Just as in his previous life on Earth, Lin Li was still all alone in this parallel world. The difference was that back on Earth, Lin Li had been a 996 wage slave, working for two or three years without managing to save much money.
In this parallel world, however, his deceased family had left Lin Li two apartments of over a hundred square meters each, along with a million yuan in savings.
This inheritance meant that even if he never went out to work for anyone else, he could still live out the rest of his life in comfort.
It was precisely because he had this comfortable fallback that, after learning his cultivation aptitude was terrible and he couldn't become a Cultivator, Lin Li had the confidence to choose to be a carefree salted fish.
"Ring, ring, ring..."
Just as Lin Li stood by the window, watching the person in the residential compound whose body was wreathed in pale golden Spiritual Light as he exercised, the phone on his bedside table rang.
He turned and walked to the bedside table, bent down to pick up the phone, and glanced at the name displayed on the caller ID.
"Why is this woman calling so early in the morning?"
"Hello, what is it?" Lin Li answered the call and asked grumpily.
"Lin Li, the kitchen drain in my apartment is clogged. Come over quickly and help me clear it." A very pleasant and melodious female voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Su Yue, I just cleared your drain last week. How did it get clogged again so soon? Besides, I'm your landlord, not your personal drain-clearing handyman." Lin Li complained.
"Aren't problems with a rented apartment supposed to be taken care of by the landlord?" Su Yue muttered softly after hearing Lin Li's words.
"If there's a problem with the apartment, of course you can come to me to solve it, but that doesn't include clearing your kitchen drain or replacing burnt-out light bulbs and things like that.
"Think about it. How many years have you been renting my apartment? Over all these years, I've cleared your drains, replaced your light bulbs, and even exterminated cockroaches for you.
"I've done these trivial little chores for you so many times. How can you have the nerve to call me over again? Go find a handyman to clear the drain yourself." Lin Li spoke to Su Yue on the other end of the phone.
"I'll cover lunch. I'll personally cook your favorite Boiled Fish." Su Yue tossed out the offer lightly.
"..." Lin Li fell silent for a moment before saying in an even tone, "Deal... But let me make one thing clear: I'm not going over to help you because I want to eat your cooking.
"I just think that, besides being landlord and tenant, we're also old friends. When a good friend's kitchen drain is clogged, I should help clear it when I have the time..."
"Mhm, mhm, I know. Thank you! My adorable landlord and good friend." Su Yue spoke to Lin Li with a giggle.
"Adorable? If you don't know how to use adjectives, then don't use them. Who calls a man adorable?" Several black lines immediately appeared on Lin Li's forehead as he corrected Su Yue's poor choice of words.
"Yes, yes, I know I was wrong. Can I call you handsome next time?" Remembering that the kitchen drain at home was still clogged, Su Yue immediately changed her wording.
"That sounds better. Once I've finished breakfast, I'll go to your place and clear the drain."
"Mhm, make sure you come over early!"
"Got it. I'll let you go for now!"
Lin Li hung up the phone. Thinking that he would get to eat another delicious meal at noon, his mood immediately became exceptionally cheerful.
There was nothing he could do about it. In his previous life, he had no talent for cooking, and after being reborn in this parallel world, he still had no talent for cooking.
Even though he lived alone and often cooked for himself, he still hadn't managed to improve his culinary skills. It was completely unscientific.
His female tenant and good friend, on the other hand, barely seemed to cook at all. How was her cooking so good? It really wasn't fair!
Breakfast was extremely simple: two boiled eggs, a piece of bread, and a glass of milk.
After breakfast, Lin Li had originally wanted to enter Small Island again, but he discovered that he couldn't get in because his Spiritual Energy had been completely depleted.
After estimating his Spiritual Energy recovery rate, he figured it would take until after ten that evening to fully recover. It seemed he could only wait until tonight to enter Small Island again.
On the mysterious Small Island, after Lin Li had been forced to leave because the Spiritual Energy within his body was exhausted, the two-meter-tall Small Tree at the center of the island suddenly blossomed with pale golden light.
The white, misty fog over the surrounding waters began to churn when the Small Tree radiated its pale golden light.
The white fog roiled violently before transforming into threads of Spiritual Energy.
The pale golden light blooming from the Small Tree at the island's center grew increasingly dazzling. The Spiritual Energy formed from the white fog rapidly surged toward the Small Tree, which was shining brilliantly.
Several minutes later, the pale golden light on the Small Tree vanished, and the white fog churning around it returned to calm.
Everything seemed to have returned to how it was before. Yet, upon close inspection, one would discover that a Crimson Fruit had appeared on the Small Tree at the center of the island.
The fruit was as red as flame, and every so often, a faint golden light flashed across its surface.
The sun was shining brightly, and not a cloud marred the sky. It really was a fine day!
After breakfast, Lin Li set off for Su Yue's home. The apartment he rented to Su Yue wasn't far from the residential compound where he lived; it was about a ten-minute walk.
As Lin Li ambled along the road, he surveyed the hurried pedestrians around him.
These people were all wage slaves rushing to work at their companies. Watching them hurry along, Lin Li couldn't help thinking to himself,
If I didn't have that million yuan in savings and those two apartments, I'd be rushing around for the sake of making a living just like them.
Blue Star's technology was nearly identical to that of the world Lin Li had been reborn from, and the cities had developed in almost exactly the same way.
If not for the two people arguing not far ahead, both of them radiating pale golden Spiritual Light, Lin Li might have thought he was still in the world before his rebirth.
"Do you even know how to drive? Who rides an electric scooter on the sidewalk?"
"I always ride on the sidewalk whenever I pass through here. What are you going to do about it?"
"What am I going to do? You almost hit me! You owe me an apology."
"An apology? Dream on! If you hadn't suddenly darted out, how could I have almost hit you?
"You're the one who owes me an apology. I fell while trying to avoid you just now. Look, I even scraped the skin off my hand."
The two young men grew louder and louder as they argued. Seeing this, the people passing by subconsciously stopped, transforming into spectators eager to feast on the drama as they watched the two men shout at each other.
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