I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 83
I collected Ai Luodi’s keys for myself, silently circled the first floor of the house alone, familiarizing myself with the surroundings. I stepped out of the house.
The Starry Garden residential complex in Nanqi District is clearly different from my previous Wujia Apartment. At this time, if it were placed in the Wujia Apartment, it would be the peak commuting period. People are coming and going, whether it is people returning home from work on the electric car, people who have slept at home all day and are preparing to go to night shift, people who have no work and are preparing to go to the Internet cafe for the night or to the nightclub to drink and dance, or people who come back home and rest for a while before going out to the nearby vegetable market to buy vegetables. There are people walking around everywhere, whether it is the stairwell or the surrounding houses. There are the sounds of car horns and people talking everywhere.
However, during this time period, the Starry Garden Community was eerily quiet. Except for the faint sound of the school bell or dismissal bell from Ai Luodi’s mentioned elementary school location not far away, the surroundings were silent.
I took the elevator down, and at the bottom of the building, I roughly examined and turned the somewhat old lock at the main entrance. With a “click,” the door opened.
Honestly, in 2022, there aren’t many communities still using this type of lock; nowadays, it’s mostly smart access cards. I glanced at the new camera on the door, which had a noticeable sense of technology different from its surroundings, and exited the community.
The outside world remained quiet, filled with the fresh scent after the rain. Perhaps because it had rained heavily in the morning, there were many dark clouds. At this time, the sky was only partially clear, with a few clouds on the western horizon barely revealing a reddish evening glow.
Well, speaking of it… Were all these trees in the neighborhood planned this way from the beginning, or did they gradually grow over the years with no one living here to manage them?
As I walked along the damp garden path in the neighborhood, I surveyed the surrounding greenery. Occasionally, water droplets “drip-drip” fell onto my beret from above or directly onto my shoulders, sliding down the edge of my skirt.
I lowered my head to look at my snow-white and slender legs beneath the skirt. The casual round-toe shoes I bought this afternoon had picked up some water droplets, probably splashed on as I passed by the bushes just now.
Strange, was this how I used to walk before? In puzzlement, I took a few more steps forward and then stopped, lowering my head. Those slender legs, belonging to a little girl, were still there. Although they had a beautifully curved appearance, there was a certain amount of fleshiness, not overly thin.
The size 33 shoes on my feet, perhaps due to their childish design, gave the impression that they could be easily grabbed with one hand. Paired with the bow on the shoe’s toe, it was particularly cute. But none of that was the focus.
My gaze fell on my current standing posture. Both little feet slightly curved inward, and both shoe toes were pointing inward. Remember, this was a pose I struck in a completely relaxed state.
Although this pose might be cute for a girl, as a middle-aged man, I used to walk and carry myself in a particularly “macho” manner, at least not as ladylike as I am now, with each step taken so delicately, and certainly not with this slightly “toe-in” stance.
After taking a deep breath, I tried walking forward along the path for another half-minute and then stopped. It was still that very ladylike standing posture, legs slightly pressed together, toes pointing inward.
Is this also part of muscle memory in the body, or is it because I’m wearing a skirt… instinctively changing my walking posture to prevent any accidental exposure?
Since I bought and wore this pleated skirt in the afternoon, I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that “I am a girl and I’m wearing a skirt” now. Setting aside the resistance my middle-aged soul has towards skirts, this type of clothing is genuinely comfortable.
When walking, my entire lower legs are in a completely relaxed state. Occasionally, I can feel the friction of the skirt against my thighs, but because the skirt is almost weightless, it doesn’t bother me at all. The lower half of my body feels cool and airy, especially pleasant to wear in this warm post-rain weather.
I have no doubt that if I were to wear long pants in this kind of weather… my legs would definitely feel very stuffy.
But not with a skirt. After wearing a skirt out once, I even have thoughts like “Maybe I’ll wear it like this next time” because it’s genuinely comfortable. If I had to choose, I would definitely wear whatever clothing is comfortable, as long as it doesn’t affect others!
However, I don’t know if it’s because of wearing a skirt or if it’s the instinct of this body influencing me. Over the past half-day, I’ve noticed that my walking posture and subconscious standing position have become identical to that of a little girl. Even when I deliberately try to mimic the “macho” walking posture from my “middle-aged man” days, if I’m not careful, I find myself walking like a lady again.
Perhaps… it’s because my body feels that this way is less likely to expose anything, after all, I’m wearing a skirt and can’t be as carefree as with pants. I’m sure things will go back to normal once I return home or change back into different clothes.
Comforting myself in this way, I walked out of the community along the path Ai Luodi had led me through earlier. It was only then that I realized one by one that this wasn’t the main entrance of the Starry Garden community, it was a very secluded back entrance. No wonder the gate here didn’t have a lock.
According to the map, if I were to take the main entrance to the phone store, I would need to make a big detour. If I went straight out, the road outside wouldn’t be Starry Road but rather an open space next to the “Shenzhen Starlight Elementary School”. The phone map indicated that it was an undeveloped blank area, and it was a bit far from the phone store I wanted to go to.
Well… I’ll just have to slowly adapt to the environment later.
I took out a prepared piece of paper and a water-based pen from my backpack, roughly sketching the surroundings near the Starry Garden community on the paper. I wasn’t familiar with this area at all, so I needed to be fully prepared. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if I got lost one day.
After recording all the scenes I saw along the way, I put away the pen and paper, took out my phone, and followed the map’s directions toward the phone store.
One intersection, two intersections… hmm, it should be around here, right?
Found it.
After walking about eight hundred meters from the intersection outside the back gate of the Starry Garden community, I discovered the branded phone store next to the intersection. Speaking of which, this area really feels like a county town. If I didn’t know that this was a district in Shenzhen City, I would suspect that I had somehow crossed into a small county town.
The road on both sides has been lined with mostly single-story houses. Some of the equipment in fast-food restaurants and grocery stores looks very old. There is just a glass shelf for food in the fast-food restaurant placed on the street, with many tables and chairs set up outdoors as dining tables. The counter of the grocery store also gives off a feeling of “hasn’t been changed in at least five years,” and the sign looks very outdated.
However, compared to the city center, the greenery here is quite well-maintained, with trees everywhere, mostly mango and banyan trees, and a few large trees resembling palms but not easily identifiable.
This kind of place is probably only suitable for freelancers or retirees.
“Boss?”
The phone store on this side of the intersection is not very large. After entering through the front door, I didn’t see anyone inside the store. Subconsciously, I opened my mouth near the counter and said, “Is anyone here?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, yes… someone.”
Shortly after my words fell, a female employee in her thirties lifted her head from behind the counter, yawning. “Little sister… what do you want?”
Sleeping at a time like this?
It was only then that I noticed there was a reclining chair on that side, and the female employee had just been sleeping on it.
Are people in the Nanqi District all like this… so casual?
“I want to buy a phone.”
I took out my own phone. “Do you have the same model as this one?”
Unlike computers, where if you go to a physical store and tell the salesperson you want to buy a new computer, without knowing the ropes, you might be taken for a ride. Things like second-hand graphics cards, mining cards, or third-rate power supplies are trivial, the real concern is when all the components are either second-hand or outdated miscellaneous brands. A computer priced at 2000 yuan could be pitched to you for 6000 or 8000 yuan, just to meet the monthly sales target.
For phones, as long as it’s a genuine, unopened item purchased from a brand store, the price difference from online isn’t significant, and there won’t be many problems after the purchase.
“Oh, this one? We have it. This is the latest model released this year.”
The employee instinctively turned to go to the warehouse to get the product. Then, as if remembering something, she turned back and scrutinized me for a while. “Little sister, where are your mom and dad?”
I explained, “I came alone.”
“No parents accompanying you?”
“None.”
The employee waved her hand. “Sorry, we can’t sell phones to minors.”
“But I’m not a minor.”
Anticipating it might turn out this way, I had to take out my ID: “I’m already of legal age.”
“Really?”
The employee, somewhat skeptical, came over to check the information on my ID. “You were born in 2003? I… I thought you had just run out of Shenzhen Starlight Elementary School…”
“I was born in 2003.”
I took back my ID, crossed my arms, and said, “Is it okay now?”
“Sure, hahaha, sorry, it’s just that I’ve never encountered a customer who’s so… so cute before.”
The employee awkwardly added, “For this model, what color would you like?”
“What colors are available?”
“There are three: this deep ice, a dark red, and a silver-gray. But we’re currently out of stock on the silver-gray.”
Really?! I thought that in a remote place like this, a cellphone store might not have every style in stock. I was prepared to go to the next cellphone store if they didn’t have it here…
“Do you have it in dark red?”
“Yes.”
“With 1TB of memory.”
“We only have one 1TB model. Would you like to see it?”
“Sure.”
At my signal, the employee, yawning, walked towards a small storage area at the back. In no time, she came back with a small box.
“Here you go, dark red, 1TB, the last one.”
Seemingly tired, with dark circles under her eyes, the employee said, “It’s 5999. We currently have a promotion in the store: buy a phone, get free headphones.”
“But it’s only 5699 online.”
After roughly verifying the phone’s authenticity, I looked up and put on a pitiful expression, saying, “Why is it 300 yuan more expensive here?”
“Because… um… well… cough, cough.”
The female employee avoided my gaze, saying, “We are a physical store here… and we include headphones…”
“I don’t want the headphones.”
I continued to act cute, saying, “Can it be 5500 yuan?”
“Huh?”
The employee was confused by my antics. “Didn’t you say it’s only 5699 online?”
“But I want to buy it for 5500 yuan!”
“That’s not possible, if we do it like that… like that… we’ll incur a loss.”
Apparently unable to resist my cute and coquettish tone, the employee dared not look in my direction. “Fine, let’s go with the online price, 5699, without the headphones.”
I instantly took out my phone and scanned the nearby payment code, saying, “Then it’s 5699.”
This was a bargaining method I learned in college from some unknown book. In simple terms, it’s similar to Lu Xun’s “compromise” in his novels. Our disposition is to advocate for harmony and compromise. If you say the room is too dark and suggest opening a window, everyone will surely object. However, if you propose removing the roof, they will come to a compromise and agree to open a window.
Just like some clever kids when they were little, thinking of wanting to eat spicy snacks. If they go out and insist on having spicy snacks from their parents, it’s certain that the parents will not allow it. However, if the child first insists on buying a 200-yuan Ultraman toy, cries incessantly, and finally suggests not buying the toy but wanting to eat spicy snacks instead, then there’s a high probability that the parents will agree.
Bargaining works the same way. Since my original intention was to buy at the online price, and she quoted 5999, if I haggled down to 5699 as per the online price, the final price would probably be around 5800. But if I directly offered 5500 yuan, the employee was willing to sell at the online price.
This phone is a return gift for Miss Grim Reaper. My current body was also bestowed by her. So, using my appearance advantage for this gift is understandable, right?
“Ding—Received a transfer of 5699 yuan.”
“There you go, received!”
After making the payment, I picked up the phone box with a different color scheme but the same theme as the one I had earlier. I waved to the female employee in front of me and asked, “Is there anything else for free?”
“…”
The employee looked somewhat helpless. “Why do I feel like I’ve been played by you, little girl?”
“You guys definitely won’t incur a loss.”
I continued to act cute, “Can I have the headphones you mentioned earlier? Pretty please? Can I, can I? Is it okay, big sister?”
“You really…”
The female employee couldn’t help but smile and sigh, “Forget it, forget it. I’ll give it to you. You’re truly mischievous…”
“…”
—
Half an hour later, I returned to the Starry Garden community. In the little rabbit backpack on my back, I carried the newly purchased “dark red” color phone and headphones, of the same brand and configuration as the “deep ice” one in my skirt pocket.
Originally, I thought I would have around 1000 yuan left after spending the 6000 yuan prepayment salary on the phone. Now thinking about it… a new phone with 1TB of storage is indeed quite expensive. Looking at it this way, the Miss Grim Reaper probably had a hard time saving money to buy me this phone.
Ai Luodi said that she worked as a convenience store clerk nearby for the past few months. The salary for clerks in the Nanqi District fluctuates around 3000 yuan. If you eat fast food nearby every day, that’s close to a thousand yuan a month. Adding rent and daily necessities, saving a thousand yuan is already quite good.
If nothing unexpected happened, she needed at least half a year to save money for this phone, considering she had no savings.
So, is she being tsundere? Even giving a phone, she’s so hesitant and talking about “crossdressing rewards.” Clearly, she’s a demon who has lived for so many years, but why is her personality like that of a little girl?
Guess I’ll have to get used to it.
Unlike someone like me, an uncle wouldn’t exhibit so-called tsundere behavior. It is what it is, and if there’s a need for reciprocation, just reciprocate.
“…”
Walking back, I took out my phone and checked the time.
Seven fifty.
Feeling a bit hungry, I only had a bowl of Rice Pudding for lunch.
And now…
By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and only a few households in the residential buildings ahead had lights on.
Not far away, some elderly ladies who seemed to have just closed their stalls were carrying shoulder poles, with bamboo baskets on either side, containing only a few remaining vegetables.
Even though I had previously agreed with the Miss Grim Reaper that she would help with moving tonight, in the current situation… should I go back to the Wujia Apartment first, or wait here for her to return?
Logically, waiting for Miss Grim Reaper to come back here and open a spatial rift to the Wujia Apartment to save on transportation costs would be ideal. However, I’m not entirely sure about the rules and limitations of her ability.
Does it work like the 17-year-old girl in Gensokyo who can go anywhere, open rifts at will, or are there some restrictions?
Maybe I should just ask her.
With this in mind, I opened my contacts, found the number of the Miss Grim Reaper I had saved in the afternoon, changed the name to “Yin Xiamo,” and then pressed the dial button.
“Hello?”
After the call connected, I heard a somewhat playful voice on the other end, “What’s up, little pet?”
“I’m not your little pet!”
I almost instinctively retorted and then patiently asked, “When do you finish work?”
“Finish work?”
The miss grim reaper fell silent for a moment and then asked, “Have you and Ai Luodi checked out the house?”
“Yeah, my room is right across from yours.”
I approached a small chair by the side of the tree-lined road in the community, adjusted my skirt, and sat down. “Should I go straight back to the apartment and wait for you to pick me up, or should I wait here?”
The Miss Grim Reaper remained silent for a while.
“You should go back first. I’ll come find you after I get home.”
“Why?”
I was a bit puzzled. “Can’t I just wait for you to come back, and then you open a rift in the room to move things?”
“Little one…”
She seemed to be holding back a chuckle. “Do you think my ability can be used anywhere?”
“Isn’t it?”
“No, my little cutie.”
The Miss Grim Reaper didn’t seem inclined to explain. “Anyway, you go back first and call me when you arrive.”
“It’s quite far from here to the apartment, and I have to transfer on the way. It’ll be at least 8:30 by the time I get there.”
“It’s okay, just go.”
Is she hiding something from me…?
Clearly, I could just wait for her to return here, and then we could open a rift together to the rented room. Why does she insist that I go back first? Is she worried that if I stay here too long, I’ll discover some secrets in the house?
I remembered the various browser histories I saw on the Miss Grim Reaper’s computer in her room.
Alright… I should be cautious about that.
But unfortunately, I’ve already seen it!
“I’ll go back now and call you when I arrive.”
Having figured out what was going on, I said to the phone, “By the way, can I call you Xiao Mo like Ai Luodi?”
“Xiao Mo?”
The Miss Grim Reaper’s tone on the phone seemed to soften for a moment and then quickly returned to its usual arrogance. “Whatever. No matter how you address me, I am the master of death in this world.”
“Okay then, Xiao Mo, see you later.”
“…”
After hanging up on Miss Grim Reaper, I took a final look at the three residential buildings where Ai Luodi’s room was located. I walked along the tree-lined road to the end, following Ai Luodi’s description to reach the back garden.
Oh… so this is how you get here.
Then there’s an elementary school here, the exit is there, and if I keep going forward, I should reach the subway entrance.
Fortunately, my sense of direction isn’t bad now, or I might have gotten lost by now.
Passing by the school with the sign “Shenzhen Starlight Elementary School,” looking at the bright classroom lights beyond the wall, scenes from my first day of elementary school flashed in my mind.
If I remember correctly, even though I came from an orphanage and used to have meals where one was full, and the next one hungry, by the fifth or sixth grade, my height had reached around 1.4 meters. Nowadays, with improved nutrition, some elementary school students experience early physical development, and it’s not uncommon to find students who are 1.5 to 1.6 meters tall.
Given my current appearance, passing by an elementary school, could I be mistaken for one of the students and get caught by the gatekeeper?
With such thoughts in mind, I cautiously avoided the school gate, ran along the side road, and reached the subway station entrance.
Entering the subway station, I placed my backpack on the conveyor belt for the staff to scan. I then went to the nearby vending machine to purchase a subway ticket for the return journey.
“Such a cute little sister!”
“Is this the legendary loli?”
“So small! Riding the subway alone?!”
Just like in the afternoon when I arrived, as I entered the subway again, various hushed comments about me filled the surroundings. Used to it by now, I pretended not to hear and boarded the train. Glancing around, I didn’t find any available seats, so I had to stand under a handrail and reached out—
Couldn’t reach.
Huh?
I raised my small, snow-white and delicate hand in front of my eyes, then lifted my head and jumped again, trying to reach the handrail above.
Still couldn’t reach.
Darn it!
Feeling a bit frustrated, I silently retreated to the corner of the carriage and grabbed onto the metal railing. A young man who had witnessed the scene from start to finish stood up beside me, with a suppressed smile on his face. “Little sister, how about you take my seat?”
“Oh, no need!” I quickly waved my hand. “You can sit.”
I’m neither a child nor someone who’s elderly or disabled. You office workers have been tired all day, so please, take the seat.
“You should sit, I’ll be getting off soon.”
Upon hearing my refusal, the young man walked directly to my side. “Later on, more people will come, and standing like this is prone to accidents. I’m getting off in three stops.”
“Well… okay.”
Considering that I indeed had more than twenty minutes of travel ahead, I smiled gratefully at the young man. “Thank you, big brother!”
“No problem, no problem.”
After giving me a smile, he lowered his head and took out his phone.
So, does this mean I was mistaken for a child?
Sitting in the chair, legs close together, I once again experienced the helplessness of being short.
That grim reaper, what kind of twisted sense of humor did you have when designing my body like this? Even if it’s not a tall, muscular man, you could have made me an elegant older sister! Even if not an older sister, just a regular girl would be fine! As it is now, I’m basically… I remembered a very strange term – legal loli. And those browser records I saw on the grim reaper’s computer just now – “If there’s a way to bypass the law, can I be forceful with a girl I like?” Could it be… intentional?
I feel like the stray strand of hair in my beret is getting a bit unruly again. Speaking of which… in my current appearance, if that grim reaper really decides to “be forceful,” I indeed have zero resistance. I guess by then, even simple actions like “resistance” would be considered tempting to someone. So… what should I do?
Thinking about this, I, in inner turmoil, had to put the little rabbit backpack on my thighs, then brighten my phone, open QQ, and intend to look at some silly drawings shared by group members to ease my mind. However, a few messages in my QQ reader group instantly left me stunned in my seat.
?Great! I’ve signed up, and it happens that I have those days off?
?Brother Long is going, anyone else??
?Me, me, me! I want to go too. By the way, isn’t the group owner a local in Shenzhen? Shouldn’t they know about that legendary place? How about we invite the group owner too??
?@UncleLovesLoli, are you there? There’s a really nice Cafe in Shenzhen City, in collaboration with Tongmeng. It’s said to be the only luxurious seaside Cafe in the country. It officially opens on May 10th. We’re planning to go there for some fun. How about you join us and guide the way??
They are discussing the “Shangjing Cat Cafe” in Nanqi District…
?I also got the discount coupon from Tongmeng, enjoying free cat playtime. It seems there are about eighty cats!?
?Just now, the person in charge of the Café posted an update, saying that they have recruited a particularly cute maid for the store, just like this.?
?Attached image: QQ screenshot 2022050700188.jpg?
?Why isn’t her face shown??
?I don’t know, the official account just posted this picture. But they assure us that her face is absolutely cute. Look at that figure, wow…?
?This looks like a little girl, right? Or is it just the angle of the photo? She doesn’t seem older than 12. Doesn’t this count as employing child labor??
?Well, considering it’s posted by the official account, she must be of legal age!?
When I scrolled up the messages, I saw my own photo. Wearing a fresh and stylish hooded coat, a beautiful and clean pleated skirt, snow-white slender legs, and cute round-toe casual shoes…
When did Ouyang Xue take these sneak photos?!
At that moment, perhaps coincidentally, someone who had previously given a generous tip in the group when Yae-Do was still around mentioned me again: ?Uncle? Is Uncle here??
I could only reply on my phone screen: ?I’m here, what’s up??
?You should be in Shenzhen City, right? There’s a rumor that if outsiders travel there and bring a local along, they’ll receive a mysterious blessing. In our group, a few buddies are planning to visit the newly opened café in Shenzhen on May 10th.?
?Can you guide us??
Playing with my phone on the subway, I felt an instant headache: ?How come you guys, a group of hikikomori, suddenly want to go out? Don’t ruin your image without permission!?
?No choice, I work in sales. May 1st is a day off, and we only start our vacation on May 9th.?
?Same here. This café has an event on the 10th, and I won a prize on Tongmeng, a free one-day trip to the café. Free food and drinks, can’t miss it.?
Oh, my God, what is going on…
In an instant, feeling like I had been “sold,” I quickly minimized QQ and opened WeChat. I clicked on the profile picture of “Ouyang Xue,” whom I had just added this afternoon.
?Sister Ouyang, is the café having an event on May 10th??
Within a minute of sending my message, Ouyang Xue replied:
?Yes, Tongmeng issued a lot of coupons. We’ve already decided. Our store will officially open on May 10th.?
I was a bit puzzled: ?Didn’t you say the maids haven’t all been hired yet??
?I have a set of maid outfits at home, and…?
After saying this, Ouyang Xue remained silent for more than ten seconds and then sent an emoticon, ‘Can other cats do it?’
?Moreover, don’t we have you? You’re the café’s top maid. We can open first, build a reputation, and then hire new maids.?
?Alright, that’s settled. Your maid outfit will be ready in an hour. Don’t be late tomorrow!?
“……”
……