After finishing her grooming, Ning Xin looked at herself in the mirror multiple times, confirming that there were no flaws before returning to the living room to eat.
Nie Ran was already seated at the table, but his utensils remained untouched, as if waiting for her to join him.
As she sat down, she said, “Next time, whoever arrives first can start eating. No need to be so polite.”
“Don’t be presumptuous.”
Nie Ran replied this way but picked up his chopsticks nonetheless.
The feeling of having an ample food supply was indeed pleasant. The porridge was thick and fragrant, and there were plenty of side dishes: pickled vegetables, Laoganma chili sauce, braised chicken feet, and even a few salted duck eggs.
Ning Xin enjoyed her meal heartily, then suddenly noticed the figure in the corner and called out to him, “Lang Xiao, stop sweeping and come over to taste the food.”
Previously, she had thought he was a wolf and couldn’t eat human food. But now that she was certain he was human, just not accustomed to it due to his life experiences, she believed he could gradually adjust and let his stomach accept it bit by bit.
Lang Xiao hesitated with the broom in hand, so Ning Xin looked at Nie Ran.
Surprisingly, Nie Ran didn’t object, “Finish eating first, then sweep.”
As if granted clemency, Lang Xiao dropped the broom and quickly ran over to sit properly at the table.
Ning Xin served him a bowl of porridge and placed a pair of new chopsticks in front of him.
“Do you know how to eat?” she asked.
He looked at the bowl, then suddenly reached out to grab the porridge.
She quickly stopped him and picked up her own chopsticks, saying, “Watch me.”
Lang Xiao observed her for a while, then imitated her movements, attempting to eat with chopsticks. However, chopsticks were not any easier to handle than pens. He struggled with holding them properly, just as he struggled with the pen last night. Today, his posture with the chopsticks was even more awkward, making him look like a child with cerebral palsy trying to eat.
Unable to bear watching any longer, Nie Ran stood up, grabbed a spoon, and placed it in front of him.
“Use this.”
Using the spoon was much simpler. Lang Xiao finally managed to take the first bite of porridge, closing his eyes for a moment without moving.
Ning Xin was still worried, afraid he might upset his stomach again, so she asked, “How is it? Are you okay?”
He opened his eyes and smiled, his eyes slightly red.
“It’s delicious.”
“If it’s delicious, then… Oh, never mind. Just eat slowly and don’t eat too much.”
Lang Xiao ate about half a bowl of porridge, tasted some pickles, reluctantly set down his chopsticks, and went back to sweeping.
Ning Xin watched his back with particular satisfaction.
“I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. In a few days, let’s go back again, take him to see a doctor, and buy some things.”
Nie Ran remained noncommittal, standing up and asking, “Finished eating?”
Ning Xin hurriedly said, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”
This morning, it was supposed to be her turn to cook, but Nie Ran helped her instead. She felt embarrassed to let him wash the dishes as well.
With his agile movements, Nie Ran easily bypassed her defences and carried the dishes to the kitchen.
Ning Xin had no choice but to give in. She decided to do the laundry instead. However, when she walked into the bathroom, she was shocked to find the bucket empty, and the clothes were already hung outside the second-floor window.
She ran downstairs in astonishment, leaning on the staircase railing and asking, “Who washed the clothes?”
Lang Xiao looked bewildered, while Nie Ran lowered his head to wash the dishes. She immediately understood and walked into the kitchen, feeling embarrassed as she said, “Thank you very much.”
Nie Ran lifted the heavy water bucket with one hand and poured half of it into the basin. “If you wait until you wake up to do the laundry, it might already be dark.”
Feeling even more embarrassed, she scratched her ear. “I’ll make sure to wake up earlier from now on.”
“Mm.”
“Nie Ran…”
“What?”
Ning Xin looked at him with gratitude, “I misunderstood you before, but you’re actually quite nice.”
Nie Ran shrugged and continued washing the dishes, subtly smirking when he lowered his head.
See, with his abilities, winning a woman’s favour was just too easy. In this building, nobody could shake his position.
But before he could fully revel in his success, Ning Xin patted his shoulder.
“I’m really exhausted these days and just want to rest. Since you still have energy, why don’t you take care of dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow, and also the laundry? I believe you can handle it. You’re the best, so go for it!”
With a wave of her hand, she happily went upstairs.
Nie Ran stood there holding the dishes, at a loss for words.
In the second-floor room, Ning Xin leaned against the bedside, eating potato chips and reading magazines, enjoying herself immensely.
Life could be so leisurely and wonderful. Fortunately, she chose to stay.
Next, she only needed to proceed step by step: teach Lang Xiao to adapt to group living, maintain a good relationship with Nie Ran, and return to the 21st century every month to replenish supplies. Once things stabilized, they could move on to the next world.
The number of people in the madhouse is increasing. In the future, she shouldn’t have to do anything anymore. She’ll just have to command others all day and manage the accounts.
By the way, the Ghost Emperor said that the resources of each world can be exchanged. What usable resources does this world have?
She ran to the window and looked outside. The sunlight warmed her body, but suddenly she felt a familiar dull pain in her lower abdomen, giving her a bad premonition.
This pain, this place, could it be… her period coming?
Before, she was so busy with work that she couldn’t even eat on time, and her period would come irregularly, always causing her intense pain whenever it did.
She had seen a doctor, who advised her to take good care of herself for a while. But without anyone to help her, she didn’t dare to stop her business, so her menstrual cycle remained irregular.
The last time she had her period was before the accident, and it had been two or three months since then. It was about time.
Thinking about the pain she was about to experience, she felt like ripping out her uterus and throwing it away. With a worried expression, she bent over and pulled out a box from under the bed containing the sanitary pads she had bought from the supermarket.
Opening a pack and laying one down, she lost interest in eating and lay on the bed, waiting for the pain to come.
In the evening, the pain intensified, and Ning Xin had no strength to move. When she heard Nie Ran passing by outside, she quickly called him in.
Nie Ran pushed open the door, his face showing some impatience.
“I’ll help you make dinner…”
But when he saw her condition, his voice stopped abruptly.
His brows furrowed, and he walked to the bedside, staring at her pale face, and asked in a deep voice:
“What’s wrong with you?”
Ning Xin found it difficult to speak and casually made up an excuse.
“I might have eaten something that upset my stomach.”
Nie Ran carefully recalled the food she had eaten today but couldn’t figure out where the problem might be.
Ning Xin shook his hand, “You don’t have to worry about that. Resting for a couple of days should be fine, but I might trouble you in the evening.”
“Are you suggesting…”
“You help attract Lang Xiao’s attention, just like I did yesterday, okay?”
Like teaching him to read and write, chatting about everything under the sun?
Nie Ran had a hundred reasons not to agree, but seeing her discomfort, which seemed genuine, and even her bangs were damp with sweat, he could only nod.
“Okay.”
Ning Xin breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, thank you.”
“Are you sure resting is enough?”
“Yeah, but it would be even better if I had a cup of hot water.”
The hint was so obvious. Nie Ran left with a simple “wait” and quickly returned with a cup of hot water.
Ning Xin took out a pack of fruit candies from the bedside table, dropped a few into the water, and waited for them to dissolve, turning it into a sweet and warm drink.
After drinking this cup of sweet water, she felt much better.
She was ready to sleep, but she found Nie Ran still in the room.
“I’m really fine,” she said.
Nie Ran replied, “I’ve called him up. We’ll both stay in your room tonight.”
Ning Xin hurriedly said, “It’s not necessary. You staying here might disrupt my rest. You should go downstairs.”
“Are you sure?”
He looked at her with concern, feeling uneasy that she might turn into a corpse if he left and didn’t come back.
Ning Xin reassured him repeatedly, promising that she wouldn’t die. Half believing her, Nie Ran reluctantly left the room.
This guy is really strange, she thought. He was so repulsed by her before, and now he’s concerned.
Ning Xin grumbled a few times and then curled up under the covers.
The weather was good, her mood was good, and her stomach wasn’t hurting as much. She quickly fell asleep and woke up once in the middle of the night, quietly going upstairs to check.
The living room was quiet. Nie Ran sat on the sofa absentmindedly sharpening a knife, while Lang Xiao squatted beside the coffee table, chopping onions. There was already half a bucket of them, and the pungent smell made tears stream down his face.
…Well, this was also a good solution.
She retreated back to her room and slept peacefully.
Ning Xin’s period was heavy, and she had to change pads several times throughout the night. After all, she was living with two men, so she didn’t want to directly dispose of them in the bathroom. In the morning, she wrapped them in a bag and planned to sneakily dispose of them outside while they were still asleep.
“Director.”
Just as she reached the door, she heard someone calling her.
Lang Xiao, with his swollen eyes, ran over, curiosity evident in his voice as he asked, “Where are you going?”
“Um…” She quickly hid the bag behind her back. “Just feeling bored, going out for a walk.”
“Let’s go together”
“No need, no need.” Afraid of raising suspicion, she explained, “You didn’t sleep all night. You should catch up on rest during the day.”
“I can’t sleep.”
Closing his eyes was uncomfortable, and opening them was too.
Most importantly, he wanted to be with her.
Unable to persuade him, Ning Xin reluctantly agreed.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Lang Xiao happily followed behind her, sometimes walking on two legs for a while, and then running on all fours like an excited little piglet released from its pen.
He saw what she was carrying and asked, “What’s this? Let me help you.”
After saying that, he leaned over and held the bag in his mouth. As he leaned over to grab the bag, his sharp canine teeth tore through the plastic, causing its contents to spill out onto the ground.
Ning Xin’s face instantly turned bright red, overwhelmed with embarrassment, almost wishing for the ground to swallow her whole.
Lang Xiao didn’t recognize what it was. He tilted his head and looked at it, his expression changing drastically.
Ning Xin tried to pick up the items with a stick, but as she did, she realized something was wrong.
She looked up at Lang Xiao, whose face had turned pale with a hint of blue, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, looking particularly terrifying.
“Lang Xiao? Lang Xiao!”
She called out twice, tugging at his clothes, but he remained stiffly fixated on the sanitary pads, as if something inside him was about to burst out.
Ning Xin felt a sense of impending danger, and without hesitation, she turned and ran back to the asylum to call for Nie Ran.
But before she could run far, there was a flash of white light behind her, accompanied by a terrifying low growl.
She glanced back and saw a humanoid figure expanding within the white light, transforming into a gigantic grey wolf, two to three meters tall, with terrifying red eyes and gaping jaws rushing towards her.
Ning Xin, having experienced several life-threatening situations, didn’t panic as she did at the beginning. Instead, she steadied her mind and sprinted away.
They hadn’t gone far, so she quickly returned to the asylum, slamming the door shut and moving objects to block it. As she called out to Nie Ran upstairs, she shouted, “Nie Ran!” A man, wearing only grey sleep pants, leaped down from the second floor railing, his Dawnbreaker sword reflecting golden light in his hand.
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