My Romance Game Updated – Chapter 53

A Successful Transaction

It was, indeed, as fleeting as a night-blooming cereus.​¹ After that brief smile, Ren Chenxi immediately schooled her features, pressing her lips together. She fought to suppress the wild joy in her heart, forcing her expression into a neutral mask, lest a look of smug satisfaction make Qi Sheng regret the deal and start haggling again.

Just as Qi Sheng was about to urge Ren Chenxi to bring out the Crystal Core Engine, the small green indicator light on his mobile power supply lit up, signaling a full charge.

            

“Hey! It’s real! A small generator like this actually charged a 10,000 mAh battery with just a single 1st-order crystal core!” Chen Gu, who had been staring intently at the generator, was the first to notice the mobile power supply had fully charged. He looked at the Crystal Core Generator with an expression of deep reluctance and couldn’t help but ask Mu Ning again, “Boss, are you sure we can’t keep this generator for ourselves…?”

Before he could finish, Qi Sheng shucked the black backpack off his shoulders with a shua, quickly pulled out a black plastic bag from inside, and hurriedly stuffed it into Ren Chenxi’s hands.

“Sister Xi, take this, take this. It’s 1,000 3rd-order crystal cores. You can count them on the spot if you’re worried. In that case, I’ll be taking this Crystal Core Generator!”

            

If Mu Ning had been putting on an act with Ren Chenxi to deliberately provoke Qi Sheng into buying the Crystal Core Engine for 200,000 1st-order crystal cores, then Chen Gu was showing his genuine, undisguised desire for the generator. The ferocious look in his eyes, as if he wanted to snatch the machine right then and there, scared Qi Sheng into paying the full price at once. He then scooped up the generator from the floor and handed it to the young man who had been following him.

“Xiao Chen, take this back first. Then bring another 2,000 3rd-order crystal cores over,” Qi Sheng said, giving the young man a meaningful look.

As the base’s leader, Qi Sheng naturally wanted to maximize the value of these expensive machines. Although parting with so many crystal cores pained him, he wasn’t stupid. First, the expenditure was definitely worth it. With these two machines, they could save more crystal cores in the future, explore farther, and acquire more resources. Second… Nanhai Base had its own technical experts! If they took these ready-made machines that utilized crystal core energy back to study, they could build a few more of their own. Then they could turn around and sell them, earning back even more crystal cores, couldn’t they?

            

So, the moment Xiao Chen left with the Crystal Core Generator, Qi Sheng eagerly asked Ren Chenxi for the Crystal Core Engine. Ren Chenxi used the excuse that the engine was also in her room, telling Qi Sheng to wait while she went to fetch it. She turned and walked toward the Girls’ Building, and Mu Ning naturally fell into step beside her.

Watching the two of them leave, Qi Sheng teased Chen Gu, “Those two are really close. Since they’re such good friends, they probably don’t fuss over things like crystal cores, right?” The subtext was: This father doesn’t believe for a second that you guys actually have to pay for the engine.

“…” Chen Gu stared at Qi Sheng in silence. Heh, naive. Given the relationship between his Boss and Xi-jie, it was a sign of a clear conscience that Xi-jie wasn’t charging his Boss double.

            

Meeting Chen Gu’s resentful gaze, Qi Sheng once again felt thankful that he had struck first to gain the upper hand. This guy really wanted that Crystal Core Generator.

Ren Chenxi walked straight into the Girls’ Building, carrying the bag of 3rd-order crystal cores. Since the main door was still open, she went up to the second floor to keep up appearances. The claim that the Crystal Core Engine was in her room was just a pretext, a convenient excuse to come back and buy a new one from the Apocalypse Mall.

Seeing Ren Chenxi stop on the second floor, Mu Ning glanced at the black plastic bag in her hand and finally couldn’t resist asking, “You trust Qi Sheng that much?” Enough to not even count how many 3rd-order crystal cores there were?

            

Ren Chenxi turned to Mu Ning, a slight smile playing on her lips as she shook the bag. Only then did Mu Ning see that the large black plastic bag was completely empty. Compared to counting the crystal cores one by one, it was far more convenient and faster to just deposit the bag’s contents into her inventory and check the quantity displayed there.

Mu Ning guessed that Ren Chenxi had stored the crystal cores in her space and had surely confirmed the amount when she wasn’t looking. Though she didn’t know how Ren Chenxi could count so quickly, she didn’t press the issue since the tally was clearly done. She just watched quietly as Ren Chenxi suddenly “materialized” a Crystal Core Engine.

Only then did Mu Ning speak. “Actually… I was serious when I said I wanted to buy that engine. Our minivan is out of gas.”

            

Ren Chenxi didn’t react much to this, simply bending down to pick up the engine. “What’s the big deal?” she said casually. “I’ve still got plenty of gas!” Having just earned 150,000 crystal stones, she would definitely be using them for ten-draw gacha pulls. She was sure to get plenty of greasy cards, enough to solve the fuel consumption problem for a bus. There was really no need for Mu Ning to waste crystal cores on a Crystal Core Engine.

Initially, Ren Chenxi had considered whether the 6-liter bottles of universal gasoline from the greasy cards could be sold at the base to other survivors who needed fuel for their missions. But she quickly dismissed the idea. First, the origin of this system-produced universal gasoline was unknown; whether other survivors would even accept it was a question. Second, even if they believed the gasoline worked in all vehicles, what if they grew suspicious of its origins? After all, such a miraculous universal gasoline didn’t exist before the apocalypse. Furthermore, as long as she drew a greasy card, she could use it on a low-order enemy and be guaranteed a bottle of gasoline as a drop. Providing a continuous supply like that would definitely attract unwanted attention.

So, it was better to just tell Mu Ning she had stockpiled a lot of gasoline and keep it for their own use. It wasn’t like they knew how many bottles of gasoline were actually in her “space.”

            

When Mu Ning heard Ren Chenxi say she had plenty of gas, she couldn’t suppress a surge of joy. She knew that Ren Chenxi saying this meant she would provide them with fuel in the future. It might even mean they would go on missions together from now on. Did this mean Ren Chenxi no longer rejected her?

At that thought, another smile spread across Mu Ning’s face. She took the initiative and lifted the engine from Ren Chenxi’s hands. “Let’s go. Qi Sheng is probably getting anxious waiting downstairs.”

…Smiling again! Ren Chenxi pursed her lips. Wooden Goddess, what happened to your ice-queen persona! But she didn’t refuse Mu Ning’s help. The engine wasn’t light, and seeing as this 5th-order esper could lift it so easily, she might as well let her. Ren Chenxi simply fell in step behind Mu Ning.

            

When they arrived at the Men’s Building next door, Qi Sheng was indeed waiting anxiously. He rushed over, his hands reaching for the engine in Mu Ning’s arms the moment he saw it.

“One hand pays, the other delivers,” Mu Ning said coldly, blocking his move.

“Hey… the crystal cores haven’t arrived yet! Can’t I just take a look at the generator first?” Qi Sheng retracted his hands, looking a little embarrassed.

            

“You can look~” Ren Chenxi said, unconcerned. “Knowing how cautious Sheng-ge is, you’ll surely want to personally inspect whether this engine works, right?”

“Aiya, Sister Xi, what are you saying? How could your brother not trust you? Don’t worry, we’ll exchange the crystal cores for the engine in a moment. No need for another test~” Qi Sheng beamed at Ren Chenxi with utmost sincerity. It wasn’t that he trusted her that much; it was mainly because he had just tested the generator himself and confirmed it worked, which made him halfway convinced about the engine already. Besides, the engine wasn’t as easy to test as the generator. To verify it, he’d have to take it back anyway. In any case, Ren Chenxi was right here in the base. Even if the engine didn’t work, he could always come back and settle the score.

Looking at Qi Sheng’s affable smile, paired with his refined, scholarly face, he really did seem sincere. But Ren Chenxi wasn’t moved by his “trust.” Tsk tsk tsk, and who was it that brought a perfectly-sized mobile power supply just to personally test the generator?

            

After some more fake smiles and awkward chat with Qi Sheng, the young man, Xiao Chen, returned, this time carrying two large plastic bags.

“Sheng-ge, we didn’t have 2,000 3rd-order crystal cores. This is 500 3rd-order, 10,000 2nd-order, and 50,000 1st-order cores. It took some time to gather them.”

As the base leader, Qi Sheng certainly didn’t lack crystal cores, but what he didn’t lack were low-order ones. Low-order cores were the easiest to obtain and were often paid as rent by the base’s survivors, so Qi Sheng had a huge stockpile. At his level, 3rd-order crystal cores weren’t of much help for his own advancement, but that didn’t mean his subordinates didn’t need them. Thus, the relatively rare 3rd-order cores had to be saved for his own people. This transaction was the perfect opportunity to offload a portion of his massive low-order core stash.

            

Qi Sheng smiled as he took the two large bags from Xiao Chen, explaining with feigned difficulty, “Ah, Sister Xi! I’m so sorry, we don’t have many 3rd-order crystal cores left. We had to make up the difference with these odds and ends. I hope you don’t mind~ But you can trust your brother, the quantity is absolutely correct, not a single one missing. I can wait right here until you’ve counted every last one~”

“It’s fine, Sheng-ge. I know 3rd-order crystal cores are hard to come by…”

Ren Chenxi accepted the two plastic bags without any sign of displeasure. Mu Ning promptly stepped forward, positioning herself between Ren Chenxi and the two men, blocking their view as she held out the Crystal Core Engine. While their attention was on the engine, Ren Chenxi took the opportunity to shua—she deposited both bags of crystal cores into her inventory. After a quick glance at the quantities of each type and a simple mental calculation, she swiftly withdrew them from her inventory and back into the black plastic bags, then gave Mu Ning a slight nod.

            

The count was correct: 500 3rd-order, 10,000 2nd-order, and 50,000 1st-order crystal cores.

She counted that fast? How did she do it? Mu Ning was shocked, but upon receiving Ren Chenxi’s confirmation, she didn’t ask questions and simply stepped back to her side.

Ren Chenxi then continued speaking to Qi Sheng. “Since Sheng-ge trusts me so much, then I’ll trust you too. I won’t count these on the spot. I’m sure Sheng-ge is eager to get back and test the engine’s performance, right? In that case, I won’t keep you for dinner~”

            

Ren Chenxi’s magnanimity and directness left both Qi Sheng and Xiao Chen stunned. They truly hadn’t short-changed her, but for such a huge amount of crystal cores, this girl wasn’t even going to do a spot check? Did she really trust them that much?

For a moment, the smile vanished from Qi Sheng’s face. He nodded at Ren Chenxi with new gravity. “Sister Xi, thank you for these two machines today. If you ever run into any trouble at the base, you just come find your brother!”

A corner of Ren Chenxi’s mouth lifted. She accepted his promise. After all, with a major problem like Fan Juntian still around, she really could use the help and protection of a base leader like Qi Sheng.

            

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The author has something to say:

emmmm…… A friend of mine lifted her hair and told me she doesn’t recommend doing a second update, doesn’t recommend writing 10,000 characters a day, because it will lead to kidney deficiency,​² to backaches and leg cramps, and to a hairline that recedes all the way to the Qing dynasty like hers!!!​³

Also, let me explain here, the membership is an achievement reward, so of course it’s permanent. It’s not like in-game purchases where you have to pay every month.

            

And for the generator and engine from the mall, Xixi’s official story is that someone gave them to her. She doesn’t know the principles behind the machines, so there’s no need for her to explain them.

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