's impossible not to be startled, right?"

"Is that how I seem to you?"

Rita thought about her actions that morning and tried to put herself in Liu Bai's shoes.

It seemed... that was indeed the case?

Rita couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

"Then I must apologize. I truly only meant to remind you that it's dangerous outside. After all, the Honkai is no joke. But since I startled you, please accept this as an apology."

Rita took a bookmark embroidered with a purple flower pattern from her waist pouch.

[Scholar's Bookmark (Accessory)]

[Slightly increases reading efficiency when worn]

"Kid, don't accept things from strangers," Raven rested her head on her hand, looking displeased.

Liu Bai pretended not to hear.

A pillow when you're sleepy...

Seeing Liu Bai accept it, Rita smiled even more brightly.

"Oh, right. This might be a bit forward, but could we exchange contact information?"

"Hey, don't push it," Raven finally lost her patience.

"Sorry, if my sister is unwilling, then let's forget it."

Liu Bai also refused.

Contact information was a very sensitive thing.

"I understand. That request is indeed a bit forward for you..."

Rita didn't show any disappointment on her face.

At this point, the waiter began serving the dishes.

"However, if we have a chance to meet again in the future, I hope to get to know Mr. Liu Bai a little better. For now, let's happily enjoy the meal."

Chapter 22: Cozy Little Home

[Rita Affection: 2025]

[Natasha Affection: 1525]

Besides the Scholar's Bookmark, the only additional gains were the affection points from these two.

However, after meeting Rita, Raven absolutely refused to let Liu Bai wander outside anymore today.

"I didn't expect it, Old... cough, you're quite something, kid."

But Raven didn't hold back on the praise she felt was due.

"I can't talk to that Rita woman calmly."

"But this isn't over yet."

Liu Bai doused Raven with a bucket of cold water.

After retracting her smile, Raven nodded silently.

Liu Bai had established his persona, so the next step was to help solidify it.

A thief can break in a thousand times, but a guard can only be vigilant a thousand times.

... Though Raven really wished she could just lock Liu Bai up.

However, her own master's reply regarding the matter was as follows:

"Targeted? Hmm? The little white mouse is quite lucky, isn't it? Caged? Why cage it? Raven, don't you think things are getting more interesting?"

More interesting, my foot! Didn't you yourself say this was a precious little white mouse?

At least pay a little attention yourself!

"What do you think we should do next? Tell me."

Raven sighed and began to seek Liu Bai's opinion.

Given today's events, Raven had gained considerable trust in Liu Bai's intelligence—her previous strategist had been that stupid dog, Jackal.

Finally, she had a normal strategist.

"A house—my persona isn't important, what's important is your persona, Raven."

"Me?" Raven's mind hadn't caught up yet.

"You are now to play the role of a 'sister complex who hides her villainous activities from her younger brother'."

"…Are you sure you're not toying with me?" Raven felt a surge of shame upon hearing this.

"Do you think I'm the only one Rita is targeting?"

Raven was speechless. Fine, her target was definitely bigger than Liu Bai's. If the two of them had the chance, they wouldn't hesitate to kill each other.

"So your persona is 'the understanding younger brother who vaguely suspects what his sister is up to but can't bring himself to say it'?"

Raven understood immediately—though Raven herself didn't want to understand so quickly.

"Exactly, Sis. Believe it or not, if I go out on the streets these next few days, there's a high probability I'll run into Miss Rita."

"Can't you just not go out?" Raven retorted, then led Liu Bai to the parking lot, pointing at the sports car before them. "Get in, I'll take you to my place."

"Ningguang, are you sure it's okay? Alright, suit yourself."

When Rita returned to the merchant guild, Yelan had just finished a phone call.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Rita?"

"I made a very interesting friend." Rita didn't deny being in a good mood.

Yelan leisurely rocked her Taishi chair, revealing a hint of understanding. "The young man from this morning? I told you he was an interesting person."

Few people could impress her with their sheer nerve.

Rita didn't commit, and then asked, "By the way, do you know if 'Serpent' has a younger brother?"

(Serpent? Oh, she means Raven, right?)

"Who knows, Rita? Would you tell me about your family situation proactively?"

Rita smiled without answering.

Of course not.

This meant the probability of this sibling relationship being genuine wasn't low?

On the way back, Rita suddenly realized something—who was actually in control of this invitation?

In the end, Rita's conclusion was Liu Bai.

It was somewhat unbelievable.

She had very precisely achieved her most basic objective.

She, who was the proposer of the entire event and held the initiative from the start, had ended up being led around by the nose. She only realized it after the fact.

This feeling was truly… peculiar?

Rita didn't seem displeased at being outmaneuvered by an unusual person. Instead, she seemed to be contemplating another matter.

Assuming their relationship was genuine, would Liu Bai be unaware of what his sister had been doing all along?

If that were the premise, then Liu Bai's proactive actions today wouldn't be surprising.

"Yelan, can I post a commission?"

"You can certainly post one, but whether it's accepted depends on the size of your commission. Our guild doesn't have time to waste on trivial matters."

Without needing to guess, Yelan knew what commission Rita was about to propose.

"Don't worry, I will definitely offer compensation that will satisfy Ms. Yelan."

"We're here," Raven's supercar stopped in front of an apartment building. "Follow me."

Raven got out and went upstairs, Liu Bai and Guinaifen obediently followed.

Then, Raven stopped in front of apartment number 2, took out a key, and unlocked the door smoothly.

Pushing the door open revealed a small apartment, primarily decorated in warm yellow tones, giving off a cozy atmosphere.

"Is this... your home?" Guinaifen asked with a curious expression.

"It's not my home... It's one of my properties... You're quite lucky. I was originally planning to sell this apartment."

Raven said those wealthy words with an indifferent tone.

"Since you need it, you can stay here for now—you definitely can't keep staying at Shencheng Pharmaceuticals anyway."

As long as Liu Bai went out, staying at the headquarters below Shencheng Pharmaceuticals would be troublesome.

"There are two bedrooms here. Usually, you and Guinaifen can each have one. I'll come over if you need me to play house with you."

Raven had other people to take care of and couldn't role-play with Liu Bai all the time.

"However, this place hasn't been tidied up in a long time, so you'll have to clean it yourselves. Here, take the key. This apartment is yours now. If you want to rent it out to tenants, that's fine too, as long as their backgrounds are clean. Consider the rent your pocket money."

Raven figured she needed to find something for Liu Bai to do. Otherwise, if he was idle all day and wandered the streets, she wouldn't have the energy to look after him constantly.

[Property "Unnamed Apartment" Unlocked]

What the...? Was she just giving him property for free?

Liu Bai was a little surprised, but not exactly thrilled.

Properties were too much of a drag in the early game. In the later stages, you could directly get properties from "Schicksal" or "Anti-Entropy"—just pick them up.

Besides managing them, no one would bother with properties in the early game.