At the Blaze Hotel, in front of an empty lobby, under the dim yellow light.

Chen Ai sat at the table, propping his face with his hand, watching Pecco with an expressionless face. Pecco was voraciously devouring her sixth plate of fried rice.

On the table, there were two plates, already swept clean.

These were Chen Ai's own treasured stewed beef and pork jerky, brought out to welcome Pecco. Even he himself didn't usually treat himself to them, yet they were wiped out by Pecco in the blink of an eye, causing his heart to ache.

In addition to this, Chen Ai had already stir-fried two pots of rice. Now he was considering whether to fry a third one. Judging by Pecco's way of eating, perhaps he should go buy rice tomorrow.

Once she started eating, Pecco's timid demeanour instantly disappeared, replaced by a ghoulishly vicious one.

She seemed like a hungry ghost reborn, her amber eyes fiercely staring at the fried rice, filling her mouth with it incredibly.

Based on Chen Ai's observation, her small mouth has almost not stopped since half an hour ago.

Pecco was still eating, her speed showed no signs of decreasing. She has now reached the seventh plate.

No, correct that, with this way of eating, he should refrain from buying rice tomorrow and simply go bankrupt. Could she eat an entire table's worth of food by herself without bringing him to his knees?

The Blaze Hotel went bankrupt because the staff ate too much - if Michelle knew about this, she would probably die of laughter.

"Uh!" Just as Chen Ai was thinking this, the wolf girl's gluttonous feast came to an abrupt halt, she dropped her spoon, her eyes wide open, a hand desperately covering her mouth.

"Are you ok? Ah..." Chen Ai walked over to Pecco, it was at this point that he noticed Pecco's belly had risen high, looking extremely disproportionate compared her skinny body.

Chen Ai almost questioned whether her stomach had been burst.

Under Chen Ai's concerned gaze, the little wolf girl stared at her plate, gulping hard as she laboriously swallowed the rice in her mouth.

Then she reached out her trembling hand and once again grabbed the spoon.

"Is there still a need to eat under such circumstances? Do you and the fried rice have some deep-seated grudge?" Chen Ai forcefully snatched the spoon from the little wolf girl’s hand, both amused and aggrieved.

…

"You can use this set of toiletries, toothbrush, towel, basin... well, you can wear my clothes for now, I'll go buy you work clothes tomorrow."

Chen Ai was rummaging through the cabinet for daily necessities, with Pecco standing behind him.

Since getting off the dining table, Pecco had returned to her previous shy demeanor, burying her head, drooping her ears, her hands nervously twisted in front of her, a world apart from her ferocity at the dining table.

The speed at which she changed faces left Chen Ai dumbstruck.

Chen Ai handed a huge pile of daily necessities to Pecco: "Go take a bath first, there's an outdoor hot spring in the backyard, you can soak in it after your bath."

"Hot spring?" Pecco looked up in surprise, there were no hot springs within the demi-human territory, she had only heard of something called a hot spring from her parents but had never actually seen one.

Upon hearing Chen Ai mention that there was a hot spring here, Pecco's small heart faintly held a trace of anticipation.

"Yes, the only hot spring in all of Herring City." Chen Ai proudly proclaimed, giving a thumbs up.

After bathing, Pecco, draped in a bathrobe, walked through the interior door to the backyard of the Blaze Hotel.

Two rows of camellia and maple trees were planted at the base of the wall, quietly enclosing the entire courtyard, a pavilion was situated in the distance.

At the middle of the courtyard, white steam was rising. Unlike the hot spring hotels in the imperial capital, Chen Ai opted for irregular low stones instead of the popular glazed tiles, surrounding a pond of spring water, blending seamlessly with nature. The night lamps hanging on the tree branches spread all the way down to the cobblestone path underfoot, exuding a sense of tranquillity.

Chen Ai, in his previous life, loved soaking in hot springs. After he arrived on the Star Continent, he discovered that all the hot springs here were indoor ones, confined within rigid pools. Chen Ai sneered at the taste of the Star Continent. He thought that compared to a hot spring, they felt more like bathhouses.

So when Chen Ai decided to build a hot spring in the Blaze Hotel, he tried his best to incorporate the most oriental elements from his memory, he designed dozens of blueprints just for it. The arrangement of every plant and tree in the backyard was filled with Chen Ai's envisioned Eastern philosophy.

If regular patrons of the hot springs on the Continent of Morning Star were here, they would undoubtedly be astonished by Chen Ai's unique and exquisite design. However, having never seen a hot spring before, Pecco was naturally oblivious to the distinct arrangement of Chen Ai's backyard. At this moment, she was solely interested in the spring water steaming in the middle of the yard.

After walking along the gravel path and reaching the edge of the pool, Pecco stretched her fair little foot from under her bathrobe and lightly touched the water surface, causing gentle ripples to dance across the mirror-like water. "It's so hot!" It was indeed warm spring water! After making a few attempts, Pecco, who had adapted to the temperature, finally soaked her entire body into the spring water. The comfort of the warm spring was like a soothing hand, calming her entire body. In the tranquil backyard, Pecco displayed a relaxed look for the first time.

The second and third floors of Bryce Hotel were all guest rooms. Chen Ai's room was located at the innermost corner on the second floor, a relatively secluded space. At present, he was standing in a room directly opposite his door, managing the room independently. The room was furnished with four beds, matching tables, chairs, and washstands.

Initially, he intended to use this place as staff quarters. This room was for female employees, and next door was similar accommodation for the male staff. However, due to his financial austerity measures, no one had lived here since Bryce Hotel had opened. The furniture had already gathered a thin layer of dust.

Upon cleaning the staff quarters, Chen Ai laid comfortable mattresses and soft quilts on the beds near the windows. Finally, the dormitories exhibited a bit of life. Though Bryce Hotel had lost five gold coins that day and gained an employee— a helpless and pitiful little girl who consumes food, deep down, Chen Ai felt genuinely pleased.

Perhaps he had been alone for too long after that battle. Fundamentally, Chen Ai was also someone who enjoyed an active environment and could not stand loneliness. It was not because seeing the disheveled, sleepy-eyed loli beast-girl every morning made him happy!

Gazing from the window toward the backyard, the location of the hot spring was shrouded in a thin mist, making it impossible to see clearly. This was a barrier Chen Ai had deliberately set up. From inside the hot spring, one could look outside, but the interior was not visible from outside. Thus, guests could enjoy the surrounding scenery without worrying about exposing themselves.

"Speaking of which, it has been almost an hour now. Why hasn't Pecco finished her bath yet? Don't tell me she fainted… Oh no!"

Chen Ai was suddenly alarmed. He flung open the window, jumped down from the second floor and rushed to the hot spring. Upon entering the barrier, he found that Pecco had fainted naked by the hot spring edge.

Indeed, Pecco was young, and her physical condition was very poor. The exhausting journey of travelling while being sold had completely worn her out. A weakened person like her was the least suitable for hot springs.

Chen Ai slapped his forehead in regret.

He picked up the robe thrown aside, carefully wrapped Pecco in it, and with a few leaps, jumped back up to the dormitory on the second floor.

Pecco's eyes were unfocused and she felt the world spin around her. A pair of large hands lifted her from the cold ground and placed her on a soft bed—this was the first time she had slept on a bed in nearly two months.

After taking a moment to rest, Pecco gradually regained consciousness and her blurred vision started to clear up.

Before her eyes, a figure painted in Noir was stretching out a hand towards her head.

"Ah!" Pecco was startled and tried to sit up but her strength was drained. She could only watch helplessly as the hand slowly touched her head.

Her vision cleared again, revealing her new master's concerned face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't consider your situation. Your body is too weak now, it's not suitable to bathe in a hot spring."

Pecco remained silent, but Chen Ai didn't mind.

"Get a good night's sleep for now; we'll deal with the rest tomorrow. Good night, Pecco."

After ensuring that Pecco was alright, Chen Ai left the room and turned off the magic core lamp. The room was bathed in the gentle glow of the night.

Pecco laid in bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. She kept her ears perked up, alert to her surroundings. Only after she was sure that Chen Ai had also gone to sleep, did she slowly close her eyes.