Su Li had just walked into the dining hall when she spotted the cat sitting restlessly in the corner.
As if sensing her arrival, the cat clung to her presence like a lifeline, staring at her without pause and blinking her big, watery eyes.
Not far away, Jin Xueli sat at the table too, head lowered as she stared at the food inside her bento box.
She hadn’t touched her chopsticks, though.
When Su Li arrived, the cat quickly scooted over to make room, while Jin Xueli’s gaze flickered, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
The air among the three of them froze for a single moment.
Su Li sat down calmly and looked at the two of them, who had both let out sighs of relief, and said:
“No need to wait for me. Just go ahead and eat.”
“Everyone’s time is valuable.”
“Besides, the sooner we finish, the sooner the cat can clean up.”
Jin Xueli felt a little embarrassed when she heard that.
She’d only been thinking about waiting for everyone to eat together and had completely overlooked how slow she was at eating.
It wouldn’t be great to make Su Li wait too long.
And the food could get cold too.
This was her first time joining Su Li’s little group, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.
Even now, the hand Jin Xueli used to hold her chopsticks was trembling slightly.
“I understand. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I just think your time is valuable, so there’s no need to waste it on something like this.”
Su Li looked at Jin Xueli, thinking she still had potential to become one of her clients.
Though for now, the other girl seemed to prefer eating the cat’s cooking more.
Of course, if it made the cat happy, that was a good thing too.
Chi Qingya arrived late, after the other three. Seeing everyone already eating, she didn’t pay it much mind and simply set the milk teas down in front of them.
“Thanks.”
Jin Xueli said, staring at the cheap milk tea in front of her.
If this were the old her, she definitely wouldn’t have drunk it.
Milk tea like this — who knew if drinking it would upset her stomach.
But to fit into Su Li’s circle, an upset stomach was a small price to pay.
It didn’t matter.
If she didn’t drink this milk tea, how would she ever find common ground with Su Li?
“Thanks.”
Su Li and the cat each took a cup of milk tea as well. The cat glanced at the soup she’d prepared, then at Su Li.
If no one wanted to drink it, she could just take it home and have it herself.
Of course, she could also finish it here, or take the milk tea home instead.
Seeing that everyone accepted her milk tea, Chi Qingya relaxed a little too.
But then she noticed the soup the cat had prepared, froze for a moment, and looked at the cat with a trace of apology in her eyes.
She’d been so focused on using the milk tea to bond with everyone that she’d forgotten the cat basically always prepared four dishes and one soup with her meals.
Today, perhaps because of the new member joining, the cat had clearly prepared much more food than usual.
When the cat saw how apologetic Chi Qingya looked, her own face flushed bright red instead, and she quickly shook her head.
The atmosphere during the meal was the same as always.
An odd silence lingered over the table.
Jin Xueli kept wanting to say something, but since no one else was speaking, she just closed her mouth and ate quietly.
Honestly, this was already pretty good.
Jin Xueli picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth.
The moment it touched her tongue, she could taste how tender and juicy the fish was, and her eyes lit up instantly.
This flavor was even better than the highly paid chef her family had hired.
The rice was soft and fragrant too, and the side dishes were refreshing and delicious.
Before she knew it, all her attention was focused entirely on the meal in front of her.
Jin Xueli couldn’t imagine what kind of miserable life she’d been living before.
Why was it that the chef her family paid a monthly salary of ten thousand yuan produced food that wasn’t even as good as this fifty-yuan meal?
Was it because of feelings?
Because the chef didn’t put any heart into the cooking.
Otherwise, why would there be such a huge difference?
Jin Xueli’s gaze shifted to the three people around her.
They all ate with calm expressions, as if she were the one who’d never seen the world before.
What was the reason?
Just yesterday, she’d found the expensive food in the dining hall hard to swallow.
And yet this fifty-yuan meal was this delicious?
When she’d praised the cat before, Jin Xueli had never actually tasted a meal the cat had carefully prepared.
But this time, she’d truly savored it.
It was too good.
Jin Xueli had expected to eat slowly, but she ended up being the first one to finish everything in her bento box.
Even after finishing, she still felt like she wanted more.
Watching Su Li and the others still eating, she even felt the urge to help them finish their meals, but she quickly calmed herself down.
The cat, on the other hand, noticed Jin Xueli’s unusual behavior and asked worriedly:
“Did you not get enough to eat?”
After all, since she was preparing bento boxes for clients, the cat still wanted to make sure her clients were full.
Today she’d prepared a lot of food.
It was because she wasn’t sure how much the new client could eat.
If she prepared too much and they couldn’t finish, she could always reheat it at home and take care of it herself.
But it wouldn’t be good to let a client go hungry.
“I’m full. It’s just that the food was so good, I want a little more.”
This praise came straight from Jin Xueli’s heart.
She watched Su Li eat with a calm expression, then looked at the cat, who was gazing at her with concern.
She wanted more than ever to be with the two of them, to build a good life together.
She could pay the cat a monthly salary — ten thousand, twenty thousand, anything.
As long as she took good care of both her and Su Li.
Thirty thousand wouldn’t be a problem either.
But Jin Xueli only thought about it in her head.
She knew that even if she said something like that out loud, it would probably sound like some fantasy to them.
If you suddenly offered someone a high salary of two or three hundred thousand, they’d definitely assume it was fraud first.
Even though Jin Xueli had no intention of deceiving anyone.
Things like this were better left for later, when they could plan more carefully.
Maybe when she finally revealed the secret of her background, everyone would be shocked.
As Jin Xueli thought about this, it suddenly occurred to her that Su Li knew her elder sister.
She really did seem to have less money than her sister.
But she could guarantee she’d be more willing to spend money on Su Li than her sister ever would.
Jin Xueli’s gaze swept over the three of them, and a quiet sense of anticipation began to grow in her heart.
From now on, even if she couldn’t see Su Li every day, just being able to eat these delicious meals was already a blessing.
But the very next moment, Jin Xueli’s expression suddenly changed, turning fierce and twisted.