I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 173
Chapter 173: Even if the Future is Filled With Ambiguity, It Doesn’t Matter
“What’s going on?!”
On the first floor of the café, the host’s announcement on the LCD screen in the main hall shocked almost everyone who saw it. Especially Su Yunjin, who had just sighed, thinking that the plans for the Nanqi District and the Cross-Sea Bridge Oversea Region were going down the drain. At this moment, he stood up directly from his seat, staring at the large screen with an incredulous look.
It was the first time I had seen him so agitated. Su Yunjin’s eyes seemed to be locked onto the host in the center of the screen. His hands tightly gripped the dining table, holding his breath and focusing as if afraid to miss any details.
“The typhoon actually changed its course? Impossible! We had a meeting before, and the people from the meteorological bureau said even if it turns now, it’s too late. Under the influence of oceanic currents, the edge of the typhoon turning would still brush against our Shenzhen City. At most, it’s just the difference between a level 11 wind and a level 8 wind…”
Under Su Yunjin’s gaze, the host on the LCD screen seemed to receive some new information. In front of the camera and the millions of viewers nationwide, he manipulated the computer in front of him, putting the typhoon simulation map into live mode.
From the large screen, it was clear that the massive typhoon, originally heading towards Shenzhen City, did change its route. According to the simulated direction, the estimated landing point would be Fusang Island. Moreover, the angle of this “turn” was very unnatural.
It looks as if it was suddenly swept away by some mysterious force. The originally straight path turned into a curve approaching a 120-degree angle.
Even someone like me who doesn’t understand typhoons felt a bit embarrassed after seeing it.
How did Yin Xiamo manage to do this? Is there any difference from making the typhoon return along its original path?
“Is the typhoon not coming? Is it true or not?” Pipi, who was playing with his daughter, also felt a bit strange. He lifted his daughter onto his thigh and pointed at the large screen. “Dear, what do you see here?”
In an innocent tone, his daughter said, “It’s a typhoon.”
“Where did the typhoon go now?”
“It ran up there on the screen and won’t come to our place.”
“Wow, really deviated?”
On the other side, a few customers who chose to stay and congratulate Jiang Wei on his wedding also saw the host’s announcement on the screen. Each of them widened their eyes in surprise.
“Is the meteorological station’s prediction this far off? Shenzhen City and Fusang Island are not on the same route. One is in the west, and the other is in the north. It can’t be, right?”
“But the fact now is that the typhoon has changed its course, and our vacation is gone.”
“I’d rather not have a vacation. This kind of typhoon is really scary, and landing would definitely be deadly.”
“You just don’t understand, do you? I don’t either.”
“……”
In response to this, I, who had already roughly guessed that the typhoon would change its course, did not show too much surprise. I just sighed along with the people around me and took out my phone again, glancing at the video communication screen.
No signal.
Xiao Mo is still… out at sea.
Yin Xiamo’s magic of “returning to the side of companions,” according to her own explanation, is similar to a “contract” or a “master-servant pact” in the otherworldly realm. After signing, the souls on both sides are bound. Xiamo can return to her master’s side at any time through this contract magic, and the master also has the right to use magic to forcefully pull Yin Xiamo back from anywhere.
In a sense, this kind of magic is very unfair to the “servant” side because the initiative lies with the “master.” The “hero” at that time could call Little Demon back anytime, no matter where she was. However, the Little Demon couldn’t force the master to return, and when receiving the “master’s summons,” she had no power to choose, only the ability to return through a spatial tunnel.
This magic seems to be a kind of magic that is superior to “high-level magic,” namely a forbidden curse. Once bound, it is almost impossible to release, and the farther the distance, the more magic power is consumed. The magical power required for interdimensional or world teleportation is even more astonishing.
Strictly speaking, at that time, the Little Demon did have some degree of choice. Although the “summoning” had to be executed, the “servant” side could autonomously choose whether to be directly transported back to the master or within a certain distance from the master— theoretically, if Yin Xiamo wanted to return using this magic, she didn’t need to land precisely in front of me. Choosing a spot outside the café would suffice, as long as it was in my vicinity.
This is one of the more detailed magic related to Yin Xiamo that I currently know of.
Unfortunately, because I don’t understand magic and can’t learn it on Earth, as the “master,” I cannot forcefully pull Yin Xiamo back. This magic has become a kind of “tool” for her to return to my side.
“Typhoon ‘Orchid’ has completed its turn and is advancing towards Fusang Island, expected to make landfall in about 52 to 56 hours.”
“The tsunami warning for Nanqi Port in Shenzhen City has been lifted, and the red rainstorm warning has been lifted…”
“At present, we have not yet determined the cause of this phenomenon. The sudden large-angle turn of Typhoon ‘Orchid’ seems inconsistent with the nearby pressure field and the surrounding Coriolis force. According to the detection, half an hour ago, there seemed to be an unknown force in the eye of the storm. It is this unknown force that changed the direction of the typhoon. Scientists speculate that it might be a tsunami triggered by some magnetic field or strong tidal force…”
“……”
Jiang Wei, who was originally welcoming guests at the entrance, quickly walked over upon hearing the broadcast information on the large screen. He looked surprised, staring at the host on the screen: “A mysterious force changing the typhoon’s direction. Nuo’er, it seems like selling you this computer was really worth it.”
I twitched my mouth, turning away, “Where did you find those fortune tellers?”
“In our village. The first fortune teller said our wedding with Ye Zi went too smoothly. If we chose to get married on May 18th, there would be a disaster that would affect our future wedding, new house, and business… I didn’t believe it at first, so I let Ye Zi ask another fortune teller in the neighboring village. Surprisingly, he came up with a similar answer.”
Jiang Wei seemed quite happy, “I guess the disaster they mentioned is this typhoon. I just bought a second-hand house in Shenzhen City for our wedding from the fans, and now this typhoon is coming. If it lands, the wedding house might be in trouble, and the newly rented computer store as well. Probably a lot of components will get soaked. But I just can’t figure out why those two fortune tellers told me to use the first business deal to ward off disasters… Is there any reason behind this?”
“Selling me a computer for 1 yuan to ward off disasters?”
I glanced at the phone screen with the corner of my eye. “You’re too superstitious, aren’t you?”
“Haha, at least for now, everything seems worth it, right? The typhoon changed its course, didn’t it?”
Jiang Wei looked around. “By the way, why haven’t I seen your Xiamo today? Aren’t you two usually always together?”
“Blame it on our manager.”
I feigned indifference and gestured towards Ouyang Xue, who was setting up the red carpet outside. “The snacks we bought, I don’t know if they expired or what, but Xiao Mo had a spicy snack, and she started having diarrhea. Right now, she’s probably squatting in the room.”
“You shouldn’t eat too many spicy snacks. There was a spicy snack factory in my village before, and the hygiene there was really… well, hard to describe.”
Jiang Wei took a sip of the red tea on the table. “So, how is Xiamo now? Should I call a doctor to check on her?”
“Don’t worry, she won’t die. It’s just an old problem of hers.”
I gestured towards the phone. “I’ll go upstairs and give her a call.”
At the same time, Su Yunjin’s phone also rang. He glanced at the screen, said, “I need to take a call outside,” and left the café.
“Oh my god! Is it true? The typhoon changed its course!”
Even as I went upstairs, I could still hear the voices of the two Latino bodyguards that Xiongxiong brought over, emanating from the first floor, sounding as if they were witnessing a husky riding a bicycle on the LCD screen. “Here! There really is sorcery! I told you, this place… is very dangerous, Miss…”
Then came Xiongxiong’s calm voice, “Shh, don’t panic.”
“Miss!”
“Don’t rush. It’s normal for a typhoon to change its course.”
“A normal turn of 120 degrees? Oh, my God! It’s a deity power…”
“……”
On the second floor, I entered the employee break room, took out the little dress and matching shoes that I brought out in the morning, walked into the bathroom, and took off the maid costume. After washing my face and applying some skincare products, I put on the little dress.
Since becoming a girl and experiencing so many girl’s clothes, I found that the most complicated part of female attire is in the “leg area.”
For example, thigh-high stockings, pantyhose, and garter stockings.
For guys going out, it’s simple – ankle socks or short socks. If you’re a boy who likes playing football (soccer), knee-high socks are also acceptable, but anything higher is a no-go. These three types of socks are easy to put on, it takes less than ten seconds for the entire process.
However, thigh-high stockings are different. Because the socks are too long, you need to roll them up first, then slide your foot in, pull them up bit by bit. If you pull too hard, it’s easy to tear them. If you go too slowly, it’s uncomfortable to watch, and once you’ve pulled them up, you need to readjust the coverage at each part of the sock. If you don’t, and you pull them up too high, the part where your foot and toes touch will feel too tight, making it uncomfortable to walk for an extended period.
In addition to that, garter stockings follow a similar logic, and garter stockings even have an additional component that needs to be fastened around the waist.
As for pantyhose, they are even more challenging to put on because this type of hosiery is seamless, tight, and when putting them on, both feet have to go in simultaneously, maintaining a very awkward posture. Slowly pushing them up, the pantyhose is finally pulled to the waist, and the alignment and fitting take significantly more time than thigh-high stockings or garter stockings.
Apart from hosiery, some girls’ shoes also have a very complex structure, like this pair that I brought along and matched with the little dress – Lolita-style chunky heeled round-toe shoes. Unlike sandals or sneakers where you just slip your feet in, or the maid shoes here at the cafe with only one strap to pull across, securing it is quick.
The Lolita round-toe shoes have three straps in total – two in the middle of the shoe, and one encircling the ankle. To wear this type of heeled shoe, there is a cute bow at the front, and the wearer needs to first pull up the pocket on the left front, fasten it to the secure metal on the right rear, then pull up the strap on the right front, fastening it to the heart-shaped metal on the left front. The two strap fasteners form an X-shape. Finally, take the ankle loop with a large bow, secured at the top of the foot, and fasten the strap.
The ankle loop serves two purposes: it complements the X-shaped strap fasteners to perfectly secure the owner’s foot in the shoe, ensuring it won’t come off no matter how one moves, and it also adds a decorative bow at the top of the foot, looking particularly cute.
The drawback of this type of shoe is that after putting it on, it cannot be easily slipped off like sneakers or casual shoes. Instead, each strap has to be unfastened individually – all three straps for both feet – which takes a considerable amount of time, making both putting on and taking off quite time-consuming.
With the straps secured, adjusting the heart-shaped metal for the angle, and then the bow… Hmm, the angle is about right, very good.
Dressed in the bathroom, with the Lolita round-toe shoes properly fastened, I stood in place and raised my heels, ensuring the shoe toes touched the floor and moved my feet inside to confirm everything was okay. Then, I placed one side of the maid costume into the rabbit backpack.
Being a girl… sometimes it truly is a particularly troublesome existence.
After changing clothes and shoes, I took another look at the phone still displaying “No signal” in my hand, grabbed the rabbit backpack, and left the room, returning to the employee break room.
Sensitive skin, a petite body, soft muscles, and thoughts easily invaded by emotions…
I quietly thought to myself.
My current body… like the thighs, no matter how much I exercise, they always feel particularly soft when pinched. It’s like… I don’t know how to describe it. Anyway, in the shower, when I relax my whole body and pat my thighs, the flesh there wobbles like jelly, and with a gentle squeeze, I can sink my fingers in very deep.
And in terms of thoughts, I’ve been influenced countless times by the “emotionally biased” thinking habits of women. When doing things, I always feel less “decisive” than Uncle before.
For example, at this moment.
Even though Yin Xiamo has clearly stated that her strength is formidable, capable of taking on the whole world, stronger than the demon king in another world, and a mere typhoon means nothing to her, rationally, what I should do now is to work together with Ouyang Xue to complete the café decoration and then patiently wait for her return.
However, at this moment, I can’t control my inner thoughts from dwelling on Yin Xiamo’s situation.
How is she doing now? Did she get injured? Has she been detected by those satellites? When will she come back…
The more I think about these things, the more chaotic my emotions become, and the heavier my concern for Yin Xiamo gets. Even though reason keeps telling me everything is fine, as a grim reaper, Yin Xiamo cannot possibly be overwhelmed by a mere typhoon, I can’t shake off the image of that girl in my mind.
“Drip, drip, drip… Zizi, zizi, zizi…”
Just as I returned to the cafe’s staff room and had just placed the rabbit backpack containing the maid outfit down, my phone emitted a burst of interference noise. I quickly picked it up, stood up from the small bed, and stared intently at the continuously flashing screen.
“Drip, connecting…”
A few seconds later, the flashing screen displayed the words “Connecting,” and shortly after, a rolling seascape appeared on the screen. On the other side of the screen, Yin Xiamo seemed to be flying back to the shore while holding her phone. The wind was strong, and it was raining, causing the image to continuously shake.
“Xiao Mo!”
I quickly raised the phone, “What’s the situation over there? Are you okay?”
“Hmm?”
In response to my call, Yin Xiamo aimed the phone camera at herself, “I’m okay. Are you fine there?”
In the video, Yin Xiamo was still wearing the maid outfit she had on when she left, but her hair was completely wet, looking messy. She appeared somewhat weak, and there were a few wounds near her collarbone, as if she had been grazed by something moving at high speed.
The most notable change was the feeling she gave me… it seemed different.
Pointed ears? No, elf ears.
My gaze was captivated by Yin Xiamo’s black hair and pointed elf ears. It took me a moment to react, “You… you did it?”
“Fool, I told you it’s a simple thing.”
Yin Xiamo looked at me as if I were a fool. Then, the elf ears and hair in the camera quickly returned to their usual appearance, “How’s it going at the cafe? Can I come back now?”
“I’m in the staff break room, you can come directly in front of me.”
I nodded, “Jiang Wei and Ye Zi have already arrived. Su Yunjin is downstairs, Lan Jiajia and Ouyang Xue are busy working, and there are not many people on the second floor.”
“Okay, then I’ll come back.”
As she spoke, I saw a black-purple crack opening in front of me. After a few seconds, Yin Xiamo emerged from the crack.
“Phew… It took me a lot of effort to avoid being detected by those reconnaissance radars.”
The Yin Xiamo who came out of the crack was completely different from her usual elegant and dignified image. Not only were her clothes soaked through, but she also had a wound below her neck. Even the white thigh-high stockings on her slender legs had several tears, revealing the tender white flesh underneath.
“You…”
I scrutinized the girl in front of me, “Are you injured?”
“A minor injury, it’s fine. With my healing ability, it will be fine in less than an hour.”
The girl seemed indifferent. She looked at her tattered white thigh-high stockings, “It’s been a long time since I’ve faced wind magic; I’m a bit rusty. I only protected my clothes, but the stockings got ruined. I’ll have to wear short socks later. I should have applied to use the divine realm…”
“Let me help you clean it up.”
Seeing Yin Xiamo in such a sorry state made me instinctively reach for my rabbit backpack. I found a small bottle of iodine and a cotton swab inside. I placed the cotton swab into the bottle, “Disinfecting should save you some magic power, right?”
“No need, no need. Such a small amount of magic power is negligible. I…”
“I want to help you.”
Yin Xiamo, back to her usual appearance, waved her hands repeatedly. I had already dipped the cotton swab in iodine, thinking not to waste it. Instinctively, I took a step towards her—
“Clang!”
Whether it was the water dripping from Yin Xiamo all over after returning, making the floor damp, or these Lolita round-toe chunky heels without non-slip function, or I hadn’t fully adapted to these small shoes, as soon as I took a step toward Yin Xiamo, I felt my feet slip, and I fell straight towards the girl in front of me.
“Be careful!”
Yin Xiamo instinctively tried to catch me, but perhaps, having just returned from the ‘battlefield,’ she lacked strength and magic power. As a result, she also slipped and was pushed backward by me—
“Thud!”
“Ugh…”
After a brief dizziness, when I opened my eyes again, I found myself sitting on Yin Xiamo’s small belly. My hands were grabbing her wrists, and my chest was only less than ten centimeters away from hers. My mouth was just a few centimeters away from Yin Xiamo’s lips.
…
Underneath, I could feel the obvious rise and fall of the girl’s breathing.
Her long hair scattered like flower petals.
Through the messy maid outfit, I could see the slightly bulging chest just below her snow-white neck.
The place where my hands gripped the girl’s wrists felt soft, and I could hear the rhythmic sound of blood flow in the arteries – “thump, thump.”
Moreover, due to the extremely close distance between my mouth and Yin Xiamo’s, the bursts of delicate and elegant fragrance carried by her rapid breath were hitting my lips and face one after another.
Because my brain was somewhat frozen, I instinctively cast an inquiring gaze at Yin Xiamo beneath me. The girl’s eyes initially dodged for a moment, then turned away. After two seconds, she turned back, pitifully glanced at me, and closed her eyes.
This was the first time I had seen this expression on Yin Xiamo.
Enticing, pure, immaculate, as if crystal dewdrops waiting to be plucked on a clear morning.
At this moment, almost involuntarily, I slowly bent down and kissed Yin Xiamo’s lips.
“……”
On the shore, the soft shell did not close its hard armor this time due to the sudden attack of the sea. It was quickly submerged by seawater and revealed beautiful pearls swaying in the ocean’s colorful, shimmering summer sunlight.
“……”
After who knows how many minutes had passed, feeling a bit suffocated, I opened my eyes, released Yin Xiamo’s hands that I was holding, and sat up.
“Sorry.”
At that moment, feeling unsure of what to say, I awkwardly picked up the fallen cotton swab from the ground. “I just wanted to help clean your wounds.”
“It’s okay…”
Yin Xiamo, who had always been a bit domineering, surprisingly behaved like a shy girl next door this time. “Um… I… I’ve redirected the typhoon to the north, so the cafe is safe.”
“As long as you’re safely back.”
I examined Yin Xiamo, who was soaked all over. “Aside from this on your neck, are there any other injuries?”
“No, and here… and here… these are scratches from flying fish fins when I redirected the typhoon.”
“Flying fish fins?”
“The wind was too strong, and some sea fish got swept up.”
Yin Xiamo smiled. “I still need to protect this phone from getting wet, I got a little distracted.”
“Are you being foolish?”
I said discontentedly, “You can buy a new phone anytime. Anyway, your safety is the most important.”
“But this phone is the first one Nuo’er gave me…”
“I can buy you a second one.”
“Is Nuo’er showing concern for me?”
Yin Xiamo reverted to her previous tsundere image. “You actually took the initiative to kiss…”
“Cough, cough!”
I instinctively interrupted her, then took my own towel and handed it over. “Since you’re fine, hurry to the bathroom and change your clothes!”
The cafe is currently filled with surveillance cameras. Although we usually know the blind spots of the cameras and the limits of recording areas, allowing us to selectively avoid discussing secrets, the area from the staff lounge to the bathroom is entirely unavoidable.
So, I need to go to the bathroom first, let Yin Xiamo use the spatial crack to come over, then leave the cafe, find a secluded corner, let Yin Xiamo, who has showered and changed in the bathroom, come out, and then enter the cafe together.
Usually, whether it’s Ouyang Xue or Li Chen, they don’t have the time to watch the surveillance footage recorded 24 hours a day. However, the cafe itself is live-streamed, and it’s not impossible that there might be attentive viewers who notice, ‘Why did Xiamo run out of the cafe and then come down from the second floor?’ So, Xiao Mo’s “return” needs to be handled discreetly.
Of course, I know that even if it’s a live broadcast, it’s unlikely that someone would be fixated on this. Even if there really is, they can’t go around proclaiming ‘café has secret passages’ or ‘Surveillance footage has issues,’ right?
“I knew Nuo’er is the best!”
Yin Xiamo took the towel. “What did the Meteorological Bureau say?”
“They said a miracle happened.”
I hesitated for a moment. “Xiao Mo, are those two fortune tellers from Jiang Wei’s hometown actually you in disguise?”
“Huh?”
Yin Xiamo clearly had a puzzled expression. “What fortune tellers?”
“Nothing. Go change your clothes quickly and don’t catch a cold.”
“I’m not a fool, only fools catch colds.”
After going to the bathroom first, letting Yin Xiamo “teleport” over, and then letting her shower and change clothes in front of me, I picked up a few garbage bags on the second floor, pretended to go outside to throw away the trash, and finally found a place with no one around to call Yin Xiamo and let her come over.
“Has Xiamo returned?”
At this point, Jiang Wei was completely in his element. Dressed in a suit, he stood with Ye Zi at the entrance of the café. Upon seeing me and Yin Xiamo come in, he adopted a senior’s demeanor, “Xiamo, Nuo’er has told me everything. Next time, be careful about what you eat. Those spicy sticks have a lot of additives and are very unsanitary.”
“I got it.”
Maintaining her usual elegance, Yin Xiamo placed a red envelope into the nearby box, saying, “Wishing you a happy marriage!”
“Thank you!”
Jiang Wei handed us a basket containing melon seeds and sugar cookies, “Come in quickly. If you don’t drink, sit at the table next to the cat.”
“Thank you.”
“Is your stomach okay now?”
Upon entering, Ouyang Xue, holding a large box of fireworks, just came out, “Sorry, I won’t buy that brand of spicy sticks next time.”
“It’s okay. That was for Ai Luodi, I just grabbed the wrong one.”
Yin Xiamo also felt a bit awkward, “And this is my… recurring problem.”
“Hmm?”
Ouyang Xue seemed to misunderstand, nodding, “Then, later, don’t eat anything cold. Be sure to keep warm.”
“Cough, cough…”
Unable to explain for a moment, I could only bring Yin Xiamo to the dining table next to the cat’s living area, where a sign reading “Relatives and Friends” was hanging.
“It looks like the typhoon really changed its course.”
On the side, Su Yunjin was talking to Pipi, looking quite astonished. “Just now, they called me from above and said that the staff and scientists at the Meteorological Bureau are about to go crazy. This phenomenon is completely against the laws of physics, like a miracle within a miracle.”
“Haha, maybe it’s because God saw our Brother Wei getting married and couldn’t bear to ruin the wedding, right?” Pipi had an optimistic expression. “It’s a good thing. Brother Marisa has worked hard all his life. Getting married during a typhoon is already unlucky. Now that the typhoon is gone, isn’t it perfect?”
“I just feel that this matter is a bit strange.”
“Why think so much? Do you really think someone kicked the typhoon away? Leave natural phenomena to those scientists to worry about.”
Pipi picked up a glass of juice. “Come on, Brother Ji, cheers.”
“Are you toasting with orange juice?”
“Little Pipi is here, we can’t set a bad example for the kids.”
Pipi gestured to his daughter. “Dear, come on, have a drink with this uncle.”
“Yeah!”
The little girl obediently poured herself a glass of juice and lifted it with a practiced manner. “Uncle, cheers!”
“Alright, cheers, cheers!”
As I sat down next to the table labeled “Cannot Drink,” I instinctively glanced at the side where Yin Xiamo was sitting and noticed she was also looking at me.
“What’s the matter, little pet?”
Under my gaze, Yin Xiamo “shyly” said, “Nuo’er, do you want to do it again in front of so many people? I don’t mind, you know!”
“No, I just think…”
I reached out and tidied the stray hair on Yin Xiamo’s head, then took another look at the girl in front of me.
“This looks much better.”
“……”
……
