“System, why do you always find ways to send me money?”
【Because the Prodigal System is my cousin】
At noon, on the scorching summer streets, the heat waves rising from the sun-baked ground kept washing over everything around.
“So hot…”
At the bus stop, Su Moli was waiting for the bus, enduring the suffocating heat.
She felt like she was about to get heatstroke and increasingly understood just how tough it was to be a girl.
Drops of sweat appeared on her forehead, slowly sliding down her face, passing her neck and collarbones, finally disappearing into the indistinct valley between her chest.
Because of the sweat, her clothes stuck tightly to her skin, like they had been touched by greasy hands of a middle-aged man, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
What’s worse, Su Moli wasn’t even wearing a bra, just some bandages stuck to her skin, and it already felt so bad.
If she wore a bra, she felt like it would be hard to breathe.
Sure enough, the best way to enjoy summer was lying in an air-conditioned room set to 16°C, wrapped in a quilt while playing on the phone, with watermelon, cola, and spicy strips nearby…
After spending the entire morning in this heat, Su Moli’s youthful and vibrant energy was completely drained.
Her aura instantly shifted into that of a slouchy middle-aged man, her once bright eyes dull and lifeless, her expression devoid of any spirit, entering a low-energy daze.
(What is she even thinking about?)
Nearby, Meng Siyu quietly observed Su Moli at the bus stop.
Seeing her not playing on her phone out of boredom, but instead staring straight ahead with a contemplative look, she found her impressive.
They were the same age, but somehow, Su Moli sometimes showed an air of maturity and stability, like an adult with many stories, especially those melancholic, wistful eyes that were utterly captivating.
Recalling the past few days’ experiences, Meng Siyu admired Su Moli even more.
Whether it was her bravery at school, her fearless sense of justice in holding bullies accountable even after the bell, or the crazed beauty who cut her own palm after school, or today at noon when she used KFC to win over the bullies’ hearts — none of these were things a typical girl her age would do.
Especially compared to herself, Meng Siyu’s admiration grew.
Su Moli was like the protagonist of a school novel.
Maybe in a few days, the school heartthrob would fall for her.
No!
That girl was a lesbian for sure, so she definitely wouldn’t like boys.
Then naturally…
She likes me?!
Under the blazing sun, Meng Siyu suddenly felt like waking from a dream, instinctively taking a few steps back in fear.
Although she had known this fact since their first encounter at dawn, each interaction in these days made her forget it subconsciously.
“Could it be…that I’m a lesbian too?”
Meng Siyu fell into deep self-doubt.
After all, she knew the other was a lesbian, so if she hung out with her, wasn’t that lesbian too?
But for over a decade, Meng Siyu had firmly believed she liked boys.
Plus, she only hung out with Su Moli for the money, purely a transactional relationship with no feelings involved.
Why did it feel like she was only making things more confusing by saying this?
“Calm down, calm down, it must be because I read too many gender-bender novels and got my mind all twisted. From today on, I must quit reading gender-bender novels!!”
Feeling her thoughts spiraling out of control, Meng Siyu hurriedly slapped her cheeks, trying to clear her mind and stop overthinking.
Otherwise, the more she thought, the less sense it made.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Heatstroke?”
Just then, the bus approached.
Su Moli turned to call out, seeing Meng Siyu drifting away from her.
But when she saw Meng Siyu’s dazed look, she asked with genuine concern.
“Ah?! No…no…nothing…you…don’t come over—”
Seeing Su Moli’s sudden concern and approach, Meng Siyu, determined to remain straight, panicked and backed away with a frightened expression, as if facing a mortal enemy.
“It’s this kind of unconscious care that’s the deadliest. Meng Siyu, don’t fall for it!” she silently warned herself.
“What do you mean don’t come over? The bus is almost here; let’s get on.”
Seeing Meng Siyu about to run off, Su Moli, as the one responsible for her outing, naturally couldn’t let her wander off, especially in this heat.
What if she really got heatstroke?
How could she explain that to her parents?
So, Su Moli briskly stepped forward and grabbed Meng Siyu’s wrist, but she immediately wrenched free.
“Don’t you like me holding your hand?”
Su Moli looked at her with a puzzled expression.
They had been getting along well just a moment ago at KFC, so why the sudden coldness?
After a moment’s thought, Su Moli suddenly understood.
This morning, Meng Siyu won the Thousand Love, Ten Thousand Blossoms championship and hadn’t yet received her 400-yuan reward from her, so that’s why she was sulking.
“Oh, right! I forgot to give you the 400-yuan Champion Reward. Here, take it now. Don’t be mad, okay?”
Though not fully understanding the situation, Su Moli, a practical person with the mindset of a 30-year-old man, instinctively thought to solve problems with money.
No matter what the relationship, if you give someone a few thousand yuan, even if you slapped them for no reason, they’d probably start wondering what troubles you had or if it was some kind of truth-or-dare thing.
Seeing Su Moli attempt to bribe her with money again sent a chill down Meng Siyu’s spine.
Crossing her arms and stepping back, she thought this girl was terrifying, casually throwing money around.
Not this time!
However, when Meng Siyu saw the disappointed look in Su Moli’s eyes, and remembered how kind she had been these days, it made her hesitate.
Was it too stingy of her not to even let Su Moli touch her hand?
Without a word, Meng Siyu silently reached out her hand again, lowering her head and avoiding Su Moli’s gaze.
“Hehe, good, come on, let’s get on the bus.”
Seeing the money, Meng Siyu instantly stopped being mad.
Su Moli smiled slightly; this girl was really like a child, so easy to please.
After affectionately patting Meng Siyu’s head as a reward, the bus arrived just then.
Su Moli hurriedly took her small hand and stepped forward, lest they lose their seats.
Far away.
On the bus, Su Moli and Meng Siyu sat side by side, leaning against each other.
Since it was the middle of the day and the bus was nearly empty, it wasn’t crowded.
But no matter how uncrowded, for Su Moli, who got motion sickness easily, riding the bus was a long torment.
Especially since she couldn’t use her phone to distract herself—playing on the phone in a bus was like a mouse kissing a cat’s butt, almost inviting disaster.
Yet Su Moli noticed that Meng Siyu, sitting so close, seemed even more nauseous than she was.
“Are you okay?”
Su Moli asked with concern.
“No…I’m fine…”
Meng Siyu closed her eyes and whispered.
She barely had the strength left to deal with Su Moli, since she had to focus all her energy on controlling her breathing to avoid vomiting from the indescribable bus smell.
Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing.
“Do you know?”
“What?”
Seeing Meng Siyu so uncomfortable, Su Moli immediately thought of a remedy for motion sickness.
“None of the people driving get motion sickness.”
“That’s because their brain is fully focused on driving, constantly responding to the unpredictable changes on the road.”
“The main cause of motion sickness is that the eyes tell the brain the body is moving, but the brain senses the body isn’t actually moving. This conflicting information makes the brain think it’s been poisoned, which triggers stomach spasms and nausea.”
“In short, if you want to avoid motion sickness, you need to divert your brain’s attention.”
“But playing on the phone worsens motion sickness, so there’s only one method left…”
“What? Ugh~”
Meng Siyu, sitting with her eyes closed, was about to ask what the cure was when she suddenly felt a hand on her thigh, moving back and forth, up and down, left and right…
“Don’t open your eyes~ or it won’t work~”
Seeing Meng Siyu tightly shut her eyes, her body tensing under the touch of Su Moli’s right hand, Su Moli’s beautiful face lit up with an excited and charming smile.
She parted her lips and leaned close, softly blowing into Meng Siyu’s ear as she spoke slowly and leisurely: “Relax a little, relax a little, close your eyes and feel where my next move will go.”
“Is it here? Or here? Or maybe…”