CH 24

After finally finishing the steamed bun, Youyou rubbed her stomach, but the hunger still gnawed at her.

“Host, you mustn’t eat anymore. Save the remaining bun,” Xixi advised with concern.

Otherwise, she knew the host would be complaining of hunger again by tomorrow morning.

“Ah?”

“Be a good girl, host, and endure a little longer. Xixi has come up with a way for us to earn some money,” Xixi reassured her.

Youyou hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to follow Xixi’s suggestion and carefully placed the bun back into the refrigerator.

Turning her gaze to the disheveled living room, a slight frown creased Youyou’s forehead.

In her recollection, before Fu Shu’s appearance, Ling Ya had always been kind to the original host. As the original host was a budding artist who often immersed herself in the small and dimly lit art studio, Ling Ya took charge of cooking and maintaining cleanliness in the house.

Their rented apartment consisted of a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and an art studio—sounds complete, yet the space was pitifully small.

Originally, although Bai Youyou didn’t earn much, she never experienced a shortage of food. However, due to Fu Shu’s influence, no one dared to accept the original host’s paintings anymore. Consequently, the original host had transformed into an actual freeloader, surviving solely on Ling Ya.

Actually, when it came to painting, Youyou was also quite skilled.

During her childhood, she possessed an incredibly calm demeanor, often engrossed in puzzles and domino stacking. She seldom spoke and paid little attention to Bai Qu.

It remained a mystery as to what Bai Qu was thinking.

He began arranging for various individuals to play musical instruments and paint in close proximity to Youyou, without intruding or disturbing her. It was as if he maintained a careful distance—neither too close nor too far.

“Xixi, the money-making method you mentioned… it wouldn’t happen to involve painting, would it?” Youyou inquired.

“Yes, host. Although Fu Shu holds significant influence, she shouldn’t be able to push you to the brink or deter everyone from purchasing your artwork. Tomorrow, let’s try setting up a stall in the square and see if we can earn some money by drawing portraits for people,” Xixi explained, offering a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps a ruthless transmigrator would directly kill the host. However, it was evident that this particular transmigrator valued their reputation.

“Oh, alright,” Youyou replied, the thought of not going hungry bringing a smile that practically concealed her eyes.

Gulping down a few more sips of water, Youyou yawned and felt drowsy.

Quietly entering the bedroom, Youyou turned on the light and looked at Ling Ya on the bed, feeling conflicted. Setting aside the fact that Ling Ya was her mission target, the reality was that aside from this bed, there was no other place in the house where she could sleep. It was impossible for her not to sleep, but Ling Ya’s recent attitude made Youyou feel uneasy.

She had always been showered with affection by Bai Qu.

Now she felt utterly wronged.

Selecting her nightwear, Youyou closed the door and turned off the light, heading to the bathroom for a shower. She completely disregarded the high-end bathing products sent by Fu Shu and instead used a basic soap bar to thoroughly cleanse her body, determined to wash herself clean.

The system was absent during the shower, so after drying her body and putting on her cotton pajamas, Youyou returned to the bedroom and lay down on the bed. With her mind, she bid Xixi a good night.

“Good night, host,” Xixi replied.

The room gradually fell silent, with a faint lingering scent of coldness in the air. Ling Ya slowly opened her eyes, her enchanting gaze carrying a complex glimmer within her peach blossom-like appearance.

She initially thought that after the person climbed onto the bed, they would continue to ramble on, arguing with her. But now…

She had come to realize that arguing was rather pointless.

The two occupied half of the bed, clearly separated. The next morning, Ling Ya woke up first, gazing at Youyou, who was soundly asleep, tightly wrapped in the covers. After a moment’s contemplation, Ling Ya let out a sigh. It seemed like Youyou had become thinner. Could it be that she had been having a tough time lately?

Recently, with Fu Shu’s introduction, she signed a contract with a film and television company. Being a newcomer and entering the industry through Fu Shu’s connections, she has been experiencing subtle exclusion from the people in the company. 

Last night, a group of people used the pretense of welcoming her and pressured her to drink. If it weren’t for Fu Shu appearing and helping her out, it would have been difficult for her to escape their clutches. Ling Ya is extremely grateful to Fu Shu.

Every day now, she undergoes extensive training in physicality, vocals, acting, and basic skills at the company. Fu Shu mentioned that after some time, he will arrange for her to have a manager and assistant team. At that point, she will truly step into the entertainment industry.

Ling Ya knows that she has been neglecting Youyou lately, but she doesn’t want to give up this hard-won opportunity. Opportunities are hard to come by, even for someone like Ling Ya, who is currently on the fringe of the entertainment industry. She deeply feels the challenges of the industry.

Leaning closer to the sleeping girl, Ling Ya gently touched her face, adjusted her hair, and softened her voice.

“Youyou, be good. Let’s not argue anymore, okay? Can you trust me? Once I become a star and settle down, I’ll definitely spend quality time with you.”

Youyou didn’t hear these words, but the system Xixi did. It glanced at the unchanged favorability score and grinned, thinking that compared to Mu Qingxue, Ling Ya was incredibly stingy.

Speaking of Mu Qingxue reminded Xixi about the amnesia incident with the host. Although it wasn’t sure where the mistake occurred, sealing the host’s memories was definitely beneficial for the upcoming conquest. Just like now, if the host hadn’t lost her memories, she would certainly refuse to do the missions.

Sighing, Xixi wandered around in the system space, counting mushrooms with a lackluster mood, feeling worried about the host and itself.

After getting dressed, finishing her grooming, and applying makeup, Ling Ya realized that she hadn’t made breakfast in a long time. She opened the fridge, intending to fry eggs and make sandwiches, but…

Looking at the empty fridge, Ling Ya furrowed her brow once again.

【Favorability -3, currently 62.】

Though filled with anxiety, Xixi still tried to lower its voice as much as possible.

With no appetite for cooking and her good mood completely gone, Ling Ya closed the fridge and threw the hardened and bad-tasting steamed bun into the trash bin.

She grabbed her bag in frustration and left.

When Youyou woke up hungry and didn’t find the steamed bun in the fridge, she was on the verge of tears. Her eyes were red as she choked and said to Xixi, “Why is it like this? Doesn’t she have breakfast brought by Fu Shu? Why is she still taking my food? So mean, meanie?”

【…】

It seemed that Xixi shouldn’t tell the host that the steamed bun was in the trash bin.

However, even though the system didn’t say anything, Youyou, who had packed her drawing tools and was ready to go out and make money, still noticed it when passing by the trash bin.

She trembled with anger, staring at the trash bin, biting her lower lip tightly.

【H-Host, don’t be angry. It wasn’t intentional on Ling Ya’s part.】

After all, normal people wouldn’t eat a moldy/peeled steamed bun, right?

【Besides, whether it’s you or the original Bai Youyou, neither of you told Ling Ya that ‘you’ didn’t have a job and no money left, right?】

Xixi advised Youyou earnestly, fearing that her host might quit in a fit of anger.

You see, the current situation is still relatively normal. If the host can’t even endure these minor hardships, then what about the future…

“I know, Xixi.”

Setting down the toolbox and bending over to tie the garbage bag, Youyou picked up her belongings and left. She threw the garbage bag into the large dumpster.

“I’m not angry anymore.”

This was the first time Youyou had gone hungry.

In the past, with Bai Qu, she never had to worry about her basic needs.

Walking to the nearest plaza, Youyou arranged her easel, folding stool, and other tools one by one. She also wrote a price list and stuck it on the easel.

A sketch cost twenty yuan, as per Xixi’s suggested price.

However, Youyou secretly added three big characters at the bottom.

Pay first, please!

So, early in the morning, in the bustling plaza, Youyou sat upright and obediently on the stool, waiting and waiting. Her pure and tender little face was bathed in the warm sunlight.

Not far away, many elderly people were dancing in an orderly and lively manner, performing their square dances. And beside Youyou, there was an elderly person practicing Tai Chi.

Squinting her eyes slightly, Youyou curiously observed everything around her. If she had any energy left, she would definitely join them in dancing.

“Little girl, can you draw a portrait for me, old man?”

A powerful voice interrupted Youyou’s thoughts.

She looked towards the source of the sound, which was the elderly person practicing Tai Chi.

She sweetly smiled and nodded, “Sure, but you have to pay first.”

A red 100-yuan bill was handed to Youyou. She awkwardly scratched her head and said to the familiar-looking elderly person, “Grandpa, can you wait here for a moment? I’ll go get some change.”

The old man waved his hand nonchalantly, his voice rumbling like thunder, “Go ahead, little girl. This old man will watch over your spot. I guarantee that no one will touch your things!” He even patted his chest in a show of confidence.

Youyou: …

The old man is really robust.

After buying three buns and a cup of soy milk, Youyou gave the elderly man eighty yuan and put the remaining fifteen yuan into her small shoulder bag.

With the artistic skills inherited from the original owner’s two lifetimes, plus Youyou’s own remarkable talent, creating a simple sketch of a person was not difficult for her.

While nibbling on the buns, Youyou sketched the outlines with focused concentration. After about an hour and a half, she handed over a vivid sketch to the old man.

Next, Youyou drew a businessman in a suit, a couple, a handsome boy holding a pet cat, a little girl mimicking the pose of her mother in a photo, and, of course, that photo.

Six drawings, one hundred yuan earned. After deducting the cost of food, she had a little over eighty yuan left.

As the sky grew dark, Youyou touched her belongings and, with Xixi’s reminder, neatly packed everything back into her toolbox.

“Did Bai Qu go through the same hardships?” she unconsciously thought.

In Youyou’s memory, Bai Qu had been busy for a while, but as she grew older, Bai Qu became more and more idle.

Dragging her toolbox back home, with Xixi’s guidance, Youyou learned how to buy groceries, select and wash vegetables, and cook using the gas stove… well, at least to make noodles.

After dinner, Youyou began to tidy up the living room.

She threw away all the unused or broken items/furniture and neatly organized the remaining belongings. After some cleaning and tidying up, Youyou finally felt satisfied with the refreshed living room.

“Oh, by the way, Xixi, how should I approach Ling Ya?”

With the issue of food and shelter resolved and all the annoying things eliminated, Youyou, who finally had some free time, remembered Lingya and recalled her mission.

“Fu Shu is so capable, she excels in everything. What can I do to win over Ling Ya?” she asked.

“Even Bai Qu said I’m a useless person.”

【…】

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