A new day. Noah got out of bed and pulled out his camera.
"Strange."
Staring at the video of Jinhsi dancing recorded in the camera, Noah scratched his head, completely puzzled.
"The camera has been in my hands the whole time. Even when not in use, I put it in my bag. So why is there suddenly an extra video of Jinhsi dancing out of nowhere?"
"It feels like... I skipped a segment of my life?"
Something's wrong—and it's a big problem.
Noah directly used his terminal to contact the person involved in the dance, Jinhsi.
"Xi Xi—"
"I'm telling you something—don't be scared, okay."
...
"I'm telling you something—don't be scared, okay."
"No problem, no problem. I'm a professional artist. No matter what the client says, I won't get angry."
In the room, hearing Zhezhi's assurance, the client organized their thoughts.
"I have a new idea again, so—I want to revise the painting one more time!"
"Ah... r-right now?"
Zhezhi glanced down at her task list; there weren't many orders on it.
In that case, it should be fine.
"Um, do you have a new requirement sheet written?"
"No."
"Then... the deadline..."
"Still today."
"But changes to requirements usually need to be requested a week in advance..." Her voice grew weaker and weaker. Zhezhi twisted her fingers, ultimately bad at refusing, and finally raised her brush.
"...Go ahead! How do you want to change it?"
"Very simple."
The client flicked their hair and began talking nonstop.
"This painting depicts my childhood village. I want it to feel more lively."
"Ah... more lively— what do you mean by that?"
"I don't know. You paint first. Once you're done, I'll know what I don't want."
It didn't take long for a new village scene to be completed smoothly.
"It's not the scene. The characters need to be more lively."
Another new village painting was completed.
"No, make it more exaggerated."
Paint again.
"It needs a sense of daily life! Chaos with chickens flying and dogs jumping, people helping each other."
"Can you be a bit more specific?"
"There should be smoke rising from chimneys, people chatting while taking in laundry by the roadside, adults chasing mischievous kids... It looks chaotic but is actually warm and cozy."
Listening to the client's chaotic demands, Zhezhi gripped her brush, regret gradually filling her eyes. These clients... are really... living hell!
===✧✦✧===
On the other side, in Jinzhou's City Hall.
"Sorry, honored guest."
Sanhua shook her head.
"The Magistrate is not here, and I don't know where she went."
"This Jinhsi is definitely hiding something from me."
Noah's brows furrowed slightly.
From the moment he called Jinhsi, he noticed her stammering and speaking vaguely. After just a couple of sentences, she made an excuse to hang up.
This guilty behavior let Noah immediately solve the case and identify the real culprit behind the camera incident.
He decided to go arrest Jinhsi in person, only to be told by Sanhua that Jinhsi wasn't in City Hall.
Thoughts racing, a plan suddenly came to mind—
"Sanhua, help me pass a message to your Magistrate. Tell her to come find me herself when she has time."
Noah smiled faintly.
"Just say: She wouldn't want her dance practice video to spread all over Jinzhou, right?"
"Understood. I will relay it for you."
After watching Noah leave, Sanhua walked back into City Hall, approached a hidden room, and knocked three times lightly.
The door opened, revealing a pair of wary eyes. After confirming no one else was around, Jinhsi finally stepped out.
"Ahem, Sanhua—is Noah gone?"
"Yes, he's gone."
Hearing Sanhua's words, Jinhsi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She never expected that, although she successfully rewound Noah's time yesterday, she carelessly left crucial evidence in his camera.
If Noah discovered she had rewound his time and pressed her for her motives, would she have to admit out loud the embarrassing fact that her confession failed?
No way! Just thinking about it was too humiliating.
With no way to break the impasse in the short term, Jinhsi could only avoid him while slowly thinking of how to explain to Noah.
After returning yesterday, she replayed the events for a long time—the more she thought, the more she regretted.
A confession should be pushing the boat along the current when both sides are willing, not a hasty and blind attempt to force things. She had been too impulsive.
Moreover, she absolutely shouldn't have rewound Noah's time out of embarrassment from rejection—that was undoubtedly a bad move.
Although the confession failed, the ice between her and Noah had already been broken.
When a girl chases a guy, there's only a thin veil in between. As long as she persistently built Noah's favorability from now on, took the initiative, capturing Noah would happen sooner or later.
"Magistrate, you wouldn't want your dance practice video to spread all over Jinzhou, right?"
"Ah?!"
The sudden words stunned Jinhsi. She looked at Sanhua, who cleared her throat.
"This is the message the honored guest asked me to pass to you—come find him when you have time."
It's over.
That was Jinhsi's first thought.
Now she had personally handed the initiative to Noah—along with her weakness.
"Sanhua!"
Jinhsi suddenly called out an order, her voice full of resentment.
"Prepare a large portion of ice cream and send it to my respected teacher Changli. Make sure you watch her finish it."
(Changli doesn't like ice cream because her palms are very hot; the ice cream melts quickly, forcing her to eat fast, which causes brain freeze.)
"Um... Magistrate, Counselor Changli said this morning she had to visit a friend out of town and has already left Jinzhou."
"Damn it." Jinhsi clenched her pink fist and gritted her teeth.
Was this part of your calculations too, Teacher?
===✧✦✧===
On the other side.
"There should be a pond here."
"There should be a house there."
"No, it's drawn too big—make it smaller."
"That tree a bit to the left, then a bit lower. More people, wider road, more beautiful scenery."
After a round of revisions that exhausted Zhezhi, the final piece was completed and handed to the client.
"It's done. What do you think?"
The client examined the painting carefully, brows furrowing then relaxing, raising a finger as if suddenly enlightened.
"The original first version is still the best!"
"Ah..." Zhezhi started to speak but stopped. Then the client's brows furrowed again.
"If you can't change it back, I'll find another artist."
"Wait! I can change it!"
After more hard work, the client finally left satisfied with the painting, leaving behind forty-two Shell Credits.
As they left, the client casually closed the door.
Zhezhi slumped over the desk, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, put away the Shell Credits, and let out a long breath.
"No matter what, I've earned three days' worth of pot helmet meals."
A buzzing sound rang out—it was a call on the terminal.
Zhezhi picked up the terminal; no caller name was displayed.
A call from a stranger... probably a wrong number... better not answer.
Thinking this, Zhezhi let the terminal ring for a long time until it hung up automatically.
At the same time, a text message was received on the terminal.
[Unknown Number: Open the door. I'm outside.]
Zhezhi: !!!
Who understands the lethality of these six words to a top-tier social phobe?
Knock knock knock. The door was knocked on, and a voice came from outside.
"Zhezhi, open the door. I know you're home."
Outside the door, Noah waited a while before the door finally opened a crack. Behind it was a pair of timid, rabbit-like eyes.
"H-Hello..."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"You don't answer calls, don't reply to texts, and now you want to keep me outside? Hm? Great artist."
"N-No no no, please come in."
Zhezhi invited Noah into her simple room, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it over with both hands.
"Let's get straight to the point. I'm here to commission you. What's your daily rate?"
Noah took the tea, blew on the steam, and saw Zhezhi weakly hold up one finger across from him.
"One..."
"One thousand? Pretty cheap."
Noah sipped the tea and nodded slightly.
"One hundred."
"Pfft!"
Noah spat out a mouthful of tea, stood up from his seat, anger on his face.
"One million? That's highway robbery?"
"No..." Zhezhi shrank her neck. "No 'thousand'..."
No thousand—that means one hundred?
"...I admit I spoke a bit loudly earlier."
Noah sat back down, sipped the tea again, and praised.
"Yo, what kind of tea is this? It's actually sweet—much better than the tea in City Hall."
"I added white sugar to it."
"...Classy!"
Thumbs up. Noah lowered his head, his body shaking continuously, face turning red from holding it in.
"Hero of Jinzhou... are you okay?"
The concerned words made Noah unable to hold it any longer. He slapped his thigh and burst out laughing.
"Pfft hahahaha Zhezhi, you're a genius! Add some milk and it's milk tea!"
Activating his time ability, he gathered the spat-out sugary tea from the floor, reforming it in mid-air and pouring it back into the cup.
A sudden flash of inspiration hit Noah's mind.
He seemed to... suddenly guess what Jinhsi had done to him.
===✧✦✧===