Chapter 2

Chapter 2: My Future Self... Has Good Taste!

Wangshu looked at the question marks flooding the group chat, then back at the little girl in front of him who was dead-seriously planning out her future, and suddenly felt that maybe transmigrating wasn't so bad after all.

"Um..." Wangshu ventured cautiously. "Since you're not sending me to the Ten-Lords Commission anymore, could you maybe take me in? I just got here — I've got nowhere to go."

"L-L-Living together?!"

Little Jingliu reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. The blush that had just barely faded erupted again, instantly spreading from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears.

She stammered, her gaze darting everywhere, but then seemed to think of something — if this man really was from her future, then right now he truly had no one to turn to.

"F-Fine, but you have to follow the rules. No funny business."

Her voice stuttered, still forcibly maintaining her composure, but she didn't flee into the house.

A few minutes later, Wangshu had a place to stay.

The room wasn't large, but it looked exceptionally simple and cozy, situated close to little Jingliu's room.

Beside it was a larger room, unoccupied. It seemed to have belonged to Jingliu's deceased parents.

Bros, I transmigrated. My taste in women nearly got bent in a weird direction... and I probably can't go back. But don't worry about me, bros — I'll eat the bitter pill of transmigration so you guys can keep living the good life back in the original world.

Jingliu pushed through arranging everything, then quickly dashed back to her room, patting her burning cheeks before burying her head under the covers.

"That was way too sudden. I should've asked more questions." She forced herself to calm down.

Just that one question... what if he'd guessed it?

A sprout of doubt poked its head up in her heart, but was quickly crushed back down by the face of her supposed future partner and the fact that he'd known about the pickled vegetable fried rice — which only made her heart beat even more erratically.

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Wangshu: "..."

Jingliu: "..."

Wangshu: "..."

Jingliu: "..."

Asta: "Are you two playing charades?"

【Jingliu has requested entry into Wangshu's world. Awaiting Wangshu's app... Time parameter error. Request failed.】

【System running diagnostics...】

Jingliu suppressed the sky-is-falling feeling — along with a faint, barely perceptible flicker of anticipation — and waited for the system to finish.

【Diagnostics complete. Group member Wangshu joined the chat illegally. Kick?】

【Group vote in progress】

【Wangshu: Don't kick!】

【Asta: Don't kick!】

Jingliu suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion, and tapped "Don't kick."

So your garbage system's idea of fixing a problem isn't to solve the issue — it's to get rid of the person who caused it?

【Vote concluded: 3 votes against, 0 votes in favor.】

【Proposed action has been rejected. Anomalous status has been logged as Case File #1. All group members are reminded to communicate amicably and co-create a harmonious chat environment.】

【For further issues, please wait for a chat group system version upgrade.】

Wangshu: "..."

Jingliu: "..."

Asta: "Hey, hey, hey!"

Jingliu: "@Wangshu, what year of the Star Calendar is it on your end?"

Wangshu: "I don't know, I just got here too."

Jingliu: "There's a digital clock in the living room."

Wangshu: "..."

Asta: "?"

Wangshu returned to the living room. Though the building looked quaint and ancient from the outside, the interior was far from lacking in technology. He glanced at the clock on the wall.

Wangshu: "Star Calendar Year 6299."

Jingliu searched her memory. It was a jumbled mess — the happy memories of Cangcheng, especially, had long been ground to almost nothing by the endless battles and slaughter.

But Year 6299... she knew that one all too well.

Star Calendar Year 6300 — Cangcheng was devoured by a sentient planet.

The vast starskiff was cavernously empty. In this place akin to the Abyssal Prison where she was held, she was the sole prisoner.

She rose to her feet, the shackles on her wrists clanking ceaselessly.

"Bring Jing Yuan to me."

A few minutes later —

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Jingliu sent an exclusive red envelope 【Complete History of Cangcheng】

Wangshu claimed the exclusive red envelope

Jingliu: "If there's anything you don't understand, ask me."

【Mutual assistance detected between group members. Group atmosphere trending positive. Initiating self-adaptive optimization...】

【Chat group is now undergoing its first adaptive upgrade. Please wait patiently — 5:59:59】

Asta: ...

Wangshu: ...

Jingliu: ...

Wangshu: "You two have been in this group this long and haven't sent a single red envelope?"

You two were just lurking this whole time?!

Asta: "Arlan told me that Ms. Jingliu is very dangerous — a wanted fugitive of the Xianzhou. But from what I've seen so far, the rumors might've been wrong."

Of course, that was just lip service. Even given a do-over, Asta wouldn't have trusted Jingliu this quickly. Not much news from the Luofu had spread outward, but the Sword Champion's fall to mara? Everyone knew about that.

Jingliu: "Then your intel is outdated. I turned myself in months ago."

She had originally intended to undergo the Hunt's tempering — have Propagation, Destruction, and Abundance empower the Hunt for one final surge...

But who could have predicted that at the very end of it all, something unexpected would happen?

The Memory Aeon recorded the entire universe, yet somehow Wangshu had slipped through the cracks and ended up thousands of years in the past. How could that not stir her heart?

Aside from a mild heart palpitation at seeing her younger self's blushing cheeks, everything else seemed to signal that her ever-declining life had reached a turning point.

Asta: "...The space station and the Xianzhou haven't had much academic exchange lately. The information gap is probably real."

Privately, she recalled hearing that Ms. Himeko would be passing through the Xianzhou along the Express route sometime soon. She'd do some digging then.

Meanwhile, Wangshu was reading the chat with growing suspicion.

Your timeline is that far ahead? With Asta here and Jingliu having turned herself in, the storyline must've already reached Amphoreus by now.

While he was spacing out, the door suddenly swung open. Little Jingliu had returned, her small hands clasped behind her back, straining to keep her expression serious.

"Since you say you're from the future... ahem!" She cleared her throat, crimson eyes fixed intently on Wangshu. "Besides... besides Mother's cooking, do you have any other proof? Something more concrete."

Wangshu hesitated for a moment, then waved the book in his hand — the 【Complete History of Cangcheng】, published in Star Calendar Year 8100.

Ooh!

Little Jingliu took the book and casually flipped through the opening pages, then skipped straight to the final chapter, scanning it carefully.

Even though she hadn't passed her coming-of-age certification yet, her expression grew increasingly grave.

But a moment later, she remembered her own matters. Her crimson eyes sneaked a glance at the young man before her, and after a beat, her small cheeks puffed up slightly as she nodded with satisfaction — her future self... had good taste!

With that thought, her tone turned sincere:

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you again."

The man in front of her had produced arguably the most important thing possible — a history book.

With that, she closed the book. She'd go register with the authorities in a bit, and ask about the application process for the coming-of-age certification while she was at it.

"You really should be sorry." Wangshu sighed. "You still don't even know my name, do you?"

Jingliu froze, her expression instantly becoming even more awkward. Her gaze drifted aimlessly, the tips of her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.

Seeing her flustered yet adorable state, Wangshu couldn't help but grin. He seized the moment to reach out and give her soft blue-and-white hair a good, thorough ruffle.

"But I forgive you. My name's Wangshu."

The warm touch atop her head made little Jingliu stiffen slightly, but she didn't pull away. She figured it was time to start getting used to this.