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Shen Gu Mirai was a girl with a little pride, and if she looked down on someone, she wouldn't even glance at them directly.
But this time, she truly wanted to establish some kind of connection with Beichuan Si in front of her, rather than the simple financial subordination employment relationship they currently had.
It wasn't just because of some extraordinary ability Beichuan Si possessed, but purely because he, as a person, made her curious.
His character, appearance, abilities, speech...
Shen Gu Mirai wanted to understand Beichuan Si on a deeper level, rather than becoming strangers after this incident.
Shen Gu Mirai didn't deny that her current emotions might involve some romantic feelings between men and women.
Shen Gu Mirai never thought desires in human history were wrong, but likewise, she wasn't like most girls who would be swept away in pink romantic fantasies and become a fool with a negative IQ.
She thought rationally, analyzed logically, had her curiosity boiling inside, yet couldn't draw any conclusions.
Wanting to connect with someone, it could be love or it might just be curiosity.
Indeed, Shen Gu Mirai was an eccentric girl, but at the same time, she had a very clear understanding of her own identity.
But now she couldn't understand what emotions were overflowing in her heart.
This question urged Shen Gu Mirai's nature.
"I am very curious."
Shen Gu Mirai believed her face expressed this sentiment.
If she couldn't understand the first time, then she would try a hundred times, a thousand times.
If she still couldn't understand, even if she had to tie Beichuan Si up, she'd make him sign his name on a marriage application... although she might not be able to defeat him, spending her life exploring a question possibly forever unanswered wasn't bad—besides, marrying Beichuan Si wouldn't be a loss.
Shen Gu Mirai's pale face blushed faintly.
Beichuan Si gave her an intense look as her mind spiraled out of control.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked upwards, speaking calmly, "I refuse."
Hearing this, Shen Gu Mirai's eyes widened and her mouth twitched, oddly unable to utter a word.
After staying in this strange state for a long time, Shen Gu Mirai suddenly exclaimed, "Eh?!!!"
She had never expected that after such a request, he would still turn her down. This brought disappointment and a faint sense of grievance rose in her heart.
While she was still wallowing in her emotions, Beichuan Si's calm voice drifted over from the other side, "I hadn't finished speaking."
"Not finished?" Shen Gu Mirai was startled and looked up.
"Yes." Beichuan Si stroked his chin, "If I go out to Yashan City in the coming days and you can take care of Beichuan Huili, being friends isn't out of the question."
Beichuan Si was well-versed in the carrot-and-stick approach. If he agreed with Shen Gu Mirai now, she'd get overly excited and might spoil Beichuan Huili while he was away. Who could he cry to then?
Besides, by having Shen Gu Mirai take care of Beichuan Huili, Beichuan Si could also observe some hidden qualities of this young girl.
So, logically, a decision should be made later.
Though he felt a bit sorry for Shen Gu Mirai, the most important things in life were knowing people and choosing friends.
Beichuan Si had always kept this in mind and wouldn't lower his standards just because someone was very pretty or cute.
While pondering this, he said, "If you agree, then afterward—"
"I assure you I'll take good care of Huili!"
Before Beichuan Si could finish, Shen Gu Mirai patted her chest vigorously and nodded her head hard.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Beichuan Si didn't take back all thirty-five thousand yen but left fifteen thousand yen for Shen Gu Mirai, "Use this money to buy groceries, and in the days I'm away, I'll leave the task of caring for Huili completely to you."
"Don't worry!"
Shen Gu Mirai's confident look and the air of turning Beichuan Huili into a wreck made Beichuan Si rub his fingers unconsciously.
Could Shen Gu Mirai really be relied upon?
He rubbed his temples and couldn't be bothered to worry about it; after all, if he continued, the food would get cold.
So Beichuan Si timely stopped the conversation, raising his hand to flick Beichuan Huili's head, who sat at attention but had her gaze wandering toward the TV screen.
"Ouch!" Beichuan Huili clutched her head and turned back in confusion to look at her brother and the smiling Shen Gu Mirai.
Seeing the two of them seemingly gazing ominously at her, she couldn't help but shrank her neck, simply hugging her rice bowl to shield her face from their gazes.
"Let's eat," Beichuan Si said, shaking his head in exasperation.
His little sister didn't even know she was being sold out, and Beichuan Si only worried that with her muddled nature, she'd be abducted outside.
But considering Beichuan Huili was about to enter her first year of high school, he felt slightly relieved.
At almost high school age, she couldn't possibly be tricked away, could she?
...
The next morning, Beichuan Si got up early to exercise as usual, but to his surprise, Shen Gu Mirai got up right behind him.
Seeing her half-drowsily fumbling with knives and pots, Beichuan Si couldn't help but worry slightly as he headed out the door.
He sprinted for twenty minutes at his usual pace and then quickly ran home.
Beichuan Si's running wasn't for fitness; one could even say a mere twenty-minute sprint meant nothing to him.
It was purely to adapt and adjust his physical condition.
After all, Beichuan Si's body passively strengthened after dispelling malicious spirits, and during this strengthening process, he was bound to have some perceptual errors regarding his strength.
What's most important in surgery?
Precision.
An exaggerated physical condition wasn't what Beichuan Si wanted.
As a medical student, Beichuan Si couldn't claim to understand the human body but could know one or two points.
Therefore, Beichuan Si certainly couldn't neglect exercise. After all, exercising more was the most basic way to control one's body.
He arrived home.
Typically, Beichuan Huili would still be lying in bed by this time, but today without needing him to wake her, he naturally saw her in the washroom wearing slippers.
This showed Shen Gu Mirai had done a decent job.
Beichuan Si was finally reassured.
On the surface, Shen Gu Mirai seemed unreliable, but in reality, she was quite capable.
"Mr. Temple, you're back? I've prepared the meal. You can sit and wait to eat."
Shen Gu Mirai's head peeked out from behind the counter.
Beichuan Si didn't respond to her, just gazed at her for a moment until she got a bit uneasy, then nodded.
"Got it."
He was very satisfied with Shen Gu Mirai's performance so far.
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