Chapter 419
Xia'er slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying next to Ai Wei Na, who was gazing back at her.
In reality, Xia'er was still holding Ai Wei Na in bed. After being stirred awake by Xia'er, Ai Wei Na seemed unable to fall back asleep.
“Xia'er...” Ai Wei Na hesitated, looking at her. “Just now, you...”
“What’s wrong?” Seeing the worried expression on Ai Wei Na's face, Xia'er gently asked.
“Your mental energy is depleting rapidly, and the spiritual contamination is worsening,” Ai Wei Na said, her brow slightly furrowed. “I couldn’t find any results, and I didn’t dare to wake you.”
Feeling the mental energy of the person beside her fading so quickly, while being powerless to stop it, was indeed a cause for concern.
“It’s fine.”
Xia'er smiled reassuringly. She reached out and gently pressed her hand against the back of Ai Wei Na's head, leaning in to place a soft kiss at the corner of Ai Wei Na's mouth. Looking into her eyes, she said, “I just had a dream.”
“What dream?” Ai Wei Na pressed for more.
Dreams could reveal many things; in fact, many therapeutic techniques used by “psychologists” relied on dreams to achieve their effects.
“I dreamed that in the dream, I had no strength, feeling all hazy,” Xia'er said, a hint of fear in her voice. “Then you pushed me down and pinned me, and I couldn’t resist at all.”
Ai Wei Na’s expression turned to one of exasperation. She knew Xia'er was joking, but it wasn’t a funny joke at all.
“Well, you’d better pray you never get weak enough to not be able to walk.”
With a deadpan expression, Ai Wei Na raised her hand and pinched Xia'er’s soft waist hard under the covers, causing Xia'er to gasp in surprise.
Fortunately, in the simulation, Ai Wei Na hadn’t done anything to her... Xia'er didn’t like feeling passive; it made her uncomfortable—yet under the influence of the potion, it seemed there was nothing more important than sleep.
It felt like a complete surrender.
“Time to get up.” Xia'er decided not to play around in bed anymore. She looked at Ai Wei Na and asked, “Do you have any plans for today?”
Ai Wei Na sat up as well, looking back at Xia'er. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? I always explain what I’m going to do, unlike some people who like to disappear.”
Xia'er awkwardly averted her gaze and shifted the topic. “I plan to check on Adele first and give her a salary.”
“Is that for the potion-making fees?” Ai Wei Na nodded. “Adele and Amy have already moved out... and you’re planning to move to the new house today, right?”
“Yes.”
After Xia'er confirmed, she suddenly remembered something and looked at Ai Wei Na, saying, “The guest list for the housewarming party has changed a bit... I’ll organize it later and send you the details.”
Xia'er was referring to Ai Wei Na’s housewarming party.
Originally, the guest list included many extraordinary individuals, including high-ranking ones like Ai Li Nuo and Lu Xi.
Xia'er’s main goal had been to use the party to draw out the member of the Joy Society who had information about Adele, but that was no longer necessary.
She had already caught her in the simulation—Meng De·Feng·Li En—this was her real identity, the daughter of a great noble from the Devo Federation, with a persona that loved painting and cherished freedom.
Once her identity was known, everything else would be much simpler.
Even if Xia'er didn’t take action herself, she could have Tara take the scepter to find Ai Li Nuo, who could then directly capture Meng De.
As long as Meng De was dead, if Ashford didn’t speak up, Adele would be absolutely safe; no one would connect the antidote to her.
But...
Did Meng De really have to die right now?
She had another identity within the Pharos Medical Society and was very close to another key figure, Lafayette. Meng De even had another identity... she was a student of the mysterious extraordinary being conducting the resurrection ritual in Bei An Su.
Would she be more useful alive than dead?
The answer was a resounding yes.
The key question was how Xia'er could stabilize control over this ticking time bomb without getting herself blown up and dragging Adele down with her.
Resolving the Meng De issue had become a top priority for Xia'er, even more urgent than dealing with Qiang Yin.
After all, the Meng De in the simulation had indeed leaked information to Qiang Yin, indirectly leading to Xia'er’s capture.
If Adele were discovered, Xia'er wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed.
The situation with Qiang Yin wasn’t as urgent... there was still time, and it hadn’t reached the point where Qiang Yin was desperate.
The integration of the sects was a great distraction for Qiang Yin, and it had to be utilized well.
Although the “Key Person” had poor disguise abilities, Xia'er was a master of the disguise field—she couldn’t even remember how many layers of disguises she had put on.
Judgment Court, Dedun Group employee, Joy Society observer, Mother Goddess...
Ai Wei Na watched Xia'er, who was getting dressed by the bedside. She wanted to ask if Xia'er needed any help since she had plenty of free time today.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say it—despite having just said yesterday that she would stay by Xia'er’s side for 24 hours to ensure she rested.
Asking if she needed help again felt like a humble plea for Xia'er to let her do something... Ai Wei Na’s pride wouldn’t allow her to ask again about something she had already inquired about.
Ai Wei Na didn’t feel discouraged; she believed that as long as she worked hard enough, she could keep up with Xia'er.
At least in that regard, she still had confidence.
Who wasn’t once a genius girl?
“By the way, Ai Wei Na,” Xia'er looked at her and asked, “How much money do I have left with you?”
Upon hearing Xia'er’s question, Ai Wei Na looked at her with a hint of disbelief. “Are you asking how much you owe me?”
“Uh...” Xia'er blinked, weakly asking, “How much do I owe...”
“The price difference for various potions, the usage fee for the Dead Saint’s Remains, the perfect quality ‘Detective’ materials, ‘Gardener’ potions, house deposit and rent...”
Ai Wei Na thought for a moment before replying, “You probably still owe me a few dozen pounds... that three thousand pounds you had is long gone, mostly spent on ‘Detective’ materials and house expenses.”
“Is perfect quality that expensive...” Xia'er had never inquired about prices before; she thought it should be around a thousand Su pounds, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“These are top-quality materials only available to direct descendants of the Russell family,” Ai Wei Na explained. “You can’t buy them on the market; they’re completely monopolized in An Su.”
Sure enough, monopolized goods were the most expensive.
“Ai Wei Na... can I borrow some money to pay Adele’s salary...” Xia'er glanced at the Dedun Group employee card beside her. “I’ll pay you back once I send out the salaries... By the way, can that potion be sold...”
Xia'er had always thought she was quite wealthy, but it seemed she had unknowingly gone bankrupt.
“It can’t go on the market; you need to find a reliable private buyer,” Ai Wei Na said, casting a glance at Xia'er. “Didn’t Lu Xi transfer three thousand Su pounds to your employee card?”
Seeing Xia'er in a daze, Ai Wei Na silently got up, threw on a loose coat, and walked straight out of Xia'er’s suite.
Before long, Ai Wei Na returned, holding a check.
“Here, I’ll give you a bit more. If you run out, just come to me again.” Ai Wei Na casually handed the check to Xia'er.
Xia'er took the check and glanced at the number on it.
5,000.
Five thousand pounds...
The moment Xia'er saw the number, her breath caught slightly, and her hand holding the check stiffened.
Is this what you call “a bit more”?
Or was she just too used to being poor, overly sensitive to numbers?
How much money is this that would take most people a lifetime—no, ten lifetimes—to earn?
Even Lu Xi must have had to save for a long time to gather five thousand pounds, right?
“This... is this really so much?” Xia'er hesitated, saying, “Your business...”
“Just take it.” Ai Wei Na crossed her arms, speaking in a near-commanding tone.
Xia'er didn’t push back any further and accepted the check. She didn’t have many immediate uses for the money and didn’t necessarily plan to cash it.
Is this what it feels like to be supported by a wealthy woman?
If only this world didn’t have extraordinary powers, she was starting to feel the urge to stop trying.
“I can scrub your back five thousand times to repay this debt,” Xia'er said earnestly. “I can’t guarantee the technique, but the service will definitely be top-notch.”
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