Eldritch Horror Theatre

If they knew, they knew. It didn't matter anyway.

Given the current situation, even if he told them straight out that Xu Meng had actually found the right guy, they probably wouldn't believe him.

In fact, it wasn't just them—Xu Meng wouldn't believe it either.

Fu Qian leaned back in his chair, watching the small group scattered around his living room.

Meanwhile, their distinct 'calls' still echoed in his mind.

A dual layer of contact. It was a rather interesting sensation.

These few people basically made up his entire, pitiful social circle.

He could tell they were all genuinely overjoyed to see him back.

He had to admit, even though he found it noisy most of the time, the voices in his head made him feel truly connected to this world.

If anything, his current state made him seem like a better fit for the other side.

"What?!"

Tan Ying's voice abruptly spiked in pitch. She whipped her head around to stare at Fu Qian, her eyes wide as saucers.

"You've been staying at a rich woman's house for the past two days?"

She was so agitated her voice almost cracked.

Beside her, Pei Yanqing looked equally dumbfounded.

"Mhm!"

Fu Qian admitted it freely.

"So busy you didn't even have time to answer your phone... aren't you pushing yourself a bit too hard?"

Tan Ying gave him an odd look. Clearly, his reason for falling off the grid didn't line up with what she had imagined at all.

"It was a matter of life and death. As a professional, how could I let myself get distracted?"

Fu Qian replied with perfect composure, entirely unfazed by her shock.

Life and death? A professional?

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Finally, Tan Ying gritted her teeth and cautiously pressed him.

"What exactly were you doing over there?"

"Personal security consultant."

Fu Qian answered instantly, narrowing his eyes at the four stiff faces in front of him.

"What did you guys think I was doing?"

...

At that moment, not only Tan Ying and Pei Yanqing, but even Qin Mingze and Wu Qingyu were completely dumbfounded.

The sheer disparity between reality and their imaginations sent a violent tremor through their impure souls.

"So... you've been working as a bodyguard these past few days?"

Pei Yanqing, usually the quietest of the bunch, finally couldn't help but ask.

"Strictly speaking, there's a difference. I was just helping out as a favor, providing technical support for their security."

"That sounds so professional!"

Pei Yanqing marveled.

"Expert Rank."

Fu Qian replied without an ounce of modesty.

"So—"

Qin Mingze pointed at Fu Qian.

"You got so jacked just to boost your combat effectiveness?"

That phrasing was still a bit ambiguous, but Fu Qian nodded without batting an eye.

"You could call it a side benefit."

"Wow!"

A chorus of exclamations filled the room. The four of them focused entirely on Fu Qian's new side gig, barraging him with questions.

"When did this start?"

"Is it dangerous?"

"You never mentioned it before. Is there a non-disclosure agreement?"

"So, is the rich woman pretty?"

...

"She's all right."

Fu Qian recalled Wen Li's appearance.

Qin Mingze and Wu Qingyu instantly wore looks of profound fascination, their imaginations running wild.

"So, are we still eating or what?"

Seeing the situation spiraling a bit out of control, Fu Qian interrupted.

"We can eat anytime!"

Qin Mingze waved a hand dismissively, clearly unwilling to let him off the hook.

"Confess everything first!"

"I really am too lazy to go out anyway."

Fu Qian rubbed his chin in thought, then walked into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator.

"But as a man of my word... I have some ingredients left. I'll whip something up for you guys."

Unlike most people his age, Fu Qian had lived alone for years, so his cooking skills were actually quite decent.

Of course, a large part of that was simply because he was broke.

Only youths who had never lacked money could offer a blissful answer like, "If you're hungry, just order takeout."

In truth, anyone who actually cooked for themselves understood the massive nutritional gap between the two options.

"You're actually cooking?"

Seeing Fu Qian deadpan as he picked out tomatoes, Tan Ying looked genuinely surprised.

This guy actually knew his way around a kitchen!

"Little Qian's cooking has always been solid."

Qin Mingze waved a hand, looking at her as if she were making a fuss over nothing.

"He's just too lazy. I've only eaten his cooking a handful of times over the years."

"Trust me, after this meal, you'll have full bragging rights."

"Then let me help!"

Tan Ying clearly had some aversion to the kitchen, so Pei Yanqing volunteered, pulling on a checkered apron.

"Sure, what dishes do you know how to make?"

Looking at Pei Yanqing, who actually looked the part of a home cook, Fu Qian asked naturally.

"I..."

She froze. Her face turned beet red as she lowered her head and mumbled faintly.

"I... I can only help prep."

"Got it."

Youths these days! Fu Qian lamented inwardly.

He hadn't expected much to begin with anyway. Having someone to help prep was good enough.

He casually tossed over a few potatoes and told Pei Yanqing to peel them.

With plenty of time to kill, Qin Mingze and Wu Qingyu were in no rush to interrogate him further. They familiarly booted up Fu Qian's console and lounged in the living room playing video games.

"Your employer is quite generous. The pay seems fairly substantial."

Tan Ying, however, didn't let him off the hook. She continued to stand in the kitchen doorway, frowning in thought.

Now that she knew Fu Qian had this kind of side gig, him buying that Bracelet made a little more sense.

Hmm...

Unexpectedly, the moment those words left her mouth, Fu Qian's hand slipped as he peeled a scallion.

'I knew I forgot something.'

Fu Qian sighed, tilting his head up at a forty-five-degree angle to stare at the ceiling.

Wen Li still hadn't paid him for this job!

"What's wrong?"

Noticing his sudden change in expression, Tan Ying asked on instinct.

"Nothing... just a bunch of cunning capitalists."

...

With Pei Yanqing's help, Fu Qian managed to whip up lunch in just about an hour.

It was already past noon. The starving group swarmed the table and demolished Fu Qian's culinary creations, devouring the food completely and rapidly.

They sang his praises between bites, highly commending his cooking skills.

While they didn't forget to press him about his part-time experience, they all knew where to draw the line. Whenever Fu Qian showed reluctance to answer, they didn't push the subject.

All in all, both host and guests thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

The warm and joyous atmosphere was so infectious that even Tan Ying pitched in to wash the dishes.

Young people always found plenty to do when they got together.

After cleaning up, the group simply treated his apartment as an arcade and board game room, only dispersing when the sky began to darken.

With their departure, the bustling living room descended into quiet.

Fu Qian didn't turn on the lights, simply sitting alone in the dark.

In his mind, the previously annoying calls had similarly faded into silence.

Evidently, after confirming he was safe, they had all relaxed and temporarily shifted their attention elsewhere.

The transition from chaos to tranquility was a rather nice feeling. Fu Qian closed his eyes, his face marked by comfort.

In a sense, those echoing calls were like his Anchor Points in this world.

It was getting late, and the anchors had fallen silent.

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