Chapter 40: Pretty and Kind-hearted Little Chuyao

Xu Chuyao’s foot was small, fragrant, and rested gently in Shen Ning’s palm like a freshly steamed milk cake.

“You better not do anything weird, especially no biting.”

Shen Ning didn’t have the time to respond — her mind was spinning. Why?
She was angry, and it worked — she got the foot, and Chuyao wasn’t resisting. But why did it work?

“Stop thinking. I don’t know either,” her reflection told her. “It just works. Enjoy it. So, how does it feel?”

The milk cake-like texture was indeed wonderful — smooth to the touch, soft to squeeze, fragrant to smell, and tasted…

“I said no biting!”

The milk cake ran away.

Or maybe… it wasn’t a milk cake — it was her girlfriend’s foot.

“Quit just playing with it,” Xu Chuyao puffed out her cheeks. “Didn’t you promise to tell me a story?”

As for letting her play with her foot — fine, she wasn’t stingy. After all, these feet didn’t become this soft and pretty without Shen Ning’s help.

That time she stole a seasoning packet from a pack of instant noodles, she won the draw for “Fragrant, Soft, Fungus-Resistant Jade Feet.” Letting her girlfriend enjoy them now? Shared usage rights.

“Ah—! Don’t pinch randomly!”

Shen Ning eased up — ten minutes of playtime still remained. Less pinching, more gentle touches. Too much pressure, and Chuyao would start making strange noises — which fired her up too much.

Better to tell a story.

“I’m from a place called Mining Zone 13. Back then, classmates called me the Miner Girl. Not wrong — though they don’t call me that anymore.”

“Of course,” Xu Chuyao giggled. “Now they call you the Murder Queen.”

Shen Ning gently pinched her foot’s arch, making Chuyao yelp. That pinch said: Whose fault do you think that is?

All those odd rumors — someone’s been running their mouth. The way Mi Xiaolu reacted when opening the door earlier proved it.

After that interruption, Shen Ning continued. The story was exactly the same as what Xu Chuyao had told her roommate at the beginning.

“That’s terrifying. Things like that actually happened?” The drama queen put on a shocked face. “So intense… but I have a question. What I don’t get is — how did you decide so quickly to leave them down there?”

“Uncle Liu begged me to,” Shen Ning closed her eyes. “And that was the only right thing to do.”

“I know that, duh. I mean, how did you decide so fast? Anyone else would’ve panicked.”

That was what she wanted to hear. The story itself? She’d read it all in a past life.

Shen Ning was quiet for a long time. She opened her eyes, staring at the delicate foot in her hand, and finally said:

“I grew up in the mining zone, went down into the tunnels very young. They told me then, you can’t hear crying underground — no matter what happens, you must make quick decisions. So… I guess it became instinct through habit.”

So that’s how it was.

Xu Chuyao stuck out her tongue. “I thought you were a born killer.”

Shen Ning smiled wryly. Of course she wasn’t. Though back in that shopping mall, for a brief moment, she thought maybe she was.

But honestly, she will become that kind of person in the future. She just doesn’t know how yet. Her reflection never gave her an answer — just said: “You’ll know when the time comes.”

Then Shen Ning went on with her story — how she made her way to the academy, the hardships she faced, and how even after three years, she still constantly worried about the surviving families from Mining Zone 13.

“When I boarded the train that day, I could still see Aunt Liu and the others rushing around.”

Xu Chuyao saw her staring at her foot, lost in thought. She wasn’t sure if it was memories… or if she was just mesmerized.

“You want to tell them the truth?”

“Yes. But the governor of Mining Zone 13 forbade it. So I thought — when I become strong enough, I’ll ignore his threats. But…” A trace of confusion flashed in Shen Ning’s eyes, “I don’t know how strong that needs to be.”

For years, she’d been telling herself each morning she was getting closer to that goal. But every night, it still felt distant.

Maybe that’s why Little Snow said she worked hard but was always in pain.

Nightmares didn’t bother her as much anymore — partly from getting used to them, partly because sometimes, when the reflection talked too much, it affected her deeply, and she’d have strange dreams. Like that night in the detention room. Or that time she almost jumped Chuyao. Sweet dreams, mixed in with the nightmares — like occasional holidays from hell.

“Tier Four is enough.”

“Huh?”

“I said, Tier Four is enough.”

Seeing her like this, Xu Chuyao softened and decided to give her a little spoiler. “The mining industry is controlled by the Chen family, the Rockmorgan family, and the Yahaabi Consortium. Their top-level fighters are only Tier Four.”

For the first time, Shen Ning looked away from the foot and stared at her girlfriend’s sweet, obedient face.

She didn’t know how Xu Chuyao knew this. But some voice inside told her — trust Chuyao. Her girlfriend wouldn’t lie.

“Thank you.”

After being lost for so long, suddenly seeing a goal gave her an overwhelming sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

“No need to thank me. I’m your commander, right? Giving directions is part of the job.” Xu Chuyao wiggled her foot. “If you really want to thank me, let go of my foot already. It’s not sanitary.”

Shen Ning glanced at the clock on the wall. “One minute and fifteen seconds left.”

You have to finish the full time, huh?!

“Fine, fine. Sigh, I’m just too kind-hearted. Oh right — you still don’t have a phone?” Xu Chuyao noticed her movements. “Didn’t get one last time you went out?”

“No time. A fight broke out.” Shen Ning replied. “I’ll get one next time, first thing.”

She really needed one. The reflection said it had websites and apps ready to go — just waiting for her to start learning.

Xu Chuyao didn’t know what Shen Ning needed a phone for, but she even helped plan it out: “Things should be calm for a bit. I’ll put in a request soon and say I’m going out to check on the situation.”

Pretty and kind-hearted, that’s what Chuyao was. She just loved helping others.

Time flew by. As the foot slipped from her palm, Shen Ning felt a strange emptiness.

“What are you staring at? Want to keep playing?” Xu Chuyao glared at her. “Go take your nap already.”

If you don’t nap at noon, you’ll doze off in the afternoon. Lose that bit of education and you’ll be ruined by your foot fetish!

“I’m going, I’m going.”

Once Shen Ning left, Xu Chuyao quickly tucked up her legs to inspect them — ten minutes of play really warmed them up.

“Stupid pervert… foot-fetish fish~”