Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"Now that you mention it..." Miss Fang suddenly remembered something, "I don't think I've asked him yet."

“I asked him,” Xiao Qiu said. “He said he went to a very far place, but he didn’t specify where… and his story sounds a bit hard to believe.”

In other words, let's be honest...

Both Li and Ning had the same thought: it was expected that Xuanze would speak the truth; after all, that's just the kind of person he is—he does what he wants without hesitation. Since he said so, and the two of them didn't seem to believe him, then things would be easier to handle. They could just make up whatever was convenient for them.

"Uh, well, it's like this," Li explained, "not long ago, Xuanze went to another place by himself."

"Huh? He's going alone?" Xiao Qiu asked in surprise. "When did he save up the money...?"

"Did he go to another city by himself?" Miss Fang was even more surprised. "My God, is nothing wrong?"

“Well… it’s not like nothing happened…” Ning made up a story based on what actually happened, “It seems like he was tricked into a pyramid scheme by someone.”

"What?!" Xiao Qiu and Miss Fang exclaimed in surprise, "They actually went to a pyramid scheme?!"

Pyramid schemes refer to illegal activities in which organizers recruit members and calculate and pay remuneration based on the number of people directly or indirectly recruited or their performance, or require members to pay a certain fee to obtain membership, thereby gaining wealth. Because of its egregious social impact, it is now notorious in China.

Well, although Xuanze didn't join some kind of pyramid scheme but rather became a hero and got scammed by the church, there's not much difference in essence, so Ning will just use that terminology.

"Ah, it's nothing," Li explained. "You all know Xuanze. After all, you've been in this world longer than we have, so you understand him better, right? Of course, Xuanze wasn't caught so easily. He not only escaped, but also called the police and had that pyramid scheme's den destroyed."

"Is it that amazing...?" Miss Fang was somewhat dumbfounded.

“Although we also find it a bit unbelievable…” Li said with a wry smile, “but it is all true… because after he escaped, the first person he encountered was us.”

Chapter 27 The Demon King's Unusual Side

They chatted as they prepared the food. When it was almost lunchtime, the sound of children playing on the stairs came from the stairs. Ms. Fang estimated that it was about time, so she and Li divided the food into plates for everyone. After they finished preparing everything, the children all rushed into the dining room next to the kitchen.

"Stop banging your bowl! Sit properly! Otherwise, you won't get to eat!"

To control the situation, Xiao Qiu went out of the kitchen to the dining room to organize the children. Her stern demeanor made her look like a teacher, and perhaps she even had the talent to be one. As one of the two oldest children in the orphanage, the younger siblings sat obediently under her authority. Come to think of it, there seem to be two "kings of the kids" in Akihabara.

When Rin saw Aki directing the children to take plates and bowls to the kitchen to serve rice and porridge, the scene was so eerily familiar. She had seen a similar scene in Akihabara during difficult times, and although it looked a bit comical, it was undeniably adorable.

Wow! It's a beautiful older sister!

"What a beautiful older sister!!"

"She's much prettier than that ugly Qiu Jie!"

"Hey! What are you saying, you little brat!"

At first, the children didn't notice that three guests had arrived at their orphanage. A few mischievous boys spotted the three sisters sitting in the corner first, and then loudly called out to them, comparing Xiao Qiu to the three of them and taking a jab at Xiao Qiu. The little devil who made a swipe at Xiao Qiu was naturally punished with a fist. Starting with the shouts of these boys, the scene once again spiraled out of control, and the children swarmed towards the three of them.

This orphanage rarely sees visitors, and the children rarely have the opportunity to go out. Whenever outsiders enter their home, they become incredibly excited, as if they've seen a new toy. The three sisters tried their best to handle the children's enthusiasm, but it was still a bit difficult. Only after Miss Fang came out of the kitchen, stopped them, and told them to eat first did they settle down and begin their lunch.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you all to help take care of the children," Ms. Fang said, walking up to the three of them to express her gratitude. "I don't really have anything to thank you for. If you'd like, how about we have lunch together?"

"Of course," Li agreed without hesitation. "Um, well, we also have something we'd like to ask Miss Fang for help with. Since we arrived in a bit of a rush, we haven't found a hotel yet. It's a little dangerous for the three of us girls to stay in a hotel together, so we were wondering if it would be alright if we stayed here temporarily for the next few days in Dali?"

"I see..." Miss Fang smiled. "You're on a trip, right? It's understandable that you wanted to ask someone you know for help since Xuanze is nearby. We have plenty of empty rooms in our orphanage. I'll help you tidy them up later, and you can take care of the children for me."

"Thank you."

Mr. Li expressed his gratitude to Ms. Fang.

Ms. Fang is a respectable person. She has dedicated half her life to supporting this orphanage, and to this day, she considers it her mission. She has raised more than a hundred children, relying on government relief and donations from charitable organizations to keep it afloat. At the end of the conversation, Ning asked Ms. Fang what she planned to do after the children grew up and moved to other places.

Ms. Fang replied that she might go to other welfare organizations to help out.

Her answer made Li and Ning thoughtful. There must be many ordinary people like Miss Fang, but this was the first time Li had encountered such a person. To be honest, it warmed Li's heart. Only after truly meeting such a person could one realize how great this was, and how deeply it touched one's heart.

She considers all the children in the orphanage her family, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have her own family. It's just that she's dedicated herself to this charitable work, and her family is very supportive. Xiao Qiu told me that Ms. Fang has a son who is currently pursuing a master's degree in university, which is truly surprising.

In Li's eyes, Miss Fang was a great person. She saw Nao's shadow in Miss Fang.

Afterwards, they ate lunch with the children. Today's lunch seemed to be very popular because of Youli's involvement, but in reality, Youli had simply helped Ms. Fang prepare some sweeter dishes to suit the children's tastes. After this incident, the children in the courtyard all looked at her with the same expression they had when they saw a food god, making Xiaoqiu feel that her status had somewhat diminished.

After dinner, Xiao accompanied the three sisters to play in the yard. Although they couldn't communicate verbally, Xiao could understand the language of this world, so there wasn't much of a problem. Besides, it was good to have her watching over the children. Xiao wasn't a child anymore; she knew what she could and couldn't do, so she was sure she could do the job well.

Xiao Qiu, being a day student, was on her way to school after finishing her meal. Li and Ning strolled around the courtyard, eventually reaching the roof of the orphanage's main building. Leaning against the railing, they watched the children and Xiao playing in the backyard, enjoying the cool breeze of Dali.

"You two are here." Xuanze walked up with a cup in his hand.

"Hey, Xuanze." Li greeted him. "How's it going? Have you finished what you needed to do?"

“It’s been done for a long time.” Xuanze leaned against the railing, looking down at the children. “I originally wanted to come back and see the old man, but I didn’t expect that the old man had already passed away. I can only say that I was dragged here by Xiao Qiu. I was actually planning to just wander around somewhere for a week.”

"You really are doing things your own way..." Li rolled her eyes at him. "I heard from Xiao Qiu that you seemed to have been caught in the rain all night last night, right?"

"More or less." Xuanze took a sip of water from his glass. "Any objections?"

"Yes, I do," Li said helplessly. "Take better care of yourself."

"It's my own body, I'm confident in it." Xuanze ignored Li's advice.

"So," Xuanze asked, "what are your thoughts after you've investigated my background so thoroughly?"

"No," Li said calmly. "I just think, you really are worthy of this."

"Heh..." Xuanze snorted, his meaning unclear.

"It's quite rare to see someone speak so politely," Ning teased. "You actually know how to talk properly."

"Really?" Xuanze frowned. "I've been speaking properly the whole time, haven't I?"

“No, that’s not speaking properly at all,” Li retorted.

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't have noticed Xuanze's change. Xuanze's usual style is ruthless; he coldly considers the pros and cons of things and then chooses the best course of action. However, this time, Xuanze was considering others based on his own will. Ning and Li both noticed this, and this subtle change was enough for them to deduce the reason.

"Say what you want," Xuanze said casually. "Whatever you think, I'm too lazy to explain."

"I really didn't expect that you, Demon King, would have such a background." Ning's words were not teasing or mocking. "I think I can understand why you said you didn't care about anything over there, but there are still some things I don't quite understand. Why did you come back here?"

"Huh?" Xuanze chuckled. "I just wanted to come and take a look, and maybe try some long-missed Earth cuisine."

"You're such an awkward person," Ning pointed out. "Isn't it just that you're worried about the people here?"

"........."

Xuanze didn't say anything, he just silently drank the plain water in his glass.

Xuanze was not such a cold-blooded demon king. He just acted like one. But in many cases, that was just his outward appearance. His actions never caused any bad consequences. In fact, most of the time he helped the other party indirectly. This did not escape Ning's notice.

She had been observing Xuanze's behavior for a long time, but after arriving here, his actions became more emotional. When Li called him that morning, she noticed something different. After meeting the people at the orphanage, it further confirmed her suspicions: Xuanze cared about the people from his hometown.

"Stop talking nonsense," Xuanze said. "You three aren't going to stay here for the next six days, are you? Don't you have some things to do? Besides, you're here on your honeymoon, aren't you?"

"Of course I won't stay here," Li explained. "But most things have been resolved, and all that's left is to travel around. I just happened to be passing through Yunnan, so I thought I'd check on you."

"Well, thank you for your trouble." Xuanze rolled his eyes at the two of them.

"Aren't you just worried that we'll put more pressure on the orphanage?" Ning said mercilessly. "Don't worry, we're leaving after tonight. Time is tight, and it's not easy to travel all over the world in a week."

"Uh……"

Li was momentarily embarrassed and unsure how to respond, as her friends all knew she was prone to attracting trouble; wherever she went, trouble seemed to follow. Xuanze's words made Li realize the problem.

"Well... never mind." Xuanze didn't intend to say more about it. "In the end, it's something no one can confirm. It makes it sound like I'm superstitious. Anyway, I can handle that little bit of trouble by myself. Are you only staying for one night?"

“Hmm,” Xuanze said, straightening out the steps he had given her. “We’ll leave tomorrow. Since time is tight, it’s best to finish the schedule in the shortest possible time.”

"That's quite a busy schedule." Xuanze finished his water and turned around. "What are the next bookings?"

"To travel all over China in one day?" Even Li himself found it hard to believe when he said it.

However, if we use our powers to slow down the passage of time, even though from an external perspective, only seven days have passed in this world... Considering that the speed of time passage is different on both sides, it doesn't seem to make much difference.

"Well, there's no need to force yourself," Ning said calmly. "There's no need to be so hard on yourself. The important thing is to have fun, right? There's no need to make the schedule so tight. It's not like you can't come back."

“I think Ning is right,” Xuanze echoed. “You don’t need to push yourself so hard. It’s not a big deal. You can always come back later if you haven’t experienced it yet. It would be a loss if you didn’t fully experience it because you were too rushed.”

For a moment, both Li and Ning looked at Xuanze with disbelief.

“I just…” Li looked at Ning, “Did I hear that right…?”

“Yes, you heard me right.” Ning herself found it incredible. “That Demon King is actually giving advice to others in a nice tone? Shouldn’t we send him back to that world beforehand?”

"Hey, I'm listening." Xuanze silently released a bit of killing intent. He didn't seem to be joking; he really meant it, because both of them could see a faint layer of magical light emanating from him.

"Wait, wait, just kidding, just kidding," Li hurriedly explained, "I just feel like you've really changed a bit, you seem much more considerate now."

"Is it that strange?" Xuanze raised an eyebrow. "It's a perfectly normal thing."

"No, no, no, this is already an extraordinary situation for us."

Perhaps, maybe... Xuanze truly cherishes his family, or perhaps yesterday's interactions have given him a slight fondness for Li, and his current style of behavior has become very cautious and considerate. The two of them didn't know what to say, and their feelings were still very complicated. However, he is both a demon king and a hero, so it's not strange that he possesses the characteristics of both.

"Well, thank you for your suggestion." Li extended his hand to Xuanze and thanked him. "You're right, there's no need to push yourself so hard."

"Let's skip the formalities." Xuanze shrugged and turned to leave. "Anyway, you guys need to get out of here by tomorrow morning. You don't even need to come back for me."

"Then I'll come back to pick you up when the time comes."

"Whatever you want."

As Li watched Xuanze's retreating figure descend the stairs, she finally felt like she was truly interacting with him. She had witnessed an unusual side of the Demon King; his return here meant that the people here were very important to him...

"Aha……"

Li turned around and looked up at the sky.

And... what about me...?

She still hasn't received any definite news about her parents.

Chapter 28 What’s supposed to come has come.

"Ok?"

When Xiao Qiu got up early in the morning to go to school, she noticed Xuan Ze sitting by the door, seemingly looking at something. Because he looked suspicious, she tiptoed over and crept up behind him. Just as she was about to get close behind him, he turned around, startling Xiao Qiu so much she jumped.

"Wow!?"

"What are you yelling for..." Xuanze sighed, then stood up. "I haven't even called out yet and you're already yelling. Do you really think I didn't know you were sneaking up behind me?"

"If you knew, don't pretend you just found out and greet me like that!" Xiao Qiu playfully punched Xuan Ze's back. "You scared me to death. By the way, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Just seeing someone off," Xuanze replied casually, then prepared to walk back.

"Give it away?" Xiao Qiu tilted her head. "Give it to whom?"

“Those three have already left,” Xuanze said. “They just left.”

"Huh?" Xiao Qiu looked incredulous. "Wait, wait, wait!? So fast? You didn't even tell us..."

"They did consider saying goodbye to you in person before leaving," Xuanze said, offering a prepared explanation. "However, they were pressed for time, and you were all still asleep, so they left first. They asked me to pass on a message: thank you for the day. That's all."

"Oh, I see..." Xiao Qiu looked regretful. "Hey, Xuan-ge, what's wrong with you? You finally found three friends, why didn't you take the opportunity to develop your relationships? Why are you just letting them go like that?"

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't know anything." Xuanze glared at her. "You probably don't know, but Chen Li and Chen Ning are a lesbian couple."

"Eh--?!"

This was probably the most shocking thing she had heard in a while. Xuanze's words were like a bomb being shoved into her head, leaving her in a state of chaos. She had actually been communicating with two girls with lesbian tendencies at such close range, and she hadn't even realized it.

"Alright." Xuanze gently pushed her head with his fingers. "It's almost time. You should go to school. Otherwise, you'll be too late."

"Oh, oh, oh! I almost forgot!" Xiao Qiu was so shocked that she didn't come to her senses for a moment. She quickly ran out the door and turned back to call out, "Remember to call them and say hello for me!"

"You're such a nagging person."

Xuanze ignored her, waved his hand, walked back into the courtyard, and closed the door. Including today, nothing unusual happened in the next five days, which Xuanze was happy to see. After all, in this world, peace was paramount. Although, on the second day after they left, a wealthy-looking young master arrived.

Upon discovering his arrival, Xuanze made an excuse to send Miss Fang away, then went alone to deal with the rich young master. This young master seemed to be after the three sisters, but they were no longer with him, so he easily dismissed him. Before leaving, the young master relentlessly pressed him for the sisters' whereabouts. Xuanze was glad he was dealing with this brainless fellow, so he released a little bit of his murderous aura, scaring him away immediately.

Before leaving, the rich young master angrily threw money at Xuanze's face, then ran away like a stray dog. After the rich young master left, Xuanze used magic to collect all the money. He could mess with anyone, but he couldn't mess with money. He remembered what the merchant in his subordinates had said. Since the man didn't want the money, Xuanze took it and used it to subsidize the orphanage's daily expenses.

Of course, because of this incident, Xuanze would sit at the door and guard it from time to time just in case. Every time he came back, he could see Xiao Qiu at a glance, so he commented.

Are you trying to be a door god?

After hearing her say that, Xuanze himself felt like he was acting as a gatekeeper; there really wasn't much difference. However, if this could ensure peace at the orphanage afterward, then it didn't matter.

Time flew by, and with her power to manipulate time and space, Ryou took Ning and Xiao on a journey around the world, experiencing almost everything imaginable. For a honeymoon, this seemed a bit unusual, but who cared? The most important thing was to start having fun. Meanwhile, Ryou and Ning had also researched related water sports, and the three of them had tried them out at the beach. They figured this competition would maintain a certain level of fairness if taken to other worlds.

Today is the last day of their journey on Earth; they have returned to China, arriving in Guangxi. This is the last thing Li is worried about; once this is resolved, she can finally rest easy. However, even so, Li still doesn't know where her parents are.

"Calm down, it won't be that bad," Ning comforted her, patting her shoulder. "Do you remember where you used to live?"

"I do remember..." Li said, her voice filled with mixed emotions, "but I don't know if they still live there..."

The three of them were currently in Li's original hometown, and Li was searching for her original home by following her memories. Her feelings were complicated, or rather, she was worried. Ning was also very nervous, but seeing Li's state, she put her nervousness aside and tried to comfort Li.

"Don't worry, Sister Li," Xiao comforted her. "I smelled something similar to Sister Li around here."