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"In Yunlong City, I have a monthly allowance of 5,000 Bei for activities, which includes accommodation, transportation, and meals. After paying the rent, I can still save 1,000 Bei to subsidize household expenses. That's enough to buy lots of delicious food, and we could even go see a movie together on weekends."
Watching Jiuyue's face light up with smiles as she envisioned their future, Duan Mingyuan felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
The sanitation worker who had just walked past them had glared at him fiercely, clutching his broom tightly, clearly regarding him as a parasitic loafer and a vile man who deceived innocent young girls.
He had said those words to make Jiuyue understand the dangers of society and the importance of not trusting people easily. But instead, Jiuyue had turned the tables on him, converting him into the very picture of a wicked adult.
"There are many benefits to letting me move in. My ancestors were Ruihu, which can bring you great fortune and broad wealth!"
Jiuyue was tirelessly selling herself. In just half an evening, she had transformed from interviewer to interviewee. She took out her phone, opened her photo gallery, and selected a picture.
In the photo was a dilapidated temple, its incense offerings had seemed to have ceased a long time ago, and a dust-covered, gilt fox statue was on the altar.
Duan Mingyuan asked, "What is this?"
"This is the temple the villagers built for my ancestors. It has proper certifications."
Jiuyue believed in striving for what you want with all your might, a credo she always lived by. After recounting the glorious history of the Ruihu, she refocused on her own skills, "I can sing, cook, do housework, and I don't eat much—just one chicken every three days is enough to keep me alive."
"But why?"
"Why what?"
"Why would a girl as beautiful and domesticated as you, who is also easy to maintain, insist on living with an unemployed man like me?"
"Thank you for the compliment. You're quite handsome yourself, like a movie star."
"I'm asking you a question."
"Oh! It's because I've just arrived in Yunlong City and haven't found a place to stay yet."
"4,000 Bei could easily get you an apartment much nicer than mine, where you could enjoy a spacious house all to yourself."
"But Mr. Mingyuan, I really want to live with you."
Duan Mingyuan stopped in his tracks, admitting to himself that he was not good at dealing with this kind of situation.
The afternoon sun shone on Jiuyue's face, making her seem like a perpetually optimistic little fox.
For someone like him who had had little luck with the opposite sex since childhood, no girl had ever expressed a wish to live with him.
Although there were always guest rooms and small snacks prepared for visitors at home, in reality no one ever came over as a guest.
Duan Mingyuan had long been accustomed to a solitary life, and Jiuyue's arrival seemed more like a plot from some fictional story.
A man whose life had hit rock bottom due to unemployment, suddenly encounters a miraculous beauty, opening a chapter of magical and romantic love.
But this was reality, and he was not the protagonist of a novel.
When something deviates from the norm, there must be monsters at play. In the harsh adult world, a beauty descending from the heavens was likely more interested in your kidneys, hoping to snatch them away for money.
"There's at least a trial period, right?"
Jiuyue clasped her hands together in prayer.
"You have three days to find a new place to live."
Duan Mingyuan put on a stern face. He had to emphasize that it wasn't the repeated calls of "Mr. Mingyuan" that had made him lose himself, but rather, out of humanitarian concern for the overly naive Jiuyue, who was prone to being deceived and in danger when out alone, he decided to lend her his guest room for three days.
Furthermore, during these three days, he could consult her about matters related to evil spirits.
This was a matter of righteousness.
"Thank you, Mr. Mingyuan. Thanks for the organization's training—I'll definitely cherish this opportunity."
Jiuyue bowed again and again, delivering an acceptance speech as if she had just won an award, her large swaying tail particularly eye-catching. "To celebrate my first day of moving in, I'll prepare a sumptuous feast for you."
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The elders in her clan had taught her since she was little that to conquer humans, one must first conquer their stomachs.
The highest realm of social interaction lies in the details of daily life, to boil a frog in warm water, letting the other party depend on oneself without realizing it is superior.
Under the influence of such teachings, Jiuyue had already become a theoretical master, it was just that she hadn't had the chance to apply these ancestral skills in practice yet, but she believed that she could settle into this new home within three days, or even less!
Duan Mingyuan watched as Jiuyue hummed a little tune, bouncing away, and about ten minutes later, she returned carrying a plastic bag stuffed to the brim, with tender green scallion tips poking out.
The girl in front of him seemed seriously set on doing some heavy cooking once back home.
He had never really considered "cooking" to be a talent to take seriously. As a staff member with four years of experience, he knew interviews too well. Those who could sing and dance, who each had impressive skills for the interview stages, were always nowhere to be found when it was time for the annual gala performance.
But Miss September seemed like an honest fox.
"What did you buy?"
Duan Mingyuan glanced at the plastic bag.
"Green onions, ginger, garlic, star anise, Sichuan pepper, a whole chicken, drumsticks, a box of chicken wings, a box of chicken feet, and a box of chicken hearts. I saw your fridge didn't have much in it, so I bought a bit extra," she replied.
"Do you have a grudge against chickens?"
Foxes overpower chickens.
Even though it seemed useless, Duan Mingyuan still noted this formula that applied to monsters in his heart.
"How could I? Chickens are everyone's good friends."
With a clear gaze, Jiuyue made Duan Mingyuan realize how dangerous it was to become friends with a monster.
Something suddenly occurred to her, and she asked, "Mr. Mingyuan, can you eat spicy food?"
"I can."
"I see you have a kitchen in your house, but it seems like you hardly ever use it. There's only some semi-prepared food. Could it be that the capable Mr. Mingyuan is the one thing you cannot do is cook?"
"No need to, nor is it necessary. I take care of my meals near the company, and the things in the fridge are just for emergencies."
"But you must have days off, right?"
"On days off, I can order takeout."
Hearing this, Jiuyue instantly found her breakthrough and said, "There should always be someone in a home who can cook; relying on takeout all the time will ruin your health."
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the apartment building. Seeing the two walking shoulder to shoulder, the aunts and uncles in the community who had seen them a few times softened their looks considerably. Jiuyue, not the least bit shy, energetically greeted each one as she passed by.
She was pretty and sweet-talking, which instantly made the aunts and uncles beam with delight, praising her as a truly adorable girl.
Then, a rumor that sent shivers down Duan Mingyuan's spine was born.
——That young man who often works overtime late into the night, got himself a super pretty girlfriend.
What's scarier than rumors is that the aunts and uncles are always living in their world, and each one of them is a master at spreading news. If anything little happens in the community, by the next day, everyone will know.
After futilely clarifying three times, Duan Mingyuan instead received wishes of "Hope you and your partner have a child soon."
"Why are you laughing?"
Exhausted, Duan Mingyuan glanced at Jiuyue as they entered the elevator.
"Everyone in the community is so friendly, it's really great to be able to live here," she said.
Jiuyue paused, "Mr. Mingyuan, you must be hungry by now? Stir-fried chicken is my specialty, after all, only by cooking them to their best state can I live up to my friends' selfless contributions."
The elevator doors slowly closed.
Duan Mingyuan was at a loss for words for a long while, listening to the sound of the elevator ascending, for the first time in his life realizing that eating could be such a grave matter.