Chapter 34: Are Your Ears Just Decorations? (Revised)

Just by walking down the street you're trampling on the city's appearance, and openly challenging passersby's aesthetic tolerance.

A Ying Duo sat in his car; that self‑luminescent Ying Guang Lu hair had destructive power even more outrageous than a Mutation Source, constantly fouling his eyes.

Ying Duo replied expressionlessly.

Oh, then go ahead and sue—while you're at it, sue your boss for sending an aesthetically disabled person to train newcomers; that's workplace psychological abuse.

The four words 'aesthetic disability' spoken by Ying Duo in his utterly flat tone carried destructive power comparable to a nuclear bomb.

Especially for someone like Bai Mu Yun, who is innately arrogant and has almost obsessive aesthetic demands, this was a precise strike on his sore spot, and to top it off, it even threw in a dance.

Bai Mu Yun's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, and the fleeting shadow of a vertical pupil flickered in the depths of his eyes, which were disguised as ordinary.

……Very good.

He finally just spat out two icy words, slammed the accelerator, and expressed through action his wish to end this unpleasant conversation as quickly as possible.

So he despises all idiots with mental issues who don't know their place.

The black compact car glided like a fish, silently slipping into the mid‑level district of Tianmian City and finally arriving at an upscale residential area called Tranquil Wave Courtyard.

Here the buildings are mainly silver‑gray and plain white, with greenery and tasteful art sculptures dotted in the details, giving a serene yet stylish feel.

Compared to the chaotic clamor of the ground‑level slums, this place is practically another world; it feels as if the air has been filtered, carrying a hint of freshness.

The vehicle smoothly entered the underground private garage of a prism‑shaped apartment building.

Bai Mu Yun stepped out first, his golden eyes scanning the dim garage lights; after confirming no one was around, he gestured with his gaze for Ying Duo to follow.

The elevator required Bai Mu Yun's authentication to start, then rose silently to the top floor.

The elevator doors opened, the two stepped out, and Ying Duo followed Bai Mu Yun to the right, watching him pull out a key to unlock the door.

The scene beyond the door unfolded before Ying Duo's eyes; rather than a secret base, it was more like a designer's studio and residence filled with personal style.

So Bai Mu Yun brought Ying Duo straight to his home?

The spacious open area was airy and bright, an entire wall of floor‑to‑ceiling windows framing the city's magnificent scenery into a moving painting.

Yet the opposite corner of the room was starkly different, filled with the chaos of creation, several metal racks piled with garments of every style.

From sharp‑cut suits to flowing gowns, and even pieces blending retro elements with exotic flair—everything you could imagine was there.

The large metal workbench was covered with design sketches, and various expensive or exotic fabric samples were stacked together.

Besides that, there was a professional sewing machine, a mannequin, and a plethora of scissors, chalk, measuring tapes and other tools.

Several half‑body mannequins stood in the corner, some dressed in nearly finished elaborate attire, others merely draped with unsewn fabric pieces.

The whole space looked like the normal home of a talented, creation‑immersed designer, with no trace of anything related to the Dome.

Stand there, don't move around.

Bai Mu Yun took off his coat and casually draped it over the armrest of what looked like an expensive sofa, his tone laced with warning.

Keep your hands, feet and eyes in check—if you break anything here, you couldn't pay for it even if you sold yourself.

Having said that, he ignored Ying Duo and turned to walk through a door leading to the inner room.

Ying Duo certainly wouldn't just stand still because of his warning, especially with so many golden‑glowing points to investigate before his eyes.

He quickly glanced at the room's layout, and his gaze finally settled on a matte‑black metal box beneath the workbench.

The box's exploration priority is always the highest.

Ying Duo stepped forward without hesitation.

However, before his fingertips could touch the cold box, several black shadows that seemed alive rose silently from the ground behind him.

Completely made of energy, they felt like fine black fur‑like mist (?), flexibly wrapping around his wrists and ankles and dragging him backward without any chance to resist.

They pulled him away from the workbench until his back slammed hard against the cold wall, at which point the black energy constructs dissipated like evaporating vapor.

Are your ears just decorations?

Bai Mu Yun's icy voice came from inside; without even turning his head, he produced a sizable makeup case and a rigid paper bag holding clothes.

I said, don't, move, recklessly.

He placed everything on the glass coffee table in the center of the living room, took out a bottle of hair dye, shook it up and down, and had just risen to his feet before he could speak.

He saw Ying Duo, as if triggering some core mechanism, take several rapid steps back and retreat to the farthest corner of the living room, his hollow golden eyes locked on him.

What do you want to do to me?

Ying Duo's voice was stiff and flat, with no inflection, yet Bai Mu Yun could hear in it the resolve 'whoever touches my hair dies.'

You can't force others to accept your aesthetic just because your own taste is poor.

Hearing Ying Duo's insulting words, Bai Mu Yun felt a vein twitch at his temple, suppressing the urge to throw this troublesome kid straight out the window.

He took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound merely impatient rather than murderous.

Do you think I'm happy to be your stylist? Do you realize how 'famous' you are at Mitra Academy right now?

As long as you've paid attention to Mitra Academy's entrance exam, everyone knows there's a troublemaker with a wild green mane who barely scraped into last place and luckily got into Divine Academy.

If it weren't for this mission being so sudden, do you think I'd be willing to lug around this deadweight of yours?

Originally the Dome had assigned someone to carry out this mission, but that person hasn't been reachable until now, and he has no one else he can use.

Mission......

Ying Duo looked at Bai Mu Yun and began to think silently.

Actually, even if one's appearance is forcibly changed, a player can adjust it back themselves, but for this mission the disguise is probably indispensable.

And compared to the rewards, making a temporary sacrifice in appearance is hardly worth mentioning.

Ying Duo hesitated a moment, then reluctantly took the clothes Bai Mu Yun handed over.

Inside was a decent‑quality gray suit, simple in design, with no markings; the jacket could well obscure the wearer's specific body shape.

After Ying Duo changed as instructed, Bai Mu Yun picked up the specially formulated hair‑dye spray and evenly misted it over his glowing green hair.

As soon as his hand touched Ying Duo's hair, Bai Mu Yun narrowed his eyes at the blinding green; his motion paused only briefly before he went ahead and sprayed, aiming to cover every strand.

The strange liquid reacted with the dye, and the eyesore fluorescence was rapidly covered by dark brown at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Ying Duo has very striking features, with slightly upturned eye corners; at a glance he is not a well-behaved type.

Bai Mu Yun also had to admit that the previous glaring Ying Guang Lu had completely covered the boy's delicate features; after changing the hair color, Ying Duo's inherent attractiveness was restored.

It's a pity, the owner of this face is an idiot.

Bai Mu Yun mercilessly handed over a mask as thin as a cicada's wing, with a slightly cool feel, made of unknown material.

Ying Duo took it, placed it over his face; the mask instantly adhered, blurring his original facial contours and creating a completely unremarkable, forgettable ordinary face.