IRDLZ Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The concierge service at the villa complex, where homes cost hundreds of millions, was always top-notch. Within fifteen minutes, the property management delivered two sets of coral fleece loungewear, exactly as Ming Qingqing had requested.

She planned to buy the little zombie other clothes later; these two sets were just to tide him over.

The delivery staff knew a famous actress lived here, and they couldn't help but gossip inwardly, thinking Ming Qingqing must have kept a man overnight. But there were few male stars in the industry who were that tall—could he be an outsider?

Still, gossip aside, the professionalism of the property management here was top-tier. They would never talk out of turn.

Ming Qingqing took the clothes, pulled out the dark blue set, and walked toward the first-floor bathroom.

There had been no sound from the bathroom for a while. She wasn't sure if the non-human young man had finished washing.

Ming Qingqing asked outside the door, "Hey, um... are you done?"

She still didn't know his name. She couldn't very well call him "Dandan."

Inside the bathroom, Xiao Fu was flustered. He hadn't expected human-made things to be so fragile—breaking with just a light twist. He fumbled to reconnect the broken pipe, but accidentally sent another burst of water spraying into his face.

From outside, Ming Qingqing only heard the clicking of joints inside the bathroom. If she hadn't known what creature was in there, the scene under the evening lights would have been quite terrifying.

She couldn't help but open the door directly.

And there she saw the bathroom in complete disarray. The showerhead had burst, the pipe was shattered, and water was spraying everywhere.

The clumsy little zombie, terrified when she opened the door, instantly teleported to the corner of the wall. He stood facing the wall, his head drooping, as if he knew he had done something wrong.

Ming Qingqing: "..."

She had forgotten—he didn't know how to use bathroom fixtures.

Anyone would have been unable to stop their eyelids from twitching at the sight. Ming Qingqing was no exception; she was completely dumbfounded.

Ming Qingqing said, "Come out."

Standing against the wall, Xiao Fu felt guilty. His pale face flushed red.

He wanted to say, "I'll fix it," but couldn't express it. He hesitated for a moment, then could only droop his head and stumble backward, wobbling unsteadily.

He shrank into the corner, like a little robot that had made a mistake, waiting for punishment.

Seeing him like this, Ming Qingqing's anger completely dissipated. She could only console herself that it was her own fault. Asking a little zombie who had never seen bathroom fixtures to use them was no different from pointing at a wet little dog and expecting it to wash itself.

It seemed raising a non-human truly wasn't that simple.

"Forget it. It's fine. I'll have someone come fix it tomorrow."

The pipe had already stopped spraying water anyway. It was just a matter of repairing it.

Xiao Fu's gray-blue eyes were listless.

He felt that with this clicking, creaking body, he couldn't do anything right, couldn't get the force right either.

Seeing the young man looking like a little dog that had done something wrong and didn't know how to make it right, Ming Qingqing couldn't help but soften.

Before she knew it, she heard herself saying, "Come with me upstairs to the second floor. There's another bathroom. I'll teach you how to use it."

Xiao Fu finally looked up, his eyes wide, looking flattered.

Ming Qingqing felt that this little zombie must have some kind of enchanting power. When he looked at her with those glistening eyes, not only did her anger vanish, but her heart also melted.

By the time she came to her senses, she—a top-tier actress worth hundreds of thousands per hour was crouched in the bathroom, explaining to a little zombie full of curiosity about the human world how to use the bathtub and sink, and she was actually enjoying it, not finding it boring at all...

Ming Qingqing: "..."

If this ever got out, it would probably be front-page news.

This time, although the bathroom was still filled with a steady chorus of clicking sounds and Xiao Fu moved at an excruciatingly slow pace, he managed to wash his hair and finish a proper bath after two full hours.

He used the towel Ming Qingqing had given him to dry his hair until the short black strands no longer dripped with water.

Then, beaming with quiet delight, he changed into the loungewear Ming Qingqing had bought for him.

Ming Qingqing was watching TV on the third floor, waiting for him to come upstairs so she could show him to his room.

Curled up in her arms, Feifei kept wriggling and trying to jump down to the second floor to investigate.

Ever since Xiao Fu had saved Feifei, the little cat was no longer as frightened of him. Now that Ming Qingqing had suddenly brought him home, Feifei was burning with curiosity, eager to find out what was going on. Was he going to be staying here from now on?

When Xiao Fu, dressed in his new clothes, suddenly teleported in front of Ming Qingqing, she froze for a brief moment.

Here's a smoother, more polished version with a stronger novel-like rhythm while preserving your paragraphing:

The dark blue loungewear came with a hood, smaller than the one on the hoodie the non-human young man had worn before. It rested against the back of his head, making him look unexpectedly adorable.

The loose khaki pants couldn't hide his long, straight legs.

Freshly washed, his short black hair was glossy and dark, as though still steeped in water. Even his gray-blue eyes seemed deeper in color, like the sea beneath an overcast sky.

His complexion remained as pale as ever, so fair it was almost translucent. Standing there, he looked like a tall, striking elf who had wandered out of a fairy tale.

Feifei, still nestled in Ming Qingqing's arms, froze as well.

Why was Ming Qingqing letting him stay—and even allowing him to use the bathroom?

An ominous feeling instantly welled up in Feifei's heart. His gaze toward Xiao Fu immediately turned wary.

Xiao Fu lifted one stiff arm and scratched the back of his head, his movements accompanied by a series of soft clicks. A faint blush spread across his handsome face as he looked earnestly at Ming Qingqing, doing his best not to avert his gaze.

He thought to himself: Did he look a bit more like an Earthling now, less frightening?

But after glancing at him twice, Ming Qingqing looked away.

She didn't look at him the way she would look at a person.

It was more like seeing a dog in a new set of clothes—novel, perhaps, but not particularly remarkable.

Xiao Fu somehow sensed this subtle difference.

For some reason, his shyness faded, replaced by an indescribable sense of dejection.

"Sit," Ming Qingqing said, walking to the dining table.

Earlier, when Ming Qingqing had told Xiao Fu to sit, he hadn't dared to touch her sofa, afraid of dirtying it.

But now that he was in clean clothes, he wouldn't get anything dirty.

Xiao Fu hesitated for a moment, then teleported to the seat across from Ming Qingqing and awkwardly maneuvered himself onto the chair.

Ming Qingqing took out a sheet of paper she had written and printed over the past two hours and placed it in front of him.

Xiao Fu lowered his eyes and read it word by word. He quickly understood—this was the "adoption contract" Ming Qingqing had mentioned earlier.

It was very, very long.

There were many characters Xiao Fu didn't recognize.

"Article 5: You must not let anyone else discover you live here."

"Article 88: You must not randomly scare Ming Qingqing."

...

"Article 123: You may go anywhere in the house, but you may not enter Ming Qingqing's room."

Xiao Fu finished reading quickly. Without much thought, he bit his finger and pressed it directly at the bottom of the page.

Ming Qingqing, who had been about to take out a red ink pad: "..."

Xiao Fu looked up at her with bright, cheerful eyes and blinked. Wasn't this how it was done on TV?

Ming Qingqing: ... Had the little zombie been secretly watching too much television?

With the "Adoption Contract" now signed, Ming Qingqing felt relieved.

Although there were still many issues to resolve, at least she had successfully taken the first step tonight. And he had successfully taken a bath.

"By the way, are you hungry?"

Ming Qingqing suddenly remembered. She had eaten at the hotel, but Xiao Fu probably hadn't.

As soon as she spoke, the little zombie's stomach across the dining table let out a loud growl.

"..." Xiao Fu's face instantly flushed crimson. He covered his stomach, looking around, trying to pretend it wasn't his stomach making noise.

Ming Qingqing couldn't help but laugh.

She didn't know what kind of food these zombie-like creatures usually ate as their staple—asking wouldn't yield an answer anyway. But earlier, when she had prepared various meats and broccoli for Dandan, he had eaten them all.

It was already past eleven at night. Ming Qingqing was tired after a long evening. She walked over and opened the refrigerator. Her eyes swept over the frozen meat, but she hesitated and didn't take it out.

If she started cooking meat for him now, she definitely wouldn't get to sleep until midnight.

So, for the sake of convenience, Ming Qingqing decided to take a shortcut. She pulled a few carrots from the drawer.

"You can eat these raw, right?" Ming Qingqing asked, turning around.

After all, he was the one who had stolen carrots and celery from the fridge before.

Xiao Fu obviously remembered that incident too. A flush of embarrassment rose on his pale face.

He nodded at Ming Qingqing.

Kelafulin could eat anything. Compared to fragile Earthlings, Kelafulin had stomachs of nearly indestructible quality.

Feifei still hadn't figured out what was going on between these two. He was lying on the sofa when he saw Ming Qingqing open the fridge. He immediately jumped down, meowing jealously, circling around Ming Qingqing's legs, brazenly demanding food.

Ming Qingqing had no choice but to put the washed carrots on a plate, set it on the dining table in front of Xiao Fu, and then go get some freeze-dried treats to feed the cat.

Xiao Fu sat obediently in his seat, watching Ming Qingqing.

All evening, he had been immersed in the illusion that happiness had come too suddenly.

Just like that, Ming Qingqing had brought him home. He had a warm, clean place to stay. She had taken him to bathe, given him food, and spoken so many words to him.

None of this felt real.

To be honest, Xiao Fu felt a bit fearful—he didn't know how to repay Ming Qingqing.

His instinct was to chip off gold flakes from his eggshell, but he was afraid that turning into an egg in front of Ming Qingqing would scare her. Moreover, gold seemed to be what Ming Qingqing wanted the least.

He looked down at Ming Qingqing, who was crouched on the floor feeding the cat. After Feifei ate the freeze-dried treat, Ming Qingqing affectionately patted his head.

A flicker of envy, unnoticed even by himself, appeared in Xiao Fu's eyes.

Xiao Fu speculated that Ming Qingqing probably saw him as a pet.

He had never kept a pet on Kelafulin. And as the heir, he had always been followed by a guard of honor before hatching, so he had never been kept as a pet either. Thus, he didn't know how to be the second pet in the house, how to do well, how to make Ming Qingqing happy.

If he had no value to this household and only did things like bursting water pipes, Xiao Fu wondered if he would be driven away.

...

After feeding the cat and giving Feifei's head a couple of rubs, Ming Qingqing looked up to see Xiao Fu holding a carrot with his stiff fingers, earnestly nibbling on it while watching her with clear blue eyes, as if deep in thought.

Ming Qingqing: ?

Ming Qingqing sat down at the dining table, thinking he had a question to ask, and spoke first: "What is it?"

Xiao Fu's gray-blue eyes shifted to her hand.

Ming Qingqing instinctively spread her palms and said, "You want freeze-dried treats too? There aren't any left."

Xiao Fu didn't speak.

Ming Qingqing thought to herself, complaining: this little zombie really wants to eat everything—is he some kind of eating machine?

She relented. "I'll go get some. But are you sure you can eat them..."

Before she finished, Xiao Fu suddenly lowered his head.

His neck clicked as he moved.

Then, with great difficulty, he stretched his head toward Ming Qingqing, just like Feifei did.

Ming Qingqing looked at his head, a bit confused.

His black hair was still damp because he didn't know how to use a hairdryer and was afraid of breaking Ming Qingqing's with his excessive force, so he had only dried it with a towel.

Earlier, when he came out, Ming Qingqing had noticed this, but she figured that the non-human young man, who spent his days in wind and rain, probably wouldn't get sick. A little dampness shouldn't matter—it would dry on its own.

...

Ming Qingqing didn't respond to Xiao Fu's gesture.

Xiao Fu looked up, took a cautious glance at her, thought for a moment, hesitated, and then carefully rubbed his head against her hand.

Ming Qingqing: ???

Only at that moment did Ming Qingqing finally understand—

Did he think that after she fed a pet, she always had to pat its head?

Ming Qingqing's mind went blank. Almost instinctively, she rubbed the crown of Xiao Fu's head.

Her soft hand landed on his head.

Xiao Fu's heart started racing again.

He lifted his head, clicked his way back to his original position, and an uncontrollable, happy smile appeared on his pale face.

Ming Qingqing: "..."

For some inexplicable reason, the tenderest place in Ming Qingqing's heart, like an archery target, was instantly and precisely struck.

It felt like being carefully and clumsily courted by a homeless little dog.

Looking at Xiao Fu's smile, her heart melted, instantly turning into a puddle of water.

Ming Qingqing stared at Xiao Fu, then suddenly clenched her fist and stood up. The chair scraped loudly behind her.

Xiao Fu was startled. He clutched the carrot with both hands and looked at her.

"You keep eating," Ming Qingqing said decisively. "I'll go cook you some meat. You can eat whatever you want, we have everything. And then I'll dry your hair. You need to sleep with dry hair. Can't have you getting sick."

If she was going to take care of him, she would do it properly! What had she been thinking, cutting corners just now?

The top actress Ming Qingqing never expected that in just one evening, she would come to understand the true nature of a human being: the proof is in the pudding.

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