Chiron actually smiled too.
The smile was faint, just a slight upward curve of his lips, but it instantly brought his usually expressionless face to life. But before Jiang Lijin could appreciate it, he turned and walked inside. She had no choice but to grab her luggage and follow.
They passed through the living room and down a long corridor, twisting and turning for quite a while before finally stopping in front of a door. Jiang Lijin thought they had finally arrived, but when Chiron pushed the door open, it revealed an even longer hallway with four or five closed doors lining both sides.
"This is the guest area," he said, stepping aside to let Jiang Lijin see the layout. "These rooms are all empty. Just pick one you like."
Jiang Lijin was already dizzy from the maze and casually pointed to the nearest one. "This one will do."
Chiron took a card from his pocket and handed it to her. "Access card. The permissions for the entire house are on this card, including the main gate. Except for my bedroom and study, of course. Those two areas have separate access, so you won't wander in by mistake."
Jiang Lijin took the card and glanced down at it. It was black, with a premium texture, and bore a logo she didn't recognize.
"You can use the downstairs kitchen however you like," Chiron continued. "There should be some ingredients in the fridge, though I'm not entirely sure what's there. You can go take a look yourself. If you need any daily necessities or groceries, make a list, and I'll have my assistant buy them for you."
Jiang Lijin looked up at him, a complex wave of emotion welling up inside her. How could this guy be so nice? Not only was he providing her a place to stay, but he also offered to buy her groceries and supplies?
"What about you? What do you eat?"
"I spend most of my time at the hospital," he said, his tone as flat as ever. "I eat at the staff cafeteria. The time I spend back here at night is very short, so the kitchen practically goes unused."
Jiang Lijin nodded.
Such a massive house with such luxurious decor, and the owner was barely ever home. What a reckless waste of a good thing.
Chiron glanced at the optical computer on his wrist, a slight frown touching his brow. "I have an online meeting I need to handle right now. There's also a banquet tonight, so I might be back very late. You don't need to wait for me."
Jiang Lijin paused.
You don't need to wait for me? Why did that sound so strange?
Perhaps her gaze was a bit too subtle, and Chiron himself realized it sounded weird. He immediately added, "I mean, make yourself at home."
Jiang Lijin nodded. "Alright, go do your work. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said softly. "I'm the one who asked you to stay here, after all."
With that, he turned and left. His footsteps faded away, eventually disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Jiang Lijin stood there, watching his back vanish around the corner, suddenly feeling an indescribable sense of warmth.
Chiron not only provided her with shelter but also offered to buy her necessities and told her she could freely use anything in the house. Even though she knew Chiron might be doing this out of pity, curiosity, or perhaps because of that deceased Grade-C female.
But what did that matter? At least he treated her like a human being, rather than a Grade-C piece of trash.
[Host,] Xiao Yi's voice rang out softly, carrying a cautious gentleness. [What are you thinking about?]
Jiang Lijin finally snapped back to reality, grabbed her suitcase, and pushed open the door. "Nothing. I just feel like... this is pretty nice."
The room was very clean. It had a large bed, a massive window, a neat and tidy desk, and even an en-suite bathroom. She placed her suitcase in the corner and threw herself onto the bed.
After lying there for a while, she got up and pulled out her newly purchased optical computer. As soon as she turned it on, she noticed an unread email. Clicking it open, she saw it was from the Psychological Counseling Center of the Capital Planet Central Hospital.
The content read: Based on the assessment signed by your attending physician, Director Chiron, our hospital concludes that your current psychological condition is stable and emotionally healthy, presenting no clinical indications requiring psychological counseling. Therefore, your post-divorce psychological counseling procedure is officially concluded.
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow. Chiron acted pretty fast; he had just mentioned in the morning that it was unnecessary to continue, and by the afternoon, he had already wrapped up the process.
[Host, does this mean we don't ever have to go to the hospital again?]
"Exactly."
[Then doesn't that mean we won't get to see Chiron's handsome face every day?]
Jiang Lijin was amused by its mournful tone. "We're living in his house now, and you're worried about not seeing him?"
Xiao Yi chuckled twice and fell silent.
Jiang Lijin took off the optical computer, planning to go to the bathroom for a shower. During her days at those three ex-husbands' houses, she hadn't been able to take a proper shower even once.
Although that house was large, the room given to her didn't have an en-suite bathroom. The original owner of this body used to save up some Star Coins to wash at a public bathhouse nearby. Jiang Lijin couldn't quite stomach public bathhouses; just the thought of being completely naked with a bunch of strangers gave her goosebumps.
So for the past few nights, she had just done some simple cleaning before bed, without even taking a hot shower.
But the moment she pushed open the bathroom door, she froze.
How was this a bathroom? This was clearly a mini spa. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a jacuzzi, a shower cubicle, and a smart mirror the size of a wall—the kind that acts as a mirror when powered off but can be used as a TV display when powered on.
Jiang Lijin stood at the doorway, silent for two seconds.
[Host,] Xiao Yi's voice echoed leisurely in her mind. [I want to live here too.]
"Aren't you living in my brain?"
[I still want to,] Xiao Yi said. [Let me enjoy it too. And Host, all the equipment here is voice-controlled.]
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow and tentatively spoke: "Turn on the lights."
The lights flicked on.
"Set water temperature to forty-two degrees."
Water began pouring from the faucet, letting off billowing steam.
Jiang Lijin nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to undress, her hand touched her collar, and she suddenly remembered something, calling out in her mind: [Xiao Yi.]
[I am here, Host.] Xiao Yi's voice rang out immediately, sounding very obedient.
"Can you see me when I take a shower?"
Xiao Yi chuckled twice, and Jiang Lijin's face darkened.
But then it said: [Rest assured, Host! This system is a healthy and green system. Anything I shouldn't see will be automatically blocked or censored. We absolutely protect the Host's privacy! Showering scenes will be automatically recognized as private content and directly pixelated!]
Only then did Jiang Lijin nod in relief, take off her clothes, and soak in the perfectly heated bathtub.
Coming out after the bath, she felt much more relaxed. She changed into an old set of pajamas she dug out of her suitcase and threw herself onto the massive bed.
Just then, the optical computer chimed with a notification sound.
She opened the optical computer and found it was a notification of funds received. Clicking it open, her account balance displayed: 1,008,432 Star Coins.
The moment the money hit her account, Jiang Lijin felt an overwhelming sense of security. No matter how you looked at it, she could be considered a wealthy little lady in this world now, right?
Moreover, the mattress right now was perfectly soft, the pillow was at just the right height, and the blanket carried a faint, refreshing scent. Staring at the ceiling, Jiang Lijin suddenly felt that this was probably the most peaceful night of sleep she had had in her entire life! No, make that in both of her lifetimes.
Drowsiness slowly washed over her.
Suddenly—
Knock, knock, knock.
Jiang Lijin's eyes snapped open. She stared at the ceiling in the dark, her heart racing.
A knock on the door?
In the middle of the night, who could be knocking? This was the home of a 3S-rank big shot!
Could it be Chiron?
She instinctively clutched the blanket tightly, a flurry of thoughts racing through her mind: Did he change his mind? Is he here to kick her out in the middle of the night? Or is there something he needs to tell her?
[Xiao Yi!] she cried out in her mind. [Someone is knocking on the door, quickly check who it is!]
Xiao Yi fell silent for a second before replying with a hint of nervousness: [Host, I can't access the surveillance system of this house. The firewall level is too high; I can't hack into it.]
Jiang Lijin's heart sank.
[However, I can connect to the public network. According to Chiron's itinerary for tonight, he should be at a banquet right now. The banquet started at nine o'clock and is expected to last until eleven-thirty. It's only ten o'clock now, so it's impossible for him to be here.]
Jiang Lijin froze for a moment. It's not Chiron? Then who could it be?
[Host, although I can't see the security cameras, I can sense that the thing outside the door doesn't have any hostility.]
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow. "Thing?"
[Yes, it's not a person. It's a very peaceful energy fluctuation.]
Jiang Lijin stayed silent for a second, called out to the smart home system to turn on the lights, and then threw off the blanket to get out of bed.
She stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet, walked over to the door, took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob.
