Chapter 43
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Chapter 43: Gloria
“Stop squirming!”
Passing by the familiar shortcut alley, Mi Xiaoliu instinctively glanced inside.
This time, the alley didn’t spawn the strange smoking older sister, nor the oddly dressed big brothers. There was only a disheveled homeless man wrestling with a scruffy golden mutt.
“Hey, kid! Come give this old man a hand!”
Unlike the usual withdrawn demeanor of homeless people, this man beckoned her over with his grimy, calloused hand.
“Master, be careful! He might have ulterior motives! Could even be a human trafficker,” Sasha warned.
Not that she was judging by appearances—but this man really didn’t look trustworthy.
Around forty, with a square jaw and a shock of unkempt black hair amidst the white. His tattered clothes couldn’t hide his burly frame, and a vertical scar ran from his left eye down to the corner of his mouth.
Even when he tried to smile warmly, it still looked… nuclear.
“Mmm.” Mi Xiaoliu adjusted her backpack and approached. “Are you a human trafficker?”
Sasha: “……”
“Here, take this.” The man ignored the question and handed her a medicine bottle. “I’ll hold it down—you feed it one pill. Just one.”
It was deworming medication.
Several pills were already scattered on the ground, stuck to the pavement by dog saliva.
“Dewormer. Harmless—unless the contents don’t match the label. Like what the vet gave Circle when you and White-Hair visited the pet hospital,” Sasha explained.
Mi Xiaoliu complied. Since the cap was already loose, she twisted it open easily.
Strangely, the previously resistant dog suddenly cooperated, even nuzzling her hand with its furry face after swallowing the pill.
“Hah! Little bastard. Refused to take it from me,” the man chuckled, swatting the dog lightly. “Thanks, kid. Animals like you—must mean you’re a good person.”
“Mmm.” Mi Xiaoliu nodded in agreement, then tilted her head. “Are you a human trafficker?”
“Tch, what kind of question is that?” The man scowled. “Don’t let this face fool you—animals love me too. Hell, even mosquitoes swarm me for hugs in winter.”
“Mmm.” Mi Xiaoliu seemed reassured.
“Master, DON’T feel reassured!!”
“Just getting out of school now? Why the long face? Bullied?” The man grinned, revealing surprisingly white, even teeth beneath the grime.
“No.” Wei Shi hadn’t bullied her today.
“Teacher scolded you, then?” He released the dog, which immediately bolted between Mi Xiaoliu’s legs and vanished.
The man didn’t chase it. Standing up to stretch, he loomed nearly 190cm tall—making Mi Xiaoliu look like a child who should be lifted playfully.
“Kids your age should smile more. No one likes a stone face. Mistakes are normal—who didn’t screw up constantly as a kid? Anyway, I’m off.” He raised a hand as if to pat her head, then reconsidered upon seeing his dirty palm.
As he brushed past her, he added quietly, “Maybe your past was tragic… but that’ll only be a small part of your memories someday…”
His voice faded with distance until it disappeared entirely.
Weird guy.
“Master, never talk to strangers so casually again, understand?” Sasha fretted like an overbearing parent.
“Mmm.”
The same noncommittal hum. Who knew if she’d actually remember?
—
By the time she got home, night had fallen. She’d spent much of the school day playing with Yiwen, who tried (And failed) to teach her basketball—resulting in two lost balls.
Through the peephole, the lights were on.
Upon opening the door, Circle (Quanquan)—puffed up like a frightened dandelion in its bed—locked eyes with her before darting over, meowing incessantly like a tattletale student.
When its owner remained impassive, the cat grabbed her pant leg with its teeth, dragging her toward the bedroom.
Scooping up Circle (Quanquan), Mi Xiaoliu entered—only to find the bedroom lights also on, with two primly placed pale-yellow women’s boots by the bed.
Someone had stolen her nest, their steady breathing causing the blankets to rise and fall rhythmically.
Not Heli—Circle (Quanquan) wouldn’t react this strongly to her. Though the cat disliked Heli, it still recognized her as the “owner’s owner.”
A tuft of blonde hair peeked from the covers.
Approaching, Mi Xiaoliu caught a faint whiff of tobacco that made her nose wrinkle.
“Mmm…”
Disturbed by the footsteps, the sleeper rolled over—revealing herself fully.
A refined young lady, not a trace of makeup. Even asleep, her beauty was undeniable, rosy cheeks, delicate Eastern features softened further by flawless Western-pale skin—as if someone had distilled the best traits of both heritages.
Mi Xiaoliu stared blankly for a moment… then reached out.
And shoved the sleeping beauty onto the floor.
This was her nest.
……
“Poke poke.”
The gentle prodding roused Heli from her desk-slumber.
Blinking against the light, her vision gradually focused on the girl she’d taken in last month—now disheveled, clothes askew.
Heli jolted awake, immediately yanking open Mi Xiaoliu’s coat to check for signs of assault.
“Old woman, if you’re that pent up, at least don’t do it in front of guests,” a cold voice drawled from the doorway.
Spotting the aristocratic girl leaning against the frame, arms crossed, Heli instantly pieced things together. She smoothed Mi Xiaoliu’s clothes back into place.
“Guess you’ve met.” Heli tidied the girl’s hair. “Forgot to mention—this is my boss’s daughter, Gloria. Had a fight with her mom, so she’s crashing here. I came home early to sort it out.”
Mi Xiaoliu tugged Heli’s sleeve, pointing at Gloria with a puzzled look.
“All the rental rooms are full, so I had her use yours temporarily.”
Mi Xiaoliu: Dejected.
“Next month’s rent is waived. Consider it compensation.”
Mi Xiaoliu: Happy.
Gloria rolled her eyes. “Get me fresh bedding.”
She’d assumed this was a girl’s room. Now the thought of some boy possibly enjoying himself under these very sheets made her skin crawl.
