[(ρ`)]
[ヽ(oo)ノ]
[That's a female ghost boss, guys. You're really going to go for it?]
[xdm must be starving]
[I could go for a female ghost like that]
[Besides, with Big Shot Ye here, we don't have to worry about her turning into a ghost]
[Right, stick with the big shot and you get perks]
[Thanks, big shot]
[dlnb]
[dlnb]
After an awkward silence by the kitchen sink, Lin Xuemei picked up a small bowl for dipping sauce and tried to change the subject.
"I remember you and Qiqi loved this little pink rabbit bowl when you were kids. Whenever you came over for dinner, you'd fight over it. In the end, you'd act all grown-up and give it to her, then hug her and say, 'The bowl's yours, and you're mine.'"
As she reminisced, Lin Xuemei smiled, but her smile soon faded into silence.
She held the little pink rabbit bowl, her eyes suddenly clouding over with troubled thoughts.
Seeing this, Wen Nan moved closer and reached for the bowl. "Auntie, let me wash it."
His palm brushed over Aunt Mei's slender, delicate fingers, jolting her back to her senses. She hurriedly pulled her hand away and stepped aside.
"Okay, y-you do it. I'll... head out first."
With that, Lin Xuemei left the last two little bowls in the sink for Wen Nan and walked out of the kitchen without looking back.
Wen Nan stood alone by the sink, at a loss.
What was with Aunt Mei's sudden change in mood?
He called the system again in his mind. [9527, check the task progress.]
9527: [Main Quest 2, current completion: 65%]
The progress had stopped moving.
Wen Nan stared at the little pink rabbit bowl in his hand, confused. What was going on? How could a little bowl suddenly bring Aunt Mei's mood down, making her hide even her secret desires?
After washing the bowls and putting them in the dishwasher, Wen Nan stepped out of the kitchen and saw Qiqi stretched out on the sofa, watching TV.
"Come on, bro! The second half just started. You made it right on time!"
Wen Nan sat down beside Qiqi and glanced at the live broadcast on TV: the European Championship, Spain versus England.
He turned to Qiqi. "I thought you didn't like watching football?"
Without batting an eye, Qiqi said, "I don't like watching football, but I do like watching cute butts."
Wen Nan stared at Qiqi in disbelief, seriously wondering whether her pure and adorable exterior hid a filthy soul.
Under his gaze, Qiqi grew a little embarrassed. She cupped his face in both hands and turned it toward the screen. "Don't look at me. Watch the game!"
He was here on a main quest. The task really was to watch the game, but the ball in question definitely wasn't the one on the football pitch.
Thinking of this, Wen Nan glanced around. "Where did Aunt Mei go?"
"She said she was going to make your bed," Qiqi replied casually, her eyes fixed on the screen. "You're staying here tonight, right, bro? Like before, you can have the guest room."
Wen Nan said nothing. Since he used to freeload here, eating and sleeping, he naturally had no objection now.
After thinking for a moment, he got up from the sofa to see if Aunt Mei needed help. He had only taken a couple of steps when she came out and nearly bumped into him.
Lin Xuemei lowered her eyes and glanced at his pants. She paused, then pointed at his crotch. "How did you get your pants dirty?"
Wen Nan looked down and saw a row of dried, dark brown stains on his crotch.
After a moment, he remembered: on his way to class that morning, black fog had suddenly filled the teaching building, and the fat guy had rushed over, splashing water onto him.
He'd thought it wouldn't show once it dried, but the stains had remained.
"Uh, I got splashed by accident at school," Wen Nan replied.
Lin Xuemei stepped closer and gently patted his waistband. "Take them off. I'll wash them for you."
Wen Nan instinctively refused. "No need..."
Thinking he was worried about having nothing to wear, Lin Xuemei smiled. "The pants you changed out of last time are still in the wardrobe. You can wear those this time. It's fine."
Then she glanced at the stains again. "Your underwear must have gotten dirty too. Take that off as well. We don't have any underwear that fits you, so I can order you a couple of disposable pairs—or... you could go without for now."
Wen Nan's face grew hot. "No, really, it's fine."
After a moment, Wen Nan said, "My place is right next door. I'll go change there."
With that, he turned and headed for the door.
"...Xiao Jiu?" Lin Xuemei took a couple of steps after him, wanting to call him back. But when she saw he was already at the door and clearly determined to leave, she could only ask, "Are you coming back tonight?"
Wen Nan turned around and answered, "Yeah, I'll be back."
[(ˇˇ)]
[(..)]
[Big shot Jiu Cilang, why'd you chicken out?]
[You're really running away over this?]
[You're not letting her wash them?]
[Don't be a coward. Come back!]
[I think he really shouldn't let her wash them. Have you guys forgotten Big Bear's skill? Last time, that Ice and Fire Dual Heaven move froze even Little Chili. At her level, her freezing ability must be terrifying. She takes the streamer's pants away, and what if... she adds a little something of her own? He puts them back on, and his little bro gets frozen right off!]
[Whoa, that's terrifying?]
[She's a four-and-a-half-star female ghost boss, after all.]
[Exactly. You can't mess around with a boss of that level. Let your guard down and get caught in her tender trap, and you're done for.]
[But those boobs, those legs, that ass... I wouldn't mind getting caught in that trap.]
[Better to die beneath peonies and be a lecher even as a ghost.]
[You people are hopeless.]
[We're just here for fun, bro. Why take it so seriously?]
[Exactly. We get the perks either way, and if his little bro gets frozen off, that's the streamer's problem. We can only win.]
[Exactly.]
After leaving Lin Xuemei and Qiqi's home, Wen Nan asked the system for directions and found his own place without any trouble. He unlocked the door and went inside.
It seemed no one had lived here for a long time. The moment he stepped in, a musty smell hit him, and the room was covered in dust.
Holding his breath, Wen Nan went to the bedroom and opened the wardrobe. He grabbed a pair of pants at random and changed. Just as he was about to throw away the dirty ones, a system notification sounded in his mind.
9527: [Main Quest 2, current completion: 63%]
Wen Nan: ...
What the hell?
It was one thing for character affinity to drop, but task completion could drop too?
So this task was different from the first one. With the first task, as long as Wen Nan stayed in a good mood, progress only went up as time passed. But this time, he had to satisfy them, or the completion percentage would drop.
It had suddenly fallen by two points...
Could it be because Wen Nan had refused to let her wash his underwear?!
Before you continue