Feeling the soothing comfort spreading through her body, Chi Qingya’s eyes gradually turned red, unknowingly welling up with tears.
At some point, the pillow beneath her had already been soaked, and Chi Qingya kept murmuring Su Li’s name under her breath.
Her mind was filled with sweet little moments she had shared with Su Li after they first met.
How had they ended up like this?
Chi Qingya sank into her memories.
The ache in her chest only grew stronger.
It was all Su Li’s fault—she had changed!
She never used to treat her like this.
It must’ve been that companion gaming job. Or maybe Su Li had found some other way to make money. That’s why she changed.
Changed into someone who didn’t need her, whose attitude toward her grew colder and colder.
People… they always change once they get money…
Scene after scene played out in her mind. If she had another chance, she would never let Su Li slip through her fingers.
The sheets and blanket were slowly soaked as she wiped at her face again and again. Chi Qingya’s mind was groggy— she seemed to drift in and out of sleep, murmuring Su Li’s name nonstop, waking over and over again from dreams.
It was a sleepless night. She had slept, and yet she hadn’t.
……
Back to Su Li.
After sending Bai Huizi off, Su Li began slowly tidying up her new home.
There wasn’t much in the apartment, so it wasn’t hard to clean.
At least it was a far cry from the nightmare of trash she’d dealt with while living with Chi Qingya.
This was much easier, much lighter.
The landlady was generous just one session of “service,” and she’d earned 80,000 yuan.
That included the 6,000 yuan for acting as Bai Huizi’s assistant.
Maybe because Bai Huizi had some unusual preferences, all Su Li had to do while helping her bathe was clean the front of her body.
Bai Huizi seemed more interested in watching her work.
About an hour passed before Su Li finished scrubbing the place clean. Looking at her refreshed, spotless apartment, she felt a satisfying sense of fullness in her chest.
This was her very own home.
The only real trouble was cleaning the couch cover that Bai Huizi had just sat on.
Since it had been soaked with milk, it took some extra effort to clean.
Still, it was far easier to deal with than oil stains or food spills.
Once everything was taken care of, Su Li finally went downstairs, planning to pick up some daily essentials for the house.
Just a short walk away was a convenience store.
There weren’t many people inside.
The only one there was a female clerk, sitting in a dimly lit spot behind the counter, seemingly focused on an anime playing on her phone.
The light from her phone wasn’t particularly bright.
Beside her sat a small bag of snacks.
Su Li glanced at the snack in the clerk’s hands and suddenly froze for a moment.
“Welcome!”
As Su Li entered the store, the automated greeting played, and the clerk immediately sat up straight.
She paused her anime and nervously looked Su Li up and down.
Once she got a good look at her, she relaxed a little, though her sapphire-like eyes stayed fixed on Su Li.
Noticing that Su Li was eyeing her snack, the clerk quickly hid it behind her back.
Then she quietly explained in a timid voice, “The owner… said I could eat it. I didn’t steal it.”
Su Li paused for a moment, then said, “That’s not a snack. That’s cat food.”
“Cat food’s really tasty,” the clerk mumbled, pulling the bag of cat food back out.
She hesitated, glancing at Su Li, then back at the food in her hands, as if she were considering whether or not to share.
But then she remembered that normal people didn’t like this kind of thing.
Even the store manager wouldn’t touch it. So she gave up on the idea.
Still, if Su Li asked her for some, she’d be happy to share.
Theoretically speaking, humans can eat cat food.
Students who often snack on cat food know that it usually contains a high percentage of animal protein—far more than what a human diet typically requires.
It even includes specific nutrients that cats need, like taurine and certain vitamins.
But as long as you also eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, high-quality proteins, and healthy fats, and ensure you’re getting enough water to balance your intake of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients, it’s still possible to stay healthy.
Besides, when compared to takeout, Su Li wasn’t even sure which one was cleaner.
Sometimes when she made too much food, the cats at home were happy to eat it with her.
But if she ordered takeout and tried to share it with them, they’d often turn their noses up at it.
Su Li wasn’t exactly a normal person to begin with— she didn’t have emotions.
So the sight of the clerk munching on cat food didn’t strike her as odd in the slightest.
If you like eating it, then eat it.
What’s the problem?
There’s no problem.
“Alright, just make sure you’re balancing your nutrition.
If you eat too much, it might not be good for your health,” Su Li offered quietly.
Maybe it was the way the girl enjoyed her cat food— it reminded her of the cat she had in her previous life.
Yes, in her past life, she had a cat. It had been her only family.
But the cat had no special name. She simply called it “Kitty.”
Maybe because in her world, Kitty wasn’t the main character.
The store clerk nodded obediently and shrank down a bit, pulling her hat lower over her face.
Only then did Su Li notice that the girl’s complexion was paler than most, and under the light, her skin looked especially delicate.
Her long pink hair was mostly hidden beneath her cap, but a soft ponytail peeked through the gap at the back, swaying slightly with each movement.
She wore a simple white shirt with dark cargo pants— clean and neat.
The outfit showed off her slender frame, and the fabric stretched ever so slightly at the chest— clearly a size larger than Su Li’s.
Su Li said nothing, and the store clerk blinked up at her, also silent.
So Su Li simply stepped into the store and began picking out the items she needed, including a large backpack. She planned to bring her cats home later.
There weren’t any proper pet carriers here, so she had to settle for a sturdy backpack instead.
Her old bag, the one she used for clothes, obviously wouldn’t be enough.
She selected a backpack that was just the right size, made of strong material and with good ventilation holes.
She also picked up some soft padding, then packed her daily necessities into the bag.
She would bring everything home first, then go pick up the cats.
Next, she began carefully selecting cat food.
As she walked into the pet aisle, she could clearly feel a gaze locked tightly onto her.
In fact, she had been aware of that gaze ever since she entered the store.
But now, it felt even more intense.
When Su Li turned her head, she saw the store clerk shyly lower her face, even tugging her hat down a little further to hide.
Pretending to be engrossed in her phone, she waited for a moment— then, thinking Su Li had looked away, she slowly lifted her head again.
Their eyes met.
Seeing that hesitant, conflicted expression on the girl’s face, Su Li didn’t know why, but she had a feeling— this girl had something to say.
One of those things you didn’t have to say, but really wanted to.
Her face practically screamed ask me.
So Su Li asked: “Got any cat food you’d recommend?”
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