The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 41

The moment the door opened, the clamor of the video game immediately filled their ears.

“Yay!” exclaimed Big Orange in a cheer. The small character on the left side of the screen sent the character on the right flying.

“You and Little Yu are playing games?” Yao Yuan leaned out from Starry Sky’s embrace, only to be met with a roll of the eyes.

“That’s right, that’s right. Unlike you lovebirds, I have to take responsibility for helping her find her parents.”

“You found Little Yu’s parents?!”

“Of course not! Can’t you detect sarcasm?” Big Orange moved his gaze away from the screen and clicked the game off. “We just finished resting. We finally confirmed one thing these past two days: this girl’s social connections have been completely erased.”

Yao Yuan secretly glanced at Little Yu, who was holding the game controller. She indeed looked quite lost.

“The person she was in the past is now a non-existent person. Anyway, we’ll just keep her with us for now,” Big Orange scratched his head. “Life has to go on. I found a new job.”

“Good luck!”

“Good luck for what?” Big Orange looked at Yao Yuan indignantly. “I said I found a new job for all of us!”

“Ah.” Yao Yuan, who had just clenched her small fists in encouragement, froze.

“Ah what? Didn’t you say you wanted to form a ghost-busting video group?” He looked a little distraught. “If you dare say you forgot, I’m leaving right now!”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten!” she quickly swore. “Tell me, what kind of job did you find?”

“It’s simple. Have you heard of a reality show?” Big Orange held up his index finger, thought for a moment, and picked up his phone to show a screenshot.

[Seeking Experience Specialists] Just looking at the title, it screamed 100% scam. Yao Yuan patiently read on.

[Requirements: Age between 18 and 29, gender neutral, presentable appearance for the camera. 20 people will be selected from the audition to participate in the subsequent activities. Those who pass will receive a 5,000 yuan bonus each.]

“What is this? It looks so fake. They’ll definitely ask for a deposit, right?” She looked speechlessly at Big Orange, who poked the watermark in the bottom right corner with his finger.

[Mr. Money-Sprinkler, A]

“This is… that name sounds familiar.”

“This Mr. Money-Sprinkler is the famous person on Ju Bo Net! He originally became famous for filming wilderness expeditions, and now he occasionally holds giveaways to maintain his popularity,” Big Orange kindly reminded her. “The credibility is very high. He shouldn’t be scamming people for a few tens of thousands of yuan. The audition is this Saturday. Shall we give it a try?”

“But they’re only selecting 20 people. We don’t have much of an advantage, do we?” Yao Yuan was still hesitant. She was in a hurry to practice her magic.

“It’s mainly because of this girl. Her physical ability and mind are both excellent,” he said, pointing at Little Yu with a grin. “If it’s a variety show or a wilderness survival activity, she’ll probably make it.”

“Little Yu might not be willing, though?”

“I am willing.” The blonde raised her head, her self-esteem still shining. “How can I, a lodger here, not even pay rent?”

“You don’t need to worry about that…”

The weight of Starry Sky suddenly pressed down on Yao Yuan’s head. The Devil’s hand held her head down. “Little Yu is right. Since we are so close, let’s just charge 5,000 a month for rent.”

“Starry Sky, we are all friends. That’s too much,” Yao Yuan could only weakly protest. The house wasn’t hers, but it felt terrible to drive a good, homeless person out.

“Friends? She’s not worthy.” A flicker of disgust passed through the Devil’s eyes, quickly suppressed. “Money is just a small price for disturbing our couple time.”

“What about me?” Big Orange pointed to himself.

“You too,” Starry Sky said without hesitation. “However, your rent can be replaced with labor.” The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense. The Devil was clearly trying to sow discord.

Sensing the possibility of a rift, Yao Yuan quickly made a decision. “How about this: the first month is free, and we focus on getting this job done first!”

She persuaded the Devil first, then Big Orange. “Think about it, the audition only takes one day, and we can get 5,000. Let’s try it first, and then we’ll think about what comes next.”

“Fine.”

“I have no objection.”

With both the Devil and her companion agreeing, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Time flew by, and it was Friday. Tomorrow was the audition.

Yao Yuan deliberately climbed into bed at 7 PM and set her alarm for 6 AM to avoid being late. She emptied her mind and quickly fell asleep, enjoying the tides in her dream.

The sound of the tide surrounded her 360 degrees, exceptionally real.

“It’s so real, just like the real thing…” Her eyelids fluttered. No, people usually don’t realize they’re dreaming in a dream, do they? Could it be a lucid dream?

She nervously turned her body. Plop! Her palm seemed to hit something wet and sticky…

She opened her eyes. Stars twinkled in the sky.

She looked down. Her hand was grasping a large clump of seaweed.

“…” Yao Yuan stiffly turned her head. The Devil was standing not far away, playing with a seashell.

“It really is a dream,” she peacefully closed her eyes and fell backward onto the sand. Clang! Her head hit a rock.

“A-a-a-ah, it hurts! Starry Sky!! Why did you modify my dream? Didn’t I tell you to stay away from my dreams, woo-woo-woo.”

“Don’t worry, this is neither a dream nor an illusion. Do you like the beach?” Starry Sky appeared behind her. The bump on her head subsided under the Devil’s caress.

“That’s even worse…” Yao Yuan grumbled as she climbed up, brushing the sand off her body. “Why did you bring me to the beach? Don’t we have an audition tomorrow?”

Moonlight pierced through her dark hair. Starry Sky lifted her up horizontally. “I thought you liked the seaside very much.”

“Don’t be unnecessarily romantic! I just want to sleep at home right now.” The sea breeze was comfortable, and the night sky was beautiful, but her sheets and quilt were more appealing.

A gust of wind blew past. Starry Sky gently squeezed her right hand and spread her palm open. “Come on, try casting a spell.”

“You’ve only taught me for three days. Is that really enough?” Yao Yuan asked doubtfully. “Didn’t you say that because the concentration of mana in the air is too low, it’s very difficult to cast spells even with a connected circuit?”

Accompanied by the sound of the wind, points of magic began to integrate into the contact surface of her palm and fingers, and the surging magic drove the dry circuit like flowing water.

[It’s the wind.]

The elements in her world were mixed, defying categorization, and were closer to chaos. But the element transmitted from Starry Sky’s fingertip was indeed the agile wind.

No incantation or ritual was needed; the pure wind vibrated in the world.

Yao Yuan squinted, feeling the wind. Then, her whole body was enveloped by the wind. It felt so comfortable—her eyes suddenly widened. Wasn’t Starry Sky holding me? Why was the Devil standing by the sea, waving?

“A-a-a-ah, Starry Sky, you’ll pay for this!!” Thrown into the air, she flailed wildly. The wind elements beneath her feet and around her waist quickly dissipated. In a few breaths at most, she would become a drowned dog.

Just as she was about to touch the water, Starry Sky caught her and brought her back to the shore. Yao Yuan tugged at the Devil’s sleeve, wanting to have a serious talk, but was buried by an overwhelming wave of sleepiness and passed out from exhaustion.

Ring, ring, ring… The alarm dutifully went off at six o’clock. Yao Yuan, with a splitting headache, pressed the button on her phone.

“Hiss…” She rubbed her forehead and looked at the pillow beside her. Starry Sky’s side was empty; she was probably making breakfast in the kitchen. Yao Yuan reached out and touched the slightly depressed spot, and sure enough, there was no warmth at all.

What am I doing? She retracted her hand as if shocked, touching her hair to cover her embarrassment. Shala shala, a faint clinking sound came from her wrist.

She looked up. A string of pink seashell bracelets had been placed on her left wrist at some point.

Yao Yuan got out of the taxi and immediately covered her ears: the music was deafening.

She looked closely: there were speakers everywhere, creating an artificial surround sound. And the speakers weren’t the most exaggerated part; the most exaggerated thing was the… super-giant swimming pool created after renovating the suburban open space!

“What kind of ridiculous variety show is this?” Yao Yuan pointed speechlessly at the area surrounded by colored flags not far away: the giant swimming pool water shimmered, and entertainment equipment was set up on the water. Roller wheels, suspension bridges, and climbing belts were just the initial obstacles. The equipment in the second half seemed not meant for creatures without wings.

“Heh-heh-heh, I knew it.” Big Orange chuckled, showing his teeth. “Mr. Money-Sprinkler is not an idiot. He needs a show every time he sprinkles money. He loves to organize similar activities.”

“Activities similar to an imitation of Boys and Girls Rush Forward?”

“No. Although the format is inspired by it, the core of his activities is to invest a large sum of money and induce inexperienced people to get on camera,” Big Orange proudly explained. “Foreign internet celebrities were the first to play this game. They started by filming reactions after giving strangers small amounts of money and then progressed to spending big money to hold large-scale events. They’ve been very successful.”

The rules were posted at the entrance. Men and women were welcome. As long as they met the previously stated application requirements, they could sign up at the service desk at any time and queue up for the challenge: everyone only got one chance; falling into the water meant elimination. The entire process was broadcast live on a specific platform. Every penny the organizer spent turned into traffic, which was quite smart.

To Yao Yuan’s surprise, the queue entrance was completely clear. It seemed that most people were discouraged by such a difficult variety show: if you weren’t a professional, you’d just end up drinking water.

The person currently challenging the course looked like a well-proportioned young man, clearly an athlete. The jungle of ropes failed to restrict his determined progress. Now, he faced two paths: one was a long route starting with rock climbing, and the other was a water balance beam with a shorter subsequent path.

The youth thought for a moment and stepped onto the balance beam. One step, two steps… Splat! Ker-splash! Water blossomed on the surface. The surrounding people couldn’t help but sigh in regret. Another contestant with potential was eliminated.

“I’m not going. If I go, I’ll definitely have to cheat…” Yao Yuan looked at the entire course and immediately backed out. She was not good at sports.

“Magic is not cheating,” Starry Sky objected. “It is part of your ability, just like the physical strength of other humans.”

“But I can’t control the magic myself,” she whispered, standing on her tiptoes. “Please, don’t make me rely on you for this, okay?”

Pat, pat, pat, someone wearing sneakers quickly approached.

The person made no attempt to hide their presence. Yao Yuan easily noticed the cold gaze. She hugged Starry Sky’s shoulder and looked up. The person walking towards them was—”What a coincidence.” Chu Yan, wearing exquisite makeup, stopped two steps away. “It must feel really good to show off by borrowing the Devil’s power, right?”

Yao Yuan clenched her hands. “Starry Sky, ignore her.”

The Devil playfully scratched her nose. “Fine.” The Devil didn’t even turn her head.

As long as Starry Sky didn’t interact with the other woman, Yao Yuan felt much better. She deliberately changed her posture from hooking her arm over the shoulder to hugging the Devil’s waist. “Do you need me to introduce you to a psychiatrist?”

“You’re here to participate, too, aren’t you?” Chu Yan’s acting skills were decent, too. “Cheating or forfeiting?”

“What do you mean?” Yao Yuan frowned. This girl was boxing her in.

“I don’t mean anything.” She raised her thumb and turned it downward. “Please enjoy my heroic performance. Of course—you wouldn’t be so despicable as to let the Devil interfere with the outcome, would you?”