I'm crazy, don't mess with me. I just love to pretend to be crazy, remember that.

Si Qian jumped off the bed again and patted off imaginary dust.

"Don't worry, if it really is the apocalypse, I might just become the zombie king."

"Then I'll be the underling?"

"Granted!"

Soon, Si Qian realized something. Given Pei Li's pampered nature, it seemed a bit awkward to make him bend over and climb onto the bed.

To save face for him, after much thought, Si Qian brought over a small ladder and propped it up by his bedside.

Pei Li wanted to help, but Si Qian shooed him aside.

"Don't get in my way, go find somewhere cool to stay."

Pei Li, who was being looked down upon, didn't seem to care much. Instead, he smiled at Si Qian and said, "Mr. Crab, you're quite strong."

Si Qian rubbed her slightly sore neck: "Of course, I work out so that I can show off in front of the camera in the future."

Pei Li: "And what about boxing? Is it also just for showing off?"

"No, I practice boxing for self-defense."

Si Qian shook her head, abandoning her usual nonchalant tone, and said seriously, "If I ever encounter danger, rather than placing my hopes on strangers around me, I would prefer to have the initiative in my own hands."

Relying on yourself is more reliable than relying on anyone else.

"These days, anything can be fake, but the skills you learn are definitely real."

Pei Li didn't speak again, but carefully pondered Si Qian's words.

"You're learning all this just to make a living?"

"No, it's for many reasons. Making money is definitely the first thought, but personal hobbies and interests also play a big role."

Si Qian replied decisively: "In a place like Beijing where every inch of land is precious, to put it bluntly, even if I went to beg under a bridge, I wouldn't starve to death."

So unless you can really make a lot of money, you wouldn't do something you don't like just to make a living.

Her current situation is that she's the only one who's fed, so the rest of the family isn't hungry.

Whether you live or die, it doesn't matter.

Even being half-dead is acceptable.

After quickly tidying up the room for Pei Li, Si Qian came over with a fleece blanket: "I brought you the blanket from my room."

She took the blanket that Si Qian had stuffed into her arms. It still had a faint smell of laundry detergent mixed with an almost undetectable citrus perfume scent.

"Did you spray perfume on it?"

Pei Li asked casually, noting that he had never smelled perfume on Si Qian even when he was so close to her.

Could it be that he secretly sprayed it because he came here?

Just as Pei Li was lost in thought, Si Qian interrupted his reverie.

"You're overthinking it. I don't have the money to buy perfume that's so expensive. I accidentally got it on my bed a few days ago when I was eating an orange."

Pei Li: "..." It would be better not to explain at all.

Si Qian: "Let's make this clear beforehand: if I fall tonight, I won't pay for medical expenses."

Pei Li, clutching his blanket, blinked: "Mr. Crab, I sleep very well."

After giving a brief explanation, Si Qian yawned, set her alarm for the next day, went back to her room, and fell asleep immediately.

The two rooms were separated by only one wall.

Late at night, Pei Li, unable to sleep, sat up in bed.

Having been in a state of high excitement all night, 1748 immediately spoke up: [Host, you're still awake?]

Pei Li, whose back ached, legs cramped, and he was lying down, felt like a corpse lying in a coffin.

With dark circles under his eyes, Pei Li asked curiously, "Why haven't you slept either?"

1748: [I'm so excited!]

The thought of its host already being allowed into the house made it too excited to sleep.

At the current rate, it won't be long before it completes its mission and goes back to retire.

It wasn't for nothing that I spent the last three years constantly manipulating the second male lead; it's finally starting to show results.

They talked until late into the night, until 1748 couldn't take it anymore and went into hibernation. Only then did Pei Li lie back down and close his eyes.

buzz-

buzz-

I had just lain down when I heard the buzzing of mosquitoes in my ear.

Pei Li simply pulled the blanket over himself and buried his head in it, drifting off into a short sleep.

Why briefly? Because less than two hours later, Si Qian's private alarm rang.

The sound was so penetrating that it could be heard clearly even through walls.

no!

Who sets their alarm to the sound of dripping water from a horror movie?!

Pei Li, who was nearly having a nervous breakdown, came out of the room and opened the door. Si Qian was standing in front of him, looking very energetic, and was greeting him.

Good morning, Mr. Plankton!

Good morning, Mr. Krabs!

After a warm and friendly exchange, Pei Li forced his eyes open and asked, "Shall we go back now?"

Seeing his unusually pale complexion, Si Qian asked, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Yes...very good!"

The man gritted his teeth and said angrily, "The mosquitoes almost ate me up; they sucked my blood all night."

Si Qian: "It's a creature that breeds mosquitoes but doesn't! It'll suck if you pay it!"

Pei Li: "I gave them a red envelope."

That seems to make sense.

Pei Li: "I want to put mosquitoes in the mall and have them instantly killed."

Si Qian: "That's easy."

Si Qian found an empty water bottle and caught more than a dozen live mosquitoes, bringing them back to the production crew.

Before Ji Mingxuan returned, she released all the mosquitoes into his room and then closed the door.

[Host, you should avoid doing immoral things, as they shorten your lifespan.]

Si Qian: "Haven't I done enough despicable things?"

[...That seems to be true.]

……

Early in the morning, Ji Mingxuan and Li Chuanze, having recovered from their illness, returned from the hospital.

After thinking about it all night, Director Zheng came to a conclusion—

We can't let Si Qian continue to act recklessly!

Otherwise, this variety show really couldn't continue.

So, he set aside half an hour each morning to give Si Qian a pep talk.

The production crew's small dark room.

Si Qian and Director Zheng sat facing each other, with a chandelier overhead.

This is like an intelligence exchange.

Director Zheng asked mysteriously, "Teacher Si, what is your purpose in coming to this dating reality show?"

Si Qian answered truthfully, "Didn't you call me here?"

Director Zheng died.

Director Zheng gently coaxed, "Ms. Si, have you ever thought about having a romance at work?"

Si Qian: "No, my mentor said that in our line of work, the biggest taboo is falling in love with a colleague."

Director Zheng, with his turtle neck stretched closer, asked, "Why?"

Si Qian: "Because I work at a crematorium."

"..."

Director Zheng went all out in one go, then lost his momentum, and finally gave up. He secretly went to Marseille.

"The job I'm talking about is a dating reality show! A dating reality show! Haven't you ever thought about getting married?"

Si Qian shrugged and spread her hands: "There's no need to get married at all. I have the mentality of a child, the age of an adult, the health of an elderly person, and the job of a grandson. I can have four generations under one roof all by myself."

Director Zheng clutched his chest, so angry he nearly vomited blood.

Si Qian comforted Director Zheng, saying, "Old Zheng, you've had the worst luck to meet me. You're just unlucky. But don't be too sad. After all, we'll be spending a lot of time together. They say time reveals true character."

"Given enough time, you'll realize that I'm actually a heartless wretch."

Five minutes later, Director Zheng left in tears.

Before leaving, he made sure to close the door behind him.