Chapter 134: Sir, Which Me Looks Better?

The room was empty and silent, the light dim.

Clearly, the room was quite cramped.

Yet it was so quiet it felt vast and hollow.

Only faint sounds of breathing and barely perceptible heartbeats echoed continuously in the stillness.

The girl was sleeping soundly. She lay sprawled on the dark brown tabletop, her cheek pillowed on her arm, occasionally murmuring indistinct words in her sleep.

"Huu——"

A draft suddenly rushed into the room through the door Xu Xi had pushed open.

The wind was not strong.

It was like a gentle caress.

It rustled the pages of documents and swayed the strands of hair on the young woman's forehead.

Amidst the harmony of wind and paper, the young woman's face was revealed. It was a serene sleeping countenance, eyes gently closed, nose twitching slightly, like a night-blooming flower quietly unfurling.

"This is…"

"Did she fall asleep from exhaustion?"

Xu Xi stood at the doorway.

He first glanced at the sleeping Wu Yingxue, then looked at the multitude of official documents on the desk. It was easy to piece together what had happened.

For some inexplicable reason, Xu Xi felt like laughing.

Did this girl come to help, or did she come to find a new place to sleep?

"Let her sleep a little longer…"

The young woman's sleeping face was too peaceful, and Xu Xi was reluctant to disturb her.

He took a step back, planning to wait until she woke up before presenting the oily, plump, and delicious chicken drumstick, wanting the tired girl to sleep a bit more.

But the very next moment…

The soundly sleeping young woman woke up on her own.

"Sir?"

Wu Yingxue's consciousness wasn't fully clear. She raised her head groggily, rubbing her eyes several times with the back of her hand before she could clearly see Xu Xi standing at the doorway.

Her bleary eyes instantly brightened.

"Sir, you've finally returned!"

She exclaimed with delight.

Immediately after, realizing she had fallen asleep, Wu Yingxue's expression became quite awkward.

Her two index fingers poked at each other.

Her eyes dared not meet Xu Xi's gaze.

She claimed she had accidentally dozed off and that she wasn't usually this lazy.

Her cautious, careful demeanor amused Xu Xi. "It's fine. Sleep more if you're tired. There's nothing shameful about that."

Hearing Xu Xi's words, the young woman immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Her lively eyes looked at Xu Xi and noticed something else she had overlooked earlier due to nervousness.

"A chicken drumstick? Sir, why did you bring this?"

Xu Xi entered the room.

Under the girl's surprised gaze, he pushed the drumstick toward her. "The New Year has arrived. We should eat something good. I had some chickens slaughtered. This drumstick is for you."

"Wow~~~"

The young woman's eyes immediately curved into crescents like smiling moons.

Eating demon beast meat long-term…

…was a painful affair.

One had to endure not only the poor texture of the demon beast meat but also its sour, fishy taste.

Now, with a normal, oily chicken drumstick placed before her, the girl suddenly felt her little stomach rumbling uncontrollably.

"Sir, you should eat it."

After a reluctant glance at the drumstick…

…Wu Yingxue did not choose to eat it but instead pushed it back toward Xu Xi.

"What's wrong?" Xu Xi asked.

"Sir, you work harder than I do every day. You not only worry about food and shelter for so many people but also often work late into the night. I can't take this meat!"

Wu Yingxue's voice was firm as she shook her head at Xu Xi.

Xu Xi responded with a smile, "Don't worry. I've already eaten. Everyone else has rice porridge to drink. This is your portion."

"Sir, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"Of course not."

Xu Xi pointed to his own mouth.

Earlier, he had taken a bite of the chicken drumstick.

Although not much, he had indeed eaten some, so it wasn't a lie to the girl.

"Hehe, then I won't stand on ceremony!"

The girl was simple and trusted Xu Xi's words implicitly. She chuckled, reached out to take the oily drumstick, and immediately took a big bite with her teeth.

Her eating style was bold and unrestrained.

Her appearance was beautiful and lovely.

The combination of the two on Wu Yingxue created a strong sense of conflict and incongruity.

"Yingxue, this outfit of yours is…"

Xu Xi's gaze swept up and down, looking at the pale green long dress with great surprise.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"

Hearing Xu Xi's voice…

…the young woman began coughing violently. Belatedly, she remembered she had changed her clothes today, not wearing her usual red and white martial attire.

Subconsciously…

…her drumstick-eating motions became much gentler.

She took small bites, chewed slowly in her mouth, and only then swallowed.

Although the act of holding the drumstick in one hand to gnaw on it, her palm glistening with grease, still seemed rather outrageous, it was a significant improvement compared to before.

"It's really nothing… it's just, uh…"

"My previous clothes were a bit torn, so I changed before coming. After all, it's the New Year…"

The girl explained with an awkward smile.

"So that's how it is," Xu Xi said, looking over the newly attired Wu Yingxue from head to toe.

How to put it? It was somewhat beyond imagination.

In the past, the impression Wu Yingxue gave was that of a carefree, straightforward female Martial Artist, having nothing to do with the image of a refined young lady from a good family.

But today…

…looking at the young woman in a long dress…

…Xu Xi felt that this version of her was also very pleasing to the eye.

He gave a sincere evaluation: "Very beautiful."

The young woman's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, transforming into joy. "Really, Sir?"

"Mmm, really."

"Then… between the usual me and today's me, which [me] is better looking?"

Wu Yingxue asked.

She was curious about which version Xu Xi preferred in his heart: the usual carefree her or today's slightly more graceful her.

Under Wu Yingxue's gaze, Xu Xi pondered for a moment.

Finally, he shook his head.

"No, I can't decide. I think you look good in both."

Xu Xi's voice held a touch of emotion. He wasn't deliberately saying nice things; that was simply the truth.

Taking the two outfits separately…

…neither the red and white Martial Artist attire nor the simple pale green long dress could be considered stunning on their own.

It was the young woman's own outstanding qualities that made both outfits appear extraordinary.

In the end, Xu Xi said, "Sorry, I really can't choose."

"It's fine, it's fine! I was just asking casually. Sir, please don't mind it."

The young woman seemed even happier.

She giggled, biting into the drumstick, her pace quickening. Before long, she had gnawed the entire large drumstick clean.

The drumstick wasn't heavily seasoned.

Yet the aroma of the fat and the texture of the chicken…

…left the girl wanting more.

"Sir, this drumstick was really delicious," Wu Yingxue said, putting down the chicken bone, her lips shining with grease.

"Glad you liked it. There will be chances to eat more in the future," Xu Xi said, stepping forward. He used a damp cloth to help the girl wipe her face clean.

Then…

…he took hold of the girl's equally greasy hand.

He wiped it carefully, removing every bit of grease from between her fingers.

The chicken bone.

The girl with her mouth full of grease.

The cramped room.

Together, they formed a peaceful and heartwarming scene.

Afterwards, Xu Xi began handling official affairs. Although it was New Year's Eve, there wasn't much to do or play within the city. It was better to continue planning next year's "struggle for survival."

Along with planning for Cultivation Techniques after the Martial Arts Evolution.

"Sir, let me help you," said Wu Yingxue after finishing the drumstick. She did not leave but stayed in the room to help Xu Xi share the burden of the busy official work.