I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 160 - 160 159. Real punishment huh _1

Chapter 160: 159. Real punishment, huh! _1 Chapter 160: 159. Real punishment, huh! _1 In the evening, Lu Ban was still working.

As for Qin Tiantian, the sound of playing video games had disappeared from the living room at some point, and she might have fallen asleep.

Lu Ban checked the time, 6:30 p.m., it was time to go downstairs for dinner.

Man is iron, food is steel, without a full stomach how can one have the energy to work.

“Wangchuan?”

As he put the computer to sleep, he called out, but got no response.

“Really asleep?”

Lu Ban went into the living room, only to find that Qin Tiantian was not curled up on the sofa hugging her beloved shark pillow.

She was not in the living room.

The game remained paused on the screen, with the shark pillow lying on the sofa and the air friend sitting next to the pillow.

But Qin Tiantian was nowhere to be found.

“Could it be…”

Lu Ban glanced in the bathroom.

The Lu Ban in the mirror declared his innocence; he knew nothing.

Back in the living room, Lu Ban asked the air friend, and noticed that, at some point, the living room window had been opened, with the curtains swaying in the breeze, bringing in a hint of chill.

Lu Ban slowly approached the window and heard what seemed like a noisy commotion coming from downstairs.

Sticking his head out the window, Lu Ban saw a crowd of old men and women gathered below, discussing something around an object.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell suddenly rang, and Lu Ban withdrew his head.

He went to the door and peered out through the peephole.

The corridor was empty, nothing there.

Ding-dong—

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang again.

Lu Ban opened the door.

“I’m exhausted, you’d better give me a proper thank you!”

Qin Tiantian, with bags of takeout in her hands, squeezed into the room.

“You went downstairs to buy takeout?”

Lu Ban asked.

“Yeah, I thought you must be under time pressure to rush the movie, so I just went downstairs and bought dinner back. How’s that, isn’t it considerate?”

Qin Tiantian proudly puffed up her considerate chest.

“?”

Lu Ban wondered if he should not have shown this woman the unfinished segments of his work.

Now, she was nagging for updates at home.

“Oh yeah, oh yeah, I saw water chestnut cake downstairs! Water chestnut cake, have you had it when you were a kid? I didn’t expect to find it here in Jiangcheng!”

Qin Tiantian jiggled the plastic bag in her hand.

“Ah, so that’s what they were selling downstairs.”

Lu Ban took another glance downstairs, then closed the window.

Qin Tiantian proceeded to lay out the takeout on the table. It looked like she had made a trip to the back street and brought back a variety of snacks like pan-fried buns, fruit ice porridge, barbecue, fried skewers, mini wontons, and grilled kebab rolls.

And of course, the water chestnut cake.

Lu Ban had tried two kinds of water chestnut cake: one was similar to jelly, clear and translucent, and the other was made from water chestnut flour mixed with sticky rice flour, then steamed with brown sugar. The latter was especially memorable to him because it was made in a special wooden container in a pressure cooker.

Qin Tiantian bought the second kind.

Actually, Lu Ban couldn’t remember where he had eaten this kind of water chestnut cake before, and of course, he didn’t know where Qin Tiantian had tasted it either.

The TV switched to the news, and the two sat on the living room sofa eating dinner.

“Indeed, sugary soda is always more joyful; sugar-free is heresy!”

Qin Tiantian guzzled down a large glass of ice-cold cola, not at all worried about consuming too much sugar.

Indeed, with her junior high school physique, so flat front and back, even if she gained weight, she might just evolve to a high school level. Kids’ nutrition these days is so good that Tiantian might not even be able to compete.

The news was broadcasting some local information from Jiangcheng, including the aforementioned demolition of Nanhua Private Renji Hospital and the adjacent shopping mall.

“According to our station, Jiangcheng Industries, which acquired Nanhua Private Renji Hospital and Fulai Shopping Mall, announced yesterday their renovation plans for these two buildings. After demolition, they will establish a Jiangcheng City Museum to house historical artifacts and materials collected by Jiangcheng Industries related to Jiangcheng’s history, and it will be free to the public…”

“The Jiangcheng police recently announced that they have formally arrested the suspect in a series of homicides that occurred in Jiangcheng. The interrogation is proceeding in an orderly fashion, and at the same time, police officials remind the public to be mindful of their safety when out and about, and not to go alone to secluded places…”

“Jiangcheng Ocean Park will commence its trial operation soon. The park has introduced precious marine life such as penguins, seals, and dolphins. With a total area of 30 hectares and a planned construction area of 200,000 square meters, which includes fifteen exhibition halls and four major marine animal interactive projects, it will be a great destination for citizens’ holiday travel…”

“A spectacle unfolded recently at Heshan Botanical Garden, where thousands of lavender plants bloomed in late autumn. This unusual blooming phenomenon has attracted the attention of residents. According to the garden’s experts, the flowering time of lavender is influenced by temperature, humidity, light, and other factors. Although flowering in autumn is unusual, it’s still possible…”

“According to our foreign correspondent, the unusual storm in the Pacific has subsided. The cruise ship ‘Star Cluster,’ carrying 320 Jiangcheng citizens, has docked. Some passengers witnessed volcanic eruptions and the formation of islands during the storm and have documented footage. Our reporters will continue to follow up on the safety of the passengers on board…”

“Heshan Botanical Garden, huh? I’ve been in Jiangcheng for so long and haven’t been there yet.”

Qin Tiantian said wistfully as she ate her fruit ice porridge.

“You’re not from Jiangcheng, and your university isn’t here either. How did you come to Jiangcheng?”

Lu Ban couldn’t help but ask.

He himself had graduated from Jiangcheng University and it made sense for him to stay here.

As for Qin Tiantian, as a virtual YouTuber who neither showed her face nor needed to attend any events, there was no need to be in a city like Jiangcheng where housing prices were incredibly high.

“Me? I used to work here in Jiangcheng, and then I lost my job. I didn’t want to go back to my hometown for the time being, met a few friends, and became a virtual YouTuber. As long as I can make money, I can’t be bothered to move. The internet speed here is fast!”

Qin Tiantian answered casually.

“You’ve worked before? Child labor is not allowed now, right?”

Lu Ban couldn’t resist teasing.

“Screw off, I was a legitimate idol before, an adorable girl, okay!”

Qin Tiantian slapped the table.

“You? An idol?”

Lu Ban found it incredulous.

The aesthetic standards of young people seemed a bit suspect.

“Tsk, let’s not talk about the past. Anyway, I’m enjoying the freedom now.”

Qin Tiantian had no intention of elaborating on her past, perhaps her life as an idol had left her with deep scars.

Lu Ban, with high emotional intelligence, didn’t pry further.

After dinner and sorting the trash, one continued to work, and the other carried on playing games and watching videos.

Late at night, Lu Ban stretched languidly and heard the TV still on outside, but Qin Tiantian’s voice was absent.

Walking out of the room, he saw that she had already fallen asleep on the sofa, hugging a shark pillow.

Lu Ban pulled a blanket out of the cupboard, covered her with it, and told his air friend and the Lu Ban in the mirror to look after her. Then he went to brush his teeth, returned to his room, closed the door, and prepared to sleep.

Before sleeping, Lu Ban took out his phone and casually browsed Weibo.

He soon saw more about the cruise ship mentioned in the news they had watched during dinner.

It seemed a passenger on the cruise ship had posted a video captured during the storm at sea.

One could see an island, emerging faintly amidst the tumultuous ocean waves.

Lu Ban examined it closely, his brow furrowing.

“Is that… are there buildings on that island?”