Chapter 4: Overnight expenses

I sat down and quickly drank a mouthful of soup along with some of the leafy vegetables. Honestly, I was starving!

Ling Xue sat across from me, carefully picking out the vegetable leaves and chewing them slowly.

In less than a minute, the midnight snack was over!

Ling Xue adorably licked her lips and said, "It's not bad, but remember to put less salt next time."

I was speechless. From the looks of it, she didn't seem sleepy at all.

"You look so silly. How about I call you 'Silly' from now on?" Ling Xue suddenly smiled.

I firmly replied, "That's a derogatory term, no way!"

Ling Xue smiled with dimples, "Oh, come on. Sometimes these kinds of words are actually compliments, like 'little troublemaker' or 'silly goose'..."

"Are you kidding me..." I was speechless. By that logic, words like "little bastard," "little idiot," "little fool," or "little dick" could also become endearing nicknames?

Ling Xue casually scanned the living room and noticed that the virtual game helmet had already been turned on. She froze for a moment and quickly bent down to grab it. When she saw that the blue chip had turned yellow, her face immediately darkened. She turned and looked at me. "Was this your doing?"

I was stunned for a second, then awkwardly explained, "It's a misunderstanding! How was I supposed to know it locks in once you wear it?"

Ling Xue looked at me with an innocent expression, biting her lip. "Big dummy! Do you know how much effort I put into getting this helmet? And you used it first? Wuwu~~"

She glanced up at the clock, pouting. "Great, now there's only 14 hours left before Ling Hong opens. I really don't want to stand in line to buy a new helmet!"

I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear, so I muttered, "Uh... I'll make it up to you, just... I can't afford to right now..."

Ling Xue looked directly at me and suddenly shoved the helmet into my arms.

I caught it in surprise and asked, "What are you doing with this now?"

"Hmph! I'm giving it to you. It's only useful for you now, so what do I need it for?" she said, looking a little angry.

She then asked, "Do you have a place to take a shower? I feel so uncomfortable, I want to wash up!"

I was surprised and replied, "Forget it, you should just drive out and get a hotel room. It's not convenient here, and I don't have any clothes for girls..."

Ling Xue raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go out this late? Aren't you worried I'll run into bad people?"

I said, "Aren't you worried that I might be the bad guy?"

Ling Xue glanced at me and then smiled lightly. "With how silly you are, you probably wouldn't even dare to take a bite of the 'fat meat' in front of you. I'm pretty safe with you!"

Is that supposed to be an insult?

Ling Xue didn't say much more, heading straight into the room. She opened my wardrobe, took out a large white shirt, and when she searched for pants, she only found a pair of summer shorts. Her face turned red, and she grabbed the shirt and headed to the bathroom.

The sound of water rushing filled the air, and I couldn't help but feel my heart race outside.

Damn it, no matter where she's washing, it's enough to make anyone's thoughts run wild!

After what felt like an eternity, Ling Xue came out quickly, wrapped in the shirt. I was still taken aback. She was only wearing shorts, and the shirt revealed her smooth, flawless legs, which was simply maddening!

Ling Xue went to the bedroom, threw herself under the covers without any hesitation, and said, "You... sleep outside. And take this!"

"Whoosh!"

A thin blanket was tossed out, and I caught it quickly. I couldn't help but laugh bitterly to myself. Looks like I'm destined to sleep on the couch tonight!

I hugged the blanket and held onto the game helmet. I couldn't help but feel a bit excited. With this helmet in hand, I could dive into Ling Hong. I'd heard that top players in the game made tons of money by selling gear and coins. Who knows? Maybe I could make a fortune too!

That night, I had a dream. In it, I was a top-tier player in Ling Hong, slicing off a thousand heads with a single strike. I was rich beyond belief, with wives and concubines aplenty!

When the doorbell rang, I realized I had been dreaming. Looking up, I saw that my door was ajar.

I hurried to get up, only to find that Ling Xue had already left. The blanket was neatly folded at the head of the bed, perfectly arranged. Her phone and car keys were gone, likely taken by Ling Xue.

On the bedside table, there was a stack of fresh bills with a note on top. I picked up the note and saw a line of elegant handwriting: "Silly, if you're looking for a job, go to the Expansion Department at Blue Star Digital Plaza. Also, this 1,000 yuan is your overnight fee!"

At the bottom, there was a cute smiley face, with eyes shaped like moons and lashes curving just like the way Ling Xue smiled, so charming.

I thought for a moment: overnight fee? Damn...

Looks like Ling Xue overheard every word of my conversation with the landlord last night.

Looking closely at the handwriting, I couldn't believe a girl could write so beautifully, especially someone like Ling Xue—an ethereal beauty. They say that if God gives you beauty, he takes away your intelligence, but that rule clearly doesn't apply to Ling Xue. The heavens were clearly unfair, giving her everything!

I couldn't help but wonder about Ling Xue's true identity. But since she said there was a job for me at Blue Star Digital Plaza, I figured I should give it a shot!

After a quick wash-up and changing into my clothes, I left the house.

No matter what the job situation was, I had to be back by 6 PM. Ling Hong was opening, and I needed to be online as soon as possible to make my first fortune!