Hearing Shu Lingchen’s words, Shu Shu thought to herself, Even if you hadn’t lost money on those mutual funds, you’d still be living on pennies.
“Give me your meal card, I’ll top it up for you,” Shu Shu said, holding out her hand. “You can have breakfast and dinner at home anyway. That way, you won’t end up starving on the streets.”
Shu Lingchen looked up, his face filled with gratitude. “Thanks, Mom!”
But in the end, he still couldn’t let it go and asked longingly, “Mom, these funds… they won’t just stay in the red forever, right?”
Shu Shu could only give him a pitying look. “You’d better brace yourself.”
As long as she was around, those funds could forget about ever seeing green again.
: )
Shu Lingchen slumped, letting out a heavy sigh as he muttered to himself, “I was actually planning on buying Chuchu a new wardrobe. Guess that’s out the window now.”
Shu Shu smiled brightly and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s fine, sweetie. I’m sure Chuchu won’t blame you. She’s not a materialistic girl, so how could she possibly get mad at you over something so small?”
Shu Lingchen completely agreed with the second half of Shu Shu’s sentence, tilting his chin up proudly. “You’ve got a point.”
Lately, a new dessert shop had opened up near the No. 3 High School.
With its exquisite pastries and an interior decorated like a beautiful glass greenhouse, the shop had been drawing in a crowd of food influencers doing reviews and snapping photos for social media.
Shu Shu had accidentally scrolled past a review post on Xiaohongshu(RedNote) and immediately got a craving.
If there was one thing she absolutely couldn’t resist, it was good food. So, the moment school let out, she dragged Shu Lingchen along to go try it.
After finding a seat inside, Shu Shu ordered a whole spread.
All sorts of small, mouth-watering desserts were brought out on lovely porcelain plates and arranged on a small round table draped in a lace tablecloth. It was an absolute visual feast.
Shu Shu immediately whipped out her phone to take photos.
Shu Lingchen stood by as her dutiful assistant, whisking away one plate the moment she finished photographing it.
This went on for a solid ten minutes.
Looking at his mother, who was clearly having the time of her life, Shu Lingchen remembered that she had always been like this—always taking photos before eating.
A true Chinese woman who lived for the perfect shot!
As she kept snapping pictures, the wind chimes hanging on the wooden door chimed, signaling the arrival of a new customer.
“Hello, could I get… a slice of the strawberry yogurt mousse, please?”
A soft, timid female voice rang out.
The server gave an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, but the very last slice of strawberry yogurt mousse was just purchased.”
Shu Shu moved her phone away, her gaze landing on the strawberry yogurt mousse right in front of her. She looked up and saw a chubby figure standing by the display counter.
It was a girl.
Even though the weather wasn’t particularly cold, she was wearing incredibly loose long sleeves and pants. Her hair hung loose, and she wore a white face mask, bundling herself up so tightly that only her eyes were visible.
Hearing the server say it was sold out, one could feel her crushing disappointment even from a distance. It was obvious she had come specifically for this dessert, only to miss out.
On an impulse, Shu Shu raised her hand.
“The last slice of strawberry yogurt mousse is right here!”
The server and the girl looked over at the same time.
Shu Shu said to the girl, “Um, hey there, I haven’t touched this mousse yet—just took a few photos. If you don’t mind, you can have it.”
The girl’s eyes locked onto the mousse, a faint glimmer lighting up her gaze.
“…R-Really?”
“Of course.”
Shu Shu asked the server to box it up, then patted Shu Lingchen on the shoulder, ordering him around: “Go bring it over to her.”
“Oh.”
Carrying the small paper box, Shu Lingchen’s tall figure loomed over the girl. He bluntly extended his hand, offering it to her. “Here.”
The girl didn’t take it. Instead, she instinctively took two steps back, lowering her head as her hands anxiously gripped the straps of the canvas bag on her shoulder.
“…”
“Hey, take it.”
Confused, Shu Lingchen took another step forward.
The girl immediately took another step back, looking incredibly tense and frightened.
Shu Lingchen’s mind was filled with question marks.
Watching from not far away, Shu Shu internally facepalmed at her son’s utter lack of social awareness. Couldn’t he tell the girl clearly didn’t like people getting too close?
In modern terms, she probably had severe social anxiety.
Especially when facing someone like him, who looked like a cocky, dynamic high school delinquent.
Shu Shu couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She walked over herself, snatched the mousse from Shu Lingchen’s hand, and set it on a nearby table. Then, she said gently:
“Don’t worry, kiddo. He looks a bit intimidating, but he’s not a bad guy. I’ll just leave the mousse right here for you.”
Shu Lingchen, standing beside her: “…”
Hearing the warm, pleasant voice, the girl lifted her head. She seemed surprised that Shu Shu had noticed her discomfort and was willing to accommodate her. Her eyes filled with gratitude, and her soft, muffled voice came from behind the mask:
“Thank you so much. How much was it? I can transfer the money to you.”
Shu Shu met her gaze.
Underneath the mask, the girl’s face was quite chubby, but her exposed skin was fair and flawless, and she was born with a pair of distinct, beautiful “peach blossom” eyes.
What a cute girl.
While Shu Shu was looking at her, the girl also got a clear look at Shu Shu’s face. She froze, lowering her head once more as her fingers gripped her bag straps—but this time, it wasn’t out of nervousness.
It felt more like shyness.
Her mind was entirely filled with one thought: This older sister is so pretty.
Shu Shu waved her hand dismissively. “No need, it’s my treat!”
With that, she went back to her seat.
Pei Muyin snuck another glance at Shu Shu’s retreating figure. Clutching the paper box containing the mousse, she prepared to leave the dessert shop in a wonderful mood. As she pushed the door open and walked out, a few people happened to come walking in. As they brushed past each other, one of them complained loudly:
“Unbelievable. She’s already that fat, and she’s still eating dessert? She’s completely blocking the way.”
Instantly, the chubby fingers gripping the paper box tightened. Her bangs cast a shadow over her face, and every bit of her good mood from a moment ago vanished into thin air.
Zhang Lu turned around, looking at the girl who was hurrying away outside the shop, her eyes full of disgust. “With that size, she must weigh at least 180 pounds.”
“Oh my god, Xiao Lian, she’s like two of you combined!”
“Lulu, don’t say things like that.”
Chu Lian glanced at Zhang Lu. Her words sounded disapproving, but there wasn’t much actual disapproval on her face.
The group stood at the entrance, callously judging the chubby girl with their eyes. But in the next second, they saw the girl get into a sleek, jet-black luxury sedan with a golden Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament(Rolls-Royce).
“Whoa, a luxury car.”
“And it’s got a Beijing license plate.”
Chu Lian’s gaze froze; she recognized it as an incredibly expensive car too.
The group clearly hadn’t expected that the girl they were just casually mocking would come from such a wealthy family.
“It’s just a Rolls-Royce, what’s the big deal?” Zhang Lu boasted, turning to Chu Lian with a grin. “Xiao Lian’s dad has a Rolls-Royce too. She showed me a picture before.”
Hearing this, the other girls instantly looked at Chu Lian with admiration. “Wow!”
Chu Lian’s eyes flickered slightly as she quickly changed the subject. “Let’s find a place to sit.”
The group chatted as they sat down inside the dessert shop. As soon as they settled in, someone couldn’t help but marvel.
“This dessert shop really is huge and beautiful.”
“No wonder that influencer with five million followers came here to do a review.”
“…The prices are ‘beautiful’ too.” One of the girls gasped the moment she looked at the menu. “A tiny piece of cake is 115 yuan.”
As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere went a bit quiet.
In reality, they had known about this trendy shop for a long time, but since they were just students, they couldn’t afford to splurge here.
“Chu Lian, are you really treating us? Won’t it be too expensive?”
Chu Lian smiled modestly. “I think these desserts are pretty cheap. Just order whatever you want.”
She could afford it anyway.
Counting the days, Shu Lingchen’s allowance of 50,000 yuan for the new month should be hitting her account just about now.
Sansukini: It’s going to be embarassing if she can’t pay.