This is way too extravagant.

"Come to think of it, in ten days we can set off to pick up the little foodie, right?" Mirel sat on the edge of the bed and smiled, "It seems like ever since I became your follower, I haven't interacted with her. I wonder what her reaction will be when she wakes up and sees me?"

Sakura happened to fall asleep during the days Mirel started following Li Zheng, so she probably wasn't aware that her master had gained a new follower.

"What could she think?" Li Zheng laughed, "Sakura is pure at heart, just like a little girl. She might always see me as a father figure."

"Is that so?" Mirel's smile widened, "Does that make me her mother?"

"You could say that..." Li Zheng's expression paused suddenly. He looked at Mirel for a long moment and realized, "I only just noticed, you already have control over your charm?"

When Mirel first merged with her initial tides, her charm was indiscriminate, capturing anyone who fit her aesthetic preferences.

But just now, while interacting with Zhan Zhouzhou, the other party didn't show any unusual feelings, unlike when on missions, where they would look conflicted.

"My charm ability is linked to the tides of my heart," Mirel explained, "Ever since you started helping me suppress it, the intervals of my heart's tides have become longer and it hardly affects my normal life.

Even..."

Her expression was seductive, her eyes dreamy, and a charming aura emitted from her, "I've started to control this ability, but the downside is still apparent. Once the heart's tides are drawn out, I can't help but..."

Li Zheng suddenly felt overwhelmed, "Wait, it's been less than an hour, let me catch my breath first..."

"No time!" Mirel leaped up, pulled Li Zheng over, and pounced on him.

Li Zheng let out a wail, "Oh, my kidneys—ahhhh~"

Three hours later, Mirel, covered in sweat, asked, "When Sakura comes back, should we tone it down a bit?"

Li Zheng heard the underlying message and his face turned pale, "What are you trying to say?"

"I think we should just do it once and for all," Mirel said with a sly smile, causing Li Zheng to panic and try to escape, only to be dragged back by Mirel.

With that, it was the next morning.

After breakfast, Li Zheng finally opened the door to the residence, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, and stepped into the alley.

As soon as he went out, he stumbled and almost fell.

With his palm bracing on his trembling knee, Li Zheng barely managed to steady himself, catching sight of the door next to him opening as Zhan Zhouzhou also stepped out.

"Is it just me or," Zhan Zhouzhou scrutinized him for a while and asked in confusion, "do you look like you've lost quite a bit of weight?"

"Just your imagination!" Li Zheng said loudly, "It's all in your imagination! How could someone lose seven pounds overnight? It must be your imagination!"

Zhan Zhouzhou looked puzzled, "I don't think I mentioned anything about seven pounds, did I?"

"Seven pounds? What are you talking about?" Li Zheng raised his head high, "I don't understand what you're saying!"

At that moment, Mirel came out of the residence, smiling like a blossoming flower and looking dazzlingly bright, in stark contrast to Li Zheng.

"Good morning." Mirel greeted Zhan Zhouzhou energetically, the picture of vitality, completely opposite to Li Zheng.

"Morning..." Zhan Zhouzhou saw Mirel and thought of her university roommate who, after a night out at the movies with her boyfriend, would come back the next day in exactly the same state.

Mirel approached Zhan Zhouzhou warmly, holding her belly in frustration, "Do you think I've gained weight?"

Zhan Zhouzhou's smile was forced, "Yes, about seven pounds."

"You think so too?" Mirel clenched her fist, "Starting today, I'll train harder and lose weight!"

"Heh..." Zhan Zhouzhou said dryly, "You don't need to lose weight, just eat a bit less each day, and you'll quickly slim down."

"I can't," Mirel said with a bitter face, "You know how good the food is from the cooktop, and my master is particularly skilled, so eating less isn't possible."

"Just try to control it," Zhan Zhouzhou advised, "or whether it's seven pounds or fourteen pounds, it'll be out of your control."

As their conversation veered into the absurd, Li Zheng hurried forward to interrupt, "Mirel, you stay home today and focus on absorbing magic crystal energy, I have something to do, going out for a while."

"Where are you going?" Mirel immediately became alert, "Going to the Sin Domain again? Is it dangerous?"

Li Zheng: "Just heading out to the wilderness, to unwind, it's not dangerous."

Mirel was somewhat relieved, "Then go and come back early."

"Hmm." Li Zheng persuaded Mirel back inside, then walked with Zhan Zhouzhou towards the teleportation gate.

Zhan Zhouzhou suddenly turned around and asked, "Heading out to the wilderness, not picking up some tasks along the way?"

"..." Li Zheng was silent for a moment before saying, "You're definitely going to the Sin Domain today, it'll be safer with me along."

"Heh heh," Zhan Zhouzhou chuckled coldly and paid him no more attention.

Looking at the empty street, Li Zheng searched for a topic, "Lu Li and the others haven't returned yet?"

Zhan Zhouzhou had mentioned before that the three of them went to the wilderness on a task, so how come he'd been to the Sin Domain and back, but still hadn't seen them?

"They came back once, saw you weren't there, and then went out again." Zhan Zhouzhou, not keen on having Li Zheng accompany her, said, "They might return today, why don't you wait here for them?"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com