017 Xie Lingzhi

Ji You's fervent heart cooled utterly after being doused, and she quickly calmed down, thinking that even if there were leftovers from the discounted items, she didn't have enough money to buy them anyway.

Alas!

Might as well wash up and go to sleep.

Ji You was too disappointed, too disheartened this time; she didn't even check the backend data of her store and just logged off the Star Network, burying herself in sleep.

The next day.

As the daylight brightened, Ji You got up and checked the time, hey, it wasn't even six o'clock yet. Feeling somewhat pleased, Ji You thought she finally hadn't overslept, and somewhat delighted, she hurriedly got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, ate half a nutrient solution, and then received an outing invitation from Grandma Jenny.

Grandma Jenny said: "You, I'm going to West District with Ryan, Lea, and Aqiong to collect Iron Pear Wood, do you want to come along?" Aqiong is Xie Yi's son, Xie Chuanqiong.

Ji You's eyes lit up, saying: "Of course I do."

Grandma Jenny said: "Then come over to Aqiong's place early for the gathering, we are leaving at 7 o'clock."

Ji You quickly tossed her books aside, stood up, and said: "I'll be right there, make sure to wait for me."

Grandma Jenny laughed, saying: "Alright. We'll wait for you, hurry over then."

The houses of the Xie Family and Grandma Jenny's house were side by side, visiting each other did not even require a detour, just a few steps away. Ji You's home was a bit farther, about a five-minute walk, so Ji You dared not delay. She donned her protective clothing, grabbed her only weapon, an iron axe, and hurried out the door.

When she arrived, everyone was already ready to go, Ji You immediately noticed among them, a figure tall and straight like the pines and cedars. At this moment, slightly curly golden hair clung to his clean forehead, softening his otherwise persistent severity.

Ji You thought she had sneakily glanced at Ryan unnoticed, but Ryan was very sensitive, he met Ji You's gaze and nodded gently, as a greeting.

Looking at the handsome arch of Ryan's eyebrows and those beautiful blue eyes, Ji You's face turned red.

Oh no!

Being caught sneaking a peek, how embarrassing is this?

Ryan, really, could you... just pretend you didn't notice?

Hmph—

Ryan, with so many good attributes, yet still a single dog.

Exactly—

Being single has its reasons!

Ji You thought sulkily, then turned her head, looking at Lea dressed in a dashing manner and smiling said: "Sister Lea, why did you also decide to come collect today?"

Lea wore a black protective suit, naturally tall and slim, this outfit made her look even taller and softened her typically gentle disposition, adding a touch of aggressiveness.

Accompanied by her bright blue eyes, a high ponytail, and a shapely figure…

Such Lea, really was too beautiful.

In contrast, herself, in a drab protective suit, with a hastily tied lackluster bun, and, only a short stature of 165 centimeters… Ji You: "…"

Yingyingying~

She felt self-conscious.

She wanted a tall and curvy figure too.

Unfortunately—

With her Huaxia heritage of yellow skin and black hair, compared to Lea and Ryan with their blue eyes and white skin from Western descent, she naturally didn't have the advantage in height. Moreover, in the interstellar era, human genes had greatly improved compared to ancient times, even women of Huaxia descent like Ji You reached a minimum height of 165 centimeters, which means, Ji You was genuinely short!

Lea looked at the changing expressions on Ji You's face and couldn't help but smile. She raised her hand and rubbed Ji You's adorable bun head, saying with a laugh, "I have a few days off, and since I'm not busy at home, I thought I'd come and make some money with you."

It was the season when Iron Pear Wood was ripe in the wild, and missing this time would mean missing out. Seeing Grandma work so hard, Lea naturally wanted to help her, so she insisted on coming along.

Ji You dodged Lea's playful hands, hugging her head, saying, "Sister Liya, stop rubbing, it will fall apart if you rub it too much."

Lea chuckled, "It feels so good, I can't help myself."

Ji You: "…"

"Tch~"

While the two girls were joking around, a cold snicker suddenly sounded nearby. Ji You looked up and saw Xie Lingzhi, the daughter of Uncle Xie Yi; she had yellow skin, black hair, black eyes, and was about 1.7 meters tall. She stood with her arms crossed, watching the two girls play with a cold, mocking smile on her lips.

Ji You darkened her face, turned her head away, and ignored what Xie Lingzhi might think.

Boring.

This girl wasn't like her and Lea, so they just didn't mesh. Every time they talked to Xie Lingzhi, they barely exchanged three sentences before it turned awkward. Just like now, without even speaking to her, the atmosphere had completely stiffened.

Sigh!

Xie Lingzhi, with her arms crossed, saw that her single cold snort had stopped Ji You and Lea's laughter. She hooked a mocking smile and coldly said, "With a spiritual power of E and Physical Strength F, running to the wilderness is just like delivering food to the Star Beast."

"Why not just stay at home and do the hard labor honestly?"

"Going to the wilderness, isn't it just deliberately holding the team back?"

As Xie Lingzhi's words fell, the atmosphere on the scene completely froze.

Xie Chuanqiong shouted loudly, "Xie Lingzhi, shut up!"

Xie Lingzhi lifted her head angrily.

Xie Chuanqiong said coldly, "If you don't speak, no one asks you to."

"If you guys are taking her with you, then I'm not going!" Xie Lingzhi turned her head and went into the house.

Xie Chuanqiong looked at Ji You and said very apologetically, "You, don't mind her, she speaks without thinking."

Ji You had heard countless cold taunts like this from Xie Lingzhi's mouth before and had long developed an immunity. Anyway, just treat Xie Lingzhi's words as flatulence, and treat her as air.

So, she pursed her lips, shrugged indifferently, and said, "Don't worry, I'm not holding any grudges."

If she really minded, she would have been infuriated countless times already.

Sigh~

Here.

Ji You entered the Xie Family's house and greeted Uncle Xie Yi, who was lying in bed, "Uncle Xie Yi, are you feeling better?"

Xie Yi saw Ji You and wanted to sit up, but he had just had an amputation and couldn't move around the bed. Ji You hurriedly said, "Please lie down, don't get up."

Having experienced hardship himself, the neighbors had generously contributed financially, and Xie Yi was very grateful. He first scolded Ji You, saying, "You, you can barely afford your own food, why are you giving me so much money? Later I'll have Aqiong transfer the money back to you."

Ji You deliberately frowned, angrily saying, "Uncle Xie Yi, this money is my little bit of consideration for you to recuperate, if you send it back, I'm going to be mad."

After several rounds of refusal, they finally dispelled Xie Yi's intention.

A tear twinkled in Xie Yi's eyes, he raised his hand to rub his eyes, then suddenly smiled, "You, thank you. I feel much better. In half a month, I'll be able to undergo the leg transplant surgery."