You may think that being able to live for a thousand years, recount the history of past human civilizations, and having experienced and participated in the rise and fall of several empires and societies throughout history, along with being knowledgeable in almost all fields of science and arts, might sound like a blessing to many who dream of immortality. But to me, it is nothing but a curse, one I would pay any price to rid myself of. My name is Lucy in this lifetime, and I am said to be the wealthiest and most influential human on Earth. After living so long, it's to be expected. However, the idea of immortality itself is nothing but a curse to me. Having lived so long, experiencing all that life has to offer, and accumulating enough wealth and influence to rival continents, I have come to see it as a burden.
What began as a blessing turned into a curse. Unable to fall sick, die, or even live like a normal human being anymore, I watched everyone around me age and die one by one. Experiencing all this has made me lose interest in this world for a very long time. But you know what? After so long, I think I am ready to reappear in this world. This time, I want to truly experience what it means to live like a normal human, growing step by step and experiencing the life of an average person once more. Maybe this time, just maybe, I might be able to get rid of this burden.
I walked along an isolated, dimly lit road in the middle of the night, heading home after a hard day of work, thinking to myself:
"Ahhh, I didn't know that the daily life of the average person was this tiring. I'm starting to think I made a mistake by choosing to pretend to be just a normal working girl, trying to make ends meet. I don't know why I can't get used to this life of an average poor person after almost a year of it. It's probably because I have been at the top of the food chain for so long and had forgotten how hard the life of a normal person is, how tiring."
I kept walking on the isolated road with only a few signs of people passing by once in a while, letting out groans of tiredness and fatigue. I heard the sound of my phone buzzing. Picking it up, I spoke:
"Hello, who is this?" I said with a tired voice, my hand rubbing against my neck. Suddenly, a loud and angry voice came from the other end of the phone, startling me.
"Hey… don't 'hello' me. You have been ignoring my calls all day, so I had to use another phone to call you. When are you going to pay me my house rent, girl?" Her voice was stern as she spoke, her actions and tone making me heat up in anger.
As I walked alone in the dimly lit neighborhood, I couldn't shake off the landlady's infuriating words. 'Who are you shouting at and calling a child bitch?' I thought, my anger simmering. If I weren't pretending to be an average person, I would have bought her rundown building and burned it to the ground. But I took a deep breath and composed myself, answering her call with a friendly yet displeased tone.
"Landlady, I thought we agreed that if I brought my boyfriend over today, you'd waive this year's rent?"
The landlady's enthusiastic tone was a stark contrast to my irritation. "Yes, I did say that, but I haven't seen your boyfriend yet. You need to pay me my rent today; I've given you enough time already."
My expression twisted into a scowl. "Landlady, don't worry; I'm coming over with my boyfriend today."
Her tone shifted to excitement. "Really? I can't wait to meet him! I hope he's handsome and charming..."
I cut her off, eager to end the conversation. "It's okay, landlady; you'll meet him soon. Sorry, I'm in the middle of something important. Bye."
I hung up, leaving the landlady with unanswered questions. Frustration overwhelmed me. "Where am I supposed to find a boyfriend in the middle of the night? Maybe I should just ask someone to pretend to be my boyfriend, but where would I find one at this hour? Why am I doing this to myself?"
I slapped my forehead, exhausted from the mounting problems. Just then, two men approached from behind.
"Hey, what's a beautiful girl like you doing walking alone in a neighborhood like this?" they asked, closing in on me, one standing beside me and the other in front.
"Why don't you let us help you hold your things for safekeeping?"
I looked at the two men with a stupefied expression, thinking to myself, "What kind of bad luck do I have, running into two robbers today of all days? Lucy, calm down. You're no longer the Eternal Mighty Goddess of War; you're just a poor, helpless girl. Play along; it's all part of the act. There's no need to kick their ass; just pretend to be helpless. Besides, I don't have anything worth taking anyway."
I adopted a helpless and scared look, trying to control my murderous instincts as they continued to leer at me. They took my bag, phone, and jewelry, flashing despicable smiles.
"Why don't you spend the night with us?" one suggested. "We'll take care of you; we promise." They laughed loudly, their eyes roaming my body, tongues licking their lips as if eager to devour me.
My patience wore thin. Just as I was about to act, a hand reached out from behind the robber in front of me. He instinctively turned to see who it was, but received a heavy blow to the nose instead.
I saw a young guy in front of me, who immediately began beating up the first robber badly, throwing punch after punch until the robber's face was covered in blood and he became unconscious due to the continuous blows. He looked at the second robber, who shivered in fear after seeing his comrade's condition.
"Take one more step, and I'll slice your neck open," the second robber threatened, holding me hostage and placing a knife against my neck.
I concealed my internal boredom, displaying a look of helplessness instead, thinking to myself, "Do they really think I'm an easy target? This is getting annoying and frustrating."
The young man raised his hands in surrender. The second robber retreated, holding me with the knife still pressed against my neck, slowly moving away from the young guy.
Suddenly tired of the situation, I stepped heavily on the robber's leg, making him scream in pain. His grip on me loosened, and before I could act further, the young man rushed at the robber, disarming him instantly and delivering a heavy punch that knocked him unconscious.
Breathing heavily, he gazed at the person he had just knocked out. "These assholes try to rob and molest people, especially a helpless girl, in the middle of the night."
He turned to me, offering a gentle smile. "Did they hurt or injure you?"
I responded with an almost indifferent face, maintaining my cover as a helpless girl. "I'm fine, thank you for saving me. I hope you're okay; those guys looked strong."
Ethan smiled, stretching out his hand to introduce himself. "My name is Ethan. And if you don't mind, what's yours?"
I shook his hand, responding, "My name is Lucy."
"Waw..., That's a very beautiful name." I pretended to smile, thinking to myself, "Here we go again, men will always be men."
He continued, "So, what's a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this alone at this time of night?"
I looked at him with a knowing glance, thinking, "Thinking of it now, he's not bad-looking; rather, he's quite handsome, with a little charm, unlike the other guys who've tried to flirt with me over the past year. Maybe I can achieve what I want after all. Men are the easiest to manipulate – free rent, here I come."
I gave a cunning smile before replying, still pretending to be a helpless girl, "Thanks for the compliment. I just got off work late today. I wasn't expecting to be harassed by those two men. Thank you again."
He smiled warmly, scratching the back of his head. "It's nothing; it's what I'm supposed to do as a good citizen. Anyway, that was a nice move you used back then to distract that guy."
We both laughed, and I spoke again, "It's just something I learned over the years; nothing special."
"That was a good move anyway. If you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave. Ensure you go home quickly."
I twirled my fingers, maintaining a pitiful look, as if hesitant to say something. This action caught his attention, and he asked, "Are you okay?"
He looked at me with confusion, and I replied, "No, it's nothing; don't worry."
Sensing something was wrong, he asked again, "What's it? I can tell you want to say something to me."
I adopted my signature timid look, thinking, "He's almost hooked." With a low, shy tone, I spoke, "It... it's just that I'm too scared to go home alone now. Please, if you don't mind, can you escort me?"
He looked shocked, surprised by my request. Then, smiling, he said, "Is that what you were hesitating to ask me? If so, I don't have an issue with that. It's also my fault for overlooking the fact that you're a lady and can't easily go home after such an event."
I looked at him cheerfully, making him blush. Trying to cover it up, he coughed, asking
"If you don't mind, can we go?" We headed out, walking away from the scene, the two robbers still unconscious on the road, as we chatted.
I thought to myself, "He's finally hooked. Am sorry, but you brought this upon yourself, so just help me do one last act of heroism."
Reaching the front of the building apartment where I lived, I said, "I've reached my apartment," pointing towards a five-story building that looked somewhat decrepit.
He looked at me in surprise, asking, "You live here?"
I nodded in confirmation.
He spoke again, "I wasn't expecting a girl like you to live in such a place. I mean no offense, please. It's just that your looks go beyond a place like this."
I smiled, crossing my hands over each other on my leg, thinking, "This kid acts like kids from rich families. Don't tell me he's the son of a rich family acting low-key. Maybe I've lived too long and experienced several things that make me overthink."
I looked at him, speaking, "You're overpraising me, don't you think? I'm not that beautiful; I'm just a girl trying to survive."
He smiled, holding my hands, "Don't mind my words, but you are indeed beautiful. Anyway, I think I'll be taking my leave for good this time. I don't believe we won't meet again."
I thought, "I can't let him go now, after all I've done to ensure he comes here. This is the most critical stage of my plan; I can't mess up."
I gave a silly smile, looking at him with pleading eyes, pretending to be shy, "If you don't mind, can you come in for a while, so I can thank you properly?"
I spoke as I came very close to him, almost touching each other. My actions made him tense, and he suddenly began to sweat and stammer, "I-I don't know if that's a good idea."
"Ehmmm...., i..i..i." He had an anxious smile, stammering out his words, before finally giving in. "It's alright, let's go, but I can't stay for too long."
I smiled, taking his hand, walking towards the building with me. I held his hand on purpose in front of the building, feeling like the landlady was watching us.
We entered the building and I took him to the floor where the landlady lived. Before I could knock, she opened the door, greeting me warmly. "Ahhh.., Lucy, how are you doing? You're coming back really late today again. Come in, have dinner with me, and bring your friend."
I gave her a happy, cheerful smile, while inwardly cursing her. "If it weren't for this bitch of a landlady, I wouldn't have gone as far as staining my dignity to find someone to act like my boyfriend."
I looked at my landlady with a loving gaze, speaking, "No need for dinner; he still needs to take care of some things elsewhere. I just wanted to introduce you to him. My boyfriend, Ethan."
I hugged his arm, shocking him with my words and actions. He looked stunned, realizing he was being used.
The landlady sighed in disappointment. "You didn't disappoint me as expected. Such a handsome and charming young man; you two are a match made in heaven. I'd love to talk more, but it seems that's for another day. Lucy, as I promised, I'll exempt you from one year of paying house rent."
I hugged her, forgetting all the insults I'd thrown her way. Ethan, still stunned, spoke, "Ma, it's really nice to meet you. She's told me a lot about you, and she was right; even at your old age, you're beautiful."
The landlady laughed, her face flushing. "Hahaha... thank you for the compliment. I always knew I was still beautiful, but your girlfriend stole my limelight when she began living in my apartment."
We all laughed, and I thought, "He adjusted to the situation faster than I expected and played along well. This kid is really interesting."
Ethan looked at me with a funny gaze, leaning closer to whisper...