The matter of becoming a girl, in the blink of an eye a month had already passed.
Jiangcheng’s August weather was so hot even breathing burned, yet Mu Yan had instead gotten used to it.
The maid shop work had long become smooth; last week the proprietress had even quietly given her a two-hundred raise.
She hadn’t been idle either, taking rest time to change the rental apartment; the previous one turning around was already strenuous, the newly rented one was a loft, sleeping upstairs entertaining downstairs, much more spacious and bright.
This matter she still hadn’t told Mu Siyi, originally planning to mention it on some weekend, didn’t expect plans couldn’t keep up with changes.
Wednesday afternoon at two, Mu Yan was carrying a latte walking toward table three when the phone in her pocket buzzed once.
Fishing it out to look, Mu Siyi sent two words: “Jiejie, help.”
Mu Yan stared at the screen stunned for three seconds.
Replied “What’s wrong?”, sank like a stone.
Sent another “What happened?”, still no movement.
Directly dialed the phone over, the busy tone rang to the end with no one answering.
A prank huh.
She pursed her lips.
With that girl’s personality, nine times out of ten she was idle and teasing her for fun.
Mu Yan set down the phone and picked up the tray, just about to go deliver table five’s cappuccino, her footsteps paused again.
…But what if?
What if it wasn’t a prank, what if something really happened?
The next second she had already set the tray back on the counter, reaching out untying the apron ties.
“Boss lady, something at home, I’m asking for leave! Sorry!”
“Ah? Oh oh okay, you hurry—”
The proprietress’s words hadn’t even fallen when Mu Yan had already pushed the door and rushed out.
Didn’t even have time to change into casual clothes, a full maid outfit just flagged a taxi, after reporting the address leaned against the car window, heart thump thumping.
Rushing to downstairs of Mu Siyi’s house, she took two steps as one running up, slapping the door shouting, “Mu Siyi! Open the door!”
The door whooshed open.
Mu Siyi stood inside the door, camisole paired with shorts, hair casually gathered into a bun, cool air still floating in the living room, one look and the AC had only just stopped not long ago.
“Jiejie you’re way too fast!”
She scanned Mu Yan up and down a circle, gaze sliding from the crooked lace headband to the half-loosened apron bow. “Wow, still wearing the maid outfit! Apron not even untied! You rushed over directly from the shop?”
“…You said help.” Mu Yan so angry her temples thump thumped.
“It is help!” Mu Siyi stepped aside a bit, pointing at the black-screened standing AC in the living room corner.
“Power outage! Property said the transformer tripped, don’t know when it can be fixed. Thirty-eight degree weather, wait a bit more and I’ll heat into human jerky, this doesn’t count as help?”
Why don’t you heat to death.
Mu Yan stood at the doorway, looking at that blacked-out AC, then scanning the room, curtains drawn tight, light soft and gentle, a manga flipped halfway spread on the sofa, half a cup of iced cola on the coffee table, water droplets on the cup wall still rolling down.
So she had rushed over in a flurry, the other person hadn’t even broken a sweat.
“Mu Siyi.” She was expressionless. “You really are very bored.”
“I am pretty bored, power outage can’t do anything.”
Mu Siyi had not half a bit of reflection, reaching out pinching her soft cheek, the cool silky feel too good.
“But Jiejie coming makes it easy, you come with a cooling buff, even better than AC. Come in come in quick, standing at the door what does it look like, this outfit of yours if the auntie next door sees, she’ll think I’m playing some role-play.”
Mu Yan was pulled into the house by her.
“Jiejie you wearing this rushing over, too dedicated right? Send a help and really come, even bringing the work uniform.”
Mu Siyi hugged her arm shaking it. “Isn’t this just my exclusive little maid.”
“I thought something really happened to you.”
“Isn’t this something happening, almost no cold air also counts as a big deal.”
Mu Yan’s brow center thump thumped.
She figured it out, arguing this with this girl was purely looking for unhappiness for herself.
“How much was the taxi fare? I’ll reimburse you… no, I’ll treat you to milk tea as apology!”
“No need.”
“Need need! Once power comes back we’ll order. What do you want to drink? Oh wait, you seem to not need to drink things either?”
Mu Siyi tilted her head glancing at her, eyes sparkling.
“Seriously, when I sent the message just now I was still thinking, would it be like a summoning spell, send a message and the maid appears. Jiejie can you keep this response speed from now on?”
“…There’s a next time?”
“Of course there is!”
Mu Yan stared at that brilliantly smiling face of hers, word by word: “Not good.”
“Not good is useless, anyway you’ll still come.” Mu Siyi said with perfect justification.
“Didn’t you come today? Mouth says no, body is very honest.”
Mu Yan took a deep breath, deciding to change the topic.
“You’re home alone?”
“Yeah, Mom and Dad went to work, only back in the evening. Originally wanted to blow AC and read manga happily spending the afternoon, who knew the AC went on strike.”
Mu Siyi sat back on the sofa, biting the straw drinking a sip of iced cola, suddenly looking up at her.
“By the way Jiejie, does your house have electricity?”
Mu Yan paused, only then remembering her loft, she still hadn’t said.
“…Has.”
“Has? Aren’t you living in that broken rental apartment with no AC?”
“Moved. Moved last week.”
The cola cup in Mu Siyi’s hand clunked onto the coffee table, eyes widening round.
“Moved?! When was this? Moved where? Why didn’t you tell me!”
“Haven’t had time to say. It’s a loft duplex, not far from here.”
“Loft?! You rented a loft alone? How big? Has AC? Convenience store downstairs?”
Questions smashed over like a string of firecrackers.
“…Has AC, newly installed.”
Mu Siyi was silent two seconds, whooshing standing up charging toward the shoe cabinet.
“Then what are we waiting for! Go go go, to your house! No, to our house!”
She changed shoes while chattering, “You moved to a new house and didn’t even tell me, do you know how miserable I suffered in this power-outage broken house? …Although it hasn’t heated up yet, but it’s about to! While I haven’t sweated yet, hurry to your house to blow AC!”
After changing shoes she turned around, corners of her mouth curling up again.
“But speaking of which, Jiejie you wearing this maid outfit taking me home, seems like a weird plot. I’m the master, you’re the maid, master orders the maid to lead the way back to her house, do you like this setting?”
“…Don’t like. I’m not your maid.”
“You are.”
Mu Yan turned and walked toward outside the door, the maid skirt hem sweeping the threshold, tracing a small arc.
Mu Siyi followed behind locking the door, looking at her wrinkled skirt hem, suddenly speaking. “Jiejie.”
“…Mm.”
“The way you rushed over just now, made me think of my ge.”
Mu Yan’s footsteps paused.
“Before I fell at school, called him, he directly slipped out the classroom back door, climbed the wall running over, when he arrived his pant legs were all dusty. Seeing I only scraped a bit of skin, so angry he scolded me the whole way, in the end still carried me home.”
“…Then what.”
“Then he punished me one month no grabbing his remote.”
Mu Siyi said with perfect justification. “Of course I didn’t listen, grabbed it the next day.”
“…You deserved it.”
“Right! I think so too!” Mu Siyi laughed out, coming close glancing at her again.
“But Jiejie your legs this short, running would you look like a penguin?”
“…Don’t know. Haven’t run.”
“Then next time run one for me to see? I want to see a penguin run.”
Mu Yan couldn’t be bothered to pick up, walking down on her own.
The maid outfit skirt hem swayed lightly with her footsteps, shaking out a small patch of white in the dim stairwell.
Out of the apartment building, August heat waves rushed at their faces, almost knocking people over.
Mu Siyi opened the sun umbrella, pulling Mu Yan under it in one yank.
“Jiejie, is your house far?”
“Not far, ten minutes walk.”
“Then perfect. You stand on my left, your body is cool, help block the sun for me.”
Mu Siyi smiled leaning toward her side. “You’re my most cost-effective investment this summer.”
“…I’m an investment?”
“Yeah, zero cost, high return, and comes whenever called.”