Chapter 201

"Mr. Shi, please let me explain. This time..."

"Wait a moment."

Shi Lei interrupted, glancing back at Texas and the others, and asked:

"Have you been injured? Whether it's mental or physical, it counts."

FrostNova seemed pleased and was the first to respond:

"I think I dreamt about my parents. I just glanced at them and then left."

Lisa, standing nearby, quickly chimed in:

"Me too, I dreamt of walking in the sunshine with my parents, but it ended not long after."

Texas remained composed, her tone indifferent:

Me too.

It can be summarized in just four simple words.

Surtr looked puzzled and strange.

"I dreamt that I entered a completely unfamiliar cave and was attacked by an Originium Crawler."

The situation is different for Exusiai here:

"I'm different from you guys. I dreamt that I went back to Laterano a few years ago and was playing with my friends. Before I could have had enough fun, I was back in reality."

Once he was sure that no one had suffered any psychological trauma from the illusion, Shi Lei turned to look at Nian.

Xi had already come down from the roof and was now hiding behind Nian, looking like she had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished.

That surge of power just now was terrifying. Even the eldest brother couldn't break through the environment with his willpower.

"Shi Lei, this is my younger sister Xi. She has the ability to bring people into paintings. She used to stay at home all the time and rarely went out. I brought her to Lungmen for a trip this time, intending to visit you on the way. But she got into trouble because she was being playful. How about I leave her here to work for you as an apology?"

Xi's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

It turns out that Nian had already thought of what to say if she failed, and that's how he sold her out.

Texas stood not far away, sizing up the beautiful woman with a graceful figure who was still wearing Qipao even in winter.

Upon hearing that Nian intended to keep his younger sister Xi with him as an apology and to make amends through part-time work, Texas smiled warmly and approached him.

"Miss Nian, there's no need for that. Since no one was injured, there's no need for apologies."

Shi Lei nodded and echoed:

"Indeed, there's no need for such trouble. Considering she didn't hurt anyone else, I can let it go. But if there's a next time, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The serious tone made Nian unable to meet his gaze:

"If it's wrong, it's wrong. My younger sister is slow-witted, so she should stay and do something."

Before Texas could speak, Shi Lei replied:

"Miss Nian, really, there's no need. Our company just signed a three-month agency contract with Rhodes Island, and we're leaving next month. We don't need Miss Nian to work."

Rhodes Island?

A three-month engagement?

Her lips parted slightly as she made up her mind.

265 Lonely Evening (4K)

Upon learning that Penguin Logistics had signed a contract with Rhodes Island, Nian promptly changed his strategy. Instead of focusing on apologizing, he persuaded the other party to keep Xi.

Confirming Shi Lei's true abilities is crucial for the year, as the final result will determine her and her siblings' future.

There's an old saying in Yan: "Don't release the hawk until you see the prey." Only by witnessing it firsthand can one dedicate all their efforts to this path and avoid being devoured.

So when Xi suggested testing Shi Lei, Nian pretended to hesitate and reluctantly agreed. This made the simple-minded younger sister feel that she had been persuaded by Xi's words.

Anyway, it was Xi who conducted the test. Regardless of the final outcome, Nian will always step in to smooth things over.

After her offer to stay and work as an apology was politely declined, she promptly adjusted her strategy, making a request that was more easily accepted by the other party:

"Oh, what a coincidence! I can leave with you at the end of February. Shi Lei, would you mind taking us sisters in during this time?"

Before Shi Lei could respond, Texas preemptively agreed with a smile:

"If he thinks it's inappropriate for men and women to be so intimate and doesn't dare to take you in, then come to my place. There are plenty of empty rooms here, I hope you won't mind."

Shi Lei opened his mouth, thinking to himself that he had never said he wouldn't take in the two sisters. Now that Texas had extended an invitation first, there was no need for him to repeat it.

Nian tilted his head to look at Warehouse No. 3 and let out a hearty laugh, "Hahaha, why would I mind? As long as you don't find it troublesome."

Texas smiled warmly, appearing hospitable. "No trouble at all, I have plenty of rooms available. Let's go, let's go choose a room now."

He hadn't followed along that year, so he proactively inquired:

"No rush, have you eaten yet? If not, how about we go get some hot pot together?"

Upon hearing her sister suggest hot pot, Xi frowned immediately. She hugged her delicate, slender arms, as if recalling some unpleasant scene.

Xi's body hunched inwards slightly, even her tail drooped limply, and she whispered weakly:

"I... I don't eat hot pot..."

Nian Mingming heard it, but pretended not to, waiting for Shi Lei and the others' reply.

Xi saying she wouldn't eat doesn't mean she won't eat in a few minutes. Once they're in the hot pot restaurant, she won't have a choice.

Apart from Exusiai, everyone else had already eaten their fill at the Victoria Royal Hotel. The ingredients in the à la carte area were much more upscale and exquisite than those in the à la carte area, so they figured they might as well take advantage of it. Asking them to have another late-night snack now would be a bit of a stretch.

"Miss Nian, we've already eaten. How about tomorrow? Let's have hot pot together tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, I'll bring my sister along too. Hehe, it's settled then."

Xi pouted, feeling wronged that her opinion had been ignored. Her lips moved as if she wanted to complain about her older sister who always bullied her. But the words stuck in her throat and she didn't say anything.

Exusiai rubbed her hands together, somewhat eager to try:

"If you haven't eaten yet, I'll bake two apple pies. After you eat, let's play mahjong; my skills have improved quite a bit!"

"Haha, okay. We're not very hungry right now, how about we just play mahjong?"

Like Shi Lei, the Sui Beast Fragment can choose to eat or not. It does not rely on the calories from food to maintain its daily needs.

"Where's this beautiful lady? Is she playing mahjong? There are quite a lot of people here, we could make two tables."

Nian glanced at Xi-mei with a meaningful smile, then looked away and said:

"No, we won't hit her. A well-behaved girl like her would never do something so frivolous."

"Playing mahjong isn't exactly a waste of time. We don't play for money; it's just a way to pass the time."

Led by Exusiai, the group arrived at the living room of Warehouse No. 2. The Sarkaz mercenaries went home to rest, leaving Mudrock to watch from behind Shi Lei.

Surtr had his hand on Lisa's shoulder as he stood diagonally behind Shi Lei, watching. Only FrostNova remembered to entertain the guests and offered to make tea for the four people playing mahjong.

Shi Lei drew a card, discarded a six of bamboo, and asked:

"Don't you live and work in Rhodes Island? Where did you guys go last year?"

The young man sat casually, his right foot resting on the rock chair. With the dragon's tail providing cover, there was no need to worry about him being exposed.

"It's basically going wherever there's trouble, treating the local infected. I'm not in the Medical Department, and I rarely leave the This Ship. Since you have a contract with Rhodes Island, you must have run into Doctor Kal'tsit, right?"

Shi Lei shook his head slightly and explained:

"I had a client this afternoon and didn't participate in the contract signing. Why don't you ask Exusiai? She went with the boss today with Croissant, so she should have seen him."

The thought of that riddle-maker Exusiai frown slightly, revealing a complicated expression:

"I've seen Doctor Kal'tsit, what happened?"

Like an employee secretly complaining about their boss, they want to find resonance in the character of Exusiai:

"Don't you think she's... you know?"

"Well, yes, a little..."

"Haha, I had the same feeling as you when I first came to the island."

Shi Lei hates riddle tellers the most; he can't understand their conversation at all.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean by 'that'?"

The year did not provide a direct answer, leaving the question unanswered and remaining a mystery:

"Haha, Shi Lei, let's keep it a little mysterious. You'll understand when you meet her."

Exusiai understood immediately, and was also somewhat looking forward to what kind of sparks would fly when the two met. Seeing Shi Lei's questioning gaze, she quickly explained:

"Nian is right, it's better to keep it a little mysterious. You'll find out when the time comes."

Shi Lei was not interested in this topic to begin with, and their descriptions did not pique his curiosity.

Say it or not, fine, if you don't want to say it, then forget it.

His gaze passed through the year and landed on Xi, who stood in the corner of the living room without saying a word the entire time.

Despite her tall stature, she slumped her shoulders, her posture appearing inward, giving off an air of insecurity. Her timid demeanor suggested a reluctance to interact with others. Her personality was completely opposite to that of the lively and outgoing Nian.

Meanwhile, Xi was muttering to herself.

Normally, she would have already used her powers to hide in the Scroll Realm. However, she needed to maintain a good relationship with the Archon fragment and couldn't keep running away. She could only force herself to try to integrate into the unfamiliar social situation.

"How much longer will they have to fight?"

Should I wave to them?

"Interpersonal communication is such a hassle. What should I say in this situation?"

"Hello? What do you do for a living?"

"No, I just can't bring myself to say it."

"This is so difficult."

"I've been standing here for quite a while, and nobody's come to talk to me?"

"Or maybe they're deliberately ignoring me?"

"No!"

"That would make me very distressed."

Xi quietly raised her head and found that Shi Lei was looking in her direction, seemingly watching her.

She quickly looked away, her hands feeling like they were crawling with ants, unsure of where to put them.

"What should we do? What should we do?"

"He seems to be looking at me..."

"Should I unfold the scroll to cover my face? But that would feel even stranger."

Shi Lei noticed her unusual behavior and asked:

"Miss Nian, what's wrong?"

"Ah, he really is looking at me!"

"It's over, this is it."

Everyone, look over here! Don't look at me, don't look at me!

"I really want to go back into the painting; it's just too difficult to communicate with Shi Lei."

"Will Nian choose this time to recount some embarrassing stories about me and have everyone laugh at me?"

"She always bullies me, she probably won't let this opportunity pass her by, I really hate her."

"I would be very sad if I were laughed at in front of so many people. I would never be able to communicate normally with the Archon fragment again."

Xi opened her mouth, but then choked. For hundreds of years, she had almost only spoken to her brothers and sisters.

"I..."