5: Working hard to earn money with footnotes
Longing to be petted, Ye Susu’s mind had just started to drift when a sudden message notification popped up on her phone.
[Your *** Huabei bill for November: 1,749 yuan. Insufficient balance. Repayment unsuccessful. Please log in manually to repay.]
Ye Susu cursed under her breath, a soft “meow” escaping.
Terrible luck.
Why did she have to transmigrate on this day?
All funding cut off.
If she didn’t repay, she couldn’t even use Huabei.
Could this mortal existence get any more pathetic?
“Cub, your mom is really… sigh.”
Ye Susu held her head, instantly feeling that the enticing catnip scent behind her wasn’t so appealing anymore.
She had to find a way to earn money quickly!
As if reading her mind, another message from Ye Wan popped up on WeChat.
[Susu, the company sent me an email. You’re on this month’s elimination list. I want to help you, but you need to put in the effort yourself. You even have Ye Xun, and you were willing to have him under unclear circumstances. What? After all these years, you’re chickening out today!? You look down on Manager Li now!?
[You need to show the company your value.]
[Think about it carefully. A while ago, Auntie told me she wants to come here to make a living and open a noodle shop. She even likes this apartment and wants to move in. I told her I’d give her an answer today. It’s up to you—go back to the countryside and farm, or stay here and fight for a better life!]
Ye Susu was speechless.
Ye Wan’s persuasion had failed, so now she resorted to threats again.
However, it did remind Ye Susu of something.
She couldn’t keep living here.
Although Ye Wan’s apartment was shabby, it was in the city center. The monthly rent for a one-bedroom was 3,500 yuan.
If she moved to the suburbs, it would be much cheaper.
“Mommy…”
Seeing Ye Susu lost in serious thought after hearing the voice message, Ye Xun’s little face filled with deep worry and confusion.
There was even a hint of underlying self-blame in his eyes.
He didn’t know all the details of the past, but from bits and pieces he’d overheard over time, he slowly understood that his existence had caused Ye Susu significant hardship.
If he weren’t here, Ye Susu would be much happier.
He hung his head in dejection.
Xiao Pang at kindergarten said he must have a father; he just didn’t know where he was. If he could find his dad, there’d be one more person earning money at home, and he wouldn’t be without the newest tank toy.
Ye Xun blinked, feeling a warm mist blur his vision.
He didn’t want toys.
He just wanted a little more money at home so Mommy could pay back what she owed others.
He didn’t want Mommy to cry secretly alone at night, whispering to herself whether things would be better if she hadn’t given birth to him…
Ye Xun bit his lip, trying hard to keep his eyes wide open, holding back the welling tears so they wouldn’t fall and make Ye Susu angry again.
“Cub, I don’t really have a good solution for now. We might have to make do with less for a while.”
Ye Susu scratched her head.
Ye Xun’s small hands on the table curled slightly.
Was she finally going to send him to the countryside to live with Grandma?
After his father, was Mommy finally giving up on him too…?
He sniffled, his vision blurring, but he quickly nodded.
“Mm.”
He let out a soft nasal sound, struggling past the burning tightness in his throat.
He knew Ye Susu was truly out of options.
She really couldn’t afford to keep him.
Even though he already tried to eat as little as possible.
Ye Xun’s shoulders slumped, his lips pressed tightly together.
“Then before heading home, let’s check out the real estate agency next door that was handing out flyers earlier.”
Ye Susu abruptly changed the subject.
Ye Xun was stunned, blinking rapidly, a string of tears falling.
But when he looked up, he saw Ye Susu was still looking at her phone.
“Your mommy isn’t good at making money, so we’ll have to move to a worse, farther place.”
Ye Susu spoke helplessly.
It wasn’t what he thought? Just moving?
His small heart, which had been clenched tight and utterly lost, trembled for a moment before finally settling back into place.
While wiping away the tears Ye Susu hadn’t seen with his arm, he stared at her with wide eyes, filled with an urgent desire to confirm.
“Cub, look.”
Ye Susu soon brought the phone screen before him.
The original host already had the Lianjia app on her phone, likely having considered moving before. largest and most influential real estate brokerage and services brand
“Here, sharing an apartment, a single room seems to be only 800 yuan a month. We can squeeze in together at night, sleep on one bed, just like now. But we’d have to share the bathroom and kitchen with others.”
“You’d probably only be able to stay in the room in the evenings.”
Ye Xun held his breath, his small mouth pursing slightly into a tiny curve.
It really was just moving!
Relieved, he hurriedly lowered his head to look at the images Ye Susu’s finger scrolled through.
The room in the picture looked a bit like the one they lived in now, with only enough space for a bed and a table, nothing else.
The kitchen was tiny too.
If they lived with others, he really couldn’t play in the hallway anymore.
But he didn’t play much anyway; he usually just looked at picture books.
And he already remembered all those stories by now, so it didn’t matter if he didn’t look at them.
“Also, this location is farther from your kindergarten. You might have to wake up an hour earlier and take the bus to get there.”
As Ye Susu spoke, she frowned again.
“Then besides rent, we’d have to add bus fare… Hmm, it’s still two thousand cheaper than now.”
After struggling with the earlier order, she was starting to merge more with the original host’s mindset.
Her math skills had also caught up to an average person’s level.
Using all ten fingers, she finally managed the calculations.
“Cub, it’ll be harder for you, with less sleep. What do you think?”
Ye Susu was quite democratic.
After all, this was her mission-child; she valued his opinion.
Afraid she might change her mind if he answered too slowly, Ye Xun blurted out hurriedly, “I can wake up early!”
If he went to bed earlier, he could get up earlier.
“Break-breakfast can be made the night before and put in the fridge, then taken on the way to eat the next day!”
In just one breath, he had the future all planned out.
If not for his slightly lisping baby teeth, he’d undoubtedly be a little man capable of managing a household.
Ye Susu gave a gratified, motherly smile.
“Good boy.”
“Let’s go check next door, then head home to earn money!”
With the little one being so proactive, she couldn’t lag behind.
Gritting her teeth, resisting the lingering pull of the human-shaped catnip behind her, she resolutely extended her hand to the child.
“Let’s go.”
Buy rice, visit the agency—so many things to do.
She forced herself not to look back, missing the sight of the jacket-clad man beside the catnip-scented figure, whose eyes nearly reddened as he watched mother and son leave.
“That child is so sensible…”
Liu Zhen couldn’t help but speak.
He even wanted to help the kid!
Beside him, the aloof man remained silent for a long time.
Even after the child turned the corner and disappeared from view, his gaze didn’t shift away.
He raised a hand, his long fingers resting against his slightly obscured dark phoenix eyes—eyes that bore some resemblance to the child’s.
“Prepare the Haitang Compound residence.”
Liu Zhen’s eyes lit up.
Haitang Compound was a two-story duplex, an ordinary residential property kept for the boss by their real estate company.
The apartment wasn’t large, but it was only a twenty-minute walk from Ye Xun’s current kindergarten!
Ye Susu had strong survival instincts.
On the way back, she’d already planned an emergency survival strategy in her mind.
First, scrape together money for repayment. Second scrape together money for liquidity, and then scrape together money for the new rental.
Overall, it boiled down to one thing: money.
Therefore, her solution was equally straightforward.
Sell!
Apart from essentials for her and the cub, everything valuable in the house—all the flashy items for streaming—would be sold for cash!
Three months’ rent, plus Huabei, plus various expenses for the new rental… she’d need at least ten to twenty thousand yuan.
Unless she won the lottery or borrowed more money, where would such a large sum fall from the sky?
Thinking this, Ye Susu took swift action.
First, she took Xunbao to the cheapest market in her memory, bought the most cost-effective rice, charmed the vendor auntie with some playful persuasion, got a five-yuan discount, and even received free scallions, ginger, and garlic as extras.
After that, she went to the supermarket and hunted down milk and tuna cans nearing their expiration date that were on sale, along with some small yellow croakers that the fish vendor couldn’t sell, and finally grabbed a few wilted vegetables.
Then, stopping briefly at the real estate agency, she left her phone number and stated her requirements: ‘rent under 1,000 yuan, within an hour’s reach of the city center, one room.’ Without pausing, she hurried back home with the child.
Throughout, a low-key black business sedan followed the mother and son at a steady distance, sometimes pulling over, sometimes cruising slowly as they entered and exited various shops.
Only after they entered the old residential complex did the car finally find an empty spot to park inside the community.
Inside the car, Liu Zhen kept checking if his phone was on silent mode.
One hour, two hours… passed.
They had left the listing for the Haitang Compound residence with the agency Ye Susu visited, asking the agency to contact her.
But there had been no feedback.
Could it be that Ye Susu wasn’t interested in the property and hadn’t requested a viewing?
Liu Zhen was starting to get anxious.
He glanced sideways at the composed, solemn man beside him, who had been working steadily on a tablet the entire time.
The man’s fingers occasionally swiped across the screen, his handsome brows slightly furrowed.
The boss was truly impressive, not showing any sign of impatience.
Liu Zhen straightened his posture, thinking he should also use his phone to handle some work emails.
But the next second—
A coquettish, soft girl’s voice suddenly sounded from the tablet, sweet enough to evoke thoughts of fluffy cotton candy that melts in the mouth, sugary and delightful.
“Hi, your little cutie is online. This is your daily dose of elegance, sunshine, and laziness—streamer Susu-chan~”
Liu Zhen’s hand twitched.
The boss was actually watching a live stream!
Susu-chan… Ye Susu?
Was the agency getting no response because she was streaming and missed the rental inquiry call?
As Liu Zhen thought this, he couldn’t help but crane his neck to peek at the screen, and he froze in surprise.
On the tablet, a woman with heavy beauty filters clinked a glass twice.
“Is Susu-chan looking extra pretty today? Yep, that’s because Susu is wearing Q-brand’s fishnet crystal drop earrings! With these earrings, even a round face looks slimmer, turning a chubby cat into a Pomeranian. Oh my god! Originally 560 yuan, worn twice by Susu, only 100 yuan today.”
“Now look at what Susu’s wearing—yes, you’re seeing right! This is the legendary haze color that makes humans tremble! A haze blue camisole dress—cool yet subtly luxurious, luxurious yet with a touch of feminine beauty. On Susu, at 1.65m, it falls right at the ankle. Made of ultimate fabric so soft and smooth, even your cat would want to pounce on it!”
“Originally 1,600 yuan, worn only three times, selling for 888!”
“Now look at these little heels on my feet. This is what we call ‘feline-step temptation in motion’! Just 399 yuan, durable enough for three years, eternally classic, making your waist sway instantly!”
Liu Zhen: “…”
The atmosphere inside the car turned rather peculiar for a moment.
The afternoon sun, around three or four o’clock, gradually slanted westward. Within the residential complex, little dogs and cats wandered out leisurely, tails wagging.
The live stream continued for nearly an hour, showcasing close to a hundred items before abruptly ending.
The ‘refined’ girl in the tablet suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! My congee seems ready, hmm… this aroma is so enticing it could make all the cats in the neighborhood cry. I truly am a genius purified through a hundred generations of this race’s bloodline, excelling at everything I do.”
“Everyone, final ten minutes! Everything’s going on Xianyu!” Think of it as a hybrid of eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and OfferUp
“Shipping not included, all cash on delivery.”
“Only for the quick-handed! Bai bai, I’m off to eat my congee~”
As she spoke, she hastily stood up before the camera.
“Cub, don’t touch it, wait for me!”
“Meow, how do I turn this camera off?”
The man holding the tablet remained still as a mountain.
Liu Zhen’s lips twitched slightly.
But the next second, clear instructions reached his ears.
“Find her Xianyu account.”
“One hour later, buy whatever’s left.”
The cool voice carried an unquestionable command.
Liu Zhen immediately straightened his back.
Funding Plan B!
“Yes, sir.”
Meanwhile, inside the apartment, Ye Susu finally figured out how to stop the live stream.
Following the enticing aroma, she happily dashed to the kitchen, looking expectantly at Ye Xun, who stood obediently by the kitchen door, hoping for praise.
“Cub, I think I’ve cooked an extraordinarily delicious congee!”
This was the loving meal she made especially for the cub, crafted with the Parenting Points she’d exchanged.
If it didn’t taste good, she’d explode with frustration!
**