Su Li wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Miss Cat didn’t seem very good at using her cell phone.
The first two voice messages ended without any sound.
The third voice message sounded like a held breath, the tone urgent, as if racing against time to send the message.
But even so, Miss Cat’s voice was weak, and the surroundings were noisy.
Su Li guessed that the hospital where Miss Cat was had a lot of people.
Yet, Miss Cat didn’t seem very clever. Otherwise, what could be so important that she would drag her exhausted body to do something in the middle of a drip infusion?
【Oh】
Su Li replied simply.
Looking at the bento box in her hand, although it was clean, it seemed a bit empty.
Might as well make something to fill it before bringing it over to return to Miss Cat.
Besides, Su Li guessed that the urgent and weak tone in Miss Cat’s earlier messages likely meant she wanted to help her with something important.
So she sent another message:
【Address】
After sending the message, Su Li didn’t immediately receive a reply.
She then sent Miss Cat a screenshot explaining how to send an address.
After that, she put away her phone and waited for Miss Cat’s response, preparing to head home.
……
Inside the hospital.
Miss Cat lay on the bed, her slender, frail fingers hovering over the send voice message button.
She couldn’t read or write, so she didn’t know how to type a reply to Su Li.
Even when she had looked for jobs before, she had just asked place by place if they needed help.
Fortunately, she knew how to play the messages Su Li sent her.
And as for how to send voice messages, she had only learned by asking a patient’s family member nearby.
Originally, Miss Cat didn’t want to trouble Su Li, but seeing the patient’s family crowded around the bed, she held back from saying she didn’t want to trouble her.
Only when she saw the picture Su Li sent explaining how to send her address did she obediently follow the instructions and send it.
Her small hand tightly gripped her cracked, battered cell phone, a sudden spark of hope blossoming in her heart.
……
Su Li made a deluxe heart bento.
If it were for customers, she definitely would charge money.
But when it came to money, there was no talk of feelings; when it came to feelings, there was no talk of money.
Miss Cat hadn’t discussed business with her, so in the spirit of reciprocity, Su Li was happy to make it for her.
Just like when Chi Qingya once provided her a place to live, and she helped tidy the room and even cooked.
But later, their relationship became clearly unequal, so Su Li chose to move out of Chi Qingya’s home.
Miss Cat had never asked for anything in return, so this bento naturally didn’t require payment.
Giving without expecting anything, receiving payment when payment is due—there was no problem with that.
Considering Miss Cat’s frail body, Su Li made the meal nutritious and suitable for someone wearing a patient’s uniform.
She guessed that Miss Cat was lying in the hospital because she had worked for too long and simply collapsed from exhaustion.
Miss Cat was very short on money, Su Li could feel it.
When Miss Cat had asked her to add her as a friend, Su Li naturally noticed the cracked, painfully slow phone she used.
Even so, the first time she met Miss Cat, she was still lying over the table, seriously focused on chasing after something.
According to Su Li’s guess, the commission from Miss Cat’s previous business probably wasn’t low.
Though S City’s prices were high, Miss Cat wouldn’t eat so plainly and simply.
Looking at the finished bento she made, Su Li still felt something was missing.
Only when she felt a tickling sensation at her feet, as several cats rubbed against her legs, did she remember.
Miss Cat liked to eat cat food, so she sprinkled some cat food on top before closing the lid.
Following the address Miss Cat had sent, Su Li arrived at the hospital.
Outside the window, rain drizzled steadily, droplets sliding down the glass and blurring the outside scenery.
In the drip infusion hall, Miss Cat sat on a small stool.
Her messy pink hair looked like faded cotton candy, wilted and stuck to her pale neck, losing its usual luster.
Her little face was as pale as paper, her once rosy lips now colorless and slightly parted, as if struggling to breathe.
Her fingers were thin and weakly resting on the armrest, with an IV line inserted on the back of one hand.
The other hand tightly gripped her cell phone.
The medicine dripped steadily into her body, but no one knew when she would regain her former vitality.
Her body was so fragile it seemed a breeze could knock her over.
The employee uniform hung loosely on her thin frame.
Her collarbones protruded sharply beneath the neckline, so thin they could trap a coin.
Her eyes were half-open, filled with exhaustion and weakness.
Her once lively gaze was now dim, her iris as pale as watered-down strawberry juice.
Her eyelashes fluttered at a slower pace than the IV drip’s tick.
At this moment, her gaze wandered over the people receiving infusions around her.
Everyone was surrounded by quite a few companions.
Nearby seats and the floor were scattered with various snacks and fruits.
Even when footsteps sounded nearby, Miss Cat didn’t shift her gaze.
She instinctively assumed it was a new patient coming for infusion or a family member visiting.
She even quietly moved a little to avoid blocking the way.
Until she felt a poke on her cheek, making her flinch like a startled kitten, fur puffing slightly.
Seeing it was Su Li, Miss Cat relaxed slightly and showed a surprised expression.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something but troubled by not knowing what.
After a long moment, she finally managed a happy sentence: “You came to see me.”
“Yeah.”
Su Li nodded, noticing Miss Cat’s once dim eyes become lively again.
She handed the deluxe heart bento she prepared into Miss Cat’s hands, placing the fruits and other snacks she had brought on the bedside table.
Miss Cat noticed Su Li’s actions and suddenly felt a pang of guilt: “These things are expensive, right?”
“I… I’ll transfer money to you!”
She pulled out her phone, ready to send Su Li money.
“Eat first.”
Su Li’s tone remained calm, but Miss Cat’s eyes were still full of nervousness and unease.
That look made Su Li momentarily dazed.
She subconsciously thought of the little cat she had raised in her previous life.
Cat had the same expression after their relationship reached a certain level—eyes full of anxiety and insecurity.
That gaze was as if afraid of being abandoned.
Perhaps it was because Miss Cat cared about her so much that such a look was revealed?