At Lu Xiaoxiao's insistence, 037 finally managed to wheedle permission from its superiors for Ji Yunhuai to accompany her on a visit to the real world.
The system's teleportation was smoother than she had expected. With barely any dizziness, the colors and light in her field of vision subtly changed.
Lu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes and found herself standing in a corner of a familiar, somewhat noisy shopping street.
The air smelled of exhaust fumes, food, and dust. Voices and traffic filled her ears, carrying the busy, rough-edged vitality of a big city.
Instinctively, she tightened her grip, feeling the warmth of the hand in hers.
Ji Yunhuai stood beside her, looking around with equal curiosity at this world that was entirely unfamiliar to him.
Today, he wore a well-tailored, dark casual outfit without any logos, but its fabric and cut stood apart from the hurriedly dressed pedestrians around them. It accentuated his height, long legs, and striking presence. Even in the most inconspicuous corner, he seemed to have his own spotlight, drawing repeated glances from passersby.
"So this is... where you used to live?" Ji Yunhuai raised an eyebrow, sounding a little surprised. "It doesn't look that different from our world. The infrastructure's just a little behind."
"Mm-hmm. They're both modern worlds, after all!" Lu Xiaoxiao shrugged, smiling easily. "Come on. I'm taking you to my company to tear into them. You'll get to see what happens when a wage slave loses it!"
Her destination was clear-the company against which she had long harbored a mountain of resentment.
She strode into the familiar office building without slowing even under the receptionist's surprised, questioning gaze. She headed straight for the department where she had spent two years surrounded by pointless overtime, blame-shifting, and psychological manipulation.
The moment she pushed open