Chapter 23: The Sudden Appearance of the Beautiful Maiden

Closer and closer... Du Yun’s heart pounded chaotically, her thoughts flying in all directions.

“Oh, I’m really about to be kissed by a god-like oppa! My first kiss, which I’ve guarded for so many years, is finally going to be given away... ahhh...”

“A little closer, just a little closer. Wow, his eyelashes are so long, they could almost brush my face...”

“Oh no, I was busy taking a shower just now and forgot to brush my teeth. Will my breath smell? Will it? Will it?”

Her mind a whirl, Du Yun felt her body growing hotter and hotter. She wasn’t even sure when she’d been laid upon the kang; all she could see was how handsome the eldest was, how mesmerizing he looked as he gazed at her with such focus. Usually so cold and taciturn, yet even just a kiss from him felt like the greatest happiness.

He, too, seemed bewitched. Quietly, he gazed at Du Yun, her hair like a stream of moonlight. Her figure was plain, nothing especially eye-catching, yet her bright eyes and lively expressions stirred something within him—a sudden urge to kiss her, hard and deep.

Those slightly parted, pale pink lips looked so soft, so tempting.

They leaned closer, the heat between them rising, their overlapping shadows in the moonlight enough to make anyone blush and their heart race. And just as their lips were about to meet, a sudden dizziness overtook Du Yun, as if she were falling, weightless. In the blink of an eye, her figure vanished from the spot.

The eldest, burning with desire, could only stare dumbfounded as the girl who had just been warm and fragrant in his arms disappeared without a trace. His expression shifted through a range of emotions, utterly stunned.

It was a long while before he climbed to his feet, raking his hair in frustration, his eyes reddened as he ground out, “Du Yun, no matter where you run, I will find you and bring you back!”

“Ah!” Everything before Du Yun’s eyes twisted and blurred. Her head spun, and she had no idea what was happening. When she finally regained her senses, the soft glow of a lamp and the figure sitting beside it caught her attention.

“Mother?” Du Yun asked tentatively. What was going on? Wasn’t she in the zombie world about to kiss her dream guy? How had she suddenly returned to Bluewater Star?

“Go back to sleep, it’s still dark outside.” The figure turned at the sound, set down her sewing, and reached over to touch Du Yun’s forehead, smiling gently at her.

“Mm...” Du Yun nodded, glanced at the farmer’s calendar on the wall, and obediently closed her eyes. She looked as though she’d drifted off, but within her mind, thoughts were running wild.

Had she just transmigrated back? What was happening?

She hadn’t even gotten to kiss her dream guy yet! Such a once-in-a-lifetime chance, ruined by this sudden transmigration!

“Douzhi, you little troublemaker, get out here!” she howled inwardly, torn between crying over her lost kiss and rejoicing at her safe return to Bluewater Star.

No answer. Angry, she had no choice but to stew in silence. Ever since she’d slain her second zombie, Douzhi had seemed low on power, and ever since she’d met up with the eldest and his group, Douzhi had gone completely silent. Now, a flicker of worry crept in.

“Hey, are you okay?” she called silently within her mind. “If you’re not working, I wouldn’t have been able to transmigrate, right? So you must be awake, but you’re pretending to be missing, aren't you?”

“Uh... Master... I really didn’t mean to ruin your moment...” At long last, the chubby blue bot’s voice sounded again, and Du Yun’s taut nerves eased a little. But what he said next made her anger flare up all over again.

“You didn’t mean to ruin my moment, and you say that to my face? My first kiss, guarded all these years, was just a hair’s breadth away from being given to my dream guy!”

“What’s a first kiss, anyway? Just kiss someone else...” Douzhi clearly didn’t understand her agitation, thinking she simply wanted a kiss. “If I had a mouth, I’d give you a kiss myself!”

“People aren’t interchangeable! That was my dream guy, do you understand? Look at that body, that face, those eyes—he’s perfect! No celebrity from my era could compare! How could just anyone substitute for him?” Du Yun went on, completely forgetting any feminine restraint, feeling utterly cheated at missing out on a kiss with her idol.

“I’m sorry, master... I’m really sorry, okay...” Though Douzhi was just an AI, he felt as if Du Yun’s tirade was going to drive him to distraction. “If I had eyes, they’d be spinning right now...”

“Sorry isn’t enough! If apologies worked, what would we need interstellar police for?” Du Yun huffed, still indignant.

“Master, how about I unlock the knowledge graph search function for you? You’ll be able to search everything in my databanks as compensation, how about that?” Bombarded by Du Yun’s fury, Douzhi caved in. Although her sudden return to Bluewater Star had been an accident during his system repair, he really had messed up her big moment.

“Search? I don’t know if that’s useful, but open it anyway. And I want fifteen more storage slots.” Sensing his capitulation, Du Yun immediately demanded more.

“Okay, but I can only add five...” Douzhi agreed instinctively, then caught himself, trying to haggle.

“Fifteen! Not one less!” Du Yun insisted.

“Ten, that’s the limit!” Douzhi gritted his teeth. “Next time you transmigrate, I’ll give you advance warning.”

“Another transmigration? That means I’ll get to see my dream guy again? Alright, ten it is!” If she had advance notice, she could prepare weapons and supplies, which was more practical than a few extra slots. She relented, exhaling deeply as her body relaxed.

With her mood improved, Du Yun’s mind grew clearer. The date on the farmer’s calendar was unmistakably the day before she’d first transmigrated to the zombie world. The sky outside was still pitch-black, and her mother hadn’t yet gone to bed—night had only just fallen. That meant that even though she’d spent a day and a night in the zombie world, only a moment had passed here on Bluewater Star.

For the zombie world, it had been a long time. For Bluewater Star, it was but an instant—her transmigration was as quick as a flash.

Realizing this, Du Yun was suddenly excited. Didn’t that mean she’d gained all that extra time? Wide awake now, she rolled over—and immediately felt a chill on her body. Her eyes flew open as she realized something important: she seemed to have come back completely naked!