Bai Huizi’s voice gradually rose as she stared coldly at Shen Cishu, who stood not far behind her, her tone laced with anger and sarcasm.
At that moment, Shen Cishu was still gripping a bouquet of white roses.
Because she was holding them too tightly, the stems had become somewhat bent and misshapen.
Hearing Bai Huizi’s words, Shen Cishu’s face instantly turned pale. She bit her lip, a flash of pain flickering in her eyes.
But soon, she took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. “You’ll never understand. A mother’s love can’t be measured with material things.”
Her voice was low and hoarse, tinged with a hint of choking emotion.
Bai Huizi let out a cold laugh, turning her back to Shen Cishu and setting her gaze once again on the tombstone.
Staring at the photo on the gravestone, a flicker of complex emotion passed through Bai Huizi’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by indifference. “You’ve always been a failure, Shen Cishu.”
“Now that Mom is gone, you have nothing left.”
“You tried to fight me for everything, tried to steal it all from me, but in the end, aren’t you still standing here empty-handed?”
Shen Cishu clenched her fists tighter, a flash of anger in her eyes, but it quickly faded into calm.
She no longer paid attention to Bai Huizi’s cruel words.
Instead, she placed the flowers she was holding on the gravestone, then turned around and walked away with firm steps, never looking back.
They were clearly full sisters, born of the same father and mother, yet bore different last names.
Bai Huizi took their father’s surname Bai, while Shen Cishu took their mother’s surname Shen.
Ever since their mother passed away, their relationship had grown increasingly strained.
They no longer addressed each other as sisters and had become like strangers, even enemies.
Bai Huizi stood in front of the tombstone, watching Shen Cishu’s departing figure. The cold smile at the corner of her lips slowly faded.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of exhaustion. This kind of family conflict made her feel utterly worn out.
She let out a quiet sigh and turned to leave.
At that moment, Su Li’s image surfaced in her mind.
Thinking of the scene where Su Li massaged her, a faint blush appeared on Bai Huizi’s cheeks.
She pressed her lips tightly together and instinctively squeezed her legs shut.
A flicker of desire flashed through her eyes.
She remembered every detail of Su Li’s service— the gentle smile, the delicate, attentive gestures.
A longing began to rise in her heart.
A powerful emotion surged inside her— she wanted to see Su Li!
“Isn’t that what keeping a pet is for? To cheer yourself up when you’re feeling down?”
Bai Huizi murmured to herself, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She decided that once she got home, she would have Su Li serve her again.
Maybe those so-called “useless” assets weren’t so useless after all. At least now, they had their value.
……
Su Li arrived at the café where she had arranged to meet MOKA last time.
She waited there for MOKA to show up.
Perhaps because the meetings were close together, MOKA hadn’t chosen a new place this time.
Compared to the compensation MOKA offered, waiting a while didn’t seem like a big deal.
Three hours was a long time, though, and she hadn’t taken up any other side gigs during that stretch.
Unlike usual, Su Li didn’t order a juice today. When she flipped through the menu and saw lemon water, for some reason, her hand suddenly tightened, and her body reacted with an unexpected aversion to it.
She tried hard to think— her mind wasn’t feeling anything in particular, yet her body instinctively rejected it.
It was a conditioned response.
She had Chi Qingya to thank for that.
If it weren’t for Chi Qingya, her body wouldn’t have started reacting before her mind did.
It was hard to describe the feeling. If she had to compare it, it was like when she used to play a male escort role in virtual interactions— emotionally numb, fully aware she was only there to work and play along.
And yet, her body would still respond.
They say physical reactions are always the truest. If you dislike someone, your body resists.
But somehow, even when she didn’t like someone, her body could still respond and cater to the client.
Su Li looked at the menu and finally ordered a Häagen-Dazs.
But when it was served, it looked like it had two extra scoops compared to the menu photo, plus a lot of chocolate cookie sticks, and the portion was noticeably larger.
She distinctly remembered ordering only one serving, but what sat in front of her looked more like two.
Su Li glanced around the room in confusion, and then her gaze met a pair of timid eyes.
As if sensing her attention, the timid figure began looking for something to hide behind, as if they were playing hide-and-seek with her.
Seeing that there was nowhere to hide, she simply tugged her cap down a little lower.
Strands of pink hair peeked out through the gaps in the hat, though she didn’t seem to notice at all.
Like a kitten who thought it was playing a flawless game of hide-and-seek, only to leave its tail sticking out.
It was the same convenience store clerk Su Li had met before— though she had no idea why the girl was now at this café.
When the girl looked up to see if Su Li had looked away, her eyes met Su Li’s gaze once more.
A blush spread across the clerk’s cheeks as she pressed down the brim of her cap again.
Like a startled kitten, she cautiously shifted her body, trying to find something to do to distract herself.
Her hair was tied into a low ponytail that swung loosely beneath the brim of her hat as she moved.
A few loose strands framed her cheeks, adding a fragile charm to her appearance.
She wore a pink sweatshirt with a cartoon design.
The hood drooped loosely behind her, and the fabric was stretched slightly across her chest.
She paired it with light blue jeans with the cuffs casually rolled up, revealing a small strip of pale ankle.
On her feet were cute pink sneakers that made soft “da-da” sounds as she walked.
Her face carried a timid expression. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t dare meet Su Li’s gaze directly—only sneaking glances through the gaps between her lashes.
Whenever she realized Su Li was looking at her, she would immediately duck her head even lower, her body shrinking back as if trying to disappear.
When Su Li’s gaze still didn’t move away, she stood in the corner, twisting the hem of her sweatshirt nervously with both hands and lightly tapping the floor with the tip of her shoe.
Finally, like a child who had done something wrong, full of unease and anxiety, she shuffled over to Su Li’s side and mumbled shyly, “I… I work here too. When I saw you, I secretly added a little extra. The cat food you gave me last time was really tasty.”
“But… could you maybe not tell anyone about this? I don’t want to get my pay docked.”
The clerk’s soft white hands clutched her sweatshirt tightly as she blinked at Su Li, as if asking her to keep this little secret just between the two of them.
But before Su Li could even reply, the girl scurried off like a startled kitten.
Seeing the poor girl’s pitiful look, Su Li suddenly remembered something.
Miss Clerk, you wouldn’t want your boss to find out you secretly added extra ice cream for a customer and end up losing your job, right?
Su Li only thought about it for a moment— after all, the clerk had done it for her.
There was no way she would betray her.
Su Li took a silent bite of the ice cream and found herself wondering—
Does this Häagen-Dazs… taste like cat food too?