The sunlight that had been flickering in and out was finally completely obscured by lead-gray clouds. Whether it was an illusion brought on by the overcast sky or the temperature had indeed plummeted several degrees, Qiao Sheng, who had been standing outside the mall all day, felt as if she were submerged in icy seawater.
At first, her thick clothing still provided some warmth, but as time passed, the cold air seeped in like relentless seawater, bit by bit, slowly draining the warmth from her body.
With stiff hands, Qiao Sheng fished a thermos from her bag. The thermos worked well—the water she had poured in that morning was still hot. She drank the last few sips of warm water, and her body managed to gather a little warmth.
But her hands and feet remained icy, her toes aching painfully.
The supervisor scanned her payment for the day, clicking his tongue in admiration. “I misjudged you. When I first saw you, a delicate-looking girl, I even bet with someone that you wouldn’t last two hours before running home. I never expected you to last two whole days. Will you be back tomorrow?”
Qiao Sheng’s nose was red, her eyes brimming with spirited determination. She grinned. “Of course.”
Only a fool would turn down money.
No matter how hard the work, after earning a modest eighty yuan, it all seemed trivial.
In two days, she had earned a total of one hundred and sixty yuan. Though not a large sum, it filled her with a sense of accomplishment.
See? She could manage without being a burden to Gu Huo.
Once she could support herself, the weight on Gu Huo’s shoulders would naturally lighten. He could then focus on his studies, fall in love with the female lead who would appear soon, and smoothly ascend to the peak of his life.
If, after his success, he could follow the original plot and gift her a car, a house, and a monthly allowance of one million yuan, she’d be laughing in her dreams.
But if her transmigration caused some butterfly effect and he didn’t give her those things, Qiao Sheng was no good-for-nothing. With her healthy limbs and a willingness to endure hardship, she could live a decent life as long as she had the spirit to work hard.
Waving goodbye to the supervisor, Qiao Sheng stamped her feet, tightened her coat, and turned to leave.
The faint, sweet aroma of milk tea drifted through the air.
Right next to her was a milk tea shop. How blissful it would be to hold a steaming cup of milk tea and sip it in this freezing cold!
Freshly having earned a few coins, Qiao Sheng glanced at the long line in front of the milk tea shop as she turned away. Instead of craving a drink, she thought, Business is so good—how much money must they make in a day?
Then, resolutely, she headed toward the bus stop.
At the same time, a luxury car pulled over by the roadside, and two young men stepped out.
One was dressed impeccably, exuding an air of nobility and wealth.
The other wore gold-rimmed glasses and looked refined and scholarly. He wasn’t bad either, but compared to the first, he fell far short—more like an attendant.
Qiao Sheng caught a glimpse of them and shuddered, quickly ducking behind a roadside billboard to hide.
Enemies cross paths—it’s Zhou Zixiao and his friend.
This was the busiest area of the city, bustling with people. Qiao Sheng believed that even if she ran into them, they wouldn’t dare do anything to her.
Still, it would likely lead to some unpleasantness, and she was alone right now. A smart woman knows when to retreat, so it was better to hide for now.
Let it be known—she wasn’t being cowardly.
“Ugh.”
Tang Lize glanced toward where Qiao Sheng was hiding, and Zhou Zixiao followed his gaze, sending a cold sweat down Qiao Sheng’s spine.
The image of those two lying in the rain like turtles that day flashed through her mind.
She nearly laughed out loud but quickly covered her mouth.
She wondered what Zhou Zixiao, who cared so much about appearances, had been feeling at the time. Back then, she had been too furious and focused on picking a fight to notice his expression.
Thankfully, Gu Huo had dragged her away, Qiao Sheng thought with lingering fear.
Otherwise, in her heated state, would she have really rushed over and fought them to the death?
Even though Tang Lize had tripped both himself and Zhou Zixiao in a panic, creating the illusion of her overwhelming victory, what would have awaited her once they got up, humiliated and enraged?
Qiao Sheng hid behind the billboard, not daring to move for a long time.
Holding her breath nervously, she still found time to comfort herself inwardly: It’s not that I’m afraid of them. I’m mainly afraid of causing trouble for Gu Huo…
Yes, that’s exactly it.
If not for Gu Huo, with so many girls fluttering around Zhou Zixiao, why would he have specifically bestowed the position of personal maid to the original owner?
Qiao Sheng didn’t dare to breathe too loudly. Fortunately, they hadn’t noticed her presence.
After glancing in her direction a couple of times, they withdrew their gazes and headed toward the mall.
Tang Lize doubted his own eyes. “Maybe I was seeing things. I just saw a girl who looked a lot like that damned Qiao girl.”
Zhou Zixiao’s expression darkened slightly, and a delicate, cold face involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling welled up in his heart.
It felt as though that day had been their first meeting, and she wasn’t the fawning admirer who would come running at his beck and call.
Zhou Zixiao pursed his lips. He hadn’t yet realized that since that day, he had been thinking of her unexpectedly over the past few days—recalling the calm, unruffled look in her eyes when she gazed at him. His own placid heart felt like a mischievous child had tossed a small stone into it, stirring ripples that left him restless and irritable.
Suddenly remembering something, he asked abruptly, “Do you have her WeChat?”
Tang Lize curled his lip. “She did try to add me, but of course I wouldn’t accept. She should know her place. Having someone like her in my friends list would only lower my standards.”
For some reason, Zhou Zixiao felt a twinge of disappointment.
Tang Lize, unaware of Zhou Zixiao’s odd mood, sneered and said, “She even wanted to join our friends’ group chat. As if! Zhou, once school starts, you should really give her the cold shoulder. Otherwise, she might forget her own worth!”
Zhou Zixiao responded with an absent-minded “Hmm.”
That was exactly what he had in mind.
Qiao Sheng’s drastic change in behavior that day had made them wonder if she’d been possessed.
Soon, they learned from one of their friends that on the last day of winter break, Qiao Sheng had given that person a handmade scarf with clumsy stitching—one she had knitted herself. She had intended to deliver it to her crush in person, but while she was timidly mustering the courage, the person discovered it and offered to pass it along for her.
That scarf, woven with all her affection, eventually made its way to Zhou Zixiao. The young master, dressed head to toe in luxury brands, naturally looked down on the poorly made scarf and tossed it straight into the trash.
And the person who delivered it, knowing full well this would be the outcome, had deliberately done so to mock her.
Later, when Zhou Zixiao learned that the scarf was made by Qiao Sheng, he understood—her unusual behavior was related to him throwing away her scarf.
Thinking that a gentle and virtuous approach wouldn’t work on him, she switched to a confrontational style to get his attention?
Hah.
Zhou Zixiao curled his lips. Let her do whatever she wanted. Unless his brain had been crushed by a door, he would never like a woman like her.