Volume 1 Chapter 166
by Need_More_SleepVolume 1 + Chapter 166: Hard To Tell Apart
After a long day of running around outside, Eve was so exhausted she could barely lift a finger.
She had ridden carriages back and forth, practically covering the entire city. The prolonged jostling alone left her whole body aching, especially her back and waist, which felt as if they had been twisted and wrung out. Even the slightest movement felt stiff and painful.
Right now, all she wanted was to hurry home, collapse onto her soft bed, and get some proper rest, allowing her utterly fatigued body to fully relax.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that just yet.
Remembering that Leah was at home waiting for a meal, Eve could only steel herself and drag her nearly immobile legs towards the apartment.
At the very least, she had to make dinner before resting. If she let Leah into the kitchen, it wouldn’t just be a matter of tiredness, the kitchen would likely turn into a disaster zone.
“So exhausted… I shouldn’t have worn high heels today… And these damn stockings…”
Eve mumbled under her breath, her brow slightly furrowed, her weary face full of vexation.
The damp, hot feeling inside her shoes made her even more uncomfortable. Sweat had soaked through the insoles, and the stockings clung slickly to her feet. With each step, she felt unsteady, having to constantly readjust her balance to avoid stumbling.
The already uncomfortable high heels became instruments of torture in this state, each step testing the limits of her patience.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she reached her doorstep. Eve practically bent over in haste, immediately kicking off the high heels that had tormented her all day. The moment her bare feet touched the floor, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had been reborn.
It was as refreshing as an ice-cold drink on a sweltering summer day. It also felt like a melting chocolate ice cream, its surface glistening with fine droplets, exuding a sweet aroma, its elegant curves resembling a work of art, making one unable to resist…
Wait, no…
“Phew, close call. I almost got turned on by myself.”
Eve patted her chest and instinctively glanced down at her own stocking-clad feet, now freed from the high heels.
Those slender, fair ‘jade bamboo shoots’ looked quite delicious… Her own weren’t bad either…
Alright, better not look anymore. If she kept staring, she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
Eve knew her appearance, silver hair with a melancholic, captivating face, was naturally alluring. She was long accustomed to the gazes of others, but she never expected that even she herself would occasionally be captivated by her own reflection in the mirror. This level of charm was almost absurd, leaving her somewhat amused and exasperated.
However, now was clearly not the time for narcissism. She sighed softly and looked down at her feet. The stockings were thoroughly soaked with sweat, clinging to her skin, feeling wet and slippery, utterly unpleasant.
Muttering to herself, she lifted a foot and gave it a little shake, as if trying to rid herself of that sticky sensation as quickly as possible.
“Forget it, I’ll just change into slippers first… Might as well throw these stockings away and buy new ones tomorrow.”
She reached down to take off the stockings, but before she could actually start, she suddenly heard a series of clattering noises coming from the room next door.
Eve frowned and leaned half her body out to look in the direction of the sound.
It was a room in the apartment that had always been unoccupied. But now, it seemed someone was rummaging around inside. She could even faintly see dust drifting out from under the door, leaving the entire corridor hazy and in disarray.
Seeing this scene, it belatedly dawned on Eve that she was, in fact, the manager of this apartment building.
After all, she received her salary from the apartment on time every week.
However, as the manager, she had never truly performed any duties. Let alone managing tenants, she hadn’t even done the most basic cleaning. In fact, if it weren’t for this sudden reminder, she would have almost forgotten she even had such a role.
With the corridor in such a dirty, messy state, Eve, as the manager, certainly had to step in and deal with it.
She shuffled over in her fluffy house slippers. The room was in complete chaos, with countless dust particles swirling in the air. Through the hazy dust cloud, she could vaguely make out the figures of two girls.
“New neighbors?”
Eve frowned instinctively, understanding that anyone who could live here was probably similar to Qianzhi, at least from a decent family background.
It was definitely necessary to greet them properly. But with the room in such a state and dust flying everywhere, trying to say hello now would probably make it hard to even recognize anyone.
“Huh? Mama! You’re back?”
Before Eve could speak, the person inside recognized her first.
Hearing that familiar voice, Eve instinctively frowned.
“Leah?”
“Mama!”
Leah quickly ran out holding a broom, hopping and skipping like a lively little rabbit.
Though it would have been best if Leah wasn’t covered from head to toe in dust, turning into a little gray figure with indistinguishable features.
“Leah? What are you doing here?”
Eve quickly walked into the dust-filled room. She frowned slightly, waved a hand gently, gathering all the surrounding dust into one place. With another wave, the dust naturally collected into a trash bag.
The bag automatically sealed itself. It was a full bag, roughly estimated, the dust from the entire room must have weighed several pounds.
The room was now spotlessly clean.
“Leah? You… what were you doing here?”
Eve looked at the two dust-covered girls standing together. To be honest, if Leah hadn’t spoken, Eve really wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart, two girls of similar build, covered in dust and wearing masks.
Just like now, if Leah hadn’t spoken, she wouldn’t know which of the two was actually Leah.
“Mama, this is our new neighbor. She’s living here alone, and cleaning the room was really hard for her, so I came to help.”
“I was originally going to go home to cook and wait for you to come back, but…”
“It’s fine!”
Eve quickly interrupted Leah.
“It’s good to help others. You did well, Leah. Mama will make dinner. What would you like to eat?”
Eve felt a sense of relief. Thanks to this new neighbor, the kitchen would be spared disaster tonight.
“But, young lady, are you living here alone?”
Eve looked the girl up and down. To be honest, there wasn’t much to see, the dust obscured all her facial features. She was just as grimy as Leah, with no distinguishing characteristics.
In fact, just moments ago, Eve had been speaking while looking at her… because Eve had genuinely thought this girl was Leah.
“Mama, this big sister can’t speak.”
Leah leaned close to Eve’s ear, whispering in a hushed voice: “This big sister seems to be mute, Mama. She’s so pitiful.”
“Mute?”
Eve looked at Vivian before her. Vivian was looking up at Eve, completely stunned.
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