Chapter 12: So, This Is Your Type, Huh?
Mǐ Qiū studied the chart she’d received, looking at the changes in their brainwave values.
Zhù Shāngchén was at 9.8, Hè Chí at 9.5, and Shěn Qīnghuái at 8.9.
The fluctuation point for the third hypnosis session had actually dropped below 9. This meant that as her hypnosis techniques matured, she was gradually able to soothe them more effectively within the dreamscape.
But this was still far from the actual standard.
Officer Hè had clearly given her several target indicators, marked with red downward-pointing arrows. The value she was required to reach was below 4.5.
This was because the soothing from Mǐ Qiū’s hypnosis and the official soothing from a Guide were not the same.
A Guide’s soothing was naturally superior in every aspect.
For a Guide, a value below 6 would have been sufficient.
Mǐ Qiū stared at the dense rows of statistics. She had to cut the number by more than half to pass?
The Sentinels she was currently soothing were all S-class. This was clearly setting an impossible task for her.
But Mǐ Qiū wasn’t one to give up. If something this simple could make her quit, it would be like admitting her hypnosis skills were inadequate. Hmph!
Nothing can defeat a university student!
Since the values had dropped after the third session, it proved she still had a chance.
Mǐ Qiū carefully reread the email and noticed a line of small text at the bottom:
In 6 months, you will receive a second group of guests. Of course, whether you receive them is entirely your choice. If you meet the required values, you can be promoted to a C-class Guide, skipping two levels. How’s that for a reward? You must remember, at your current level, you won’t be able to find a single Sentinel to match with.
Mǐ Qiū knew very well that, given her current situation, being a C-class Guide was already an excellent prospect.
After all, the original owner was the only F-class Guide in existence. Naturally, the benefits of being a C-class Guide were much better.
The monthly salary and living allowance would be much higher.
The thought instantly motivated Mǐ Qiū. It was just soothing, how hard could it be? She was going to do everything she could to break this “F” curse.
It was time for breakfast. What had Xiao Měi made today?
It was curry chicken rice, a dish she had always loved.
Mǐ Qiū used to eat it all the time in the school cafeteria.
She hadn’t expected Xiao Měi’s cooking skills to improve so much. Mǐ Qiū actually needed to upgrade it every so often.
Of course, that was only if she took good care of it. Every day, she had to say good morning and good night to Ai Xiao Měi, wipe its machine exterior clean, and chat with it from time to time. When Xiao Měi was happy, it would slowly upgrade itself.
That meant she could get more delicious food, and gradually, she’d be able to enjoy some grand feasts.
She had to admit, although the ingredients for the interstellar curry were different, the taste of the curry chicken was quite authentic.
Hè Chí said, “Is everyone satisfied with the meal I made?”
The curry chicken was made by Hè Chí, not Xiao Měi.
Seeing the surprised look on Mǐ Qiū’s face, Hè Chí explained, “I happened to be in the kitchen last time and saw a recipe you searched for on your light-brain. It was for curry chicken. I figured you might like it.”
Mǐ Qiū remembered. Before she had made the spicy diced chicken, she had indeed looked up other ways to prepare chicken.
The curry chicken recipe had been too complicated, so she opted for the spicy diced chicken instead.
Hè Chí added, “I don’t think this is a dish Xiao Měi could make.”
Everyone agreed the dish was delicious.
The first-class chef, Hè Chí, said to Mǐ Qiū, “In the future, for any dishes Xiao Měi can’t make, how about Guide Mǐ Qiū prepares a menu?”
After tasting the food, Mǐ Qiū happily agreed.
With these three master chefs around, Mǐ Qiū felt like she was floating in a state of bliss every single day.
The food was so good that her toes trembled, a feeling that seemed to rise from the depths of her soul.
Hè Chí’s cooking was a masterpiece of color, aroma, and flavor. The curry sauce, spooned over the rice, was simply divine!
Paired with the tender chicken and soft skin, Mǐ Qiū felt like she was about to faint from happiness.
A smile blossomed on Hè Chí’s face. “If Guide Mǐ Qiū likes it, I’ll make it for you again next time.”
Just then, Shěn Qīnghuái chimed in, “Chef Hè is really showing off today. How does this compare to your experiments?”
Hè Chí replied, “My experiments are a little lacking in comparison.”
“However, I believe cooking is just like an experiment. You have to personally taste the finished product to discover any problems. From the looks of it, Guide Mǐ Qiū’s satisfaction tells me this experiment was a great success.”
Mǐ Qiū chimed in, “Yes, very successful, very successful.”
Shěn Qīnghuái’s tone instantly turned icy.
“It seems Guide Mǐ Qiū is very easily satisfied with anything.”
The last time Shěn Qīnghuái made porridge, Mǐ Qiū had nodded repeatedly. With Hè Chí’s curry chicken, she was praising it even more lavishly. How could one put it? She was practically inhaling her food.
The way she clutched her bowl, exclaiming how delicious it was, might have seemed overly dramatic on the surface.
But to Mǐ Qiū, it wasn’t an exaggeration at all. Hè Chí’s skills were easily on par with a five-star chef.
But she was terrified that if this continued, the three of them would fatten her up, and then she wouldn’t be able to fit into her pretty dresses!
No, no, I have to restrain myself.
At other times, Mǐ Qiū would visit the island’s bookstore, which was filled with many different types of books.
There were some practical manuals, like The Type-1 Combat Mech Operation Guide, The Species History and Origin of X-Type Aliens, and The Feasibility of Countering the Insectoid Matriarch Bee Race.
After browsing through these different series, Mǐ Qiū found that her favorite genre was still interstellar novels. She had just been randomly picking through the list.
She just hadn’t expected the bookstore to have romance novels. She even saw titles about marrying first and loving later, the domineering CEO falling for her, angsty teen stories, and so on.
She never thought that even in the interstellar era, people would still be into this kind of thing.
Mǐ Qiū was quite interested in all of them. On the island, apart from shopping at the convenience store, there wasn’t much else for her to do.
At most, she would play a new farming and construction mini-game on her light-brain, or some decorating and makeup games.
Some games had a pixelated art style, while others were more high-definition 3D.
Now, Mǐ Qiū had found another fun way to pass the time. The books in the island bookstore couldn’t be bought; you could only read them inside the store.
Reading was free, but there was an entrance fee every time you entered, usually just five star coins.
So, Mǐ Qiū started frequenting the bookstore, all because she had recently started a ridiculously melodramatic Mary Sue novel that she couldn’t put down.
Mǐ Qiū had skimmed the synopsis. It was nothing more than the cliché ending where all the excellent men fall in love with the heroine.
But for some reason, it kept her reading.
It was because she didn’t know what would happen next. So, she eagerly turned page after page, finally reaching another crucial point.
She was so absorbed in her reading that she was completely unaware of the man watching her from the aisle across the bookshelf.
Whenever her favorite couple had a moment, Mǐ Qiū couldn’t help but let out a fond, goofy grin.
Being surrounded and pampered by men feels so good! Mǐ Qiū was still giggling to herself.
A voice slowly drifted into her ear.
It was Shěn Qīnghuái’s.
“Guide Mǐ Qiū has been having a good time lately. What are you reading?”
“Oh, nothing, just browsing.”
Her eyes had just glanced at the cover—a beautiful design in gradients of silver and white.
It depicted a woman in a princess-style ball gown, followed by the silhouettes of countless men.
Mǐ Qiū had been stuck on one page for a long time. A tall man, one meter ninety-something, in a black tuxedo, had his hand hovering around the woman’s waist, pinning her against a wall.
Just as Mǐ Qiū was taking in this scene, Shěn Qīnghuái found her.
He lifted his eyelids and said lazily, “Oh, so this is the type Guide Mǐ Qiū likes, huh—”
Mǐ Qiū knew he had seen the scene.
Overcome with guilt, she nearly stumbled and fell right into the bookshelf.
Thankfully, someone behind her caught her steadily.
Mǐ Qiū looked back and saw it was Hè Chí. He said to Shěn Qīnghuái, “Don’t take your jokes too far. You’re scaring Guide Mǐ Qiū.”
Mǐ Qiū thought, I’m not scared, I’m just incredibly embarrassed! I want to find a hole in the ground to crawl into!
She quickly hid the book.
That should do it, right?
With her hands behind her back, Mǐ Qiū secretly slid the book, Fiercely Doting on My Delicate Darling, back into its original spot.
Seriously! I didn’t even get to see what happens next! The big dramatic confrontation between the heroine and her three admirers was about to happen!
Sigh, it was just getting to the good part, Mǐ Qiū thought with regret.
Mǐ Qiū cut off the previous topic and asked them what kind of books they wanted to read.
Their answers were largely the same: either military or interstellar history.
Hè Chí picked up an experiment manual and, after staring at it for only a moment, became completely engrossed. “Guide Mǐ Qiū probably isn’t interested in this kind of thing, right?”
Mǐ Qiū replied, “I’m actually fine with it. I’m not particularly picky.”
In reality, how could Mǐ Qiū possibly be interested in that type of book? The main issue was that even if she read it, she wouldn’t understand it. The theoretical knowledge alone would make her head spin, let alone the practical application. To Mǐ Qiū, it was no different from reading gibberish.
Just then, someone else walked in. It was Zhù Shāngchén.
Zhù Shāngchén stood between them. His expression seemed relaxed, but his voice was heavy as he asked, “So this is where you’ve all been hiding?”
“No wonder I couldn’t find anyone.”
Mǐ Qiū was a little confused. “You were looking for us?”
Zhù Shāngchén spoke slowly. “Because five minutes ago, Ruǎn Bái Bái suddenly ran out. I think it was probably looking for its owner.”
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