My Romance Game Updated – Chapter 48

Thank You

Faced with such an unreasonable request, Mu Ning simply watched Ren Chenxi calmly. She watched as Ren Chenxi kept her head down, twisting her fingers together nonstop until the slender digits looked like they were about to tie themselves in knots. Only then did Mu Ning let out a soft breath.

Why does this person have to look so much like Ren Muhui, even when she’s cautiously making a request? The Ren Chenxi before her now overlapped with the memory of Ren Muhui inviting her to the small grove to celebrate her birthday. Faced with the same face, the same expression, even the same little mannerisms, how could she possibly refuse? She already regretted rejecting Ren Muhui back then, so…

            

“Fine. I’ll step in and help you get half the deposit upfront.”

??? Ren Chenxi had been prepared for Mu Ning to refuse what even she felt was an absurd request. She never expected Mu Ning to agree so readily. All of a sudden, Ren Chenxi found Mu Ning much more pleasing to the eye. Hmm! Honestly, setting aside her cold and aloof attitude back when I was pursuing her, interacting with her now like a normal stranger… she doesn’t seem so bad after all!

“Hey, Boss…” Chen Gu didn’t think there was anything wrong with Ren Chenxi’s request. After all, it was her first day at Nanhai Base; it was normal to be distrustful of its leader. He was just lamenting… such a good generator! They were really going to sell it to the base just like that?

            

“That’s enough. We already have a generator! But the base is still under construction and development. They need an efficient generator more than we do.” As if guessing what Chen Gu wanted to say, Mu Ning cut him off coolly. She then looked at Ren Chenxi and asked, “Are you in a hurry to sell it right away? If you are…”

“No, no, not at all!” With Mu Ning stepping in, Ren Chenxi felt like the 50,000 crystal stone price difference was as good as in her pocket. She was already making the woman put forward such a demand; how could she have the nerve to rush her? Ren Chenxi hadn’t forgotten that this person had stayed up almost the entire night, keeping watch until dawn. “No one got any rest last night. We should all get some sleep first, right?”

As soon as Ren Chenxi said this, a wave of drowsiness washed over the group, who were all full from the meal. Though Chen Gu was still a little reluctant, the Boss had spoken. There was no hope of buying the Crystal Core Generator now. He let out a disappointed yawn, threw his hands up at his brothers, and called for them to head back to the old building to rest. As he walked, he didn’t forget to mutter to his companions, “Seriously, since when was the Boss so concerned about the base? If she really cared, why was she so blunt when she rejected Qi Sheng’s request for her to provide more water for the base each month?”

            

After the men left for the old building, Wu Tong, Zhang Tongqi, and the other girls had to go back to the second floor. They had also been exhausted yesterday, but even if they wanted to rest now, they still had to finish moving their things. Listening to the girls’ sighs, Ren Chenxi suddenly felt a pang of regret. She shouldn’t have suggested Mu Ning treat them to a feast just to take advantage of her. They could have a feast anytime! Besides, they still had companions in quarantine who hadn’t been released yet!

Thinking of the xuedis and xuemeis still in isolation, and Huo Keyu, Ren Chenxi felt a flush of shame. Seriously, how could I have been so focused on my own enjoyment! And I even said I’d go pick up Huo Keyu myself tomorrow when she gets out! In the end, I haven’t even finished tidying up my room, and I just abandoned them to have a big meal…

“Xi-jie, let’s go. We’ll help Xiao Tong and Xiao Qi move first~”

            

Jian Dan walked over and gently tugged on Ren Chenxi’s arm. In the short time it took to wash the dishes and clean up, the girls had already started getting along remarkably well.

Jian Dan’s interruption brought Ren Chenxi back to her senses. She glanced at Zhang Tongqi, Wu Tong, and the others, who were looking at her expectantly, and nodded. For now, she would help them move. She could tidy up her own room later, and she should help get Huo Keyu’s room ready too. Right, she would treat them all to another big meal tomorrow after Huo Keyu and the others were out. In any case, the food in her inventory was more than enough to treat everyone without looking shabby in this apocalypse.

The girls were living on the second floor, so Ren Chenxi was spared the trouble of climbing an extra flight of stairs. And although girls had a lot of miscellaneous things, in the apocalypse, it didn’t amount to much. Each person simply gathered her pile of clothes and other personal items, wrapped them in a large bedsheet, and Ren Chenxi could pop the bundle into a single slot in her inventory. That way, when the items were taken out later, the girls could quickly retrieve their own belongings.

            

As for the larger items, they were no trouble either; the biggest would only take up a single slot. Ren Chenxi flipped to the back pages of her inventory, which she had set aside specifically for helping the girls move. And yes, that included all of Mu Ning’s belongings.

If she’d been asked to help Mu Ning move before, Ren Chenxi might have been a little unwilling. But now, she had just eaten a luxurious meal on the woman’s dime, and on top of that, she owed her a favor.

Sigh! I still owe her for saving my life, and now I’ve added another favor… Was it worth it for a mere fifty thousand crystal stones?

            

Ren Chenxi turned to look at Mu Ning, her gaze then falling on Tantan, who was curled up lazily in its cat bed. While everyone was eating lunch, Tantan, having already eaten, had gone back to the old building for a nap. Yesterday, while Mu Ning and the others were out, Tantan, despite its usual aloofness, had been very professional when asked to guard the injured, staying with them for a whole night. After feeding it lunch, Ren Chenxi had seen it yawning and told it to go rest.

Now, the golden cat was curled up in its soft pink cat bed, looking utterly languid. It had dozed off for a bit while everyone was having their feast, and the girls’ return to move had naturally woken it up. Seeing Tantan squinting its eyes and tilting its little head up at her, Ren Chenxi felt her heart melt. She walked over to the cat bed and bent down. Tantan cooperatively stretched out its two front paws, and as Ren Chenxi picked it up, it clambered onto her shoulder and let out another series of soft “meow-meow-meow-meows.”

Hearing Tantan’s soft cries, Ren Chenxi suddenly felt that owing Mu Ning another favor for fifty thousand crystal stones was quite worth it. After all, she needed crystal cores to increase her strength and survive in this dangerous apocalypse. She had to take care of Tantan, protect Tantan, and protect her friends. Since she already owed Mu Ning her life, adding one more favor didn’t seem like such a big deal.

            

“I’m taking Tantan with me. It’ll live with me from now on,” Ren Chenxi said, turning to Mu Ning as she stroked Tantan’s little head. Though it was phrased like a question, her tone was affirmative.

“Okay.” Mu Ning nodded calmly. “I still have some of Tantan’s other cat beds, and all sorts of little toys and clothes. You can take them with you.” Having raised Tantan for two years, it was impossible for Mu Ning not to have feelings for it. But the one taking it was Ren Chenxi, and they were now neighbors in the same building, so Mu Ning didn’t feel any particular sense of loss. Besides, the ungrateful little thing was never particularly close to them on a normal day anyway.

When Mu Ning mentioned toys and clothes, Ren Chenxi glanced back at Tantan’s cat bed. She had to admit, Mu Ning had not only taken excellent care of Tantan these past two years, but its food, clothes, and accessories were all top-notch. At the very least, judging by the quality and craftsmanship of the cat bed it was currently sleeping in, it must have been quite expensive before the apocalypse. And from the sound of it, Mu Ning had many more like it, so…

            

“Did you rob a pet supply store?” Ever since she’d started finding Mu Ning more agreeable, Ren Chenxi’s words were no longer constantly barbed. Just now, for instance, she was able to joke with Mu Ning in a normal tone.

“No.” Hearing Ren Chenxi’s joke, Mu Ning was startled for a moment, then she smiled and replied, “We just happened to pass a pet supply store. There were only zombies inside, so the things in the store were ownerless. We took everything.” It was just an ordinary joke, but for some reason, Mu Ning’s mood lifted considerably upon hearing it. She really liked talking with Ren Chenxi like this—no arguments, no resentment, just plain and simple, ordinary conversation.

It was the apocalypse. The world was in chaos, order had collapsed, and large shopping malls and supermarkets had become a paradise for survivors’ “zero-yuan purchase.”​¹ So, it was perfectly normal for someone like Mu Ning to come across an empty shop and clean it out. It was just like Ren Chenxi herself, who, relying on her inventory, had collected a great deal of things, useful or not, from the hotel she stayed in and the small shops she passed when leaving Y City.

            

But Mu Ning didn’t have a massive inventory like hers! At a time when most survivors were busy scrambling for all kinds of supplies, Mu Ning was actually willing to let so many pet supplies—useless to most survivors—take up space that could be used for resources? And they only had that one van…

Thinking of this, Ren Chenxi squatted down and carefully put the pink cat bed Tantan had just been lying in into her inventory. Then she looked up at Mu Ning and thanked her with great solemnity. “Thank you. For the past two years, you’ve taken really good care of Tantan!”

“…” Staring blankly at Ren Chenxi’s sincere eyes, Mu Ning felt dazed. It was as if she could see Ren Muhui thanking her with the same solemn tone, the same earnest expression. “Thank you for helping me catch that thief…”

            

Back then, she had just heard someone behind her yelling to catch a thief, and someone had happened to rush past her. She had only subconsciously stuck out her foot and tripped the person. Then, Ren Muhui had caught up, pinned down the struggling thief, and looked up to thank her.

But faced with his heartfelt gratitude, she had turned and walked away without a word. She had even secretly regretted it, thinking, If I had known it was him chasing the thief, I never would have stuck my foot out!

The scene of Ren Muhui looking up to thank her seemed to re-play before her eyes. This time, Mu Ning sniffled, her voice hoarse as she said, “You’re welcome, Ren…” You’re welcome, Ren Muhui.

            

She should have said “you’re welcome” to Ren Muhui long ago, along with countless missing “thank yous.” Thank you for the gifts, thank you for the breakfasts, thank you for your gentleness, thank you for your… “like.”

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The author has something to say:

Xixi: I owe this wooden-head another favor…

            

Wooden-head: Mm, if you want to repay it, you can offer yourself in marriage~

Xixi: ……

All of you in the comments are complaining that the author is too short… _(:3」∠)_ There’s nothing I can do, my writing speed is just this slow! I’m so envious of those great authors who can achieve a daily ten thousand…​²

            

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