Chapter 30: Roommate (The Real World)

As this thought surfaced, she reflexively wanted to spew out a string of profanities she hadn't touched in a long time.

However, as soon as she opened her mouth, she choked on a gulp of water.

Her face grazed a lotus stem nearby, and she instinctively slapped it away, thrashing her feet to stabilize herself before swimming upward. She had almost forgotten that she had entered this world right in the middle of this lotus pond.

As she broke the surface, she spotted a swimming ring floating nearby, and the wooden bridge was packed with people.

One girl had already climbed halfway over the railing, about to jump in to save her, but seeing her surface, she shouted, "Are you alright, classmate?"

Xu Yiliu felt a complicated mix of emotions; she had developed a bit of a stress response to this lotus pond, but she didn't want to disregard the other girl's kindness. She coughed and said, "I can swim, I'm fine!"

"Oh, I see." The urgency on the girl's face vanished instantly. Seeing everyone around them watching—many students were giving her friendly smiles, and a few were even pulling out their phones, though it was unclear if they were taking photos or doing something else—Xu Yiliu suddenly felt her face flush. After standing up, she kept her head down and hurried away.

Once Xu Yiliu made it to the shore, she thought about thanking that girl, but she soon realized the girl was gone, so she had to abandon the idea.

She heard the crowd buzzing with noise, unsure of what they were discussing, and felt conflicted. Being the center of attention in this manner was hardly dignified.

Before she could calm herself down to return to the dormitory, three girls came trotting down from the bridge. One took out tissues to wipe her hair, another took off her own thin trench coat to wrap around her, and the third held up her phone and said, "Wait a moment, I'm filing a complaint right now and need you as a witness. Also, if you don't mind, could I take a photo? Just the back, not your face."

Xu Yiliu suppressed her discomfort at this sudden influx of kindness and smiled. "Sure, that's fine."

They were likely from the student union; she understood, it was just work.

After the girl with the phone finished, she offered, "We'll walk you back to your dorm. Which building are you in?"

The girl who had given her the trench coat glared at the crowd. "What are you looking at?"

The crowd then dispersed.

On the way, Xu Yiliu asked for their contact information and expressed her gratitude. These three were truly warm-hearted; they only left after confirming multiple times that Xu Yiliu was indeed alright.

Back at the dorm, Xu Yiliu didn't even want to eat; she turned and headed straight for the public shower.

She was exhausted. Even for a high-intensity worker like her, once the tension suddenly faded, she was too tired to speak and just wanted to collapse onto her bed and sleep.

After blow-drying her hair, she sank into a deep, heavy slumber—a rare and restful sleep.

She was eventually woken up by hunger.

The curtains in the dorm were drawn tightly, leaving the room in deep darkness. She touched her flat stomach and sat up to change clothes, planning to head to the cafeteria.

Before she could climb off the bed, she heard the soft sound of breathing from the opposite bunk.

Xu Yiliu paused, looked over, and realized that the bed, which had been bare before, was now occupied; she realized it was Ji Xianxing.

She felt exhausted herself, and given Ji Xianxing’s frail frame, she was likely even more tired.

Thinking of this, Xu Yiliu left her be. She climbed down quietly, changed her clothes, and checked the time—it was already eleven o'clock the next day.

Xu Yiliu marveled at how long it had been since she had last woken up at this hour. Fortunately, it was Sunday, and classes wouldn't start until tomorrow.

She went to the cafeteria for lunch and checked her schedule, discovering she had a class meeting to attend that afternoon.

Speaking of which, Kong Yueming, Chen Diandian, and Ge Hua—those three were all students at Haicheng University. Now that something had happened to them...

System: [The cleaner's death will have a reasonable explanation in the real world; the system will dampen ordinary people's attention toward these events.]

Xu Yiliu’s chopsticks dropped onto her tray. Sure enough, she couldn't find any information about student deaths on the school forum or the confession wall.

She curled her lip and returned to the dormitory after eating.

High risk, high reward. As far as she was concerned, she was happy to continue working as this cleaner. She wasn't Fang Xiaoyi, so naturally, she wouldn't concern herself with others.

When she returned, Ji Xianxing was already awake. Her short hair was standing up on one side due to her sleeping position, and she sat on her bed, watching Xu Yiliu walk through the door.

"Morning, roommate." Xu Yiliu smiled at her. "Going to the meeting together this afternoon?"

Ji Xianxing climbed down from the bed and brushed her hair vigorously. "I'm not going."

"Oh." Xu Yiliu asked casually, "Do you want me to ask for leave on your behalf?"

Ji Xianxing gave an affirmative grunt.

She sat on her chair, staring at the desk without eating or touching her phone. After a while, she said, "What item did you draw?"

Xu Yiliu hadn't expected her to ask this. She guessed that Ji Xianxing must have achieved the highest contribution in the A-rank mission she had cleared, so she smiled and said, "A title. Want to make a trade?"

Ji Xianxing looked at her. "The title I drew is 'A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold.'"

"'Fiery Eyes of Truth,'" Xu Yiliu mused. "'A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold' sounds like it has to do with commitments—does it mean you can't break any promise you make?"

Ji Xianxing didn't deny it. "By the same logic, others cannot break promises made to me. What does 'Fiery Eyes of Truth' mean?"

The curtains were wide open, and the room was bright. Xu Yiliu looked at her and asked, "Your intelligence stat is 98; how can you not guess what it means?"

Ji Xianxing had her back to the window, and her unruly bangs finally looked less thick. She said, "Trade."

Xu Yiliu couldn't help but laugh. "Fine. Regardless of whether it's the effect of your title, I truly won't hide it from you."

After listening, Ji Xianxing said nothing, nor did she mention what she would be doing if she wasn't going to the meeting. She picked up her backpack and prepared to leave.

Xu Yiliu tilted her head to watch her with the backpack; she felt that if someone claimed this girl was a middle schooler, she would believe it.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Ji Xianxing nearly collided with the person entering.

"Move!"

The girl was wearing sunglasses and said irritably, "Don't block the way!"

Ji Xianxing clearly wasn't the type to engage in disputes; she stepped aside and watched as the girl hauled her bags inside.

Xu Yiliu watched the scene with interest.

The girl wasn't alone; behind her were two women dressed in business attire, carrying two large suitcases as they followed her in.

Rich—and not just ordinarily rich.

Xu Yiliu understood immediately, and her heart grew a little more fervent.

Ji Xianxing watched all of this with a cold gaze and only stepped out once the door was clear.

"I want this bed." The girl glanced at Xu Yiliu and Ji Xianxing’s beds and chose the one by the window. "The remaining bunk is mine too, for my suitcases."

With that, the two business-dressed women left again, seemingly having more things to bring in.

The girl still hadn't taken off her sunglasses. She sat in a chair and complained, likely sending a voice message: "I already said I don't want to go to school. I'm really tired, I'm practically dying—why won't you believe me?"

"I already said I'm not talking about video games! Damn it, this cursed system better not censor me again! If you censor me again, I'll fight you to the death..."

She shouted aggressively, completely unconcerned with Xu Yiliu or the two other women in the room.

Xu Yiliu found herself wanting to laugh.

There was indeed no need to worry; cleaners were likely still a minority, and ordinary people would have their perceptions twisted into something else.

However...

She decided to test her newly acquired title.

[Identification complete, Cleaner Huo Zhiye.]