008 Shopping, Sister Yun, Pervert
He had resigned from his exorcist identity, yet now he was raising a little girl from another plane in his home.
Qin Ren touched the cross-shaped Stigma on his collarbone. It still vaguely felt like all of this was happening in a dream.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
Stretching and rubbing his faintly aching neck, Qin Ren checked WeChat and confirmed he still had one more day off. That meant he had time to get some daily necessities for the little girl.
So, he got out of bed first, gave Luo Yao’s long hair a simple combing, then brought over a small stool and taught her how to wash up.
“This is called toothpaste.”
“Toothpaste~”
“This is called a toothbrush.”
“Toothbrush~”
The great Spirit Beast, a quick learner, chirped along, learning these new concepts, which made Qin Ren wonder.
“You don’t have these things in the Myriad Demon Continent?”
“We do, but this eminence doesn’t need them. I’ve never used them.”
Damn, really…?
“Open your mouth, ahh—”
“Ahh—”
“Breathe out.”
“Hah—”
There was a difference between a Spirit Beast and a wild beast. Qin Ren checked and saw that Luo Yao’s little white teeth were all neat and clean, and she didn’t have any bad breath. It seemed she really didn’t need to brush her teeth.
But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Qin Ren could still afford an extra tube of toothpaste. What if the food, air, and everything on Earth were different from the Myriad Demon Continent?
After all, in a world with spiritual energy versus one without, anything could be vastly different.
————————————
After washing up, Qin Ren took Luo Yao out. They went to the nearby Walmart to purchase some necessities, like towels, clothes, socks, and so on.
Although Luo Yao had made a three-chapter agreement with Qin Ren, it was her first time in a supermarket. How could she possibly hold back? She threw anything that interested her into the shopping cart, getting her cheeks pinched by Qin Ren several times.
Qin Ren was a bit speechless. If you said she was unsophisticated, she learned about simple daily necessities very quickly. After one round, she had already memorized them and even quickly figured out what a wall-breaker blender and a microwave were.
But if you said she was perceptive and spiritually aware, she would always grab strange things.
For example, while Qin Ren was picking out peanut-flavored biscuits for Tuantuan, this kid saw the colorful little squares hanging next to the counter, her eyes lit up, and she secretly grabbed a large handful.
“Little friend, you can’t buy this,” the cashier immediately showed a sweaty-faced emoji expression.
“Why?”
Luo Yao blinked, her expression pure and innocent, so much so that the cashier would feel guilty for not answering.
But if she had to answer, the cashier could only give a helpless, dry laugh.
“Little friend, you’re still young. This is for lovers.”
“!?”
Luo Yao was instantly shocked and excited.
For Qin Ren…
So Qin Ren is that famous in this world? The supermarket even has things specifically for him.
Just then, Qin Ren finished picking out the biscuits. Luo Yao grabbed a few more pretty-colored ones and trotted over, stuffing them all into Qin Ren’s shopping cart.
“???”
Qin Ren stared, dumbfounded, at the 0.01s, the ribbed, the thermal-sensitive. He was completely stunned. As his old face burned, he gritted his teeth and whispered an order to Luo Yao.
“Put them back, quickly…”
“Why? They’re so pretty~”
“You can’t use them…”
“Mhm, mhm, I know. They’re for Qin Ren’s exclusive use, da~”
Luo Yao cleverly held one up, gleefully presenting it to Qin Ren.
“Qin Ren, Qin Ren, use it for this eminence to see when we get back~”
Use your sister!
And… and for my exclusive use?
It might be a bit shameful to admit, but for various reasons, Qin Ren never had the chance to have relations with his ex-girlfriend during their first love. So, he had never used this stuff before.
Therefore, Luo Yao’s “for Qin Ren’s exclusive use” sounded particularly absurd. Qin Ren didn’t know what this kid had been through, but he was helpless.
After all, although the written and spoken languages of the two worlds were similar, it was impossible for Luo Yao to recognize all simplified Chinese characters based on that alone.
Even if she did, an innocent little animal probably wouldn’t know the meaning of the three words on the packaging.
“Just put them back!”
Qin Ren couldn’t explain it clearly at the moment. He turned his head and saw more and more eyes gathering, and sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.
“I… I can’t use it for you to see. It’s for two people to use…”
That made the great Spirit Beast even happier.
“Aren’t you and this eminence exactly two people?”
“…”
At this point, the crowd had started to murmur. Given the certain Spirit Beast’s petite, cute, and harmless appearance, a sales clerk even had her hand on her phone, about to dial three numbers.
“Cough! Ahem, I’m so sorry! My daughter doesn’t know any better…”
“? Who’s your mmmph—”
Qin Ren covered Luo Yao’s mouth, paid for his items at lightning speed while offering an apologetic smile, and fled the scene.
It was the first time he’d nearly been escorted to the police station just for a trip to the mall.
Carrying all the bags was too tiring, so Qin Ren didn’t want to go back and cook for lunch. He found a Golden Arches instead. After they each had a combo meal, he ordered a family bucket.
Was it too much?
Not at all.
From this, Qin Ren finally learned Luo Yao’s true appetite. He had really wronged her with that bowl of noodles last night.
————————————
“Thinking back to my time in the Flowing Cloud Sect, this eminence also often achieved victory in battle, leaving a trail of ten thousand bleached bones.”
The little girl was beaming as she ate. Qin Ren was propping up his chin, anxiously looking at the small mountain of chicken bones beside her, when a series of WeChat notification sounds suddenly rang out.
He looked down. [Qianhe Architectural Consulting Co., Ltd.: Langyue 90-Acre Project]. It was a project group for a project Qin Ren was currently working on at his company.
No way, they won’t even give me two full days off?
He frowned and opened it. Thankfully, it was nothing major. The department head was just @-ing him in the work group to ask some questions about the drawings.
[Clouds Roll, Clouds Unfurl: @King of Qin, Little Qin, did you save the floor plan for the 125 model?]
[Qin Ren: I did. Sister Yun, check the server.]
[Clouds Roll, Clouds Unfurl: Which folder?]
[Qin Ren: Let me think…]
…
Although it wasn’t a big deal, he still had to reply seriously. After all, it was a project he was working on with Sister Yun. For over a year, whenever Qin Ren thought of that cold, beautiful face, his own expression would can’t help but turn grave.
A workaholic—that was the kind of highly infectious presence she was in the workplace.
[Qin Ren: Did you find it, Sister Yun?]
[Clouds Roll, Clouds Unfurl: Found it.]
[Qin Ren: Okay. If there’s anything else, I’ll do it when I come in tomorrow. Sister Yun, make sure you get some rest. Try not to work overtime today.]
…
After all, she was the senior who had guided him into the industry. The two had been working together in a half-teaching, half-collaborative manner until now. Qin Ren always kept the necessary concern for her in mind.
In the group chat, [Clouds Roll, Clouds Unfurl] didn’t reply again.
A moment later, a private message notification sounded:
[Clouds Roll, Clouds Unfurl: Mm.]
“Tsk, again with this. Is it really necessary…”
Although Qin Ren’s company was a Sino-Japanese joint venture, because it was located in Rongcheng, the company environment had always been a “youthful work environment” similar to that of a large IT company. Normally, regardless of whether they were leaders or employees, any simple chat could be conducted directly in the group.
But Qin Ren didn’t know why Sister Yun alone was so rigid in this regard. She only discussed work in the group chat. Anything related to people would be moved to a private chat.
Was this also an effect of her workaholic attribute?
…
Qin Ren couldn’t help but fall into deep thought. Since he had just been replying to WeChat messages, he had been frowning in concentration and silent for quite some time. Luo Yao couldn’t help but look at him with some concern.
“Qin Ren… are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Oh.”
As long as he was fine. Luo Yao took a few sips from her straw. This black, bubbly water was so delicious. Seeing that Qin Ren seemed to be in low spirits, the little girl lifted the lid and generously offered him the last little bit.
“Qin Ren, are you thirsty?”
Qin Ren held up a bottle of Baisui Shan in his hand.
“No thanks. Carbonated drinks just make you thirstier. I’ll just have a sip of water later.”
“…Pervert…”
Luo Yao blushed and muttered softly. After a moment of hesitation, she pursed her lips and spit a little saliva into the cup.
“Here.”
“Are you asking for a beating…”
**
Translator’s Notes
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Three-chapter agreement (约法三章): An idiom originating from a historical event. It means to make a few simple, fundamental rules that everyone must follow.
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The three words on the packaging: The words are likely “避孕套” (bìyùntào), which means “condom.”
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Golden Arches (金拱门): In 2017, McDonald’s China changed its official company name to “Jīn Gǒngmén,” which literally translates to “Golden Arches.” This became a popular meme and nickname for McDonald’s in China.
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King of Qin (秦王): A nickname for Qin Ren in the work chat. It’s a play on his name, as “Qin Wang” was the title for the king of the state of Qin, most famously held by Qin Shi Huang before he became emperor.
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Baisui Shan (百岁山): A popular brand of bottled mineral water in China.
