A Young Woman's Heart

"You're really rich, kid."

"Hehe, it's alright, it's alright. Now that we have money, we definitely have to share it with the brothers." Shi Haiming said, taking out napkins from the paper bag. Mo Xueyao also helped wipe the table and chairs.

Some of the moss on the stone benches had already taken root and couldn't be wiped off in a short time. Fortunately, Shi Haiming had come prepared and simply put newspapers on top, so everyone could sit on the benches with peace of mind.

"What? You even brought a cassette player out?"

"Hehe, play some music."

"Good heavens, you've turned this place upside down like a restaurant?" Mo Xueyao teased, watching Shi Haiming turn on the cassette player and play a rhythmic piece of music.

"It sounds like background music during battles?"

"Haha, more or less, I was planning to give you this cassette tape!"

"Hmm? What is this? Hmm... it does sound familiar."

"Hehe, I got this on purpose," Shi Haiming said mysteriously. "Well, did you recognize it?"

"It sounds familiar, but... I can't quite remember it right now." Mo Xueyao tilted her head, racking her brains. "I think it's battle music from some anime?"

"That's right, that's right."

"Ah, I remember now!" As the song reached its climax, Mo Xueyao finally looked up in realization, "Neon Genesis Evangelion!"

"That's right, hahaha, this is the original Japanese version."

"Wow, you're amazing, kid. Where did you get that?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense. It's just some secondhand stuff we found at the video store outside." Li Gutao bluntly exposed his lie.

"Haha, but isn't this fate? Haruka, don't you really like this anime?"

"Yes, I really like it." Mo Xueyao didn't stand on ceremony. "Give it to me later!"

"Okay, you can take the tape recorder with you."

“No need, I have a better tape recorder at home,” Mo Xueyao said deliberately. “By the way, I haven’t finished introducing it yet.”

"Let's introduce ourselves. My name is Shi Haiming, and I currently work from home!"

"...This guy is being kept by a rich woman."

"...?" Li Wanyan's face was unusually filled with a look of doubt, and it was hard to tell whether she was joking or serious.

"I'm not kidding, it's true!"

"Okay." Li Wanyan nodded, reverting to her usual calm and collected demeanor.

"This is Li Gutao, who is also my best friend."

"Ah."

"And then, she's Li Wanyan, and she lives in my house now, kind of like... uh, like sisters."

"Hahahaha—" Shi Haiming immediately burst into laughter, slamming his fist on the table and saying, "'Sisters' sounds so strange coming from your mouth, Xiao Yao."

"What are you laughing at!" she glared at him defiantly. "I'm a girl, what's wrong with calling each other sisters?"

"No problem, no problem... Hahaha, but after being a tomboy for so many years, are you really ready to adapt?"

"Tch, it's not like I wanted to be a tomboy." Mo Xueyao was telling the truth, but her true meaning was definitely completely different from what Li Gutao understood.

“I know, I know, it’s your parents’ problem…” Shi Haiming said, then looked at Li Gutao, “Damn, that kid Tao took a big chicken leg without saying a word, he’s really cunning!”

"What? You won't let me eat?"

"Haha, of course, eat as much as you want, eat up, or it'll get cold later." Shi Haiming said, taking out a big chicken leg for himself.

Mo Xueyao wasn't in a hurry. There was still plenty of food inside, so she only took a hamburger and ate it slowly.

Why would you buy McDonald's?

"What's wrong, Xiaoyao? Don't you like McDonald's?"

KFC has mashed potatoes.

"What's so good about mashed potatoes?"

"I think it tastes delicious!"

“I agree, I also like mashed potatoes.” Li Gutao stood on the same side as her.

"And you?" Shi Haiming looked at Li Wanyan and asked her.

"Anything is fine." Li Wanyan's aloof demeanor made Shi Haiming raise an eyebrow.

"Yes, that's just how Wanyan is, you don't need to worry about her."

"Haha, it's nothing, I didn't mind. Hey, Tao, how have you been lately?" Shi Haiming nudged Li Gutao's arm, almost knocking his chicken leg off.

What are you doing!

"I'm asking you!"

"It's alright, Huihui and I are doing fine, uh... I recently found out about her."

"What's up?" Shi Haiming asked, looking quite gossipy.

"Uh, she's the kind of person who can't get pregnant."

"Holy crap, is there really such a good thing in the world?"

Li Gutao's eyelids twitched, and he looked at Li Wanyan apologetically: "Can't you speak like a human being, bro? You're always spouting nonsense, I can't take it anymore!"

"Hahahaha—Xiao Ming, you really are..." Mo Xueyao laughed until she coughed, "cough cough cough... um, so what will happen to her in the future?"

“It’s okay, I don’t care about having children.” Li Gutao was as mature as a thirty-year-old man. “Her mother agrees with us now, cough… but if I dare to break up with her, I’m afraid I’ll be in big trouble.”

"What? Do you have a new love interest?"

"No, no, I was just saying... Well, after getting to know her, Huihui is a pretty nice girl, it's just that her temperament is a bit different from that of most girls."

"Tsk tsk, you're probably going to be henpecked from now on."

"Giving in to women doesn't mean you're henpecked."

"Are you kidding me? Why are you taking this so seriously?" Shi Haiming nudged him. "What's wrong with you and Xiaoyao? Can't you take a joke anymore?"

"Damn, if I couldn't take a joke, I would have beaten you up already."

"Tsk, you couldn't beat me back in school either."

“I can definitely beat them now. Huihui and I have even learned Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) together.”

"Wow, this girlfriend was a great find!"

Mo Xueyao laughed so hard she almost spat out the hamburger in her mouth.

Even Li Wanyan, who was standing to the side, found their conversation interesting. She was resting her chin on her hand, eating fries, and listening quietly.

"Xiaoming, how have you been lately?"

"I guess that's how I am. The rich woman's company has made a lot of money, and they're giving me more and more money, but I'm so tired. I want to quit."

"Is it still possible to resign?"

"Of course I can... cough, never mind, I won't find a good job even if I quit. I'll wait until I've saved enough money before quitting, but I guess she'll be tired of me by then."

"How can you say such a thing, coming from a man's mouth?"

"What? You're allowing women to make money with their bodies, but not men? What do you mean by gender equality? This is what gender equality is all about!" Shi Haiming shouted irritably. "Besides, well, who told me to be so handsome? I'm skilled, and I have great natural qualities."

"You call yourself high-class?" Mo Xueyao glanced at him sideways.

"I'm referring to that kind of quality, hehe—"

"Tsk, the moment you open your mouth, the whole atmosphere becomes filthy," Li Gutao said teasingly. "Xiao Yao, how about you? Are you enjoying high school life?"

"It's okay, although I'm a little tired..."

The conversation continued in this manner.

……

Chapter 169 A pitiful young girl

It was supposed to be a sunny day, but it started raining instead.

Weather forecasts can be unreliable sometimes, and Mo Xueyao, walking down the street with a tattered umbrella, couldn't help but shiver.

"The patch that Xiao Ji helped me fix last time seems to be broken again..." Mo Xueyao reached out and touched the umbrella, muttering softly.

The city seemed particularly deserted in the rain; the supermarket was almost empty, with only a few elderly people occasionally walking out carrying eggs.

Mo Xueyao regretted dressing so lightly when she went out. She rubbed her nose and curled up into a ball.

I went out today because I found a flyer in the mailbox downstairs when I went down to get milk.

If Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan lived in the fruit shop, their mother would usually bring them milk every day and put it in the refrigerator for them to drink at night.

Back to the flyer, it said that a bakery had opened next to Lotus Supermarket, and all bread would be half price for the first three days of opening, plus an extra gift for purchases over 20 yuan.

Looking at the date again, today happens to be the last day.

So she quickly ran out to buy some pork floss bread to take home and eat—she'd been buying breakfast on the street every day lately, and had eaten at each breakfast shop several times, so she was getting a little tired of it.

I originally wanted to ask Li Wanyan to come out with me, but she wasn't feeling well today and stayed in bed, not wanting to get up.

She rarely slept in, so Mo Xueyao was too embarrassed to force her to get up and had to go out by herself.

Today is Sunday, the last day of the weekend.

Mo Xueyao could only alleviate the feeling of cold by recalling what everyone had done at the arcade the day before.

The rain wasn't heavy, but the wind was blowing at an angle, making Mo Xueyao feel that her face was all wet.

It was quite a feat to finally spot the bakery. There were two large flower baskets displayed at the entrance to celebrate its opening. The shop was decorated in a very ordinary way, with no floor-to-ceiling windows and a small space. You had to stand at the entrance to buy bread. It looked no different from a wife cake shop.

Mo Xueyao, who had seen those high-end bakeries, was delighted, because it meant the bread here would be very cheap...

In any case, no matter what it is, as long as it involves foreign countries, the price will always be much higher.

For example, a bakery with European-style decor, or a bread brand from abroad...