Just as we stepped out of Mifeng Street, Xiao Lei, walking with her hands behind her head, suddenly spoke up.

“Commander, can’t we take Qianxia out to play too? We could disguise her or something—make it so no one recognizes her, right?”

Ah… she’s still thinking about the little girl stuck at home. That’s sweet—shows she’s got a kind heart. But realistically, it just wasn’t possible.

“I told you already, didn’t I? Her dad’s a young master in the underworld. If sneaking her out was really that easy, don’t you think she would’ve done it already?”

Now that I think about it… doesn't that make me kind of a target too? What if a rival gang tries to use me to threaten Brother Zhu? Would he even care enough about me to negotiate?

As I mulled this over, my phone buzzed with a message from senior while we were walking along the riverside road. He had work again today—seriously, what a hard worker.

【I’ve arrived in the “changing room”! Help me contact Xiao Lei for the transformation!】

“Xiao Lei, hang on a sec. Let me help senior with his transformation—ah, pen, pen, where’s the pen—found it!”

If only this notebook had a few more smart features… Like, couldn’t it just give him permission to transform himself? That’d save me the trouble.

It’s been months already! Doesn’t this so-called divine artifact come with firmware updates? How about a system patch or something?

We reached the Tianping Commercial District around 9:50 AM. Not only were we not late—we were ten minutes early.

I gave Rinka a call. “Hey, we’re here at Tianping Commercial District. Where are you guys?”

She sounded downright giddy when she heard my voice. “Oooh! Kai-chan, you really came as a girl! That’s awesome!”

“Well, I’ve still got mobility issues, and I caught a nasty cold.”

“Uwah, seriously? That bad? Where exactly are you? I’ll come get you.”

“We’re, uh…”

Six or seven minutes later, Rinka came gliding down the escalator. Maybe because this was a semi-formal family meetup, she was fully made up today.

Eyeshadow, glossy lip tint—everything was on point. Her lips shimmered invitingly. She even wore a dark brown knit hat tilted just so, and a light green trench coat that fluttered as she moved. She looked like a full-on fashion model—way more mature than her age would suggest.

…Well, except in the chest department.

She had always leaned into a cutesy girlish style before, so this sudden fashionista vibe was probably thanks to her aunt.

Xiao Lei and I both stopped in our tracks, momentarily stunned. We stared at her as she walked up, until the faint scent of her perfume tickled our noses and snapped us out of it.

Rinka grinned. “What’s the matter? I look so good you two are speechless? I knew it—you two don’t wear makeup, do you? Come with me!”

Before we could say anything, she grabbed our hands and dragged us into the women’s restroom—to give us makeovers.

Sure enough, she fished a makeup kit out of her handbag. Xiao Lei blinked, confused. “Huh? Why do we need makeup?”

“Makeup is a woman’s etiquette,” Rinka declared. “Showing up barefaced to some places can be pretty disrespectful, you know.”

“But I already look good without makeup—”

“—Kai-chan, shut up!”

She cut me off mid-sentence. I mean, with natural good looks like mine, do I really need makeup?

Rinka began working on Xiao Lei’s face. Watching her dab and brush and blend felt a lot like watching someone paint—layers upon layers of powder, cream, gel, and color.

“Xiao Lei, you’ve got that tomboyish vibe going on, huh? Bet you don’t usually wear makeup? That won’t do! You’re at the best age of your life. You’ve gotta cherish your youth—especially with such a cute face.”

That kind of flattery hit home. Xiao Lei beamed and said, “Then please teach me how to do makeup, Sis Rinka!”

“Of course! I’m great at it. I’ll teach you properly another day!”

No way. Makeup is a whole complex ritual. With Xiao Lei’s pea brain? There’s no chance she’d ever master it. Even Lei Meow Meow and Sis Xi failed miserably in makeup class.

Rinka finished with a light touch—a simple look, but it gave Xiao Lei’s features more definition and made her look even cuter.

“If we put makeup on Zhao Zhao, would it have the same effect?”

I threw out the idea half-jokingly. Rinka looked at me like I’d just sprouted another head.

“I’m a makeup artist, okay? Please don’t insult me or my profession. The kind of twisted thinking that would waste my precious products on that... just keep it to yourself.”

Come on, SFX makeup artists that turn people into creatures are still makeup artists!

“Pfft~”

Even though we were talking about Zhao Zhao, Xiao Lei giggled too. With makeup on, her smile looked even more charming.

Then it was my turn.

“Kai-chan, you know the prettier the raw gem, the harder it is to refine. Giving you a makeover really puts my skills to the test.”

That’s just her roundabout way of praising herself.

“Lip gloss isn’t toxic, right? We’re gonna eat later. Can I skip it?”

“It’s not toxic—and it’s peach flavored! Wanna taste?”

Sure, if lip gloss were toxic, people would be dropping dead, but I still didn’t want that stuff smeared on my lips.

“I’ll pass on the lip gloss…”

“No can do! We’re at the final step! I can’t stop now!”

Blushing furiously, I pleaded, “But people keep staring! Can we please go?”

This was a department store bathroom. Of course lots of women were coming and going. And we were hogging the sink near the entrance. Naturally, every woman who came in glanced at me like I was some kind of rare panda on display.

“That’s just what happens when you’re pretty. Kai-chan, have you ever thought about ditching those ugly glasses you wear normally?”

“Then I can’t go to school anymore!”

“You could enroll at the girls’ campus and be in my class. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

She brought that up again. Xiao Lei’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me, clearly awaiting my answer.

I cleared my throat. “Ahem, I told you before—let’s settle the matter with Sis Fei first. Then we can talk about this.”

“Fine, fine. Then let’s talk about today’s plan.”

Though she came down the escalator, she brought us back up using the scenic glass elevator. Since it was empty, she took the chance to brief us.

“Once we’re inside the restaurant, I’ll meet up with Sis Fei, my aunt, and little cousin. You two should find seats nearby. If Fei heads to the restroom, that’s your cue, Xiao Lei. Go with her and undo the transformation. Her change of clothes will be with you, so make sure you pass them to her.”

So basically, I was just tagging along for moral support?

I asked, “Does your aunt know everything about today?”

“Of course. Only my little cousin’s in the dark.”

“No problem!” Xiao Lei nodded. Then she asked, “By the way, what are we eating?”

“Don’t worry. To keep things simple, we picked a buffet today. I’ll cover the entrance fee. You two just eat to your hearts’ content.”

The elevator kept climbing. In my memory, the shopping mall portion of this building only went up to the seventh floor. Anything higher should be office space.

“We passed the mall floors… don’t tell me we’re going to the top?”

“Exactly. There’s an open-air buffet on the rooftop. You can see the entire Tianping District from up there. It’s really nice.”

An open-air rooftop buffet? That sounds expensive.

“I-it must be… really fancy, right?” My poverty reflex kicked in, and I started to stammer.

“Fancy? I don’t know. Lunch is only 498 yuan per person. Seems pretty normal to me.”

“Normal?! That’s insanely expensive!”

Almost 500 yuan per person—that has to be some high-end socialite gathering spot!

The elevator doors opened to reveal a plush red carpet. The grand hallway glowed with warm gold, rich and elegant—but not in a tacky nouveau-riche way.

“Huh? Kai-chan, what’s wrong? If you don’t come out, the elevator’s gonna go back down.” Rinka tilted her head at me. Xiao Lei held the door open.

“Sorry, Rinka… mind giving me a hand? This place has too much class. I’m frozen in place.”

It felt like I had invisible shackles on my ankles—or like someone filled my shoes with concrete.

Can you blame me? I’m just a kid from the city’s urban village, a bargain-hunting local nobody...

“You okay, Commander? Sure, it’s a bit pricey, but still within the realm of reason, right?”

Xiao Lei, fellow village commoner, didn’t seem fazed at all.

“Kai-chan, you’re fine. This is just a public-access buffet, nothing special. You fit in here better than either of us. If you keep your mouth shut, people would totally believe you’re some rich heiress. Way more convincing than me.”

“But your actions reflect your character. And I’m a bumpkin through and through—people will figure it out!”

Both of them flanked me, encouraging me.

“Exactly! You already ate that 158-yuan omurice last night. With 500 yuan, you’re getting way more value here than three of those!”

They each grabbed one of my arms and dragged me out of the elevator and down the lavish red carpet like a star on her way to the Cannes Film Festival.

At the end of the red carpet stood a set of ornate double doors. Through the stained-glass windows, I could make out a glimpse of the semi-open-air buffet beyond.

“Apologies, miss, but you can’t enter just yet.”

The hostess at the door held out a hand, stopping me.

“Ah! I—I’m sorry!”

My heart leapt into my throat. I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for.

…Wait, did she realize I didn’t belong here? Did I forget to pay?

“Oh, no—it’s just that we don’t open until 11 AM. Please wait in the lounge area for now.”

Ah… I see.

When I turned around, Xiao Lei and Rinka were already waving at me from the sofa.

Other guests waiting nearby were also looking at me.

They were probably laughing at how out of place I looked.

Now this is embarrassing.