The Frail Guide Who Devoured an Entire Pollution Zone

Realizing Shen Yan was the root of the problem, Xu Qingsui couldn’t be bothered with pointless talk and left him to handle it.

Shen Yan didn’t try to get out of it, immediately pulling Liang Xiaoxiao aside.

Liang Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened even further at Xu Qingsui’s words.

As Shen Yan pulled her away, she shot him a resentful look. "What did she mean just now? Didn’t you say you needed quiet, so you weren’t assigning the room next to yours to anyone? Why is she saying this is her room?"

Now it was Xu Qingsui’s turn to be stunned. She had just wanted any random room; she never expected Shen Yan to actually put her right next door to him.

After all, from the sound of it, Liang Xiaoxiao had wanted this room before, only to be turned down by Shen Yan with some excuse.

Thinking of it that way, she could understand why Liang Xiaoxiao was reacting so strongly.

’This time, I can’t really blame her. Shen Yan was the one at fault.’

But in the face of Liang Xiaoxiao’s interrogation and this awkward situation, Shen Yan showed no sign of embarrassment. Instead, a hint of anger touched his face.

"I’ve already invited Guide Xu to join the lab. Guide Xu wanted a sunny, first-floor room, and this is the only one that meets the requirements. There’s nothing wrong with arranging for her to stay here."

"Besides, I just need quiet. Guide Xu doesn’t seem like the type to be loud and disruptive, so she naturally won’t disturb me."

His words made Liang Xiaoxiao’s eyes well up with tears. Even Xu Qingsui felt a pang of pity for her.

"Are you saying I’m the loud and disruptive type? That I can’t be quiet? Shen Yan, how could you say that about me? We grew up together! Don’t you know what kind of person I am?"

Xu Qingsui crossed her arms, no longer in a hurry to return to her room, and watched the drama unfold with great interest.

’Tsk, tsk, tsk! Childhood sweethearts? Another case of unrequited love?’

"It’s precisely because I know you so well that I know whether or not you can be quiet. Liang Xiaoxiao, I’m saying this one last time: stop making a scene! I’m exhausted, and I need to rest!"

The moment she heard Shen Yan say he was exhausted, Liang Xiaoxiao’s resentful expression from a second ago was instantly replaced with a look of concern.

She began to look flustered, like a little girl who had done something wrong.

"And Guide Xu saved us today. She’s also very tired, so don’t disturb her rest."

At the mention of Xu Qingsui, the softness in Liang Xiaoxiao’s eyes was once again replaced by hatred.

But facing Shen Yan, she ultimately didn’t dare say anything more.

"Then you should hurry back to your room and rest! We can talk about anything else tomorrow!"

Shen Yan’s expression softened, and a smile returned to his face. "You should get some rest, too."

Though still resentful, Liang Xiaoxiao could only head for the stairwell, glancing back reluctantly with every few steps.

As she looked back at Shen Yan, her gaze inadvertently fell upon Xu Qingsui, and the hatred in her eyes flared up again.

’Sigh.’

Xu Qingsui took it all in and sighed to herself.

’I just want to complete a mission. Why does it have to be so difficult?’

’Putting aside the fact I have to deal with Mutants and instances, I also keep running into these... NPCs.’

’With Mutants and instances, at least violence is a solution. But these NPCs just keep making trouble for me, slowing down my progress.’

The same distance she had covered in the blink of an eye, Liang Xiaoxiao now took several minutes to cross before finally disappearing into the stairwell.

But Xu Qingsui had a nagging feeling that she hadn’t actually gone upstairs.

’Right now, she’s probably leaning against the wall, straining to hear what’s going on over here.’

Shaking her head helplessly, Xu Qingsui looked at Shen Yan and said, "Maybe I should just switch rooms after all."

Shen Yan shook his head. "Don’t. You can stay here without any worries."

"Xiao Xiao is like a younger sister from next door. She’s been spoiled rotten since she was a kid, so don’t mind her."

"If she’s rude to you again in the future, please don’t take it personally. If anything happens, I’ll talk to her."

As he spoke, Shen Yan paused, then let out a long sigh. "I’ve always just seen her as a little sister. It’s just that... maybe because of some jokes the adults used to make, she got other ideas."

"She’s rather stubborn about it. I’ll slowly make things clear to her so she can accept it, but that will take time. In the meantime, she might act out because of this. Please bear with her."

Shen Yan said it as if it were just a casual explanation, but Xu Qingsui clearly felt a violent mental fluctuation from the stairwell.

She couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath. ’So Shen Yan knew Liang Xiaoxiao was still hiding there. He was pretending to talk to me, but those words were really meant for her.’

’It’s true that love has to be mutual, but this was a girl who had found her Prince Charming in her heart during her most naive and dreamy years.’

’To have cherished that dream all the way to adulthood, only to have it shattered and be told he wasn’t the one for her... it really was a bit cruel.’

Feeling a little down, she didn’t want to say anything else, so she just nodded and went into her room.

After watching Xu Qingsui close her door, Shen Yan glanced one more time toward the stairwell before returning to his own room.

After the sound of two doors closing, Liang Xiaoxiao finally emerged from the stairwell, with two streams of tears running down her cheeks.

She had a rare chance to wash up and slept comfortably through the night.

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room. Xu Qingsui stretched languidly, reluctant to crawl out from under the covers.

But there was one definite drawback to living on the first floor: the chattering voices of people passing by outside were crystal clear.

Unable to fall back asleep with all the noise, Xu Qingsui got up and quickly washed her face.

Just as she opened her door and stepped out, the door to the next room opened as well.

"You’re awake this early? I thought you’d sleep in!"

"That was the plan, but I’m awake now and can’t get back to sleep."

"Well then, let me take you to breakfast. After we eat, I’ll show you around the place."

As if on cue, Xu Qingsui’s stomach let out a loud RUMBLE.

She wasn’t embarrassed at all, stating frankly, "Sounds good! I’m starving, actually."

Shen Yan glanced at Xu Qingsui’s stomach, then back at her face, and couldn’t help but laugh.

He had initially valued Xu Qingsui for her ability to soothe him, but after spending some time with her, he was discovering that she was also very interesting.

She had qualities that many other women either lacked or dared not express, which he found fascinating.

"Let’s go! Come see how the food is in our lab."

"Shen Yan, let’s go eat together!" Just as the two were about to leave, Liang Xiaoxiao came rushing out from the stairwell again.

She wedged herself right between them, physically separating the two.

To top it off, she deliberately linked her arm with Shen Yan’s and shot Xu Qingsui a triumphant look.

Xu Qingsui was speechless. She simply turned her head and looked away.

’Don’t stoop to a child’s level,’ she chanted to herself.

Shen Yan frowned slightly and tried to pull his arm free, but the more he struggled, the tighter Liang Xiaoxiao clung.