The cozy candlelight dinner wasn't the real highlight of the evening. After finishing the meal, Ellen casually took the dishes back into the kitchen—and then forcefully dragged Zhong Yan into the bedroom.
This night was destined to be anything but calm.
By the time Zhong Yan woke up the next morning, he felt sore and drained from head to toe, like his entire body had been sapped of strength.
There was no helping it. The number of times he'd "battled" Ellen last night had even surpassed Anby. He couldn't help but wonder if this was some seasonal thing for shark girls.
Never in his life did Zhong Yan think his biggest challenge would become a physical one. Was he really going to have to start steeping goji berries and going full health-nut before he even hit middle age?
Terrifying thought.
So, when he woke up that morning and looked at the still-sleeping Ellen next to him, Zhong Yan found himself lost in contemplation.
...But after a long time thinking, he still came up with nothing.
In the end, after Ellen called him for breakfast, he finally escaped from her place.
Rather than heading straight home, Zhong Yan made a stop at a roadside café and grabbed a cup of coffee.
Don't ask why he was drinking coffee so early—he was exhausted and needed the energy boost.
If it had been winter, he might've stayed and sipped it slowly inside. But it was summer now, and the heat outside was brutal enough to knock someone out. Who had the patience to enjoy coffee in that kind of weather?
So, after picking it up, he used Kamui to return home and immediately fired up his computer.
Pei was still plugged into the charging dock, scheduled to be fully recharged and wake up in about an hour.
Zhong Yan had no intention of waking it early. Instead, he opened his writer's portal to check on the latest comments for his novel.
Side note: his book was currently ranked in the top three across the entire site—excluding the few unbeatable classics, he basically had no competition.
His monthly income had hit a jaw-dropping 10 million Denny.
At that rate, if he didn't eat or drink for a hundred years, he'd save over a billion Denny—just enough to maybe buy an apartment in the city center.
Then again, he'd be dead long before then, and that was assuming zero spending. Factor in real expenses, and that timeline would easily double.
The harsh truth was that even if an average person worked their entire life—maybe even two or three lifetimes—they'd still never afford property in the city center.
That reality was mostly thanks to how tightly controlled wealth was in New Eridu. For a poor person to climb the ranks, they had to be truly exceptional—otherwise, it was impossible.
Maybe that's why professions like Hollow Raiders and Proxies had become so popular in New Eridu. The money rolled in at a pace normal jobs couldn't match.
As for Zhong Yan, he was a Hollow Raider himself. But the jobs he took on typically paid upwards of 10 million Denny each—a feat most other Divers couldn't dream of achieving.
At present, he'd amassed a fortune of around a billion Denny. About a tenth of that came from writing royalties—the rest was all Hollow Raider income.
Clearly, Hollow Raiders were in high demand. The only catch? It wasn't safe, and you needed a highly skilled Proxy on your team.
Speaking of which—Zhong Yan suddenly remembered that while buying coffee earlier, Belle had messaged him.
He hadn't paid much attention at the time since he was in the middle of paying. Now that he was home, he figured it was time to check it.
But the moment he read her message, he immediately regretted it.
[Belle: Zhong Yan, are you home? The power at my place overloaded and the AC broke down. It's so hot. Can I come over to cool off?]
[Zhong Yan: Your wiring's really that old? How does it even overload?]
[Belle: Not really... It's mostly Fairy's fault—uses way too much electricity. Every time I power her on, she sucks up half the store's power. Add in the aging wiring, and boom—overload.]
[Belle: You're home, right?]
[Zhong Yan: Give me a sec to figure out whether I'm home or not.]
[Belle: I'm already at your door~ Come open up!]
Before Zhong Yan could even react, footsteps echoed outside, followed by a knock on the door.
And just like that, he realized Belle wasn't joking—she had actually come over.
Zhong Yan groaned internally.
Yesterday, his meet-up with Anby had been delightful, then he'd nearly died after the candlelight dinner (and aftermath) with Ellen.
Now Belle was here. And if she was even half as forward as Anby or Ellen...
There was a real chance he'd get wrung dry.
Zhong Yan barely had time to think before the knocking grew more impatient. He had no choice but to go open the door.
The moment he did, Belle appeared before him—dressed in a white T-shirt, her figure curvaceous and well-defined.
Judging by her sweaty state, she'd taken the subway and walked part of the way. Her clothes were soaked through, revealing faint outlines beneath—a sight hard to ignore.
Seeing the door finally open, Belle immediately puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Seriously? What took you so long? I knew you were home. Were you pretending not to be? Don't tell me Anby or Ellen are here too?"
Her first thought, of course, was that Anby and Ellen were with him. That would explain his reluctance to open the door.
But once she stepped inside and looked around, she saw no one—aside from Pei, still recharging in the dock.
That left Belle visibly puzzled. Still, she didn't say anything further. She simply closed the door behind her and flopped down onto the couch, basking in the blissful cool air from the AC.
"So comfy~ Whoever invented air conditioning was a genius. Seriously, how would anyone survive summer without this?"
As she spoke, Belle stretched her limbs. The chill felt so good that she actually started to feel a little sleepy.
Fortunately, she knew this was a rare chance to be alone with Zhong Yan. If she just fell asleep now, it would've been a waste.
Watching her make herself right at home, Zhong Yan could only sigh in resignation. Then again, when he visited her place, he acted more or less the same.
On a related note—Zhong Yan had been to Belle's room before. Unlike its cluttered in-game counterpart, her actual room was surprisingly tidy. Maybe she'd cleaned it just for his visit.
In any case... the real Belle lived a relatively clean and orderly life.