Miss Luo… she really does seem to like me a lot.
That attitude—it’s obviously not just for novelty’s sake, or just for fun.
She genuinely treats me as her lover.
“What am I supposed to do about this…”
Yijinmo knew very well that she didn’t want to date anyone yet, much less get married, even if the other party was a filthy rich, silver-haired beauty.
But with Miss Luo like that, soft or hard tactics wouldn’t work; rejecting her would be extra difficult.
Sigh.
If it were Vita, she would definitely tell her to use this chance to ruthlessly milk Miss Luo for gold coins.
“……”
The “slums” was actually just a nickname people used; officially, this area where vagrants and the poor gathered was called the Lower District.
Its main features were the densely packed old apartment buildings, the maze of deep, winding alleys, and the tangled electric wires coiling around like long snakes or earthworms.
You couldn’t say there was no law and order at all, but it was only just barely better than nothing.
The only real advantage here might be the housing prices—these were the cheapest in all of Jiangnan City, even more affordable than the suburbs.
Following the route in her memory, the girl soon arrived in front of a small bungalow.
This was Vita’s home.
Although it still looked a far cry from the proper apartment complexes in the city, compared to other families in the Lower District, it had doors, windows, and walls—it could count as a cozy little house.
She came to the door, fished a key from under her skirt, and unlocked it.
With a tooth-aching creak, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted out from inside, sweeping away the strange smells outdoors… The living room’s furnishings were still the same as always: the sofa, the coffee table, and that huge old television that no one knew how many years it had been used.
After closing the door again, at the same time, a pink figure emerged from the bedroom.
“Is that… Xiao Yi?”
“It’s me, Mrs. Celine.”
“I came back to see you.”
“You child… Where have you been busy these past three days? Just like Vita, once you get caught up in something, you both vanish without a trace.”
Though she was still lecturing these thoughtless children, the pink-haired woman still carefully approached, raising her hand to rest on Yijinmo’s head, gently stroking her.
Mrs. Celine was a truly elegant woman, in the prime of her life.
It seemed that the river of time had done nothing to her appearance.
If she just changed out of her housewife’s clothes and into something youthful and stylish, even walking alongside Vita, no one would guess they were actually mother and daughter.
But such a stunning Western woman was born frail and sickly, and had lost her sight in an accident.
Her fiancée had left her as well.
Even so, she never gave up.
In a foreign land, she gave birth to Vita alone and raised her all the way to adulthood.
Back then, when faced with the Yijinmo whom Vita had brought home, Mrs. Celine hadn’t abandoned her either.
Instead, she provided meticulous care and treatment, pulling the weak girl back from the brink of death, and treated her as a second daughter.
Such a great Mrs. Celine truly deserved for Yijinmo to call her “Mom” from the bottom of her heart.
Though she still craved the comfort of having her head patted, Yijinmo forced herself to perk up, took Mrs. Celine’s hand, and led her to sit back down on the sofa in the living room.
“I had some urgent things to do these days, but no matter how busy I am, I’ll always come to see you.”
“After all, I am your favorite daughter, right~”
“You little rascal.”
The woman laughed, reaching out to pinch Yijinmo’s soft cheek.
“This glib tongue—you learned it from Vita, didn’t you?”
“Hehe, you’re the easiest to tease, Madam.”
“Have you had lunch? Want me to make you something?”
“No need, no need. A friend treated me to a meal. She’s really generous and treats me very well.”
So well, she’s treating me like her wife.
“It’s good to have friends, but you can’t just enjoy their kindness without giving back. Xiao Yi, you should help out wherever you can too, okay?”
“Of course I will.”
Swinging her legs comfortably, Yijinmo tilted her head, leaning it gently on Madam’s shoulder, savoring the reassuring scent from her.
“What about you, Madam? Have you eaten?”
“Mm, Vita came back before noon and brought me something to eat.”
“So she’s not home now?”
“No, that girl’s gotten more and more rebellious as she’s grown up. She disappears at the drop of a hat, and won’t even answer her phone.”
Because of her blindness and frail health, Mrs. Celine faced many inconveniences in daily life.
Though she had long since adapted, as they grew up, Vita and Yijinmo had both started to protect her more actively.
“Vita’s always like that. She’ll definitely be back by evening, so don’t worry too much.”
But Celine’s hands quietly covered hers, sandwiching the girl’s slender fingers in between.
Though she was frail, Madam’s hands were always so warm.
Whenever she held or hugged her like this, all worries and pain seemed to melt away.
But this time, it was different.
“Xiao Yi…”
“I don’t know why, but ever since Vita left at noon, my heart has felt so heavy…”
Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly.
That unease naturally passed on to Yijinmo as well.
“…Madam, wait a moment. I’ll go check Vita’s room.”
…
This small bungalow wasn’t big—maybe seventy or eighty square meters at most, with two rooms and a living room, just enough for a small family.
Ever since Vita brought her home, Yijinmo had lived here for years… until she became an Oddity and made enemies with many outside forces.
To avoid trouble spilling over onto Mrs. Celine and Vita, she had to move out and live alone in a cramped, dark rental room.
She entered Vita’s room… As expected, it was as messy as ever.
Good thing Mrs. Celine couldn’t see, or no mother would allow her beloved daughter to be this sloppy.
Carefully sidestepping the scattered items and plushies on the floor, Yijinmo walked over to the bedside.
She really couldn’t say what Vita was up to now.
Her best friend never told anyone when she went out… With Vita’s half-step Level 5 strength, unless she was unlucky enough to run into the Other Shore Flower, escape should be a breeze.
But as a mother, Mrs. Celine’s anxiety might not be groundless.
What if… something really had happened to Vita?
She quickly scanned the room, hoping to find some clue in the little loli’s room, when suddenly her gaze was caught by a glint of metal in the corner.
What’s that?
Her red eyes widened slightly as she rushed over, moving aside the surrounding clutter to reveal the object’s true form.
It was a pair of iron-gray gloves, rough and simple in design, even a bit rusty in places, but there wasn’t much dust on them.
Weren’t these the electric shock gloves she’d used when she first started out?
Why were they here…?
She’d thought she’d lost them during the move, and even went to ask that little brat about it.
Now it seemed, these gloves had definitely been placed here on purpose.
“Vita…”