[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world":3,"chapter-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-98":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Survival Guide in a Mysterious World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299067,4497,"Chapter 98: A Woman Adorns Herself for the One Who Cherishes Her","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-98",98,"\u003Cp>June 29, 2018, 4:02 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhi returned home as usual, took a box of yogurt from the fridge and held it in her palms, walked to the stair railing and called up, “Mom, I’m back,” then sat on the sofa, tore open the yogurt, ate it while watching TV ads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The box of yogurt was quickly finished, but her mother still hadn’t appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhi tried sending several messages to her mother, waited a few minutes but saw no “read” confirmation, then tried calling—still no answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling something was off, Bai Zhi ran to the laundry room and found the housekeeper ironing clothes: “Aunt Liu, do you know where my mom went?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s upstairs,” the housekeeper said, puzzled. “After lunch, she went out for a bit, then rushed back in a hurry and hasn’t left her room since. Xiao Chen cut up fruit and called her, but she didn’t respond.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see…” Bai Zhi left the laundry room dejectedly, ran back to the living room, and went upstairs to her mother Feng Yu’s room door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock knock knock—Bai Zhi knocked, no answer inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock knock knock—she knocked again, still no answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worried now, Bai Zhi pushed the door open and rushed into the bedroom without taking off her shoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, she saw a noblewoman in a deep burgundy lace-trimmed corset dress sitting at the vanity, carefully adjusting the curl of her eyelashes with a mascara wand; a full table was cluttered with strange cosmetic bottles and jars. Feng Yu was utterly focused, ignoring the phone vibrating repeatedly beside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How strange—Mom actually wears makeup? Bai Zhi remembered Feng Yu always preferred a bare face; when she went out, she’d apply only the faintest touch, barely different from no makeup at all. Bai Zhi had never, not once in her life, seen her mother apply makeup so meticulously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there some important public event you’re attending today?” Bai Zhi walked to her mother’s side, leaned down, and gazed at the radiant, lotus-like face in the mirror, asking softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!… Ah-Zhi? When did you get back?” Feng Yu startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today’s Friday, classes ended at three,” Bai Zhi said, glancing at her phone screen. “I waited over an hour at school for you to pick me up. I called Dad’s driver to come get me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“S-sorry… I forgot. I didn’t even realize today was Friday,” Feng Yu offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Forgive me? I’m going out to the mall—do you want anything? I’ll buy it and bring it back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew her daughter disliked going out—beyond school, she rarely left her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.” Bai Zhi shook her head, curious. “Why go to the mall with such heavy makeup?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone would think Feng Yu was attending some high-society gathering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-well…,” Feng Yu lowered her head slightly, a shy blush rising on her pale cheeks. “I actually made plans with Ning Zhe to meet at the mall today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…” Bai Zhi nodded thoughtfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’m off?” Feng Yu tidied her makeup and jewelry, stood from the vanity, picked up a purple handbag she’d carefully chosen to match her outfit, and prepared to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Buy me some stationery paper when you go,” Bai Zhi suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Yu rushed out the door, full of excitement; Bai Zhi returned to her room, sat on the bed, and stared up at the starry ceiling, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Yu hurried out, delighted. Bai Zhi returned to her room, sat on her bed, and stared up at the starry ceiling pendant, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Again…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At five PM, Feng Yu arrived at the “Patra” Shopping Center in the center of Yun City. A pretentious name, a relic of China’s early blind Westernization; today, Yun City residents more commonly called this circular landmark building the “Treasure Basin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basin’s bottom was a parking lot; the first floor housed a massive farmers’ market, a hub for fresh vegetables, meats, and other foodstuffs; floors above were divided into distinct commercial zones; the top floor was an open-air garden resembling a sky park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She and Ning Zhe had agreed to meet on the top-floor open-air garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near home, one grows timid, afraid to ask passersby. Feng Yu now felt a similar emotion—approaching the meeting spot, her heart grew increasingly uneasy. She kept pulling out her compact mirror to check if she needed touch-ups, fidgeting with her collar to make her deep cleavage more visible, adjusting the lace trim on her waist to accentuate her already exaggerated waist-to-hip ratio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Yu didn’t understand herself—her heart, which had pounded with impatient eagerness to see him at first, now fluttered with nervous dread. She wished he’d come later, much later, so she’d have more time to prepare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, no—too late was bad too. That would make her worry he’d stood her up, or worse—had an accident…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you thinking about?” Just then, a hand lightly tapped her left shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+book_bar\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned and saw the familiar face she’d dreamed of countless times. All her tangled emotions melted like spring snow, leaving only a soft whisper: “You’re here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been here a while,” Ning Zhe said, sitting on the bench behind her, watching a child nearby tossing popcorn to the rooftop pigeons. “I saw you glancing around nervously, thought someone was following you. I circled the area several times before daring to show myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah… no, no one followed me. I came alone. The driver didn’t come with me.” As if to prove it, Feng Yu opened her handbag and showed it to Ning Zhe: “I didn’t bring my phone either. I have no electronic devices on me—you can search me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. I believe you,” Ning Zhe said, seemingly unconcerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he didn’t trust Feng Yu, he trusted the Thought Steel Seal’s absolute and impartial rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you…” Feng Yu lowered her head. Her intense gaze slipped through the thin veil over her forehead, secretly studying his profile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you staring at me? Did you do what I asked?” Ning Zhe rested his hand on his forehead. “I didn’t ask you to come here and just stare at me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I did it! Done!” Feng Yu snapped out of her daze, nodding frantically. “You asked me to get the personal items of Tian Chengyun, the security guard from Bishuiwan Estate who was interviewed by TV—his SIM card, ID, all of it—I’ve got them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe didn’t ask how she got them. The Rule of Ye Yao made it easy to retrieve items from even the most tightly guarded evidence storage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1092,"2026-06-20T06:29:21.893Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1e27c2942b58556479397e6f2c1840b22a10297655a1c2341eab97c72d3081e7","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-99","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-97",353,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurvival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-cover.jpg"]