Chapter 59: Where Should I Live?

She shuffled over to Lin Zhi Jing with a guilty look, like a little quail, and earnestly negotiated: "I don't have that much money right now; how about you wait while I go do a mission? I'll figure something out—I definitely won't let you end up on the streets."

Lin Zhi Jing sighed helplessly, his face showing a "there's nothing I can do about you" expression: "Given the current situation, we have no choice but to do this."

Bao Jing looked at Lin Zhi Jing's appearance and just wanted to tear apart his pretentious façade.

Couldn't help muttering under his breath: "You're pretending to be your mom."

Lin Zhi Jing and Ye Xi'an both startled; seeing Lin Zhi Jing about to lose his temper, Ye Xi'an quickly intervened: "He's just talking to himself; let's not bother him. First, we need to settle your situation—that's most important."

"He's the most important?" Lin Zhi Jing felt a sweet warmth in his heart—Ye Xi'an actually said he was the most important.

"Cough!" Lin Zhi Jing coughed to hide his amusement, concealing his smile, and continued playing the role of someone who got into trouble because he helped others.

"Where should I live?" Before Ye Xi'an could speak, Lin Zhi Jing continued: "Don't even think about putting me in a hotel—hotels have recently been raided, hidden nano cameras found, and many males' nude videos were sold to females with voyeuristic tendencies, leading those females' husbands to report the video platforms en masse."

"I value my privacy; I don't want my pure, flawless body ogled by a bunch of females. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick."

"Guesthouses are out too—they're small, dirty, and, most importantly, too cheap; I won't stay there."

"Capsule pods are even worse—I have claustrophobia; staying in one would easily suffocate me."

"Shelters and B&Bs are also out—I don't like staying in places built specifically for habitation that are cold and devoid of human warmth."

Ye Xi'an was left bewildered by his words, wondering if he was even speaking human language.

"What does it mean to not like places built specifically for habitation?"

After Lin Zhi Jing finished speaking, his beautiful gray eyes reflected Ye Xi'an's silhouette: "Do you have anything you want to say?"

Ye Xi'an smacked her lips, then said: "I actually thought I could only persuade you to stay at my place reluctantly, but I didn't expect there to be so many other options."

Lin Zhi Jing: "Er... the more I say, the more wrong I am."

"Pfft."

Bao Jing's sudden snort caught Lin Zhi Jing's attention: "What are you laughing at?"

Bao Jing lifted his eyelids slightly, eyes veiled with contempt: "I just didn't expect Doctor Lin to be so delicate."

Lin Zhi Jing showed no anger, responding lightly: "You could say that, but I'll make my female even more delicate, so she can only live in a double-story villa with a huge balcony and loft in the First Ring—not just anywhere."

As he said that, he glanced meaningfully at Bao Jing, implying: "Aren't you just blaming Bao Jing for being useless, bringing Ye Xi'an to live in the Slum?"

Bao Jing felt that if he tolerated Lin Zhi Jing any longer, he'd surely snap; he lunged forward a step, raising his hand to strike, but Ye Xi'an interrupted him.

"Enough!"

Ye Xi'an couldn't stand the couple's verbal sparring any longer; it seemed they were about to argue, so she stepped between them and made a gesture to stop them.

First she soothed Bao Jing, then gave Lin Zhi Jing a troubled look: "But if you won't stay in those places, where else can you go? You've seen it—my home is a bit rundown now; if you won't even stay in a hotel, you definitely won't be able to stay at my place."

"Okay."

Ye Xi'an wanted to keep persuading, after all Lin Zhi Jing would surely disdain her home; if he didn't go to a hotel, he'd truly end up homeless—but Lin Zhi Jing's simple, out-of-the-blue "Okay" left her dazed.

"What okay?"

"Staying at your place is fine."

Bao Jing beside them narrowed his eyes, tongue pressing against his upper palate, and placed his hand on Ye Xi'an's shoulder to assert dominance: "Doctor Lin is so delicate; aren't you afraid our broken house might have something unclean inside?"

Lin Zhi Jing glanced at the muscular arm resting on Ye Xi'an's shoulder, his eyes flashing danger: "I'm a sixth-level ability user; if there really is something unclean, I might still be able to protect you."

Having said that, he looked at Ye Xi'an: "I brought you here and got us stuck; you won't even make space for me at home, will you?"

"Of course it's fine, of course it's fine." Since he said that, how could she disagree? She probed: "Then let's head back now? It's getting dark."

Bao Jing couldn't believe Ye Xi'an would really let Lin Zhi Jing stay at their home—this is their house!

"An'an! Lin Zhi Jing is an outsider; the Zhu Shen Xing family doesn't take in outsiders!"

"I don't mind becoming an insider."

Bao Jing glared at Lin Zhi Jing resentfully: "You're dreaming!"

"Alright, Bao Jing, let's leave it at that for now. We can't really let Lin Zhi Jing sleep outside."

Ye Xi'an patted Bao Jing's head, coaxing him for a long while, until he finally relented.

"Then let's head back—Yi Yang and the others must be getting anxious."

The three walked back side by side, but Lin Zhi Jing stubbornly tried to stand next to Ye Xi'an, whereupon Bao Jing would slip between them, and Lin Zhi Jing would then circle to Ye Xi'an's other side; watching these two nearly 1.9-meter-tall giants jostle around so childishly, Ye Xi'an, who had always stayed cooped up at home, felt the world's colors for the first time.

By the time they got home, Ji Jiangci and Yi Yang had already cleaned up.

Seeing Lin Zhi Jing return, Yi Yang wondered strangely: "Doctor Lin, aren't you leaving?"

Bao Jing unhappily walked to the bedside to make Ye Xi'an's bed: "Yeah, he's latched onto us."

"Don't listen to Bao Jing's nonsense," she said, stopping him, and then explained the whole situation.

Now everyone understood.

Ji Jiangci merely gave the seemingly serious doctor a brief glance after hearing it, then went back to cleaning.

Yi Yang, meanwhile, wore a face of guilt and gratitude, gripping Lin Zhi Jing's hand and shaking it up and down: "Thank you so much for saving my wife—and even getting yourself stuck here because of it."

"But rest assured, we're about to go accept a mission soon; I'll definitely work hard to earn money and compensate you!"

Mentioning the mission, everyone's expressions shifted.

(End of chapter)