After being kicked out of the wealthy family along with her yandere childhood friend

Bai Tao wore a peach-pink dress today.

Made to order, every stitch is hand-sewn. The curve of the skirt, the cut of the neckline, the position of the waistline—every detail has been repeatedly considered and adjusted.

She stood in front of the half-person-high mirror in the bathroom and turned around.

The color of this dress was specially matched to her skin tone, neither too bright nor too tacky, making her look fair and rosy, like a tender peach that you could squeeze out juice.

Bai Tao looked at herself in the mirror for two seconds and sighed softly.

Things have changed, and people are no longer the same.

This dress is more expensive than everything she owns combined.

Even if she sold all her possessions, she probably still couldn't afford the hand embroidery on this dress.

But because it was custom-made to order, every inch of the waist fit perfectly. It hugged her skin without feeling restrictive, like a layer of skin that grew on her body.

Therefore, she cannot resell it.

Bai Tao gave a wry smile to herself in the mirror, then turned and walked out of the bathroom.

Pei Jin was leaning against the door frame, waiting for her.

The basement corridor was dark and narrow, and the hem of her peach-pink dress swayed gently behind her. Pei Jin's eyes lit up at the sight.

His gaze lingered on Bai Tao for a moment before shifting away. In the dimly lit, cramped basement, Bai Tao shimmered.

It really is glowing.

"Let's go."

White peaches walked past him, carrying a faint fragrance.

Pei Jin nodded, bent down, and rummaged through the pile of shoes by the door to find the pair of shoes he had worn when he left the Pei family home. He kicked aside his large slippers and put on these shoes.

Bai Tao glanced at him. "Don't you find your feet stuffy wearing those shoes?"

Pei Jin had just taken one step when he was taken aback by this question.

He looked down at his shoes; they were indeed unsuitable for summer. But Bai Tao was so dazzling, he didn't want to dress sloppily and embarrass her.

He didn't answer Bai Tao's question. Instead, he turned around, carefully checked the iron gate, made sure it was locked, removed the key, and only after confirming that there were no problems did he catch up with Bai Tao, who was waiting for him outside.

The alley was packed with people in the morning.

The elderly men and women who couldn't sleep gathered in small groups under the trees. Some were playing chess, some were practicing Tai Chi, and some were simply standing and chatting.

The early risers, rushing to catch the subway to work, hurried past Bai Tao and Pei Jin like a gust of wind, carrying breakfast in their hands and steamed buns in their mouths.

Bai Tao and Pei Jin walking together attracted a lot of attention.

A down-on-her-luck young lady, dressed elegantly and respectably, always seemed out of place walking through the old alley. In particular, her dress was obviously expensive; anyone with a discerning eye could tell it shimmered in the sunlight, yet it wasn't dazzling.

A poor boy who grew up in an alley, wearing a 29.9 yuan t-shirt, and the two men's painting styles were completely different.

Several workers squatted at the alley entrance smoking, their work clothes covered in cement dust, cigarettes between their fingers, their eyes constantly scanning Bai Tao up and down.

Those looks weren't malicious; they were just people who'd never seen anything like it before and found it strange, or perhaps they thought going out like that was too extravagant, but they still made her very uncomfortable. Bai Tao walked ahead, unaware of the looks people were giving her.

But Pei Jin noticed it.

His gaze swept across the workers' faces, his dark eyes devoid of any extra emotion. The first man's cigarette ash fell onto his trouser leg, the second man looked away, and the third man simply lowered his head.

Pei Jin withdrew his gaze, quickened his pace, and walked alongside Bai Tao.

"What do you want to eat?" Bai Tao walked forward without turning her head, the sunlight falling on the top of her head, turning her hair chestnut brown.

Pei Jin walked to her right, using his body to block the gazes that were still secretly looking in their direction.

He memorized the faces of the thugs around him, but didn't see the men who had robbed him.

He only looked away when Bai Tao asked him, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Whatever, buy whatever you want to eat."

"How about soy milk and steamed buns?" Bai Tao turned her head and glanced at him, her eyes sparkling.

She discovered that the soy milk she had bought for Pei Jin that morning was sweet and tasted especially good.

She didn't know if the soy milk at that shop was naturally sweet, or if she was just too tired that day and everything tasted good. She wanted to try it again.

Pei Jin nodded. What he wanted to eat right now was completely unimportant; he had no money.

The two walked to the breakfast stall at the entrance of the alley.

The shop wasn't big, but business was booming. Steaming baskets were stacked high, and the proprietress was incredibly efficient, collecting money, packing bags, and calling out for the next customer all at the same time.

Bai Tao ordered two cups of soy milk and six steamed buns. The proprietress packed them in a plastic bag, tied a knot at the top, and glanced at Pei Jin as she handed them over.

Bai Tao took the breakfast but didn't leave immediately.

"Boss lady," she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket, "could you exchange six hundred yuan in cash for me?"

"Sure, just a moment." The proprietress pulled a slightly worn wallet from her apron pocket, counted out six red bills, and handed them over. Bai Tao scanned the QR code on the wall and transferred the money.

Pei Jin stood to the side, watching Bai Tao align and fold the small stack of cash in her hand, then turn around and hand it to him.

"What's wrong?" Pei Jin asked, somewhat bewildered.

Bai Tao held out the small wad of cash to him again, saying, "These days, you can't go out without any money. Take this cash first, and we'll talk about it again when you get your phone back."

Pei Jin looked at the money in her hand and fell silent.

The sunlight fell on the red pieces of paper, making them somewhat dazzling.

He originally wanted to refuse.

He didn't want to take a single penny of Bai Tao's money.

But then he realized he didn't need to cling to this false dignity anymore. His suitcase had been stolen, his phone had been stolen, and his ID card was gone. Standing in front of this breakfast stall, he couldn't even afford a cup of soy milk.

Pei Jin reached out and took the money.

"Thank you," he said in a low voice, "I'll pay you back when I make money."

"Uh-huh."

Bai Tao smiled and nodded, then turned around with her breakfast in her hand and continued walking forward.

Pei Jin folded the money neatly and put it in his pocket. The money was pressed against his thigh and felt slightly warm.

Bai Tao carried the soy milk and steamed buns for a while, and the things in her hands became heavier and heavier.

She glanced at Pei Jin, who was walking three steps ahead, empty-handed and looking particularly dashing, occasionally stopping to look at the little GG on the roadside utility pole.

The utility poles were plastered with job postings: construction site bricklayer, daily wage 400 yuan; express delivery sorting, night shift, 280 yuan per night; restaurant dishwasher, room and board provided, monthly salary 4,000 yuan.

"Pei Jin!"

Bai Tao called out, but Pei Jin didn't hear her.

He had one hand behind his head, looking up at a picture of a guy pasted on the top of a telephone pole. Sunlight shone on his face, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"Pei Jin!" Bai Tao called out again, her voice a little louder than before.

Pei Jin then turned his head and glanced at her: "What's wrong?"

Bai Tao raised the breakfast she was carrying in her right hand and waved it at him.

The soy milk and steamed buns in the plastic bag swayed back and forth with her movements, and the bag was tied too tightly, making a slight rubbing sound.

Pei Jin waved his hand: "I'll drink when we get back. I don't want to drink now."

Bai Tao stood there, stunned.

No, brother, is that what I meant?

Her hands were red from the thin straps of the plastic bag, with several deep marks on her palms. Bai Tao took a deep breath and put on a pitiful expression.

She lowered her head slightly, looking up at him, her lips slightly pouting. "You carry it, Pei Jin," she drawled, her voice as soft as melted ice cream, "I can't carry it~"

Pei Jin looked at her for two seconds, walked over, and took the breakfast from her hands.

Bai Tao's hands are finally free.

She looked down at her palm, where red marks from the pressure were visible. She rubbed her hands together and blew on them.

Pei Jin watched her actions without saying anything.

Delicate and spoiled.

On their way back, the vegetable stalls had just been set up. The stalls were side by side, with plastic sheets spread on the ground, piled high with greens, radishes, cucumbers, and tomatoes, all looking fresh and clean, with water droplets still clinging to their leaves.

Bai Tao stopped in front of a vegetable stall.

An older woman was squatting on the ground, with a bunch of small green vegetables piled up in a plastic basket in front of her. The leaves were bright green, and the roots were still covered with soil, so it was clear that they had just been pulled from the ground.

Bai Tao squatted down, slowly picked up a tree, and examined it.

There was a tiny wormhole on the vegetable leaf. She stared at it for a while, then the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"One yuan per pound, beautiful lady, buy some." The aunt's voice was thick with local accent as she looked at Bai Tao with a smile.

One yuan per pound.

So cheap.

The exact same vegetables, washed, picked, packed, covered with plastic wrap, and labeled organic, would cost ten yuan in a high-end supermarket.

The price increased tenfold, but I still bought the same bunch of vegetables.

Bai Tao squatted on the ground and looked back at Pei Jin.

Pei Jin saw that she looked tired from tilting her head back and bent down to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Let's buy some groceries and cook at home, Pei Jin."

Ordering takeout all the time isn't a solution, as neither of them has any income right now, and even the cheapest takeout meal costs at least fifty yuan.

Pei Jin looked troubled. "I don't know how to do it."

"It's okay," Bai Tao smiled, her eyes crinkling, "I don't know either. We can learn by watching on our phones."

Pei Jin looked at her smile.

"Okay," Pei Jin said.

He couldn't explain why, but he suddenly really enjoyed listening to Bai Tao talk about us.

This feeling of mutual dependence made him feel very comfortable.

He took out the hundred-yuan bill from his pocket, held it between his fingers, and handed it to the vegetable vendor.

The scene startled my aunt.

A tip?

The red banknote dangled in the air, but the auntie didn't even take it. She waved her hands repeatedly, then recoiled as if burned, saying, "It's too big, I can't make change, young man!"

She was just a vegetable vendor; she would put a plastic basket on the ground, sit on a small stool, and make about a hundred yuan a day.

Nowadays, everyone uses mobile payment, and occasionally needs to make change, usually ten or eight yuan. The change in my pocket doesn't even add up to a hundred yuan.

Bai Tao bought a total of one and a half jin of bok choy for one yuan and fifty cents. Then the young man suddenly pulled out one hundred yuan.

One hundred yuan can buy vegetables that cost one yuan and fifty cents.

My aunt had lived most of her life and this was the first time she had ever seen anything like it.

Bai Tao squatted on the ground, startled as she looked at the hundred-yuan bill that was being held up over her head.

The fingers have distinct knuckles, and the veins on them are visible. A red banknote is held between the fingertips.

She quickly tugged at Pei Jin's wrist.

"Oh dear, Pei Jin!"

Bai Tao lowered her voice, but her tone carried a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "Just one yuan and fifty cents!"

Pei Jin looked at Bai Tao with a puzzled expression, his brows furrowing slightly. "I know," he said, "What's wrong?"

Bai Tao looked at his innocent, confused, and completely clueless handsome face, and remained silent for a second.

Forget it.

She forgot that Pei Jin was a complete idiot when it came to life.

He had no idea that you needed to use change to buy things at the market. He only knew that money could buy things. He took out a hundred-yuan bill, and in his eyes, it was no different from taking out a one-yuan-and-fifty-yuan bill, since they were both money.

"It's okay," Bai Tao released his wrist, her tone like she was coaxing a somewhat ignorant child, "You can take it back, I'll scan the code to pay."

Pei Jin obediently put the money back into his pocket.

Auntie breathed a sigh of relief, took a plastic sign with a QR code printed on it from the small basket next to her, and held it up in front of Bai Tao.

Bai Tao scanned the code, pressed her fingerprint, and the payment was successful.

"Okay." Bai Tao stood up, and her aunt handed her a plastic bag containing bok choy. Pei Jin reached out and took the vegetables.

Bai Tao glanced at him and silently nodded in her heart.

This child is teachable!

The two continued walking back, the plastic bag swaying gently in Pei Jin's hand, the leaves of the bok choy brushing against his trouser leg, leaving a faint watermark.

Bai Tao walked ahead, her steps much lighter, the hem of her skirt sweeping past her calves like a blooming lotus flower.

Pei Jin looked down at the plastic bag in his hand, then looked up at Bai Tao's back.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly without him realizing it.

Bai Tao and Pei Jin returned to the basement and entered one after the other.

Bai Tao changed into slippers, nestled into the sofa, placed breakfast on the coffee table, and scrolled through her phone while munching on a steamed bun. The soy milk was still hot; she took a sip, squinting from the heat, but didn't want to put it down.

Pei Jin sat on the stool, leaning against the large floral cloth, and silently finished his portion.

He eats quickly but not in a hurry, and his lips are tightly closed while he chews, without making any sound.

Bai Tao ate a steamed bun while swiping her fingers across the screen.

She majored in fine arts.

When she took the college entrance exam, she was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts with good grades. Although the Bai family had originally intended to raise her as a tool for a marriage alliance, she diligently completed her four years of professional courses.

She thought of her lower bunkmate from college.

That girl was usually quiet, wore round-framed glasses, and was not very noticeable.

But her digital drawing skills were exceptional. She took on commissions online, drawing fan art or chibi cartoon characters, and could sell each piece for two or three hundred yuan. Bai Tao found it strange at the time; two or three hundred yuan for a day or two of drawing seemed less appealing than working at a bubble tea shop.

But now she understands.

Bai Tao opened social media, browsed through fanfiction posts for a while, and looked at the accounts of popular artists. She then had a general idea of ​​what to do next.

She decided to create an account first, draw some things she likes, and then promote them on multiple platforms, including Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform).

Anyway, she has plenty of time now.

If you draw well, you'll gradually get more commissions. With more commissions, your price will gradually increase. And once your price increases, well, how things will unfold... she can't say for sure right now.

But it's better than doing nothing.

Bai Tao put down her phone, looked up to say something to Pei Jin, but found that he had already finished eating.

He sat on the stool, head slightly bowed, his gaze fixed on the ground, lost in thought. He was motionless, as quiet as a painting.

Bai Tao looked at him for two seconds, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

He must be... really bored.

There was no cell phone, no computer, no books, nothing to pass the time. The basement was so small that it was difficult to even turn around, and there wasn't even a place for him to walk around. He just sat there.

Bai Tao stood up, walked to the suitcase, squatted down, unzipped it, and rummaged through a pile of clothes for a while before finally pulling out the tablet from the bottom.

Bai Tao wiped the screen of the pink iPad with her hand, unlocked it, exited her WeChat account, and then walked up to Pei Jin and handed it to him.

"Aren't you bored?" she said, shoving the tablet into his hands. "Use my tablet to play with. But don't look at my photo album."

Pei Jin was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the pink tablet that had been shoved into his hand.

The screen was lit up, and the desktop background was drawn by herself. It was a cute chibi version of her with her legs crossed, lying on a pile of paint tubes, with a little cat tail sticking up high behind her. The style of the whole interface was too cute.

"Thank you," Pei Jin said.

Bai Tao nestled back into the sofa, about to pick up the half-eaten bun.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door from the outside. The sound wasn't loud, but it was very clear in the quiet basement.

Bai Tao and Pei Jin both looked at the iron gate at the same time.

"Who is it?" Bai Tao asked, her mouth still full of the last bite of a bun, her voice muffled.

Pei Jin, who was near the door, had already stood up. He walked to the door but didn't open it immediately, which puzzled Bai Tao as well. Could it be their neighbor across the street?

"Sister Peach, it's me, Wang Jianguo."

Bai Tao's eyes lit up when she heard the voice.

She put down the half-eaten bun in her hand, stood up from the sofa, and said while swallowing what was in her mouth, "Coming, coming. Open the door, Pei Jin, it's a friend."

Pei Jin turned the lock and opened the iron gate.

A blond-haired man, wearing an extremely tight-fitting bodysuit, black five-point skinny jeans, and gray Crocs, with a thick gold chain around his neck, swayed back and forth in the dim hallway light; he was obviously a fake.

Wang Jianguo assumed that Bai Tao would be the one to open the door, and a bright smile was already on his face.

The door opened.

The smile froze on his face.

The person who appeared in the doorway was a full head taller than him. He wore a white undershirt, but the faint outline of his shoulders peeking out from under the fabric made Wang Jianguo's gaze involuntarily fix on him.

He slowly raised his head and met a pair of dark, emotionless eyes.

Pei Jin opened the door, looked down, and stared at the blond-haired man in front of him.

The two of them were startled by each other at the same time.

Wang Jianguo's first thought was that he had gone to the wrong door, but he had clearly heard Bai Tao's voice coming from inside. He glanced at the door number again; it was correct.

"Sister Peach, do you live here?"

Wang Jianguo's voice was half a tone lower than before, carrying a cautious uncertainty.

"Here, here." Bai Tao poked her head out from the gap behind Pei Jin.

She introduced him to Wang Jianguo: "This is my friend; his things were stolen."

Then, following Wang Jianguo's stunned expression, she glanced up and quickly patted Pei Jin's arm. "This is the real estate agent who helped me find a house, Brother Wang. Don't be so fierce."

Pei Jin glanced at Wang Jianguo expressionlessly and let out a soft "hmm".

It turns out they were a middleman.

He thought Bai Tao was blind.

Wang Jianguo pushed a suitcase over from behind him. The suitcase had several new scratches on its surface and dried mud on its wheels, but it was in relatively good condition overall.

"The box is here," Wang Jianguo said, "but the phone... those guys said it was broken. They found a place that recycles old phones and exchanged it for two stainless steel basins."

After saying that, Wang Jianguo pulled out two stainless steel basins, one large and one small, from somewhere, stacked them together, and stuffed them into Bai Tao's hand.

Bai Tao held the two stainless steel basins and looked down at them for two seconds.

The surface of the basin was very shiny, reflecting her blurry face, distorted, stretched wide and flat, like a funhouse mirror.

"Ah... okay."

Bai Tao stacked the two basins together and hugged them to her chest. "Thank you, Brother Wang. Come in and sit for a while? Who are those people? My friend and I want to call the police."

Wang Jianguo glanced at Pei Jin.

Pei Jin stood at the door, one hand on the door frame, his whole body almost blocking the doorway.

He didn't look at Wang Jianguo; his expression was indifferent, clearly indicating that he didn't welcome Wang Jianguo in.

Wang Jianguo wisely waved his hand.

"I have something to do later, so I won't go in."

He spoke much faster than usual, as if making an excuse, "I delivered the goods. Those people are used to petty theft, but at least I returned them, so please don't hold it against them."

Bai Tao opened her mouth, as if to ask something, but Wang Jianguo had already taken a step back.

"Besides, it was my older brother who went to get the stuff, I don't know which people it was." Wang Jianguo put his hands in the pockets of his tight pants, his shoulders hunching slightly. "Don't ask me anymore, I'm leaving now."

Then, as if afraid that Bai Tao would ask too many questions, he turned around and left.

Bai Tao stood at the door, holding two stainless steel basins, staring blankly at the direction Wang Jianguo had disappeared in for two seconds.

"This person..." She looked down at her reflection in the basin, "..."

Pei Jin remained silent.

Bai Tao didn't think much of it and nudged Pei Jin with her shoulder, signaling him to bring the suitcase in.

Pei Jin nodded, bent down, grabbed the handle of the suitcase with one hand, and gently lifted it over the threshold.