Hotel.

After dinner, Luo Bing knocked on Xiaoming's door.

After Xiaoming opened the door, Luo Bing handed her a stack of small denomination bills, almost all between 1 and 5 dollars.

"What's this...?" Xiaoming didn't accept it.

"Take it," Luo Bing directly stuffed the money into Xiaoming's hand, "You haven't been to the US before, so there are certain customs you might not understand. In this country, everything requires money. Hotels, restaurants, you have to tip. If you order takeout or ask the front desk to help you purchase something, you also have to pay for that."

"I've heard about it, but what happens if I don't pay?"

"Some people won't say anything, some people might cause trouble for you behind your back. It's better to be low-key when we're in a foreign land. Even though there are some services that don't require tipping, you should still give it."

Luo Bing again handed Xiaoming a large tote bag filled with various daily necessities, and most importantly, the phone Xiaoming wanted.

"Hotels in the US usually don't have complete facilities, no slippers, no hot water, etc. If you're missing anything, just call the front desk, I'll pay for it. If there's anything I'm not sure about, come find me."

"Uh, okay... okay."

Xiaoming was a bit confused, not because of Luo Bing's words, but because of his "kind" attitude. During the day, Luo Bing looked at her with disdain, but now it seemed like he had changed completely. The contrast was too big.

"If you get kidnapped, just blink." - Xiaoming really wanted to say this, but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

After Luo Bing left, Xiaoming returned to the TV in the living room and watched for a while.

As Luo Bing said, everything here requires money, even watching TV incurs charges, and the programs were boring and hard to understand. As for the internet, the speed was slow and videos played with frequent buffering.

She gradually shifted her attention from the TV to the black stone in her hand.

Xiao Ming really wanted to retrieve her memories. The feeling of "knowing that she had lost her memories but not being able to remember" was unbearable.

She vaguely felt that a part of her lost memories was crucial to her, and even the series of problems she was currently facing were related to those lost memories.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the protagonist of a novel and couldn't find a way to recover her memories. The only thing that might help her remember the past was destroyed by a lolita named Xu Fang.

Xu Fang... What a strange name.

Xiaoming did a search on "Xu Fang" and the results were all related to anime characters and neon voice actors.

Huh, could she be a neon person? But she spoke Mandarin fluently.

Forget it, maybe she can ask her when they meet next time.

Xiao Ming walked into the bathroom while hugging a bundle of toiletries, took off her clothes, and stood under the showerhead.

After pressing the switch, water at 38 degrees poured down. The showerhead displayed a countdown: 90 minutes, indicating the duration of hot water.

This was better than the showers in the bathhouse near the school.

The showerheads in the bathhouse had to be adjusted manually, and even if you set it to the right temperature, you still had to wait for a while for the water to get hot. Here, the water was at the right temperature as soon as it came out, and the temperature adjustment was automatic. The default was 38 degrees, and if you wanted to change the temperature, you just needed to input the corresponding number, but the upper limit couldn't exceed 50 degrees.

This was the only thing Xiaoming was satisfied with in this five-star hotel.

White mist gradually filled the bathroom, and the floor-to-ceiling mirror was covered in a layer of water vapor. Xiaoming looked at her blurry reflection and sighed.

During the first few days of her transformation, she didn't dare to look at herself while bathing, but now she didn't feel anything when looking at any female. Xiaoming was somewhat concerned about her sexual orientation, but when she remembered that she didn't feel anything towards males either, she relaxed.

Just at that moment, a sudden voice came from next to her - "Xiaoming, are you just taking a shower? How about coming over and taking a bath?"

Someone?!

Xiaoming turned her head and instantly became extremely nervous. She had no idea that there was another person in the bathroom!

"Ah!"

"... Shouldn't you cover your body in this situation? Why cover your face?"

"This voice... Eh, are you Xu Fang? When did you come in?"

"I've been here the whole time, just soaking in the tub."

Xu Fang leaned against the bathtub, holding a thick book in his hands, his invisibility cloak hanging on the hook above his head. Maybe the bathtub was too big, or maybe Xu Fang's stature was small, but Xiao Ming didn't notice anyone there before.

"Then... I'll leave first."

"Why don't we wash together? I don't mind," Xu Fang said helplessly. If he was still the way he used to be, Xiao Ming probably would have thrown the shower gel at him already.

Xiao Ming thought about it and realized that Xu Fang was the guest here. Why did her master have to hide from him? Besides, she could just treat Xu Fang like a child.

Stepping into the tub and sitting in the water, Xiao Ming let out a sigh of relief.

It had to be said that the heavy fog in the bathroom greatly eased the awkward atmosphere. Through the blurry layer of water vapor, no one could see each other clearly, although Xu Fang could see Xiao Ming clearly.

"Is the water temperature okay? It's probably around 40 degrees now." It was actually over 80 degrees just now.

"Yeah, it's fine," Xiao Ming blinked and asked, "What do you have in your hands? Is it a book?"

"An English dictionary," Xu Fang said softly. "My English used to be bad, but now I have the chance to learn something."

"Xu Fang, are you Chinese or Neonian?"

"Based on the setting, I am Chinese," Xu Fang put the book into his cloak, then carefully examined Xiao Ming's body. He noticed that her breasts seemed to have developed a bit more than before. Was it due to temperature changes?

Xiao Ming didn't notice Xu Fang's gaze and continued to ask like a curious baby, "Are you friends with Luo Bing? You seem to be quite familiar with each other."

"No, he's just a stranger," Xu Fang replied.

"Then why did you help us?" After Xiao Ming finished speaking, she felt it was a little inappropriate to ask Xu Fang why he helped her. "I'm really grateful that you came to save us, but I'm just curious."

"Because of you, of course."

"Me? What about me?"

"Because I like you, so I came," Xu Fang answered.

Xiao Ming didn't expect to get such an "unserious" answer to her serious question. She felt a bit embarrassed. This guy may look like a child on the outside, but he must be an adult inside!

"Hey, I'm asking seriously!" Xiao Ming said discontentedly.

"Don't ask, asking is eradicating evil and upholding justice."

This time, Xiao Ming believed it and admired Xu Fang in her heart. "You really can use magic! Just like Luo Bing said, you can instantly blow up cars into pieces with a bang, right?"

"That's true, but don't go around telling others about my abilities, otherwise some people might come looking for trouble."

"Of course." Xiao Ming patted her chest and said, "How could I betray someone who saved my life?"

(Well, you seem to be waiting for me to extort you...)

People who don't know Xiao Ming would probably think she has a bad temper and is difficult to get along with. But those who know her would find that she is too naive and easily deceived. Xu Fang was worried that she might be taken advantage of if she followed Luo Bing.

There was another option, which was to tell Xiao Ming about his identity, tell her everything about his past, and then accompany her by her side with a clear conscience. But that would bring trouble.

If the author had the intention, he might discover Xiao Ming's importance and use her safety to threaten Xu Fang, or even kill her.

After experiencing the incident with Ye Huai, Xu Fang had developed a habit of assuming the worst of other authors' intentions.

The wise choice was to hide his identity and maintain a distant relationship with Xiao Ming and Luo Bing. But if that was the case, Xu Fang would also feel a bit regretful.

"Xiao Ming, are you still adapting to your current life? Are you still comfortable as a girl?"

"It's fine, not much different from before... Oh, do you know about my transformation?"

Xiao Ming seemed a little nervous. She completely saw Xu Fang as a loli at the moment and was afraid that this version of herself would disgust him.

"It's okay, I don't mind. I just want to ask, why did you dress up a bit like a girl before your transformation?"

"Luo Bing's mom told me to do that. She said that way, people wouldn't hate me..."

Xu Fang gently touched his forehead. It seemed that Luo Xiaoming was disliked by his relatives, and Bai Wenqiu was at least half responsible.

"What about your biological mother?"

"I don't know about my mom... Maybe she's already dead. I haven't seen her since I can remember, and my memory is not very good. I don't remember anything before I was eight. I asked my dad, but he never talked to me about it. My relatives say that it was the curse I carried that killed my mom..." Xiao Ming's expression became downcast as he touched upon the painful topic.

"Don't pay attention to rumors and filthy words. Just focus on being yourself."

Xu Fang stood up from the bathtub without even drying himself off and put on the invisibility cloak.

"Xiao Ming, I will leave in a few days. After I'm gone, get along well with your brother. Luo Bing has a decent character and can be trusted as family."

"And don't be sad about Luo Qingyuan leaving. When you go back to your country, try to make some friends. Don't let other people's words influence you. Your life belongs to yourself."

Xu Fang opened the door to the bathroom.

Xiao Ming stared blankly at Xu Fang's back and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To sunbathe."

It was already 9 o'clock at night, and it was pitch black outside.

"Xu Fang, did we know each other before?" Xiao Ming suddenly asked.

Xu Fang's footsteps paused for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, he casually replied, "No, I don't think so. Maybe you remembered it wrong."