Chapter 26: I Told You to Get Rich, Not This Rich

Phone calls with a non-existent person?

"Are you certain it isn’t a problem with your hearing or vision?"

Zhuang Qingchun offered a bitter smile and took another sip of clear tea. Her previously muddled thoughts gradually began to clear. "This tea is excellent. I feel much more lucid after drinking it."

Yan Ye’s cooking was nothing to boast about, but she was a master at brewing tea.

After all, from the old days of the Time Grocery Store to its current scale, she couldn't even recall how many experimental subjects had passed through her doors. Later, a customer who had been a tea connoisseur in life came by; after one taste of Yan Ye's brew, he nearly flew into a rage, transforming from an elegant scholar into a foul-mouthed, raving man.

Through constant adjustments, the current flavor was born.

Zhuang Qingchun set down her teacup. "I thought I was overthinking things, too. But it happened time and again, so obviously, and eventually, they didn't even bother to hide it from me."

"And what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know what to do. I just want to be with him. My dream is to marry him and be his wife."

Yan Ye’s gaze turned subtle.

"Are you sure you want to marry him?"

"Of course."

"But have you ever taken a look at what you actually are?"

"What do you mean?" She didn't understand why Yan Ye would say that, her expression filled with confusion.

Yan Ye truly didn't want to shatter the girl's beautiful dream, but if she continued living in it, she would eventually vanish.

A vintage, floral-patterned hand mirror appeared in Yan Ye’s hand. She tilted the mirror toward herself with one hand, then gently rotated it to face the woman opposite her. Yet, the mirror did not reflect Zhuang Qingchun's face.

What appeared in the mirror was an exquisite pendant, adorned with a translucent crystal.

"This is who you really are."

...

"The person meeting her boyfriend's parents isn't you. That invisible caller is actually your original owner. You are the pendant that hung on her bag from childhood; having spent so much time together, you developed a spirit. You have always been on her, so naturally, you could never see her, yet you adopted her perspective as your own. Those things on social media you couldn't understand were just human internet emoticons and sticker packs."

It couldn't be. She didn't believe it.

"You must be lying to me. How could I not be human?"

Yan Ye took a bag of spicy dried tofu from the shelf and handed it to her.

Zhuang Qingchun looked at it, puzzled, and picked it up. "What is this?"

"Spicy dried tofu. Have a taste."

"Isn't this the kind they sold at the school tuck shop when I was little?" That was right! The kind sold at the tuck shop. She remembered it clearly, but why did it feel like she had never actually eaten it? She didn't even know the taste.

She tried tearing open the package and took a bite.

A sharp, spicy, and numbing sensation danced on her tongue, and her head throbbed from the heat. Then came an addictive, intoxicating flavor that she couldn't get enough of.

The spiciness spread throughout her mouth, and her saliva threatened to drip uncontrollably.

It made her want another bite.

It was somewhat magical.

Soon, she finished the bag and looked at Yan Ye with expectation, feeling a bit embarrassed to ask.

"Can I have another bag?"

"Of course! There's plenty."

Before long, there were several empty bags on the table. Zhuang Qingchun wiped the red oil from the corner of her mouth. She was dizzy from the spice, her flushed cheeks looking vibrant and charming.

"I see now. So I really am just a pendant. How absurd."

Sometimes, memories deceive. They lure you into a trap step by step. What you perceive as clarity is merely being caught in a dream woven by tampered memories.

"Then why did I gain consciousness?"

"Because someone placed other hopes upon you, and the person who placed them had an obsession too deep. They attempted to change certain events through you."

"What should I do now? Since I’m not human, it doesn't have much to do with death, but why did I come here?"

That was a good question.

Perhaps she should go ask her original owner what exactly she was trying to do.

...

Following the route in her memory, Zhuang Qingchun led Yan Ye to a high-end residential complex in the city.

Standing before the glitzy gate of the complex, Yan Ye sighed.

"When will I ever be able to live the life of the wealthy?"

*What?* Zhuang Qingchun looked at Yan Ye in utter shock. She owned such a massive traditional courtyard in the heart of the city; who was really wealthier? Was this the legendary "humble-bragging"?

"Is it possible that the people living inside here aren't as rich as you are?"

"Nonsense, I'm very poor," Yan Ye retorted without much conviction.

The service at high-end complexes was excellent; they were stopped by security before they even reached the entrance.

"Hello, non-residents are not permitted inside. If you are here to visit someone, please contact the owner to verify before we can register you for entry."

Yan Ye nodded earnestly, determined not to cause any trouble for the working class.

"Why are you afraid of him?"

Zhuang Qingchun didn't understand. Wasn't Yan Ye the owner of the Time Grocery Store? She should have great powers.

"What about the wall-walking, wall-passing, and invisibility techniques from the TV shows?"

Yan Ye replied to her pendant while making a phone call. "Watch fewer dramas."

Five minutes later, the security guard who had stopped them came running over, apologizing profusely as he stood before Yan Ye. "I am terribly sorry; I didn't recognize you earlier. It has been verified now. Would you like me to escort you in?"

Yan Ye waved a hand dismissively.

"It’s quite alright. It is precisely because of responsible people like you that the residents here are kept safe. I can go in myself; don't worry about me."

The moment Yan Ye stepped into the complex, Zhuang Qingchun was puzzled.

"What did you do to make him let you in? Do you know someone here?"

Yan Ye told her to lead the way to Building 6.

"I don't know anyone."

"Then why did he let you in?"

"No problem there. I paid for the construction of this entire district. Tell me, can I enter or not?" It had just been so long that she hadn't remembered immediately. She’d felt the place was familiar and decided to test it; she hadn't expected it to work.

Yan Ye’s answer successfully left Zhuang Qingchun speechless.

This was beyond heaven; she had thought Yan Ye was rich, but she hadn't expected her to be *this* rich.

She was currently clinging to someone of unknown, astronomical net worth, and she felt her own value had increased significantly.

Yan Ye hadn't expected to run into acquaintances here, though.

Not far away, Gu Cheng was leaning against a delivery tricycle, and shortly after, Xu Zhiting emerged from the stairwell wearing pajamas.

He took a large box from Gu Cheng.

That box looked familiar—wasn't it the exclusive packaging of the Time Grocery Store?

It seemed to be the scorched rice sold last time.

Gu Cheng didn't know Yan Ye was here and looked down at the quantity on the order. "I’m sorry, but you bought quite a lot. I’ll give you some now, and I’ll deliver the rest as soon as possible."

Gu Cheng had been delivering for a long time, but this was the first time he had met such a generous customer.

They bought a lot, and they weren't demanding.

Xu Zhiting smiled faintly and said it was fine. As he turned with the parcel, he saw Yan Ye standing not far away.

She was looking at him—and the delivery box in his hands—with a playful expression.

That look seemed to be saying:

*Captain Xu, care to explain what is going on here?*