Chapter 32: Song Jiaru's Legs You Could Play With for a Year

Carrying those shopping bags symbolizing a brand-new beginning, Xu Yunzhou returned to his narrow apartment building.

"I'll deal with the 20 Bitcoins tonight, it's time to buy a decent house first."

The most direct change brought by wealth is the freedom of choice.

He had just taken out his key when the door next door happened to open with a "click."

That landlady who still retained her charm—Lu Qian—walked out carrying a garbage bag.

The moment she saw Xu Yunzhou, Lu Qian's gaze lingered on his high-quality new clothes for two seconds, then quickly swept over his face, which looked even more handsome and three-dimensional after being dressed up, and finally landed on those exquisite shopping bags in his hand.

A look of "so that's how it is" understanding flashed through Lu Qian's eyes.

Dressing so respectably and looking so outstanding, yet renting this kind of place?

Moreover, at this time of day, shouldn't a proper office worker be busy in the office? Yet he's carrying obviously expensive shopping bags home...

The corners of her mouth curled up into an ambiguous, slightly teasing smile, her voice dragging out the tone:

"Yo, handsome, you're back? Dressed up so handsomely... which venue are you working at? Tell Sister, when I have time I'll go take care of your business too?"

(TL: "Venue" translates Chǎngzi [场子], a colloquial slang term referring to upscale nightlife hubs, entertainment lounges, or host clubs.)

Xu Yunzhou:

"???"

He blanked for a moment, then reacted, simply not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He sighed helplessly and explained:

"Sister Lu, you're overthinking it. I just lost my job."

Seeing that momentary embarrassment on his face, Lu Qian instead found it even more interesting.

She stepped forward and naturally reached out to flick away some non-existent dust from his shoulder, her action carrying a trace of undetectable teasing:

"Lost your job? Tsk, how pitiful. Do you want Sister to introduce a job to you? With your conditions, you'll definitely be in high demand."

Xu Yunzhou subconsciously took a half step back, opening up a little distance:

"...Thank you Sister Lu, but I probably won't need it."

"Alright, tell me anytime you figure things out."

Lu Qian didn't pester him either. She waved the phone in her hand, and added a sentence before leaving, her gaze meaningful,

"Don't worry, it's legitimate, selling houses."

After saying that, she twisted her waist and walked away with amorous grace.

Watching her back disappear at the staircase, Xu Yunzhou shook his head helplessly.

What is all this nonsense.

Entering the room, he took out the newly purchased clothes one by one and carefully hung them into that narrow wardrobe.

After doing this, he went straight to sit in front of the computer.

On the screen, the "Goddess Nurturing" icon lay quietly.

He took a deep breath, as if performing some important ritual, moved the mouse, and entered Song Jiaru's stage.

Light and shadow flowed, and the interface finished loading.

The time in the game still remained at the node when he exited last night—Song Jiaru had just fallen asleep, and the room was completely peaceful.

Xu Yunzhou directly used the [Fast Forward] function, adjusting the time to the early morning of the next day.

On the screen, in the bedroom full of a young girl's aura, Song Jiaru's long eyelashes fluttered a few times like butterfly wings, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Almost the instant she woke up, a trace of panic and nervousness flashed through those clear almond eyes.

She subconsciously and rapidly scanned the entire room, looking for that existence that could make her feel at ease.

When her line of sight caught that exciting figure in front of the window bathed in morning light, standing with his back to her, leisurely drinking coffee and looking out at the street scene...

"Big Brother!"

She sat up from the bed almost instantly, her voice full of undisguised joy, as if afraid that if she was a second slower, this phantom would disappear,

"You really are still here! I, I thought everything that happened yesterday was just a dream I had!"

She patted her chest and let out a breath of relief. Then her eyes sparkled as she sized up Xu Yunzhou's new image up and down like a scanner,

"Wow! Big Brother, you're dressed so handsomely today! This outfit looks ten thousand times better than that dinosaur pajamas from yesterday! No, a million times!"

Looking at this undisguised reliance and pure joy, a trace of satisfied smile curled up imperceptibly at the corners of Xu Yunzhou's mouth in front of the screen.

This money was well spent; the emotional value for both sides was maxed out.

He moved the mouse and gently clicked that [Reward] icon emitting a gentle green light.

An invisible, reassuring, and pleasant warm current swept through Song Jiaru's whole body, making her narrow her eyes comfortably, like a cat being stroked along its fur.

"Stop flattering."

Xu Yunzhou's voice came through the microphone, carrying a trace of indulgence even he hadn't noticed,

"Hurry up and wash up, today I'm taking you out to play for a whole day."

He paused and added an explanation:

"Right, don't wear a skirt today, change into jeans and sneakers that are convenient for moving around. Today, you're going to walk a lot, lot of roads."

"Mhm! Got it! I'll be right out!"

Song Jiaru nodded forcefully. Like a happy puppy receiving a command, she bounced into the bathroom, still humming a song.

Xu Yunzhou focused his attention and listened to that unpolished, clear singing voice coming through the door panel, a trace of amazement flashing through his eyes.

He nodded slightly and muttered to himself in a low voice:

"Pure timbre, natural breath control, innate musical sense... As expected of a future Queen of Pop seedling. Even before undergoing professional carving, her foundation is already this outstanding."

Soon, she changed her clothes and came out—a pair of slim-fit blue jeans, a loose T-shirt printed with cute cartoon animals on her upper body, and her hair tied into a neat high ponytail.

Her whole person brimmed with an aura of youthful vitality, looking completely different from that cowardly girl yesterday.

Through the screen, Xu Yunzhou's gaze lingered for a moment on those long and straight legs of hers, and he couldn't help but evaluate with a teasing tone:

"Tsk, legs you could play with for a year. It's just that you're a bit too thin, you need to eat more, gaining some meat is healthier."

(TL: Bruh.)

If these words were spoken in the real world by any strange man to Song Jiaru, who suffered from social anxiety, it would probably scare her so much her face would turn pale, and she would immediately flee like a frightened rabbit, perhaps even leaving psychological trauma.

But at this moment, hearing the smiling teasing from "Big Brother," not only did she not reveal the slightest fear, she instead giggled.

Even carrying a bit of slight smugness, she deliberately brought her legs together, displaying their beautiful lines, and spoke astonishing words:

"Then... Big Brother, why don't you come play? Anyway... I can't hide either!"

Her cheeks flushed slightly red, but her eyes were entirely trusting, carrying a trace of ignorant and natural teasing that even she hadn't noticed.

In front of the screen, Xu Yunzhou was startled by her bold reaction. Then he laughed dumbly, shook his head, and facing the microphone, using a tone half-joking and half-prophesying, he responded in a low voice:

"Heh... sooner or later there will be such a day."

Song Jiaru's face "swish" turned even redder, a little deer bumping around in her heart, yet a trace of sweetness inexplicably surged up. With light steps, she ran to the door to change her shoes.

Watching her back, Xu Yunzhou reined in his smile.

Today, he was going to begin real special training for her.

Singing skills and music theory knowledge could be put aside for now, but this timidity and shyness that had penetrated to the bone must be uprooted first!

For someone who couldn't even make normal eye contact with strangers or clearly express themselves in public, how could they possibly one day stand calmly in the center of a stage watched by the masses with lights focused on them, and become a true singer who infects tens of thousands of listeners with their voice?