That night, Hong Yanrong—the desperate woman, leader of the underground black-market shelter, and someone determined to escape this doomed planet—had tried everything she could think of to persuade Annie. She'd laid out the facts, reasoned with her, pleaded gently, and nearly resorted to seducing her with her looks. But in the end, Annie still wouldn't agree.
The thing was, Hong Yanrong didn't know that Annie had only just managed to get away from all those super troublesome people at the abandoned mine and run off on her own to enjoy some freedom. This was only the first day she'd been out. How could she possibly go back so soon?
So nothing Hong Yanrong said would work.
Even though she promised to treat Annie to all kinds of delicious food, even though she offered all sorts of other benefits, and even though she begged and wheedled, Annie gritted her teeth and refused to budge.
Still...
Since Hong Yanrong really had treated her to good food, drink, and lodging, and since she'd served an even more delicious breakfast the next morning, Annie felt a little obligated after accepting all that hospitality. After thinking it over for a while, she made a promise:
Someday in the future, when she was ready to leave Gui Xu City and return to the abandoned mine, she might consider stopping by the black-market shelter and taking Hong Yanrong along.
In the end, Hong Yanrong still looked as though she wanted to say more, and she seemed somewhat dissatisfied and aggrieved. But when she saw how firm Annie was, and heard her say that she had another important task in Gui Xu City and couldn't return just yet, she had no choice but to keep trying for another whole morning before finally giving in.
And so!
After they'd