The neighbor turned on the television.
The familiar News Broadcast theme played, while the smell of oil from fried hairtail fish drifted in through the window from downstairs.
The scene inside the old yet clean rental room was strange, its antique fan whirring away.
"..."
Zhen Bei stood at the doorway, dumbstruck.
Bai Yujun lay on the old sofa picking at her toes. The monkey leaped onto the sofa backrest, scratching his ears and cheeks. It was his first time here, and everything felt novel to him, including the calendar of foreign beauties on the wall. Perhaps he was studying whether foreigners could be eaten and whether they tasted good. He grabbed the electronic alarm clock and shook it hard.
On the coffee table, the unfinished boxed meal valiantly gave off the scent of scallion oil.
"Why are you standing there? Come sit down. Let me introduce you—this is Monkey. That's right, he's a monkey, and his name is Monkey too."
"Eek, I'm Monkey."
The monkey put away the Ruyi Jingu Bang and turned a somersault. A friend's friend was a friend.
"I'm Zhen Bei..."
The young wage worker was still in a daze.
He nodded, counting it as a greeting. The monkey gave him the feeling of being incredibly powerful. A dragon and a monkey—two powerful beings had suddenly appeared on Earth, leaving Zhen Bei wary and helpless. Whether the white dragon and the monkey were good or evil, perhaps a casual gesture from either of them could bring about a horrifying disaster.
Bai Yujun flicked her little hand, and the old refrigerator door opened on its own. Other than a bundle of greens, it was completely empty.
"Little brother, even the Wild Chicken Spirit in my Household, the one in charge of crowing, eats better than you do.