She stared at the bathroom’s new black-and-white checkered door. A long time passed, and Tang Danqing still didn’t come back to bother her.
Two questions gnawed at Shang You.
First, how could Shan Qing conjure things out of thin air?
Second, why… was she helping her? Taking care of her?
Shang You gazed at the bathtub’s blue light, shimmering softly along the bottom and scattering through the clear water. The whole thing had a dreamlike quality.
She tried to catch her reflection on the water’s surface, to see what Shan Qing might be able to use her for.
But there was nothing. The water showed no trace of her reflection. After wandering alone through the apocalypse for so long, Shang You could no longer see herself clearly, either.
Gradually, the comfortable warmth spreading up to her chest drove away her thoughts.
Thick, precious steam curled around her. It touched her shoulders, back, and neck, beading into sparkling droplets.
Until now, only cold snowflakes had ever landed in those places, melting into streams that chilled her to the bone.
The heat and steam made Shang You draw her knees to her chest. She sat in the tub and felt the delicate warmth seep into her pores. Even this small, ordinary pleasure brought a peace and comfort she could hardly believe. And it had been so long since she’d felt anything like it that she’d almost forgotten it existed.
Suddenly, thin streams of water burst from the little holes in the side of the tub. They fell across her like fine rain filtering through the pine needles of a forest, tickling her skin with a soft, tingling caress.
The jets woke her frozen skin.
Shang You gradually let herself relax. Her tense body felt the buoyancy of the water, gently and warmly holding her up. She even dared to try the whirlpool and massage settings.
The warmth around her pried open pores sealed tight against the cold. It seeped into her bones without resistance, soothing her from within, slowly breaking the bitter cold apart and swallowing it whole.
She crushed a few bath petals in her palm. Their fragrance mingled with the thick steam.
Before long, she felt beads of water gathering on her eyelashes and gently brushed them away.
Then she looked at her fingers. The faint pink of life had returned beneath her pale skin.
Was this really happening?
Shang You lowered her head and sank her face deep into the hot water. The fine hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end.
A sea of warmth enveloped her completely.
After a while, she lifted her face in a spray of water. A shuddering sigh slipped from her lips.
So this was what it felt like to be alive.
Shang You hadn’t actually spent long soaking—only a few minutes—but she stayed in the bathroom for a long time. She spent the rest of it scrubbing herself clean from head to toe, inside and out. She rubbed a few patches of cracked skin red, but didn’t care.
She did worry that taking too long might make Shan Qing unhappy, so she tried to be quick and efficient.
The trouble was, it had been so long since she’d last had the chance to bathe…
By the time she’d dried her hair and stepped out, an hour had passed.
Tang Danqing hadn’t shown the slightest impatience. She’d kept herself plenty busy.
More than a dozen new outfits lay spread across the bed. The moment the NPC came out, Tang Danqing planned to give them to her.
But when she saw the NPC clean and fresh from her bath, she froze.
Oh my god. She’s adorable!
The NPC’s golden curls had turned fluffy, the ends softly flipping up. Her little oval face was no longer gray with grime. Cleaned up, her cheeks were fair with a rosy flush, like lychee-flavored jelly! Her white silk bathrobe was the wrapper!
She looked so glossy and bouncy. Tang Danqing wanted to give her a squeeze.
So she did.
She went over to greet her and pinched her cheek. Oh, it was so soft and warm. The only downside was that there wasn’t much flesh there to pinch.
The NPC had huge eyes that took up half her face, clear and bright, with calm brown pupils fixed on Tang Danqing.
“I’m done. Are you going to take a bath?” the NPC asked.
Tang Danqing shook her head and said eagerly, “I picked out some clothes for you. They’re all new and waiting on the bed. Try them on when you have time, and wear whichever ones you like.”
The NPC glanced at the bed. There were thick and thin outfits in all kinds of styles. Tang Danqing hadn’t known what would suit her, so she’d bought a little of everything: shirts and suits, casual athletic clothes, even short skirts and white stockings.
“Right now?”
It sounded as if the NPC would put them on for Tang Danqing right away if she said yes.
Tang Danqing shook her head again. “No, Little Jelly. You don’t have to ask me. Try them on whenever you want. They’re yours. You can do whatever you like with them.”
She was trying to teach the NPC to speak up for herself.
Oh no… I got distracted by how much she looks like lychee jelly. Did I just give her a nickname?
Tang Danqing hurried to explain. “You’re so cute, and your face is soft like jelly. Can I call you Jelly until you think of a name for yourself? I don’t mean it as a teasing nickname. It just suits you. If you don’t like it, I won’t call you that.”
The NPC smiled. “That’s a very original name. I like it… All right, I understand. From now on, when you say Jelly, you mean me.”
Though Shang You couldn’t understand what her sunken, pale cheeks had to do with jelly.
Was she cute? Shan Qing really thought she was cute?
When Shang You killed people, they only ever thought she was a demon.
Oh, well… This is nice, too.
Shang You kept her expression gentle and obedient.
“If you decide on a new name, tell me,” Tang Danqing said.
The NPC’s eyes curved as she smiled. “I will.”
Tang Danqing had set up a new round wooden table in the master bedroom and laid out a meal. The main course was a clay pot of lamb stew with radish, winter melon, shiitake mushrooms, and lotus root. There was also a plate of mapo tofu, a plate of stir-fried pork with winter bamboo shoots, and two little bowls of sesame-filled tangyuan for dessert.
The room was 25°C, and steam rose from every dish. Tang Danqing had changed into a cotton T-shirt with short sleeves. For her first generous home-cooked feast for her roommate, she’d also brought out an essential touch: drinks.
She’d opened a bottle of red wine and let it breathe in a decanter while the NPC was bathing. Now, with a sense of ceremony, she poured half a glass for each of them.
Tang Danqing gestured toward the table and smiled at the NPC. “Come on. Let’s have a nice dinner.”
The room was warm now, and the air had started to circulate. As Tang Danqing sat down, she caught the scent of soap coming from the NPC across from her. Was that the lychee sea-salt body wash she’d bought? It smelled so fresh.
“I love the smell of your body wash,” Tang Danqing said.
The NPC nodded obediently. “Then I’ll use this one from now on.”
Wine… meat… tangyuan… Shang You stared at the rich spread, still a little dazed.
She’d only wanted to find a way to stay alive a little longer. She’d thought even that was an extravagant dream.
How could she have imagined she’d end up with conditions like these?
Not only was she living somewhere bright and warm, she was eating lamb and drinking red wine…
Could there be something in the wine?
Shang You had no way to know. When Tang Danqing raised her glass to toast, she had no choice but to drink.
The lamb came apart between her teeth, releasing rich, fragrant broth.
The winter bamboo shoots were crisp, with a hint of sweetness from the mountains.
The mapo tofu was savory, with silky tofu and spicy, flavorful minced meat.
As Shang You ate slowly with her head down, Tang Danqing told her all kinds of things.
“It’s not cold inside anymore. We’re at a normal temperature now, so food will spoil if we leave it out. I bought you a new fridge, and there’s food inside. You can put away the food you hid, too.”
“But don’t leave it in there too long. Eat whenever you need to. Don’t be afraid. I won’t let you go hungry from now on. Don’t starve yourself, okay, Little Jelly?”
“Mm… I understand. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
Shang You asked, “What do you like to eat? I’d like to save some of your favorites for you.”
Tang Danqing felt a warm glow in her heart. Her roommate was so considerate. So sweet.
She was starting to understand why some people liked chatting with AI.
“Don’t save anything for me. I can get whatever I want to eat.”
“I also bought a kettle and two new cups. They’re on the TV stand. Use the kettle if you want hot water. The rest of the kitchen isn’t ready yet, though…”
After Tang Danqing’s latest shopping spree, her balance had dwindled to 850 Survival Coins.
Uh… I can’t afford to fix up the kitchen yet.
But tomorrow, she would.
The NPC listened quietly, nodding and often saying, “Thank you for coming into my life.” But she didn’t eat much.
Tang Danqing looked at how small she was and thought she must have a tiny appetite.
Still, the two of them drank more than half the bottle of red wine.
After dinner, Tang Danqing told the NPC to lie down and get comfortable under the new blankets while she packed up the leftovers and put them in the new fridge.
When Tang Danqing came back from the kitchen, the NPC was already asleep on the bed. She looked like a little shrimp beneath the gray-blue Tencel comforter. Her waist and legs showed through the thin, soft blanket.
One of her little white-bun hands rested on the pillow; the other was tucked under her chin.
Oh, she’s so cute!
Tang Danqing could almost see a baby in a little bed.
Shang You lay still, pretending to sleep, listening as Tang Danqing’s footsteps gradually drew closer.
She wanted to know what Shan Qing intended to do after giving her a bath, wine, and a bed.
In the months before the apocalypse, there had been plenty of people who’d tried to trade supplies for her body.
None of them had gotten what they wanted. They’d ended up eating one of her bullets instead. But this woman… Shang You wasn’t sure she could defeat her by force. She was too mysterious, too strange.
The NPC kept her eyes closed, her lashes long and fine, her expression quiet and sweet. Tang Danqing leaned beside the bed and asked softly, “Are you asleep?”
Shang You considered it, then opened her eyes. “No, but I’m a little tired… Can I go to sleep?”
Tang Danqing looked at her and smiled. “Then go to sleep. It’s late. Get some rest.”
Thinking of the Main Quest, Tang Danqing took off her trousers and climbed into bed, then set the alarm clock she’d bought for an hour later. Sleeping for an hour ought to count as taking a rest, right?
The blanket was big, so she pulled a little over to her side. She also snuggled up against the NPC’s legs, checking whether she felt cold.
Shang You’s ankle was pinned beneath Tang Danqing. Tang Danqing rubbed against it, then reached an arm around her…
Just as I thought.
“I’ll join you…”
Before Tang Danqing could finish, the NPC suddenly curled up like a shrimp tossed into boiling water. Her features contorted, and she looked to be in terrible pain.
