Chapter 32
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Volume 1 + Chapter 32: I Haven’t Started Cooking Yet
“Sasha, will I have to start lining up in the future?”
Mi Xiaoliu dazedly scratched her flat chest. Today’s dressing process skipped a chest badge and added the step of changing a sanitary pad.
Unhappy.
“Master, I don’t think that’s a good idea… Otherwise, people will keep looking at you weirdly and won’t sell you things.”
After extracting that memory last night, Mi Xiaoliu had insomnia again—silently staring at the ceiling in the dark for a long time. Sasha was quite worried.
When she walked out of the room, she immediately saw Heli standing at the top of the stairs with a paper bag, playing with her phone. Since she was completely blocking the way, it was impossible to ignore her.
Noticing Mi Xiaoliu coming out, Heli waved at her to come over.
Mi Xiaoliu walked out to the balcony and glanced down at the height.
As usual, she frowned. Heli quickly walked over and pulled her back just as she had one leg already over the railing. Then she took a box from the paper bag.
“It’s an old phone I don’t use. You can have it.”
The box’s logo showed a bitten durian.
After speaking, she peeled off the sticker sealing the box, took out the fully equipped phone, and noticed the white protective film was still on.
Expressionlessly peeling it off and stuffing it into her pocket, she shoved both the phone and the box into Mi Xiaoliu’s hands. “Consider it an apology for all those extra injections.”
Only after Mi Xiaoliu accepted it did Heli seem satisfied. She pointed to the electric scooter downstairs: “I’m going to work—I’ll drop you off on the way.”
Without waiting for her response, she began pushing her down the stairs.
With her back to Heli, Mi Xiaoliu couldn’t see the complicated look in her eyes, nor the obvious guilt within them.
“Yiwen,” the girl sitting in front of Mi Xiaoliu shyly greeted him. Her cheeks seemed to flush with a rosy glow, and she bit her upper lip slightly, tilting her head away, too bashful to look directly at her crush.
A girl in love is always adorable—but the item she handed over was far from it.
Hemorrhoid cream.
“Take care of your health,” she muttered, turning away before she could see Yiwen’s expression.
Such a thoughtful girl.
Yiwen turned and glared at Jim.
Jim immediately turned his head and used his book to block half his face, avoiding her murderous stare.
Unlike the simple-minded Jim, the girl in front had more complex thoughts.
Yiwen was a nice person—kind to classmates, friendly, and well-liked by everyone. That was common knowledge. But thinking back, he always seemed to keep a certain distance. He often declined invitations to group activities or walking home together.
Even Miss Barrett, who seemed the closest to him, wasn’t exempt.
He was friendly with everyone, but not truly close to anyone.
And yet, he showed a rare amount of attention to Mi Xiaoliu—who, coincidentally, waited for him at the tennis court after school every day.
As the one sitting right in front, she had overheard Yiwen inviting Mi Xiaoliu to hang out on Friday… His first time ever! What gave that transfer student the right?
It was definitely suspicious. With her proudly average intelligence, she concluded—this was totally love between guys!
Yiwen exercised regularly, ate healthy, and never spent more than ten minutes in the bathroom—how could he have hemorrhoids? Then he hung out with Mi Xiaoliu on Saturday, and came back Monday like this… The more she thought, the more horrifying it was.
She felt slightly excited, but the moment she remembered Yiwen was one of them, she instantly calmed down. Maybe she’d just read too many BL novels lately…
Still, no matter what, this must be stopped!
She narrowed her eyes at Mi Xiaoliu, who had just walked into class, gripping the straps of her cartoonishly childish backpack.
It was one of Heli’s unused items. Though Mi Xiaoliu had personally unwrapped it, it still looked like something for grade schoolers.
Still unaware of the thoughts targeting her, Mi Xiaoliu returned to her seat and tugged on Jim’s sleeve. “How do you play the game?”
“Oh? You got a phone? What game are you playing?” Jim took out his own Durian 14.
Then he saw her pull out the same model—and his expression froze.
“Original Origin,” Mi Xiaoliu answered, her memory pretty sharp.
“Oh, that game. I uninstalled it already.” Jim looked dead inside, eyes dull and heavy.
He’d heard that veteran players were friendly to newcomers, but when he asked for help with beginner tutorials, they just insulted him.
Jim had deeply experienced the cruelty of the human heart.
The girl in front spent almost the whole day carefully observing Yiwen and Mi Xiaoliu, but to her disappointment—well, relief—there wasn’t any flirting, just ordinary conversation. Aside from Yiwen teaching this “primitive” boy how to use a smartphone, there was nothing special.
But after school, the girl still ran off to sit on the tennis court steps, quietly watching Yiwen play.
Yiwen had just picked up his racket and was about to serve when he saw Mi Xiaoliu sitting there. After a moment’s hesitation, he put down the racket and walked over.
“Mi Xiaoliu, I moved houses. I won’t be able to walk you home anymore.”
“Oh.” Mi Xiaoliu slung her backpack over her shoulders.
She turned and left, very decisively.
“…”
She felt oddly like she had let someone down. Even though she had already confirmed Mi Xiaoliu wasn’t involved in the spatial murder case, she still didn’t want to go out of her way to go the wrong direction every day after school.
Though, she didn’t seem to enjoy being at home either.
There shouldn’t be a problem, but she still felt guilty—like she’d done something wrong. She’d always kept her distance from people… Guess she’d just take it out on the tennis court.
When Mi Xiaoliu reached the school gate, she saw Heli sitting on the electric scooter, playing on her phone. When she saw Mi Xiaoliu come out, she kicked down the stand and waved her over.
Now reconciled with Heli, Mi Xiaoliu obediently walked over and got on the back.
Heli took her backpack and put it in the front basket. “Some girls said you wait after school for that pretty boy?”
“Waiting for Yiwen,” Mi Xiaoliu corrected her.
Mainly, she didn’t know what a “pretty boy” was.
“Why didn’t you wait today?”
“He moved.”
“Try not to start dating too early,” Heli said.
“Dating?”
“Master, that’s when young girls like you start having relationships. A boy and a girl who…”
After that, the rest of the ride was silent. Heli didn’t stop to buy her steamed buns either—because Mi Xiaoliu hadn’t asked her to.
When they got home, Circle immediately ran out to greet her. This happened every day—but today was a little different.
Circle jumped down from the balcony railing.
They’d forgotten to close the window this morning.
It was carrying something in its mouth.
Circle cheerfully trotted to Mi Xiaoliu, dropped the item, and meowed twice.
It was a dead mouse. No one knew where it had caught it.
Sasha suddenly understood. “Master, some cats bring home what they think is food—because they’re afraid you’ll starve.”
This usually happened with stray cats adopted from the wild. But this one wasn’t even that big, and didn’t seem very wild either.
Seeing Mi Xiaoliu unmoved, Circle nudged the dead mouse toward her again and meowed anxiously.
“Thank you.” Mi Xiaoliu squatted down and patted Circle’s head.
[Memory Fragment 35: When someone is nice to you, you say thank you.]
Then Mi Xiaoliu grabbed the dead mouse and tried to put it in her mouth.
“MASTER! That’s not edible!!” Sasha quickly yelled to stop her.
But it wasn’t Sasha’s voice that stopped her—it was the door suddenly opening behind her.
Since she’d been standing right in front of it, the door almost knocked her over.
Heli, for some reason standing behind her, walked in just in time to witness the “beautiful” scene of Mi Xiaoliu about to eat a dead mouse.
Heli’s mouth parted slightly, her expression complicated. She had only planned to bring over a couple of unused, still-packaged clothes—but ended up catching this heartbreaking sight.
“I made too much food today. Come eat,” Heli declared, swatting the dead rat from Mi Xiaoliu’s hand and grabbing her fragile-looking arm to drag her away.
Circle, left behind, angrily meowed its protests.
At Heli’s place, there was no smell of food at all.
“Where’s the meal?” Mi Xiaoliu asked.
Heli: “I haven’t started cooking yet.”
