The Ancient Costumed Girl Who Broke Into the House

"Miss Shen, you can stay in this room for now. Don't worry, your roommate is a student, just a regular guy, absolutely safe and reliable."

"Auntie, thank you so much. I really didn't know where else to go."

"No problem, no problem, young lady. You must be doing some kind of cosplay, right? You look so beautiful in that ancient-style dress, just like how I looked when I was young."

"Auntie, what is cosplay?"

"It's..."

*Bang!*

An Yi, returning from the Law Enforcement Bureau, struggled to open the rusty security door of his rented apartment.

The lights were still on inside.

When he saw the scene inside, An Yi was stunned.

There were two people in the room: one was the landlady, Aunt Zhou, who was in her fifties.

Seeing Aunt Zhou wasn’t surprising—she was always nagging him about rent, and he saw her several times a day. An Yi even remembered how many freckles she had on her face.

What truly shocked him was the other person in the room—a young girl dressed in an ancient-style gown.

Her features were exquisite, almost perfect. Her willow-like eyebrows seemed painted, and her eyes sparkled with a captivating charm, clear and bright, exuding an intoxicating allure.

Her long, jet-black hair was tied up with a wide, pearl-white ribbon, giving her an ethereal, fairy-like aura.

Her eyes were like rippling water, her brows like distant mountains.

The simple, green ancient-style gown she wore accentuated her graceful figure.

An Yi couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Her beauty was no less than Qin Yao’s! In fact, she seemed to carry an otherworldly, celestial air about her.

*Ding! Target meets the criteria for [Romance Expert]!*

An Yi was momentarily stunned—another one who met the standard.

"Hey, kid, what are you staring at her for?"

Aunt Zhou glared at him.

An Yi quickly replied, "Oh, nothing, nothing."

The girl in the ancient dress nodded slightly at him and gave a gentle smile.

Her shy, lowered gaze was like a delicate lotus flower, exuding a tender charm...

Then, An Yi’s view was blocked by Aunt Zhou’s face as she moved closer.

"Kid, isn’t it about time you paid your rent? You’re two months behind now. If you keep dragging it out, I’ll kick you out! Got it?"

Aunt Zhou said sternly.

An Yi had heard this same speech for two years now, and it was starting to wear thin.

He pulled a few red bills from his pocket and handed them to Aunt Zhou. "Here’s 300 yuan. That’s all I’ve got."

"You lazy bum, don’t you know you should get a part-time job while you’re in college? You’re just wasting your days doing who knows what!"

Aunt Zhou grumbled as she stuffed the money into her pocket.

Then, she grabbed An Yi’s arm, pulled him aside, and glanced at the girl in the ancient dress before whispering to him.

"I found this girl on the street. If it weren’t for me, those little thugs would’ve harassed her."

"Why do you keep picking people up?"

An Yi frowned slightly.

He glanced at the girl in the ancient dress and noticed that her "destiny value" was marked with a question mark! No matter how many times he looked, it was still a question mark. This was the first time he’d ever seen something like this!

"What do you mean, ‘keep picking people up’?"

Aunt Zhou smacked the back of his head and scolded him. "You ungrateful brat! Two years ago, when you were half-dead by the riverside, wasn’t it me who picked you up?"

An Yi shrugged. In a way, Aunt Zhou was his savior.

All the money he owed was to her.

Back then, he had been found unconscious by the river, covered in injuries. She had taken him to the hospital, where he stayed for half a month before finally waking up. That’s how he ended up owing her a hefty medical bill.

Going to college was also Aunt Zhou’s insistence.

He had wanted to work to pay off his debt, but she said that without a degree, he’d never make much money.

"This girl is beautiful, but there seems to be something wrong with her," Aunt Zhou whispered, pointing to her head and giving An Yi a meaningful look. "She’s even weirder than you."

An Yi: "..."

"An Yi, I trust your character. Try to talk to her and help her find her way home. Of course, if she wants to stay, I won’t kick her out, but she can’t skip rent, okay?" Aunt Zhou said seriously.

An Yi quickly tried to decline. "Aunt Zhou, I really can’t help with this..."

Aunt Zhou ignored him, turned to the girl in the ancient dress, and smiled. "Sweetheart, you should get some rest. We’ll see each other tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Auntie. Goodbye."

The girl in the ancient dress smiled softly and waved.

"Wait, this..."

An Yi stared at the unbelievably beautiful girl.

The thought of living with such a gorgeous girl made even someone as upright and virtuous as him feel a little restless.

Aunt Zhou was really being irresponsible! A guy and a girl living alone together—did she really expect him to take care of her?

Was his character really that trustworthy?

The two of them were alone in the room, and neither spoke.

The girl in the ancient dress looked curious and gave him a warm smile. "My name is Shen Muxuan. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, uh, hi. I’m An Yi," An Yi replied politely.

Her speech seemed normal. He had half-expected her to start speaking in classical Chinese.

...

That night, in the small living room of the rented apartment.

Shen Muxuan looked up, gazing at the light.

The soft glow illuminated her stunning, fairy-like face. Her beautiful eyes sparkled like stars, filled with curiosity.

"Don’t stare at it too long, miss. It’s just a light bulb. You’ve been looking at it for half an hour," An Yi said, placing a pot of steaming instant noodles on the table.

Shen Muxuan smiled. "It’s such a beautiful light."

"Let’s eat first," An Yi said.

Shen Muxuan picked up the noodles with her chopsticks, blew on them gently, and looked utterly adorable.

An Yi felt a little embarrassed. "I’m a bit short on funds, so all I can afford is instant noodles..."

"It’s delicious!"

Shen Muxuan took a bite and exclaimed with delight, her eyes shining brightly.

"Well, I’m glad you like it," An Yi said with a grin.

Although the girl was unbelievably beautiful, there was something about her that didn’t seem quite normal...

Shen Muxuan’s beauty seemed otherworldly, as if she didn’t belong to this mortal realm. Even the way she ate the noodles exuded a kind of ethereal grace.

"I’m full. Thank you for the meal," Shen Muxuan said after finishing the noodles and even drinking all the soup. She wiped her lips and smiled softly.

"Huh? You’re already full? But you only ate..."

An Yi, who had been staring at her while she ate, suddenly realized something and his eyes widened.

This girl had somehow managed to finish an entire pot of noodles—enough for four servings—and even drank all the soup!

So much for not belonging to this world!

Looking at Shen Muxuan’s innocent, clueless expression, An Yi took a deep breath. This girl was definitely not normal!

*Ding! System notification! Only 1 hour remains to complete the [Romance Expert] mission. Host, please hurry!*

One hour...

An Yi panicked. How was he supposed to complete the mission in just one hour?

Wait a minute...

He looked at Shen Muxuan, who was sitting across from him, staring at him with a clueless expression. He swallowed hard.

He had almost forgotten—she was the perfect candidate!

She seemed so naive, so easy to fool...