Chapter 129 | After Maxing Out, I Became a Landlord in Another World

When the grilled lamb chops were served, the fat was still sizzling, the surface dusted with a layer of dark, crushed spices, and the edges slightly charred and crispy, carrying the unique aroma of a charcoal fire.

Velyan had already picked up her knife and fork, her golden eyes staring at the grilled lamb chops with anticipation.

“Eat up!” Loviki said with a smile, pushing the plate toward her.

Velyan immediately cut off a piece, popped it into her mouth, and her eyes lit up instantly. “Delicious!”

As she chewed on the lamb chop, she mumbled, “I think this is almost on par with hot pot!”

“Then I’ll take you to try other things tomorrow.” Loviki picked up her cup and took a sip of juice, her voice light and cheerful. “I know quite a few delicious places. Tomorrow I’ll take you for dessert, and then we can buy some fruit wine to bring back to the apartment to drink.”

“Loviki, you’re the best!” Velyan said, looking up with her eyes narrowed in a happy squint.

Hippe bustled back and forth around them, occasionally adding a plate of vegetables or a small dish of dipping sauce to the table, and periodically replacing the cooled tea.

Once the crowd of customers finally began to thin, she dragged a round stool over to sit next to Loviki. Resting her hands on her knees, she smiled so widely her eyes crinkled into crescents. “Loviki, you still haven't told me—how did you suddenly decide to bring friends over? Whenever I asked you to hang out before, you were always busy.”

“I had to train back then.” Loviki lowered her gaze, her finger gently tracing the rim of her cup. “If you don't make the most of your time when you're young, it only gets harder to make up for it later.”

“That’s true. Everyone at the magic academy knew that Loviki was the most hardworking student,” Hippe nodded, a touch of nostalgia in her voice. “While others were resting in the dorms, she was at the training grounds. While others were strolling through the night markets, she was out doing quests on the outskirts of the dungeon.”

As she spoke, her gaze swept over the others at the table, and she asked curiously, “What about now? Does she still train every day like before?”

“Not anymore,” Flora chimed in, saying with a soft chuckle, “Lately, the thing she cares about most every day is fishing.”

“Flora!”

“It seems Loviki doesn't think resting is a waste of time anymore~”

Loviki didn't reply. She merely looked down at the juice swirling in her cup. The light from the charcoal fire flickered across her profile, softening her usually cold expression. After a moment, she looked up, her lips curving slightly. “It’s fine to take a break once in a while.”

“Oho! You’re smiling!” Hippe teased lightheartedly.

“That’s how it should be! Before, you were like a training machine. After all, we train to have a better life~” With that, Hippe stood up with a laugh and headed toward the kitchen.

Before long, she jogged back out of the kitchen, holding a bottle of fruit wine. “To celebrate Loviki making new friends!”

Hippe poured a cup of fruit wine for everyone, then said, “I bought this at the Central Square. It’s the fruit wine you recommended to me.”

“Eh? Loviki, is this the one you said you’d take me to buy?” Velyan asked, looking curiously at the wine in her cup.

“Yes, but don't you not drink?”

“Since a friend recommended it, I can try a taste,” Velyan answered earnestly.

The meat sizzled over the charcoal fire, blending with the sound of their occasional chatter.

Loviki sat in the corner, watching the four people beside her.

Chen Mian was passing dipping sauce to Flora, Louise was teaching Velyan how to cut the grilled meat evenly, and Flora smiled as she placed a piece of grilled meat into Loviki's bowl.

She looked down at the meat that had so naturally ended up in her bowl, suddenly feeling as though the days of eating and living alone were already a lifetime ago.

“Loviki, if you don't eat it soon, the meat will get cold,” Flora's voice chimed in from beside her.

“Okay~”

...

By the time they returned to Loviki's cottage, the night was already deep.

The noise of the streets gradually faded, leaving only the occasional sound of carriage wheels in the distance and the faint barking of dogs.

After the five of them took turns washing up, they lay back down on the floor beds in the second-floor bedroom.

The lights had been turned off, with only the faint moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains.

Velyan, lying closest to the door, quickly drifted off, her breathing becoming slow and even.

She was already fast asleep, occasionally smacking her lips as if she were still eating grilled lamb chops in her dreams.

Louise lay with her back to the window, though it was hard to tell if she was asleep.

Having drunk quite a bit of fruit wine, Loviki fell asleep quickly. Facing Chen Mian, her lips were slightly parted, looking completely defenseless.

Chen Mian lay on his side, his gaze resting on her peaceful sleeping face. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly before he withdrew his eyes.

Flora lay flat on her back, the outline of her blanket rising and falling gently in the moonlight.

Just as Chen Mian was about to close his eyes, he felt a hand slowly reach over beneath the blanket. It was Flora's hand.

Her fingertips slid over slowly under the covers, groping until they touched the back of his hand, then gently hooked around one of his fingers.

Chen Mian let her fingers pinch and play with the back of his hand.

After a moment, Chen Mian closed his fingers slightly, holding Flora's hand.

Her hand paused in his palm before gently squeezing back. Her movement was incredibly light, and her palm was warm.

The faint rustle of fabric came from beneath the blanket.

Flora rolled over to face him, the moonlight spilling across her face.

Her eyes were closed, but a faint smile played at the corners of her lips, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly in the moonlight, as if she were trying hard to suppress a laugh.

Seeing her pretending to sleep while holding back a smile, Chen Mian lightly tickled her palm with his finger.

The curve of Flora's lips deepened, but she still didn't open her eyes.

Chen Mian slid his fingers between hers, intertwining them, and rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand.

Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and the smile on her face could no longer be hidden. Finally, she opened her eyes a crack. Her lively eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, carrying a hint of embarrassment and mischief from being caught in the act.

“What are you two... doing?” a sleepy voice drifted over from beside them.

Chen Mian and Flora froze at the same time.

Loviki had woken up at some point. Her blanket was pulled all the way up to her chin, leaving only her face exposed. Her ruby eyes were slightly narrowed in the moonlight, filled with the grogginess of someone who had just woken up, along with a hint of petulance.

Her gaze fell on their intertwined hands resting beside the blanket, then shifted to Chen Mian's face, and then to Flora's, before she let out a soft hmph. She pulled the blanket up a bit higher, covering the lower half of her face and leaving only her eyes visible.

“…I saw that,” her muffled voice came from beneath the blanket.

Flora turned her head to look at Loviki, a smile on her lips as she whispered, “Did we wake you up?”

Loviki’s voice remained tiny. “You two were making too much noise.”

“Actually, we weren't making much noise at all.”

Loviki suddenly popped half her face out from the blanket, her voice slightly louder than before. Realizing she had overreacted, she quickly pulled the blanket back up, leaving only her eyes exposed. “…Either way, I was woken up.”

“Then should I let go?” Chen Mian asked, his fingers moving slightly inside Flora's palm.

Loviki’s eyelashes fluttered gently. “…Up to you.”

“Then I won't let go,” Chen Mian said softly.

A brief silence fell.

Loviki rolled over to lie flat on her back, refusing to look at them, and pulled the blanket even higher. “Do whatever you want… I’m sleeping.”

Seeing this, Chen Mian reached his hand under the blanket and gently took Loviki's hand.

After a short while, a quiet sound came from beneath the blanket. “Hmph!”

“Loviki.”

“…What,” she said in a tiny voice.

“Do you want to hold hands?”

“…If you want to hold it, then hold it,” Loviki’s voice was even quieter than before, but she still closed her fingers slightly to hold his hand back.