Chapter 51: We Live in Two Different Worlds

“Hmph.” Shen Shilang let out a small huff, but his face betrayed him, turning red nonetheless.

“Well then… if there’s a chance in the future, shall I let you touch me back?” Su Jinshi suggested playfully.

“You can’t even take physical form. How could I touch you?” Shen Shilang blurted out, then quickly corrected himself, “No, I wouldn’t do that anyway. It wouldn’t be gentlemanly.”

“I promise I won’t peek again,” Su Jinshi coaxed, sounding like a mischievous rogue, “I just like you so much that I couldn’t resist for a moment.”

Watching Shen Shilang’s face turn even redder, Su Jinshi mumbled, “Who told you to be so good-looking?”

Shen Shilang: “……”

His throat bobbed slightly, and though he was shy and flustered, his expression remained stern.

Su Jinshi watched as Shen Shilang, face cold, finished dressing in his new clothes. He tied his belt, adjusting it neatly.

The craftsmanship of the Xiangsha Pavilion’s tailor was impeccable—the outfit fit Shen Shilang perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders and slim waist. It made his figure appear even more elegant and refined. The golden threads woven into the fabric shimmered with subtle brilliance.

“Don’t forget the cloak,” Su Jinshi reminded him.

“Won’t it look the same once I put it on?” Shen Shilang muttered as he picked up the cloak, draped it over himself, and fastened it carefully.

Su Jinshi was completely mesmerized.

What a proud and noble young master he appeared to be.

The dark green robe and black cloak accentuated Shen Shilang’s pale, almost translucent complexion. The interplay of gold and silver threads, which could have seemed overly luxurious, looked just right on him, as if he was born to wear them. Instead of overwhelming him with grandeur, the outfit only enhanced his natural elegance, making his appearance almost understated in comparison to his innate beauty and grace.

“You look amazing,” Su Jinshi was spellbound, “Shen Shilang, let’s go to the courtyard, shall we?”

The snow in the courtyard hadn’t melted yet, and she could already imagine how stunning Shen Shilang would look, standing in the snowy landscape in that outfit.

Before Shen Shilang could respond, Su Jinshi was already pulling him outside.

The snow on the ground had been swept aside and piled up against the walls, but thick, clean snow still blanketed the rooftops, walls, and branches. Recently, Chong’an had experienced continuous heavy snowfall, and the sky was somewhat overcast.

But when Shen Shilang stood in the courtyard in his new clothes, Su Jinshi felt as if the entire world had brightened.

She quickly tried to take a screenshot with her phone, but all she captured was a black screen.

Thinking it must be a system glitch, Su Jinshi tried several more times. But no matter how many screenshots she took, they were all black.

“Is it impossible to take screenshots?” Su Jinshi muttered, frustrated. She had really wanted to make a picture of Shen Shilang her wallpaper.

At that moment, the system suddenly popped up with a message:

[System: With your help, Shen Shilang successfully prevented Wei Ruyan from purchasing the pearl hairpin. XP +]

[System: With your help, Shen Shilang successfully avoided Wei Zhaoxian being reprimanded by Emperor Jiacheng, thus averting a series of future disasters. XP +]

[System: Congratulations, you’ve leveled up to LV15. You’ve received 1500 gold coins as a reward.]

[System: Photo feature unlocked.]

Su Jinshi was thrilled, “How timely! Just when I wanted to take a picture, the feature was unlocked!”

“But why did the experience points get added so late this time? Logically, they should have been rewarded much earlier,” Su Jinshi grumbled. “Emperor Jiacheng issued the reprimand to Inspector Liu over two months ago. Why is the reward only coming now?”

Reflecting on the system prompt, Su Jinshi realised that it emphasised Shen Shilang’s success being due to her assistance. She speculated that the system might have been assessing her involvement to determine if it was enough to merit a reward.

When Wei Ruyan was about to buy the hairpin, Su Jinshi had gone ahead to investigate the shop and informed Shen Shilang, which allowed him to stop Wei Ruyan and Madam Wei. Still, she felt she hadn’t done much—just gone to take a look.

Su Jinshi felt a bit embarrassed thinking about it. After all, it was Shen Shilang who had handled everything in the end.

“Anyway, unlocking the photo feature is great!” Su Jinshi quickly activated the feature and said to Shen Shilang, “Shen Shilang, stand still right here.”

“What for?” Shen Shilang asked, confused, but obediently stayed in place.

“I’m taking a picture of you,” Su Jinshi explained. “Just look straight ahead and don’t move.”

“Alright,” Shen Shilang nodded, not fully understanding what “taking a picture” meant but complying anyway. He stared straight ahead, his eyes not daring to wander.

Su Jinshi found his behavior adorable and mumbled, “Why are you so obedient?”

“Shen Shilang, smile,” Su Jinshi said as she kept snapping pictures.

Shen Shilang looked handsome whether he smiled or not, so Su Jinshi kept taking photos nonstop.

Shen Shilang blinked in confusion, then slightly curved the corners of his mouth into a soft smile.

Su Jinshi immediately snapped more shots.

“Are we done?” Shen Shilang asked, “My face is starting to feel stiff.”

“All done, all done,” Su Jinshi said hastily. “You’re so good-looking, every shot is perfect. Even candid photos come out great.”

Shen Shilang sighed in relief, raising his hand to rub his stiffened cheeks. “By the way, what did you mean earlier by ‘taking a picture’?”

Su Jinshi seized the opportunity to explain that she wasn’t a ghost. “In my world, we have phones, cameras, all kinds of electronic devices. For example, phones and cameras can take pictures.”

“And taking a picture means you can capture exactly what you’re seeing with your eyes. Whatever you see, the camera records it. It’s like painting, but much more realistic. No matter how skilled an artist is, there’s always a gap between a painting and reality.”

“But with a camera, what you see is exactly what you get. And you don’t need to spend a long time painting—it takes just a blink of an eye to finish.”

Shen Shilang frowned slightly. What Su Jinshi described seemed too incredible.

“You have such magical things in your realm?” Shen Shilang asked in amazement. “But isn’t the underworld supposed to be a dark and terrifying place? Full of things like burning hells and mountains of blades?”

“I’ve told you many times, I’m not a ghost,” Su Jinshi emphasised. “I’m just someone living in a different time and space from you.”

“We live in two different worlds. I’m a living person,” Su Jinshi said. “Right now, I’m using a phone to talk to you, and the phone can also take pictures.”

“What’s a phone?” Shen Shilang asked, curious.

Su Jinshi had mentioned the word before, and he had wanted to ask earlier.

“A phone lets you send messages and make calls. With it, even if you’re in the capital and I’m in Chong’an, we can talk to each other in real time without any delay. It also lets you browse news from all over the world.”