“Then you’re still unwilling to live with me…”
“No.”
“Why?”
Feng Ling patted her arm with both hands, signaling her to let go, but Lian Ge seemed completely unaware of the hint.
“I just don’t want to… I’m not used to living with others. I have no sense of security.”
Feng Ling shook her head, wriggling like an eel a few times before finally breaking free from Lian Ge’s embrace.
She stepped back half a pace, standing at a relatively safe distance.
“But sleeping out in the open every day isn’t a solution either…”
“Th-that’s true…”
Feng Ling thought that since she still hadn’t found a venue for her livestream, she might as well take this opportunity to solve both problems at once.
“Can you rent an apartment in your name for me? I’ll pay you.”
“Of course, but we’re still under ‘Alert Status.’ Let’s just sit in the park for a while, and after the time is up, we can go take a look together.”
The Magical Girl Association did have such a rule—during duty hours, even without a mission, they had to remain on alert.
Specifically, they were supposed to stay outdoors in areas where they could take off at any moment, not stray too far from the center of their protected zone.
The purpose was to be able to rush to the scene as soon as the alarm came in, saving those few minutes of response time.
However, Feng Ling had only ever held one attitude toward this rule: pretend it didn’t exist.
After all, no one was watching, and it didn’t save much time anyway.
Instead of waiting around outdoors, she’d rather hole up in her rental room, blasting the AC while scrolling on her phone, then fly over when the alarm signal came.
But Lian Ge was the obedient type—she not only followed the rule herself but also dragged others into following it.
So the two of them ended up sitting on a park bench.
The weather was actually just right—neither too hot nor too cold, with shade from the trees.
Sitting on a park bench should have been quite comfortable.
But a Magical Girl’s outfit was way too elaborate.
In the middle of summer, you’d think they’d introduce a Summer Outfit System to lighten the load.
Feng Ling’s legs were still wrapped tightly in thick white pantyhose, making her unable to resist tugging at the stockings around her calves to let some heat escape.
It wasn’t until Lian Ge turned her head that Feng Ling realized her posture was a bit unseemly.
She quickly pulled her hands back to her knees, sat up primly, and looked at her with clear eyes.
“So… did he accept your friend request?”
“Not yet.”
She shook her phone screen at Lian Ge—the friend request still hadn’t been approved, after all, he was sitting right there.
Before long, the silence settled in again, and Lian Ge spoke up.
“By the way, Feng Ling, why did you suddenly think of livestreaming?”
Of course it’s to make money.
What else?
It’s not like I have a passion for sharing my life.
But that answer clearly couldn’t be said to Lian Ge.
She quickly switched her expression to that of a lonely little pitiful thing, resting her arm on the back of the bench and lifting her eyes to the canopy overhead.
“Because I watched Senior Chiyun’s livestream, and I thought it seemed like a good way to relieve loneliness.”
Feng Ling put on a forlorn look, as if she really were some unaccepted paladin of justice in the darkness.
Why do I always feel like I’m walking a dangerous line?
Feng Ling muttered inwardly.
She had told an awful lot of lies today.
But then again, using normal logic, there was no way anyone could deduce that Jiang Zhu equaled Feng Ling.
A grown man turning into a Magical Girl—as long as it wasn’t too obvious, no one would ever make the connection.
So even though she had dug quite a few holes now, as long as she earned enough money to achieve Financial Freedom early and then retired, she’d probably be fine.
“Then how about being friends with me?”
Lian Ge’s hand had somehow already reached out, gently covering the hand Feng Ling had resting on her knee.
Her palm was warm, and she carefully curled her fingers, afraid of breaking the fragile Feng Ling.
“If you ever feel lonely and want to talk to me about anything, you can always come to me.”
“We’re already friends, aren’t we? If I have any trouble, I’ll come to you.”
Feng Ling responded politely, a courteous but distant smile on her face.
When Lian Ge heard the word “friend,” her eyes visibly lit up, and she didn’t let go of Feng Ling’s hand.
“That’s good.”
Lian Ge’s words were always filled with meticulous care.
Feng Ling had a thick skin, but after telling so many lies, she couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty.
She just wished the time would pass quickly.
Lian Ge kept waiting for the Alert Status to end, only standing up from the bench when the duty hours on her phone ticked down to the very last second.
Feng Ling had already been sitting there for so long she felt like she was about to grow moss.
Seeing that Lian Ge was finally willing to move, she immediately sprang up from the bench.
“Let’s go, let’s go. If we don’t hurry, we’ll run out of time to rent the apartment.”
Feng Ling led Lian Ge to the building she had already eyed.
It wasn’t far from her original rental place.
The surroundings weren’t great, but it was cheap—after all, she was only renting it to avoid being doxxed during her livestreams.
But the moment Lian Ge stepped into the building, her expression changed.
Calling it old, shabby, and small would have been an understatement.
The walls inside were plastered with layer upon layer of small ads and water stains from some unknown era.
The stair railings were rusted, leaving red and yellow flakes on your hand when you touched them.
At every landing, there was a pile of garbage here and there.
The air was thick with a damp, smoky smell that refused to dissipate—like the odor of cigarette butts soaked in water and then spread across the entire floor.
Each step Lian Ge took up the stairs grew slower, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
Finally, she stopped altogether and grabbed Feng Ling’s arm to keep her from going any further.
“How can a girl like you live in a place like this? You can’t possibly be that broke, can you?”
“But I’m a Demon Beast,” Feng Ling said, unfazed, actively emphasizing her own backstory again.
“That still doesn’t work. In short, I absolutely won’t let you stay in a place like this.”
Lian Ge dragged her back outside.
Feng Ling opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.
Actually, moving to a place with better surroundings wouldn’t cost her that much more.
After signing the Contract, she got a monthly subsidy of five thousand yuan, plus the extra cash she made on the side through the Fan Economy.
She could easily afford a one-bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood.
But subconsciously, she didn’t want to spend the extra money.
Maybe it was some kind of Psychological Compensation Mechanism, but she instinctively felt that since she hadn’t earned the money from that Job Offer, she didn’t deserve to indulge in this level of comfort.
But falling out with Lian Ge over such a small amount wasn’t worth it.
Feng Ling immediately changed her tune and agreed.
“You’re right. Let’s find another place.”
They searched nearby again.
Lian Ge turned up the filtering criteria on the rental app a few notches and finally settled on a much better residence.
The new complex had a security gate and an elevator.
The hallway was paved with clean tiles, and the walls were painted a spotless white.
The room was a one-bedroom, one-living-room layout.
Opening the window, you could see the green belt of the complex instead of the next building’s wall, and the daylight was so good that you wouldn’t need to turn on a lamp during the day.
Feng Ling walked through each room and had to admit that Lian Ge had good taste.
The price hadn’t changed much, but the environment was far better.
Lian Ge signed the contract in her own name.
After finishing the paperwork, she placed the keys in Feng Ling’s palm.
She had folded the price slip out of sight and clenched it in her own hand, afraid that Feng Ling would try to skimp and refuse to stay here.
“Thank you, Captain. I’ll pay you the rent every month.”
Lian Ge had meant to say she didn’t need to—not because she was worried about her own shaky savings, but out of consideration for Feng Ling’s fragile pride.
Still, she was afraid Feng Ling couldn’t afford it, so she deliberately understated the amount.
“Alright. I won’t disturb you then. I’m heading back.”
“Bye.”
Feng Ling stood at the door and waved at her, watching Lian Ge step into the elevator.
Even after the elevator doors closed, she could still hear her shouting, “Feel free to call me anytime!” before the sound gradually faded away.