The Voice Appears Again

[Sorry, my failure to help you become familiar with this world's Chinese written language has caused you trouble. I hereby grant you the "Universal Language Technique".]

[From now on, you will be able to learn every language without studying...]

Ring-ring-ring! Ring-ring-ring!

"Mm..."

In the morning, Firefly was woken by her phone alarm. Her eyes squeezed shut and her brows tightly furrowed, she felt around the bedside with one hand.

When she found her phone, she switched off the alarm and tossed it aside. She scratched her exposed belly, turned over, hugged her blanket, and fell asleep again, looking just like a lazy kitten unwilling to get up.

Half an hour later, Firefly slowly opened her eyes. Her beautiful violet-blue eyes gazed around in confusion.

She shook out the hair she had mussed in her sleep and patted her cheeks a few times to wake herself up.

After getting out of bed and folding her blanket, Firefly strolled to the bathroom and began washing up.

When Firefly entered the kitchen, she saw a note stuck to the refrigerator.

It was a message from Lin Yu: [I left breakfast in the pot to keep warm. Remember to eat it. Someone at the shop took time off, so I won't be back at noon. Call me if you need anything.]

"So he won't be back at noon..." As Firefly read the note, she took the youtiao that had been kept warm in the pot and popped it into her mouth.

Firefly sat in a chair, swinging her long, bare legs as she ate breakfast and watched videos on her phone.

Today was her fifth day here. After several days of tireless effort, her vocabulary was enough for everyday life. Although she occasionally encountered a few characters she didn't know, they didn't cause much trouble.

After finishing breakfast, Firefly went into the bathroom, washed her hair, and blow-dried it. She wasn't who she used to be anymore. She was no longer the foolish Firefly who couldn't do anything!

Once she was done, Firefly went to the balcony and picked up a broom and dustpan. With her hands on her hips, she surveyed the apartment.

Hmm... it really was a little messy. Time to start cleaning!

She and Lin Yu had agreed earlier that she would take care of the housework and similar chores as her rent.

She had also considered going out to work and earn money like Lin Yu, but he had flatly refused without a second thought.

Since she had appeared out of nowhere, she didn't have a legal identity, and obtaining one here was extremely difficult.

Of course, Lin Yu had also considered livestreaming and making videos, but since his Chinese still needed a lot of work, he had given up on the idea for the time being.

He said she needed to at least reach the point where she could read everyday books without difficulty. After all, making videos required writing scripts.

There was also video editing. Lin Yu could teach her that; he had an account of his own, where he posted videos of himself drawing to find clients.

So for now, she could only do housework and the like. But even with such simple chores, she would give them her full attention and complete them meticulously!

Inside the Time-Gathering Corner, Lin Yu rested his cheek on one hand and stared listlessly around the shop.

Seeing how distracted Lin Yu was, the manager beside him assumed it was because someone had taken time off, leaving him to work an extra half day and extinguishing his enthusiasm for work.

As his boss, he ought to give him a good pep talk and restore his usual enthusiasm!

And so he made his move!

"Lin Yu, what are you thinking about? You seem distracted."

Hearing the manager call him, Lin Yu came back to his senses. "...Oh, manager. I was just... thinking about something."

"Oh? What is it? Can you tell me about it? Maybe I can help."

Lin Yu let out a small breath and smiled at him. "Manager, you care about your employees just as much as ever."

"Of course! Now that you work for me, we're family. You can talk to me about anything."

"All right, since you put it that way, let's talk."

The manager took two slices of mango mousse cake from the dessert case and held one out to Lin Yu. "I'm all ears."

Lin Yu accepted the cake and nodded his thanks. "A relative of mine couldn't get away from something, so they entrusted their daughter to me to stay at my place for a few days."

"I see. Are you worried about her?"

Lin Yu scooped up a spoonful of mango mousse and put it in his mouth. "Yeah... she's very obedient, but she's pretty bad at cooking. Even though I taught her, she still can't do it."

"I can't go home at noon today, so I don't know if she can manage on her own, or if she'll run around..."

The manager also put a spoonful in his mouth and spoke as he chewed. "Hey, I think you should trust her a little. After all, trust is the most important thing between people."

The manager patted Lin Yu on the shoulder. "Besides, didn't you say your niece was very well-behaved? How could she possibly run around? Hahaha!"

Thinking about it that way, Lin Yu felt much more at ease. "You're right, manager. I should trust her more!"

"Mm, that's right-bring your niece over sometime when you get the chance. I'll treat her to cake!"

Hearing that, Lin Yu stiffened slightly and could only force an awkward smile. "Well... I'll ask her when I get home, haha..."

Just as the manager had said, trust really was the most important thing between people, but... Firefly seemed about to let that trust down.

Back at Lin Yu's home, it was already noon and time for lunch, but Firefly didn't seem to be planning to cook.

"Where did it go? I remember Lin Yu put it here before." Firefly rummaged through the kitchen cupboards, trying to find the instant noodles Lin Yu had bought a few days ago.

Since Lin Yu wasn't coming back at noon, she couldn't be bothered to cook. She happened to be craving them, so she planned to have instant noodles with a ham sausage for lunch!

She hadn't eaten instant noodles in two days, and now she could barely stand the craving.

The first food she had eaten after coming to this world was instant noodles, so they had left a deep impression on her.

The taste of instant noodles was etched deep into her taste buds, impossible to forget.

Once they were ready, Firefly sat down at the dining table and began enjoying the incomparable delicacy.

"Sho yummy." Firefly happily slurped up mouthful after mouthful of noodles as she swung her little feet.

After happily finishing her noodles, Firefly quickly cleaned up the battlefield and returned to her room.

To be honest, she had felt a little uneasy while eating the instant noodles. After all, Lin Yu had said she shouldn't eat too many because they were bad for her health.

If she described how she felt using something she had learned online, it was-that sneaky feeling of secretly eating junk food even though her parents had told her not to.

So, to ease her guilty conscience, Firefly decided to study hard today.

The internet called this equivalent exchange!

Acting on her decision, Firefly opened her phone and placed a Xinhua Dictionary beside it. She had expected a great battle, but as she studied, she realized something was wrong.

She actually knew all these characters!

But she remembered that she hadn't learned them before, so she began leafing through the Xinhua Dictionary in her hands.

To her surprise, she discovered that she knew every character in it!

It was as if... as if she had known them all along.

"What on earth is going on...?"

Just as she was racking her brains, a dead dream began attacking her brain.

She remembered now. It seemed she had had one last night; she had heard a familiar voice.

That voice seemed to be apologizing and had also given her something called the Universal Language Technique.

Could that be why she could now understand all written characters?

But why had it suddenly appeared and then suddenly disappeared?

And why had it appeared this time?