As a younger brother suffering greatly at the hands of his elder sister, Liu Minghao was well-versed in the laws of sibling dynamics.
Therefore, he obediently washed his hands, took a well-behaved seat at the dining table, left his phone quietly to one side, and opened the meal Liu Mingxi had packed for him.
There was a lavish feast back at the Baili family, but considering that Liu Minghao had just had a tooth pulled the day before, they had specially instructed the butler to have the kitchen prepare light dishes—an egg custard packed in a high-end insulated container, steamed by the Baili family's master chef, which still released an appetizing aroma the moment it was opened.
There was also millet porridge in another high-end insulated container.
Liu Minghao was a picky little brat, as skinny as a rail—or so his parents often said. He refused to eat meat, refused to eat vegetables, and would dawdle over a single meal for an hour or two. Fortunately, he washed his own bowl and chopsticks.
Right now, however, he was eating with great gusto, his eyes practically glowing.
Seeing that he was having no trouble eating, Liu Mingxi returned to her bedroom. She pulled out the two cards from her pocket and tossed them into the desk drawer underneath, which was already stuffed with Liu Mingxi's cash, coins, and a scattered pile of cards—bookstore cards, supermarket cards, pharmacy cards—with only her ID card and bank card at the very bottom.
She was just that casual; she had never cared to organize these things. The pocket money she had saved since childhood was still in there, mixed with one-cent coins and paper bills, dominated entirely by chaos.
Her things were always strewn about haphazardly. Her mother nagged her about it every day, but Liu Mingxi never changed.
*Even if I tidy it up, it'll just get messy again, so I might as well leave it a mess,* Liu Mingxi would retort.
Forgive Liu Mingxi for being an artist. Back then, every time she painted with pigments, she would end up covered in black or a riot of colors, leaving drawing paper and brushes scattered everywhere, with several of them disappearing each time.
Now, though, she had broken that habit. Her sketchbooks and brushes were neatly arranged together, and she finally stopped losing them.
Of course, that was the only habit she had changed.
After putting away the cards, Liu Mingxi took the black notebook out of the middle drawer once more. She opened it to the first page, where the name "Liu Mingxi" was written.
She flipped to yesterday's entry, reminisced for a moment, and then wrote the date on the fresh page that followed: March 15, 2021.
"A huge thing happened today. People have been deceived; this world is not as simple as it seems. The fog from a hundred years ago was just a facade, and the real crisis unfolds across the country every single day.
"Monsters are real. They look terrifying, but they're actually quite easy to kill.
"How come I never noticed so many monsters hiding around me before? My little life could have been snuffed out at any moment.
"That captain, Wei Xiuming, said that the people guarding Daxia are called the Night Watchers. They face such dangerous monsters time and time again—I really admire them. The Night Watchers are amazing and very brave. I salute them! (Drew a little figure giving a salute.)
"He said my current tier is the 'Human Ceiling.' That's just what it sounds like—the ceiling of humanity's highest tier. The monster I took out was at the Klein tier. Oh, right, they call the monsters Mysteries, and they call my kind of superpower a Forbidden Ruins, or Divine Ruins. Though I'm certain I've never seen a god, Captain Wei also believes mine is a Forbidden Ruins.
"So I must be really powerful, right?! (Drew a little figure with hands on hips looking proud.)
"The chairman of the Baili Group actually invited me in person. My eyes were truly opened today. It turns out Captain Wei was right: being the Human Ceiling with humanity's highest strength really makes people envious.
"Also, as expected of the richest family, the Baili residence has a 'Forbidden Artifact Collection Hall.' There were so many things in there that it made my head spin. I picked out a lucky little red string.
"Baili Pangpang is super hilarious and a total chatterbox. How on earth did he become the young master and the heir to the Baili Group?!
"I'll write this much for now. Today I drew a wooden bow and arrow; in my panic, I had to make it so sloppy. Good thing I poured a lot of spiritual energy into it, otherwise how could I have killed a Klein-tier Mystery with a single arrow?"
At the end, she drew the wooden bow and arrow once more, only this time it was more complete and beautiful.
Having finished writing, Liu Mingxi admired it with satisfaction before closing the notebook and putting it back in the drawer. This time, she could see everything in the drawer at a glance: it was piled high with black notebooks, looking somewhat aged, while the one she had just taken out to write in still looked rather new. It seemed she had written a great deal in the past.
She had started keeping a diary ever since she began turning her drawings into reality. At first, she simply felt adults didn't understand her, so she vented in her diary. Later, she discovered that every drawing she turned into reality would turn blank afterward, so she changed her practice: every diary entry was written to commemorate her drawings.
Back then, the notebook she used for her diary was also black, taken from her eldest aunt's room. Of course, she had definitely asked her aunt's permission first.
It was a black-skinned notebook, and Liu Mingxi had grown used to it. When she finished that first one, she couldn't bear to part with it, so she simply kept buying that same style ever since.
"I don't know anything! I was with Number 4 the whole time! I'm a neutral egg!"
Liu Minghao's excited voice came from outside the door. It seemed he had finished eating and gone back to playing *Eggy Party*.
*He has awakened. Hunting time!*
With a dark expression, Liu Mingxi felt a murderous urge rising within her. Her face gloomy, she strode out to the living room and said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, you're done eating! Why is that still sitting there? Waiting for flies to come eat your leftovers?! Why aren't you washing it up already?! All you know how to do is play games! Your tooth hurts and you still won't rest more!"
Hearing his eldest sister's sarcastic tone, Liu Minghao shuddered in fright. He hastily dropped his phone—unaware that his character had just been eliminated—hurriedly cleared away the bowl and chopsticks, dumped the leftovers, and went to the sink to wash the dishes.
A few minutes later, Liu Minghao skillfully picked up a rag and wiped the dining table clean.
Seeing that he had finished his chores, Liu Mingxi finally left with a look of satisfaction and returned to her bedroom.
Before she had taken more than a few steps, a rhythmic knocking sounded at the front door. Having just put away the rag, Liu Minghao ran in panic to hide behind Liu Mingxi.
"Big sis!" Liu Minghao grabbed the hem of her shirt in fear.
Knocking on the door like that was truly terrifying. It instantly shattered the peaceful atmosphere, especially since the sound grew more and more frightening the longer it went on.
Besides, anyone they knew wouldn't knock on their door, because there was a doorbell on the left side of the entrance; pressing it would make a "ding-dong" sound in the living room.
The person outside seemed to quiet down. Not long after, a "ding-dong" chime rang out, accompanied by that person's voice.
"Hello? Is anyone home? I'm here to see Liu Mingxi!"
Judging by the voice, it was a middle-aged man.
Liu Mingxi told her younger brother to go back into the room and close the door properly, while she took her phone, turned on a call, and walked toward the front door.
Approaching the entrance with a cautious expression, Liu Mingxi opened the inner door directly. As for why—their front door had two panels: the inner one was a wooden door, while the outer one was a stainless steel security door stamped with the character for "Fortune," in classic Cantonese style.
The upper part of the stainless steel door was like a barred grille, allowing a clear view of the outside.
Thus, Liu Mingxi looked cautiously through the grille, locking eyes with the person outside.
"Who are you? I don't know you!"
The middle-aged man was also draped in the same dark red cloak worn by Captain Wei and the others. His gaze was deep and mature, carrying the aura of someone in a position of authority, much like Baili Xin, though his features were much more approachable. He stood outside, looking at Liu Mingxi with a calm smile.