Part 2
The lush greenery contrasted sharply with the confinement tower. Seeing the blooming flowers around her, Mǐ Qiū’s mood changed accordingly.
Without the oppression of the tower—where she had even felt breathless and just endured it—she could still remember the yellow dust falling on her hair…
Dust and floating ash fell completely into her hair, getting trapped between the strands and difficult to wash out. Mǐ Qiū spent some time dealing with it until there was no residue left. Mǐ Qiū walked along the tree-lined path and arrived at the villa gate.
There was a doghouse in front of the gate with a dog lying inside. The dog started barking as soon as it saw her. It was brown and white spotted with droopy ears. Its black eyes twinkled, and its nose twitched as if smelling something. Mǐ Qiū didn’t pay much attention at first.
Until the dog barked at her incessantly. It had no cage, only a chain behind it. The dog didn’t look big, but it seemed strong, as if it could break free at any moment. She wanted to press the doorbell next to the gate, but the sound was drowned out by the barking. Mǐ Qiū had no choice but to knock louder.
Before the dog could pounce on her, someone finally opened the door. Mǐ Qiū thought an advanced robot would open the door, but it turned out to be an older maid. She held the dog leash with one hand and shouted at it: “Qiū Qiū! You can’t do this to guests! She is Miss Mǐ, you can’t bark at her.”
Mǐ Qiū asked her, “Is it called Qiū Qiū?”
“Mī Qiū (‘Mimi’ + ‘Qiu’) is its name. But it barking at you might not be just at you. Miss Mǐ, do you have something in your backpack?”
Mǐ Qiū answered, “Besides some clothes, there’s food. Nothing else.”
The maid nodded and asked back, “Nutrient solution? Lychee flavor?”
Mǐ Qiū: “Actually, yes.”
“That explains it. My Qiū Qiū loves lychee-flavored nutrient solution. It’s particularly sensitive to this smell. It was probably barking for that.”
Here, even dogs drink nutrient solution… She didn’t even get such treatment. Lychee flavor was a relatively rare flavor among nutrient solutions, mainly because it was expensive. Mǐ Qiū usually bought the popular orange flavor. And why did it have to be named something so similar to her own name?
Whenever the maid called it Qiū Qiū, Mǐ Qiū always thought she was calling her. Quite awkward, right?
Aside from the maid, there seemed to be no one else in this villa. The villa looked exquisitely decorated from the outside, but inside it was not only empty but also had some gloomy tones.
It was… not very bright. Mǐ Qiū found the furniture in the living room very simple, and the arrangement was casual.
“The walls were almost filled with paintings, crowded together without any spacing between them, adding a touch of weirdness. Mǐ Qiū followed the maid, whose hair was puffed up, every strand glued into a mass with hairspray.
She said to Mǐ Qiū, “Miss Mǐ, Mr. Róng knows you’re coming and instructed me to treat you well. Your room is on the second floor. Later, put your luggage inside, wash up a bit, and come down for dinner.”
Mǐ Qiū: “I didn’t intend to stay. I came to him for important business.”
“Yes, Mr. Róng also said that it’s not easy to persuade him. At least you have to stay here for a few days. During this time, don’t think about anything, just rest.”
Mǐ Qiū thought, the person she was about to face was dangerous to her because he suffered from a terrible illness.
It was said that the more harmless he appeared on the surface, the deeper the source of darkness in his heart. He often hid his emotions. He used to be a cultural officer with a fanatical pursuit of art. Moreover, he was a severe sufferer of skin hunger (touch starvation).
Mǐ Qiū didn’t know much about skin hunger before. After searching, she learned that skin hunger itself wasn’t much, but due to his natural personality, he had a morbid obsession with skin. Of course, his target was Guides. That is to say, he had this illness but no target to practice on yet. Once the target appeared, the illness might be triggered.
Mǐ Qiū pitifully became his first target. That was why she was shocked and terrified to the bone when she saw the basic information last time.
Mǐ Qiū pushed open her room door and put her backpack in a suitable place. Mǐ Qiū stretched her limbs. Wow! This bed is so comfortable!!!!!
She really hadn’t lain on such a soft bed. Actually, because Mǐ Qiū had stayed in the field zone for a long time, even on the island, her room… as soon as she lay down, she would sink right in.
If Mǐ Qiū lay down any longer, she would fall asleep. Indeed, after running for two days, her body felt like it was falling apart. She definitely couldn’t take a bath now, so she could only wash her face with warm water.
Mǐ Qiū was shocked to wash out some yellow sand when washing her face…
Changing into clean pajamas, Mǐ Qiū went downstairs.
Of course, although the room was hot, she dressed very tightly: long sleeves and long pants, even a high collar—not tight, but loose. Not only that, she also wore thin gloves, exposing almost no skin on her entire body.
But she couldn’t cover her face, so Mǐ Qiū gave up. When eating, the man hadn’t come yet.
Mǐ Qiū thought he probably wouldn’t come, right? Whatever, eating was the priority. She panicked if she missed a meal.
Mǐ Qiū hadn’t had a proper meal in a while. She looked at the food on her plate. The dining table could accommodate a hundred people.
To make it easier for her to pick dishes, the maid specially seated her in a corner where the dishes were placed. Mǐ Qiū thought there must be a chef here.
So she asked her.
The maid said, “No, the meals are all made by Mr. Róng.”
Róng Liáng made the food? Mǐ Qiū was very surprised. So the steak and soft-boiled egg in front of her were all made by him? Mǐ Qiū cut a small piece with a knife. The beef was tender, medium-rare, and chewy.
The dual taste combination of pepper and beef, the complex flavor superimposed, made her tut in admiration. She took a sip of the freshly squeezed juice at hand. The sweet and sour taste went down her stomach. Mǐ Qiū couldn’t describe how delicious it was with words. It was too, too, too delicious!!
Mǐ Qiū licked her lips after drinking and asked, “When does Mr. Róng eat?”
The maid stood beside her and said, “Miss Mǐ doesn’t need to worry about this. Mr. Róng never comes downstairs to eat. He eats in a small room on the second floor. Miss Mǐ, these dishes are all yours.”
All hers?! Five dishes? That’s not good, right? But Mǐ Qiū really wanted to eat them all. She hadn’t tasted several dishes yet. The maid let her eat, so she ate, but surely she couldn’t finish them all? Who knew Róng Liáng never ate here usually?
But with such a big dining table, him not eating here daily might be because being alone made it feel empty, Mǐ Qiū guessed.
The remaining dishes included stir-fries and desserts. The cookies were baked just right. Mǐ Qiū picked up a round cookie, tasting like a cookie, very crispy, with coffee-flavored filling inside. But she had to say, it was delicious.
The filling wasn’t too sweet, and the amount was just right. It melted in the mouth. Mǐ Qiū finally knew: Sentinels were indeed all master chefs! Their cooking was better one after another, surprising her every time. Mǐ Qiū almost ate one cookie after another towards the end, unable to stop.
If her stomach hadn’t protested by bulging unnaturally, Mǐ Qiū wouldn’t have stopped. The maid watched her from the side, witnessing all five plates being emptied…
“Miss Mǐ, have you eaten enough?”
Mǐ Qiū rubbed her bulging belly and had to say, “Enough, enough! I’m very full.”
The maid could see it too and asked if she needed anything else now.
Mǐ Qiū: “Mr. Róng, can I see him tonight?”
She hesitated a bit. “Miss Mǐ wants to see him today?”
Mǐ Qiū: “If it’s inconvenient for Mr. Róng, then forget it.”
Mǐ Qiū wasn’t someone to make things difficult for others. Since Róng Liáng didn’t want to see her right now, insisting on meeting wouldn’t be appropriate.
The maid turned and said, “I’ll go up and ask Mr. Róng again.”
Mǐ Qiū got up to walk around a bit. If she didn’t walk, she was afraid she’d be too stuffed and hurt her belly.
The maid seemed to have been up there for a long time without a definite reply. Mǐ Qiū felt she should go upstairs to her room. She could guess what the final result would likely be.
She didn’t want to wait here. Besides, looking out the window, strangely, the sky wasn’t black but deep blue. A crescent moon hung in the sky, creating an atmosphere like a painting. It hung there beautifully.
Mǐ Qiū stared blankly for a while. This scenery completely healed her heart. If possible, she wanted to go out and feel the quiet scenery, which would make her inexplicably happy.
Mǐ Qiū prepared to go up the stairs. Just halfway up, footsteps slowly descended behind the maid. The man’s pace was particularly slow. Hearing something wrong, Mǐ Qiū turned back to her seat at the dining table.
Did he come?
It sounded like it. Róng Liáng would really see her tonight?
While Mǐ Qiū was slightly surprised, her inner fear didn’t diminish at all. She felt very uneasy. What should she say to him? Mǐ Qiū was this nervous for the first time, her palms sweating unconsciously, slippery.
Her palms were damp with sweat, sticky and uncomfortable. Mǐ Qiū felt that if he didn’t appear in the next second, her heart would jump out. She forced herself to stay calm. If this continued, she would really have heart palpitations!!
Mǐ Qiū heard footsteps approaching her. The maid said to her, “Miss Mǐ, our Mr. Róng is here.”
Mǐ Qiū turned her head and finally saw the man.
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