What Did Fictional 2D Girls Ever Do to You?!

"Get me something to eat, thanks."

Natasha looked completely drained.

"Our Highlord... is sometimes no different from a child."

"You should say that in front of the Highlord."

"Are you crazy, or am I?"

"I don't have to work overtime. Clearly, you're the crazy one."

Liu Bai cracked two eggs into the pan. A few minutes later, they were fried. He drizzled them with soy sauce, served up a bowl of rice, and placed it in front of Natasha.

"So, what were you working overtime on? Going out to fight?"

"It would've been better if we were fighting." Natasha sighed and began shoveling down rice with none of a mature woman's dignity.

If it had been fighting, she could have endured not just one night, but an entire week without rest.

Killing and arson were her old trade, after all.

The Highlord had a sudden whim and told Gray Serpent and her to make a recruitment advertisement. So she and Gray Serpent fiddled with the computer all night, made twelve versions, and only barely got one approved in the end... What kind of Twelve Labors was that supposed to be?

"...Say, shouldn't Shencheng Pharmaceuticals have an advertising department?"

Liu Bai's expression turned a little strange.

"They don't work overtime." Natasha shut Liu Bai up with a single sentence.

Well, put that way, Natasha really was suffering for nothing.

"Ha... By the way, did anyone come to our place yesterday?"

After finishing her meal, Natasha wiped her mouth with a napkin and glanced toward the living room.

"Little Gui was trying to find tenants for the apartment. She received a guest yesterday, but the deal fell through." Liu Bai lied calmly. "Oh, right. The money came in last night. Want a share?"

"...?"

"Why do you look so confused?" Liu Bai looked at Natasha speechlessly. "Wasn't this a private operation? You put in a lot of effort, so isn't it normal to give you a share of the reward?"

Come to think of it... that really did make sense.

Natasha had instinctively assumed this counted as part of her job as the "lab rat caretaker."

"Give me your account number. I'll transfer two million to you."

Liu Bai directly gave her one-fifth of the money. After all, Natasha was still his biggest support at this stage.

Natasha's Favorability: 3035

"Remember to call me next time there's work like this."

At the mention of two million, Natasha's eyes lit up, and more than half the sleepiness on her face vanished.

She had never imagined making money could be this easy.

What had she done yesterday?

She had just rushed a squishy enemy and poured medicine down their throat.

There had been a little danger at the start, but it had gotten easier and easier afterward. With a word from Liu Bai, even the dead soldiers of the Shenling Temple had helped her restrain their own comrades.

A whole bunch of ideas instantly flashed through Natasha's mind.

For example, she could capture Honkai Beasts and dead soldiers in Liu Bai's name and turn them in. Maybe she could earn a little extra that way, then give Liu Bai some naming fees afterward. Wouldn't that be great?

She would earn more, and Liu Bai would get money while lying down. A win-win.

"By the way, sis, how's your relationship with Yelan?"

"Yelan? So-so, I guess. We had some business dealings before... Why bring her up all of a sudden?"

"I ordered some things. They should probably be delivered this afternoon. Little Gui and I might not be back after heading out at noon, so could you sign for them?"

They were mainly livestreaming equipment for Guinaifen. Liu Bai had directly ordered the best available, along with some furniture he thought he could use.

"Come on, Yelan is still the temporary person in charge around here. Do you really think she'd personally... Well, if it's Yelan, she might actually deliver the package herself."

Natasha knew Yelan was the type who liked joining in on excitement, and the biggest excitement in the Sky Dome Zone right now was the guy in front of her, acting as though nothing had happened.

"Fine, leave it to me. Be careful when you go out."

Though they had not known each other long, Natasha could tell Liu Bai was the cautious type. Since he had not called her along, he probably was not taking part in anything dangerous.

"Good afternoon. I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

At noon, Liu Bai brought Guinaifen to the family restaurant, where Eden was already seated at their reserved table.

"I haven't been here long either." Eden smiled and shook her head when she saw Liu Bai and Guinaifen sit down.

It was eleven fifty. For guests, it was just the right time.

"However... it looks like we may need to change locations."

Eden looked around helplessly.

As a top-tier beauty, she was simply too eye-catching here.

Nearly everyone in the restaurant had their eyes on Eden, discussing whether this beautiful woman was some famous celebrity.

"I thought so too." Liu Bai immediately understood Eden's predicament. "Then, Miss Eden, will you lead the way?"

"Of course. Oh, since that's the case, let's each order a dessert drink. My treat. I invited you both here, so I can't have you follow me somewhere else empty-handed."

Neither Liu Bai nor Guinaifen stood on ceremony. Each ordered a milk tea before following Eden out of the restaurant and to a quiet inn tucked inside a dirty, messy alley.

"...Miss Eden, you live here?" Guinaifen stared at the somewhat filthy surroundings in astonishment.

It was not that she could not adapt. On the contrary, places like this gave Guinaifen a strange sense of familiarity. She simply found it hard to imagine that such an elegant woman as Eden would live here.

"Yes, I live here. After all, no matter what, I'm currently just an unemployed person looking for work." Eden greeted the landlady on duty and led the two of them into her room.

The room's decor was completely different from the impression given by the street outside.

It was small and neat. Just from the furnishings alone, anyone could tell that a respectable person lived there.

"To be honest, if I can't find work soon, I'll have no choice but to go home."

"Go home and inherit a billion-dollar family business?" Guinaifen voiced the impression of Eden that her intuition had given her.

"My family is only a musical family. We don't have to worry about food or clothes, but if I really had a billion-dollar family business, I wouldn't have come out looking for work."

Guinaifen's words made Eden laugh.

"By the way, Mr. Liu Bai, you haven't said much since earlier. Are you not comfortable here?"

"...I was wondering, Miss Eden, are you really that short on money?" Liu Bai looked around and had a bold idea.

Eden's expression immediately cooled when she heard that, but she still answered, "...Frankly, yes. What are you trying to say, Mr. Liu Bai?"

If her impression of Liu Bai had not been good so far, Eden would already have told him to leave.

Generally speaking, once someone started with words like that, she did not even need to think about what came next.

Eden had seen plenty of people who liked taking advantage of others when they were vulnerable.

"Then what's your rent here?"

"?" Liu Bai's next question clearly left Eden stunned for a moment. "...I'm not planning on staying long-term yet, so I pay daily. Eighty a day."

"My sister has an apartment building that's looking for tenants. Around a hundred square meters, two thousand a month, with water and electricity included. Interested?"

"Hey, hey, Boss Liu, isn't it way too suspicious for you to suddenly say something like that to a gorgeous woman you've only met twice? I'm calling the police for Miss Eden!"

"How Is Being a Two-Dimensional Character Bad?!"

Eden's slightly cold expression suddenly melted at Guinaifen's jab. Going along with her, she said, "It certainly is very suspicious—please call the police, Miss Guinaifen."

"Alright, alright, I know it sounded a little like I was after your body—I mean, you have to consider that I'm a normal man too."

Liu Bai also realized that he had spoken a little too abruptly and began trying to ease the atmosphere.

"Well, while there is a bit of a damsel-in-distress impulse involved, actually... you could call it an investment?"

"An investment?"

Eden suddenly became interested.

"You're that certain? Because of my face?"

Eden knew very well what ordinary people found most attractive about her.

"I admit that's one reason—but Miss Eden, you didn't lose your job because of your singing, did you?"

"I said it when we first met. I've remained unemployed because I hate those contracts that bind people down... Of course, I also offended quite a few industry veterans along the way, because I was too unconventional."

Eden's tone was casual, but anyone could hear the unwillingness in it.

When there are no heroes, even fools become famous!

It might sound arrogant, but Eden was completely confident that if they sang on a grand stage, she could crush all those "veterans"!

But there was no opportunity. The difference in resources between them was too great.

She did not even get the chance to step onstage... And even when someone occasionally took notice of her, they only cared about her body and appearance. No one cared how well she sang.

"Mm... Is this what they call youthful passion?"

Guinaifen nodded in understanding.

"So that's why you tried entering the traditional performing arts scene?"

"Yes, but as you can see, I don't seem to have much talent for it. I fully accepted the criticism from the head of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe."

Eden openly admitted that she lacked talent in that regard, then looked at Liu Bai again.

"So, Mr. Liu Bai, are you saying you can provide me with a stage? Why should I believe you? I've offended quite a few industry veterans."

At the end of the day, they had only met twice. Neither truly knew the other's background.

She had said quite a lot about herself, but she still knew nothing about Liu Bai.

Still, by asking that question, Eden had already been tempted.

She could only say she was curious about traditional performing arts. It had been a helpless attempt, nothing more. As for what she truly loved, it was undoubtedly the classical music that had accompanied her since childhood.

"Mm... Then give me a list. Maybe in less than a month, the list of industry veterans will have changed."

"..." Eden immediately fell silent. "Are you... joking?"

The topic had become dangerous enough that she did not know whether she should continue it.

"Obviously, I'm joking."

Liu Bai nodded—half joking, anyway.

As long as he paid enough, Natasha definitely would not mind getting her hands a little dirty.

"Alright, then let's get to the point—Miss Eden, why must you use a stage beneath the spotlight as your starting point?"

"...What do you mean?" Eden's expression became slightly serious. "Let me make this clear in advance: if you mean street performing, I've tried it. It's easy to get harassed—though that may be my own problem."

"No..."

"I get it! Livestreaming!" The livestream expert beside them, Little Gui, immediately understood what Liu Bai was trying to say.

"Livestreaming... I think I've heard of it."

Eden wore a thoughtful expression.

"But doesn't it have a rather bad reputation?"

"What kind of outdated thinking is that?" Guinaifen stepped forward without hesitation to defend livestreaming's honor.

"Is that why you livestream yourself eating noodles upside down instead of taking the usual path?" Liu Bai teased.

"That's more interesting than biting lighters!" Guinaifen put her hands on her hips, looking proud. "And besides eating noodles upside down, I can also smash boulders on my chest!"

"...No, let's forget that kind of livestream."

Eden imagined herself smashing boulders on her chest.

...The boulder would probably smash her instead.