Xu Qian waited in the hall with her arms crossed while Gu Qing and Mei Yuebai filled out the forms. The three of them each received two keys, one for the apartment and one for their room.
The apartment was located at unit 1203 on the 12th floor of building F.
Walking further in, this new development was originally a community built for the wealthy. There weren't many buildings, but they were all fully furnished. Several buildings were arranged around a garden filled with plants and flowers, but now it was all bare.
The three walked along the path. Building A was at the front. They walked along the path for half the day before reaching building F, which showed how large the community was.
Other than people looking for apartments with keys like them, they didn't see anyone else on the road.
Upon reaching building F, a sign stood by the entrance that read: Limited electricity, elevators are not operational, stairs must be used.
Xu Qian and Mei Yuebai had good stamina, and Gu Qing, having become an ability user, was much healthier than before, so climbing 12 floors was no problem.
The three found unit 1203 and opened the main door.
Since it was a new development, no one had moved in yet. The apartment was small and exquisite. The living room had a large sofa, a TV, a coffee table, and dining chairs. Everything needed was there.
There were four rooms, each very small, with a bed and a wardrobe. There was only one toilet.
The person living in each room was designated. The key would only open the assigned room.
The room next to Xu Qian was empty. The room opposite was Mei Yuebai's, and the room next to Mei Yuebai's was Gu Qing's.
She glanced around the room. The beds only had mattresses, no bedding or pillows. Fortunately, she had foresight, and her space held plenty of daily necessities.
She walked to the living room and took out a pile of daily necessities from her space, filling the living room.
"Gu Qing, Mei Yuebai, come out and unpack!"
When Ye Yunzhou entered, he saw the messy scene. Things were piled up haphazardly in the living room, leaving no space to step.
"What is this?"
Xu Qian, who was bending down to unpack, straightened up. She saw Doctor Ye.
She was startled and said, "Doctor Ye, you live here too?"
"Yes." Ye Yunzhou's eyes widened as he stared at Xu Qian, then quickly looked away. How could she also be living here? He thought he would have difficulty meeting her after entering the base, and he could abandon his improper thoughts.
"That's great. Close the door and come help unpack."
"Okay, alright."
Ye Yunzhou put down his backpack and started to help. He was assigned to the kitchen.
When he saw a pile of ingredients like salt, soy sauce, flour, Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, beef paste, and chili paste, he was bewildered. There were condiments, but was there any fresh food?
Looking elsewhere, there were also dedicated gas canisters, a small stove, a frying pan, and bowls and chopsticks. Ye Yunzhou shook his head, deciding to organize the items first.
The remaining two worked under Xu Qian's direction. In less than two hours, the small apartment was tidied up and looked presentable.
As the sky darkened, noisy sounds gradually came from downstairs. Xu Qian went to the balcony and saw that people who had gone out on missions during the day had returned, their clothes dusty and stained with blood.
A short while later, the sound of a movie playing came from upstairs or next door.
Gu Qing immediately turned on the TV at the sound, but it displayed "no signal."
Xu Qian frowned. They should have had USB drives. She hadn't thought of taking them at the time. However, she had flying chess, Chinese chess, and mahjong in her space, so she wouldn't be bored.
The three men collapsed on the large sofa, while Xu Qian sat on the single sofa, drinking mineral water, and glancing at the three of them.
"Someone come help me, I'll cook."
Gu Qing waved his hand, his voice gentle, "I don't know how to cook."
Mei Yuebai lay motionless on the sofa.
In the end, it was Ye Yunzhou who got up to help.
Xu Qian went to the small kitchen. She took out a bag of rice and put it on the floor, saying, "You wash the rice and chop the vegetables, but don't use the tap water. It's very dirty. Just use mineral water."
He hesitated, then agreed.
Although the base had water, it was really, really dirty. She had opened it once in her previous life and never again.
With his cooperation, she was responsible for stir-frying. She quickly made four simple dishes and one soup: seaweed and egg drop soup, shredded pork with garlic sauce, stuffed tofu, braised chicken with potatoes, and stir-fried greens.
The aroma spread from unit 1203 to the entire 12th floor. Hua Ying in unit 1202 followed the scent to unit 1203. People were still cooking?
Seeing Xu Qian take off her apron, Gu Qing consciously got up to help.
The three arranged the dishes.
Mei Yuebai lay motionless on the sofa, seemingly fast asleep.
She walked over and patted his shoulder.
"Mei Yuebai, wake up and eat."
Xu Qian resigned herself to it. He was the mission target, after all. If he didn't improve within a week, who knew what bizarre tasks the system would assign.
"Don't want to eat... I want to sleep." His tone was relaxed and lazy; he seemed truly exhausted.
"Are you sure you don't want to eat?" She didn't have the patience to ask him a second time; she wasn't a nanny.
Mei Yuebai opened his bloodshot eyes, sat up, buried his head in Xu Qian's arms, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
"I'll eat. I'll definitely eat what you make."
Gu Qing and Ye Yunzhou exchanged glances, saw each other's displeased expressions, and looked away.
Xu Qian sighed softly and reached out to stroke his silver short hair.
"Get up."
"Mmm~ Okay."
A soft, sweet voice.
Gu Qing's mouth fell open. The little tyrant had become a little lamb?