“Miss, someone delivered something for you last night. Please take it.”
“For… for me?”
Wu Menghan’s voice was a little hoarse, as if she had just been crying. The moment she spoke, the old security guard couldn’t help but frown.
“Miss, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Where is the stuff?”
“Oh, it’s right here.”
The old man took out a bag of vegetables from the security booth. They looked fairly fresh.
The instant she saw the bag of vegetables, Wu Menghan immediately thought of her brother.
There weren’t any relatives who visited their family, and there was no way anyone else would bring her a bag of vegetables like this.
The only possibility was her brother. Once this thought appeared, it quickly filled Wu Menghan’s entire mind.
She snatched the vegetables and asked urgently, “Uncle, who brought this?”
“Oh, a little girl.”
The old man’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her, and the bit of hope that had just risen in Wu Menghan’s heart was instantly extinguished.
Thinking it over, if her brother had come back, how could he have left the vegetables with the security guard?
Wu Menghan gave a self-deprecating smile, took the new key from Property Management, and left in disappointment, returning home.
She tossed the vegetables aside and dove into Wu Ren’s room, collapsing onto the bed.
As she breathed in her brother’s scent, Wu Menghan giggled foolishly, as if she had completely broken down.
“Brother~ Stinky old brother, you’re here, aren’t you? You must be playing a prank on me, right?”
“Come back, hurry and come back. Don’t mess with me anymore, please, big brother.”
She rolled around on the bed, hugging the bedding, carefully savoring Wu Ren’s scent, grinning like a fool, her eyes bloodshot and filled with tangled red lines.
“Stinky old brother, you’re not dead, are you? You definitely aren’t dead. Yes, not dead, not dead, ah ha… ha…”
No one knew how much time passed before Wu Menghan finally calmed down. She walked out of the room, her expression suddenly freezing.
Only then did she notice that all the vegetables in that bag were ones she liked to eat.
***
On the chilly street, Vivi walked alone. She didn’t know where she was going, nor did she have a goal.
Unknowingly, she ended up in front of her sister’s school, watching the students inside talking and laughing.
Once again, Vivi thought of her little sister. That was the key to keeping herself awake.
The instincts of a slime girl were constantly eroding her, hunger driving her to devour humans.
But if she did that, she’d be no different from Eno.
Gurgle~
Her stomach growled. Vivi held her belly and squatted by the flowerbed outside the school.
Passersby couldn’t help but pause when they saw such a cute little girl. Vivi pressed her head down low, staring at people’s legs, and unconsciously licked the corner of her mouth.
She wanted to eat, she really wanted to eat, so hungry, really so hungry…
“Mm? Little girl, what’s wrong?”
At that moment, a woman’s voice sounded. Vivi looked up and her eyes widened.
It was a beautiful woman in casual clothes, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with an air of elegance.
She must be about 25 years old, the same age as Vivi was before her transformation.
“Xia… Xiaxiaoling?”
“Mm? You know me, little girl?”
“No, sorry, sis, I don’t know you.”
Vivi shook her head, got up, and ran toward the back of the school.
Seeing this, Xiaxiaoling followed her out of curiosity.
After turning a corner, Vivi thought she wouldn’t be chased and sat down slowly against the wall.
Xiaxiaoling, her middle school classmate—even though most of her memories had faded, this name was still vivid in Vivi’s mind.
Because she was Vivi’s only secret crush, and also the only person who ever stirred her heart.
“Why did I run into her, why did it have to be her?”
Vivi tapped her little head and grabbed a handful of grass, stuffing it into her mouth.
Chomp, chomp…
The hunger eased a bit. Vivi’s eyes lit up. That meant slime girls could eat this stuff to stave off hunger.
Feeling like she’d discovered a new continent, Vivi grabbed another handful of grass, but before she could absorb it, a shadow fell over her.
“Little girl, what… are you doing?”
“Ugh!”
Vivi’s whole body stiffened. She didn’t dare look at the beauty behind her.
“Mm? Why are you eating grass? Where are your parents?”
Vivi hurriedly spit out the grass and turned around, pressing her back against the wall.
“I… I don’t have any parents.”
As she spoke, hunger surged up again, and the urge to devour Xiaxiaoling grew even stronger inside her.
“I see…”
Xiaxiaoling squatted down, looking a little sorry for her, and reached out to hug Vivi.
“Come on, let big sister take you to get something tasty, okay?”
Faced with Xiaxiaoling’s embrace, Vivi felt neither excitement nor any fluttering emotions.
All she felt was hunger. Driven by instinct, her mouth slowly moved toward Xiaxiaoling’s neck.
“Awoo~”
She couldn’t resist—it was pure instinct. But after all, she was a newborn slime girl and couldn’t yet devour Xiaxiaoling directly.
Right now, she just nestled in Xiaxiaoling’s arms like a child seeking affection.
Xiaxiaoling froze, feeling a strangely sticky sensation on her neck.
“Little girl, what are you doing?”
“Huh? No, nothing.”
Vivi snapped back to her senses, feeling a bit ashamed and a bit scared.
Thank goodness, she hadn’t done anything out of line.
Vivi let out a heavy breath, then suddenly felt her feet leave the ground.
“Eh? Wa… wait a minute…”
She was easily picked up by Xiaxiaoling. Even Xiaxiaoling was surprised at how light Vivi was.
“Little girl, do you often not get enough to eat?”
Vivi didn’t know how to answer and could only nod quietly.
Seeing her like this, Xiaxiaoling sighed and decided to take the child out for a good meal.
They went to a small restaurant beside the school and ordered several dishes.
At this hour, there weren’t many people in the restaurant, so the food arrived quickly.
Vivi glanced at Xiaxiaoling, a little embarrassed, but she was simply too hungry.
“Xia… ahem, thank you, big sister.”
Xiaxiaoling waved her hand, her eyes filled with a bit of fondness.
“Eat up, or it’ll get cold.”
It was true—girls can’t resist cute things, and Xiaxiaoling was no different with Vivi.
Vivi didn’t stand on ceremony, grabbed her chopsticks, and started eating. Soon, she finished all the dishes on the table.
Even after eating, she still wasn’t completely full—maybe only halfway there—but Vivi was already quite satisfied.
As the little girl put down her chopsticks and bowl, Xiaxiaoling asked with concern, “Are you full?”
“Mm… I’m full.”
Vivi lied against her conscience, feeling too embarrassed to eat any more.
Xiaxiaoling didn’t notice, only reached out and gently patted her soft hair.
Vivi’s hair was very smooth, so comfortable to touch that Xiaxiaoling couldn’t help but stroke it a few more times.
Vivi’s face turned red from the attention, shy but enjoying it all the same.
Looking at Xiaxiaoling’s face, Vivi felt as if she’d returned to her school days, back to when she would secretly glance at her.
Her heart pounded wildly. Just then, Xiaxiaoling’s phone suddenly rang.
“Sorry, let me take this call.”
With that, she stepped away. Vivi sat alone, cheeks puffed in frustration, feeling a little annoyed.
Outside the little restaurant, Xiaxiaoling answered the phone.
“Hello, Teacher Xia, Wu Menghan from your class hasn’t come to school today.”
“Huh?”