Chapter 22 - A Vulnerable Side of Empress
Late at night.
After sending off Zhou Yan, who was drunk to the point of unconsciousness, Lin Fan returned home with a late-night snack.
Click.
The door opened, and he saw Longyue sitting in the pitch-black living room slurping instant noodles, using only her phone’s built-in flashlight for illumination.
Seeing Lin Fan return, Longyue was also stunned for a moment, a noodle still hanging from her mouth.
“Why aren’t the lights on? Is there a power outage at home?” Lin Fan asked with confusion.
“Doesn’t the electricity bill also cost money? So this Empress didn’t turn them on…”
Longyue slurped the noodle into her mouth and muttered in a small, somewhat guilty voice.
Last month, because she had randomly ordered takeout and bought food, and also kept the lights and TV on all day, the money at home had been used up so quickly.
She had originally hoped that her own magic treasures could be exchanged for money, but that hope had been dashed…
In order to save money, she no longer had the nerve to turn on the TV and the lights.
Looking at Longyue eating instant noodles in the dark, Lin Fan felt both amused and couldn't help but feel a trace of heartache.
The majestic Empress of the Immortal Realm is reluctant to even turn on the lights, sitting alone in the dark eating instant noodles...
“You don’t need to save on this little bit of electricity cost, it doesn't cost much.”
Lin Fan reached out and turned on the living room lights, then placed the fried chicken late-night snack he had bought in front of her.
“Here, a late-night snack I brought for you.”
“Ooh! Fried chicken!”
Longyue’s eyes lit up as she looked at the fried chicken before her, drool nearly dripping from the corner of her mouth. However, in the end, reason triumphed over appetite, and she looked at Lin Fan with a troubled expression.
“Aren’t we almost out of money at home? Why did you still buy fried chicken for this Empress?”
“It’s alright, this sovereign has temporarily figured out a solution to the money problem. In the future, you can still order whatever you want to eat.”
“Really?!”
Longyue’s pretty face lit up with joy, but then she suddenly thought of something. Her gaze narrowed, and her expression gradually became serious.
“Demon Sovereign, where did you get the money?”
“You didn’t… go rob someone, did you?!”
As far as she knew, this world had an institution similar to an ancient bank, called a bank, which stored countless amounts of money and gold.
If you robbed a bank just once, you wouldn't have to worry about food and drink for a lifetime!
In the movies, many extreme, desperate outlaws had tried to rob banks for money. She couldn't help but suspect that Lin Fan had done the same…
After all, for the Demon Sovereign to rob a bank, that's very reasonable, right?
Lin Fan rolled his eyes at Longyue, speechless, and couldn't help but admire her imagination.
“I would never use my remaining precious spiritual energy on such a thing.”
“The money was borrowed from this sovereign’s friend in this world.”
Longyue, slurping on a chicken leg, had a look of surprise.
“A friend? Demon Sovereign, you have friends?”
Lin Fan was speechless, so angry he wanted to go over and pull the chicken leg out of her mouth.
“No matter what, I also lived in this world for more than twenty years before. I have a few friends, more or less.”
“Oh… sorry.”
Longyue also realized that what she had said seemed quite harsh and hurriedly apologized, handing a chicken leg from her hand to Lin Fan.
“Want some?”
“I already ate outside, you can have it.”
Lin Fan pulled up a chair and sat in front of Longyue. Watching her eat, he asked curiously:
“Why are you eating so late tonight?”
“This Empress wanted to wait for you to come back to cook noodles together, but you never came back, and you didn't reply to my message…”
Longyue put down the chicken leg in her hand and shot Lin Fan a small, reproachful look.
Lin Fan opened his phone and only then saw the text message Longyue had sent around six o’clock.
—Demon Sovereign, this Empress plans to cook noodles tonight. Are you coming back to eat together? If you are, this Empress will wait for you to cook together.
“Sorry, this sovereign didn't look at my phone while I was out. Next time, you can just call directly.”
Hearing this, Longyue lowered her head dejectedly.
“This Empress thought you weren’t coming back, so I didn’t call…”
After Lin Fan left, she had felt a faint unease in her heart, always thinking that perhaps the Demon Sovereign found her a burden and had used it as an excuse to leave…
The thought of being left all alone, not knowing how to survive in this world in the future, made her heart grow more and more uneasy.
With a feeling of testing the waters, she tried sending a text message to Lin Fan.
After sending the text at six o'clock, she had been holding her phone the whole time, constantly paying attention to her messages, hoping for a reply. But in the end, there was no news even after ten o'clock.
It made her think at one point that the Demon Sovereign really wasn't coming back…
Looking at Longyue, who was actually afraid of being alone, Lin Fan had a look of astonishment.
He had only been gone for the better part of a day, yet the Empress was this worried…
This seemingly strong-willed Empress also has a vulnerable side...
Thinking of this, Lin Fan smiled apologetically and gently placed his palm on top of her head.
“Empress, this is my home. Where else could I go if not back here?”
Longyue was silent for a moment, then let out a delicate huff and pushed Lin Fan’s hand away.
“Hmph, this Empress doesn't care whether you, Demon Sovereign, come back or not.”
Lin Fan saw through her duplicitous heart. He smiled without saying a word, not exposing her.
If she really didn’t care and wasn’t afraid, she wouldn’t have shown such a dejected expression just now…
As Longyue was taking big bites of the fried chicken, Lin Fan’s peripheral vision caught sight of the phone she had placed on the table. The screen of her phone was clearly displaying the information page of a job recruitment app.
“Empress, are you looking for a job?” Lin Fan asked curiously.
“Mmm…”
Longyue glanced at her phone and nodded lightly.
“This Empress has no desire to eat and live here for free at your, Demon Sovereign's, place. We agreed on one thousand in rent per month, and this Empress will definitely give it to you!”
As a former empress, she had no concept of money at all, since she had no need to use it.
After coming to this world, she had likewise never paid any mind to this world’s money. With this past month of understanding the world, she now profoundly understood the importance of money.
It wasn't just to pay the Demon Sovereign the one thousand in rent every month, but also so she could buy the things she liked as she pleased. She decided to start working hard to earn money!
“Hearing Her Majesty the Empress say that, this sovereign can rest assured.”
Looking at the determined Longyue, Lin Fan couldn't help but show a look of approval.
The one thousand in rent he had proposed at the beginning was actually just a joke. He hadn't taken it to heart and didn't really expect her to pay one thousand in rent every month.
He thought that as an empress, it would be absolutely impossible for her to go work a job to earn money, and she certainly wouldn't be able to pay the rent. But he hadn't expected that she would actually plan to look for a job…
This was also an opportunity for her to further understand this world, so naturally, he had no reason to stop her.
“How is it? Has the Empress found a desirable job yet?”
“Not yet, but this Empress has already completed the most crucial first step. I’ll be able to find a job very soon!”
Longyue proudly lifted her head, and with a face full of pride and confidence, she handed the phone, displaying the resume information she had spent a whole day filling out, to Lin Fan.
“Look, the resume this Empress wrote personally. How is it~!”