Since they had spent some time looking for the lost puppy together, she told Yang Mo that she had run into Yang Xia after finishing work and helped her defeat a Badma. However, she did not breathe a single word about what had happened after that.
Yang Mo expressed her understanding regarding why Gan Ling had returned home late and proceeded to advise her, “It’s good to work hard, but don’t overdo it, Gan Ling. Let’s go out and have some fun together during the long holiday next week.”
“Okay, I won’t take any more jobs when the time comes,” Gan Ling replied.
The reason for such a conversation was that once the upcoming weekend ended, they only had to get through two more workdays before a five-day holiday arrived. In Gan Ling’s past life, there would have been a similar long weekend during these dates, but unlike her previous world, the concept of “makeup workdays” did not seem to exist here. Even after such a long break, no weekend would be converted into a workday.
The first episode of the anime *Magical Girl Weilu* happened to start on the Monday after the long holiday ended. Starting from that point, various urgent events from the original work would follow one after another. Gan Ling still had two things she absolutely had to do before then. The most important one was to meet the Doll Witch, and ideally, pull her over to the side of the protagonists after their meeting. She was, for the most part, prepared for that task. The second thing was to scrape together enough money for baking equipment and ingredients, which required her to work for at least two more days.
Thus, the industrious Housekeeping Robot prepared herself for another day of work. Gan Ling continued to represent the “Robot Maintenance Group” to negotiate with the General Manager, Old Xu. After she indicated on the messaging app that she was available today, Old Xu explained some precautions to her. Unlike her previous work experiences, Gan Ling needed to head toward the southwest of Gui River Town this time. Looking at the positioning map, the destination appeared to be a luxury villa. The area occupied by the gray square was more than twice the size of a typical house, and there were no other squares representing buildings in its immediate vicinity. It likely featured a villa with an attached garden.
Gan Ling was stunned for a moment, and then her heart skipped a beat. ‘Wait, a luxury villa in Gui River Town… Could this be…?’
Old Xu’s next message further confirmed her suspicions. He told Gan Ling that the head of the household’s surname was “Ye.” He also asked if Gan Ling could adjust the settings so that the Housekeeping Robot could use titles like “Mr.” and “Mrs.”
With that, Gan Ling was completely certain. Her next workplace happened to be the home of Gui River Town’s very own Magical Girl—Magical Girl Iris. What a coincidence… In the original work, Iris and the Doll Witch were characters who debuted in the same arc. She remembered very clearly that the Ye family was considered a prominent clan in Gui River Town, and Iris herself was a very typical young lady of a wealthy household. Thinking of this, she suddenly realized something was a bit strange, so she sent a message to confirm with Old Xu.
Robot Maintenance Group (Gan Ling): “If the other party is wealthy, why are they hiring a cleaning company? Wouldn’t it be easier to let their own servants do it?”
Old Xu: “That’s because they are curious about the ‘robot service’ we’ve established.”
Robot Maintenance Group: “You’ve already developed it into a specialized business? Has there been any change in the fees you’re charging?”
Old Xu: “Yes, but don’t concern yourself with that. Your daily wage will also increase proportionally as agreed.”
Robot Maintenance Group: “Alright, I understand.”
This was undoubtedly good news for Gan Ling. Not only was the pay higher, but she might even get a chance to come into contact with a Magical Girl. That afternoon, she headed toward the address Old Xu had sent with a sense of anticipation. Before she even reached the gate, an air of luxury rushed to meet her. Peering through the gaps in the wrought-iron gate, she could see a magnificent fountain in the center of the courtyard, with plants on both sides meticulously manicured.
When such scenes appeared in the original work, Gan Ling usually felt nothing was out of the ordinary, but seeing it with her own eyes still left her greatly shocked. Fortunately, this body could not make any obvious expressions, so she did not have to worry about her robot disguise being exposed. Old Xu, who was standing beside Gan Ling, was equally shocked. His reaction was much more direct; his eyes widened slightly, and his jaw dropped involuntarily.
It would have been a bit of an eyesore to park the cleaning company’s van here, which Gan Ling guessed was why Old Xu had asked her to come here directly. Luckily, she was wearing her usual maid outfit, while Old Xu had specifically changed into a business suit for the visit. Both of their outfits were relatively appropriate for the setting.
After a while, a gatekeeper opened the small side gate. A maid led Gan Ling and Old Xu to the entrance of the villa, motioning toward the doorbell with an open palm before taking her leave. Old Xu hesitated for a moment before pressing his index finger against the doorbell with a slight tremble.
Ding-dong—
Following the crisp sound, a man’s voice soon came through the speaker at the door.
“Just a moment, I’ll be right there.”
Once the door opened, two people appeared before Gan Ling and Old Xu. One was a man wearing a wristwatch and a cashmere sweater, with a calm smile on his face; the other was a woman who gave off a gentle impression, dressed in a loose, modified qipao. Gan Ling knew at a glance that these two were the parents of Magical Girl Iris. According to the settings, they were nearly 40 years old, but even if they claimed to be ten years younger, she doubted anyone would find it strange.
‘Should I say it’s expected of an anime world…?’ she marveled internally. ‘The parents of main characters always look incredibly young. I suppose that’s a common setting in other works too.’ Meanwhile, the man and Old Xu began exchanging pleasantries.
“Are you Mr. Xu? And is this the housekeeping robot you mentioned?”
“Hello, Mr. Ye, Mrs. Su. That is correct, this is it,” Old Xu replied with a natural smile.
The woman he addressed as Mrs. Su rested her cheek against her hand, looking at Gan Ling as she said, “What a cute robot. May I give her a hug?”
Hearing her say this, a flash of panic crossed Old Xu’s face for only a split second before he immediately resumed his original smile. “Apologies, Madam, I’m afraid that might not be appropriate. If this robot is embraced, it will attempt to break free. That is how its program is written.”
“Oh, what a shame.”
Mrs. Su expressed her regret, but Gan Ling felt a wave of relief. She did not want to be toyed with like a plaything again as she had been before. Afterward, the couple led Old Xu and Gan Ling inside. They sat in the living room to discuss the details of the request. Old Xu repeatedly confirmed with them whether everyone else had left the house and if the surveillance cameras had been turned off. Although they were initially confused about turning off the cameras, they believed Old Xu’s careful explanation that it was to avoid the leak of research and development data. At the same time, Old Xu provided a guarantee regarding any damage or loss of property.
And so, after a long period of communication, Gan Ling’s work could finally officially begin.