Chapter 48
Give her more security
However, the two of them had never met. It was as if Mi and Wei Jiangxue had agreed beforehand that they would never talk about these things when they chatted. If she were to invite them out rashly, would Mi really agree?
Wei Jiangxue held her phone, ready to find her chat history with Mi, but then she hesitated.
Would someone as wealthy as Mi, who spends tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time, care about a meal she treats him to and the favor she owes him?
But no matter what, she had to give it a try. Wei Jiangxue carefully edited out a paragraph:
Hi, are you free lately? I see your IP address is in Linyue City. Thank you so much for everything lately; I don't know how to repay you, so I thought it would be more sincere to say it in person. If it's convenient for you, I'd like to treat you to a meal; you can choose the place and time.
After sending the message, Wei Jiangxue felt uneasy, so she turned off her phone and lay down on the sofa.
What kind of person is Mi?
She had imagined it countless times before, only to reject it one by one. If the imagined image didn't match the real person, Wei Jiangxue might feel disappointed, and she wanted to avoid that, because it sounded very unfriendly to Mi, whom she could call a friend.
More than being curious about what kind of person Mi was, Wei Jiangxue wanted to know Mi's response. She wasn't sure how Mi would react—would she readily agree, pretend not to see it, or make up an excuse to decline?
After all, in front of the other party, she was just a small streamer receiving favors. Without Mi's votes in some PK competitions, Wei Jiangxue would probably have had to work even harder to promote her streams to reach her current level.
The appearance of Mi was like a timely help for Wei Jiangxue and 233, giving Wei Jiangxue a big boost at the very beginning.
Because of the special identity of the person opposite her, Wei Jiangxue thought that, given Mi Ruian's personality, it would be best for her to give a heads-up beforehand to avoid making Mi Ruian jealous.
She planned to tell Mi Rui'an during dinner that evening.
Wei Jiangxue guessed that her phone vibrated and Mi had replied to her message.
After Wei Jiangxue tapped the screen, the voice assistant read out the reply: "Okay, I'll arrange the time and place. I'll let you know once it's finalized."
Mi's tone was consistent with her concise style when handling matters, and she didn't seem particularly surprised by Wei Jiangxue's invitation.
Wei Jiangxue breathed a sigh of relief. She had calculated that it wouldn't matter if she treated Mi to a meal at the most expensive restaurant in Linyue City.
However… Wei Jiangxue suddenly began to have doubts again. There might be a huge gap between the restaurants and chefs that she could access and those that Mi could access. No, besides telling Mi Ruian about her itinerary that night, she also had to ask Mi Ruian how much the most expensive meal in Lin Yue City would cost.
Wei Jiangxue might not understand, but Mi Rui'an certainly knew the consumption level of people in Mi's social class.
*
In the study.
Upon receiving Wei Jiangxue's invitation, Mi Rui'an immediately became nervous.
She stared at the information on the screen, her fingers clenched into a fist and resting on her chin, a rare look of distress appearing on her face.
Wei Jiangxue wanted to see Mi to express her gratitude, and she was unaware of Mi's true identity.
Mi Rui'an could go directly and reveal that Mi is herself. However, she wasn't sure if Wei Jiangxue would accept it, because that would mean that Mi Rui'an had been paying attention to Wei Jiangxue since the beginning of her live streams, while in reality, Mi Rui'an pretended to be completely unaware.
Mi Rui'an wasn't confident that this level of deception would prevent Wei Jiangxue from getting angry.
Especially now that they have just reached an agreement to be each other's partners for a one-month trial period, they cannot allow any other incidents to affect this still unstable relationship.
If she were to go to the appointment disguised, Mi Rui'an was confident she could change her voice, and as for her appearance, she could simply disguise herself.
Although Wei Jiangxue is still blind, what if she regains her sight midway and discovers that Mi is actually Mi Rui'an? That would be a complete failure.
Moreover, Mi Rui'an had a premonition that if she didn't disguise herself, she would definitely be recognized.
This conflicted feeling made Mi Rui'an irritable.
Besides, Wei Jiangxue had talked nonsense during her vulnerable period, and Mi Ruian remained neutral, both believing and doubting her.
Wei Jiangxue said she didn't belong to this world and would leave sooner or later. Perhaps it could be simply explained as a matter of upbringing, but Mi Rui'an wondered, what if that were true?
This wasn't the first time she'd felt something was off about the world. Having met so many people since childhood, Mi Rui'an was already quite adept at labeling everyone.
In her mind, some people are soulless dolls, some are pets with a certain sense of self, and some are monsters who approach her with ulterior motives.
Mi Jia, Ji Ruo, Mi Feng, Bai Rong... they are like pets kept in captivity, always following the prescribed route, never deviating from the track.
Those people that Mi Rui'an had only met a few times or glanced at briefly seemed utterly empty, much like lifeless dolls in a shopping mall.
Many more people she has never met, and who don't even have a clear face or name, exist only in government data reports and media coverage.
If that were all, Mi Rui'an wouldn't say they weren't living, breathing people with their own sense of self.
The reason for this conclusion is that Mi Rui'an encountered a third type of people who were completely different from them—those who deliberately approached her and did not belong to this world.
Those strange people would appear around Mi Rui'an in different guises—perhaps as a nanny, a driver, or even a tutor…
Mi Rui'an observed them and gradually confirmed that they were pushing themselves in certain directions, and that they all had one thing in common: each of them wanted to gain Mi Rui'an's favor.
Because she had figured out a method to mentally score these people. Soon, she saw their different reactions as their scores changed, which convinced Mi Rui'an that these people seemed to be able to quantify certain things. When Mi Rui'an's liking for them increased, they were happy, and when Mi Rui'an disliked them, they seemed anxious.
Mi Rui'an ignored them all. After realizing how strange these people were, she turned around and told her family. She never saw them again.
Although the mothers sometimes act strangely, most of the time they are like normal people and can protect Mi Rui'an.
Mi Feng and Bai Rong are more interesting. One is a typical manipulated puppet. Mi Rui'an has seen Mi Feng behave like a typical character in a theatrical program more than once, so ridiculous that Mi Rui'an can't help but laugh.
But no one around her seemed to notice anything amiss, not even her mothers. Oh, wait, there was one.
Like Mi Rui'an, Bai Rong seemed to have noticed the strangeness of those around her. However, she might have just realized it, while Mi Rui'an had already figured it out long ago. Therefore, Bai Rong's disguise did not fool Mi Rui'an, but Mi Rui'an pretended to be just like everyone else.
She watched as Bai Rong repeatedly tested others, only to be disappointed time and time again.
These were all things Mi Rui'an had experienced. She had tried to share her thoughts with Mi Jia and Ji Ruo, but the mothers seemed not to understand, performing their daily tasks like robots, unmoved by her bedtime stories and songs. When it was time, they would leave Mi Rui'an's room to rest.
While they were away, Mi Rui'an left her bedroom late at night and heard the entire house fall silent.
That was the first time Mi Rui'an knew what it meant to be terrified.
The warm and cozy home during the day became a strange place for Mi Rui'an at night.
From that moment on, she was convinced that she and Bai Rong were very different from others, even though she didn't know what that meant.
Wei Jiangxue is someone who brings surprises to Mi Rui'an.
Before even meeting Wei Jiangxue, Mi Rui'an had already interacted with several strangers. The people she encountered along her planned route were clearly carrying special missions. After Mi Rui'an entrusted them with certain tasks, those puppets seemed to break free from some kind of restraint, their unique selves disappearing, reduced to broken puppets like the other background figures.
Wei Jiangxue was different from everyone else, and Mi Rui'an made that judgment the moment she saw her.
Although Wei Jiangxue would do some inexplicable things around her, it didn't affect her much. To satisfy her curiosity, Mi Rui accepted it without hesitation, but she never expected to get herself involved.
The reward far exceeded expectations. During their intimate moments during their most vulnerable period, Mi Rui'an readily accepted Wei Jiangxue's words.
To avoid making any definitive statements, Mi Rui'an remained half-skeptical and half-believing.
Wei Jiangxue didn't react at all to her fluctuating feelings of affection, so Mi Rui'an concluded that such a vibrant person like her didn't have any other motives, nor was she one of those people who were forced onto a predetermined path and couldn't escape their fate.
But if she didn't come from this world, where else could Wei Jiangxue have come from?
*
The appointed day arrived in the blink of an eye. Before going to the appointment, Wei Jiangxue put on the clothes that Mi Rui'an had chosen for her. After kissing Mi Rui'an goodbye in a very natural way, Wei Jiangxue went out.
Mi Rui'an seems to be fine today, saying she will stay at home and wait for Wei Jiangxue to come back.
Wei Jiangxue felt a warmth in her heart; being with Mi Rui'an, she felt a touch of home. Fortunately, when she contacted the florist, Wei Jiangxue had also specially ordered a bouquet for Mi Rui'an, which she would bring back tonight—perhaps as a surprise.
She seemed to have forgotten that she and Mi Rui'an had agreed to a trial period.
But even if I could remember, what difference would it make?
The place Mi chose wasn't the high-end restaurant Wei Jiangxue had imagined, nor was it some mysterious area that only those with power could book. They simply met at a quiet private restaurant in the city center, with reasonable prices. Wei Jiangxue even felt a little ashamed; she had actually brought Mi, who had spent so much money on her, to eat such a cheap meal.
But Mi chose the place herself, so Wei Jiangxue felt embarrassed to suggest changing the location. What if Mi was just being considerate of her?
Let's talk about other things when we meet, and see if we can find a way to repay Mi.
Mi arrived later than her, so Wei Jiangxue simply took out her phone and chatted with Mi Rui'an.
[Wei Jiangxue: What are you doing?]
Mi Rui'an seemed particularly nervous when she learned that Wei Jiangxue was going to see Mi, so Wei Jiangxue wanted to give her as much reassurance as possible.
However, for some reason, Mi Rui'an, who usually replied instantly, disappeared this time.
Wei Jiangxue was a little confused, guessing that she was probably busy with something else.
Soon, footsteps came from outside the private room and stopped at the door of Wei Jiangxue's room. She quickly put down her phone.
The door was opened, and a strange smell wafted out. The moment Wei Jiangxue smelled it, her expression twisted for a second.
No? Why does it smell so strongly of disinfectant? Did Mi go to silence someone before coming here?
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