Su Li didn’t care why Chi Qingya was doing this, or what the point of saying those things was.
She didn’t feel much of anything.
If she wanted to talk, let her talk. What could she really do to her?
In her past life as the male lead of a game, the malice Su Li had experienced far exceeded any of this.
All she wanted now was to survive—maybe even live a little better.
Chi Qingya grew even more displeased seeing Su Li so indifferent, calmly flipping through her book.
She didn’t know why, but she just hated Su Li’s unbothered demeanor.
No matter what she did to Su Li, it was like punching cotton—no resistance, no reaction.
If Su Li had even shown a hint of displeasure or anger, maybe she would’ve said less.
But no. Su Li was like a machine.
No matter what she did, Su Li would simply respond like she was following a pre-programmed routine.
……
At lunch, Su Li sat down in the cafeteria, planning to reward herself with a nice meal.
After all, she had been exhausted lately.
This was a habit she’d always had.
Whenever she completed a big job, she would treat herself to some expensive food as a reward.
Even though she no longer felt emotions, this habit had stuck with her.
Today she ordered the 89-yuan boiled fish. It wasn’t all that expensive, but Su Li liked it.
Boiled fish, a classic Sichuan dish, was known for its complex preparation.
It required fresh fish and a variety of spices to ensure tender meat and a fragrant, spicy flavor.
Su Li had just picked up her chopsticks and returned to her seat, only to find Chi Qingya already sitting there, casually taking the chopsticks from her hand.
“Let’s sit here,” she said,m “There aren’t any other open seats in the cafeteria anyway.”
Her other girlfriends also began placing their books on the table and chairs around them.
Chi Qingya glanced at Su Li and said with clear displeasure, “How do you still have money to buy such expensive food?”
“If you’re so rich, why don’t you help out with my family’s financial pressure?”
“I even made you breakfast, and you won’t buy me lunch?!”
“You really are an ungrateful freeloader.”
Su Li stayed silent.
Chi Qingya’s friends chimed in to back her up:
“Ugh, some people really have no shame.”
“Living in someone else’s house, freeloading meals every day.”
“Says she can’t help with rent, but then dares to secretly eat like this?”
“Someone who didn’t know better might think she’s some rich heiress traveling incognito.”
“Yaya, you’re just being too nice to her.”
“If you ask me, a spoiled baby who has money to eat like this but not to pay rent should just move out and fend for herself.”
Chi Qingya was very satisfied with what her friends were saying. She turned to Su Li and said, “Did you hear that?”
“I’m eating your meal today. You can go have instant noodles. You don’t deserve this.”
With that, she started digging into the food.
“Yaya, you should’ve been harsher with her ages ago. Look at how spoiled she’s become, completely out of control!”
“Anyone with a shred of self-awareness would’ve been too embarrassed to stick around. Why are you still here, clinging on like this?”
“What, don’t tell me you still expect Yaya to pay for this meal?”
“Yaya’s done so much for you—what’s wrong with her eating one of your meals?”
“And you’re holding a grudge over that?”
“Have you ever thought about everything Yaya’s done for you?”
“Ungrateful wretch—Yaya’s been too good to you, and that’s why you’ve turned out this shameless.”
Chi Qingya’s friends first praised her, then turned to verbally attack Su Li, as if she were some unforgivable criminal.
As if verbally condemning Su Li could earn them a massive pile of virtue points.
Su Li quietly left.
She looked at the already full cafeteria and the long lines at the food windows.
She could absolutely afford to buy another meal but suddenly, she wasn’t in the mood anymore.
Even though she felt calm, it was as if a fly kept buzzing endlessly around her.
Just plain annoying.
Su Li didn’t stay in the cafeteria.
Instead, she wandered outside the school for a bit.
When she had nothing else to do, she liked to stroll around off-campus.
She would observe the expressions and reactions of the people passing by.
Though she couldn’t feel emotions anymore, she thought being an observer wasn’t so bad either.
She had been the same way in her past life, when she was the male lead in the game.
Each customer she’d received had a different personality, but the way they presented themselves in front of others was never the same as how they acted around her.
Even though their school had three cafeterias, Su Li no longer felt like eating.
Not long after, she spotted a cat café.
For just 79 yuan, you could stay there for two hours and even get a meal.
As soon as Su Li stepped inside, several kittens came trotting up to her, rubbing their heads against her pant leg.
Inside the cat café, the cats were like little spirits. Just walking in was enough to gradually relax Su Li’s heart.
She gently petted the heads of a few kittens crowding around her feet, and one of them even rolled over happily to show its belly.
Ragdoll cats, known for their blue eyes and soft fur, were like gentle plush toys.
They loved to cuddle and cling to people—like little angels.
Siamese cats looked like they’d just come back from digging coal.
Once the weather turned colder, their faces would probably look even darker.
Garfield cats teared up easily, and their faces looked almost squished flat.
At first Su Li had found them a little scary, but after a while, she started finding them adorably ugly.
Su Li held a Ragdoll curled up in her arms, feeling it nuzzle against her chest from time to time.
In a restricted area nearby, she could see several newborn kittens with tightly shut eyes.
She didn’t know why, but seeing these cats always softened something inside her.
It made her think of herself—sometimes she even saw her own reflection in them.
Su Li felt completely at ease here.
No matter how tired or bitter she was, this place made her want to forgive the world.
They were like angels sent by the heavens to redeem her.
Su Li had even thought that someday, when she had enough money, when she had her own home, she’d raise a cat.
A life entirely dependent on her to survive, yet still operating on its own rhythm.
That idea felt both fascinating and comforting.
But first, she needed a place to call her own.