I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 82

 

The neighborhood where the Ai Luodi family lives has a very poetic name, called “Starry Garden Community.” In contrast, the intersection near this neighborhood is named “Starry Road” and “Starry Garden Road.” The names of these roads do not originate from the neighborhood where the Ai Luodi family resides but rather from a garden that closed eight years ago. At that time, the owner of the garden, which was closed down, named the garden ” Starry Garden.”

 

I still remember that in the first few months after the garden opened, the entrance ticket was 15 yuan. At that time, I was still in college and considered a “nice guy” in the male dormitory. One of my roommates was dumped by his girlfriend, and he had some unused Starry Garden ticket coupons. Since there was no place for him to use them, the two of us went together.

 

Back then, Nanqi District was the most remote and desolate place in Shenzhen City. Apart from Nanqi Port and the pier, there was almost nothing there—no residential buildings, no commercial streets, and no buses. Only some small-scale self-built houses owned by local residents stood here and there. People who didn’t know the area might think they had arrived in a small county town.

 

Because the place was so remote, no one in the dormitory wanted to go with that roommate. Almost everyone, upon hearing “Nanqi District,” would look disgusted and say, “Why bother going to such a remote place? The coupons won’t save much money, just throw them away.” Only I saw that the roommate was very sad and agreed to go with him.

 

Then came the tortuous process of exploring the way. At that time, there were very few buses in Nanqi District, and to go to the Starry Garden, we even needed to find some local tricycle drivers. The round-trip fare was 50 yuan. Even now, I still remember that guy crying in the garden, talking about the scenes of his love with that girl, scenes that had happened just a few months ago, as the flowers were visibly withering under the sun.

 

According to the timeline… Nanqi District has a complex terrain, and there were some issues with road planning. In some places, the terrain is quite high, and standing on top allows you to see the vast expanse of stars. That area was named ” Starry Road.” After a period of development, an investor built “Starry Garden” and “Starry Garden Community.” Later, the ” Starry Garden Intersection” was also established.

 

Now, seven or eight years have passed, and Starry Garden has closed down. According to Ai Luodi, Starry Garden Community has mostly been bought by speculators who don’t live there. There are few residents inside, and the property security seems to be lax.

 

However, there seem to be many basic living facilities nearby, such as a basic market, breakfast shops, and small supermarkets. It takes about ten minutes to walk out of the residential area to reach these.

 

“We’re here.”

 

Following Ai Luodi, they first passed through the residential area gate without a chain, walked up a small slope lined with tall mango trees on both sides, passed by a parking lot, a small playground, and what seemed to be a place for children to play. In the middle of the residential area, Ai Luodi turned to the left.

 

“Enter the third building, sixth floor.”

 

“Oh, okay…”

 

I diligently remembered the route.

 

“Is there only one exit on this side?”

 

“You can also go there.”

 

Ai Luodi pointed to the right at the end of the slope.

 

“Behind there is a vegetable garden. If you’re interested, you can go there to plant vegetables. There are many exits around the vegetable garden. On the right is an elementary school, Shenzhen Starlight Elementary School. It’s usually quiet, except on Mondays, when it might get a bit noisy.”

 

“On Mondays?”

 

“On Mondays, they raise the national flag, gather, and the principal gives a speech.”

 

Ai Luodi took me to the iron gate at the bottom of Building Three and opened it with a key. “Around 8 am on Mondays, we are on the top floor. If the windows are not closed at this time, we might be awakened by the sound of their flag-raising ceremony.”

 

After entering, Ai Luodi walked directly into what seemed to be a temporary elevator installed in the past two years.

 

“The top floor, only our family on the top floor of Building Three.”

 

As I followed into the elevator, Ai Luodi pressed the button for the sixth floor with a “ding” sound and continued in a lazy tone, “Do you usually cook for yourself or order takeout?”

 

“I usually cook for myself,” I replied somewhat embarrassedly. “I can’t afford takeout.”

 

Considering the remote location, I wondered if they even had takeout here.

 

“If you cook for yourself… from 6 am to 9 am, you can take the road behind the vegetable garden. There’s a temporary market on the left when you go out. They sell handmade noodles, dumpling wrappers, and such in the morning. There are also items like corn, sweet potatoes, and eggs. By noon, they’ll have meat and fish, and the same goes for the evening.”

 

Ai Luodi explained, “But it’s best not to wait until it gets dark to go. The market here closes early. If you forget to buy groceries and it’s too late, you’ll have to go to a supermarket farther away. The supermarket closes at 11 pm.”

 

“As for takeout… there are quite a few takeout places nearby. If you want to know more, you can ask me.”

 

Speaking of this, Ai Luodi let out a satisfied burp, and instantly, a faint scent of chili and roasted chicken filled the elevator. “I’ve practically tried all the takeout options nearby. The highest-selling ones are the delivery-only places, either pre-cooked or cheap meal kits reheated and sold. It’s best not to order from them, and especially avoid those with weird names.”

 

“Weird names?” I asked.

 

“Like there’s a fried chicken place here called ‘Truly Delicious Fried Chicken,’ or a ‘Truly Delicious Dumpling Shop.’ Don’t order from them. I saw the Truly Delicious Dumpling Shop hit over 900 orders in its first month, then disappeared the next month. I don’t know if it got reported or failed to obtain a license. At the same time, a new Truly Delicious Dumpling Shop appeared, and they didn’t even change the cover ad.”

 

Ai Luodi explained, “If you’re really unsure, when the delivery guy brings your food, just ask him directly what that place is like, or subtly ask if he recommends ordering from there next time. Those delivery guys understand, they’ll tell you.”

 

Seeming quite experienced…

 

“We’re by the sea, so we can usually have seafood. It’s cheap and fresh.”

 

Seeing that I was listening attentively, Ai Luodi went into more detail. “The fish from the vegetable garden behind there is quite ordinary. For sea fish, you need to go a bit further ahead to a seafood market. If you want to save money, you can also go clamming directly. If you’re lucky, you can gather enough seafood for a week in a day.”

 

“Clamming?”

 

As Ai Luodi said this, the elevator door in front of us happened to open with a “ding.”

 

“Yeah, it takes about a little over half an hour to walk. If you have one of those small electric scooters, it’s less than ten minutes. There’s a clamming spot nearby. Many people around here like to go fishing in their free time. They usually go around four or five in the afternoon when the tide is lowest, and the beach is exposed. They spend an hour or two and then come back.”

 

Pulling out the key, Ai Luodi opened the only large door in front of us with a “clink.” Ai Luodi yawned, “Like some ordinary sea fish, cuttlefish, clam, and so on. Take a small bucket, fill it up, and come back. With the vegetables I grow in the backyard, as long as there’s rice at home, some people spend only fifty yuan a month on food.”

 

Huh? Ai Luodi’s description made me feel like my worldview was being challenged.

 

Can you really do that?

 

Initially, on that rental app, I saw Ai Luodi’s description of her house as “preferably for girls in a remote location.” But after coming here, it was entirely different from what I had imagined.

 

I know about fishing, there are many livestreamers on Tongmeng who specialize in making videos about clamming. Clamming, in simple terms, involves taking a small shovel and bucket to the seaside, picking up whatever you find.

 

Because the sea experiences tidal rises and falls, during high tide, some beaches become submerged, and various fish, crabs, shellfish, cuttlefish, and starfish move closer. After the tide recedes, if these “seafood” can’t move quickly, they get stranded on the beach and can’t move.

 

At this point, when the beach is exposed, people can walk up and pick up these stranded seafood. Whoever picks it up first gets to keep it.

 

I had learned about some people who claim to be “hermits” a long time ago—those who don’t work, earn a little pocket money by playing video games and live streaming every day, and live off the land. At the time, I couldn’t understand how they managed it. Now, hearing Ai Luodi explain, it suddenly became clear.

 

Just like this situation now, renting a small house by the sea in Nanqi District, planting vegetables in a piece of land every day, and then going clamming when the tide goes out to harvest a bunch of seafood, storing some rice at home, cooking seafood every day, and stir-frying some vegetables—it indeed seems completely sufficient for a person to live.

 

“The first floor is currently occupied by Xiao Mo (Little Mo). Her room is over here.”

 

The structure of the room on the sixth floor is similar to what I imagined—entering directly into a living room, you can see the staircase leading upstairs, the kitchen corridor, and the rooms on the first floor. However, what I didn’t expect was that this room… actually has so many potted plants!

 

There are succulents, spider plants, snake plants, money trees, peace lilies, lilies, roses, jasmine flowers…

 

Just the shelves near the entrance, specifically for placing potted plants and flowers, number up to three. They are filled with various plants and flowers. Even the balcony connected to the living room is full of flowers. The spacious room is a blend of plants, soil, and the scent of flowers.

 

“All these were brought back by Xiao Mo from the vegetable garden below. She has so many now. She must really love flowers.”

 

Ai Luodi picked up a pair of small sandals from the nearby shoe rack and placed them at my feet. She naturally changed into her shoes and entered the room. “It’s convenient for you two to know each other. Are you allergic to pollen?”

 

“I should not be allergic.”

 

Wearing the sandals, I carefully walked into the room, carrying a small backpack. The wooden floor made a dull “clatter clatter” sound under my steps.

 

“You mentioned just now… Xiao Mo?”

 

“Yes, Xiao Mo. Both my mom and I call her that.”

 

Ai Luodi walked to the large refrigerator next to the living room and opened the door. “Want something to drink?”

 

“Ah… no, thank you.”

 

I curiously walked over to a large shelf filled with various flowerpots, much taller than me, seemingly handcrafted. “This is too beautiful…”

 

The entire layout of the house… how should I put it? You can feel the owner’s love for “life” every day. The floor is clean, and everything is neatly organized. Hanging from the ceiling are several star-shaped ornaments and spider plants. On the floor and along the walls, there are many well-taken-care-of plants. If I hadn’t interacted with Miss Reaper these past few days, I wouldn’t believe that she has always been living in this room.

 

“Xiao Mo’s skills are indeed impressive. Look at this vine, and this shelf, she made them all. She said she used some wood and vines from the vegetable garden and landscaping behind the neighborhood and created them from scratch.”

 

Ai Luodi walked over to my side. “Even my mom, who’s an antique enthusiast, was full of praise when she saw it, saying it’s the first time she’s encountered such a tenant.”

 

“Is she called Xiao Mo?”

 

I turned my head. “Which Mo?”

 

“? (mò) in ‘foam’.”

 

Ai Luodi looked a bit puzzled. “Hey, you two know each other, right?”

 

I felt a bit embarrassed. “I don’t know her real name.”

 

“Y?n Xiàmò (???), same surname as yours.”

 

Ai Luodi didn’t think much of it and blurted out, “Summer’s xìa (?), Foam’s mò (?).”

 

“Oh…”

 

Yin Xiamo…

 

Did she come up with that herself?

 

I recalled the dreams I had from another world these past few days. Clearly, this name must have been spontaneously thought up by the Reaper Girl, much like my own “Yin Nuo’er.”

 

Growing up in an orphanage, I was cared for by a director with the surname Yin. Therefore, I was named Yin Shiren. When I started writing novels, I gave my female protagonist the name Yin Nuo’er. In a twist of fate, when Miss Grim Reaper suddenly transformed me into a little loli, the name of that female protagonist was inadvertently applied to me. If the person taking care of me at the time had the surname Li, it would be Li Shiren, Li Nuo’er—same principle.

 

As for Miss Grim Reaper… I have the surname Yin, and she came because of me, so using this surname is not an issue. But how did the two characters “Xia and mo” come about?

 

“Got it.”

 

Although I wasn’t entirely clear on why someone had this name, I still nodded at Ai Luodi. “So why did you suddenly decide to look for a roommate?”

 

“It’s not exactly sudden. I’ve had the roommate ad online for several months. But because the location is so remote, and we’re looking specifically for a female roommate who can cook, besides a girl from the Honor District who came to check out the house last month, my phone hasn’t been ringing at all.”

 

Ai Luodi gestured to the nearby kitchen. “Our main idea was that with so much kitchenware in the house, it’s quite wasteful to pay for gas every month. Normally, I either eat the company’s fast food or order takeout. Little Mo is even more extreme—she faithfully eats something near the company every day before returning. So we thought, why not find a roommate who can cook? If we can’t find one, it’s no big deal. After all, the ad has been up for a month, and it doesn’t cost much.”

 

Why does it sound like you two are looking for a scapegoat nanny or a little pet to bring home?

 

The location is already extremely remote, requiring several bus transfers to get here. There’s not much to eat or do around, inconvenient transportation, and on top of that, it’s restricted to females, and the female roommate must know how to cook. It’s already quite fortunate if anyone comes to check out the house.

 

“Take a look at the room first.”

 

Perhaps seeing that my expression was a bit off, Ai Luodi cleared her throat and walked toward the corridor next to the living room.

 

“This is Xiao Mo’s room.”

 

In the corridor on the right, Ai Luodi pointed to a room in front of us. “She usually gets up at 7 in the morning to go to work and doesn’t come back until at least 9 in the evening. I haven’t paid much attention to her resting for two or three days each month. Here is the bathroom, and here is the shower room.”

 

After showing me the shower room with a small toilet and sink and a large bathtub next to it, Ai Luodi gestured to a small room at the end of the corridor. “This is the utility room, you can store some books or daily necessities here.”

 

“And here is your room.”

 

Finally, we arrived at the opposite side of the “Xiao Mo’s room” mentioned earlier. Ai Luodi turned the key still in the door, twisted the doorknob, and opened the door.

 

Opening the door—

 

A very ordinary small room with only a bed, a wooden desk, and a wooden chair. There’s a small step at the foot of the bed, with an area of about five or six square meters. Behind it is a French window, offering a view of the lush vegetable garden outside.

 

“Is that the vegetable garden you mentioned earlier?”

 

I curiously surveyed the outside world. “It’s so spacious…”

 

“Yeah, there are not many people in this neighborhood, and few people take care of the vegetable garden below. Only a few old ladies in that building plant some vegetables. If you’re interested, you can use that whole area.”

 

Ai Luodi opened the window. “There’s also the garden behind. No one really takes care of it, and sometimes Xiao Mo goes there during holidays to pick some strange flowers. The environment here seems quite nice, doesn’t it? Although the room is a bit small, the window faces east, providing excellent natural light.”

 

Anyway, as a novelist, I don’t have many requirements. A chair, a stool, internet, electricity, and a bed for sleeping are basically all I need. Besides, I just applied for a job at a nearby café, and I’ll probably be very busy in the future. I may not spend much time here.

 

“That’s about it.”

 

Closing the window again, Ai Luodi sat on a nearby chair. “Is there anywhere else you’d like to see?”

 

“Well, my… concern is that if I cook, I can’t guarantee it’ll suit your tastes,” I confessed. “Plus, I just signed a contract with the café nearby. I may not have much time to come back, and I won’t be able to cook every day.”

 

“It’s okay. Cooking is not a necessary condition. My mom’s idea was just to find a girl who can cook, someone with a simple private life. Generally, girls who are used to cooking for themselves at home tend to have a decent lifestyle. This way, we can avoid bringing in someone who changes boyfriends frequently and brings them into the house, which would be hard to explain later.”

 

Ai Luodi seemed indifferent. “Although we don’t communicate much usually, you’ve been writing at Yae-Do for so long. Your readers know your character, so it’s not necessary for you to be good at cooking.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“So, you’re setting the ‘must be able to cook’ condition just to screen potential tenants?”

 

“Well, I don’t have a problem with that.”

 

I also sat down on the bed. “Do you work on the second floor?”

 

“No, it’s just that I’ve been temporarily working from home these days. Yae-do’s new office should be sorted out this week, and I’ll be working there.”

 

Ai Luodi checked her phone. “Our editor has weekends off, and the regular working hours are from 9 AM to 6 PM. Of course, there might be overtime if something comes up unexpectedly.”

 

“Unexpected things like what?”

 

“For instance, if an author causes trouble, or if there’s content on the website that needs immediate adjustment and the editor needs to be present, then overtime is inevitable.”

 

Ai Luodi shrugged. “Like last time, there was an author who got involved in politics and wrote something too extreme. A bunch of people reported it to the cultural bureau, our boss had to go for a ‘tea session,’ and we ended up working overtime, having meetings, reviewing and adding sensitive words, and the editors had to self-censor their authors, checking if the books they were responsible for had any issues. Similar things used to happen almost every month when Yae-Do was still around. There were also cases of authors coming from other sites, creating fake accounts, posting illegal content, and then reporting themselves.”

 

It sounded terrifying.

 

“If you’re okay with it, you can stay here tonight.”

 

Ai Luodi took out a bunch of keys from her pocket, removed two of them, and handed them to me. She said earnestly, “This one is for the main gate downstairs, and this one is for the apartment door. Remember to take them when you go out. If you forget, I have a spare one here, and so does Xiao Mo. You can ask either of us… Oh, by the way.”

 

Seemingly remembering something, Ai Luodi pointed upwards. “We’re on the sixth floor, and going up, you’ll reach the rooftop where you can hang clothes. When you leave, make sure to take your keys and phone. Don’t think that just going upstairs to air the quilt means you don’t need to bring anything. Some people have done such foolish things before.”

 

“Some people?” I became interested. “What foolish things?”

 

“What else could it be? She got locked out.”

 

Ai Luodi sighed. “Early in the morning, without keys or a phone, thinking of going to the rooftop to air the quilt. She believed leaving the door open would be enough. But once she stepped outside, a gust of wind blew, and bang, the door closed, locking her outside.”

 

A grim reaper locked outside?

 

With Ai Luodi’s vivid description, a somewhat comical scene played out in my mind. On a misty morning, a girl just waking up from her dreams, dressed in pajamas, carrying a quilt, went out to the rooftop to air it. On her way back, a strong gust of wind suddenly closed the open door, leaving the girl in disarray in the wind…

 

Wasn’t she supposed to travel freely around the world through cracks? How could she get locked inside a room?

 

“When did that happen?”

 

“Just a few days after Xiao Mo rented this place.”

 

Ai Luodi blurted out, “At that time, she really… gave me this feeling of being cute and clueless. She didn’t know many things. In the end, it was my mom who came to open the door. I remember thinking, with Xiao Mo being so pretty, why does she seem… a bit silly?”

 

Hahaha…

 

Even you have these moments!

 

I suddenly felt a sense of pride, like catching someone’s weak point.

 

“Alright, since everything seems fine, I’ll go handle some company matters upstairs.”

 

Ai Luodi stood up from the small chair, saying, “If you have any issues, just call my phone.”

 

I was a bit puzzled, “Don’t we need to sign a contract?”

 

“No need for all that trouble, we’re old acquaintances.”

 

Ai Luodi yawned, “Five hundred bucks a month, just transfer it to Xiao Mo or me.”

 

“Okay then.”

 

Considering the situation, signing a contract seemed unnecessary. I nodded and took out my phone, asking, “Where’s the nearest phone store around here?”

 

“A phone store?” Ai Luodi paused. “What brand?”

 

I gestured to the new phone in my hand, “This brand.”

 

“Oh, this brand… Go out of the community, turn right, it’s next to the second intersection, around 800 meters. Or you can check the phone map.”

 

Ai Luodi extended her hands and gestured, “It’s quite close.”

 

“Ah… I’ll go check it out later. Thanks.”

 

“No problem. Remember to update your novel tonight.”

 

“Ugh…”

 

“…”

 

Watching Ai Luodi leave, I went up the small staircase next to me to the second floor. Coming out of the room, I looked at the door with a sign saying “Knock before entering” and a cute bunny drawing. Almost instinctively, I reached out, attempting to pull down the door handle—

 

“Click.”

 

The door in front of me opened.

 

No way!

 

I knocked on the door a few times, then cautiously stuck my head into this small room.

 

No one.

 

“…”

 

Of course, according to Ai Luodi, the current “Miss Grim Reaper” Yin Xiamo is working outside and won’t be back until at least 8 o’clock.

 

“Well, since you didn’t lock the door, I’ll just…”

 

After hesitating at the door for quite a while, ultimately, the inner devil in me triumphed over the little angel, and curiosity compelled me to step into the room of this “Miss Grim Reaper.”

 

A bed, a bookshelf with not many books, a desk, a computer…

 

Hmm? A computer?

 

I recalled the messy browsing history on my computer.

 

Um… If I were to “tit for tat” now, peeking at the Miss Grim Reaper’s computer browser history, would she suddenly appear from behind and give me a knife?

 

Regardless, since she casually entered my room without consent before, using my computer, this is retaliation, it’s revenge time!

 

Let me see what this person looks at every day…

 

With the sound of my cautious heartbeat pounding in my ears, I approached the computer desk and pressed the power button on the computer.

 

“Ding—”

 

As the power light lit up, the computer started.

 

Loading the main interface, loading files, loading the desktop… Why is it so slow?

 

I looked at the 21-inch small screen in front of me. Only the computer desktop appeared, but even “My Computer” took forever to display on the system. I had question marks swirling in my mind.

 

Thirty seconds, forty seconds, fifty… still not ready?

 

This computer took more than a minute to load the desktop wallpaper. The menu below and various icons on the desktop began to slowly appear.

 

What are all these icons on the desktop?

 

2345, 360, Jin Sha Sha, Lu Sha Sha, various game boxes, various desktop wallpapers, weather experts, Legend Domination, Legendary Conquest, Eternal Legend… My goodness.

 

Why did you download so many miscellaneous things?

 

?Your computer boots up in 2 minutes and 45 seconds, defeating 10% of users nationwide!?

 

While I was still stunned, one window after another had already popped up slowly on the right side of the computer:

 

?Your computer boots up in 3 minutes and 10 seconds!?

?Click here to accelerate?

?Download Clean Master to manage startup items?

?Some programs are dragging down your computer! Quickly download the steward for one-click acceleration!?

 

Four prompt boxes in the lower right corner of the screen, three acceleration balls on the right side, and a bunch of junk software and games on the desktop…

 

“…”

 

Before, Ai Luodi told me about some Miss Grim Reaper who was usually silly, and I didn’t believe it. Now, I believe it.

 

Patiently closing all the windows on the right side and shutting down all the junk programs, I found the browser of this computer and opened it.

 

Then, I went straight to the browser’s history—

 

?How to confess to a girl you like?

?How do girls have children between girls?

?Can you directly push down a disobedient girl? I am also a girl?

?Seeking yuri manga?

?If there is a way to circumvent the law, can I be forceful with the girl I like??

?Is the unwritten rule of yuri that the dominant one is on top??

?Today is also a day I want to push down the target?

“…”

 

After roughly checking the browsing history of this computer, I silently closed the browser, cut off the power, and then left the room.

 

“…”

 

—Let’s pretend I never came.