Chapter 14: Ye Qingfeng and the Ordinary Day of Those He Knows

At 7:30 a.m. in New Aelidu, the residents of the Hare’s Den gradually woke up.

Ye Qingfeng stumbled out of bed half-asleep, shuffled like a zombie to the bathroom to wash up, and only fully came to when he stepped out.

“Good morning...”

Anbi sat on the sofa in her pajamas, gave Ye Qingfeng a faint greeting as he emerged from the bathroom, then slowly walked toward the bathroom herself.

“Good morning.”

Ye Qingfeng yawned as he entered the kitchen and began preparing breakfast for everyone in the Hare’s Den.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuan had risen at 6:30 a.m., spent half an hour making a simple breakfast and washing up, then left home before 7:20 to jog for twenty minutes downstairs.

After returning home to shower, she completed all her morning tasks and left for the Public Security Bureau to clock in.

Miss Zhu Yuan is truly busy from dawn onward; now let’s turn the camera to Miss Qingyi.

Qingyi also charged her device at 6:30 a.m., spent half an hour giving her entire body a skincare routine, and arrived precisely at 7:00 at Light Reflection Square—but her destination wasn’t the Public Security Bureau; she went to the park.

In the park, a group of elderly men and women who had risen early for exercise greeted her warmly upon her arrival.

“Qingyi, you’re here! Let’s play a round—I’m definitely winning this time.”

An old man hurriedly set up the chess pieces on the park’s chess table and called Qingyi over.

Qingyi sat down at the table but didn’t move first; instead, she placed the teacup she carried behind her onto the table, poured herself a cup of tea, then began her game.

An hour later, Qingyi easily won three matches; the time neared her work hours, so she bid everyone farewell and strolled slowly toward the Public Security Bureau.

“Hmm...” The old man who had just played with Qingyi murmured, his eyes still fixed on the board, “Such a brilliant move... why did I still lose...”

At 8:20 a.m., Zhu Yuan and Qingyi met at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau.

Zhu Yuan: “Good morning, Senior Qingyi!!”

Qingyi: “Ah, Zhu Yuan... You’re full of energy this early.”

In New Aelidu, officers were already preparing for work; in a bedroom somewhere in the Hare’s Den, a pair of delicate feet kicked off the covers, and Nico groggily climbed out of bed—the morning light streamed directly onto her skin, warm and soothing.

“Nice weather today! Perfect day to make some dings.”

Nico pulled on a coat, hummed a tune, and skipped out the door; a scent wafting up from downstairs drifted into her nose.

“Suddenly I’m starving... Let’s see what’s been cooked this early.”

Nico pressed her flat abdomen, trying to soothe her growling stomach, her plump legs moving swiftly.

“Nico, you finally woke up? I was just about to come get you.”

Anbi sat neatly on the sofa, her tiny feet swinging back and forth in the air; hearing footsteps descending the stairs behind her, she turned her head slowly.

“What do you mean ‘finally woke up’? Like I’m lazy! I run around for the Hare’s Den every day—how’s it wrong to sleep a little longer?”

Nico flicked Anbi’s forehead with her finger, tilted her head up, and defended herself with righteous indignation.

“Good morning, Nico.”

Ye Qingfeng carried four steamers to the two of them, set them casually on the table, still wearing his apron, and plopped down onto the most luxurious single sofa.

Yesterday, besides buying household supplies, he suggested purchasing kitchen items; Nico deemed them necessary, waved her hand, bought them all, then stopped by the market on the way home.

All the vegetables were bought by Nico, haggling fiercely for each one.

“Hey! That’s my spot... only the boss of the Hare’s Den gets to sit there!”

Nico struck a boss-like pose, then suddenly changed tone, “But since I’m such a considerate person, I’ll let you have it... Haihai , how many dings did you scam from the Public Security Bureau yesterday?”

“Qingfeng, Qingfeng! What did you make? It smells amazing!” Anbi stared fixedly at the four steamers on the table, “Can we eat yet?!”

“Go ahead—it’s buns and shaomai. Be careful, they’re hot.” Ye Qingfeng smiled gently, like a kind neighborly older brother, then turned to glance at Nico with a faint smile.

“Since Nico likes it so much, how could I take it from you? You sit, Anbi—we’ll eat together.”

Saying this, Ye Qingfeng rose and sat beside Anbi.

“Mm!”

Anbi nodded vigorously, eagerly opened the steamer before her, grabbed a still-steaming bun, and took a huge bite; unable to bear the heat, she opened her mouth and puffed air repeatedly, “It’s meat buns! So good!”

【Ding! Anbi’s affection increased by 5%. Current affection: 20%】

“Didn’t I tell you to eat slowly? Honestly...” Ye Qingfeng chuckled at Anbi’s antics, “I’ll go get two bottles of milk.”

Nico, beside them, froze in confusion at Ye Qingfeng’s reply, utterly lost.

“Aren’t you hungry, Boss Nico?”

Anbi finished her bun, then remembered Nico standing nearby; she picked up two buns and offered one to her.

“Here’s milk.” Ye Qingfeng walked over with three bottles, handed one to Anbi, then held another out to Nico, “And here’s yours, Nico.”

Seeing Nico still frozen, Ye Qingfeng simply placed the milk in her hand, sat beside Anbi, took the bun she’d offered to Nico, bit into it deeply, and began explaining yesterday’s events.

Of course, he omitted most of Zhu Yuan’s part; he finished recounting his departure from the Public Security Bureau without mentioning what came after.

A flicker of guilt crossed Nico’s face—she’d assumed Ye Qingfeng had swindled a large sum from the Public Security Bureau, forgotten about it after returning home last night, saw the Hare’s Den’s financial state, panicked, and thus set her sights on his bonus.

Now, thinking about it, she felt a little guilty toward Ye Qingfeng.

“That...”

Though it was unavoidable—she’d only been employed two days and already wanted to squeeze dings out of Ye Qingfeng—her cheeks flushed with embarrassment; she didn’t know whether to sit or stand.

“This card has 300,000 dings. Take it and use it.” Ye Qingfeng, sensing Nico’s discomfort, placed a card on the table before her, “Eat first—it’ll get cold.”

Nico had spent years wandering the streets of New Aelidu; Ye Qingfeng had spent three years in a prison full of hardened criminals—they were both shrewd.

He saw the Hare’s Den’s financial state, saw how hard everyone struggled, and knew the Hare’s Den had genuinely accepted him.

Before his imprisonment, Ye Qingfeng had never stopped earning; but after three years inside, his need for money had diminished.

Besides, the Hare’s Den at least provided food and lodging—he had no pressing need for dings right now.

Consider it repayment for Nico bringing him back to the Hare’s Den...