37: Chapter 37 Authenticity

"It's so magical..." Ye Qingqing murmured.

"Come out." With a shift of her consciousness, Ye Qingqing summoned Ah Huang from the space, and he reappeared in the room.

A flash of confusion flickered in Ah Huang's eyes. Though he didn't bark or make a fuss, he was actually panicking inside.

He had seen Ye Qingqing in the space just now. Even though it was only for a few minutes, it made Ah Huang realize that the place he was just in was the same one Ye Qingqing had taken him to before.

Because the scent there was the same, and Ah Huang recognized it.

"Great... This is great..." Ye Qingqing murmured to herself. This meant that whenever she went out in the future, she could just put Ah Huang into the space.

She never expected that the space would have such a benefit after upgrading.

For a moment, Ye Qingqing felt eager for the space's future upgrades, as she had discovered another change after this one.

That was, outside the Three-bedroom apartment, there was now a perimeter of open land.

And at the edge of that open land, Ye Qingqing also noticed a hazy, undulating silhouette.

From a distance, it looked like... mountain ranges...

When the word "mountains" came to her mind, Ye Qingqing startled herself.

She never knew where this space came from; all she knew was that her mother had left it to her, calling it a family heirloom.

But why was there such a vast world inside? If it were just a lifeless storage space, Ye Qingqing felt she could still wrap her head around it.

But now, even Ah Huang could enter, the space could continue to upgrade, and there were even mountains at the edge of the clearing.

This left Ye Qingqing a bit dazed, and she couldn't help but wonder if the cultivation worlds in novels were actually real.

In the past, Ye Qingqing had dismissed novels, thinking they were just for entertainment and shouldn't be taken seriously.

But after experiencing so much, Ye Qingqing had to start questioning the authenticity of those stories—the Post-Apocalyptic World, cultivation... even... other worlds...

Though it all sounded like fantasy, Ye Qingqing truly believed it now.

Because those 'Things' she encountered yesterday—weren't they just like the zombies from movies and novels?

Experiencing it firsthand was different from reading or watching it; even now, Ye Qingqing felt like the foul stench from the zombies' mouths still lingered at the tip of her nose.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three heavy knocks came from the door.

Ye Qingqing paused for a moment, then realized it was Huo Sixian.

She looked around the living room, and after confirming there was nothing suspicious, she opened the door with Ah Huang.

"Good morning. Have you eaten?"

Today, Huo Sixian was wearing camouflage cargo pants paired with a gray tank top.

Hard muscle lines bulged from his arms.

Because the tank top was tight, Huo Sixian's eight-pack abs and serratus muscles were faintly visible beneath the fabric.

Ye Qingqing unconsciously swallowed hard. "N-no..."

Hearing this, a smile tugged at the corner of Huo Sixian's mouth. "That's perfect then. Go freshen up, and let's eat together."

Huo Sixian turned to leave but then thought of something and looked back at Ye Qingqing. "Remember to wear something suitable for exercise. Oh, and make sure to give Ah Huang plenty to eat."

At this moment, Ye Qingqing's head was still in the clouds as she replied to Huo Sixian.

Because right now, she had no idea what was about to happen, or even what would happen to Ah Huang.

When Ye Qingqing arrived at unit 321, she knocked on the door with a nervous heart.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Kong Ziyi opened the door. As soon as Ye Qingqing stepped inside, she saw a living room full of fitness equipment—a complete home gym.

Huo Sixian, holding a steaming bowl of freshly cooked noodles, called out to Ye Qingqing, "You're here. Come and eat."

Ye Qingqing didn't act coy. Actually, while she was still at home, she had taken some food from the space to have a small snack.

Mainly, she was afraid of eating too much and consuming others' survival supplies. Food was already hard to find, not to mention how long they might have to last.

So, Ye Qingqing felt a bit embarrassed about eating someone else's food for free.

"Didn't we say I would do the cooking?" Ye Qingqing looked at the steaming noodles and couldn't help but ask.

Huo Sixian didn't mind. "It's fine. It's just a meal."

But the others nearby caught a different meaning and even started secretly exchanging looks.

Kong Ziyi: He's clearly just worried she won't have enough to eat, but he's acting so stubborn.

Lu Huan caught Kong Ziyi's look and rolled his eyes at him: What do you know? You think everyone is as flashy as you!

Kong Ziyi: !!! Hey!! How am I flashy!!!

Meng Hangfei and Lu Huan ignored Kong Ziyi and focused on their food.

No joke, these were noodles cooked by Huo Sixian. After today, who knew if they'd get them again tomorrow!

They had been eating Kong Ziyi's cooking all this time, and their taste buds were practically dying of boredom.

Now that they finally had a chance to improve their diet and eat something different, how could they not be enthusiastic?

Although it was just a bowl of noodles, for some reason, the ones Huo Sixian made were different from Kong Ziyi's—they were much more delicious!

Ye Qingqing was also surprised by the first bite. She looked up, her eyes sparkling with delight. "These noodles are amazing!"

Lu Huan slurped up a mouthful of noodles and immediately chimed in, "Of course! These were made by our Boss; they're one of a kind!"

Huo Sixian held his bowl with an expressionless face, but he was secretly overjoyed. He had been praised by Ye Qingqing!

If Huo Sixian had a tail right now, it would definitely be wagging like crazy where no one could see.

Ye Qingqing suddenly felt that her own cooking skills were a bit lackluster.

"Um, my cooking might not be as good as yours, Brother Yan..."

"It doesn't matter. I just made this for fun."

Huo Sixian said this nonchalantly, but the others nearby widened their eyes. Was this still the Huo Sixian they knew?

This unintentional display of "casual" skill—what was going on here?

Ye Qingqing didn't feel much after hearing that. Regardless, she just wanted to learn Fighting techniques.

As for the rest, she could cook well enough. As long as they didn't mind, she would shamelessly stick with them!

After finishing the meal, Ye Qingqing offered to clear the table and wash the dishes, but Lu Huan, being very perceptive, stepped in.

"I'll do it! I'll do it! You're the guest! It's my turn to wash the dishes today anyway!"