Another cycle of history repeats, the five-man late-night squad assembles once more

Pervert?

"Where's the pervert? I don't see one." A giant question mark appeared over Ye Cheng's head as he kept searching back and forth outside for any suspicious character.

"There's no one else around either. Where did this pervert come from? How strange..."

Shen Qinghan: "..."

Inside the bathroom.

Shen Qinghan soaked in the bathtub, curled up, keeping her body as close to the surface as possible. This saved her a lot of energy and let her tense muscles relax.

Of course, there was one more crucial reason for soaking in the tub — to keep away from a certain pervert, a certain... pervert outside the door crying thief.

"Splash."

Shen Qinghan gently wiped her skin, which was as tender as a baby's, slick and smooth after being touched by water.

After washing for a while, her movements froze as she looked down, a thoughtful look in her eyes as if recalling something.

Earlier, outside, on the couch, that certain pervert...

She still felt that slap she'd given him had been too light.

"Hmph."

Shen Qinghan let out a soft snort and buried most of her head underwater, sulking, leaving only her eyes and the ears with strands of wet hair sticking to them visible.

Her ears were red, burning hot...

"Miss, you still alive in there?" Ye Cheng's extremely concerned voice came from outside the door.

Shen Qinghan: "..."

Splash — water rippled as she looked toward the door, only to see a "giant gecko" plastered on it, chanting "Miss" over and over.

Shen Qinghan: "..."

"Miss, are you okay? Miss, are you having trouble moving right now? Do you need my help? Miss, say something, Miss! If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes..."

Ye Cheng kept talking to himself outside.

"Shut up." Shen Qinghan's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"Aw... damn, the scene from the TV drama didn't play out!" Ye Cheng's teeth-grinding voice came from outside.

Shen Qinghan: "..."

What on earth is this idiot thinking about all day?

Shen Qinghan had a feeling that if she opened the door right now, that certain pervert outside would bolt. But if she didn't, he would keep hanging there like a gecko.

Mm... Schrödinger's pervert.

More than ten minutes later, the bathroom was filled with steam. Shen Qinghan's cheeks were even redder, and her body had gone soft and limp, but she felt much more relaxed than before.

As expected, a good soak was just what she needed.

Splash — Shen Qinghan stood up from the tub, and the previously empty space outside the door instantly had a "giant gecko" plastered on it again.

"Miss, I'm coming to save you right now!!!"

Shen Qinghan: "..."

"Idiot." Shen Qinghan clicked her tongue, then began to put on her clothes. As a detail, she took off the bath towel and hung it over the door.

Ye Cheng: "???"

"Miss, what happened to trust between people? I'm just worried about your safety, and you actually suspect me!" Ye Cheng clutched his chest, looking heartbroken.

"Click."

Shen Qinghan came out of the bathroom, her hair half-dry and draped over her shoulders, cheeks flushed, looking at Ye Cheng like he was an idiot.

"Shut up, pervert." Shen Qinghan snorted, kicking him in the shin as she passed him.

Ye Cheng: "..."

Ah, what a shame. No bonus round this time. Compared to this, President-Sama over there was way more generous — no, WAY more generous!

By the time Xia Tongxin and the Head Maid came down from upstairs, it was already nearly half an hour later.

Actually... Xia Tongxin was reluctant. She was afraid of getting owned by Shen Qinghan again, since it hadn't been long since her last provocation. Her legs were still weak, and she really couldn't run anymore.

There was no one here to protect her this time.

But under the temptation of gaming — more accurately, playing games with Ye Cheng — Xia Tongxin still came down. Otherwise, if those two ran off, she'd miss out on playing with them.

They finally had a chance to hang out together. There was no way she was missing this!

"Miss, it'll be fine." The Head Maid stood at the top of the stairs, looking at her timid young lady hiding behind the railing, fell silent for a moment, then said helplessly.

Their young lady had finally met her match. Every time, she got shut down. The hardships and losses she'd suffered in the past twenty-plus years combined didn't match what she'd been through these past few days.

But at a visible pace, their young lady had grown a lot too — both in resilience and in other aspects...

All in all, it was a good thing.

Xia Tongxin gulped: "I'm not scared of her!"

Head Maid: "..."

The only thing tough about her is her mouth.

The two came down the stairs, and Ye Cheng was playing hairstylist, blow-drying Shen Qinghan's hair. As for Shen Qinghan... she had started another round of farming time.

Unlike before, this time Shen Qinghan was using her own account... well, more accurately, the Madam's account.

Du Wanyi was a hardcore gamer — she had accounts in every game. And coincidentally, the young lady not only knew the account name but also the password, and logged in without any trouble.

Then came the joyful farming session. She was completely hooked. Ye Cheng was blow-drying her hair from behind, completely absorbed in braiding little braids.

Very, very pretty braids, with colorful ribbons woven in. Super distinctive.

Shen Qinghan's hair had originally been straight down her back — your classic black, straight, long-hair look. The standard icy-beauty hairstyle, paired with her natural personality and gaze, was an absolute knockout.

The kind of look that would make anyone feel blessed just by glancing at it.

But the hairstyle Ye Cheng was braiding now suited the "yakuza princess" vibe way more, injecting a lot of energy into it.

In short, it looked completely different — cooler. Another flavor of the young lady.

The kind who wears high-top black boots, a leather jacket, holding a baseball bat, and BONK BONK BONK on people's heads...

Xia Tongxin at the top of the stairs had stars in her eyes, sparkling: "I want one too! I want one too! Cheng, do mine too! I want one too!"

Xia Tongxin scurried down the stairs.

Head Maid: "..."

Miss, you—

Hearing Xia Tongxin's voice, Shen Qinghan, who was focused on her farming, furrowed her brows and turned to look at the little blonde.

"Shut up. Too noisy."

Xia Tongxin puffed up in anger: "This is my house! Why should I shut up? I won't, I won't! Nya nya nya~"

Ye Cheng: "..."

Head Maid: "..."

A new round of conflict began. Quick as lightning, Ye Cheng pressed down on the young lady who was about to get up: "Miss! Your hair! Your game! If you stop playing, your team is going to lose! Those other players are all deadweight — they're counting on you to pull off the comeback!"

A shower of praise, topped off with some slick smooth-talking, finally calmed Shen Qinghan down. Ye Cheng let out a sigh of relief.

The Head Maid reacted just as fast, rushing down the stairs, scooping up Xia Tongxin, and carrying her off to the side, where she too started braiding hair.

Her skill was also quite good, but... somehow, compared to what Ye Cheng made over there, it was always missing a bit of that spark.

The same problem came up again, just like earlier with the cooking.

Xia Tongxin looked at herself in the mirror. She still looked pretty, sure, but... she glanced over at the Deceitful Little Cow Demon, sitting there playing games—screen black, laning, fighting 1v4.

Ugh... how come that Deceitful Little Cow Demon looked like a completely different person after changing her hairstyle?

Meanwhile, in her case, it was like changing a hairstyle... and nothing else happened?

She refused to accept this!

Xia Tongxin puffed up her cheeks in frustration, like a grilled rice cake that had swelled: "Xiaxia, why does my appearance not make me look like a completely different person?"

Head Maid: "..."

What... kind of question was this?

Head Maid thought for a moment, quickly tracing the source of the problem. She looked over at Shen Qinghan, who was sitting on the sofa, hunched over her phone, playing a game...

She marveled inwardly.

It really was like she had become a different person. She seemed much sharper now—before, it was more about coldness and indifference.

It was so amazing. How did he do it?

Head Maid quickly realized the secret was in those odd-colored hair ties, cleverly incorporated by Ye Cheng into various shapes—quirky, but the final effect looked stunning.

So this was the "just a little touch" he’d mentioned?

For some reason, Head Maid found herself silently questioning and marveling at that.

"All right, Miss, how do you like Master Tony's work?" Ye Cheng winked shrewdly, holding up a mirror in front of Shen Qinghan.

Right at that moment, Shen Qinghan's phone screen went black, so she had a free second to glance at the mirror that Ye Cheng was holding.

Shen Qinghan blinked for a moment, looking at the reflection. Is this... really her?

Why did she feel so weird...

"Not good-looking," she muttered flatly, then turned her gaze back to her screen just in time to see her character respawn, and continued farming.

Ye Cheng: "..."

Crack—the sound of his heart breaking. Ye Cheng slumped on the sofa, wallowing in misery, radiating ominous negative energy from every pore.

"But I'm pretty, so the overall effect still looks acceptable," Shen Qinghan added dismissively in a calm tone.

Ye Cheng instantly revived, a confident grin spreading across his face: "Your total today comes to 8888 yuan. Will you be paying with card-"

"Bam!"

Head Maid: "..."

There they went again—the two of them playing their little game together. It was a relationship to be jealous of... Indeed, they should send in the all-around leader of the Six-Sided Combat Captain to handle this troublesome yakuza princess.

As much as she hated to admit it... no one else, herself included, could measure up to that yakuza princess. Their souls were too perfectly in sync.

Go get the Captain, quick!!!

Head Maid increasingly felt that letting those two keep spending time like this did nothing but raise the yakuza princess's standing at the expense of everyone else...

As for their young miss...

Head Maid glanced down. Xi Xia Tongxin was still grumbling, fiddling with her own hair, trying to figure out how she could look like another person.

Head Maid: "..."

Their young miss... it seemed she hadn't even signed up for the competition. She didn't even qualify as a contestant. At best, she was just a bystander.

"Ugh... but why..." Xia Tongxin pouted, sulky, still fussing with her hair and completely oblivious to the progress happening between her pair on the other sofa.

A few minutes later.

"Bang!"

"Defeat!"

With the young miss's terrible gameplay, she led her team straight into failure. The crystal exploded—game over.

"Alright, come on, I'll invite you." Shen Qinghan exited the defeat screen with practiced ease, turning down a few friend requests along the way.

"Eighteen-year-old innocent college girl invites you to join the party, accept?"

Ye Cheng: "..."

Eighteen... innocent college girl?

Ha ha, lady, are you seriously out here posing as young and innocent on the internet?

Accept!

"Grandpa Ox from Turntable Garden, Number One Assault Trooper has joined the party!"

"Queueing..."

"Detected player has left..."

Shen Qinghan furrowed her brow, staring at Ye Cheng. "Why did you leave?"

"Hold on, Miss. I'm pulling in two more teammates."

"Mixed-Race Mama-san has joined the party!"

"Mixed-Race Mama-san #2 has joined the party!"

Shen Qinghan: "..."

Those names... Although she'd never seen them before, Shen Qinghan immediately guessed who owned the accounts. There was no doubt—it was that idiot golden retriever and the Head Maid.

"Have you two played together before?" Shen Qinghan frowned as she asked.

Xia Tongxin stood up smugly, hands planted on her hips, looking supremely self-important: "Xiaxia and I have already played with Cheng before. We played a lot—you—ugh ugh ugh..."

Before she could finish, the Head Maid hurriedly put down her own phone and clamped her hand over her mistress's mouth.

She had to cut off that line of thought. If she let her continue, there would be no playing games tonight...

Gulp.

The Head Maid swallowed hard, a cold sweat forming on her forehead, her heart pounding as she watched Shen Qinghan warily. Luckily, Shen Qinghan just flicked Ye Cheng on the head—nothing else.

"Wait, we're still missing one. I'll find a random player in the lobby..." Ye Cheng rambled to himself.

Hmm?

Ye Cheng froze as he saw a notification pop up—a friend's icon was lit. At this hour... couldn't that little fatty still be awake?

Perfect, they could go with a five-man queue!

"Kindergarten’s Class Bully has joined the party!"

"Little Uncle-in-law, why aren’t you asleep yet?!"

Shen Qinghan: "..."

Head Maid: "..."