Chapter 79

“Princess, your daddy… no, your prince has arrived!”

Although the Little Princess had a voice that could shake the heavens and was so unbearably spoiled and bratty that it made people hate her, Zhu Ming and Yin Yu gradually figured out a pattern during the game.

As long as they were reasonable and gentle, even refusing some of the Little Princess’s requests wouldn’t lead to a point deduction.

As long as they put on a good act and were a bit perfunctory in their actions, they also wouldn’t be deducted points.

Of course, this was still somewhat difficult for Zhu Ming, because the moment she heard the Little Princess’s brainwashing demonic voice, her head would ache so terribly she wanted to jump out of the window.

After playing along all morning, the Little Princess got hungry and threw a tantrum for food. Zhu Ming really didn’t want to play with her anymore, so she rushed into the kitchen first: “I’ll cook!”

Turn on the stove, boil some water, crack three eggs, add the noodles, throw in a handful of greens, pour in some soy sauce… Crap? Why is it bubbling?

Zhu Ming frantically wiped up the overflowing noodle soup. When she looked into the pot again, it had turned into an unidentifiable paste… Ugh, it looked a bit like vomit.

She hesitated for a moment, but still scooped the concoction out of the pot and placed it on the table.

“Time to eat.”

In the living room, Yin Yu led the Little Princess over and lifted her onto a dining chair. With just one glance, the Little Princess nearly flipped the table in anger: “I don’t want to eat garbage!”

Zhu Ming’s face darkened. “What are you calling garbage? What gives you the right to call it garbage? Have you even eaten it to call it garbage? Taste it first if you’re so tough.”

Bombarded by this self-assured, storm-like rebuttal, the Little Princess looked at Zhu Ming suspiciously. “Is it really delicious?”

Zhu Ming’s expression didn’t change. “You’ll know when you eat it.” It won’t kill anyone.

So the Little Princess scooped up a spoonful of the mushy noodles, slurped it up, and—blegh.

The electronic voice echoed eerily: “Father plots to harm daughter. Deduct ten points.”

Zhu Ming: “…”

A soft laugh came from beside her. Yin Yu said, “Mingming, why don’t you play with her a little longer, and I’ll go cook?”

Zhu Ming slumped against the dining chair, her spirit soaring to the ninth heaven.

The Little Princess, dissatisfied, began to run wild in the house. She wouldn’t let Zhu Ming play with her either, she could play by herself—like kicking over the trash can, or smashing a vase…

Zhu Ming tucked her hands into her sleeves and pretended not to see. Destroy everything, go ahead. It wasn’t her real house anyway.

Her gaze shifted to Yin Yu inside the kitchen.

Yin Yu could cook, and very well at that… When she prepared ingredients, her movements were light and efficient, her expression as gentle as ever, without a trace of impatience.

Was there anything in this world that Yin Yu couldn’t do?

“What are you looking at?”

Zhu Ming was startled, not expecting Yin Yu to know she was watching her without even turning around. “Looking at you. I’m afraid you might drug me.”

Yin Yu said, “I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you for the reminder. It’s a pity this house doesn’t have that kind of drug.”

The lunch Yin Yu prepared was homey and abundant. The staple was rice, with two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and one soup. The Little Princess ate very contentedly this time, and after eating, she didn’t demand to play anymore, instead asking Yin Yu to put her to sleep.

Once the Little Princess was asleep, this home finally welcomed a rare and precious peace.

Yin Yu gently closed the door to the Princess Room and asked Zhu Ming, who was sitting on the sofa, “Do you want to communicate with the other participants?”

Zhu Ming rubbed her temples. “Let’s go to the Fifth Floor. A-Zou is there.”

“That works.”

Seizing the moment while the Little Princess wasn’t causing trouble, the two took their door cards and left the house. When they reached the Fifth Floor, Zhu Ming started knocking on the door to 502.

Almost instantly, Yun Zouchuan opened the door.

“Boss!” She also nodded at Yin Yu. “Sister Yin, are you all teamed up?”

Zhu Ming craned her neck to look into 5-2. “Yeah, we’re in 3-1. Come down and find us if you need anything. How has the morning task been going? Have you found any clues?”

Yun Zouchuan sighed wearily. “Just coaxed the kid all morning. No clues, and I got a ton of points deducted.”

Xu Xuanyu, the studio’s honored guest, staggered to the door, choking back a sob. “This damn assessment lasts six days. How am I supposed to survive?”

“Hang in there. If it really doesn’t work out, we’ll just meet up at the Parental Reformatory.”

“It’s already this terrifying now. If we end up at the reform institute, won’t it be even…” Xu Xuanyu couldn’t help but shiver. “I’d better just keep being a good mom.”

The four people from two ‘families’ exchanged information, then dispersed again.

Unexpectedly, after only being away for such a short time, as soon as Zhu Ming returned home, she was greeted by an electronic voice deducting points: “Parents’ carelessness led to daughter’s injury. Deduct twenty points each!”

For a moment, Zhu Ming didn’t know whether to be happy that Yin Yu was also deducted points, or worry about her score dropping to zero.

In the living room, the Little Princess, who had woken up sometime unbeknownst to them, was sitting barefoot on the floor. Her foot had a bloody gash, cut by the broken porcelain shards on the floor.

The Little Princess looked gloomily at her “parents,” silent, as if she wasn’t the same bratty kid who would wail at the slightest touch just moments before.

Well, although this unlucky child was infuriating, Zhu Ming wasn’t heartless enough to just watch her be injured and do nothing. If she didn’t care, she’d likely lose even more points.

But she was afraid she couldn’t handle this kid, so she found the first-aid kit and handed it to Yin Yu. “Here, you go.”

“And you?”

“I’ll clean up the living room.” Zhu Ming said listlessly.

As she tidied up, she watched Yin Yu gently apply medicine to the Little Princess.

“It hurts.”

“Mhm, it won’t hurt after a while.”

“It still hurts.”

“Then just a little longer.”

“…”

“Good girl.”

The Little Princess stared coldly at Yin Yu. Suddenly, she grabbed the medicine kit and threw it aside. Cotton swabs, bandages, and medicine bottles scattered all over the floor.

Yin Yu looked up at her, smiled nonchalantly, and continued wrapping gauze around the Little Princess’s foot. “Almost done.”

Zhu Ming, afraid of point deductions, quietly cursed as she picked up the medicine kit. “You unlucky child, keep acting up, and see if your mom doesn’t want you anymore either.”

Who knew it would’ve been better if she hadn’t spoken? The moment she did, the Little Princess started acting up again.

“Go away, go away! I don’t want you to bandage me!” She kicked Yin Yu’s arm away, sending the gauze stained with blood and iodine flying onto Zhu Ming.

Zhu Ming picked the gauze off of herself, veins throbbing at her temple. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold back from hanging the brat up and giving her a beating.

Clearly injured in the foot, the Little Princess was still surprisingly nimble when running. She burrowed into her bed, covered herself with the blanket, and started sobbing bitterly.

Yin Yu stood up and shrugged. “Fine then, I’ll apply the medicine when you’re willing.”

Her attitude had always been like this, but the Little Princess didn’t seem to accept it well. She sulked in her room all afternoon, refusing to come out or talk to anyone, which caused the two to be deducted another ten points.

The reason: Neglecting the child’s mental health.

Zhu Ming had lost count of how many points she’d lost. But with the Little Princess ignoring everyone, she was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

At 4 PM, the Little Princess had slept enough. She came out with a sullen face and sat down on the sofa without a word.

Yin Yu asked her, “Do you need me to bandage your wound?”

The Little Princess threw a tantrum and didn’t make a sound. Yin Yu just smiled and sat back down.

Zhu Ming finished her sunflower seeds, grabbed the medicine kit, and walked over. Forget it, why bicker with a little brat? She picked up the Little Princess’s foot and warned her, “Don’t cause trouble. Be careful, or your old man here won’t care anymore either.”

Little Princess: “…Heh.”

Zhu Ming: “Heh?”

At such a young age, to produce a laugh that perfectly combined such chill, disdain, contempt, and sarcasm— truly commendable courage.

Zhu Ming rolled her eyes and couldn’t be bothered to deal with her. After treating her wound, she said, “Alright, that’s it for now. Stop causing trouble, or your mom won’t make dinner tonight.”

“I want to hear a story.” The Little Princess obviously couldn’t stop causing trouble, but at least now that she was injured, she couldn’t thrash around. The scope of her tantrums was more acceptable.

So Zhu Ming found her storybook and read to her wherever she pointed.

At 5:30, Yin Yu made dinner. Zhu Ming ate very happily.

At 6:30, the Little Princess wanted to ride a horsey. Zhu Ming grabbed her by the back of her collar and dragged her in circles around the living room. After the circling, the Little Princess vomited. Zhu Ming was deducted points.

At 7:30, Zhu Ming and Yin Yu bathed the Little Princess.

At 8:00, the family watched cartoons in the living room.

At 8:30, the Little Princess was tired and wanted to go to bed.

This day was finally, finally freaking over.

But then, the door to the Princess Room suddenly cracked open a sliver. The Little Princess hid behind the door, looking sinisterly at Zhu Ming, who was lying on the living room sofa. “What are you doing?”

Zhu Ming said, “Watching TV?”

“You’re bothering me! Go back to bed, quickly!”

Zhu Ming felt both amused and annoyed. “Aren’t you being a little too bossy?”

The Little Princess was relentless. “I don’t care. You sleep with Mom, hurry up!”

Zhu Ming: “…You’re being way too controlling.”

The Little Princess asked, very suspiciously, “Why won’t you agree? Is your marriage on the rocks?”

As she spoke, a tearful tone crept into her voice again. Immediately following was an electronic notification: “Parents’ marital dispute affecting daughter’s mental health. Deduct ten points each!”

Zhu Ming: “…”

Seeing the Little Princess crying ever more dramatically, her voice getting sharper and sharper, Zhu Ming couldn’t take it anymore. She had to jump off the sofa and say, “Alright, stop howling. I’ll sleep with your mom, okay?”

So the next second, the Little Princess fell silent, but still hesitantly asked, “Really?”

“Really. Truer than true diamonds.”

“Then your relationship isn’t broken?”

“No, absolutely not.” Zhu Ming rubbed her face wearily. “Our relationship is so good, I wish I could be tangled with your mom until the grave.”

“Then you must be very loving?”

“Yes, yes, yes, incredibly loving.” Zhu Ming replied perfunctorily. “Alright, go to sleep now. I’ll go back to the room and be with your mom, happy?”

“I want to watch you go into the room.”

Zhu Ming had no choice but to walk back to the bedroom right in front of her.

She shut the door behind her and turned around to see Yin Yu lying comfortably in bed wearing a nightgown, a sheet mask on her face.

Zhu Ming: “…”

Yin Yu smiled. “The daily necessities here are well-stocked. Would Mingming like to try one?”

“No.” Zhu Ming walked to the bed in a few steps, fell straight down, and said coldly, “You sleep on the floor.”

“Why?” Yin Yu asked, surprised and puzzled. “This bed is huge. And it’s not like we haven’t slept close together before. Mingming even used my thigh as a pillow back then!”

She was talking about that Knowledge Contest dungeon, when they were traversing the underground labyrinth at night.

Zhu Ming said irritably, “There was no bed or pillow then. I had no choice but to make do with you.”

“No.” Yin Yu peeled off her mask, grinning. “What if our dear daughter has a way of seeing what’s happening over here? Don’t forget, she was asleep when we went out at noon, but just a short while later, she was up.”

Zhu Ming: “…”

The headaches were starting again. Yin Yu was right. That possibility did exist.

Yin Yu turned on her side and said, “Is Mingming shy?”

Zhu Ming: “Can you shut up?”

Yin Yu refused. “No. We rarely get to chat so calmly. Does Mingming not like it? Or must every time be a fight before Mingming doesn’t have to face her true feelings?”

The bed was very soft. Any movement from Yin Yu, Zhu Ming could feel it on her side.

Although it was a double bed, it looked to be only about 1.5 meters wide. Neither of them had a petite build, so lying down filled it completely.

After washing up, Yin Yu carried the scents of the mask, shower gel, and body lotion. These scents… Zhu Ming had them too, because now they were a family, they were a couple, they shared the supplies in this house.

But beyond that, Yin Yu carried a subtle, elegant fragrance all her own.

That scent was like cold pear blossoms in April, like snow melting atop a high mountain… very pleasant, very faint, yet very persistent.

Zhu Ming closed her eyes, inhaling this scent. Her memories seemed to drift back to when she was eighteen. Surrounded by this darkness, in this soft and tender atmosphere, she seemed less resistant to revealing her own vulnerable side, and to her curiosity and fascination toward Yin Yu.

She suddenly grew curious. “Are you usually busy with your schemes?”

Yin Yu answered softly, “No. If I were only busy with one thing, it would be too great a loss.”

“A loss?” Zhu Ming retorted. “Why do you say that?”

“Because this world is so wonderful.” Yin Yu said enthusiastically. “Humans are incredibly creative. There are countless movies, books, artworks, cuisines, man-made wonders… You can never imagine what kind of exciting stories are unfolding in every corner of this world. There’s always touching true love and lamentable regret. And even without humans, nature is equally marvelous. Actually, if you think about it seriously, humans are also creations of nature…”

Listening to this, Zhu Ming couldn’t help but guess, “So you’ve usually been…”

Yin Yu said, “Enjoying life.”

Zhu Ming: “…”

Yin Yu: “You have to seize the time to experience the wonders of this world. What if the world ends? Then you can’t return to this wonderful world. Even if another civilization is born in the future, it could never replicate the current brilliance.”

Zhu Ming rested a hand on her chest, suppressing a laugh as she asked, “So all these years, you’ve been busy enjoying life, is that it?”

“Yes, I learned many instruments, listened to master performances, went to see Antarctic penguins, and even climbed to the peak of the Himalayas.” Yin Yu asked in return, “Haven’t you had times of enjoyment?”

Zhu Ming: “…………”

Yin Yu said, “That’s truly a pity. Human lives are so short, and yet you still refuse to seize the time to appreciate the wonders of this world.”

Zhu Ming ground her teeth. “Not everyone is as amazing as you, so capable that you have the capital to enjoy the world. Us ordinary people already struggle just to live our lives well, okay?”

Yin Yu smiled gently. “If one can live their life well, there’s nothing stopping them from enjoying it. Splendor exists in every corner. I hope you can experience all the happiness this world has to offer, whether it’s a delicious meal or a soft, warm bed.”

Zhu Ming rolled over and silently rolled her eyes, refusing to pay her any more attention.

Yin Yu gently patted her back, like she was coaxing a child. “What’s important isn’t the number of things experienced, but the depth of feeling in a single moment of being moved.”

After a long while, Zhu Ming finally asked her, “Why do you think the world will end? Does it have to do with your schemes?”

Yin Yu let out a long sigh. “Oh dear, Mingming is really good at picking out the key points. Fine, fine, I’ll tell you. It’s connected, but what might be destroyed isn’t the world, but the current civilization.”

“What exactly do you want to do?” Zhu Ming suddenly flipped over, grabbing her hand. “Answer me!”

But she had forgotten that Yin Yu was gently patting her back, that she was happily and selflessly sharing her insights. So when she turned around, what she faced was Yin Yu’s face, close at hand.

She was so close, so close that her eyes, immersed in the darkness, shimmered brightly like rippling waves, intoxicating.

“I want… to give everyone a chance.” Yin Yu said with a gentle smile. “What ultimate path this civilization takes—that will depend on all of you.”