I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 259
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- Chapter 259 - Nightlife, Night Angels, Night Owls
Chapter 259: Nightlife, Night Angels, Night Owls
At around seven forty, Xiao Mo and I came back from Moon Orchid Island.
We happened to catch Lan Jiajia finishing cooking. The spacious rental house was filled with the aroma of food, and everywhere was bustling with activity.
Because this area is an old neighborhood, although the occupancy rate is not high, basically the residents are either elderly or people with stable jobs. This type of people hardly have the concept of “takeout”.
They cook for themselves at night, so at this time, as long as the lights are on in the Starry Garden community, residents are cooking. The range hoods are blowing out the smoke from the food, giving me a feeling of “going back twenty years”.
I vaguely remember that when I was a child, it was the same scene around the orphanage at this time.
“Back already?”
I took out the key and with a “click,” opened the door. Just as Xiao Mo and I stepped into the foyer to change into slippers, Lan Jiajia, wearing an apron and gloves, holding a big bowl of soup, came out of the kitchen.
Seeing us, this mature sister-in-law with a strong taste of a housewife showed an expression of “you two actually went out for so long”.
“I thought you two would be playing all night! It’s time for dinner!”
“I…I just took Xiao Mo to the seaside.”
I hurriedly explained, “We didn’t do anything strange…”
“I didn’t say anything, did I?” Lan Jiajia put on a look of “you silly girl”.
“You admit it yourself.”
Uh…
In my mind, scenes of playing with Xiao Mo on Moon Orchid Island just now surfaced.
Because there was no one within several kilometers, this girl could be said to have completely let loose. And because it was in the wilderness, very open, and near the forest, it gave me a… very strange sense of liberation.
Anyway, it was all kinds of embarrassment.
But I also wasn’t completely powerless to fight back. Xiao Mo had been… somewhat under my control for a while…
“Go wake up Ai Luodi.”
Lan Jiajia didn’t hint at anything, but gestured towards the staircase, “Although I know that girl might not have slept at all and might be gaming after she went back, I’ll pretend she went back to sleep obediently. Just call her down for dinner.”
I hesitated for a moment, “Okay.”
Ai Luodi’s schedule had already become so strange…
Coming back from the café around seven or eight in the morning, playing games for a while, eating something until noon, then going to bed. Waking up around four in the afternoon, chatting with Lan Jiajia who had returned from the café, then continuing to play games until eight or nine at night before going to work at the café, and if there was too much to do, going back again around midnight.
Such a lifestyle, although very free, was… upside down, coupled with irregular sleeping hours, always feeling a bit taxing.
“Sister Ai!”
Wearing little slippers, I climbed the small staircase next to the door and went up to the second floor. I knocked on the door of the master bedroom, which was Ai Luodi’s room.
“Dinner’s ready!”
Although this rental house had a structure of two floors, with the second floor being a loft, the area of the second floor was much smaller than the first floor. On the left side of the foyer was the staircase leading up, and after climbing up, there was a small platform.
This platform had a few small tables and chairs, as well as a small window looking outside. Across the small platform on the left was Ai Luodi’s bedroom, and on the right was Lan Jiajia’s “guest bedroom,” along with the bathroom at the end of the corridor.
Considering privacy issues, and because Ai Luodi was quite laid-back and tended to run out without clothes after taking a bath, Xiao Mo and I rarely came to this side of the second floor.
“Okay!”
Just as I finished speaking, Ai Luodi’s voice came from the bedroom in front of me, followed by a series of “thud thud thud” footsteps, and the bedroom door creaked open.
“Is dinner ready?”
“It’s ready.”
Looking at the faint dark circles under Ai Luodi’s eyes, I cautiously spoke up, “Um… boss, have you not been resting on time recently?”
“It’s fine, I’m used to it. When there are no customers at work, I sleep for a few hours, then sleep for a few more when I get back, ensuring I get a total of eight hours of sleep a day.”
Ai Luodi yawned, “Back when I was an editor, I encountered similar situations. Those brats would message me in the middle of the night asking me to revise or review their articles.”
I was shocked, “In the middle of the night… authors still contact you?”
“Plenty of them do. Most authors are night owls, and the more struggling they are, the more they like to pester editors with questions, like they’re the client themselves.”
Ai Luodi, with a deadpan face akin to Levi Ackerman from “Attack on Titan,” continued, “It’s often those hovering around the pass line for contracts. They don’t sleep well at night, bombard me with messages, shake my chat window, send files, saying… Oh boss, help me choose between these options, I try to persuade them with all my might, and in the end… well boss, I’m not going to write this piece after all, I’ve got a new inspiration, let’s discuss it in a few days… it infuriates me.”
With that, Ai Luodi yawned again, “That new ‘Age of Aquarius’ game is about to come out, I’ve been watching leaks almost every day. If the game can maintain its current state from the testing server until the official launch, it might become a national sensation.”
“Is it really that impressive?”
I became curious as well, “I remember this one is like a cyberpunk, right?”
“It’s not cyberpunk, it’s ultra-future technology. And the freedom is high, there’s no daily tasks or mandatory online requirements like in current online games. The country is responsible for operating and building the servers, ensuring full security. They’ve also hired many economists and sociologists for planning. It’s said they’re preparing to maintain economic stability within the game.”
Ai Luodi changed into the slippers by the door and walked out, “Nuo’er, do you know about game ecosystems?”
I shook my head, “Not really.”
Because of being poor, I’ve never been a gaming expert from childhood to adulthood. I didn’t have the money to buy a computer or smartphone for gaming, nor did I have the time to research game data. When I play games… it’s mostly because I find the characters cute or the style appealing.
I only play when I’m extremely free, and I stop when it gets too complicated. I don’t really care much about which character is strong, what skills to use, or how to combine them.
“Currently, typical stable online game ecosystems are seen in ‘Journey to the West’ and ‘CSGO’, which have also hired economists to maintain in-game economies, preventing the collapse of in-game items or currency devaluation.”
Ai Luodi explained, “What’s most valued about ‘Age of Aquarius’ right now is this. The operation team has already hired several professional economists and planners. I have confidence in this game.”
Ah… if even Ai Luodi says so, then it seems like this game has a bright future.
I don’t know who said it, but the computer hardware market is in a slump right now. The main reason is the lack of a game that can drive the enthusiasm of internet cafes. A long time ago, games like “League of Legends” and “World of Warcraft” filled this role. Then came “Audition Online” which forced internet cafe owners to purchase a lot of space bars, “KartRider” with its nationwide drifting craze, “Dungeon & Fighter” and “Journey to the West” requiring multiple instances, which drove up demand for memory and CPU. Later on, games like “Blade & Soul” and “PUBG” forced internet cafes to upgrade their graphics cards.
If “Age of Aquarius” can really kickstart a new wave of online gaming frenzy and solve the gaming “spiritual consumption” among young people today, then running an esports arena in the basement of the café would be considered… a smart move.
“Anyway, let’s eat first.”
I signaled for Ai Luodi to come downstairs, “Oh, Sister Ai Luodi, I have another friend who wants to come stay here.”
“Someone else is coming?”
Ai Luodi was momentarily surprised, then seemed to remember something.
“You found that angel so quickly? Su Yunjin mentioned it this morning, I took a nap, and you’ve already found a candidate?”
“I did find someone, but Su Yunjin hasn’t confirmed it yet, and she hasn’t had an interview with Sister Ouyang.”
I organized my words a bit, “The main thing is, my friend’s personality is a bit… um, she’s a foreigner, just arrived here not long ago, and she needs some time to adapt to our lifestyle here, especially in these recent days.”
“You can even find a foreigner…”
Ai Luodi patted my shoulder, “You’re capable, Nuo’er. With this, my bonus this month will depend on you. With that extra five thousand, I’ll be able to buy either the 4090 or the Tianqi 3000 from that rich lady. Running Age of Aquarius shouldn’t be a problem then.”
Ah, if you need it, the graphics card that Sikong Yue gave me wouldn’t be bad either.
“Speaking of which, with this new lady, you’ll have four people here. Is that okay?”
As we descended the stairs, Ai Luodi curiously glanced towards my and Xiao Mo’s room, “Won’t it be crowded?”
I shook my head, “It won’t be crowded.”
To be honest, Ai Luodi’s house was pretty spacious. There’s a large living room on the first floor, followed by two master bedrooms and a guest bedroom. When it was just Xiao Mo and me, it felt too big. Xiao Mo even kept plants in the living room.
Now with Fei Luo and Gabriel, it just meant clearing out Xiao Mo’s previous bedroom and the storage room. Anyway, there’s a bathroom and a shower on the first floor, so four girls should be enough—some schools even have over ten people in one dorm, with only one bathroom!
“Is this the lady, right?”
Standing at the door of the room, Ai Luodi knocked, “Hello?”
“Ah… hello.”
Gabriel, who was browsing the web, turned around, “Are you… Momo’s friend?”
“She’s called Ai Luodi, she works the night shift at the café I mentioned before, and she’s also our landlord.”
I explained, “A landlord is the person who rents out the house. Of course, Ai Luodi sister now lives with us too.”
“Oh, the landlord…”
Gabriel seemed to be contemplating the meaning of the word, “Are houses very rare in this world?”
“She’s called Gabriel, a bit… chuunibyou.”
I quickly stood in front of Ai Luodi, “Always fantasizing that she’s an angel from another world, talking about this world and that world.”
“I can understand. Seems like a very lively kid.”
Ai Luodi yawned again, “Ah… then I won’t pry into your affairs too much. The rent and everything else remain the same, you guys handle it yourselves.”
I nodded quickly, “Mm-hmm.”
That’s how it goes, but it seems like Xiao Mo and I are the ones sharing the rent now. Fei Luo and Gabriel both come from another world. Forget about money, Fei Luo doesn’t even have a phone.
“Okay, Gabriel.”
Seeing Ai Luodi heading to the living room, I quickly waved to a certain angel in the room, “Stop playing and come out for dinner.”
Was she falling into depravity too quickly?!
Seeing Gabriel couldn’t help but trigger a flashback to this morning when she had just arrived from another world.
So divine, so serious, such a “charismatic” archangel, how did she become like this after playing games for just a while?
Or is it… as Xiao Mo said, Gabriel had been suppressed for too long?
After all, I’ve seen similar situations back in college — next to the dorm where I stayed, there was a high school student who ranked “first in the county”. He lived in very impoverished conditions, and the teaching conditions were very harsh.
Almost no one could get into a decent university through the regular channels. In our year, he was the only one who managed to excel through sheer diligence. He seemed to be the top student in terms of grades.
But even with such a “good student”, once he got into college, he became the most “depraved” in the entire year. He dodged elective courses, skipped required courses, failed many classes, and slept until noon every day, only waking up to play games in the dormitory.
At that time, I talked to him for a while. He said that life in middle and high school was too hard, and he had never been exposed to things like phones and computers before. When he got to college and bought a computer, it felt like opening up a whole new world. He was filled with thoughts of revenge, thinking that after suffering so much before, he should enjoy himself now. And unconsciously, it just turned out like that.
I suspect Gabriel has a similar mindset.
“Okay.”
At my gesture, with some reluctance, Gabriel glanced at the “Platinum River Ranking” in the lower left corner of the game “APEX Legends” interface. She stood up and walked towards me, “I used Momo’s memories to open something called a browser and looked it up. It said that in the game, the matches are all with humans. The higher the ranking, the better the skills of the players. Is that true?”
I nodded and said, “Yes, you’ve reached Platinum now. Most people can achieve this rank with just a bit of effort. Above that is Diamond, which requires a certain level of talent and dedication. Beyond Diamond is Master, which marks the dividing line between high-end players. And then there’s Predator… that’s the realm of the top-tier players.”
“In the future, I’ll work at the café you and Momo mentioned…”
Gabriel looked puzzled, “Will it also involve playing that game?”
“It might involve that game, but of course, there will be other games too.”
I thought for a moment, “There aren’t many mainstream competitive games now, but when it comes to work, it’s not just about playing competitive games. There are also single-player games, and the important thing about this job is not the games themselves, but the interaction and entertainment between the streamer and the audience.”
“I… don’t quite understand.”
“It’s okay, you can learn slowly.”
I smiled, “I believe Sister Gabriel’s learning ability.”
“Look at you, you even have dark circles under your eyes.”
Entering the living room, Ai Luodi, who had just woken up, was caught by Lan Jiajia, “How many times have I told you, stop thinking about that game all the time, your life is more important.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. The game is about to be released, I’ll take good rest these days.”
Ai Luodi glanced at the kitchen, “Is there anything else I can help with?”
“No, we’re just waiting for Fei Luo to come back now.”
Lan Jiajia dragged Ai Luodi to the sink, “Wash your hands properly. Here, I bought a new hand sanitizer. You eat spicy snacks every day, your stomach isn’t good, so pay more attention to hygiene.”
“I know, why are you acting like my mom? Where did my invincible and adorable little yellow chicken husky, who used to help me log in every day, go…”
“And I’ll report to your mom. Her precious daughter not only doesn’t eat properly every day but also doesn’t wash her hands properly when eating.”
“Okay, okay, washing hands, is this good enough?”
During their playful banter, I also brought Gabriel to the dining table in the living room. Yin Xiamo had already set up the bowls and chopsticks and helped me with the food.
“Is this how people usually eat here?”
Gabriel, sitting down, continued to curiously survey her surroundings. The spacious living room, thanks to Yin Xiamo’s daily meticulous arrangements, was decorated with various flower racks and flower pots, making it particularly warm.
“But I really appreciate the interior decoration art of the people here,” Gabriel observed the television for quite a while.
“There are many things here that I’ve never seen before.”
“Most of the people where we come from are wanderers. Who has the leisure to decorate their houses?” Yin Xiamo said helplessly.
“Generally, those who can spend a lot of time decorating their houses are long-lived species, like elves and angels. Isn’t that right, Miss Gabriel?”
“Do we need to pray before eating here?”
Gabriel, unsure how to respond to Yin Xiamo’s remark, asked, “Or… seek blessings?”
“No, we don’t,” I picked up my chopsticks.
“There aren’t so many rules here. Just pick whatever you like to eat.”
“Pick?”
“Oh, right, I almost forgot.”
Yin Xiamo stood up and ran to the kitchen to fetch a fork, handing it to Gabriel.
“Here, if you don’t know how to use chopsticks, you can use this.”
“What material is this? It’s so pretty, just like the tableware in that café today!”
Gabriel examined the fork Yin Xiamo brought over, then picked up two chopsticks and crossed them to form a cross shape. “Vampires, take that!”
“Just focus on eating!”
Yin Xiamo immediately tapped the little angel’s head with her chopsticks.
“Fei Luo will deal with you when she gets back.”
“Aw…”
“Alright, everyone, let’s eat.”
Amidst the playful banter, Lan Jiajia returned with Ai Luodi, who had washed her hands. They sat down across from us.
“You’ve already introduced yourselves, right? Xiao Ai, this is Gabriel. Nuo’er once again worked her miracle and found the angel girl that matches the description given by our general manager.”
“Sister Gabriel, feel free to help yourself to anything… Can’t use chopsticks?”
“It’s okay, she can use this fork.”
Yin Xiamo unceremoniously took the bowl in front of me, spun the wheel on the table, and moved the soup to her side. Then, she poured a full bowl of chicken soup for me.
“Finish this, Nuo’er. You haven’t been feeling well these days, so you need to nourish yourself.”
“I’m not a kid, I can pour it myself!”
Though a bit annoyed, I still accepted Xiao Mo’s chicken soup. “Are we not waiting for Fei Luo?”
“She should be back soon.”
Lan Jiajia also helped Ai Luodi to a bowl of chicken soup. “Sister Ouyang has high emotional intelligence. Today, both Nuo’er and Yin Xiamo are at home, and we also have this angel-like young lady. Even if things are busy at the café, she won’t keep Fei Luo out too long.”
“Hi, everyone!”
As if to confirm Lan Jiajia’s words, just as she finished speaking, the door of the house swung open from the outside. Fei Luo, wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, with her personality-exposing navel and large chest on display, stepped in with a bright smile on her face.
“Got off work early!”
“See, I told you,” Lan Jiajia said with a smug expression. “Sister Ouyang never disappoints.”
“It smells so good. Do we have another feast to enjoy today?”
After entering the room, Fei Luo naturally placed her bag on the sofa, then quickly went to the kitchen to wash her hands. Returning to the living room, she sat next to Gabriel and picked up her chopsticks.
“How come I see someone who doesn’t know how to use chopsticks? Who’s the little dummy?”
“You!”
Gabriel’s cheeks puffed up with anger. “Give me two days… no, one day is enough, I’ll definitely learn by then!”
“Oh dear, someone who doesn’t know how to use chopsticks can only awkwardly use a fork to pick up delicious food.”
Fei Luo still had that sly expression.
“It seems like there’s a certain correlation between breast size and brain capacity! Or is it that someone spent the whole afternoon playing games after coming home, without bothering to learn the customs here?”
Gabriel’s face turned red with anger. “Fei Luo! Do you want to fight?”
“Alright, alright.”
Not understanding the relationship between Fei Luo and Gabriel, Lan Jiajia quickly intervened to defuse the situation.
“Let’s eat quickly. Today, Nuo’er went somewhere, and she brought back a lot of delicious food. It’s rare for our house to have so many people today. We also have a bottle of wine here. Any girls want to drink?”
“What! Wine?!”
Upon hearing “wine,” Fei Luo’s attention was instantly drawn. “Where? Where?”
“In my room. It was brought over by Ai Luodi’s mom before, but Ai Luodi doesn’t seem to like drinking. Let me go get it.”
“Girls who can’t drink alcohol can use soup or drinks as substitutes. Let’s have a toast together!”
“……”
This dinner was a bit subtle for us girls. In a rental house with six girls, we paired off in twos.
Xiao Mo kept picking up food for me and filling my soup bowl, while Fei Luo was frantically putting meat into Gabriel’s bowl.
First, it was the cooked goose and bamboo salt chicken I bought from the market, and then she poured several more glasses of wine for Gabriel.
Lan Jiajia, on the other hand, snatched the chili peppers away from Ai Luodi when she saw her trying to pick them up and ate them herself. Then, under Ai Luodi’s resentful gaze, she gave her a lot of green vegetables.
It was evident that although Gabriel had previously claimed she “didn’t like eating meat,” she obediently ate the various chicken dishes and goose that Fei Luo served her. She even showed expressions like “How can this be so delicious?” and “This is even better than the last one.”
After dinner, we watched TV together for a while. Fei Luo used Yin Xiamo’s phone to demonstrate various functions to Gabriel. As the time was getting close, after Yin Xiamo said, “Let’s go outside for a walk,” she took me, Fei Luo, and Gabriel out.
Since almost every night this month Yin Xiamo and I would go out for a walk, Lan Jiajia and Ai Luodi didn’t inquire much about our plans. After saying, “Come back early,” they continued to search for information related to “The Age of Aquarius” in the living room.
“I’ll go back for a while, probably return tomorrow morning. It’ll take about eight hours.”
At the staircase outside the house, a burst of purple light illuminated Yin Xiamo, who was now wearing that classic hooded windbreaker.
After straightening the little bow and bells on my chest, she turned to Fei Luo and said, “You two might still be a bit unfamiliar with this city. You can take Nuo’er out for a walk tonight.”
Gabriel spoke first, “Momo, please remember to help me ask for leave from the Archangel Chief.”
“I will,” Yin Xiamo replied as she put on her hat.
“I’ll also talk to the Dragon Clan.”
“Whether you speak to them or not doesn’t matter. Those old folks won’t dare to do anything to me,” Fei Luo chuckled as she lifted me into her arms.
“So tonight, Nuo’er is under my care!”
“And Gabriel, when I’m not around, the language barrier will disappear. Make sure Gabriel learns the local language as soon as possible.”
Under my gaze, Yin Xiamo jumped onto the railing. “I’m off.”
“Wait.”
Stepping forward, I opened my arms. “Give me a hug.”
“……”
The girl under the moonlight seemed a bit surprised that I would say that. After hesitating for a few seconds, she still opened her arms and hugged me.
“Come back early, don’t be late.”
We hugged each other for a few seconds, then I let go and took a step back.
“I’ll have noodle rolls ready for you at home tomorrow morning. If you’re late, I won’t hesitate to bite you!”
“……”
……
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