As Xiao Xun returned home, the sky had completely darkened.
Xiao Xun parked the car in the garage, held the watch in his hand, and went directly from the garage back to the living room, calling out, "I'm back."
Mu Jiahe yawned and sat up from the sofa. "You're back so late. Huh? Why are you alone? Where's your cousin?"
Xiao Xun just remembered that Mu Jiahe had asked him to pick up his cousin to come over and play.
"I was so busy today I completely forgot. Next time, okay?"
As he spoke, Xiao Xun threw his jacket onto the sofa and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. "I'll cook for you. What do you want to eat?"
"Hot pot! I haven't had it in ages."
Xiao Xun satisfied all of Mu Jiahe's culinary desires, and the refrigerator met all of Xiao Xun's cooking requirements.
Before long, the aroma of the hot pot base that Xiao Xun had personally fried wafted out. After diluting it with water, he brought it to the dining table.
Mu Jiahe specifically opened a bottle of red wine and poured it into a decanter.
After Xiao Xun pre-mixed the dipping sauces, he began arranging various ingredients on the table. Hand-sliced beef and lamb, seafood, dairy products, and vegetables were all present.
This meal was far more delicious than the one eaten on the top floor of Saint Roman Castle, not just because of the ingredients, but also because of the state of mind.
Mu Jiahe raised her wine glass and called out to Xiao Xun, "Cheers."
Xiao Xun also raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Mu Jiahe's. "Thank you."
Mu Jiahe took a small sip and took out the watch from the box. "What? You didn't give it away?"
Xiao Xun smiled. "This was supposed to be a breakup gift for her, but she didn't want it. Actually, neither of us were officially boyfriend and girlfriend, which is quite ridiculous when you think about it."
Mu Jiahe took the watch and examined it carefully. "I have to say, your taste in gifts is really good. Whether it was that doll or the high heels you gave me, I liked them very much. You must have dated a lot of girlfriends to hone this skill?"
Xiao Xun took a sip of red wine. "I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, Mr. Mu, but you know my family's financial situation, and you've met my parents. They just hope I can establish myself in a big city. When I say I'm from a city, what do I have? No money, no background, no family wealth, only a passionate heart. But in this era, this stuff is useless. If you want to express yourself, you'll be told you're affecting the city's appearance."
"You can't say that. I had it worse than you when I first arrived in this world. I didn't even have a legal identity, let alone anything else."
Xiao Xun waggled his finger and took another sip. "No, you're stronger than everyone here. You have the entire country of Saint Roman as your background, you have a teacher like the High Priest to guide you, and you know magic. In a world like this, you're like a cheat code. Don't use yourself as an example, because it's completely unrealistic."
"Then what's the point of you saying all this?"
Xiao Xun finished that glass of red wine directly. "I'm saying all this to prove that people like me, introverted and insecure people, how could they have had girlfriends? Not a single one.
To tell you the truth, the first time I held a girl's hand was yours, Mr. Mu. I blush just talking to girls, and I'm not even good-looking. Today, I was even mocked by a bunch of 'ugly monsters'."
After speaking, he poured himself another glass. "Mr. Mu, what about you? Besides that person named Gu, do you have any suitors in Saint Roman?"
Mu Jiahe smiled playfully. "Hero Gu did pursue me, but as you can see, he wasn't successful. As I told you, I'm not interested in the men of this world.
As for Saint Roman, I hadn't met anyone suitable before I ascended the throne as Emperor. I was so overwhelmed with national affairs every day that only in this world can I find a moment of peace."
Xiao Xun stood up and poured a full glass of red wine. "So, we're both pitiable souls in the same boat."
Mu Jiahe gestured for Xiao Xun to sit down. "Don't drink so much. Eat something quickly, then get some rest. I suspect once we go there, there won't be any more rest."
Xiao Xun looked at the wine glass in his hand. "If only I didn't have to be confined to this bedroom and could shuttle back and forth between the two realms."
"I don't have that ability. My teacher told me that this is only possible because there are spatial rifts connecting the two worlds, similar to the wormholes mentioned in this world."
Hearing Mu Jiahe say this, Xiao Xun suddenly realized, "No wonder the master bedroom in this villa is on the second floor, while the master bedroom over there is on the seventh floor. It turns out it completely depends on the location of the spatial rift."
Mu Jiahe nodded. "Exactly. Moreover, spatial rifts are not only random but also temporary. Who knows, this rift might close one day. If we were in Saint Roman, and there were no new rifts, we might not be able to return to this world. Or perhaps, there might be new rifts, and we'd go to another world. These are all unknowns."
The two of them barely ate anything, engrossed in discussing the mysteries of the universe. Finally, Xiao Xun tidied up the dining table, downed the remaining red wine, and went directly to the master bedroom on the second floor to take a shower.
This was because he feared that while he was showering, an auntie wearing a red housekeeping vest might suddenly appear before him. Although the auntie wasn't ugly, having someone suddenly appear while showering, even if it were a peerless beauty, would be unnerving for any normal person. (Except for perverts.)
Mu Jiahe mocked him for being timid, and he casually replied, "So what if I'm timid? It's better than losing my life, right?"
Xiao Xun feared mockery the least. Growing up, he had endured countless scornful glances, let alone the teasing laughter of Mu Jiahe.
After showering, he walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a pink cartoon towel. "I didn't expect our Empress to have such a girlish heart."
Mu Jiahe looked at her phone without lifting her head. "Isn't that normal? First of all, I'm a woman. No normal woman can resist such cute patterns and colors."
Xiao Xun lay comfortably on the bed. Because the entire villa had an air conditioning thermostatic system, the temperature in the bedroom was just right, not too hot or too cold, and unaffected by the outside weather.
The only drawback was the extremely high power consumption. In winter, the electricity meter spun like a stopwatch. Of course, people who could afford to live in this villa area didn't care about that electricity bill.
Mu Jiahe looked at Xiao Xun, who was lying down and staring intently at her. "Why are you staring at me like this?"
"Your Majesty, you have such a forgetful memory. Didn't you set the rule for me to only face you?"
Mu Jiahe thought for a moment, it seemed she had said something like that, and she continued to look at her phone.
Xiao Xun propped himself up on his elbow, resting his head in his hand, and looked at Mu Jiahe. "Mr. Mu, aren't you going to sleep more? Didn't you say yourself that once we go there, we might not get any rest?"
Mu Jiahe hummed in response, ignoring Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun felt bored and was about to fall asleep when Mu Jiahe suddenly said, "Do you think I should terminate the cooperation with Jingji Group? Their stock price has plummeted, and ours has also experienced significant fluctuations as a result."
That one sentence caused Xiao Xun to hit his head on the pillow, his hand flashing away from his face. "I think not only should we not cancel the cooperation, but we should also firmly grasp Jingji Group's technology and market share."
Mu Jiahe looked at the confident Xiao Xun, puzzled. "Why?"
Xiao Xun explained to Mu Jiahe, "Jingji Group's problems stem from their differential treatment of our country, not from any issues with their technology. If they truly withdraw from the domestic market, then for such a large market, only we will have their exclusive technology authorization. That's the first point. Secondly, our mobile phones are about to be launched. After they are launched, domestic products should be self-reliant!"
Mu Jiahe grasped the key point. "But besides the brand, everything else is imported."
"As long as the brand is domestic, that's enough. From the system to the chip, from the battery to the lens, not a single component is independently developed by domestic manufacturers. Don't worry, no one will pick on us for this."
He didn't consider this an issue at all.