Life

Liu Xiaoke's bed was not hard to dismantle; she simply lacked the strength herself. Wang Yi took a quick look and found that it had merely been damaged by the impact. In a few swift moves, he took it apart and destroyed the evidence, then helped her carry everything out.

"Thanks. I'll treat you to a meal when I get the chance."

At last, space had been cleared. Liu Xiaoke said happily to Wang Yi.

By all accounts, she was more familiar with Ma Dong, and Ma Dong's build made him look like a perfectly good workhorse. Yet when she needed someone to contact, she instinctively chose Wang Yi. She simply trusted him more.

"It was nothing. We can have beef bones together today anyway. I wonder how good Brother Ma's cooking really is."

Wang Yi smiled. Thanks to his overclocking ability, he had mastered all sorts of skills.

Though he had not put much effort into any of them, leaving his cooking without much "soul," his sheer proficiency and technique were genuinely exceptional. He might not compare to world-famous top chefs, but he was definitely better than professionally trained chefs churned out in batches.

He would first see how Ma Dong was doing. If necessary, he could still step in and save the day.

But after sniffing the scent of spices in the air—star anise, ginger, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies—Wang Yi realized the guy really had not been lying.

After all, Wang Yi had never told him in advance that these were ingredients he always kept at home.

"There are quite a lot of bones. I'll go lend a hand."

From their interactions so far, Ma Dong looked fierce, but he was still someone Wang Yi could get along with. They were neighbors, after all. There was no reason to leave him suffering alone, busying himself with everything.

When Ma Dong saw Wang Yi come over, he had already heard the sounds of them moving things. He said somewhat sourly,

"Why didn't you ask me for help? I've known you longer."

"Because we still need your cooking skills."

Wang Yi casually started helping. Ma Dong had been about to say something else, but when he saw Wang Yi's practiced movements, he stopped.

Who would have thought this young guy had such skills?

He exercised with discipline and could cook too. Young people like that were truly rare...

Fresh beef bones paired with natural spices filled the air with a rich fragrance.

The portable stove bubbled away, keeping the fat from solidifying.

The three neighbors gathered around the table in Ma Dong's room and began eating.

Ma Dong's room was the largest and most central one on the third floor, though its rent was also the highest.

Still, Ma Dong's income was quite good. He often landed roles with speaking lines, and his distinctive appearance made him fairly sought-after.

He was the kind of person whose name no one could remember, but who still looked familiar when seen on the street.

He had already surpassed over ninety-nine percent of background extras.

He was not bragging when he said he knew casting coordinators and had connections. They were not particularly good connections, but he really could speak up in quite a few places.

Renting a larger room to improve his quality of life was perfectly normal.

And so, the three neighbors, whose relationship had previously been no more than ordinary, shared their first meal together.

"I couldn't tell, Brother Ma, but you're actually quite domesticated."

Liu Xiaoke tore into a beef bone without much concern for her image, baring her teeth as she gave him a thumbs-up. But she was pretty, so even like that, she only seemed cute.

Though she did not eat much spicy food, she was thoroughly enjoying the beef bones.

At Liu Xiaoke's praise, Ma Dong grinned foolishly. Then, remembering something, he brought out a case of beer.

"Want some?"

"Sure."

With Wang Yi's physique, alcohol damage was completely negligible. Even industrial alcohol would not affect him, much less beer.

Hiss—two cans were opened, clinked together, and drunk alongside the beef bones.

After eating and drinking together, their relationship quickly grew much closer, and they began chatting about everything under the sun.

Even Liu Xiaoke, who could not handle much spice, opened a can and joined in.

The steaming beef bone soup was still bubbling away. Combined with the heat of the chilies and the beer, Liu Xiaoke's beautiful face had turned rosy red, and she kept hissing as she drew in breaths.

A little beer was not enough to get her drunk, but under the stimulation of alcohol, she became more talkative.

"This is probably all there is to my life, brother. Now I just want to keep working steadily, find a wife and live a good life, have a son, then a daughter. Burp~"

Though Ma Dong looked like a burly brute, he seemed to have a lower alcohol tolerance than Liu Xiaoke. He rambled on, let out a belch, then turned to Liu Xiaoke and said,

"Sister Xiaoke, don't let Brother Ma's fierce looks fool you. I'm a man who knows how to live. I've already saved seven or eight hundred thousand, but I'm just not really your young girls' type."

Liu Xiaoke had been hit on and received all sorts of roundabout confessions too many times to count, so naturally she understood what Ma Dong meant. But she had always been rather straightforward, with a strong sense of justice. She did not like playing dumb and stringing people along, so she replied bluntly,

"Right, you're really not. But I believe Brother Ma will definitely find someone good. There aren't many men these days who can cook."

Beside them, Wang Yi watched Ma Dong get shot down the instant he showed his intentions. Suppressing a smile, he lowered his head and drank.

"Heh~, sometimes I really envy you. You say whatever you want. I specifically asked around about your Film Crew, you know. You even talk back to the Director."

Ma Dong was not heartbroken by Liu Xiaoke's words. Or rather, he had already been prepared. Given his life experience, there was clearly no longer any room for some all-consuming love.

But after saying that, he fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"Still, with your personality, it'll be hard for you to keep going here. Every circle has its own rules. But personally, I hope you can keep being this way."

After saying that, Ma Dong raised his can and gulped down a large mouthful. He had spent ten years struggling here, and only he knew the bitterness he had endured.

Hearing Ma Dong's words, Liu Xiaoke also fell silent for a moment. She held the can in both hands and unconsciously turned it, before finally breaking into a brilliant smile.

"Ever since I could remember, everything in my life was arranged by my parents. From what I ate and drank every day to the major I chose, it was all the same. There was almost no difference between me at eight and me at eighteen, and I was always obedient.

"Coming here after graduation was the first choice I ever made for myself after rejecting them.

"The reason I came here was because I didn't want to keep being controlled by others. Not even my parents get to do that, so what gives the Director the right!"

After saying that, she took a big gulp as well. It was clear that she had considered the consequences of talking back to the Director. She was probably feeling rather frustrated today.

What had begun as a perfectly good neighbors' dinner was starting to turn into a contest of who had it worse...

In the end, Ma Dong was the first to pass out, making Wang Yi shake his head.

All that bulk for nothing.

Fortunately, Wang Yi was strong enough to casually carry Ma Dong back to bed, then clean up the scene.

Beef fat hardened easily, so it was more convenient to clean it up early. Liu Xiaoke, who was still quite sober, helped out as well.

Looking at the beef bones being thrown away, Wang Yi sighed regretfully.

If he were still in the other world, with its concentration of natural magic and his abilities as a Legendary Mage, he could have assembled skeletons even from boiled bones like these.

But magic in this world was far too inert, so forget it. The effort was not worth the reward. The bones had to be fresh enough.

After cleaning up, the two left Ma Dong's room and returned to their own rooms.

"I was a little out of line today. I'm really sorry. I may have drunk too much."

Liu Xiaoke's face was still flushed, delicate enough to seem as though a touch would break it, making her look even more radiant.

"It's nothing. Keeping things bottled up for too long is bad for your health. Letting it out is good too. As long as you're still alive, there's no obstacle you can't get past, right?"

Wang Yi thought of some of the things he had seen in the other world. For the people at the bottom there, their only goal was simply to "stay alive." Once they lost their ability to work, it meant death.

"You're right. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Two chapters done...

I'm numb. The information for my mobile account transfer still hasn't finished uploading. It's been one setback after another. My butt's flared up again today, and I've also got rhinitis. Every sneeze is indescribable. Wipes away tears...