Chapter 133: Dear Sisters

Under a mushroom-shaped tree that emitted a faint, ethereal glow, a small pot rested on an iron stand. Xiaolongnü skillfully added wild vegetables and chunks of meat into the bubbling, steaming broth.

Liang Xiaoyu brought over a few seasoning containers, eagerly offering a small spoon to Xiaolongnü.

Xiaolongnü gave her a helpless, sidelong glance. "Didn't you say you often lived in the wilderness? How do you not even know how much seasoning to add?"

"I don't have your talent for cooking," Liang Xiaoyu said with a cheeky grin.

Seeing that Xiaolongnü had finished seasoning the soup and was stirring it with a wooden spoon, Liang Xiaoyu set the containers down, turned, and walked behind her, opening her arms to gently hug the other woman’s waist.

"Let go, what are you doing?" The sensation on her waist made Xiaolongnü feel ticklish, and she laughingly swatted at Liang Xiaoyu's hands.

She didn't let go.

Liang Xiaoyu pushed her luck, resting her head against the other woman’s back. "You smell so good."

"Hurry and let go," Xiaolongnü said, feeling a mix of shyness and annoyance. "I'm busy."

Liang Xiaoyu chuckled and reluctantly released her. A soft, fragrant body was something no one would want to let go of. However, she was already very close with Xiaolongnü and knew she had reached the limit of what the other woman would tolerate; it was best to stop while she was ahead.

*If only I were a man in my next life,* Liang Xiaoyu thought to herself.

Before long, the pot of vegetable soup was ready. Liang Xiaoyu brought over two bowls and filled them for both of them. Xiaolongnü took some pastries from a thermal container nearby, and the two ate them with the soup.

"Why haven't you been livestreaming at the X-Academy?" Xiaolongnü asked casually.

"The items are too expensive; I can't afford them," Liang Xiaoyu replied.

"Isn't your family very rich?" Xiaolongnü tilted her head to look at her.

"It depends on who you compare us to," Liang Xiaoyu sighed. "Do you think my old man would sell off all his assets to scrape together a hundred billion just to buy me a Level 5 mutant gene?"

"Wouldn't he?" Xiaolongnü asked, puzzled. She had no parents, and the person closest to her was Granny Sun. In the Ancient Tomb, there was once a time when it rained heavily for days and their food ran out, yet Granny Sun had always made sure she was fed first.

"You don't understand; my old man is a veteran capitalist!" Liang Xiaoyu complained. "A few years ago, when his pharmaceutical factory wasn't doing well and he needed to lay people off, he didn't want to pay the severance packages. So, he cut salaries and transferred employees to different roles, forcing them to quit on their own."

Xiaolongnü opened her mouth slightly. "That does seem rather improper."

"It's fine, feel free to curse him—'Liang the Skinflint,' 'Heartless!' The old man is truly wicked; he only cares about money!" Liang Xiaoyu felt no pressure at all bad-mouthing her father. Since her last failed attempt to ask for money, her relationship with him had turned very cold. Now, whenever she needed funds, she went to her mother.

"But you probably don't have a chance to purchase a Level 5 mutant ability, do you?" Xiaolongnü changed the subject.

Liang Xiaoyu froze, feeling as if a knife had pierced her heart, and nodded sullenly. She had read most of the classics in the X-Academy library, yet she had never achieved a single moment of empathy. For this reason, she had specifically asked Wang Yiyi to arrange a meeting with Zhang Wei, who had successfully acquired a mutant gene, to ask him for advice. Later, she tried imagining those villains as her father, but it was still to no avail. Perhaps she just didn't have the talent.

"Most mutants awaken their X-gene during moments of intense emotional fluctuation," Xiaolongnü smiled. "You might just lack the experience."

"The old man does manage to make me quite furious sometimes," Liang Xiaoyu muttered under her breath.

Xiaolongnü glanced at her. "But deep down, don't you also believe he loves you very much?"

Liang Xiaoyu was about to retort, but Xiaolongnü interrupted her: "On the contrary, you're the one who probably makes him miserable!"

"That's what he deserves!" Liang Xiaoyu blurted out.

Xiaolongnü smiled and ignored the complaint. Having such a heartless "little cotton-padded jacket" for a daughter must be quite frustrating for Mr. Liang.

"So you should find an opportunity to experience that feeling of intense emotional volatility," she suggested with a smile.

Liang Xiaoyu thought about it and felt there was some merit to what she said. She pondered, "Should I go visit the haunted house again?"

"No, I'm already on good terms with Sadako; she probably wouldn't have the heart to scare me," she muttered to herself, dismissing the idea. The female ghost was fickle; lately, she had been hanging out with that pervert named Li Miao, and word was she had developed even more terrifying and effective methods. She didn't dare go there.

"Go to the Xenomorph spaceship," Xiaolongnü encouraged. "It's a perfect chance to livestream it for everyone."

Liang Xiaoyu blinked, suddenly realizing what was happening. So that was the setup all along. *Oh, Xiaolongnü, you’ve changed! To think I treated you like a sister, and here you are trying to send me into a pit of fire!*

Xiaolongnü didn't change her expression and continued, "Many tourists are bringing their own streaming equipment lately. They're stealing your popularity."

"You even know about popularity now?" Liang Xiaoyu said dismissively. "It’s only right to give them more chances."

"You said popularity equals money, and you're very short on money right now, aren't you?" Xiaolongnü added.

"I need the big money—hundreds of billions—not the small change of a few million," Liang Xiaoyu said grandly.

"Livestreaming is your job; you should be professional," Xiaolongnü advised.

Liang Xiaoyu looked at her. "Don't you also watch dramas and slack off when you're supposed to be working?"

"Mr. Qiao would definitely want to see it," Xiaolongnü said, feeling a bit unhappy as she revealed her inner thoughts. "You should take the initiative to promote the park."

"I knew it," Liang Xiaoyu said angrily. "Aren't you afraid I'll be eaten by a Xenomorph?"

"You won't actually die," Xiaolongnü said with a distant look, not taking it seriously.

Liang Xiaoyu thought for a moment, then smirked maliciously. "Then come with me."

"I..."

"If you don't go, I won't go either," Liang Xiaoyu leaned against the tree, looking at her with a grin. "Long'er, you're so devoted to Mr. Qiao; can't you even make this small sacrifice?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Xiaolongnü blushed, then nodded. "I'll go with you, then."

Seeing her agree so quickly, Liang Xiaoyu became suspicious. "Won't your powers be restricted once you go inside?"

"Except for the person in charge of the Xenomorph spaceship, everyone else is the same as you," Xiaolongnü said. "Let's go in after we finish eating."

*I'll play it safe once we're inside and make sure to livestream the moment she gets her chest burst by a Xenomorph,* Liang Xiaoyu thought, glancing at Xiaolongnü. Her lips curled upward. *Good sisters should definitely share the experience of social death together.*

...

Inside the park, the tourists had long since dispersed. The atmosphere was slightly quiet. Near the direction of the X-Academy, a number of volunteers had gathered. Everyone was looking up at the uniquely shaped spaceship in the sky, pointing and whispering.

"That shape looks a bit like a jade pig-dragon," someone said.

"Why does it look like some kind of bodily organ to me?" another remarked.

"The point isn't the shape, but what it actually is," a tall young man said. "It's flying in the sky; this must be a spaceship, right?"

"I remember now!" someone suddenly shouted. "Isn't this the one from *Alien*?"

The quick-witted ones had already pulled out their phones to search. A moment later, everyone understood that what was in the sky was indeed the alien spaceship from *Alien*. The crowd was excited, speculating about what might be inside, until they saw Liang Xiaoyu and Xiaolongnü approaching from the distance, which brought their conversation to a halt.

Pairs of inquisitive eyes were cast upon the two.