It had been raining constantly lately.
Though it was only afternoon, the sky was as gloomy as dusk. The residential complex was home to wealthy people who treated time as money, planning every minute and second with extreme precision. On rainy days like this, naturally, no one came out to appreciate the unpleasant rainy scenery.
Soon, the security guard at the entrance pressed a button, and a slender man holding a black umbrella passed through the pedestrian gate, walking in unhurriedly.
He had one hand in his pocket, wore a black mask on his face, and his bangs, which he hadn't paid attention to earlier, were dampened by the rain, tangling and covering his eyebrows.
At the bottom of Building Five, there was a flower shop with consistently mediocre business.
Nan Yan usually wouldn't notice it, but today, as he passed by, he caught sight of a small potted plant in front of the shop. It contained an unknown little grass, its leaves splashed by raindrops falling from above, trembling and swaying, conveying a sense of pity.
Nan Yan had already walked past, but the pitiful image lingered in his mind, causing him to step back.
The flower shop owner was busy inside arranging flowers and plants, seemingly unconcerned with this little grass left outside. He hadn't even bothered to bring it in to shelter it from the rain.
Nan Yan called out to the owner, his clear voice somewhat muffled by the sound of rain, and asked, "How much for this potted grass?"
The owner turned his head in surprise, seeing a young man all bundled up, unreadable. He then returned his attention to rescuing the Lan Xuehua, casually saying, "Ten yuan."
The little grass seemed to be blown by the cool wind, swaying more vigorously, almost as if it was angry, flailing about.
Nan Yan, having somehow personified this little grass, chuckled to himself. He reached out with his clean hand, picked up the potted plant, and let it shelter under his umbrella. Then he scanned the payment code at the shop entrance and paid.
The little grass had been rained on for a while, and the soil in the pot had accumulated rainwater. As he walked, water seeped out from the pot's gap, dripping onto his pristinely white hand.
Nan Yan didn't mind at first, but suddenly he noticed that the little grass, twisted by the wind, had formed a heart shape, as if it was making a heart sign at him.
Nan Yan freed up one finger and, following his imagination, gently stroked the tip of the grass, as if patting its little head.
Jiang Yan struggled to control her excitement, worried that if the grass suddenly came to life, it might scare the person away.
She criticized the flower shop owner to the System for selling her for only ten yuan, which was actually an indirect complaint about the System for giving her this lousy identity.
The System did feel guilty, as it was intentional. It could only comfort Jiang Yan, saying that she would transform into human form in a couple of days.
...
Nan Yan returned to his apartment and casually placed the little grass on the table.
He rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen to prepare some food. He brought out semi-prepared shrimp paste pancakes, fried to a golden, juicy perfection; and boiled noodles with two slices of bacon and two vegetable strips, which somehow looked deliciously appealing.
Nan Yan had just eaten a few bites of noodles when he looked up and saw the tip of the little grass on the table moving on its own, pointing towards the noodles, as if it had come to life.
Nan Yan blinked in disbelief, and when he opened his eyes again, the little grass was standing obediently in its pot, as if he had imagined it all.
Jiang Yan dared not speak, only communicating with the System, looking pitifully at the noodles and saying, "I'm almost starving to death."