I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 103
[CH.103] There is No Changing What’s Already Been Decided
I had Lu Xinjian drive the car directly to the side of the back gate of the Starry Garden Community area. Since we had been here once before with Ai Luodi, Lu Xinjian was quite familiar with the route. Moreover, the Nanqi district was sparsely populated, with few traffic lights, and around noon, he brought me to the back gate of the residential area.
“I heard that you and your brother both came from the welfare institute. After graduation, your brother worked outside for a long time, and you stayed at home writing novels.”
When we got out of the car, Lu Xinjian also walked out of the driver’s seat, looking at me as if he had a lot to say, “Now you… the agreement he signed involves donating the entire body. You’re alone…”
“It’s okay to be alone, and besides, I can’t really be considered alone right now.”
I turned around: “In Ai Luodi’s house, there’s also a good friend of mine.”
“A good friend?”
Almost involuntarily, Lu Xinjian asked: “What does she do?”
Well… how should I put it? Would you believe me if I said she’s a grim reaper specifically in charge of human life and death?
“I’m sorry, really sorry. I didn’t intend to investigate you guys.”
Perhaps seeing me silent for a moment, Lu Xinjian quickly explained, “During the time when my daughter was seriously ill, I was really desperate. The moment I received the call from the doctor saying she could undergo surgery, I felt like I was being saved. I… I couldn’t help but want to investigate.”
“It’s okay.”
I can understand. Before, when I was still an uncle, I did have a lot of formal jobs—I had a job, and writing novels online was just a part-time job. Miss Grim Reaper set me, or rather ‘Yin Xiamo,’ as the legal ‘Yin Shiren’s brother. If Lu Xinjian investigates, he probably can only get vague information—Yin Shiren has a formal job, and he also writes novels online in his spare time. Plus, he knows about the existence of this ‘sister’ (me), and I admit it myself. So, the person who ‘writes novels’ is the sister, and the family combination of Yin Shiren usually working outside and the sister doing housework at home and signing contracts with Yin Shiren’s ID to write novels for extra income is, in a sense, accurate, because both of those people are me.
And recently, my actions as Yin Nuo’er also fit into this situation—living alone in a rental house, attending author meetings to collect overdue payments, going to Mingzhu Building to protect my rights, and the situation where others couldn’t find out about the fact that I used my brother’s ID to sign contracts because I didn’t want people to know my brother was no longer around. I had to go to the Comic Expo at the Convention Center and directly approach the editor of Honeydew for a contract since I couldn’t pass facial recognition.
Later, choosing to work at the Comic Expo for money also makes sense. After all, with my brother Yin Shiren no longer around, I, as his “sister,” had to bravely step forward and face the harsh realities of society.
Looking at it this way, my fate seems quite tragic?
“I really want to care about you. After all, you… cough, well, you’ve been writing novels at home all this time, right?”
Under my calm gaze, Lu Xinjian seemed a bit embarrassed. He appeared not very adept at dealing with such situations, and his tone was somewhat fluctuating as he continued, “What I mean is… have you ever gone out to do other jobs or something? Is the money at home enough?”
Uh, dear father, the concept of money doesn’t seem to have the categories of “enough” or “not enough,” unless you are speaking from a parent’s perspective to your children.
“I’ve worked outside before, and I’ve also been a waitress, but none of them lasted long.”
I thought about it and added, just to be safe, “I didn’t sign a contract when I worked outside at that time, but I do have work experience.”
The implication was clear: don’t bother checking; you won’t find out how much work I’ve done as “Yin Nuo Er.”
“Well… that’s good then.”
Jian scratched his head, “How’s the salary at that café where you work as a… waitress now?”
“It’s quite high. After paying rent and daily meals, there’s still a lot left over, which I can save for emergencies.”
Knowing what Lu Xinjian wanted to do, I tried my best to block that path, “I can take care of myself completely.”
“Just a regular waitress? Is the salary really okay?”
“It’s not a regular waitress, it’s a maid waitress, which is different from regular waitresses. Plus, the café is backed by Tongmeng Net, so we have contracts and everything.”
“That’s good. I was just worried… worried that you might not adapt. If you can take care of yourself, that’s good.”
Under the mango tree with a magnificent view, Lu Xinjian looked relieved, “If things don’t work out, you can come over to our side. Although I’m not the boss now, I still have some managerial role in Honeydew’s company. I can apply for you to come over and do some lighter work, so you don’t have to run around as a waitress like this…”
“Really, it’s not necessary, Uncle.”
I interrupted with a slightly determined tone, “I want to work hard on my own.”
As Lu Xinjian mentioned, his company received funding and discontinued the previous computer hardware project, focusing solely on running the novel website.
Judging by his attitude when talking to Honeydew’s chief editor at the comic exhibition, his current position at Honeydew should at least be higher than their chief editor.
Given Lu Xinjian’s capabilities, it’s true that he could arrange a position like “assistant” for me. However, based on my experience over the years, it’s generally better to avoid involving money matters with relatives and friends.
Lending money to relatives or friends, if things go south, you may experience the rupture of relationships. If you didn’t lend them money initially, they might just mumble about you being stingy, and after a few days, everything would go back to normal. Whether it’s relatives or friends, it’s still the same. However, if someone borrows thousands or tens of thousands from you, and you lend it to them, later on, they might not treat you as a relative or friend anymore, you could end up being sued.
The same principle applies to finding a job. It’s generally better not to work in a company where you have close relationships. In this situation, if I had accepted a position at Lu Xinjian’s company and later had significant disagreements with him over work matters, it could strain our relationship.
I’ve often heard people in author groups and reader forums discussing how they were exploited or pressured when working in a relative’s company or how they started a company and invited a friend, only to find that the friend was lazy and couldn’t be fired due to the relationship. Also, I genuinely don’t feel that Lu Xinjian owes me anything.
“Okay, my apologies for being presumptuous.”
Probably seeing the determination on my face, Lu Xinjian nodded, “Let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything earlier. Take good care of yourself, and feel free to call me if you need anything.”
“Alright.”
With the rabbit backpack on my back, I bowed slightly to this middle-aged man, “Goodbye, Uncle.”
“Goodbye. Don’t overwork yourself during regular hours, take care of your health.”
“Sure!”
Parting ways with Lu Xinjian, I glanced at the time on my phone: 1:35 PM. It’s almost time to have lunch and then take a nap. Walking on the small path in the community, showered in the fragrance of flowers, holding the Lolita dress package given by Lu Xinjian’s daughter, Lu Xinmeng, I silently pondered.
The dumplings I bought this morning should be enough for those girls at home to have lunch, right? For breakfast, I went to the vegetable market behind the vegetable garden and bought hot and spicy soup with dumpling skins and two types of dumpling fillings: shredded cabbage with pork and shredded leek with pork. There’s a large bag full of them, and according to the standard appetite of girls, even if Ai Luodi had hot and spicy soup in the morning, having dumplings should be enough.
I have to say that the prices in this place are really cheap. A large pile of dumpling skins and fillings costs less than ten yuan but can solve breakfast and lunch for two girls.
Speaking of which, the scenery on this road is so beautiful…
Basking in the mottled sunlight, my attention was drawn to the fallen petals on the ground. Lifting my head, I saw that the huge canopy of the trees, called “peach trees,” along the sides of the road were covering my head. These tall trees, over ten meters high, had already bloomed many light yellow flowers. Now, with the summer breeze moving the branches, these small flowers fell continuously, resembling wheat spikes.
When I first came here, I thought these ubiquitous green trees were mango trees, but later I discovered they weren’t. They are called peach trees, members of the rose family, similar to mango trees. Whether it’s the trunk or the leaves, they emit a faint fragrance. Now, in the summer, when they bloom, more than half of a tree is covered in yellow flowers. The floral scent wafts in the breeze, and occasionally, birds jump onto the branches. With a light step, these wheat-like petals fall gently to the ground.
The fallen petals on the ground have covered the entire shady path with a layer of floral fragrance, making the entire residential area look like a royal garden. Ai Luodi’s mother really made the right choice when she bought a house here.
Following the tree-lined path in the residential area to the base of the three buildings, I took the elevator to the top floor and opened the door with the key. At the entrance, the first thing that caught my eye was the well-tended flowers on the shelves, taken care of by Yin Xiamo.
“I’m back.”
Shouting unconsciously into the empty living room, seeing no response, I took off my round-toed shoes and put on slippers, then went to the dining table in the living room. Compared to the hot and spicy soup with dumplings in the morning, the table now only had some dumpling fillings in large bowls and some scattered dumpling skins.
Approaching and observing a bit, I came to the conclusion that someone seemed to have attempted to make dumplings during the time I was away but, for some reason, gave up and put the dumpling skins back. I walked into the kitchen and checked, the steamer used to steam dumplings in the morning was still there, empty. All the dumplings had been eaten.
Holding the brand-new Lolita dress, I returned to my room, temporarily placing the clothes on the computer desk and the bunny backpack on the bedside. Glancing at Yin Xiamo’s room with the door slightly ajar, I hesitated for a moment, walked over, and knocked twice on the door: “Xiao Mo, have you had lunch?”
No response.
“Xiao Mo?”
Puzzled, I pushed the door open, and a rush of cold air greeted me. In the quiet small room, Yin Xiamo, dressed in casual clothes, was lying on her small bed without even taking off her slippers. She curled up slightly, her small hand maintaining the posture of looking at the phone. Her breathing was steady, and her phone had fallen to the side, its screen already turned black.
In the spacious room, besides the faint mechanical sound of the air conditioner running on top, there was also the computer on the desk, claiming to be worth over three thousand yuan, humming, giving the impression that the fan might have some issues.
Is she asleep?
Looking at Yin Xiamo lying on the bed with her eyes tightly closed, completely defenseless, for some reason, a feeling similar to that of a father looking at his daughter emerged in my heart.
Looking at it this way, this girl doesn’t seem so fierce after all.
She looked just like a little girl.
Today, Yin Xiamo wore a simple white T-shirt paired with casual denim shorts. Her hairstyle was a very ordinary single ponytail, and from my angle, I could clearly see the small bulge on her chest and the strap bra around her neck. Because Yin Xiamo’s skin, like mine, had a fair complexion and a delicate texture, just looking at her exposed little face and arms gave the impression of a girl from a manga. Even though she dressed very casually and neutrally, with clothing styles and types that are common in today’s society, it still couldn’t conceal this girl’s youth and beauty.
Vaguely remembering the first time I met Yin Xiamo, her initially aloof and queen-like demeanor seemed completely different from the image of this little girl now. Or is it that she only appears so assertive when she wears that “Grim Reaper uniform”?
Did her rationality evaporate? Is it because that outfit has a set effect? Like, after equipping it, Strength +100, Rationality -100? Or is it simply because, back then, I was just an older guy?
“…”
However, regardless of the reason, sleeping with the air conditioning on like this is an easy way to catch a cold.
I walked over to Yin Xiamo, intending to wake her up and ask if she had lunch. However, my attention was immediately drawn to the browser information on the computer screen next to her.
?The simplest way to wrap dumplings?
?How long does it take to cook dumplings?
?Can you eat dumplings raw?
The browser had opened many small windows, with the ones at the front all related to wrapping dumplings. The ones in the back were about some waiter and emotional topics:
?What do waitress maid generally need to do?
?Do girls dislike dominant girlfriends?
?If you can’t cook, what other aspects can you take care of your girlfriend in? Can you do household chores?
“…”
This girl…
Looking at these browsing records, I couldn’t help but chuckle. So, while I was out all day, dealing with moving and cleaning, and chatting with my little sister in the hospital to pass the time, you took a day off just to browse the internet for information?
Shaking my head, I walked to the side, took a towel, and gently covered the girl on the bed.
“Mmm…”
The girl, who was originally lying on her side, moved her small hand slightly, her butterfly-like eyelashes trembled, and she made a murmuring sound, not waking up.
You are not much different from an ordinary girl now, and you may even know more than most girls. Many common sense things are unclear to you, you don’t know how to cook, lack education and diplomas, haven’t even attended compulsory education, often say some strange things, and girls like that are not desirable.
I recalled the daily life I spent with Yin Xiamo these days. Most of the time, she seemed like those parents in the online satire stories—someone posts a picture of a beautiful girl on their social media, and friends comment “looking great, keep it up.” Forgetting to block their parents, the mother replies, “What does ‘keep it up’ mean?” The friend, embarrassed, has to explain, “It’s a form of praise, like saying ‘You’re great!'” Then, a few days later, when the friend posts a selfie, their mother mimics by commenting, “Indeed my son, keep it up.”
Yin Xiamo gives me a similar feeling. Except when she needs to be serious, most of the time she seems a bit clueless. She doesn’t know a lot of memes and pop culture, but she insists on maintaining a facade as the “sister” who can hold up the entire family.
The problem is, apart from the “cannot die” attribute, if she gets seriously injured, it affects her actions. She needs to sleep and eat every day, and rounded off, isn’t she just an ordinary person!
If I have to say, in my mind, the Grim Reaper should be… wearing magnificent golden armor, with a casual wave creating a super-huge golden magic circle behind, and then “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,” within this radiant magic circle, concentric ripples of water would appear. In the center of these water ripples, various treasures and weapons would emerge, encompassing all the treasures and weapons from ancient times to the present. It would be like a comprehensive funeral service, fulfilling all the wishes of the dying before their last moments.
Since you are the Grim Reaper, and the Grim Reaper possesses all the weapons in the world that can kill people, isn’t that reasonable? How can you kill people without weapons? Just like before when you used a scythe to cut me in half, how do you know I like scythes and not big swords? What if some clients prefer being shot with arrows, stabbed with a polearm, or hanged by a street lamp? Right? So, in my understanding, the Grim Reaper must have all weapons.
Similarly, some deceased individuals may like treasures, and some may have unusual preferences like bondage. The Grim Reaper has to fulfill the last wishes of the deceased, right? For clients who like bondage, having a golden chain is also reasonable, isn’t it?
Therefore, the Grim Reaper should have all weapons and possess all the treasures in the world.
Encountering someone whose life is about to end, the Grim Reaper instantly teleports to a nearby street lamp, exuding dominance, and says, “What’s up! How do you want to die?” Instead of being like the current situation with Yin Xiamo… taking a break at noon. If you want to rest, fine, but not closing the room door, allowing anyone to easily enter, makes this Grim Reaper lack a bit of style.
By the way, why do I feel that since the incident of rescuing this person in Wanghai Park, her personality has become “adorable” compared to the beginning? At least, it doesn’t give off that much of a “scary” vibe as it did during our first encounter. Is this also related to the so-called “Demon King”?
After admiring the sleeping face of this little girl by Yin Xiamo’s bed, I took out my phone and snapped several consecutive shots of the beauty on the bed.
Alright, I have material for teasing her in the future. The great Miss Grim Reaper, actually letting someone get this close without being aware, is truly too careless.
After taking the photos, I put away my phone, turned and left the room, then carefully closed Yin Xiamo’s door. Well, looking at the computer search history and the leftover dumpling wrappers outside, it’s clear you haven’t had lunch. I guess it’s up to me to take care of that…
Back in the living room, I washed my hands in the kitchen, sat at the table, and started making dumplings. Looking at it, there seemed to be enough dumpling wrappers and filling for about twenty dumplings. Considering my current physique and the lack of intense exercise in the morning, I usually get full with around five or six dumplings. I’ll leave the rest for Miss Grim Reaper.
In the slightly warm room, the spacious living room was filled with the fragrance of flowers mixed with the scent of soil and leaves. Occasionally, I could hear various strange bird calls from outside – “Wokokokokoko…”
“Done.”
After finishing all the dumplings, I threw the trash into the garbage bin, then placed the wrapped dumplings in the kitchen’s steamer and turned on the heat. Returning to the bedroom, I was about to take out the clothes I changed from yesterday to wash when I discovered… those clothes were nowhere to be found. Not only that, even the bedsheet and pillowcase on my bed were gone.
What’s going on?
After searching the bedroom thoroughly, I recalled something and walked out of the living room, pushing open the door to the balcony –
The “Artist style” hoodie and skirt set I changed out of yesterday, the bedsheet and comforter that hadn’t been washed for about a month, and personal items like the pillow and towel were all neatly hung on the balcony railing outside.
The bright sun cast a slanting warm glow on them, making these clothes and bedding appear cozy. Did Yin Xiamo help wash the clothes during the time I was out in the morning? I found it a bit unbelievable, so I went back to the bedroom and bathroom.
Everything was exceptionally clean. Whether it was the bedroom, living room, or the bathroom shared with Yin Xiamo, they all looked like they had been meticulously cleaned. Especially the floor, so smooth it could almost be used as a mirror…
In the bathroom, I noticed a shelf with shower gel, shampoo, makeup, and skincare products, adorned with many labels bearing Yin Xiamo’s squiggly handwriting:
?Nuo’er’s Shampoo?
?Nuo’er’s Shower Gel?
?Our Body Lotion?
?Our Toner?
So, during the time I wasn’t home in the morning, did Yin Xiamo not only learn how to make dumplings online but also finish the housework? With a somewhat complex feeling, I returned to my bedroom and took out my phone –
?That’s too much! Nuo’er, can you really bear to see such a cute beauty like me go hungry??
?Bearing it, bearing it very much?
Because I rarely used the “message” function on my phone during my time as an uncle and didn’t attach much importance to it, I didn’t check after sending the message to Yin Xiamo in the morning. Unexpectedly, this girl sent me two more messages:
?Okay, as compensation, I helped you wash your clothes and bedding and took care of the household chores. Is that enough??
?My dear, it’s settled then. Can’t wait for you to come home?
Seeing this, I inexplicably felt a little moved.
“Yin Xiamo.”
After waiting in the living room until the dumplings were ready, I returned to Yin Xiamo’s room and gently pinched the small face of this girl on the bed. “How long have you been sleeping? Aren’t you hungry?”
“Mm…”
Yin Xiamo slowly opened her eyes and yawned. “You’re back?”
“Just went to the previous rental house for some cleaning, visited the patient in the hospital, won’t take much longer.”
I smiled and said, “The dumplings are ready. Do you want to eat?”
“Yes!”
Upon hearing about food, the girl on the bed instantly bounced up, asking, “Is it ready? Are they cooked?”
“Yeah, in the living room, just off the stove.”
I asked tentatively, “Did you try making dumplings yourself before I came?”
“Huh? Did I?”
Yin Xiamo put on a pretending-to-be-clueless expression, then got up and straightened her clothes, saying, “Don’t overthink. How could I possibly do such a thing? You are my little pet, and pets should cook for their owners.”
“I’ve told you I’m not a pet!”
I hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t expose her lie. “Okay, let’s have lunch… Isn’t Ai Luodi coming back for lunch?”
“She usually rests at the editorial department and rarely comes back for lunch.”
Yin Xiamo walked out of the room, saying, “Wow… it’s so hot outside.”
“The weather forecast says the highest temperature today is 35 degrees.”
I followed her out, sat at the dining table, took my bowl, grabbed six dumplings from the freshly cooked batch, and then pushed the entire steamer towards the girl across from me.
The just-seated Yin Xiamo looked a bit awkward, saying, “I can’t eat so much…”
“Well, I can’t eat that much either. How about you try eating later in the afternoon?”
I picked up a small bowl of soy sauce that had been stir-fried with cilantro and peanuts, poured some onto the dumplings, and casually said, “I might have to go to the store to help in the afternoon.”
“That’s great!”
Yin Xiamo across from me had a happy expression, saying, “I want to go too!”
“Let’s set some ground rules first.”
I frowned, “No using catnip on me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the mention of it.
Catnip is an irresistible herb for cats, and I never expected to have a reaction to it myself.
Although in a certain sense, the “excitement” that catnip brought me was much greater than that of things like “coffee,” and it had no side effects.
After smelling the catnip lollipop last night, my whole body softened, followed by several minutes of comfort, making me almost want to lie on the ground and roll around.
The feeling was indescribable and didn’t belong to any type of “excitement” I was familiar with.
When I was writing novels, I often encountered situations where I needed to “rush the draft.” However, on that particular day, I was extremely tired, or maybe there was a slight health issue, like a mild cold. Some colds are not severe, there are no symptoms like fever or sneezing, but they make you feel drowsy, weak in the limbs, lacking energy, and only wanting to sleep.
However, novels don’t wait for anyone; they must be written. If you don’t write, you won’t have perfect attendance, and if you miss a day of updates, readers will leave. In such situations, I would rely on a combination of coffee and energy drinks. After all, the worst thing that can happen when writing a novel is having a foggy mind.
The substances in caffeine and energy drinks that easily excite people do provide a significant energy boost, but they also come with substantial side effects. For instance, it can lead to difficulty falling asleep, nightmares during the night, or waking up with a headache and feeling feverish the next day.
On the other hand, catnip seems to lack these side effects. After being stimulated by Yin Xiamo with catnip last night, my body, which was originally exhausted after working all night, instantly became invigorated. There were no apparent side effects afterward, and I slept incredibly soundly that night.
If I have to say… the “side effect” of this thing on me is probably that my facial expressions and body gestures were a bit “uncontrollable” at that time. In Yin Xiamo’s words, it’s like – “Nuo’er had a pleasure look in his eyes back then.”
So, just thinking about how I must have looked like a cute kitten at that time, I can’t help but wish I could find a hole to hide in.
“Anyway, using catnip is forbidden, at any time.”
Feeling noticeably sleepy, I quickly finished the dumplings on the table, took the bowl to the kitchen to wash, and returned to my bedroom, preparing to rest.
Then, I realized a very awkward situation… The bedsheet and pillow had been taken for washing, where was I going to sleep?
“Sleep in my room this afternoon.”
The girl in the living room, still eating dumplings, seemed to notice my predicament and turned around, saying, “There’s air conditioning in my room.”
“Well…”
I instantly felt like I was being played, “Did you specially wash the sheets for me just for this?”
“Yes, exactly, it’s for this.”
Yin Xiamo at the dining table looked nonchalant—
“Nuo’er’s body is small, soft, and has a faint milky fragrance. It’s especially comfortable to hug when sleeping. Your sheets probably won’t be dry until tomorrow, so you can only sleep with me at noon and at night.”
“……”
……
Title Reference:
“There is no changing what’s already been decided.”
~ Renge ~ (Non Non Biyori Repeat – Episode 7)
Also:
Here is a leak for chapter 104.