I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 237

Chapter 237: Ice Cream Tears in the Era of Aquarius

 

The dazzling building in front of me not only looks golden from the outside, but even the interior is a magnificent display of gold and jade.

 

If my life goes as expected, without encountering Yin Xiamo, or without striking it rich halfway and entering high society, I would probably never come to a place like this in my entire life.

 

It’s not just the architecture, the feeling this area gives me is… luxurious, upscale, transcendent. Yes, “transcendent” is the word.

 

This is the most fitting compound word I can think of to summarize this area. Or I should say, the entire “Northern Development Zone” gives me this feeling. The sensation of being “transcendent” here is even more pronounced than in the Honor District.

 

At least in the Honor District, the lights are on full blast, some areas are very down-to-earth, and there are many places similar to Jiang Wei’s neighborhood. In the city, besides entertainment venues, you can also see many shopping malls and restaurants. But here, it’s just entertainment venues.

 

Like those “playboy” guys who tried to pick up Yin Xiamo and me at the cafe before, their luxurious sports cars parked outside this entertainment venue seem endless. It’s really like a super luxurious car park. I can’t even name the brands of those cars, but their appearance gives me a feeling of “ruining one’s family fortune with a slight touch.”

 

Moreover, unlike many upscale neighborhoods, besides various surveillance cameras, there isn’t even a decent “security booth” near the parking lot. I suspect they don’t even think thieves dare to target this place.

 

First-floor restaurants and bars, second-floor arcade rooms, third-floor sauna, fourth-floor cafe…

 

Inside this splendid building, I cautiously glanced at the directory sign at the entrance.

 

The restaurant and bar look relatively normal, but this second-floor arcade and the third-floor sauna… Could they be legitimate?

 

And this fourth-floor “cafe,” I also don’t think it’s the kind of place you’d expect here. You can’t possibly pay hundreds or thousands for a cup of coffee, right?

 

“In a moment, Miss Zhao from the Zhao family might invite me up for a match.”

 

Walking with Yin Xiamo towards the discreet elevator entrance on the right-hand side, the girl in front of me turned slightly.

 

“I’ll just go up and deal with it casually, Nuo’er, you just watch from below.”

 

“Boxing?” I was somewhat puzzled.

“Is their underground floor for boxing matches?”

 

“Sort of. None of these places around here are formal,” Yin Xiamo explained.

 

“Miss Zhao’s biggest hobby is boxing, and this area is the main business of their family. Today, her playful nature might manifest more at the boxing ring here.”

 

I stopped in my tracks.

 

“What’s wrong?” The girl in front turned around.

“Is there something else?”

 

“I…” I hesitated for a moment.

“Maybe I’ll wait for you upstairs, Xiao Mo.”

 

“Are you scared?”

 

Yin Xiamo showed a look akin to that of seeing a small kitten.

 

“Don’t worry, boxing matches aren’t as exaggerated as you think. To some extent, this place falls within the jurisdiction of the Capital Area. They know when to stop, it’s not like in the movies where it’s so violent. The people who come here won’t behave as uncivilized as those troublemakers during the day. And with me here, I won’t let you…”

 

“It’s not that.”

I interrupted Yin Xiamo before she could finish speaking, shaking my head.

 

“I’m not afraid of such places, and I trust you, Xiao Mo. I know as long as I’m with you, I don’t have to worry about safety, even if someone were to drop a nuclear bomb in this direction.”

 

“Then why…”

 

“I just feel there’s no need.”

 

I lifted my head, meeting Yin Xiamo’s beautiful eyes in the golden light.

 

“Anyway, you can handle it alone down there, right?”

 

“You’re right in saying that.”

 

The girl in front seemed somewhat surprised by my response, staying silent for a moment.

 

“I thought with Nuo’er’s personality… she’d come along all the way, curious to explore places she hasn’t seen before.”

 

“I’ve read a book before, called ‘The Three-Body Problem,’ where the protagonist said… making oneself happy and joyful is part of the plan.”

 

“Just now, when Fei Luo brought me here, she also mentioned to me that Xiao Mo’s greatest wish is for me to be happy, isn’t that right?”

 

I felt a bit embarrassed. “Xiao Mo seemed to have said before, or maybe I dreamed it… the main purpose of turning Nuo’er into a little girl is to let her enjoy the peace and happiness of being a little girl, without so many worries and troubles. Little girls don’t usually come to places like this, do they?”

 

By analogy… it’s like a wife following her husband, who is about to go to the battlefield, all the way to a place where there’s constant gunfire, then stopping and giving the most sincere blessings to her husband at the safest edge of the battlefield.

 

Of course, this analogy may be somewhat inappropriate, because if we compare Xiao Mo to a soldier on the battlefield, there’s almost no need to fight this battle at all, because she alone can wipe out all the enemies. Xiao Mo’s “wife” has no reason to worry about anything.

 

But if this “wife” follows the “husband” onto the battlefield, it’s indeed possible that the “husband” may need to expend a little bit of effort to protect her.

 

Therefore, I didn’t think it was necessary for me to go down with Xiao Mo.

 

I came here today just to see how Xiao Mo usually handles such things, because my presence causing Xiao Mo to be distracted is not my intention, it’s putting the cart before the horse.

 

“……”

 

In the light, Yin Xiamo gazed into my eyes, nodding after a while.

 

“Nuo’er, you’re right. That’s exactly what I think.”

 

“So this time, I’ll just go along with Xiao Mo’s suggestion. I won’t go down to the world below the elevator.”

 

I folded my hands behind my back.

 

“I’ll just wander around nearby. Xiao Mo, once you’re done, come back, and we’ll go see a movie together.”

 

“……”

 

This time, Yin Xiamo remained silent for almost half a minute.

 

“You’ve grown up a bit,” she said, then turned away.

“Okay, you go explore upstairs. I’ll finish up as quickly as I can and join you.”

 

“What do you mean, I’ve grown up a bit!”

I clenched my fists in frustration, and even my unruly tuft of hair seemed to stand on end.

“I’m already an adult!”

 

“Sure, sure, little grown-up,” Yin Xiamo replied without turning back.

“Be careful and stay safe. I’ll keep an eye on the magical fluctuations of that bell. If you encounter any danger, don’t suppress your emotions.”

 

“What kind of danger could there be around here…”

 

“The Zhao family is a type that can navigate both sides of the law. Although this place is close to the Capital Area, there might not be anything too shady on the surface, but it’s still good to be cautious.”

 

As she spoke, Yin Xiamo lifted a curtain in front of her and disappeared into the golden light.

Ah… she really left.

 

Seeing Yin Xiamo enter the elevator, I glanced cautiously at the two security guards not far away.

 

Unlike the muscle-bound thugs who caused trouble at the cafe during the day, these two individuals, although muscular and obviously well-trained, exuded a demeanor far superior to those people.

 

Even if I didn’t know the specifics of the people here, I could sense that this place was clearly different from anywhere I had lived before.

 

I’m not sure how to describe “demeanor,” but it’s like… when you go to the market, the old folks there are all cheerful, wearing ordinary clothes, covered in water stains and mud, speaking in local dialects as they ask you what vegetables you want. They’re quite different from the neatly dressed staff in supermarkets, speaking fluent Mandarin.

 

It’s like suddenly jumping from an ordinary market to a high-end supermarket. The place I’m in now, whether it’s the architectural design or the security and staff here, gives me a feeling of being “a notch higher than the living area I was in before.”

 

Seeing Yin Xiamo and me part ways, the two security guards didn’t come over to ask if I needed help or anything. They didn’t even glance at me again, just standing straight at their posts.

 

Maybe… I shouldn’t linger here.

 

With this feeling, I walked out of the magnificent golden building, back into the entrance of the square, illuminated by the moonlight reflecting off various luxury cars. I looked around and found a bench to sit on.

 

Tonight’s moon seemed unusually large, hanging high in the sky, its color a rare pale yellow, reminiscent of the background templates in some animated works.

 

Xiao Mo… she should be able to handle it, right?

 

Glancing back at the building behind me one last time, I took out my phone and opened a movie ticket booking app.

 

On it were the movie tickets that Ouyang Xue had promised to buy for me, with VR glasses included. The movie’s name was “The Age of Aquarius.”

 

This is a recent domestically produced film that has been in the works for a while. It’s said to have a very complex and mind-bending storyline. Additionally, there’s a game with the same name, “The Age of Aquarius,” set to be released soon.

Previously, we, along with Su Yunjin and that foreign heiress Xiongxiong or Sikong Yue, discussed the “cafe’s underground electronic gaming center,” betting that this game could ignite another wave of online gaming frenzy.

 

The game’s setting is similar to the currently popular concept of the metaverse and has some cyberpunk elements. In short, it’s set in a future world where electronic devices are widespread, wealth disparity has increased, and countries, including Africa, have entered a low-desire society. Many countries have merged, eventually leading to the emergence of this somewhat futuristic yet realistic “Age of Aquarius.”

 

Originally, the term “Age of Aquarius” referred to the “New Era” in Maya culture, which was the so-called world-ending frenzy in 2012. The Mayas’ prophecy of the “end of the world” didn’t mean the world would end after 2012. Instead, it ushered in the “New Era” known as the “Age of Aquarius.”

 

The two tickets for “The Age of Aquarius” that Ouyang Xue helped me buy tell the story of two girls who meet, fall in love, and ultimately face destruction together under the oppressive reality of this low-desire society.

 

“The Age of Aquarius” is said to be a rare domestically produced film with a predominant yuri theme. It reportedly underwent numerous revisions and edits before being released due to censorship issues. After all… the world depicted in this film is one with more women than men.

 

The story itself is said to be both tragic and comedic, as in the end, both girls find happiness, but society remains unchanged, continuing its path towards destruction. The desire for survival diminishes, reproductive interests all but disappear, much like in a terrifying experiment called “Universe 25” with mice, where, in an environment with abundant food but limited space, mice raised in “Universe 25” eventually entered a low-desire society. The male mice lost interest in reproduction, while the female mice became extremely aggressive, leading to the collapse of the entire mouse society.

 

The “Xiongxiong” in my readership group is willing to provide assistance to the cafe, supporting the domestic chip industry. The biggest “bet” is believing that games like this will become popular, and our future world is likely to develop towards the background predicted in the movie.

 

As technology advances and wealth concentrates, the population decreases, and the lower-class citizens become increasingly resigned. After earning enough money to sustain themselves, they go home and play games, unwilling to socialize, let alone engage in romantic relationships or start families.

 

“The Age of Aquarius” movie was released just a few days ago, and it’s said to have an excellent plot. If it can be released without restrictions, the storyline is sure to take off. Many people are eagerly anticipating the release of the game so they can update their computer configurations and relive the excitement of the online gaming craze from years past after watching the movie.

 

Even someone like me, a maid working at the cafe, hasn’t been spared from receiving messages from fans. They want me and Xiao Mo to livestream the game when it launches, to become minor game streamers or something.

 

?Uncle, it feels like it’s been a while since you last interacted in the group. What’s going on??

?Uncle? Did you mention yourself? How long has it been since you last checked the group? And you’re calling her ‘Uncle.’?

?What are you saying? Why can’t I understand??

?Wake up, it’s June 2022. It’s been confirmed that she isn’t an uncle anymore, and the novel has ended. Have you read it??

?Ah… I’ve only read half of it.?

 

After confirming that tonight’s movie screening is at 8:30, I glanced at my readership group again, turned off my phone, stood up from the chair, and stretched lazily.

 

I could see a small shop selling various household items and snacks next to this huge “entertainment city” behind me. I walked over to the small shop, pretending to be a customer, and started browsing inside.

 

There were many foreign brands. This… This biscuit, which looks like Crunky, costs 20 yuan each? And this chocolate, is the name in English or Greek? It costs 180 yuan per piece? Is this chocolate made of gold?

 

As expected, everything in the store was ridiculously expensive. I wandered around for a long time without deciding what to buy—because no matter what I bought, it would hurt my heart. It was just too expensive.

 

Fortunately, because I’ve fully adapted to the life of a girl this month, I’ve become quite tidy. The clothes I’m wearing right now were hand-washed by Xiao Mo. I even look like a young lady. The store clerks didn’t say anything about me lingering around the store without buying anything, they were just watching short videos behind the counter.

 

“Nuo’er.”

 

I’m not sure how much time had passed when I heard a familiar voice calling out. I saw the elf-like girl in a black trench coat appear at the door of the shop.

 

“Just a moment.”

 

At Xiao Mo’s call, I ran to the entrance of this upscale convenience store, opened the door of the freezer, and took out a popsicle I had selected earlier. I handed it to the clerk at the counter.

 

“That’ll be 26 yuan.”

 

The clerk tapped the popsicle on the machine. “Do you need a bag?”

 

“No, thank you.”

 

I paid with my phone and happily ran out of the store with the popsicle, handing it to Xiao Mo.

 

“You’ve worked hard!”

 

“You haven’t been paid yet, have you?”

 

Seeing the popsicle in my hand, the girl chuckled. “Look at how reluctant you are. You eat it.”

 

“I’m on my period.”

 

Tearing open the packaging of the popsicle and stuffing it into Xiao Mo’s hand, I wrapped my arm around hers.

 

“Is it done?”

 

“Yeah, it’s done.”

 

The girl eventually took the popsicle. “The Zhao family has promised not to interfere with our activities at the cafe anymore.”

 

“They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

 

“I’m the one giving them a hard time.”

 

“Pfft…”

 

“What are you laughing at?”

 

“Nothing, just eat the popsicle quickly and tell me what it tastes like. It’s my first time buying something so expensive.”

 

“If you think it’s expensive, then don’t buy it here, silly.”

 

“We rarely come here, so let’s not worry about that. Hurry and try it, then tell me what it tastes like……eh……Wait, what are you doing suddenly kissing me like that!”

 

“It’s Nuo’er flavor.”

 

“……”

 

……