Finding a Slime

In an instant, Qin Yan felt warmth spread through her body, making her want to sleep.

She fought to stay awake and talk to Meimei some more, but drowsiness swept over her, and she soon fell asleep.

Meimei: [This is probably for the best. Otherwise, I'd find it so hard to leave, too. Don't worry, I'll be back soon!]

The system took several last, reluctant looks at her before leaving this world plane.

When Qin Yan woke early the next morning, she felt much more refreshed than ever before.

Once she was fully awake and remembered what had happened yesterday, she hurriedly called out to Meimei, ever so cautiously.

Unfortunately, this time, that familiar, cheerful voice no longer answered her with its usual energy.

"Waaah..."

Before long, muffled sobs came from the room.

Although she knew Meimei would return, she already missed Meimei.

After quite a while, she had cried until both eyes were swollen like little walnuts. She slowly lifted the covers, revealing a flushed little face.

"Can't... can't let Grandpa see. He'll worry."

Qin Yan sniffled and pulled herself together, then sniffled again and patted her little cheeks.

She ran to the bathroom to wash her face right away.

"Mm, so dirty."

Her body was so dirty today.

She might as well take a bath.

Although she was dirty, the little girl felt more energetic today than ever before, and many of her lingering ailments seemed to have vanished.

As she washed, something seemed to clog the faucet.

Qin Yan's eyes widened a little as she watched a transparent, gelatinous thing squeeze out of the faucet.

It grew bigger and bigger, then dropped into the washbasin with a boing.

Qin Yan: !!!

What was that?!

It was a somewhat flat, round creature with the texture of clear jelly.

It was pale green and had a pair of big, watery eyes.

Those big eyes were staring at her.

It didn't look dangerous.

Qin Yan picked up her toothbrush and cautiously poked it.

"What are you?" Her voice was still a little nasal, muffled and soft.

This thing looked a little strange, but also rather cute.

The thing made no sound and simply bounced twice in the white porcelain basin.

Boing, boing. It looked quite springy.

Qin Yan watched it and tentatively poked it with her hand.

Who would have thought that it would jump toward her the very next second?

Qin Yan instinctively reached out her little hands to catch it, and a line of text immediately appeared before her eyes, introducing the creature.

[This is a baby Slime, though its color is a little unusual. You can feed it some things it likes to eat. There might be an unexpected surprise.]

Qin Yan: (O?O)

These words could speak inside her head. How amazing.

"You're called a Slime?"

Its name was just as strange as its appearance.

The little Slime was only the size of her two fists. Its body was cool to the touch and had no odd smell, making it perfect to cuddle in summer.

After jumping into Qin Yan's arms, the Slime affectionately nuzzled her fingers.

Qin Yan: I like it!

Qin Yan patted her little cheeks, then went to find Grandpa with the Slime in her arms.

A few minutes later...

The Slime sat on the table while Qin Yan, Old Master Fu, and the butler all stared at it.

The Slime bounced with a few boings, then burrowed back into Qin Yan's arms.

Old Master Fu said, "How strange. A Slime actually crawled into the house through the water pipes."

Clearly, he recognized this creature, too.

Qin Yan didn't know that Slimes weren't supposed to belong to this world, so she wasn't surprised at all.

"But this Slime's color is quite unusual."

Qin Yan looked at Grandpa with pleading eyes.

"Grandpa, can I keep it?"

Her voice was tiny and cautiously tentative.

Old Master Fu's heart melted, and he stroked her fluffy little head.

"Of course. Slimes aren't dangerous, and it seems to like you quite a bit."

"Thank you, Grandpa!"

Holding the Slime, Qin Yan's eyes brightened, and she felt a little happy.

Still, Old Master Fu noticed that she had been crying.

He asked her what had happened.

Qin Yan lowered her head slightly and said, a little embarrassed, that she had had a nightmare.

Wasn't Meimei leaving a nightmare for her?

The old man patted her head and asked nothing more.

After keeping the Slime for two days, Qin Yan figured out what it liked to eat.

The Slime liked fragrant fruit and some plants.

During breakfast, Qin Yan ate her own delicious, finely prepared meal without forgetting to feed the Slime grapes.

The little fellow ate happily, occasionally nuzzling Qin Yan's fingers. The girl and the Slime were very affectionate with each other.

Just as she was almost done feeding it a bunch of grapes, Old Master Fu returned from outside.

"Yanyan, have you been eating properly today? Did you miss Grandpa?"

The voice from the doorway delighted Qin Yan. Holding the little Slime, she jumped down from her chair and trotted over to the old man, lifting her rosy little face to look at him with sparkling eyes.

"Grandpa."

"I missed Grandpa."

The old man couldn't help laughing heartily.

He bent down and stroked her hair.

Qin Yan's hair had been cut short. Her hair had previously been dry and yellowish from malnutrition, so most of it had been cut off, leaving her with a neat little schoolgirl bob.

Over the past few days, Qin Yan had grown more and more energetic and begun putting on weight. Her whole being seemed to glow, like a dust-covered pearl finally beginning to reveal its true appearance.

Simply put, she was growing prettier and prettier.

Who didn't like a pretty little child?

Holding the Slime, Qin Yan trailed behind Old Master Fu like a little tail for quite a while. She stayed quiet, only occasionally giving a soft reply or two when he asked her something.

Old Master Fu was both pleased and helpless.

Naturally, he was pleased that his granddaughter was so attached to him. What left him helpless was... she was following him far too closely.

But after following him for a while, Qin Yan began yawning and growing sleepy.

As she walked, she swayed unsteadily, like a tiny kitten that hadn't yet learned how to walk.

Her body had been depleted too severely before, so now she grew sleepy at the slightest thing.

This was also her body's way of protecting itself. Sleep would gradually replenish the reserves she had lost.

The Life God Tree's Energy Crystal Core she had eaten was also repairing her body, which meant she needed even more sleep.

Still, her recovery was going very well.

The family doctor had visited several times and thought it was a miracle.

"Go on, get some sleep."

Qin Yan clutched Old Master Fu's clothes with her tiny fingers, stubbornly keeping her eyes open to look at him, as if terrified that he might disappear and leave.

Old Master Fu crouched down and gathered her thin little body into his arms.

"Be good, Yanyan. Go to sleep. Grandpa won't leave."

Only then did Qin Yan lean against his chest, close her eyes, and fall asleep.

Old Master Fu was still very fit. In his fifties, with half-white hair and a well-maintained figure, he was a very charming man.

Holding his tiny granddaughter, he carried her to her room with a face full of tender concern.

Qin Yan woke after sleeping for about two hours. Grandpa was nowhere in sight, but a Slime was bouncing beside her, trying to catch her attention.

She bent down, picked up the Slime, and went to find Grandpa.

She soon found him in the living room.

He was on the phone.

Even upstairs, she could hear the old man's booming voice.

"You saw the photos I sent, didn't you? Your younger brothers are never home, and with them so far away and some out on missions, there's nothing I can do about them. But you're right here in the capital, so you'd better get your ass home!"

Whatever the person on the other end said finally softened the old man's tone.

"Hmph, you think I'm old and that easy to fool? We've already done a DNA test. There's no question she's your niece. Besides, that little face of hers looks seventy or eighty percent like your sister's when she was young."

Though looking at her now, she was even prettier and more delicate-featured than Qing Huan had been as a child.

Qin Yan came downstairs holding the Slime. When Old Master Fu heard her, his booming voice immediately turned so gentle it could have melted.

"Oh, my Yanyan is awake. Did you sleep well?"

On the other end of the call, Fu Yunting stared at his phone suspiciously.

His old man's sickening voice continued coming through the phone.

Fu Yunting: ???

Had his phone caught a virus? Or had his dad been possessed?