“Goodness, why bring that up?”
Su Ling leaned into Su Yao’s embrace.
Although she spoke those words, her heart gradually grew calm.
The scent on Su Yao’s body was similar to cherry blossoms, but compared to her own, it was softer and warmer.
A single tear slowly slid from the corner of her eye.
However, she quickly brushed it away.
“Alright, it’s getting late. We should get some sleep.”
“Eh? Can’t we soak for a little longer?”
Su Yao tilted her head, only to receive a gentle flick on the forehead from Su Ling.
“I have school tomorrow.”
“By the way, it doesn’t matter if you work or not. The Government gave us 500,000 in compensation, and our family’s debts will likely be cleared soon. You don’t have to go to work anymore.”
Su Ling climbed out of the bathtub.
The atmosphere between the two of them had become far too intimate, making her feel a bit uneasy.
“Ah, then…”
“No drinking!”
Su Ling gave Su Yao a sharp glare.
Su Yao smacked her lips and nodded helplessly.
“Well, I have to find something to do, right?”
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning Bai Miao and Bai Wei.
Bringing them up would only increase their sorrow.
“Then you could knit something, or maybe do some handicrafts?”
“But… but I don’t know how…”
Su Yao lowered her head, looking a bit embarrassed.
“Actually, Ling Ling, can I go to school with you?”
Su Yao leaned against the edge of the bathtub, her eyes sparkling with little stars.
Su Ling stumbled, nearly tripping over.
“What would you do at school with me?”
“I want to learn things, too! Didn’t they say there’s no age limit for the College Entrance Examination? Maybe we can even get into university together. That way, I can take better care of you in the future!”
The 500,000 from the Government was neither a huge nor a small amount.
At the very least, it was a fortune in the Lower City.
Su Ling thought about it for a moment and decided it was actually a good idea.
Su Yao only had a primary school education; in the Lower City, she would only be able to find manual labor jobs.
Now that they were debt-free and financially stable, Su Ling really felt uneasy leaving Su Yao home alone.
“It’s just…”
Su Ling felt a bit awkward.
Even though Su Yao looked like a beautiful teenage girl identical to her, she was still her mother.
This was just too…
“Hehe, it’s settled then. It’s been a long time since I’ve studied.”
Su Yao also climbed out of the bathtub and took a towel to dry Su Ling’s body.
The College Entrance Examination was only fifteen days away.
Su Yao’s claim about wanting to get into university was entirely an excuse.
She was simply too afraid.
She had already lost Xiao Wei and Miao Miao; she was truly terrified of losing Su Ling as well.
Su Ling let out a sigh, which served as a silent agreement.
Su Yao seemed to regain her vitality at that moment, bouncing around with a youthful energy that made her look like Su Ling’s older sister.
Su Ling finished dressing and walked out of the bathroom.
Looking at Su Yao, the corners of her mouth curled upward unconsciously.
Hajimi was yawning in the corner.
This silly cat had actually survived and even found its way home on its own, which had been a wonderful surprise for Su Ling.
She poured some cat food for Hajimi and patted the cat’s small head.
Su Ling then stood up to go to the bedroom to sleep.
“By the way, Ling Ling, can you sleep with me tonight?”
Su Yao pulled at the hem of Su Ling’s shirt, her tone carrying a hint of pleading.
Su Ling didn’t have the heart to refuse.
She nodded.
“Yay! Ling Ling is the best!”
***
Late at night.
The building was terrifyingly quiet.
However, Su Yao and Su Ling had experienced too much that day.
Their nerves had been taut for so long that they finally relaxed and drifted into a dreamland.
They embraced each other, their white hair intertwining so thoroughly that it was impossible to tell whose was whose.
At that moment, on the sofa in the living room, there was a sudden movement inside Su Ling’s coat pocket.
Immediately after, a small head slowly poked out.
It was the pink doll Su Ling had picked up at home earlier.
Su Ling had originally thought it belonged to Ji Lingyuan or one of the others, but after everything that had happened, she had forgotten about it.
“Nyeh-heh-heh! Long live the Empress! If the Empress hadn’t picked up this [Selflessness], I probably would have kicked the bucket by now.”
The pink doll was only the size of a palm and struggled as she crawled out of the pocket.
She spread her arms and cheered repeatedly.
At the same time, her eyes grew a bit misty.
In order to survive, her consciousness had remained absolutely still within [Selflessness].
During the day, those witches had found her in Su Ling’s pocket.
Fortunately, she had only ever shown her [Selflessness] form to people like Meng Dalei, so those witches all assumed she was just Su Ling’s toy doll.
However, there was one shameless witch who thought she looked cute.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, that witch had secretly held her over her head to peer under her skirt.
‘Ahhh, that’s going too far!’
Finally, seeing how realistic she looked, that witch had actually reached out a finger and slowly poked toward the skirt…
G502 felt like she was going to lose her mind at that moment.
If she hadn’t kept chanting ‘For the Empress’ in her heart, she would have been exposed long ago.
Although she hadn’t seen the shameless witch’s face clearly, she had heard someone call the girl’s name at the last moment.
“Hehehe, Xiaoyuan, was it? I’ll remember you!”
G502 continued to sneer coldly, completely unaware of the massive creature staring curiously at her from behind.
“Meow? A moving doll?”
Dalian reached out a cat paw and caught G502.
“Ahhh! You stupid cat, let go of me!”
“Meow? You can actually talk?”
“What’s wrong with talking? Aren’t you also—!”
Suddenly, the cat and the doll stared at each other, the atmosphere becoming extremely awkward.
“You’re one too?”
Dalian released G502, a strange expression appearing on her cat face.
‘You live long enough and you see everything. I actually ran into someone in the same boat.’
“Sigh, it’s all for the sake of staying alive.”
G502 sighed.
The wings on her back fluttered slightly as she flew to the edge of the sofa.
“What kind of method is this? A substitute doll?”
Dalian poked at G502.
This seemed even more high-end than her Source-Devouring Beast form.
At least she still looked human.
Unlike her—it was bad enough being a cat, but then she had been taken by Su Ling to be neutered.
Now, she felt absolutely nothing when looking at stunning beauties like Su Ling and Su Yao.
“It’s one of my talents. What about you? Why are you a cat?”
“Not enough money. I could only afford a Source-Devouring Beast.”
Dalian looked melancholic.
Even this Source-Devouring Beast had nearly emptied her savings.
But at least it had been worth it in the end; her life was saved.
Dalian and G502 looked at each other, suddenly feeling a sense of mutual sympathy, as if they were old friends meeting in a foreign land.
After all, they were both survivors who had been forced into these ridiculous situations; it was inevitable they would find some common ground.
***
The morning sun spilled across her face.
Su Ling opened her eyes slightly, and the first thing she saw was her own face.
‘Where did a mirror come from?’
It took a long time before she realized that it was Su Yao.
Just then, Su Yao woke up as well.
After a peaceful night’s sleep, much of yesterday’s sorrow had dissipated.
“Morning, Ling Ling.”
Su Yao planted a kiss on Su Ling’s forehead.
Su Ling’s face turned slightly red.
“I told you already, I’m a Transmigrator. It’s better if we maintain some distance.”
The other woman wasn’t really her mother.
“Why? Aren’t you my Ling Ling?”
Su Yao tilted her head, looking curious.
Su Ling sighed and said nothing more.
Getting out of bed, Su Yao noticed Su Ling’s long hair was a bit messy, so she pulled Su Ling over to comb it.
“Ling Ling is so beautiful now.”
Looking at Su Ling in the mirror, Su Yao couldn’t help but marvel.
Su Ling was somewhat speechless.
The two of them looked almost identical.
Praising her for being beautiful was basically just Su Yao praising herself.
How narcissistic.
Su Yao tied Su Ling’s hair into a high ponytail, revealing her slender neck and delicate collarbones.
If one were to be honest, she looked even more youthful and spirited this way.
The corners of Su Ling’s mouth curled slightly, and she pulled Su Yao over to comb her hair in return.
However, her technique…
“Haha, Ling Ling, your technique is terrible!”
Su Yao looked at her hair in the mirror, which now resembled a bird’s nest, and couldn’t help but laugh.
Su Ling felt a bit discouraged.
“Hmph. I’m going to make breakfast. Fix it yourself.”
With that, she walked out of the bedroom, intending to prepare some food.
There were only fifteen days left until the College Entrance Examination.
Although she knew her chances were slim, with fifteen days left, she could at least give it a final push.
But then, she suddenly noticed something in the corner.
On top of Hajimi’s head, there was an exquisite pink doll.
“What’s this?”
Su Ling leaned in curiously.
Wasn’t this the doll she had picked up at home before?
Tsk, how did this stupid cat find it?
But by the look of things, the cat seemed to quite like the doll.