Chapter 952

"What are you doing?" Xing stepped forward curiously and asked.

"Oh… nothing, I just arrived, I wanted to do something for the train, but I don't know where to start. The conductor only told me to stay on standby and wait for the jump to begin." Xingqiri patted the dust off the book in his hands, "But… I'm just bored, looking at this huge carriage, I always feel the urge to tidy it up a bit."

"OCD?" Xing suddenly understood, "Then I'll take you to a place where you can really let that urge loose."

"Huh? What place?"

Xing's eyes lit up: "My room!"

"This, this probably isn't appropriate." Xingqiri was taken aback, then immediately shook his head, "No matter what, I won't—"

"All right, stop talking, come with me first."

Xing pulled Xingqiri to the second floor of the queueing carriage; seeing it pitch black and dust-covered, Xing felt along the wall and flipped a switch.

The overhead light tube flickered a few times, emitted a sizzling electric sound, and finally reluctantly lit up.

With this faint light, Xingqiri finally made out the place.

Various sundries of all sizes were piled up here, unopened cardboard boxes littered the floor; these boxes had obviously been brought in a long time ago, but since they'd never been opened, even a thin layer of dust had settled on them.

Xingqiri covered his nose and waved a hand in front of his face: "Miss Xing, didn't you say we were going to your room? Why bring me to the train's storage?"

"This is my room."

"……"

Xingqiri turned his head, looking at her expressionlessly.

Even without saying a word, Xing saw two large, conspicuous words in his eyes… pity.

"Miss Xing, so you've been living in this kind of place on the train all along?" Xingqiri walked in with a slight cough, saw a huge cardboard box with a torn corner in the corner, and asked curiously, "What is this used to store?"

"Oh, that's my bed."

"……"

Xingqiri stared at her "bed" for a while, and a hint of variation finally appeared in his calm voice: "Could it be the train's budget…"

"No, I actually bought all the furniture." Xing pointed to the nearby unopened cardboard boxes, "I just haven't assembled them; I kept thinking I'd do it tomorrow, and then…" Xing scratched his head embarrassedly.

"……"

Xingqiri cautiously drew a breath, afraid to inhale too quickly and choke on dust: "I understand; I don't mind making your room the prelude to 【Development】. Let's first develop this storage into a place fit for human habitation."

——

The Adventures of Cheng Long.

"How is this any different from a homeless person living in San Francisco's sewers?"

Cheng Long stared at the pitch-black room on the ceiling, utterly unable to believe this was a girl's room.

"I thought Xiao Yu's filthy, messy room was already enough to lower my standards, but I didn't expect there to be an expert."

"Hey!" Xiao Yu jumped up angrily on the sofa, "Uncle Long! My room is a hundred times better than Xing's! No, wait… there's no comparison at all! Hers isn't even fit for human habitation!"

"By the way, isn't she a shareholder of Pinokangni? The train should be rolling in money, right? Even if she doesn't want to tidy up, she could hire someone to do it! This is just too——"

She scratched her head, for a moment at a loss for how to describe it.

"Roughly speaking, Xiao Yu, you're actually better off than the Pinokangni shareholders—look, they can only sleep in cardboard boxes, while you get a bed; are you still dissatisfied with your current life?" Dad pursed his lips.

Cheng Long laughed and cried: "…Dad, the 'she' in your rounding seems excessive."

"Not too much, not too little; this actually illustrates a point." Dad cleared his throat, struck a pose of a teacher about to lecture, "You see, no matter how rich you are, if you suffer from procrastination you'll still fail—this gives us a hint. Xiao Yu, you go first——"

"I know, I know!" Xiao Yu eagerly raised her hand, "Procrastination isn't scary; what's scary is putting off work halfway and then doing it yourself, wasting both time and energy. But if you keep procrastinating, you'll automatically wait for a free helper to show up and solve the problem, right?"

Dad's face turned red with anger: "Huh? No… can't you just understand it as 'don't procrastinate'?"

"But procrastination really feels great." Xiao Yu lay on the sofa, took a long breath, "If a task normally takes two hours to finish, it's better to procrastinate for an hour, then give it your all in the remaining hour. That way you suffer only one hour instead of two—sounds like a bargain either way."

——

With Xingqiri's all-out help, Xing finally tidied the room to spotless, its décor rivaling the girlish charm of March 7's room.

After thanking Xingqiri, she planned to luxuriate in a bath, but at that moment the drink‑mixing robot "Bìzuì" in the party carriage knocked on the door.

""Dear unnamed guest, good evening." Bìzuì politely inquired, "Would you like a drink, or some snacks? My knowledge base shows that late‑night snacks may burden health, yet they can bring unimaginable joy.""

""I know a young unnamed guest who goes to bed early and rises early, insists on exercising, strictly regulates his calorie intake, and rejects every one of my suggestions. As for late‑night snacks… to him they're practically poison. Later, he lived a healthy, long life.""

""Dear unnamed guest, this is a cautionary tale, isn't it?""

""Great, I just want a late‑night snack!""

""Sorry, this is a battlefield with no late‑night snacks. How about this joke? 'Late‑night snack' sounds like 'smoke', making people laugh involuntarily."

——

Genshin Impact.

"Hiss… this familiar feeling."

Tighnari sucked in a breath of cold air; although the senior disciplinary officer beside him hadn't spoken, he felt a bone‑chilling chill.

"What's wrong?" Cyno turned to look at him, "You've been trembling—could it be… excitement?"

Tighnari quickly waved his hands: "No, nothing… I just suddenly understood why the drink‑mixing robot is called 'Bìzuì'."

Cyno seriously examined the robot on the ceiling, frowned, and said, "Strange, I think his jokes are great—'late‑night snack', 'smoke'… yeah, I noted it, they really are laugh‑inducing. But I can tell you a better one; want to hear it?"

"No! Better forget it!" Kaveh was about to clap a hand over his mouth, "I'm afraid only you and this drink‑mixing robot can get along in this universe—oh, right, and the Cloud Cavalry of the Astral Express. Listening to your jokes, I'll have to go back and add two more layers of clothing."

——

""So you don't have late‑night snacks?" Xing exclaimed in disappointment."

""All right, back to business, you hard‑working unnamed guest—would you like to shower first, have a drink first, or hear another joke from me first?"

""I'm going to shower now, please leave."

"……"

The train passed through the Star Sea, and the starlight outside the windows slid backward like flowing water, silent and soundless.

""There are many nights in this world, and there will be many more. Among them belong countless heroes, countless nameless people, countless geniuses, countless fools… but tonight belongs only to you, and no one can take it away.""

Steam filled the bathroom, and the little yellow duck swayed lazily on the water surface.

Xingbao was in the bathtub, hot water washed over her shoulders, over her collarbones, over the everyday fatigue. She rested her head against the edge of the tub, her wet hair sticking to her forehead, her face wearing a satisfaction about to melt.

Inside the party car, Jizi was enjoying a drink called 'Shut Up', its refreshing taste easing her brow.

On the seat, San Yueqi was playing a game with Danheng; Xiao San Yueqi rested her chin on one hand, having just played a move she thought was brilliant, but Danheng casually captured it, and she clutched her head and cried.

In the corner, Walter was helping Pam change into a new train uniform; the busy Xingqiri sat quietly by the train window, watching stars streak past one by one.

"The Toc people of Tidor have a blessing they give only to their most cherished friends: nogatikamaptunait."

"It means—'Nothing will happen tonight.'"

"Shut up! Then get out of my bathroom!"