Chapter 93: Let’s Go Out

Late at night.

The apartment was quiet, the only sound the steady tick-tock of the clock in the living room.

Luo Shaotian’s bedroom door was shut tight. No light leaked from the crack — he was clearly fast asleep.

Lin Yu quietly lifted herself off the sofa, tiptoeing across the floor like a sneaking cat, barefoot, slipping into the bathroom.

Click.

She locked the door behind her.

Exhaling sharply, she felt her nerves — stretched tight the entire day — finally loosen.

She raised her wrist and tapped her wristband.
A soft glow lit up her exhausted face.

Without hesitation, she opened the chat with the little devil avatar and began typing furiously.

【Lin Yu】: I can’t take this anymore! I’m seriously at my limit! You saw everything today, right? Just to stay in this place, I— I was acting my ass off! Academy Award performance! Veteran actress! Golden Horse material!

The message barely sent before her “little sister” replied instantly.

【Sister】: Aiya, don’t get so worked up, ge. I saw everything through the wristband cam. You handled it perfectly. Pffft hahaha.

Lin Yu wanted to smash the wall, but she didn’t dare make a sound. She lowered her voice and silently screamed at the wristband.

【Lin Yu】: Laugh your ass off, you brat! Are you sure your plan isn’t a disaster waiting to happen?!

【Sister】: Relax, relax. Based on today’s observations, the first dose of the Inhibitor is working even better than I predicted. He talked with you calmly this afternoon, right? That means his rationality is returning. As long as we keep it up, things will keep improving.

Her tone was light and cheerful, brimming with confidence.

【Sister】: By the way, your “Cosplay Time☆!” skill is super handy. The way it changes your hair and eye color looks so natural — even an old police dog like Luo Shaotian didn’t notice a thing. As expected of Tianqiong Group’s black-tech. Pretty convenient, huh?

【Lin Yu】: Convenient my ass! Do you know how many performance points this damn disguise sucked out of me?! That’s all my hard-earned money!

【Sister】: Performance points? What’s that? Company credits?

【Lin Yu】: More or less! Every time we complete a mission or do well in training, the company gives us these “points.” You can exchange them in the internal app — equipment upgrades, services, even applying for vacation, all cost points!

She was getting increasingly worked up.

【Lin Yu】: This “Cosplay Time☆!” skill looks free, but it’s a bottomless pit! Sure, you can load preset appearances — long black hair, twin-tails blonde, even cat-eared girls! — but every damn hairstyle template costs money! Changing hair and eye color uses fine-tuned psionic morphing, and that crap is ridiculously expensive!

【Sister】: I see, I see. You really sacrificed a lot. Oh— have you figured out tomorrow’s breakfast menu? The medicine has to be taken; don’t skip doses.

【Lin Yu】: Yeah yeah, I know. I’ll make him century-egg lean-meat congee. Strong flavor. Easy to spike.

【Sister】: Mhm, very good, very spirited. Well then— good night, my dear brother. Or should I say… Lulu-chan~ ❤

【Lin Yu】: Go to hell…

She angrily hung up.

Looking into the mirror at the unfamiliar girl called “Lulu,” she let out a long, tired sigh.

This really felt like being a live-in maid…

Several days passed.

That morning, Lin Yu was in the kitchen, wearing an apron, expertly slicing potatoes into fine, even shreds.

Sizzle—

Oil heated. Scallions and garlic bloomed. Potato shreds hit the wok. A few strong flicks later, a fragrant plate of hot-and-sour shredded potatoes was done.

Surprisingly, the cohabitation of the past few days had been… peaceful.

Luo Shaotian was out most of the time, coming home only for meals.
He didn’t talk much, but Lin Yu could feel it—
the violent aura clinging to him had noticeably weakened with the medication.

Even the way he looked at her had shifted from suspicion to something… normal.

“Things are almost too calm…”

She scooped the dish into a plate, mind wandering.

She had retrieved the “Gray Crystal” disguise brooch days ago, but the company hadn’t contacted her since.

No mission calls.
No death threats from Manager Qian.
Not even a “you alive?” message.

Earning four thousand a month to do absolutely nothing…
it was like living her dream of “paid imprisonment.”

If only this prison food didn’t come with heart palpitations.

Just then, she felt a gaze boring into her back.

Luo Shaotian.

She hadn’t noticed him arrive. He was leaning against the kitchen doorway, silently watching her.

This brat…

Lin Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

Why are you staring at me like that???

Hey hey hey… warning you, don’t even think anything weird!

She tightened her grip on the wok, calculating whether smashing him over the head or kicking him in the groin would be the better preemptive strike.

Her egg-cracking accuracy had improved dramatically lately.

But her panic was unnecessary.

Noticing her guarded expression, Luo Shaotian finally spoke calmly:

“You’ve been… doing well these past few days.”

“Huh?”

“The food tastes good. And the place is cleaner than before.”

He sounded like he was giving a formal performance evaluation.

Lin Yu didn’t know how to respond and muttered a stiff, “…oh.”

The air grew awkward. Luo Shaotian cleared his throat and looked toward the window.

“After we eat, get yourself ready.”

“…But I clean every day.”

She thought he was complaining again, sounding a bit wounded.

“That’s not what I meant.”

He paused, then added:

“I mean get dressed. We’re going out.”

“Eh? W-Where?”

She suddenly got nervous. Her mind conjured the worst possibilities.

In the doujins and novels she’d read, this was usually where the plot escalated.

A parade of bad scenarios flickered through her brain like cursed pop-ups.

“To the shopping district nearby,” he said. “I’m taking you to buy some clothes.”

“…Huh?”

Lin Yu, who hated shopping, instantly made a face.

“Why?”

Luo Shaotian gave her a look that said are you stupid?
He pointed at the oversized T-shirt hanging loosely on her.

“You have that outfit on you, and one spare school uniform. You can’t keep wearing my clothes forever.”

He hesitated, ears turning slightly red.

“You’re a girl. Regardless of appearance, dressing like this isn’t… convenient.”

“I don’t really mind…” she muttered.

The shirt was comfy. Loose, breathable. Wonderful.

Honestly, she didn’t care at all.

Back when she was still male, she could wear one shirt for days.
If it got dirty, she’d buy the same style and rotate them.
Simple.

Luo Shaotian stared at her blank expression, sighed helplessly, and patiently explained:

“And… wearing other people’s clothes all the time — don’t you feel weird? You should have something of your own. It’s time you lived like a normal girl.”

His tone left no room for argument.

Lin Yu looked at him, defeated.

“…Fine.”

He nodded, satisfied.

“Good. And not just clothes. We’ll buy new bedding too — you can’t sleep on the sofa forever. Also, a phone. If something happens later, you’ll need one. Let’s get something cheap for now.”

He took out his phone, scrolling seriously while muttering:

“Let me see… Double Eleven is coming soon. JD has those big subsidies. If we get a cost-effective model, it should last. If we order now, it’ll probably arrive this evening…”

“Oh, and the daily necessities. Need to buy everything new…”

“For blankets, we’ll go to the supermarket nearby—”

He was completely absorbed in his calculations, brows furrowed, looking exactly like a young husband stressing over household expenses.

The sight made Lin Yu accidentally let out a small laugh.

“Heh—”

Luo Shaotian looked up, confused.

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

She waved both hands, trying to hold back her grin, but her lips betrayed her.

“It’s just… I’ve never seen you like this. It’s kind of funny.”

He snorted, looking away, pretending to be disdainful.

“Talking like you’ve known me forever.”