An Invitation to Live Together? / Wait, Where's My Kiss?!

His companion was a red-haired man, a typical thug. The two of them were muttering to each other.

Xiangyi wasn't in the mood for that. The presence had already disappeared. She stood up again and gave her seat to an elderly man who had just boarded.

When Muning saw Xiangyi stand, she didn't want to sit down either. Xiangyi stood beside her, holding onto a handrail. She was perfectly steady; even when the bus made a sharp turn, her feet didn't move an inch.

Muning soon noticed and let go of the handrail. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Xiangyi and giggled. Xiangyi smiled back, while noticing the white-haired man glaring viciously at her.

"Look at this ugly thing, walking around like she owns the place!"

"Haha, you're still mad, huh? But that girl next to her is pretty cute. We're sick of nightclubs anyway, so how about..." The red-haired man egged the white-haired man on, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

Xiangyi had heard every word and could only shake her head. Muning found her strange behavior unsettling and asked, "Xiangyi, are you really okay? You've been acting weird ever since earlier."

Xiangyi had meant to brush it off, but then she remembered that Muning was the person she'd been trying to fool. Her behavior had clearly caused a misunderstanding, and saying nothing would only make her seem more suspicious.

After a moment's thought, she leaned close to Muning's ear and whispered, "You know that I awakened, right?"

Seeing how serious Xiangyi looked, Muning nodded and leaned closer so they could whisper more easily.

Only then did Muning ask, "I know, but what does that have to do with how you were acting earlier?"

"Chosen Ones come in all kinds. I'm the kind who reacts to unclean things."

Muning's expression changed. She recalled Xiangyi's reaction earlier, opened her mouth, and immediately understood why she'd been acting so strangely.

Even more uneasy now, she clung tightly to Xiangyi and buried her head against her chest in fear. Xiangyi almost laughed, but managed to hold it in. She patted Muning's back and searched for a quiet place on the bus.

The bus rattled along toward its destination, but the white-haired man and the red-haired man showed no sign of leaving. They followed Xiangyi and Muning, waiting for a chance to corner them somewhere deserted.

For some reason, Xiangyi suddenly had the strange feeling that she was a magnet for disasters, no matter where she went. Now she couldn't even take a bus without running into thugs.

Muning, an ordinary person, had no idea what was going on. She chatted away with Xiangyi as usual.

Hua Nu: Flower Master, should I take care of them?

Xiangyi: Mm.

Hua Nu acknowledged her and quickly dealt with the troublesome followers. As expected, two people in Ocean City would be left half-paralyzed today. But Xiangyi was with Muning, so she obviously wouldn't get to witness the amusing scene...

They continued on their way, and before long, they reached the residential complex.

"It's not my first time here, but I'm still amazed every time. It feels like we live in two different worlds." Muning shared her thoughts, and Xiangyi couldn't help laughing.

It was true that some people in Ocean City were well-off, but there were far more of them in Heaven City. The more chaotic a place was, the more money grew in the shadows, corroding everything around it. The villas there came in all shapes and sizes, as if their owners were desperate to prove to everyone that they were rich.

This place, by comparison, was understated. Xiangyi nodded along, and Muning went on, "I'll work hard and save up enough to buy a villa someday, too."

Xiangyi laughed. Muning thought she was making fun of her dream and looked a little upset. "What? Can't I have a dream?"

"No, your dream is great."

Xiangyi hurried to explain. When Muning still looked unconvinced, she added, "I should learn from you and have a big dream, too."

Muning eyed her suspiciously, put a hand against Xiangyi's forehead, and said, "You don't have a fever. Before summer break, you said you wanted to learn from your idol Xia Shang, become a criminal profiler, and bring your older brother to justice."

Xiangyi was stunned. She hadn't expected that a casual remark would give her away, let alone that the original Xiangyi had already had a goal. And that goal was to become like Xia Shang.

It made sense, but when she thought of Xia Shang's personality, Xiangyi still felt a little uneasy. She forced a smile and said, "Ningning, people change."

Muning looked at her, and their eyes met for a few moments. Then Muning suddenly asked, "Do you think our relationship will change?"

Xiangyi felt as if she'd been handed a trick question. She didn't dare give a careless answer. After thinking through a bunch of possible responses, she chose to tell the truth.

"Nothing in this world stays the same forever. But I think our relationship will get even better." Xiangyi softened her wording so as not to hurt Muning. She thought she'd put it well, but Muning suddenly stopped, her eyes sharpening.

"Who are you, really?" Muning suddenly demanded, as though Xiangyi's answer had made her realize something was wrong.

Xiangyi was a little dazed. She'd still been innocently imagining that she might get a second kiss from Muning that night. But now, her carelessness seemed to have cost her not only that kiss, but the friendship they'd built.

For a moment, Xiangyi's mind went blank. She had no idea how to answer.

The next second, she reminded herself that she had to move, had to get her blank mind working again. Even if Muning found out, she couldn't let that stop her from surviving in this world.

She had to stay alive and make it out of this world. Xiangyi's mind began working normally again, as though she'd managed to convince herself through sheer self-persuasion.

Xiangyi was just about to explain when Muning suddenly laughed. "Did I scare you?"

As she spoke, Muning turned and walked a few steps ahead. For an instant, the smile on her face carried a hint of sadness. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

Xiangyi didn't see the gesture. Hua Nu and Shaoyao were both inside the Flower God Ring, and no one else had seen it from another angle.

Xiangyi had no idea that no matter how hard she tried, she was still just one person in this world. Muning's question had left her too stunned to react.

Seeing how flustered Xiangyi was, Muning laughed, took her arm, and continued, "I was just joking. You've forgotten? You taught me that trick."

Muning eased the tension between them. Fortunately, they'd reached the residential complex.

"I remember. We have to go through security now." Xiangyi smiled wryly, but Muning's little trick had made her forget how nervous she'd been about getting through security.

The guard seemed quite friendly. After registering their fingerprints, a window with their identification information appeared.

"You're the Ms. Qin and Ms. Zhou who made an appointment. Please come in." The guard opened the heavy gate with a gentlemanly gesture, though his eyes stayed on Muning.

Muning smiled nervously, apparently still unaccustomed to the attentive service in the complex. Xiangyi wasn't used to it either, and was glad she'd chosen to climb over the wall yesterday instead of walking straight in.

As they walked, Muning suddenly said, "Xiangyi, I've come up with a new dream."

This sounded much less dramatic than what had come before, but Xiangyi had already been startled several times and didn't want to be caught off guard again. She followed up, "Oh? What's your new dream? To buy a few more villas?"

"Of course not. My liver couldn't handle that much work. I was thinking, if I save up and buy a villa, would you move in with me? I don't mean anything else by it. It's just that our circumstances seem pretty similar, and we get along well. I think we'd be happy living together." Muning hastily explained herself, and Xiangyi finally realized that the guard's words had brought this on.

If Xiangyi had lived there before, the guard would have identified her as a resident rather than a visitor.

That meant Zhang Mou had removed her from the Qin family's list. Since she wasn't the original Xiangyi, she hadn't thought much of it, but Muning had visited Xiangyi's home before, noticed the difference, and immediately worried about her.

A friend like that was a rare treasure. It was just a shame the original Xiangyi hadn't been able to enjoy her.

Xiangyi looked at Muning, wanting to etch her image into her mind.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I really don't mean anything else. I just think we'd have a great time living together!" Muning was flustered. She realized there were too many ways to misunderstand the idea of living together. She was shy and gentle, but she wasn't ignorant of such things.

"No, it's just that I'm glad I met you." Xiangyi smiled faintly and kept the rest to herself. If nothing unexpected happened, she'd get a kiss from Muning tonight. Once she did, she and Muning would have no reason to stay connected.

What's more, if Muning stayed away from Xiangyi, her life would be ordinary and happy instead of full of danger.

That was how things worked for a protagonist. If she kept her distance, she could enjoy a lifetime of peace.

"Why are you suddenly saying something so mushy?" Muning grew embarrassed, covering her flushed face and not daring to look at Xiangyi for a while.

Xiangyi smiled faintly and said nothing more. She took Muning's hand, and they continued down the path.

When they reached the Qin residence, Muning didn't look at the villa. Her gaze naturally fell on the warehouse. Her expression made it clear she knew Xiangyi had always lived there, not in the villa next door.

Xiangyi considered the groceries in her hands and decided to use her key to open the villa first. Everything inside was in order, spotless. At the sound of their arrival, the housekeeper, who had been cleaning inside, came out.

Muning looked nervous, seemingly puzzled about why anyone else was in the house.

But the housekeeper was actually possessed by Little Grass. Worried that she might not be able to manage everything alone, Xiangyi had asked Little Grass to take over the housekeeper's body at noon. She hadn't expected Little Grass to clean the place so thoroughly.

"I just came to pick something up. I hope you two have a nice evening." The housekeeper, Little Grass, smiled, picked up her phone, and quickly left the house.

Now the house was truly empty except for the two of them. Muning let out a breath, her heart still beating a little fast.

"Look how scared you are. It's not like Zhang Mou could be here," Xiangyi teased, calling Zhang Mou by name.

"I've never even met your aunt. Why would I be scared of her?"

"Then I think you'd better not meet her."

Xiangyi laughed even harder and ruffled Muning's hair. Then they walked into the kitchen hand in hand.

"See? We're in the kitchen now. There's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm just not used to it. We've never been in here before." Muning still wouldn't let go, so Xiangyi set the groceries down and they wandered around for a while.

Muning looked amazed, just as Xiangyi had the first time she'd seen the place. For someone poor, the sheer number of things in a villa was beyond imagination.

Muning had studied dance and won first place in an individual competition during her first year of high school. But because she was now in her final year, she'd had to put aside the dancing she loved.

Seeing that the Qin family had such a large dance studio made Muning very happy.

"Want to spend some time in here?" Xiangyi could tell that Muning really liked the place, and wanted to make her a little happier. Muning looked conflicted for a moment, then firmly shook her head.

"No. Someday, I'll have all this, too."

"That's the spirit, Ningning. I believe you'll have the best of everything in the world." Xiangyi smiled faintly, thinking of the devoted admirer who pursued Muning in the story.

She wondered if Muning would ever meet that devoted admirer. If that day came, Xiangyi hoped she'd be happy.

"Definitely. Then we'll live together!"

"Okay."

Xiangyi smiled as she answered. They left the dance studio and quickly went downstairs. It was already past six. Muning started making dinner with practiced ease, while Xiangyi washed and chopped the vegetables. They enjoyed a pleasant meal together.

After dinner, they sat in the living room and watched TV.

The enormous screen and fully immersive surround imagery gave the impression of being right there in the scene. Xiangyi picked a romance movie as an appetizer. It was innocent enough for the innocent Muning to enjoy.

Two hours passed, and Muning still showed no unusual reaction. They ate fruit while Muning talked about her hopes for love and asked Xiangyi what kind of person she liked.

"I don't know. With everything going on in my life, I don't have time to think about that." Xiangyi's situation really was a mess. Having inherited the protagonist's story, she felt that simply surviving in this world was her only goal.

"Then think about it now. What kind of person do you like?" Muning wouldn't let it go and seemed to be looking forward to the answer. She clung to Xiangyi's arm, growing accustomed to their surroundings. Even with no one else around, she still liked staying in physical contact with Xiangyi.

When they'd watched the movie earlier, they'd even held hands.

"I really don't know."

"Just think about it. There's nothing wrong with that." Muning still wouldn't give up, as though she were eager to hear Xiangyi's answer. Xiangyi smiled and fiddled with the remote. It looked as if she were pressing buttons at random while she thought, but she was still searching for the horror movie she'd picked out earlier.

At last, she found it and said to Muning, "I like someone like this."

Muning's gaze followed Xiangyi's to the screen. Since she hadn't seen the movie's label and the opening felt cheerful, she didn't seem to realize it was a horror movie.

"Oh, someone who seems cold like the male lead, but is really talented?" Muning's voice turned a little hesitant. Still, she thought it made sense that Xiangyi would like someone talented.

Xiangyi shook her head. "No. I like someone like the female lead. Gentle and graceful, and preferably with some dance training."

Muning abruptly turned around, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

"What's wrong? Did I say something weird?" Xiangyi asked, feigning confusion.

Muning shook her head. "No. It just feels like I've seen the person you're describing somewhere. Is it that person in Class Five?"

Xiangyi shook her head. She had no idea who Muning was talking about.

"Then it must be someone in Class Seven. I remember they won an award, and I think you went to middle school together." Muning brought up another person. Xiangyi shook her head again, and Muning looked puzzled.

"Then I really don't know. Is there someone that outstanding at our school?" Muning sounded even more confused. If she hadn't looked completely sincere, Xiangyi would have thought she was taking the chance to praise her.

But Muning's eyes were so clear that Xiangyi realized she really was an innocent flower. Not the kind with a heart full of dark intentions, either—her heart was pure and untouched by anything.

"Who is it? I really want to know." Muning continued to tug on Xiangyi's arm, her curiosity plain on her face.

Xiangyi didn't answer. She pointed at the big screen and said, "Let's watch the movie first. Maybe you'll know by the time it's over."

Of course, she'd chosen the movie to suit Muning's character. Beautiful, innocent, ethereal—even the kind of person who seemed better suited to be in a movie.

The trouble was, it was a horror movie, not a love story about a man and a woman.