[Xiao Yi.]
[Here, here, here!] Xiao Yi's voice popped up instantly, filled with the excitement of finally being called upon after holding it in for so long. [What is it, Host? Are we going to analyze how those two acted just now? I've been waiting for this moment for ages!]
Jiang Lijin's mouth twitched. [You're way too gossipy.]
[No I'm not! I'm your system! Of course I have to care about your affairs!] Xiao Yi's tone carried a hint of smugness. [That scene just now, tsk tsk tsk, was absolutely unreal. Lord Baal had barely stepped through the door when Chiron came downstairs. The moment their eyes met, I almost thought they were going to fight.]
Jiang Lijin rolled her eyes. [How is that possible?]
[Not a physical fight, but that kind of... that kind of...] Xiao Yi paused, as if searching its mind for the right words. [That kind of undercurrent surging between males! Didn't you feel it? The moment Lord Baal walked in, he asked why you were living in Chiron's house. That tone, that phrasing—]
[He said, 'This is unfair.'] Jiang Lijin chimed in lazily.
[Exactly! Unfair!] Xiao Yi's voice pitched up a little. [Listen to that, 'this is unfair.' Isn't that just a blatant way of saying 'Why did he get to live with you first?' Isn't he just being jealous!]
Jiang Lijin fell silent for a second, then shook her head. [It's not jealousy.]
[Then what is it?]
[Competitiveness.] she said, her tone carrying the certainty of someone who saw right through it. [Baal is the supreme commander of the military, ranked as the number one match. Yet he finds his matched partner living in the home of the number two match. That's not called jealousy, that's called—]
She thought for a moment and found the right phrase: [Getting his base stolen.]
[...That's a very strange way of putting it.]
Xiao Yi was stunned for a moment, but then persistently asked, [What about Chiron then? That thing he said before leaving, 'Have Xiao Bai prepare lunch for you. There are fresh fruits and vegetables in the fridge, don't forget to eat.' Is he usually this gentle with you? Hasn't he always spoken in a strictly business tone before? Throwing out a line like that today, and right in front of Baal—wasn't that on purpose?]
Jiang Lijin was silent for two seconds. [...He was definitely doing it on purpose.]
[Right, right?!] Xiao Yi's voice carried the excitement of finally getting it right. [So tell me, why would Lord Chiron do that on purpose?]
"Because of competitiveness too, of course."
Xiao Yi fell silent.
Jiang Lijin smiled. She reached out, picked up the optical computer from the coffee table, and twirled it in her hand.
"Alright, stop making wild guesses," she said in a lazy tone. "Why overthink it? There are five people on the match list. If I analyze them one by one, won't I die of exhaustion?"
[So what are you going to do?]
"Nothing much." Jiang Lijin strapped the optical computer onto her wrist and stood up. "I'm going to look at houses first. I was assigned three houses today, so I need to go see which one to live in."
She got up from the sofa and walked toward the door, stopping in front of the full-length mirror in the entryway. She looked at her reflection: wearing a simple light-colored long-sleeved shirt and dark trousers, with her hair casually tied back.
[Host, you're going out dressed like this?] Xiao Yi's voice carried a trace of disbelief. [You are a 3S-grade female now, at least you should—]
"At least what?" Jiang Lijin looked down at herself. "What's wrong with these clothes? They're clean, comfortable, and modest. They're perfectly fine for going out and seeing people."
As she spoke, she pulled the door open. The sunlight outside was lovely, warmly spilling over the small path by the door. Jiang Lijin narrowed her eyes, hailed a car on her optical computer, and prepared to walk toward the neighborhood entrance.
She had only walked a short distance when she caught sight of two people standing at a nearby intersection out of the corner of her eye.
One was wearing a light pink long dress, had smooth long hair, and an elegant posture—it was Felwin.
The other had silver-gray hair, a tall build, and stood ramrod straight, exuding a noble aloofness from head to toe—it was Rex.
Jiang Lijin's footsteps paused, and her brows furrowed almost subconsciously.
Again? Arden yesterday, and Rex today? And they both brought Felwin along?
[Host! It's Rex! And Felwin!] Xiao Yi's voice exploded in her mind.
Jiang Lijin rolled her eyes inwardly, took a half-step back, and prepared to turn around and go back inside.
She was actually in a pretty good mood today. She had been assigned three houses and received a subsidy of sixty thousand. Although Arden had disgusted her yesterday, Chiron's counterattack upon his return had kept her in good spirits until now.
She didn't want to let these two ruin her good mood today.
"Sister Jiang Lijin!" However, Felwin's eyes were sharper than security cameras. That soft, sweet voice chased after her from behind, carrying a forced sense of surprise. "What a coincidence!"
Jiang Lijin didn't turn around; her hand was already on the door handle. But Felwin clearly had no intention of letting her go, and the sound of her footsteps drew closer.
[Host, she's coming over.] Xiao Yi's voice carried a hint of gritted teeth. [What should we do? Are you going to go inside?]
Jiang Lijin took a deep breath. Go inside? Why should she? This was the doorstep of Chiron's house, not Felwin's territory. Why should she be the one to hide?
She pulled her hand back from the door handle and turned around.
Felwin had already walked up to just two or three steps away from her. She wore her signature gentle smile, her eyes curved into crescents, looking completely harmless.
"Sister, are you heading out today too?" She tilted her head, her tone filled with deliberate closeness. "What a coincidence, Lord Rex and I were just passing by here. I didn't expect to run into you."
Jiang Lijin looked at her and said nothing.
A coincidence? Passing by Chiron's front door?
Although Felwin also lived in this neighborhood, Chiron was a 3S-grade male after all. There were no other houses near his residence, and the road in front of his door led straight to the neighborhood entrance. Unless they came here on purpose, it was absolutely impossible for them to be just passing by.
She couldn't be bothered to expose the lie, simply giving an "Mhm" as her gaze passed over Felwin and landed on the silver-gray figure slowly walking over from behind.
Rex stopped beside Felwin. His grayish-blue eyes looked down at Jiang Lijin, his gaze carrying a scrutinizing undertone.
In the original owner's memories, although Rex had a volatile temper like Arden, he was much more arrogant. After all, he came from a noble background and would maintain his rationality in front of outsiders. He only unleashed all his bad temper on her, his wife.
"Jiang Lijin," he spoke, his voice neither high nor low. "I heard you're living in Lord Chiron's house?"
Jiang Lijin looked at him, her mouth twitching slightly.
Heard? Heard from whom? From Felwin, no doubt.
Seeing her remain silent, Rex furrowed his brows slightly. Because they were in front of Felwin, and also in the residential area for S-grade females, he didn't curse directly like Arden had. However, the impatience in his tone was already quite obvious.
"I'm asking you a question," he said. "Are you living in Lord Chiron's house?"
Jiang Lijin still didn't speak. She simply looked at him, her gaze as calm as if she were looking at a stranger.
Rex's frown deepened.
In his mind, Jiang Lijin was still that C-grade female who served him tea and water, carefully trying to please him. Even if the Star Network was overwhelmingly flooded with news of her becoming a 3S-grade, and even if he had noticed Jiang Lijin's changes long before their divorce, deep down, he still saw her as the woman who loved him in vain and couldn't let go even after they parted ways.
How dare she not answer him?
"Jiang Lijin," his voice dropped a fraction, "I am talking to you."
Felwin stood to the side. She looked at Rex, then at Jiang Lijin. Her gentle expression stiffened slightly before she quickly adjusted it, speaking in a soft, quiet voice: "Sister, Lord Rex is just concerned about you, please don't—"
"What did you call me?" Jiang Lijin suddenly spoke.
Felwin froze for a moment.
"What did you just call me?" Jiang Lijin looked at her, her tone lazy.
Felwin opened her mouth, her expression freezing for a split second, but she quickly recovered her gentle demeanor: "Sister..."
"Don't." Jiang Lijin raised a hand, cutting her off. "I'm an orphan, you know that, right? Is Miss Felwin an orphan too?"
Felwin's smile froze on her face. Rex's expression also shifted.
"Jiang Lijin." Rex's voice turned cold. "Miss Felwin kindly greeted you. What kind of attitude is this?"
Jiang Lijin turned her head to look at him.
"What attitude?" she repeated his words, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. "What attitude do I have? Was there a problem with what I said?"
Rex's brows knotted together. He stared at Jiang Lijin, the disgust in his eyes almost entirely undisguised.
"You were never like this before," he said, his tone carrying a condescending judgment.
"Do you think becoming a 3S-grade makes you so great?" His voice was pressed very low. "Jiang Lijin, you know exactly what kind of person you used to be. Even if you are a 3S-grade now, it doesn't change the fact that you were once a C-grade piece of trash."
