"Ah, um… Anyway, thank you and your companions," Bailu said, glancing at Jing Yuan with a sigh. "Jing Yuan may be an old fossil, but if something happened to him, I'd have no one to hang out with."
Hang out? Stelle mused. So this Bailu still has a childish side, just with a more grown-up appearance…
"Hehe, you might not know, but those Dragon Masters and Dragon Guards in my clan—they look tough, but they're all style and no substance. A couple of punches, and they're down. Only Old Jing's sturdy enough to keep up with me for a good fight."
Stelle: …
Alright, she'd clearly overthought things.
"By the way, where are your companions today?" Jing Yuan asked casually, taking a sip of hot tea.
"They went… uh, it's classified information, can't say," Stelle said with a light cough, her tone firm and righteous.
Bailu grew more curious. "What classified information?"
"Classified information means I can't tell you! I need to keep it secret!"
"But if you don't tell me, how can I help you keep it secret? Right?" Bailu leaned closer to Stelle, her face full of anticipation.
"As if! If I don't tell you, you don't need to help me keep it, do you?" Stelle tsked, poking Bailu's forehead and pushing her back a bit.
"Hey, don't underestimate me!" Bailu patted her chest. "My strength is undeniable. If it's something combat-related, this lady could… ahem, with one flick of my hand, take down the enemy!"
Jing Yuan shook his head helplessly, grabbing Bailu by the back of her collar and lifting her up. "Sorry, Stelle, kids just have a big sense of play."
"I told you, stop calling me a kid! Waaah, Old Jing, we're fighting again when we get back! You're not leaving until I knock you down today!" Bailu said, hands on her hips, fuming.
"Not today, no time. I've got to go with Little Gui to find a spot for her livestream. Next time," Jing Yuan said lazily.
"Tch, so boring." Bailu tsked again, then turned to Stelle. "Can I call you Big Sis Stelle? I heard you're from the Astral Express and have been to tons of worlds. What are other worlds like? Are there magic, castles, giant dragons…?"
Stelle couldn't help but shake her head internally. Poor Bailu, locked up by the Dragon Masters since childhood, never allowed out… Wait, no!
Who in this version would dare lock this Bailu up?
So Stelle asked, "Why don't you go see for yourself?"
"I want to go see!" Bailu said, sounding pitiful. "But I don't have any money! Interstellar travel tickets are so expensive, okay? At my current saving rate, it'll probably take decades to afford a trip!"
"That's ridiculous. Don't you run a martial arts school? Interstellar travel tickets aren't that expensive, are they?" Stelle asked in disbelief.
At the mention of this, Bailu's little nose sniffled, her eyes welling up with tears. "Don't bring it up. It's all because of those Dragon Masters, waaah…"
Stelle: ???
Jing Yuan sighed and explained, "When Bailu wanted to open her martial arts school, she didn't have any startup funds. At that time, the Vidyadhara clan's Dragon Masters approached her, promising to fund the school. They'd provide the money, and Bailu would provide the effort."
"Uh… I don't fully understand the dynamics here, but there's no such thing as a free lunch, right?" Stelle said, a bad feeling creeping up on her.
"Waaah—how does an outsider like you, who's lived way less years than me, get it?!" Bailu collapsed onto the table, clutching her head. "I just made a mistake any young person would make! Why, why do I have to pay for it for so many years?!"
Stelle: ???
Jing Yuan pulled out his phone and showed Stelle a picture. "Take a look."
Stelle skimmed it, her brows twitching uncontrollably. What kind of absurd contract was this? Even the most ruthless negotiators would hesitate to sign something like this!
The contract was filled with inhumane clauses, including but not limited to:
After signing, Party B is entitled to two days off per month. All other days are considered workdays. Party B's working hours on workdays are: 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM (the following day).
Stelle couldn't hold it together when she saw the second clause. At first glance, she thought the contract had a typo—how could the hours be reversed? Then she realized it meant the next day. Got it, got it.
This was truly a soul-crushing deal. But why did this schedule feel oddly familiar, like she'd encountered it before? Where was it… Wait, why am I crying too?
90% of Party B's earnings shall be handed over to Party A for safekeeping as emergency funds for the martial arts school. …
Stelle gave Bailu a strange look, saying with relief, "Good thing you didn't go out."
"What?!" Bailu's fur bristled instantly. Pointing at Stelle, she said, both angry and hurt, "This… this lady thought you were someone I could trust! How could you be like this?! Can't you see this contract is obviously exploitative?! And you're not even speaking up for me!"
"I'm done with you! From now on, you're not allowed to talk to me!"
Stelle raised her hand, gesturing for Bailu to calm down. "No, you misunderstood. I meant, if you could sign a contract like this, you'd probably get scammed even worse on another planet. You might not even make it back."
Bailu instantly deflated, mumbling weakly, "It… it's not like every place is full of bad people…"
"Let me ask you this: here on the Xianzhou, you only signed an indentured contract. If you went somewhere unfamiliar… they'd probably harvest your organs!"
Bailu jumped, startled, and fell silent.
"Alright, today's one of your rare days off. Enjoy the free time," Jing Yuan said, glancing at his watch. "I've got to head to work soon, so you'll have to entertain yourself then."
Bailu's face puffed up, and she turned to Stelle with pleading eyes. "Big Sis Stelle, Big Sis Stelle, since you've got nothing to do later, how about taking me out to have fun? You just arrived at the Luofu, right? You must need a guide. I know the Luofu like the back of my hand!"
"Me? But I…"
Bailu (with starry eyes): Please, please, please—
Stelle broke out in a sweat. She'd seen little Klee act cute, but this grown-up Bailu… it was a whole new experience.
"Alright, alright, you're practically clinging to me." Stelle pushed Bailu back. "…Stop with the cute act. Fine, fine, I'll agree, okay?"
"Hehe, Big Sis Stelle is a good person!"
Stelle: …
That inexplicable sense of familiarity… But, you know, it didn't feel half bad.