[Ding! Task: The only serious philosophical question has been completed!]
[Rewards granted: Physical Ability +1, Mental Power +1]
Ning Yu gently closed the door as she left the girl's apartment.
The system notification of task completion echoed in her mind.
She glanced at her current attributes:
Physical Ability 14, Mental Power 12, Charm 11.
Having received two consecutive tasks from the girl and gaining 3 attribute points, Ning Yu felt fairly satisfied.
She left the residential area. It was already late afternoon, and if she didn't return soon, Shen Yiyue might come looking for her.
She had wanted to check the exploration team for any base missions but ended up missing lunch.
Passing through the gaps between buildings, the red setting sun peeked through, casting its light on Ning Yu's face.
Her amber eyes sparkled slightly in the sunset's glow.
A gentle evening breeze passed by, painting the ark's tall buildings in orange-red hues. It seemed like just another ordinary twilight.
Yet Ning Yu felt a peculiar sense of dejection: Would this world ever get better?
She shook her head and walked into the building.
...
Just as she opened the apartment door, Shen Qianqian rushed to the entrance, complaining to Ning Yu:
"Sister Ning Yu, if you hadn't come back soon, my sister was about to cook herself. How terrifying!"
Seeing the groceries in Ning Yu's hands, she immediately broke into a happy smile.
"I got held up with something~"
Ning Yu patted Shen Qianqian's head as she walked in.
Just as she finished changing her shoes, Shen Yiyue came out from inside.
"Xiao Yu, where have you been? You didn't even come back for lunch..."
"I'll tell you tonight. I need to cook first - I'm starving."
She hadn't eaten lunch, too focused on following her target.
Ning Yu felt like she was experiencing the illusion of returning home from work.
Although she had never experienced it in her previous life, this feeling of having someone at home waiting - this must be what it feels like.
Compared to those who had lost everyone, she was fortunate, and perhaps Shen Yiyue and Shen Qianqian were fortunate too.
Soon, the sounds of food preparation filled the kitchen.
Shen Yiyue stood beside her, competently assisting - she had improved recently.
Although Ning Yu couldn't see Shen Yiyue's attribute points after using the T-virus enhancement serum, her body was constantly being strengthened.
She could feel her improved muscle control.
So during food preparation, after getting past the initial unfamiliarity, she now cut vegetables very evenly.
She had become an excellent partner to Ning Yu.
"Chop some more garlic, and three small chili peppers."
Ning Yu commanded like a head chef while tying on her apron to start cooking.
"Yes, boss!"
Shen Yiyue, lost in her own thoughts, started role-playing, responding dramatically like a subordinate receiving orders.
Seeing her playful behavior, Ning Yu just smiled and let her be.
In the living room, Shen Qianqian sat on the sofa, coloring what appeared to be a drawing of their apartment with some salvaged colored pencils.
Soon the sound of stir-frying filled the air. Shen Qianqian stopped drawing, lifted her head to sniff the aromatic smell wafting from the kitchen, and felt her stomach growl with hunger.
The small apartment was filled with harmony.
In the same apocalyptic world, there were such drastically different ways of life.
Shortly after.
While Ning Yu was preparing the last dish in the kitchen, Shen Yiyue had already brought out the cooked rice and two finished dishes to the table.
"No sneaking bites, you little glutton! Don't you know how to wait for others?"
Shen Yiyue had just set down the dishes when she swatted away Shen Qianqian's attempting hand.
"What's the big deal? Sister, you're so stingy!"
Shen Qianqian withdrew her hand with a huff, complaining to her sister.
"Your Sister Ning Yu brought your favorite juice today, it's over there, go get it~"
Shen Yiyue pinched her sister's cheek and directed her to get the juice while she went to the kitchen for glasses.
Ning Yu finished the last dish and came out with Shen Yiyue, who was carrying the glasses.
"Xiao Yu, could I try cooking in a few days?"
Shen Yiyue seemed unsatisfied with just being an assistant and wanted to try more.
She was pouring apple juice into the glasses as she spoke.
"Sure, let's start slowly - maybe one dish? I'll help you."
Ning Yu agreed without hesitation as she placed the last dish on the table.
For her, she'd eat it even if it wasn't well-made.
But someone else had objections.
"Sister Ning Yu, you definitely haven't tasted my sister's cooking before."
Shen Qianqian, who had just received the apple juice from her sister, was so startled by her sister's request to cook that her glass shook slightly.
Ning Yu curiously looked at Shen Qianqian, who had scrunched up her face into a grimace, as if already tasting her sister's dark cuisine.
"Pfft."
Seeing Shen Qianqian's strange expression, Ning Yu couldn't help but laugh.
"Qianqian, I think you've been lacking your sister's love lately, hmm?"
Shen Yiyue looked at her sister with a fake smile, using her chopsticks to pile a large serving of vegetables onto her sister's bowl.
"Sister, what are you doing! I don't want so many vegetables, I want meat!"
Shen Qianqian, seeing her sister's revenge, immediately became pitiful, using her chopsticks to add lots of meat to her bowl.
Then she moved her seat away from Shen Yiyue and closer to Ning Yu.
"Sister Ning Yu is so much better, you just like to bully me."
She also picked up some food for Ning Yu, then shot another angry glance at Shen Yiyue, as if showing defiance.
"Alright, alright, let's eat."
Ning Yu quickly mediated as she saw the sisters about to start arguing again.
Shen Yiyue suddenly looked at Ning Yu and said:
"Xiao Yu, I've noticed you've been smiling more lately."
"Really?"
Ning Yu pointed at herself, puzzled.
"Mm-hmm."
Shen Yiyue nodded, then rested her chin on her hand, seriously examining Ning Yu.
"I think Xiao Yu looks especially beautiful when she smiles. Before, you always had a cold expression, just like that Wu Di."
"Sister, stop being such a creep."
Shen Qianqian mischievously reached out and poked her sister.
"I'm not! I'm just telling the truth!"
Shen Yiyue glared at her sister, choosing to ignore her.
Ning Yu fell into contemplation, unsure whether this change was good or bad.
The current daily life had spiraled around her like a cocoon.
That sense of disconnection from her previous life was fading, and she seemed to be gradually accepting her new identity as 'Ning Yu'.
She vaguely remembered seeing her previous self in her first dream.
But she never dreamed of it again.
After dinner.
While Shen Yiyue was washing dishes in the kitchen, Ning Yu opened Wan Heng's diary that she had brought back.
The light was dim, forcing Ning Yu to turn on a small lamp.
Though it was rare to see men keeping diaries, she remembered that line from the movie:
"What normal person keeps a diary!"
Ning Yu smiled, thinking perhaps this was somewhat prejudiced.
So she began to quickly flip through the pages.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
wed him to see the innate talent, destiny, and future of those he invested in. The greater the destiny of his target, the richer the rewards he would reap. Then he discovered that the aloof girl next door, his childhood sweetheart, possessed the highest-grade crimson destiny—a future destined to reign supreme as the Empress of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Lately, she seemed troubled, pondering how to unlock her sealed meridians and unleash her talents ahead of time... — — — My name is Ying Bing, one of the Nine Heavenly Sovereigns, titled the Phoenix Empress, reigning invincibly over the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. I have been reborn and bound to a Peerless Genius System, where ranking first among my peers grants me rewards. [Would you like to activate the Punishment Mechanism?] [Upon activation, rewards will increase, but after the rankings are announced, you must carry out the "Punishment of the Defeated" on the top-ranked individual.] Ying Bing: "I can’t very well punish myself, can I?" — — — Years later. Ying Bing: "Can’t you let me win just once?" Li Mo: "First, call me 'husband' properly—I didn’t hear it clearly last time."
iving with nine beautiful women. [Ding! Welcome back to the Joyous Sect, Host…] Lin Yu: ??? I’m clearly in a shared rental, but you’re saying I’m in the Joyous Sect? Watering plants is now [Tending to Spiritual Flora]? Cooking becomes [Researching Elixirs]? Making the bed turns into [Setting Up Formations]? A gentle and innocent auntie, twin classmates, a mysterious hacker girl on leave, a severely socially anxious artist, an elementary school Chinese teacher, a community hospital nurse, a pet shop owner, an antique clock restorer… This system… is kinda interesting.
