After leaving the hospital, Lu Weizhu wandered around various nearby shops.
“Excuse me, do you need any help here?”
“Are you looking for a waitress? Or someone to wash dishes?”
“Do you need a cashier?”
“Would you like someone to hand out flyers?”
Dressed in a thin white long dress, she walked back and forth through the streets.
The handprint on her face had faded, leaving only a large red swelling, still attracting attention.
Perhaps because of the heavy burden on her shoulders, Lu Weizhu tried her best to ignore the strange looks from passersby.
“Sorry, we don’t need anyone in the kitchen.”
“We’re not hiring cashiers.”
“No vacancies here, try somewhere else.”
Unfortunately, even though she ignored the stares, the marks on her face still brought her a lot of trouble.
The shopkeepers she met all spoke in unfriendly tones.
Lu Weizhu hit a wall everywhere she went, until finally, she only managed to find a job at a Maid Café.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
Standing in front of the counter, Lu Weizhu kept bowing to the shop owner.
The café owner was a young woman, about the same height as Lu Weizhu, with a single ponytail and dressed in a fancy maid outfit.
“There’s nothing to thank me for, it’s just mutual benefit.”
She curled her lips.
Lu Weizhu’s attitude was so sincere that the young owner felt a bit embarrassed.
“Anyway, it’s just me here for now, so having another person makes things easier. It’s hard to hire people, and it’s rare to find someone as pretty as you willing to do this job. Beauty needs to be maintained. There are a few good-looking people among the poor, but they’re still a minority. As for the rich…the rich wouldn’t humble themselves to serve others.”
“You’ll start work tomorrow. I’ll provide the uniform and some training. Eight hours a day, two days off a month, extra for holidays. Salary is settled monthly, base pay is six thousand, any tips from customers are yours, and I won’t pay in advance. You have to work at least a month before you get paid.”
For now, the job search problem was temporarily resolved.
When she left the café, Lu Weizhu still felt a bit dazed.
The conditions the owner offered were unbelievably good.
Maybe she should feel lucky to have such a pretty face; otherwise, she didn’t think she could have gotten this job.
“Whew…Eight hours a day, I should still be able to find some other part-time jobs.”
Shaking her head, Lu Weizhu clenched her fists and tried to encourage herself.
But soon after, she realized a more important problem still hadn’t been solved.
Salary couldn’t be paid in advance, and with what little money she had left in her bank card, it wasn’t enough to cover Lu Weiyu’s surgery.
Her joy vanished without a trace.
“If only Weiyu hadn’t gotten sick…”
Feeling down, she often had such fantasies.
Returning to her lost and helpless state, she walked the streets, thinking about where she could get quick cash.
Her relatives had long blocked her, online loans were totally unreliable, and with her credit, no regular bank would lend her much.
Selling blood…
She had just donated blood not long ago, so they wouldn’t let her draw again now.
“What should I do?”
Even a hero can be stumped by a single coin—how true those words were.
Her mind raced, and Lu Weizhu gripped her forearm tightly, trying to use the pain to come up with an idea.
Gradually, a name surfaced in her mind.
Bai Lu, her former sponsor.
Not long ago, Bai Lu’s white moonlight had warned her.
By all rights, she shouldn’t go back to her.
But thinking of her younger sister waiting for surgery in the hospital, Lu Weizhu couldn’t let go of her only lifeline.
“If it’s just borrowing money, it should be fine, right? I’ll pay it back later…Yes, I’ll pay it back.”
Muttering to herself, Lu Weizhu started walking.
She headed toward the apartment building she remembered.
In fact, it wasn’t Bai Lu’s home, just the place where Bai Lu used to meet her.
Lu Weizhu wasn’t sure if Bai Lu was still there; all she could do was try her luck.
Walking under the scorching sun, sweat soaked her clothes.
By the time she returned to the Apartment Building, it was nearly dusk.
She stood in front of the building for a while, then forced herself to walk inside.
Inside the Apartment Building, children chased and played from time to time.
Lu Weizhu clutched the corner of her clothes, feeling uneasy.
When she got to the elevator, Lu Weizhu could hear the machinery at work.
As the elevator doors opened, she saw someone she didn’t want to see—
Ning Wan.
Wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and loose pants, her outfit was casual and approachable.
There was a confident smile on her face, but that smile collapsed the moment she saw Lu Weizhu.
“!”
Startled, Lu Weizhu quickly lowered her head.
It was too late to think—she turned around and hurried toward the exit.
Frowning, Ning Wan reached out and grabbed Lu Weizhu’s wrist.
With a little force, the girl’s body tilted back and fell at Ning Wan’s feet.
Ning Wan walked over and looked down at the girl before her.
The face that resembled hers by eight-tenths was filled with panic and unease.
The person in front of her was like her, but not quite.
Speaking of which, when Ning Wan was younger, she had imagined what it would be like to be bullied.
But with her background, no one would dare bully her, nor could she pay someone to do it.
Looking at the disheveled “herself” in front of her, wasn’t there a certain peculiar amusement?
With extra thoughts in her heart, her expression still remained angry.
Ning Wan bent down and pinched Lu Weizhu’s chin.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come again? Do you like Bai Lu that much? Or do you just like her money?”
The disgust in her eyes was obvious as her fingertips rubbed the swollen half of the girl’s face.
That was a mark she had left.
“…I…I’m not here for that kind of thing.”
Lu Weizhu blushed.
She swatted Ning Wan’s hand away.
“I’m here to borrow money. Someone in my family is sick and needs money urgently.”
She explained in a hurry, trying to get up, but Ning Wan pressed her head down and forced her back to the ground.
Sitting on the floor, Lu Weizhu found it absurd.
They were both women—how could this person be so strong?
She couldn’t understand it.
“Heh, plenty of people say that kind of crap.”
Ning Wan raised her eyebrow.
For the sake of family—this was the excuse most often used by those selling themselves.
Her impression of Lu Weizhu dropped even lower.
“Miss Ning, I’m not lying.”
Barely managing to stay calm while being held down by one hand, Lu Weizhu did not like this feeling.
Patting someone’s head—wasn’t that something elders or close friends did?
Obviously Ning Wan was neither, so it could only be an insult.
“I don’t care. No matter what your reason is, I won’t let you see Bai Lu.”
Ning Wan squatted down, pressed harder, and with a crisp sound, Lu Weizhu’s forehead met the floor tiles, her mind going blank.
“She’s mine.”
Ning Wan narrowed her eyes, grabbed Lu Weizhu’s hair, and lifted her head.
“You want money, right?”
Staring at the face that looked so much like her own, Ning Wan came up with an idea.
“Come with me. Since you like being someone’s lover, what does it matter who you do it for?”
Maybe it was for fun, or maybe to get back at Bai Lu.
Either way, Ning Wan made an unexpected proposal.
She grabbed Lu Weizhu’s shoulder and pulled her to her feet.
“Come with me.”
As soon as she finished, Ning Wan left alone, leaving Lu Weizhu where she was.