Chapter 17: Visiting

But the moment Ye Jinyi actually looked at the contents, she instantly regretted it.

Relativity, quantum mechanics, and M-theory…

How did this suddenly jump from theology to physics?!

Was this a sign that she wasn’t worthy of reading it?

Ye Jinyi felt like she was reading some divine scripture—it was completely out of her league.

“Ugh…”

Ye Jinyi hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she chose to give up.

“Sorry for bothering you.”

Right after saying that, she immediately turned and ran off, fleeing the place where she had just embarrassed herself.

Sitting back in her original seat, Ye Jinyi felt like she had reached peak uselessness.

Are kids these days really this knowledgeable?

Just as she was questioning her entire existence, a thought suddenly struck her.

Wait a minute—who said that girl was even human?

Only now did Ye Jinyi belatedly sneak back, but when she returned to the spot, the girl’s place was already empty.

Maybe she’d been hallucinating?

“What have I even been thinking lately!”

Ye Jinyi was now completely convinced that she’d just imagined it all.

Must’ve been the lack of sleep. Enough of this, time to catch up on rest!

As the saying goes, turtles can live for 170 years, ocean quahogs can live for 500 years, and corals can live for 5,000 years.

Their common trait?

They don’t move much.

So if I lie around at home too, living to 800 shouldn’t be a problem!

Lying flat is the ultimate greatness!

With that, Ye Jinyi left the area, ready to head back to her rental room for a deep sleep.

The noonday sunlight in winter wasn’t harsh at all—on the contrary, it felt especially gentle.

Doo-loo~ doo-loo~ doo-loo doo-loo doo~

Ye Jinyi’s phone suddenly rang in her pocket.

“Wah!”

Thanks to years of PTSD from work, that ringtone startled her out of her skin.

Quickly pulling out her phone, Ye Jinyi relaxed when she saw who was calling.

[Happy] is inviting you to a voice call.

Oh—it was Aunt Xiang. She almost thought it was her boss.

“Next time I have to change my WeChat ringtone.”

Ye Jinyi then answered the call.

“Xiaoyi?”

“Mm.”

“You’re not going to accept the money I sent you?”

“I…”

Ye Jinyi honestly didn’t have a reason to refuse that money.

That was a five-digit sum!

She knew the odds of winning that much from a lottery—it wasn’t exactly high.

“There’s nothing to feel bad about. This is the reward you deserve for saving Huimengyi. If I were in your shoes, Auntie might not have been as brave as you.”

“This morning, Huimengyi woke up. She told me everything you two went through. Yi, you were really brave.”

Hearing that, Ye Jinyi suddenly choked up.

She had never dared to expect encouragement.

She never allowed herself to imagine praise.

She had never believed those things were for someone like her.

“Yi, have you ever heard this story before?”

“A long time ago, there was a country that allowed people to be reimbursed for redeeming their enslaved compatriots. One noble person refused to take compensation after redeeming someone and was praised for their virtue.”

“But when a sage heard about it, he criticized the act: if everyone followed suit, the poor would stop redeeming others because they couldn’t afford it, and such a good policy would become meaningless.”

Ye Jinyi understood what Xiang Yujie was trying to say—she really couldn’t leave this hanging anymore.

“I understand now. Thank you, Auntie. I’ll accept the money.”

Ye Jinyi then minimized the window and accepted the money.

“That’s more like it, Xiaoyi. If you’re ever feeling down, you’re welcome to come over and hang out with Huimengyi.”

“Okay.”

“Oh right, I’ll send you our address in a bit. You’re welcome anytime.”

“Well then, Xiaoyi, see you next time.”

“Mm, goodbye, Auntie.”

Ye Jinyi hung up the call and continued walking toward her rental apartment.

Once she got back, she stripped off all the layers she had wrapped herself in and dove straight into her blissful little blanket nest~

Soft, fluffy pillow~

Warm, cozy blanket~

Comfy little bed~

Ye Jinyi was instantly sealed away by this gentle haven.

Maybe there’s no seal in the world stronger than a blanket.

No matter who you are, once you crawl under it, there’s no way you’ll want to come out.

The sun followed the footsteps of night, gradually moving westward.

Growl~

“Ughhh—ah!”

Ye Jinyi couldn’t take it anymore.

Skipping both breakfast and lunch had left her so hungry she couldn’t even sleep properly~

With no other choice, she sat up in bed.

Time to fill her stomach.

“I don’t want to spend money…”

Ye Jinyi sighed.

Whether she cooked or went out to eat, either way, it meant spending money.

“Isn’t there a way to eat without paying?”

Wait a second—Ye Jinyi suddenly thought of something brilliant!

“Why not mooch a meal!”

“I’m a genius!”

She had it all figured out—she’d go to her good disciple’s place for a meal.

No, wait, can this even be called mooching?

This is called having dinner with her master!

Ye Jinyi suddenly understood why teachers liked making home visits to students—it’s awesome.

As expected, when your mind slips far enough, solutions always outnumber problems.

No time to waste—let’s go!

Ye Jinyi left her rental apartment, pulled out her phone, opened up Xiang Yujie’s WeChat, found the navigation map Auntie Xiang had sent her at noon, and began following it to Huimengyi’s home.

Once she arrived at the building pinned on the map, she followed a resident inside.

Then she took the elevator to the tenth floor.

“1002…”

Ye Jinyi circled around a bit before finally finding Room 1002.

Knock knock knock~

“Auntie Xiang, I came to play with Huimengyi!”

“Coming!”

The voice that answered from inside wasn’t an adult’s, but a slightly childish girl’s voice.

The door opened, and it was Huimengyi who answered.

“Is your wound already healed?”

Ye Jinyi was a bit surprised to see Huimengyi at the door.

It had only been one day since she got hurt.

“All thanks to the healing-type magical girl seniors!”

Huimengyi brought Ye Jinyi into her home and closed the door behind them.

“So big!”

Ye Jinyi had just stepped past the entryway and was staring at this apartment that had to be over a hundred square meters.

Just looking at the living room, she felt like it could fit two or three of her rental rooms inside.

At that moment, Ye Jinyi really did feel like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.

She leaned close to Huimengyi’s ear and whispered, “Huimengyi, what do your parents do?”

Huimengyi didn’t hold back and answered directly, “Dad’s an engineer, and Mom’s a cake baker.”

So, a middle-class family.

Ye Jinyi now had a general understanding of Huimengyi’s household.

No wonder Auntie Xiang was so generous with the money.

Their financial situation was clearly solid.

“Are Uncle and Auntie still at work right now?”

“Mm,” Huimengyi nodded, “They’ll be home around six tonight.”

“Um…”

Ye Jinyi’s hungry stomach was starting to take over her brain.

She fiddled with her fingers, embarrassed.

“Does your mom make strawberry cake? I kind of want some…”

“Sure! I’ll ask her to make you a slice later.”

“Yay!”