My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 50
After helping the women on the second floor move and unpack, Ren Chenxi headed up to the fourth floor to assist Tang Ying’s group with their beds before finally following Jian Dan and the others to the third floor. According to their initial plan, Ren Chenxi, Huo Keyu, and Jian Dan each took their own room, while Chang Ling and Song Xin shared one.
It wasn’t that Jian Dan’s relationship with the other two was lacking; rather, she had a very practical reason.
“One of them snores and the other talks in her sleep,” Jian Dan explained. “Putting them together so they can torment each other is the perfect solution.”
Standing in her own room, Ren Chenxi set down a bed and realized she had nothing else to put out. The room was hollow and desolate, with gray concrete walls meeting a gray concrete floor. Standing in such a somber, monochromatic space, she felt a sudden, chilly sense of oppression. Tantǎn, however, didn’t seem to mind. Having lived in the apocalypse for so long, the cat was well-adjusted to such environments and immediately curled up in her bed next to Ren Chenxi’s to resume her nap.
Ren Chenxi felt a pang of regret. Why hadn’t she taken more things when she left the hotel? Nightstands, tables, chairs, coffee tables—she could have taken them all. Instead, she had used most of them as projectiles to smash zombies. What a waste! She decided that when they went to the supermarket warehouse tomorrow, she should also stop by the hotel where Mu Ning had stayed. She needed to haul back as much furniture as possible to make this room feel cozy rather than like a cold prison cell.
As she was mentally sketching out a floor plan, Tang Ying wandered down from the fourth floor and gave two light knocks on her door.
“Sister Xi~”
“What’s up? Do you need help with something else?”
“No, no! We’re all set. We don’t have much besides our beds and nowhere to hang our clothes anyway… Well, actually, I came to ask if you want to ‘renovate’ your room.”
“Renovate? How?”
“Come on, come up to my room and see! If you like the style, I can do yours too.”
Intrigued by Tang Ying’s enthusiastic invitation, Ren Chenxi and Jian Dan’s trio headed up to the fourth floor. Even Wu Tong and Zhang Tongqi from the second floor tagged along to see the commotion.
Ren Chenxi had a hunch about what “renovating” meant given Tang Ying’s ability—it likely involved crystalizing the walls. Even so, when she stepped into Tang Ying’s room, she was momentarily stunned by the dreamlike pink glow.
“Wow! It’s beautiful!” Wu Tong let out a high-pitched squeal. “Rose quartz! This is stunning!” It made sense before the world ended, what young woman wouldn’t have dreamed of a shimmering, pink, fairytale bedroom?
Ren Chenxi turned to Tang Ying. “All the crystalized weapons you gave me were colorless and transparent.”
“Ahem… well…” Tang Ying explained sheepishly, “I figured those items were just going to be thrown at zombies and mutant beasts anyway. I didn’t think there was any point in making them pretty.”
“Actually, clear crystal looks quite good too,” Ren Chenxi countered seriously.
If it looks so good, why did you throw them with such reckless abandon? Tang Ying thought.
“Clear is nice, but I prefer color. This pink is just lovely,” Song Xin said, looking at the walls with a dazed, infatuated expression.
“Hey, Yingying, what other colors can you make? Do different colors cost more energy?” Jian Dan asked. She also found the crystal much better than the depressing gray concrete, but she wasn’t as obsessed with pink as the others. If possible, she wanted something darker for her own space.
“I can manifest any color found in natural quartz clear, yellow, red, purple, smoky brown… Ever since I reached Level 3, I have more color options and it doesn’t actually cost extra energy.”
As Tang Ying spoke, Zhang Tongqi and the others couldn’t help but run their hands along the walls. “The color is great, but the hardness is even better. It’s much tougher than the original concrete. This ‘renovation’ is actually incredible!”
Ren Chenxi surveyed the room, where even the ceiling and floor had been crystalized. “Your ability is very impressive. To crystalize an entire room like this, including the floor and ceiling, how much energy does it take?”
Tang Ying gave a stiff, nervous laugh. “Uh… for a whole room, it takes about a third of my total energy…” Oh god, she’s going to exploit me again, isn’t she? Suddenly, the memory of the previous night—where Ren Chenxi had her crystalizing items non-stop—flashed through her mind.
“Just those six surfaces take a third of your energy?” Ren Chenxi sounded slightly critical.
“Sister, I didn’t just coat the surface. I crystalized the wall to a depth of ten centimeters!” She definitely wants to exploit me!!!
“I see,” Ren Chenxi murmured, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
“Sister. why are you asking?” Tang Ying asked tremulously.
“Oh, nothing much. I just think you have such a great ability… why not start a renovation company in the base? You could specialize in ‘decorating’ the walls for the other villas in exchange for crystal nuclei.” Ren Chenxi proposed with a bright smile.
I knew it!
“However, for other people, you don’t need to make the crystal ten centimeters thick. Just a one-centimeter layer for the aesthetic is enough. At that rate, how about we charge 100 Level 1 nuclei per square meter?”
“That’s highway robbery!!!”
The girls cried out in unison at the price, except for Mu Ning, who had joined the group and was nodding in agreement. “I think it’s fair. After all, it’s a crystal wall.”
Elder sister, it’s the apocalypse. Crystals aren’t as rare as they used to be!
Despite the protests, Tang Ying actually began to consider the suggestion seriously. In terms of combat, her ability was relatively niche unless she was mass-producing “hidden weapons” for Ren Chenxi. But here at the Nanhai Base, maybe she could use her powers to earn a living. She certainly didn’t want to be like Li Jie or Dong Ting—capable ability users who chose to live like leeches.
However, if she were really going to do this…
“Sister Xi, isn’t 100 Level 1 nuclei per square meter a bit too steep?”
Seeing that Tang Ying was actually listening, Ren Chenxi raised an eyebrow. “Do you think the Level 3 lightning user’s electricity rates are cheap?”
“No!” This time, it wasn’t just Tang Ying; Wu Tong and Zhang Tongqi, who had been paying for power, shouted in unison.
“In the apocalypse, in a normal residential area, do you think electricity is a necessity?”
“Well… not necessarily?” Before the world ended, people felt they couldn’t survive without power, but in the current world, plenty of survivors in tin shacks and dormitories were getting by just fine. For most, power was a luxury.
“If electricity isn’t a necessity, and yet people are still lining up to be ripped off by that lightning user, why should you be any different?” Ren Chenxi turned to Wu Tong and the others. “Don’t worry, I’m not talking about you.”
“…” Wu Tong, Zhang Tongqi, and Sun Jia stared back blankly. They didn’t feel comforted at all. They were being ripped off. No, wait—it was the boys who were paying, so the boys were the suckers!
Tang Ying, who had never been scammed by the electricity guy, looked at Ren Chenxi with newfound excitement. “Sister Xi, I get it! You’re saying that while my crystal walls and his electricity aren’t ‘necessities,’ there will always be people willing to pay a premium for comfort and beauty. I just need to find those suckers, right?”
Ren Chenxi nodded with a smile. “Exactly. And you’re likely the only person in the base with this ability. You set the price. It’s not like you’re forcing them to buy; if they want it, they pay. If they don’t, they don’t.”
“Plus, your crystalized surfaces are incredibly durable harder than standard building materials,” Mu Ning added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the base management eventually hires you for official construction once your level increases.”
Bolstered by their encouragement, Tang Ying felt her ego inflating. She could already see herself becoming famous throughout the base. She envisioned herself sitting at home like Mu Ning or the lightning guy while a steady stream of business came to her. She would be the most stylish “Crystal Gal” in the base!
Well, she was getting a bit ahead of herself. For now, the most important thing was sleep. The women had spent the last two years getting used to all-nighters, which was the only reason they had managed to cook, move, and socialize without collapsing.
Once the excitement died down and the “renovation” had been sufficiently admired, everyone retreated to their own rooms.
Ren Chenxi took a long-awaited hot shower and returned to her sparse, cold room. She climbed into bed and pulled Tantǎn into her arms, quickly falling into a deep, peaceful slumber.
She slept more soundly than she had in a long time. Perhaps it was the security of the base, or perhaps it was the presence of her cat. When she finally woke up, satisfied, the sky outside had already darkened. When she pushed open her door, she found the other girls gathered in the empty hall, and they had good news.
“Sister Xi, Mu Ning stopped by earlier,” Jian Dan said, handing over a velvet pouch. “She said the base leader, Qi Sheng, agreed to buy your crystal nuclei generator. He even agreed to pay half the deposit upfront. Here are 50 Level 4 nuclei.”
Ren Chenxi froze as she looked at the pouch.
She reached out and took the familiar fabric into her hands. How could she not recognize it? She had sewn this pouch herself, stitch by stitch. It was red velvet, embroidered with a cute chibi character and two small hearts. She had given it to Mu Ning on Valentine’s Day, filled with chocolates.
Mu Ning had actually kept the bag? Ren Chenxi had assumed she had given the chocolates away to her friends the moment she turned her back.
**
Author’s Note:
Xixi: Sleeping while holding Tantǎn is so comfortable and secure~
Woody (Mu Ning): Sleeping while holding me is even more comfortable and secure~
Xixi: …
Speaking of roommates, I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but when I was in university, one of my roommates talked in her sleep and another ground her teeth. But!!! The loudest was the one who snored! It was so loud!
Also, the person in the bed next to mine slept with her head toward the ladder instead of the railing. Once, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and when I pulled back my bed curtain, I was face-to-face with a mass of long hair hanging down over the stairs.
To clarify, my dorm had stairs with storage underneath, not a vertical ladder.
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