Both times Luo Jialan caught Lu Shan sneaking off alone, but this time, for some reason, Su Mu felt an inexplicable guilt, as if caught red-handed.
However, it seemed Luo Jialan had no impression of Lu Shan.
Could it be that she was actually face-blind? Â
Just as Su Mu was secretly pondering this, Luo Jialan’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
After pausing briefly on Lu Shan’s timid face, she finally recognized her. Â
“I remember now, you’re that one from last time.”
Seeing Luo Jialan approach, Lu Shan instinctively shrank back, nodding slightly as if mirroring the trembling mouse on the other side.
“Who is she? Why do I feel so guilty every time I see you with her?”
Luo Jialan, noticing Lu Shan’s frightened expression, quickly turned to Su Mu.
Her slightly sharp gaze made Su Mu feel uneasy. Â
“She’s Lu Shan. We’re Internet friends, just meeting up occasionally.”
“Internet friends?”
Luo Jialan’s eyes flickered as she recalled that annoying genius girl, Irina, from online.
Well then, her Internet friend probably wasn’t any better.
“Come on, come back with me. Don’t cause trouble here.”
Though she said this, Luo Jialan was really worried Su Mu might get led astray again by Lu Shan.
“No, I’m not done eating yet…”
Su Mu was dragged by the wrist, slowly stepping outside.
Before leaving, she tried to take the unfinished large bottle of cola, but Luo Jialan lightly tugged her hand away, forcing her to reluctantly retreat. Â
That was a big bottle of cola selling for thirty yuan, after all.
Though unwilling, Su Mu didn’t struggle much given how firmly Luo Jialan held her.
Under Luo Jialan’s control, Su Mu suddenly became inexplicably obedient. Â
Meanwhile, Lu Shan could only watch Su Mu leave with a helpless “woof woof,” just like last time.
‘Sorry, senior, I really want to help but I’m powerless!’
“Hello, may I get the bill, please?”
Just then, Lu Shan’s shoulder was gently tapped.
Turning around, she saw Ning Ling holding the bill. Â
“Oh, okay, how much is it?”
Ning Ling took out a calculator and fiddled with it for a moment—
“That comes to 1,096 yuan.”
Lu Shan’s hand, reaching for her wallet, froze in mid-air as she blinked dumbfounded.
“Wha-what? That much?”
“Seems a bit complicated. I’ll just round it up for you. One thousand one hundred.”
You can round the bill like that?!
Lu Shan hadn’t misheard, she just couldn’t believe her ears.
No, how could just this little food add up to one thousand one hundred yuan?
She grabbed the bill, eyes scanning it back and forth.
Now you know why the big bottle of cola costs thirty yuan.
She finally understood why Su Mu insisted on paying.
This price was definitely not something ordinary people could afford. Â
So cruel, just too cruel!
“But how can it be so expensive?”
“Because it has a secret special ingredient. Regular people absolutely can’t get this.”
That must be the Magic Power, right!
Lu Shan twitched the corner of her mouth, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear as she took out her wallet, neatly filled with several bright red bills.
Usually, that would be enough to confidently roam the snack street, but now it looked pitifully insufficient.
“Looks like… it’s not enough…”
Hearing this, Ning Ling frowned slightly.
Though her expression didn’t change much, her aura suddenly grew heavy and oppressive. Â
“Is that so? You mean, you want to skip out on the bill?”
Lu Shan slumped down onto the stool with a loud thud, her cloudy pupils trembling slightly.
“I’m sorry, Mom, if I don’t pay they’ll take me away.”
“This was money Mom gave me for my wedding. Please don’t take me away…”
Ning Ling was momentarily taken aback by Lu Shan’s words.
“Forget it. You come help me out then.”
“? What about the meal fee?”
“Consider it a working lunch.”
Ning Ling handed the gloves to the petite black-haired girl, her eyes flashing with an unusual light from time to time.
At this moment, Lu Shan had no idea what it truly meant to assist this not-so-proper Head of the Combat Division.
***
“Try not to contact her so much from now on, got it? Things online are complicated, and your so-called friends might not have good intentions.”
Luo Jialan lectured Su Mu like a mother.
Though Su Mu knew much more than her, she didn’t dare say a word. Â
She glanced up cautiously at Luo Jialan, then quickly dropped her head again.
Though things weren’t quite as Luo Jialan imagined, if she knew the full story, the situation would be even worse.
“Okay, I promise next time.”
“Better be no next time.”
Luo Jialan crossed her arms and sat down in front of Su Mu, glaring at the pitiful little Su. Â
‘When out of sight, it’s never easy to keep track of you—better if you just stayed at the dojo where I can… ahem.’
“Your milk tea.” Â
Luo Jialan turned her head and handed the coconut jelly milk tea she’d brought back to Su Mu.
“Huh? How did you know I wanted something different to drink?”
“I saw you were in a bad mood, so I changed the flavor for you.”
And it was warm too, the kind especially kind to girls during their period.
Beating orange juice and refusing ice can be a terrible combo, so she switched to milk tea.
Usually not the thoughtful type, Luo Jialan had never considered such details before.
But Su Mu’s bad mood had nothing to do with her cycle; she was just still upset about what happened in the Dream World.
Come to think of it, Su Mu hadn’t even noticed it had been a month since she transformed into a girl and hadn’t had that periodic visitor yet.
“Thanks.”
Though Su Mu didn’t grasp Luo Jialan’s deeper meaning, her mood visibly lightened.
Someone cared about Su Mu’s feelings (^_^)! Â
“I want to try entering your dreamscape again. I think I understand some of the rules inside now.”
Luo Jialan’s own dreamscape probably also had something like ‘School Rules’ — maybe the underlying logic of her dreams.
After all, she had once been bound tightly by those complicated rules set by Luo Linglan.
They were likely etched deep in her memory, impossible to erase. Â
“The device isn’t here, right?”
“No worries, just hold my hand.”
Hearing this, Luo Jialan’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Actually, more than just holding hands, she wanted to… ahem.
Though her thoughts were inching towards something more, her body honestly reached out and took Su Mu’s small hand, wishing she could press that soft, delicate touch into the dream itself.
Su Mu no longer felt shy about this level of contact, or rather, she deliberately ignored such small touches.
Otherwise, just thinking about their daily life would make her snap like before, opening up fanfics in the sofa area only to be hijacked by Ye Wanqing.
Good thing it wasn’t Tang Nai, or else those happy moments would be recorded again.
“I’ll go soft soon, remember to catch me…”
Before she finished speaking, Su Mu suddenly flopped into Luo Jialan’s arms, immediately entering a baby-like deep sleep.
Luo Jialan panicked for a moment but steadied Su Mu, then carefully pulled the curtains closed, unintentionally breaking into a silly smile.
‘She’s sleeping so well.’