Lu Xiuying smiled and poured her a glass of warm water.
“Being able to eat is a blessing. You're so thin, you should eat more.”
Zhu Lingxi looked down at her wrists. It seemed like the first time anyone had ever said that to her, and she felt a bit self-conscious.
Cen Yao leaned in and whispered, “My mom is complimenting you.”
Zhu Lingxi nodded.
“I know.”
“That's why I'm very happy.”
The afternoon sunlight gradually grew stronger.
After finishing their meal, Lu Xiuying and Cen Qihang cleared the table and began to feel a bit sleepy.
Cen Qihang usually had a habit of taking afternoon naps. Having been busy all morning and helping out in the kitchen for half the day, he yawned as he stepped out.
“Xiuying, I'll wash the rest of the dishes.”
“What do you mean you'll wash them?”
Lu Xiuying glared at him.
“You got water all over the floor when you washed the vegetables earlier. Go take your nap.”
“Then I'll tidy up the yard this afternoon.”
“We'll talk about that this afternoon.”
Cen Yao watched them and waved her hand with a smile.
“Mom, Dad, go take your nap.”
“I'll show them to the guest rooms to rest.”
Lu Xiuying was still a little worried.
“The blankets in the guest rooms were just changed, and there are thin quilts in the wardrobe. Tinglan has trouble getting around, so Yao Yao, make sure the door thresholds aren't too high so his wheelchair doesn't get caught.”
“I know.”
Cen Yao dragged out her words.
“I'll take care of it.”
Lu Xiuying looked at Zhu Lingxi again.
“Lingxi, if there's anything you're not used to, just let me know. Tell me in advance what you want to eat for dinner too.”
Zhu Lingxi nodded obediently.
“Okay.”
“Auntie Lu and Uncle Cen should also go rest quickly.”
Lu Xiuying agreed with a smile.
Before entering her bedroom, she looked back at Cen Yao once more.
Her daughter was sitting among her friends, smiling naturally.
Lu Xiuying's eyes grew slightly warm, but she didn't say anything more and simply closed the door gently.
Cen Yao led Zhu Lingxi and Pei Tinglan upstairs.
There were two guest rooms, which happened to be directly opposite and next to her own bedroom.
One of them was larger, with no threshold at the door and plenty of space left beside the bed. Cen Yao settled Pei Tinglan into that one first.
“This room is yours.”
“The bathroom is right on the right, and there are handrails inside. My house doesn't have a sink suitable for wheelchair users, but if you need anything, you can message me directly on the friends panel.”
Pei Tinglan glanced around the room.
The light-colored bedsheets were neatly made, and the window was cracked open slightly, offering a view of the grape trellis in the yard outside.
A small lamp and a cup of warm water sat on the nightstand, and a folding umbrella rested next to the wardrobe.
It was very ordinary, yet so detailed that one couldn't find any fault with it.
“Yeah.”
He gave a soft grunt of assent.
Seeing his calm expression, Cen Yao asked again, “Do you really not need my help?”
Pei Tinglan looked up.
“Cen Yao.”
“My legs just don't work; my arms aren't broken.”
“I know, I know.”
Cen Yao waved her hand dismissively.
“Just call me if you need anything. Don't push yourself.”
Pei Tinglan's expression stiffened slightly.
After a brief moment, he murmured softly, “You too.”
Cen Yao was taken aback.
Before she could speak, Pei Tinglan turned his gaze toward the window.
“Go settle Zhu Lingxi. Don't block my doorway.”
Cen Yao's eyes crinkled into a smile.
“Okay.”
Zhu Lingxi's room was next door.
As soon as she entered, she smelled the fresh scent of sun-dried bedding.
The room was furnished with a wooden desk and a small cabinet, and a pot of jasmine sat on the windowsill, its small white flowers in full bloom.
Zhu Lingxi stood by the bed, a bit hesitant to touch anything.
“Xiao Yao.”
“Can I really stay here?”
Cen Yao was puzzled. “Of course you can. This is a guest room.”
Zhu Lingxi said softly, “But I only came for a meal.”
“It's not like you're leaving right away.”
Cen Yao placed a thin blanket at the foot of the bed.
“Besides, we just came out of a dungeon, and none of us have rested properly. Take a nap first, and once you wake up, we can talk about whether you want to go back to the player space or stay in the real world.”
Zhu Lingxi looked at her.
“What about you?”
“I'm going back to my room to sleep too.”
Cen Yao yawned.
Although she hadn't sustained any fatal injuries in the dungeon, her mind had been constantly tense.
Now that she was back home and had eaten, the exhaustion finally caught up with her.
“See you later.”
Zhu Lingxi nodded.
“Good afternoon, Xiao Yao.”
“Good afternoon.”
Cen Yao closed the door for her and turned to walk back to her own room.
Once her door was shut, all outside sounds were blocked out.
Cen Yao flopped onto her bed.
The soft blanket wrapped around her body, and she sank into it, letting out a comfortable sigh.
“Orb.”
Inside the consciousness space, the orb popped up immediately.
“Host, I'm here.”
Cen Yao rolled over and hugged the plushie on her bed.
“How many shock points did I earn in total this time?”
During the Cat Cafe dungeon, the orb had broadcasted the growth of her shock points every day.
However, Cen Yao later felt that its constant “Ding! Shock points +...” notifications were too distracting, so she simply had the orb temporarily record the data and tell her all at once after she cleared the dungeon.
The orb's voice was very calm.
So calm that it seemed entirely unfazed.
“Ding—Congratulations, Host.”
“In the Cat Cafe dungeon, you accumulated a total of 67,896,523 shock points.”
Cen Yao bolted upright.
She moved so quickly that the plushie she was holding flew right out of her arms.
In the next second, she lost her balance and rolled right off the edge of the bed.
“Whoa!”
“That many?!”
Cen Yao sat on the carpet, her eyes wide.
“The viewers this time were that amazing?”
The orb quickly floated over to her side.
“Host, you didn't hurt yourself from the fall, did you?”
“I'm fine, I'm fine.”
Cen Yao waved her hand, her mind still reeling from that number.
Over sixty million.
This was far more than she had ever anticipated before entering the dungeon.
The orb explained, “Actually, nearly half of those shock points were contributed by the forum.”
“The forum?”
“Yes.”
The little flower on top of the orb's head swayed.
“Your live stream in the dungeon was already highly popular. Later, the incident where the four major guilds blocked you at the exit and competed to invite you to join was witnessed by many people, and it was immediately shared on the player forum.”
“During that period, the background data fluctuated incredibly violently.”
“It rose even faster than when you drew arrays, turned the tables on enemies, or cleared the dungeon.”
As the orb said this, a hint of smugness leaked into its voice.
“I was worried someone might maliciously stir up trouble, so I quietly took a peek at the forum.”
“It turned out the entire forum was discussing you, Host.”
“Everyone was asking who you are and why the four major guilds were fighting over you.
Rate on N.U.
