Persistence

Instead of answering, Li Yue opened the door and glared at him "I've already told you, that's not going to happen."

"Why not?" He was leaning against the frame of her door, looking down on her as if she had just said something truly hurtful. This man is a natural actor, Li Yue thought inwardly.

"As I said—I'm not yet ready to die. I'm sure your teenage fans will grab every opportunity possible to strangle me."

"But they won't know."

"Then, why the hell would you like to have a girlfriend if you don't want them to know?"

For a second, she thought she spotted a turbulent emotion within his blank gaze. Was it anger? Or was it sorrow? It was too fast for her naked eyes to have a proper look at. "it's for my stepmother." He answered, his eyes were glued onto hers, scrutinizing deep into her irises.

Li Yue let out a sharp breath. "Let me finish my food first. Then, we'll talk." She was about to close the door when the other blocked the door with his arms, preventing her from moving it. "What?" she asked, clearly irritated at his persistence. "I'm hungry!"

"You'll think about it, right?"

"I will."

He stared at her before letting go of the door. Once again, she immediately slammed the door shut, ignoring the fact that he had just been standing in front of her door. 'Stepmother?' she asked the robot.

'Her name is Sun Fengmian.'

'And you've just agreed to give me her name. Is this the start of a good relationship between us?'

Silence.

Li Yue chuckled. This robot can be really entertaining. 'So Sun Fengmian… what will she do? I suppose the reason you revealed her name is because she will do something against the lead, right?'

'Sun Fengmian, forty-two, five foot six, favorite color green, brown eyes and hair dyed in light brown, hobbies include—'

'Is that really necessary?'

'She is very beautiful.' The robot answered shortly after.

Irritated, Li Yue decided to finish her noodle instead. This robot is really useless. She should request a replacement once she finishes this mission.

'That would not possible. I have already been tied to your soul after your mortal vessel died.'

"Died?" Li Yue blurted. In the previous worlds, she had never heard this robot mention her death. 'What do you mean?' she asked wistfully. However, just as she had expected, the robot maintained its silence. A sigh escaped her lips as she finished her noodle. Afterward, she went back to finish going through the contents of the box that she opened, making sure to place every person that she knew on the upper part of the envelope so she won't have to go through the trouble of rummaging through the whole thing when she needs it.

After a couple of minutes, Li Yue let out a yawn. She was exhausted from her 'project' earlier. She eyed the time from her phone. It was already four in the morning. Almost five. Shaking her head, Li Yue changed her clothes and brushed her teeth before sinking into slumber, completely forgetting the Mo Li who was persistently waiting for her outside of her room.

…

The moment she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She squinted at the blinds that she forgot to close last night. The sun had little to no effect on the cold temperature of Yin City. Checking the day's weather report on her phone, Li Yue instantly decided that she won't leave the apartment today.

She stretched a bit before leaving her bed. Only after a few minutes of checking her email did Li Yue finally decide to leave her room, after which she was greeted by a surprise. "Eh? You're still here?" She said when she saw him standing in the kitchen, staring at the microwave.

"Have you thought about it?" the man didn't even bother looking at her, his eyes were still glued onto the microwave. "Would you agree to pretend as my girlfriend?"

Li Yue pursed her lips. She had completely forgotten about his proposal. Last night, or to be exact, morning, she was simply too exhausted that she just closed her eyes in sleepiness. She didn't have the energy to think about Sun Fengmian or Mo Li. "I'm hungry." She said and walked next to him. "Wait… what are you wearing?"

"I found this in the other room. It fits."

"Those are not mine." they were Xia Jin's clothes. She was originally planning to just throw them away but had always forgotten to do so."

"Oh. It fits."

"I know. What are we having?"

"I only made enough for myself. You should make your own."

"You—" Li Yue wanted to argue with him. How could this man be so ungrateful? He was already staying in her apartment, using her couch, pillow, and blankets, using her electricity, eating her food. And now…he couldn't even make food for the two of them? Just… just what kind of injustice is this?

'This is for the plot to save the leads.' The robotic voice answered. Suppressing her anger, Li Yue opened the fridge and started looking for something to eat. In the end, she found some bread and peanut butter. She quickly had some and went back to her room, ignoring the selfish man who was sitting on her small couch, playing on his phone.

How irritating.

To ease her mind, she checked her email, managed her social media, and replied to her clients' or fans' messages. So far, her social media accounts had been very well received. Quite a lot of people are actually loving the art style she focuses on. In turn, her commissions had been increasing lately.

Her fan base has been slowly growing too. After all, she had been actively posting her art on several forums and art websites. If this trend continues, she should have close to fifty thousand followers by the time she goes to college in a few months.

"Hey!" She heard him knock. "Can we talk now?"

Li Yue's expression turned ugly for a few seconds. Dealing with this man is terribly tiresome and it is making her increasingly irritated. Should she really become his girlfriend?

'You should." The voice echoed inside her. 'It will help you.'

"I am not asking you!" she huffed and opened the door.

"Are you alright? I thought I heard you say something?"

"You're probably hallucinating." She uttered. "Come in. Let's talk about it!" She gestured at him to come inside and closed the door behind him. "So… how much are you willing to pay me?" she immediately asked before the man could even take one more step towards her bed.