The night was dark and bitterly cold, but the apartment glowed with light, warm as spring.
Beneath the warm lights, two women lounged on the sofa in light clothing, their relaxed poses making them look all the more radiant.
Bai Xinyan lived here alone, but Zhang Yingying dropped by whenever she felt like it to chat with her best friend and vent. One moment, she complained that running Blood Intent Ring Fortress was unbearably stressful; the next, she worried that her dear Dumb Sand's intellectual growth had hit a plateau.
Out in the world, she was bright and cheerful, like a little sun. But everyone accumulated Negative Emotions. She didn't need anyone to talk her through them. Having someone listen was enough.
When Bai Xinyan wasn't up to anything, she was the best listener.
Zhang Yingying was in a good mood today, though. She had gossip.
"Master Xiu Shenyu's project has started. Boss Ronan spent all day in meetings, and the news that came out was that he's calling himself the 'Two Worlds God'... He must have leaked that on purpose. Right after the meeting, he ran off to E City. Who knows what he's up to now? Hardly anyone's even seen Outer Earth yet, and he's already staking his claim. He's getting less and less adorable compared to the little newbie he used to be!"
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"No. What problem would I have?"
"Really?"
"Well, if I had to name one thing, it's this... inhuman feeling." Having found a description that seemed to fit, Zhang Yingying leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "You don't really notice it when you talk to him face-to-face. But when you only hear the news and think it over, something feels strange."
Bai Xinyan gave a short laugh.